| NYT: Unemployment Causing Emotional, Health Issues |
[Dec. 15th, 2009|06:34 pm] |
Here's a link to the NYT story on MSNBC, which hopefully won't require you to sign in.
Tangentially and uh, I guess, conversely... I've always thought that mental peace of mind was a hugely overlooked benefit of the approach of the "socialist" countries of Western Europe... the certainty they enjoy in some countries.
We spend so much time talking about the economic aspects of public vs. private approaches to healthcare, employment, and senior care.
What about the mental health aspects? I spend a decent amount of my time worrying about what I'll do about my dad when he's older, and my own healthcare as a independent contractor.
That takes a toll. I don't think I'm alone, either.
My grandparents, on the other hand, live in the Netherlands. Sure, they pay more taxes. But they never spent one second of their lives worrying about whether they'd have healthcare and a place to live when they were older.
What's that peace of mind worth?
I feel like we're too macho to even discuss that here in America -- I've never even heard that mentioned by what passes for the "left" in America. |
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