American Economy

[cool_vkb]

todays business news worried me. No offense but the way american economy is going down. it is definetly gonna take its toll on everybody. someone was saying that we might be heading towards a great depression.

its always better to find out where and which countries we are in demand. so that if god forbid the economy detoriates further than atleast we can move there.

previously aussie and canadian dollars were lower but now they both are equal or higher than US dollar. and its only US economy thats going down.euro and other currencies are freakin rising up. Indian rupeee which used to be 1$ = 48 indian rupees is now at 1$ = 38 rupees in span of just 7 months. this whole economy and subprime collapse is depressing.

is anybody else concerned here abt the impact of this on our daily lives by the time we gradaute?

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[deleted100801]

well it's certainly a good time for a canadian to be starting podiatry school in the states.

 

[cool_vkb]

well it's certainly a good time for a canadian to be starting podiatry school in the states.

well i dont know what are the exact laws in your country. but i heard that podiatrists are not covered by the country's health plan and are very restricted in some geographical areas. i dont know for sure though. i also just heard these from other people.

 

[deleted100801]

alberta, bc and quebec appear to have adopted the american model with respect to podiatry. The practitioners in those provinces appear to be extremely busy and are doing quite well. For example, I have a family member in montreal who attempted to book an apt about a week ago and the next available apt was at the end of january.

 

[cool_vkb]

alberta, bc and quebec appear to have adopted the american model with respect to podiatry. The practitioners in those provinces appear to be extremely busy and are doing quite well. For example, I have a family member in montreal who attempted to book an apt about a week ago and the next available apt was at the end of january.

hmmm!that sounds very awesome. find a good spot for practice. somehow iam getting to like maple leaves and canada dry

 

[JoeNamaMD]

I don't think the healthcare sector will be as affected as other parts of the economy. The population of America is aging, so there should be increased demand for healthcare professionals.

 

[bdaddyjolley]

hmmm!that sounds very awesome. find a good spot for practice. somehow iam getting to like maple leaves and canada dry

I can tell you're not a true american even if you have been naturalized since you're quick to jump ship. True Americans fight through the battles and don't run. That's what has made this country great.

 

[Northerner]

I can tell you're not a true american even if you have been naturalized since you're quick to jump ship. True Americans fight through the battles and don't run. That's what has made this country great.

Not to say that it applies here, but there's an interesting thread somewhere about why foreign applicants should/should not be given equal consideration with American applicants - that point was brought up.

Some guy was actually claiming we are responsible for training physicians to provide health care for foreign countries (in support of the "foreign & U.S. citizens should be considered equally in admissions" perspective). While this should be a happy overflow consequence of a strong and diverse training system, certainly the top priority should be training physicians who will practice domestically.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Coolvkb is not being anti American or anything like that, we are living in a global economy and the reality is that the US is not as dominant as it was in the past.
The largest company in the world is not American, its Chinese, Petrochina is worth more than Exxon Mobile and GE combined. The dollar is continuing to slide against the Euro, and some analysts expect 1 US dollar to buy as little as .30 EUR cents in a few years.

 

[Feli]

...we are living in a global economy and the reality is that the US is not as dominant as it was in the past...

There's the obvious US spending like defense and health care, but a lot of it is educational loans also.

Since the Clinton administration, we have become one of the only countries where basically anyone with half a brain and desire to go to college can go... and get funded by the government. The crazy competition for health professions schools and record numbers of grad school applicants give clear testament to that. The fact that anyone with financial need or non-dependant status adds up to a ton of degree collectors people with significant student debt. Those loans are non-bankruptable, but the intrest rate on that $ is low and the government is going out on a limb saying those students will complete their degree, get good jobs, and pay the loans back. Well, how much do you think a PhD in social justice, a health professions school flunk out, a BA in psych, or a MA in African history pays on average?

It's much easier to just stay in school or go back to school than it is to get a job and make loan payments. Very few young people want to jump into the work force or join the military when they can just go to college and get tuition and living paid for nowadays. It's a situation that sure wan't available to everyone a generation ago.

I'm sure it'll work out and most student loans will get paid back (either volunarily or via garnished wages), but it may be a situation of the United States taking a step back in hopes of taking a big step forward as a highly educated nation. At the same time, we are creating a big gap between those without post-secondary education and those without, though. There's not enough doctorate level jobs for everyone. At every Barnes & Noble, you can probably find someone with a grad degree working a job that basically requires a high school diploma...

I try to never talk politics, religion, gender, etc on here... it never ends well. Still, the debt and inevitable collapse of the US health care due to increased aging population is a tad concerning. Older folks are living longer and costing us a ton in health care, and younger people are in school taking out loans upon loans... neither one of those populations pays taxes. Bottom line is lots of federal $ efflux, little influx right now...

 

[JoeNamaMD]

For those entering our profession, I thought the massive numbers of baby boomers retiring would be good news for us. I think foreign debt is bad, too many people keep buying imported goods.

Its hard to work through college as in the old days, tuition to most schools costs more than a house.

The loans that people take out to go to school, have to repaid..with a lot of interest, I don't think most students who go to school are doing it avoid entering the workplace. Students enrolled in the health fields such as Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Podiatry are looking to practice in those respective fields, no one is going to risk getting 100 to 200k in debt to avoid working, they are looking for a payoff. You cannot practice as any of the above without a proper degree and training. The case is different for those getting Phd's in Art History or Classical Studies.

Still a lot of people out there can make money without even a college degree, most of these people usually work in a trade or own a small business, civil services, etc. There are some areas of the country where a cop can make 100K+ a year but getting into these jurisdictions is tough.

 

[efs]

The dollar is continuing to slide against the Euro, and some analysts expect 1 US dollar to buy as little as .30 EUR cents in a few years.

Kind of interesting. The economy and all that can be pretty complicated, but I don't think the doom and gloom is realistic. I live in Germany (but get a paycheck in dollars). When I drove by the gas station tonight I think mid-grade was €1.45/liter. With the exchange rate I think that works out to about $9/gallon. What are you paying there now? About a third of that?

 

[Northerner]

Kind of interesting. The economy and all that can be pretty complicated, but I don't think the doom and gloom is realistic. I live in Germany (but get a paycheck in dollars). When I drove by the gas station tonight I think mid-grade was €1.45/liter. With the exchange rate I think that works out to about $9/gallon. What are you paying there now? About a third of that?

I don't think I can muster the brainpower required to answer your question, considering all the conversions that would be necessary.

 

[cool_vkb]

I can tell you're not a true american even if you have been naturalized since you're quick to jump ship. True Americans fight through the battles and don't run. That's what has made this country great.

Since when the hell has going to a foreign country to do a job or opening a business has bcom not-true americanism? are you out of your mind. There are many americans working in Saudi Arabia, Uk, australia, iraq, kuwait. The nation's biggest companies have headquarters,campuses,manufacturing units set up thru out the world. now are you gonna call all of them not true american. Oh i know why you will not say anything to them. they are american born right! i think what bothers you more is my immigrant status. thats DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SOMEONE's origin of birth. today you are doing this. tomorrow i guess you will start discrimination people based on their race or religion. and i dont know what is gonna follow next.

 

[Northerner]

This has bcome a fashion for certail political parties to use the statement " You are not a true american" against anyone who thinks something different.

While I agree that this trend has emerged in the U.S. and it's reprehensible, I think he's right - you are indeed an immigrant and are indeed talking about practicing elsewhere due to transient domestic economic climate.

 

[cool_vkb]

...

 

[cool_vkb]

While I agree that this trend has emerged in the U.S. and it's reprehensible, I think he's right - you are indeed an immigrant and are indeed talking about practicing elsewhere due to transient domestic economic climate.

Majority of US investors are now running to Asian markets to invest money as our stock markets are down. Do you call those american born investors by somenames or their loyalty. You guys are soooooooooooooo discriminatory. this is a form of discrimination. Just because iam an immigrant, you have all these weird thoughts and ideas and doubting my affection towards this great nation. I just hope you dont enter medical practice with this mentality of immigrant US citizen and true american citizen.

 

[cool_vkb]

Kind of interesting. The economy and all that can be pretty complicated, but I don't think the doom and gloom is realistic. I live in Germany (but get a paycheck in dollars). When I drove by the gas station tonight I think mid-grade was €1.45/liter. With the exchange rate I think that works out to about $9/gallon. What are you paying there now? About a third of that?

Thats because of our nation's dependence on Gas. traditionally US has been in favor of independent transport system and huge SUVs, Trucks,etc . Where as Europeans have always discouraged this idea and always kept high taxes there by discouraging europeans from big suvs,trucks,etc. that why they tend to drive ultramini cars and rely on public transport,

If a oil barrel costs : 80 dollars

Amerca buys at 80 dollars yet sells to public as if they bought it for 70 dollars. the 10 dollars loss is taken up by govt and we still get to buy a gallon of gas for $3/gallon

europe buys at 80 dollars and lets the public pay all the price and doesnt take any loss on itself. thats why their gas price is always high.


The gas price has nothing to do with economy or exchange rate. its more on people's and govt choice. And now that we all are so used to the low gas prices that if god forbids the gas prices goes up. it will be very horrible.

 

[cool_vkb]

There's the obvious US spending like defense and health care, but a lot of it is educational loans also.

Since the Clinton administration, we have become one of the only countries where basically anyone with half a brain and desire to go to college can go... and get funded by the government. The crazy competition for health professions schools and record numbers of grad school applicants give clear testament to that. The fact that anyone with financial need or non-dependant status adds up to a ton of degree collectors people with significant student debt. Those loans are non-bankruptable, but the intrest rate on that $ is low and the government is going out on a limb saying those students will complete their degree, get good jobs, and pay the loans back. Well, how much do you think a PhD in social justice, a health professions school flunk out, a BA in psych, or a MA in African history pays on average?

It's much easier to just stay in school or go back to school than it is to get a job and make loan payments. Very few young people want to jump into the work force or join the military when they can just go to college and get tuition and living paid for nowadays. It's a situation that sure wan't available to everyone a generation ago.

I'm sure it'll work out and most student loans will get paid back (either volunarily or via garnished wages), but it may be a situation of the United States taking a step back in hopes of taking a big step forward as a highly educated nation. At the same time, we are creating a big gap between those without post-secondary education and those without, though. There's not enough doctorate level jobs for everyone. At every Barnes & Noble, you can probably find someone with a grad degree working a job that basically requires a high school diploma...

I try to never talk politics, religion, gender, etc on here... it never ends well. Still, the debt and inevitable collapse of the US health care due to increased aging population is a tad concerning. Older folks are living longer and costing us a ton in health care, and younger people are in school taking out loans upon loans... neither one of those populations pays taxes. Bottom line is lots of federal $ efflux, little influx right now...

Plus our Subprime jokers. Fools have given mortgage money as free water to any tom dick harry who thought they could afford home. and now majority of them are foreclosing homes. who is gonna pay their money? I think the US govt shud literally prosecute all those subprime middlemen who gave loans to people who in reality had no standing to pay money. they just give the loan from the bank and now the bank has to bear the brunt when the person cant pay the mortage. and how does the bank gets its money. We deposit our money in the bank. So when the bank goes in loss, it lifts its hand and federal govt pays the bank to give back our money. And where does the federal govt got that money in first place? Our taxes Its like in the end our tax money is going down the drain.

govt should hold Subprimemortagage lenders responsible for this and prosecute them as strictly as they can.

 

[efs]

I don't buy into this line of thinking. True that more people here do drive smaller cars or rely on public transport, but they do it becasue fo the costs. (or because the roads here are not friendly to larger vehicles.) I don't think it is caused by any government policies.

Today a barrel of oil is closer to $100.

America doesn't buy the oil, the oil companies do. And if you look into it you will find that a fair amount of what you pay at the pump is actually tax. You are not buying it for less than it costs. That tax money is also funneled back into road maintenance.

At the prices you are talking about it still makes no sense that the price here is triple what it is in the US. Some of the difference is due to the differences in the exchange rates. Some of it is due to the differences in the taxes. Some of it I still can't figure out.

BTW, sales tax here is 19%. But there is also no income tax, the government gets that through the sales tax instead, which does make some sense. It eliminates a huge paperwork system.

Anyway, as another poster alluded to, it might make my head hurt trying to figure out all of the differences. I just though it was interesting to point out.

Thats because of our nation's dependence on Gas. traditionally US has been in favor of independent transport system and huge SUVs, Trucks,etc . Where as Europeans have always discouraged this idea and always kept high taxes there by discouraging europeans from big suvs,trucks,etc. that why they tend to drive ultramini cars and rely on public transport,

If a oil barrel costs : 80 dollars

Amerca buys at 80 dollars yet sells to public as if they bought it for 70 dollars. the 10 dollars loss is taken up by govt and we still get to buy a gallon of gas for $3/gallon

europe buys at 80 dollars and lets the public pay all the price and doesnt take any loss on itself. thats why their gas price is always high.


The gas price has nothing to do with economy or exchange rate. its more on people's and govt choice. And now that we all are so used to the low gas prices that if god forbids the gas prices goes up. it will be very horrible.

 

[efs]

Plus our Subprime jokers. Fools have given mortgage money as free water to any tom dick harry who thought they could afford home. and now majority of them are foreclosing homes. who is gonna pay their money?
govt should hold Subprimemortagage lenders responsible for this and prosecute them as strictly as they can.

And what responsibility do the people who took out those loans have?

If you take out a loan and sign an agreement to pay, it should not all fall on the lender if you find it difficult to pay. The fools aren't really the people that were "giving" the loans. The real fools were the people that were taking them. There should be some personal responsibility and liability here too.

 

[cool_vkb]

And what responsibility do the people who took out those loans have?

If you take out a loan and sign an agreement to pay, it should not all fall on the lender if you find it difficult to pay. The fools aren't really the people that were "giving" the loans. The real fools were the people that were taking them. There should be some personal responsibility and liability here too.

Oh yes, they are paying the price too. they are being left homeless and their credit rating is destroyed. but the people who give loans should also be held accountable. they should do better background checking,etc. Basically the subprime guy gets some percentage of the loan he gets to the person from the bank. So he/she is more focussed on that commission than to ensure that the person who is taking loan is also capable of paying it back.

 

[efs]

Oh yes, they are paying the price too. they are being left homeless and their credit rating is destroyed. but the people who give loans should also be held accountable. they should do better background checking,etc. Basically the subprime guy gets some percentage of the loan he gets to the person from the bank. So he/she is more focussed on that commission than to ensure that the person who is taking loan is also capable of paying it back.

I've lost track of the number of loans that I have taken out, but it does include a few mortgages. (Mortgage: In the word mortgage, the mort- is from the Latin word mori (via old french mort) for death and -gage is from the sense of that word meaning a pledge to forfeit something of value if a debt is not repaid. So mortgage is literally a death pledge.)

I would never take out a loan that I do not have the ability to repay. That might be a $100 "payday" loan or a $200K mortgage (or a student loan for that mater). Those who do should bear the brunt of the consequences, not the person (or bank) that issues the loan.

The bank that issues a loan to someone who doesn't have the capacity to repay it is taking a risk. The way they mitigate this risk is to offer that at a higher interest rate or at different terms in order to cover their losses in the event the loan is not repaid. If they have to foreclose in order to recover their losses it costs them more money. They don't want to have to do this, but it may have to be done.

Maybe I am just dense, but I don't see why the person taking out the loan is not to be held responsible for it. If the terms of the loan are not good, or if they will not be able to afford it) they don't have to take on the loan. If they do, they should be responsible for it.

 

[cool_vkb]

The bank that issues a loan to someone who doesn't have the capacity to repay it is taking a risk. The way they mitigate this risk is to offer that at a higher interest rate or at different terms in order to cover their losses in the event the loan is not repaid. If they have to foreclose in order to recover their losses it costs them more money. They don't want to have to do this, but it may have to be done.

Let them forclose the house or let them sell the furniture of the person or even take him to court. Thats very good actions.

but when they dont meet their loan amount and suffer losses, they happily declare bankruptcy. As i said in earlier post, the bank itself got the money from our savings which we have deposited in their banks. Now when they go bankrupt, the federal govt or FDIC thing comes into play and gives our savings and money back. But then the FDIC itself uses our money (which we paid in tax). So its like at the end of the day, we the common tax payers who were very cautious and responsible in taking loans, were good citizens, saved money in banks,etc had to bear the brunt for the irresponsible actions committed by some members of the society.

This definetly affects the physician because if so many people are foreclosing, getting poor, losing their credit, nation's economy going down, jobs are down,people losing health insurance,etc. then the last thing on the mind of common man will be to go to a physician as he will be worried abt the costs. He will be on a tight budget. So either the physician salaries and fees will come down very heavily inorder to meet the demands of people or we will have very low number of good paying patients.

 

[narkotiks]

Let them forclose the house or let them sell the furniture of the person or even take him to court. Thats very good actions.

but when they dont meet their loan amount and suffer losses, they happily declare bankruptcy. As i said in earlier post, the bank itself got the money from our savings which we have deposited in their banks. Now when they go bankrupt, the federal govt or FDIC thing comes into play and gives our savings and money back. But then the FDIC itself uses our money (which we paid in tax). So its like at the end of the day, we the common tax payers who were very cautious and responsible in taking loans, were good citizens, saved money in banks,etc had to bear the brunt for the irresponsible actions committed by some members of the society.

This definetly affects the physician because if so many people are foreclosing, getting poor, losing their credit, nation's economy going down, jobs are down,people losing health insurance,etc. then the last thing on the mind of common man will be to go to a physician as he will be worried abt the costs. He will be on a tight budget. So either the physician salaries and fees will come down very heavily inorder to meet the demands of people or we will have very low number of good paying patients.

or, we could just chop off the hands and sell them on ebay!! the system doesn't quite work the way you are describing it. if it did, we would be in a much larger mess than we are now. here is the kicker:
1-5 years ago, anyone could qualify for a home loan. the problem wasn't entirely people taking out loans they knew they couldn't repay, rather the lending programs were not regulated tightly enough. say you want a house (4 years ago, mind you) and you stroll into a broker's office and apply for a loan. because of the programs available, the broker is able to offer you a killer deal on something--a scenario seeming almost too good to be true. you sign the docs, and get the keys to your new place. you know that in 5 years when your ARM starts to balloon, you may have a problem making the payments, but for now you just want in the house, you'll live in it for a few years and make some repairs, then sell for a tidy profit. you will get rid of the home before the ARM kicks in, and all is good. now, 4 years later, you have your home on the market, and it is just not selling. as you get closer to the ballooning period, your palms start sweating, as you know damn well you will be screwed if something doesn't happen. the situation wasn't supposed to get this deep, but it did. so, you keep dropping the price...still no bites. all of the sudden, you ARM adjusts, and you can't afford the payments. what do you do now?? if you can't pay, you can't pay. end of story. you agree to be kicked out, take a hit on your rating, and start from zero.
here is where it is kind of funny: the reason your home wasn't selling is because over the last 12 months, the same lenders that would give a loan to anybody decided to tighten up. good! finally, they realize they need to be repaid. the BIG problem is now those in the market for a home can't qualify for a loan. thier home is on the market too, and they can't do anything until that sell. it just isn't happening though, so they can't move. that screws you and them pretty hard. thus the rippling effect starts, and there is no way to get out of it until things even out a bit.
a big problem is that people with even descent credit can't even get an affordable loan right now. it freezes everyone up, and so there is no other choice but to foreclose/bankrupt.
its a mess...

 

[Northerner]

Majority of US investors are now running to Asian markets to invest money as our stock markets are down. Do you call those american born investors by somenames or their loyalty. You guys are soooooooooooooo discriminatory. this is a form of discrimination. Just because iam an immigrant, you have all these weird thoughts and ideas and doubting my affection towards this great nation. I just hope you dont enter medical practice with this mentality of immigrant US citizen and true american citizen.

It's a pretty shrewd technique to neutralize what's been pointed out (by you, initially) by claiming we're discriminating against you. No one's discriminating against you based on your country of origin, if an average white midwesterner said the same thing you did, it would be equally strange. It's strange for any doctor to be ready to jump ship from their country of origin, and yes, Americans tend to be critical of this.

Heck, why do you think people are proud of American made cars? Why do you think "Made in America" is stamped on so much crap? There's a healthcare crisis and a looming physician shortage.

 

[cool_vkb]

.

 

[cool_vkb]

It's strange for any doctor to be ready to jump ship from their country of origin, and yes, Americans tend to be critical of this.

May be you live in some timbaktu but i know many American MDs, dentists and nurses workin in australia, Singapore and Middle east. many of them are head of departments, Staff Surgeons, directors,etc of the departemnts. And no americans are not critical of this. Infact americans love to go out and explore the world. thats how they spread the good name of US and its culture across the world. if all were having your "FROG in the well" mentality then America woudnt be what its today.

I dont know where you get your information or what people you are hanging out with. but wat ever you are blabbering is false.You really need some counselling.

 

[cool_vkb]

It's a pretty shrewd technique to neutralize what's been pointed out (by you, initially) by claiming we're discriminating against you. No one's discriminating against you based on your country of origin.

You used this sentence while addressing my previous post:

"I think he's right - you are indeed an immigrant and are indeed talking about practicing elsewhere due to transient domestic economic climate. "


Now if you are not discriminating then why would you address me based on my status in this country. You could just say "you are wrong" or something. But you were stressing my immigrant to status as if iam some social outcast. Whats the need to bring my Immigrant status. You could just address me as an ordinary american and address me as you would address some american born MD or DPM planning to practice in some other country.

I really dont care what some prejudiced harry barry thinks on some xyz forum about my commitment to the nation but i just get worried about future . as someday they will be sitting in clinics and seeing patients (some of them will be Immigrants).i just worry for the poor immigrant patients and the kind of care they will be getting from people like you.

 

[narkotiks]

May be you live in some timbaktu but i know many American MDs, dentists and nurses workin in australia, Singapore and Middle east. many of them are head of departments, Staff Surgeons, directors,etc of the departemnts. And no americans are not critical of this. Infact americans love to go out and explore the world. thats how they spread the good name of US and its culture across the world. if all were having your "FROG in the well" mentality then America woudnt be what its today.

I dont know where you get your information or what people you are hanging out with. but wat ever you are blabbering is false.You really need some counselling.

again, not really accurate. MTV does a great job of getting our name out there! having traveled around a bit, i don't believe that it is the tourists going abroad to whom we can credit our success (in general). we love to explore, but i have seen, many times, people with a good deal of prejudice toward americans, mainly because we are successful (in general). maybe northerner and i hang out at the same places-i have to agree with him here.

 

[cool_vkb]

again, not really accurate. MTV does a great job of getting our name out there! having traveled around a bit, i don't believe that it is the tourists going abroad to whom we can credit our success (in general). we love to explore, but i have seen, many times, people with a good deal of prejudice toward americans, mainly because we are successful (in general). maybe northerner and i hang out at the same places-i have to agree with him here.

Iam not talking abt tourists. iam talking abt american workers settled in foreign countries. Atleast in india, many people get impressed by their american professors or Managers and the level of training and intelligence they see in them. thats the reason they come to USA to get proper training.

Its because of MTV and other channels that we are getting our name down. they show a totally different side of US. MTV is good to attract fun loving people to las vegas or atlantic city or to sleazy night clubs. but not educated people to universities and jobs in USA. ho ho if MTV was our brand ambassdor then we wouldn be having this much influx of educated people coming as legal immigrants.

Its the good nature of americans working as missionaries, managers, doctors, engineers abroad that motivates people to become like them and leave their countries and come here to in search of knowledge and research.

 

[cool_vkb]

Okie time to get back to studies. Lets continue this debate on tuesday noon. we have a big biochem exam coming this tuesday morning. God bless you all.

 

[Northerner]

May be you live in some timbaktu but i know many American MDs, dentists and nurses workin in australia, Singapore and Middle east. many of them are head of departments, Staff Surgeons, directors,etc of the departemnts. And no americans are not critical of this. Infact americans love to go out and explore the world. thats how they spread the good name of US and its culture across the world. if all were having your "FROG in the well" mentality then America woudnt be what its today.

I dont know where you get your information or what people you are hanging out with. but wat ever you are blabbering is false.You really need some counselling.

They aren't practicing abroad because of the economy in their home country, they're practicing abroad for the exact reason you stated - to go out and explore, or for personal reasons, or for philanthropic. Not to flee an economic downswing.

I'll ignore the personal attack.

You used this sentence while addressing my previous post:

"I think he's right - you are indeed an immigrant and are indeed talking about practicing elsewhere due to transient domestic economic climate. "


Now if you are not discriminating then why would you address me based on my status in this country. You could just say "you are wrong" or something. But you were stressing my immigrant to status as if iam some social outcast. Whats the need to bring my Immigrant status. You could just address me as an ordinary american and address me as you would address some american born MD or DPM planning to practice in some other country.

I really dont care what some prejudiced harry barry thinks on some xyz forum about my commitment to the nation but i just get worried about future . as someday they will be sitting in clinics and seeing patients (some of them will be Immigrants).i just worry for the poor immigrant patients and the kind of care they will be getting from people like you.

If your interpretation of the word "immigrant" has a negative connotation, I'd be happy to use a synonym of your choosing. But the point still stands (to summarize): (1) it's a little disappointing to see any citizen suggesting leaving the country based on transient economic climate, and (2) the fact that you left another country to come here may explain that rather uncommon desire. Honestly - no malicious meaning or undertone was intended (although I can't speak for the OP). It's disappointing that you insisted on that interpretation and have become hostile as a result.

Again - I'll ignore the personal attacks in the second post as well.

 

[cool_vkb]

They aren't practicing abroad because of the economy in their home country, they're practicing abroad for the exact reason you stated - to go out and explore, or for personal reasons, or for philanthropic. Not to flee an economic downswing.

havent you heard this advertisement " TAX FREE INCOME, AMPLE OF SAVINGS,FREE HOUSING : Doctors, Nurses wanted for Middle east". Many americans go to middleeast and sinagpore as the income is tax free. ofcourse they go to explore and other stuff but TAX FREE INCOME is a very big attraction. they save thousands of dollars in few years and come back here. Its free tour of the world plus good savings. its a win win situation.

And sorry for the personal attack. I shudnt have done that. I too hope that you comments were not meant in a bad way and i misinterpreted it. I really wanna believe that because it will be a disaster if we have racists and prejudiced people in the health care system. At the end of the day, its we ourselves who determine what we are and not others.

Okie back to studying. this SDN is so addicting. iam disconnecting my internet now.

 

[LearningAlways]

Today a barrel of oil is closer to $100.

America doesn't buy the oil, the oil companies do. And if you look into it you will find that a fair amount of what you pay at the pump is actually tax. You are not buying it for less than it costs. That tax money is also funneled back into road maintenance.

This is technically correct but I'd just like to point out that the situation in America is a bit more complicated than that;

Strictly speaking, the oil companies buy the oil. The government subsidizes the oil companies heavily. Technically, the government is not buying oil; but in effect, it is.

You are correct that the government does not buy oil for the end-consumer. No no, the government taxes the end-consumer (as you pointed out) to make up some of the money that they lost subsidizing the oil companies so heavily. The government does (in effect, not strict practice) buy oil for the oil company. We could quibble over where exactly the money from those subsidies actually goes, but if the govt is not buying oil for the oil company, it is buying maintenance of facilities and equipment or shipping of the product or whatever, which allows the oil company to sell its product at a price that is much cheaper than they could otherwise afford to sell it.

Whether it's relevant or not, the oil companies make record profits on just about every new sales report, so it is clear that they are excessively subsidized; but such is the nature of US politics.

The government does lose money every single year on oil subsidies. The oil companies are not in financial distress of any sort. To me, that roughly works itself out to the government buying oil.