If GM Were Canadian It Would Have Made $22 Billion More Over Last Decade (cost of US health care)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/10170

By Doug Cunningham

Economist Dean Baker says that while mistaken business decisions have played a role in the current financial crisis of the U.S. auto industry, they are not responsible for bringing the companies to the brink of bankruptcy. Baker says the Detroit Three are not responsible for the broken U.S. health care system that adds roughly $1600 to the cost of every U.S. built vehicle. And that health care cost really adds up, Baker says if GM were a Canadian company it would have made $22 billion more money over the last decade thanks to Canada’s single-payer national health care system. Baker says the financial meltdown directly caused by Wall Street executives who remain very wealthy is the main reason the auto companies are in such bad shape.

[keith the dem]

1. Why is this not further discussed!!!!

Two things that the media will not discuss: universal health care and campaign finance reform. The reason is simple, so much of their ad revenue is from political ads and ads for pharmaceuticals. The media is indeed corrupt.

I believe that those two issues are the main issues destroying our country. How many more start up businesses and creativity would there be if people did not have to worry about paying extortion rates for health care. The need for politicians to raise vast amounts of funds for campaigns is self-corrupting. Even the best people find themselves in questionable positions.

[Crunchy Frog]

2. I haven't seen the big 3 lobbying for healthcare reform.

If it's that big of an issue to their bottom line, I don't see why they haven't been taking a stand on it. They are big business, and they certainly get a better hearing in Washington than we do.