I was channel surfing the other night and I caught the tale-end of a Just for Laughs program on the Comedy Network (I can't wait to see the Google ads as a result of those keywords) and a routine by a British comedian. I can't remember his name and I will tell his joke from memory.
Britain is the most generous country in Europe. British people give more money to charity that any other European nation. In fact Britains give more money to the National Society of the Betterment of Animals than they do to the National Society of the Betterment of People (I don't have the correct names but you get the point). When you go to British Humane Society they will do a background check to see if you will give the potential pet a good home. A while after you take the pet home they will send an official to your home to make sure that the conditions are acceptable. If your home situation is not acceptable they will take the pet away...but they will leave you there.
Being a member of the Commonwealth comes with its own legacy. Apparently one of those is the animals have more rights than citizens. Check out this article in the Montreal Gazette by Aaron Derfel (Hat-tips to Colby Cosh, Shotgun and Paul Wells).
Prime Minister Paul Martin's personal physician is the Montreal founder of a national network of clinics that is in the vanguard of private health care.
Dr. Sheldon Elman, president and majority shareholder of the Medisys Health Group, said Canada's public health-care system has deteriorated to the point where it is "disastrously terrible" in key areas.
"We all grew up under this umbrella of, well, you're entitled to unlimited free access to health care no matter what, no matter when and no matter how much," Elman said in an interview.
"Initially, we had an absolutely wonderful system ... But the truth is that we don't have this wonderful system. The system is great for certain things and absolutely, disastrously terrible for others."
Elman cited as terrible the fact some provinces - Quebec is not one of them - prevent people from paying for an MRI scan to diagnose a medical problem.
"You can buy an MRI for your dog and you cannot buy it for your daughter. Literally, if your dog has a problem, you can go and get this done by a vet today."
Simply amazing!
