BYBS: A Moderately Sane Country

I'm glad I live in a country that is basically sane. This is not to say that the USA does not have its share of nut cases and wackos. Or that said crazies are even kept from holding public office or from, say, running a major company. I'm just glad that that they don't run things all the time.

For an example of garden variety insanity, take a look at our healthcare system. I think the idea of people taking care of each other is a good thing. The way that we spend effort and resources, usually during the last 5 years of a person's life, is pretty crazy.  But let's not forget that 30 to 50% of those resources are wasted on health insurance companies. 

For those of you who don't believe that last bit check this out: Here are examples of 4 countries that have better health care for all their citizens at equal to or less cost than what the USA pays.

But these are examples of relatively mild insanity.  A country-wide equivalent to a twitch or a phobia.  For full-bore psychosis, you need to look elsewhere.  Afghanistan under the Taliban or North Korea under Kim Jung Il.  The countries show that, yes, there are places out there that are even worse than us.

At one point a friend of mine who comes from another country proudly showed me a copy of some magazine whose cover showed Ken Lay, the infamous leader of Enron. He beamed at me and said something along the lines of "Your country is run by crooks!" I pointed out that sometimes, the crooks in my country are caught.