Sicko (Special Edition)
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 One of the Most Important Films Ever Made I think this will make an excellent holiday gift for people. Because it emphasizes that the gifts we really need as a society are not under any Christmas tree. Moore compares the American healthcare system to various others in the world: Canada's, Cuba's, England's, Western Europe's. And in the process we learn that not everyone believes in the philosophy of "rugged individualism." Certain things, such as healthcare and affordable housing, should not have profit margins. They need to be government-run, to come from taxes, with a progressive taxation system that holds those who have more more responsible. We often hear in America that Europeans pay much higher taxes. In reality, taxes on the average person are only slightly higher than what Americans pay. Only the wealthy pay more. And a "welfare state" is not necessarily a derogatory term. A Frenchwoman I known was explaining, "Welfare state is fine. Everything in France is about the welfare, the well-being of the citizens. All the laws in France are designed to protect the employee, not the employer....Why should poor people work when a 10% tax on the rich covers all their needs?" (This is especially true when it comes to healthcare coverage. If you get really sick, how can you work?) In France, five weeks paid vacation is the law whether you work full-time or part-time. If you work for a larger company, you get 8 - 10 weeks paid vacation. Now THAT'S an investment in one's physical and mental health that really pays enormous dividends! The wealthy in America often pay considerably less than the formal tax grid of 44%. Big businesses get tax credits and write-offs and pay on average as little as 8% in taxes. Moreover, over HALF OF EVERY TAX DOLLAR in the U. S. goes to the military. If you can come up with that kind of revenue to hurt and kill people, then you certainly can come up with that kind of revenue to protect and preserve people's health. Some level of privation in the healthcare system might be okay for those who can afford it. But for the many who cannot afford it, a socialized system of medicine (even with its negatives) wins hands-down. I applaud Michael Moore for making such a film. It really takes the words right out of my mouth. I especially love the Cuban woman who insists, "The more you produce, the better you should live." (That is, the more a society produces, the better off its citizens should live--instead of having some sort of feudalism wherein only the lives of the rich benefit from such productivity.) There is always going to be some social differenciation--every country/society has its richer and its poorer--but the gap has grown significantly wider in America over the last decades, and it's a trend that needs to be reversed. Movies like SICKO allow us to re-examine where we are as a culture and map out a better route for the future. BTW, I enjoyed reading other people's reviews and reflections here as well, especially Dario's from the Netherlands and Mr.Snrub's. There was a wonderful Italian-American speaker and writer, Leo Buscaglia (now deceased), who gave warm and funny lectures on interdependence. He talked about how, in his Italian family, everybody needed everybody. But when he went out into American society, people reacted very strangely to this. You're supposed to need no one and nothing! I stand alone! Leo calls this "cuckooness." "I stand alone. That's cuckoo."  Just see it Please people, put aside your personal opinions of the man behind the camera of SICKO, put aside debating the patriotism of a person who has issues with the system, put aside how much you wish he would just drop dead, and accept the fact that this country is highly flawed in many ways, and one of them is our government's insistance on placing profit before human life. Now, about two weeks before the release of SICKO (let me emphasize this, beofre the movie was even in theaters to be seen by ANYBODY) Fox Noise ego-maniac Sean Hannity did a piece on his solo show Hannty's America, in which he claims that Mr. Moore does not mention that waiting periods in Canada, France, etc. are longer, or that they have higher taxes. Now, anybody who has actually bothered to SEE THE MOVIE knows that Mr. Hannity is completely wrong in this case (as he generally is about everything), and that Mr. Moore devotes entire sections of the film to addressing these two contentions (I believe he uses the phrase, "Drowning in taxes"), so do yourself a favor and don't make the fool of yourself that Sean Hannity has. (I wonder why he would chastise Mr. Moore for taking 9/11 heroes to Cuba for the care they can't afford, but feels that they aren't equally accountable.) We all know Mr. Moore's grievance in the film has less to do with the fact that some fifty-million Americans have no health insurance (although that is still a huge issue), but that those who do are often cheated out their treatments by gold-digging CEO's. That much is clear. But for those of you who would still doubt that we have a big problem with health care, allow me to share a personal story: My father was in the Military for 22 years, and he and my mother have health insurance for life now. As for me, as long as I stay in college, I am covered, by Tri-Care...that is, until my 23rd birthday. Then, student or not, I'm on my own. If I get into some kind of accident, and I don't yet have a job with health insurance, I'm basically just going to be told that life is full of surprises. The current state of this country is unacceptable in many ways, healthcare being one of them, but it all boils down to the simple fact that our government, and especially the current administration, is now little more than a pack of glorified businessmen, whose sole objective is to make gargantuan profits. We have veered off from the Democratic principals the country was founded under, and are on our way to becoming a New Roman Empire. If the previous statement sounds unpatriotic to you, then you have yet to open your eyes to the truth; Michael Moore is right, we need to abadon being a society of "Me" and become a society of "We". I will no doubt be labeled a Communist by some of the more right-wing Ann Coulter-ites on Amazon, but the simple fact is that they are wrong; I'm right. One of the countries with universally accessible medicine Mr. Moore visits in SICKO is France, and perhaps instead of the Bush Administration's "United we stand, Divided we fall" slogan, we should adopted a new catchphrase, of French origin, which we should place on our money on the opposite side of "In God we trust", and it should read: "ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL." EXCELLENT MOVIE..... Wow just what i have been telling all my American friends for so long. I am so happy I was not born nor raised in this so called "great nation" the way they treat there own citizens is shamefull and this movie proves it. Americans are brainwashed by the super wealthy who controll not only the government but the main outlets of imformation .No wonder most American are truly lost as far as what the true meaning of Democracy is. Coming from a so called "third world" country healthcare is free yea folks FREE for everyone not only healthcare but also higher education,and many other services that Americans pay for. Well educated healthy productive citizens is in the best interest of any country as a whole........... A Moving, Insightful, Inclusive, and Uplifting Documentary I must warn you of some things before you see this motion picture. There are no spectacular fight scenes. There are no elaborate special effects. No shower scenes. You will see a Frenchman's hairy bum. The first few minutes includes a man stitching up his own cut... ...because he has no health insurance. I've seen two other films by Mike, "Bowling For Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" which I caught at the late lamented Denis in Mt. Lebanon. I saw "The Rescuers" there when I was three. I think it's the first movie I can ever recall seeing. Anyway, "Sicko" is easily the best movie I have seen all year. It was worth the trip to Homestead (it wasn't being shown in too many theaters here.) Mike doesn't incessantly bash America. He doesn't blow his nose in Old Glory. What he does is show you what's wrong with this country, what's right with other countries, and that it's possible to change things for the better. Mike shows you middle-class people, wealthy people, people who were once wealthy who had the tablecloth pulled out from under their Christmas dinner, poor people, black people, white people, young folks, the elderly, people from all walks of life, people you may even have prejudices against for whatever reason, people sans insurance, and even people who have it. But these people all have two things in common. They're all Americans. And they all basically got the shaft. Some of them even died. They either didn't have health insurance, or their health insurance gave them the middle finger and told them to get lost. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Personal responsibilty. Yadda, yadda, yadda. My hairy American bum. In the course of this documentary you are taken from Middle America and Skid Row to England, France, and even...gulp...Cuba! This journey teaches us something, a lesson which I think is the real point of the movie. The U.S. government bullies its people. In the France, Cuba, and Britannia, the people strongarm the goverment. As a result, in France, it is the law, even if you are a part-time worker, to be given five weeks vacation a year, I think it took me a year to get one week. Now I get two. Along with two personal days. Yippie ky yea!! No wonder people are flocking to Europe. As for me, nah. I'll stay here. Our oligarchy doesn't deserve that luxury. The fatcats need to feel as if they're in a room full of walking chairs. It's bathtime kitties. Get Sick, as in Sick and Tired of health care in this country being a privilege as opposed to a right. I'm a Sicko and proud of it. And if it makes me a socialist, then hey, I will wear that pair of jeans. I mean, it works for everyone else doesn't it? Michael Moore has not made a cynical diatribe of a film. What he has done is give us hope. I have never come out of a theater more refreshed than I have after seeing "Sicko". It truly is a movie for all Americans. If ever there was a film that needed to be made for the lowest-common denominator, this is it. Go out of your way to see this movie. When it comes out on DVD, sit a conservative down with you. Make sure it's your treat too, since we all know how stingy they can be, although they'll hopefully change after seeing "Sicko". Unless you're wealthy, the Right are not your pals. Come and stand with us. | |||||||||||||
