Poll:- life better now or in 1959?

[AnnaG]

I just heard that MRIs in BC will be delayed even longer than they have been. Some have already been delayed by more than a year. But the Olys are coming!
Progress, huh?
Canada is still "governed" by the same two groups of morons.
Progress, huh?

 

[countryboy]

I just heard that MRIs in BC will be delayed even longer than they have been. Some have already been delayed by more than a year. But the Olys are coming!
Progress, huh?
Canada is still "governed" by the same two groups of morons.
Progress, huh?

Oh, oh...the health care system. As the old country song goes, "Why did you bring that up while I was eating?"

We like to parade our health care system around like it's the next best thing to godliness, especially compared to those ugly Americans down south. Well, let's see now...I know a person in Japan who went to the doctor recently for a quick look-see and he found a problem. Decided an MRI and a CTscan was required. This was on a Friday. The MRI took place the following Monday, the CTscan on the Tuesday. I know this would be unbelievable to the average Canadian, but to the Japanese it represents something they call "joshiki." Translation: Common sense.

 

[Ron in Regina]

This:

Or This:

Vrs:

Or This?:

?????????

 

[lone wolf]

I got off the tredmill a long time ago. My place is paid for and the peace of mind came free. It took but a heartbeat to realize the secret is in wanting what you have ... not having what you want. Near as I can see the only advantage I'd have with 1959 is in having that half century to live over....



...or not

 

[TenPenny]

I just heard that MRIs in BC will be delayed even longer than they have been. Some have already been delayed by more than a year.

Well, I don't know why that bothers you - in 1959, there wasn't anything even dreamed up like an MRI. So you should be happy that there is a longer waiting list, because that takes you closer to your ideal.

 

[TenPenny]

The only reason those old cars look so special is nostalgia. In 1959, nobody cared about their F100s, they were just trucks.

Cars today are so superior - you get in them, start them, and drive. Hardly ever does anything go wrong for 200,000 km. How many people have flat tires or blowouts? Not very common. They get great gas mileage, too. They have defrosters and windshield washers, all those silly things that make them useful. Collapsing steering wheels, so that if you're in an accident, you aren't impaled by the steering wheel. Sure, they're cute, but not as a daily driver you have to rely on.

 

[lone wolf]

Cars in 1959 were designed to be fixed and fiddled with by the people who matter - the owner. It was up to the owner whether they lasted forever or not.

 

[Mowich]

The only reason those old cars look so special is nostalgia. In 1959, nobody cared about their F100s, they were just trucks.

Cars today are so superior - you get in them, start them, and drive. Hardly ever does anything go wrong for 200,000 km. How many people have flat tires or blowouts? Not very common. They get great gas mileage, too. They have defrosters and windshield washers, all those silly things that make them useful. Collapsing steering wheels, so that if you're in an accident, you aren't impaled by the steering wheel. Sure, they're cute, but not as a daily driver you have to rely on.

A couple of things I clearly remember about vehicles in the 50's are that when you closed the door there was a solid 'thunk' almost like a vault door closing and that if you got into an accident with another car, you didn't have to either pay a small fortune for the fix or replace the enitre car.

 

[JLM]

A couple of things I clearly remember about vehicles in the 50's are that when you closed the door there was a solid 'thunk' almost like a vault door closing and that if you got into an accident with another car, you didn't have to either pay a small fortune for the fix or replace the enitre car.

With vehicles I'd say it's a dead heat. More reliable today, but much easier to fix and maintain 50 years ago. A gasline filter which screwed to the front of the carburettor took about 5 minutes to replace at a cost of $3. Now they are hidden away and cost about $35.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

A couple of things I clearly remember about vehicles in the 50's are that when you closed the door there was a solid 'thunk' almost like a vault door closing and that if you got into an accident with another car, you didn't have to either pay a small fortune for the fix or replace the enitre car.

So what is the problem, Mowich? Didn't you have insurance in 1959? Anyway, we do have insurance today, so the cost of fixing the car is moot.

 

[lone wolf]

Are you deliberately this way?

 

[Mowich]

With vehicles I'd say it's a dead heat. More reliable today, but much easier to fix and maintain 50 years ago. A gasline filter which screwed to the front of the carburettor took about 5 minutes to replace at a cost of $3. Now they are hidden away and cost about $35.

Dad taught all of his six girls how to change tires, check the oil, water level in rad, and how to change an air filter. We knew what spark plugs were and where they went and basically what they did. We also had a pretty good handle on how an internal combustion engine worked.

A lot of good all that knowledge does me these days. :angry3:

;-)

 

[Mowich]

So what is the problem, Mowich? Didn't you have insurance in 1959? Anyway, we do have insurance today, so the cost of fixing the car is moot.

I will tell you the problem, SirJP. The waste; the mountains of dead cars, or car parts, that is the problem. The utter carelessness of making something so harmful to our environment so easily disposable.

But then, that's just my opinion.

 

[countryboy]

So what is the problem, Mowich? Didn't you have insurance in 1959? Anyway, we do have insurance today, so the cost of fixing the car is moot.

Er, did I miss something here? You must have some high-powered insurance policies down there in Ontario. My coverage doesn't include mechanical problems that occur because of something other than a car accident. I think Mowich was talking about non-accident fixes.

 

[countryboy]

I will tell you the problem, SirJP. The waste; the mountains of dead cars, or car parts, that is the problem. The utter carelessness of making something so harmful to our environment so easily disposable.

But then, that's just my opinion.

And it's a valid opinion. Why don't we have a proper recycle program for cars in Canada? I'm talking about recycling an entire car, not bits and pieces here and there. We seem to get all excited about things like the Kyoto Accord but the stuff that is more immediately doable seems to be ignored.

Where are those Green people when you need them?

 

[Mowich]

Er, did I miss something here? You must have some high-powered insurance policies down there in Ontario. My coverage doesn't include mechanical problems that occur because of something other than a car accident. I think Mowich was talking about non-accident fixes.

Sorry, countryboy, what I meant was that back in the 50s when you got a dent in your car - it was just that - a dent, these days it is likely to be your entire bumper, hood, or worse. Of course, we had insurance but the point was the cost, not who bore it.

 

[countryboy]

The only reason those old cars look so special is nostalgia. In 1959, nobody cared about their F100s, they were just trucks.

Cars today are so superior - you get in them, start them, and drive. Hardly ever does anything go wrong for 200,000 km. How many people have flat tires or blowouts? Not very common. They get great gas mileage, too. They have defrosters and windshield washers, all those silly things that make them useful. Collapsing steering wheels, so that if you're in an accident, you aren't impaled by the steering wheel. Sure, they're cute, but not as a daily driver you have to rely on.

Yeah but they still don't look cool (to me)...

 

[lone wolf]

And it's a valid opinion. Why don't we have a proper recycle program for cars in Canada? I'm talking about recycling an entire car, not bits and pieces here and there. We seem to get all excited about things like the Kyoto Accord but the stuff that is more immediately doable seems to be ignored.

Where are those Green people when you need them?

Drinking latte at the spa and dreaming up some other untenable silliness to get attention

 

[countryboy]

Sorry, countryboy, what I meant was that back in the 50s when you got a dent in your car - it was just that - a dent, these days it is likely to be your entire bumper, hood, or worse. Of course, we had insurance but the point was that the cost not who bore it.

So that's a vote for '59, right? (My self-esteem is looking for moral reinforcement here...)

 

[countryboy]

Drinking latte at the spa and dreaming up some other untenable silliness to get attention

Well here's an opportunity that Elizabeth May could really get her teeth into. (Is she still the head Green?)

She could be kept busy for months, hammering out the details for a comprehensive auto recycling program for the country that would clean up the old car problems. One of the objectives of the program should be to make it possible for every car owner to put up their old car for recycling every 2 or 3 years, and get a brand new vehicle in return for their environmental stewardship. How to pay for it? Oh, don't get me started...I could think of many ways to cut government spending programs that would more than compensate for the cost. Hell, I'd bet we could come up with a net decrease in taxation and still be driving around in new cars all the time. You wanna' make it even more interesting? Specify that the program would be subsidized only for vehicles that meet stringent fuel specifications...like one of those hybrids. Crazy? Not nearly as crazy as some of the ways money is currently spent. C'mon Liz...jump on the cause! (I need a new car) ;-)