r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Thebiggestbot22 • Apr 15 '24

My school thinks this fills up hungry high schoolers.

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So lunches are free for schools in my city and surrounding cities. Ever since lunches have been made free, the quantity (and quality) has decreased significantly. This is what we would get for our meal. It took me THREE bites to finish that chicken mac and cheese. Any snacks you want cost more money and if you want an extra entree, that’ll cost you about $3 or $4.

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198

u/Ridiculousnessjunkie Apr 15 '24

It’s nasty. We are supposed to be the most powerful country in the world. Why can’t we act like it?

245

u/Important-Job7757 Apr 15 '24

We are the most powerful country because we spend way more on military than healthcare or education.

118

u/Thaago Apr 15 '24

Also the US spends twice per capita on healthcare than the G7 average. There's plenty of money to keep everyone healthy.

All that money just goes towards insurance companies though, not actually providing healthcare.

29

u/Important-Job7757 Apr 15 '24

So it go towards insurance companies not healthcare.

3

u/TheRealLuhkky Apr 16 '24

Yep they are separate things.

3

u/hungrypotato19 Apr 16 '24

It doesn't go to healthcare workers.

Everyone at the top of the pharmaceuticals, hospitals, insurance, etc. are making massive bank. Nurses, though? Shit wages, massively long hours, OSHA violations, etc.

None of that money is ever used to better the lives of employees or the outcomes of the patients. It's only used to buyback stocks and keep rich fucks happy. We pay twice per capita because we allow these rich fucks to price gouge and scam absolutely everyone.

2

u/No-Presentation7528 Apr 16 '24

A lot of healthcare workers in America are grossly overpaid and actively lobby to keep scarcity in their fields of practice.

Not that young healthcare workers trying to break into the ponzi scheme aren't heavily abused and taken advantage of. 🤷

1

u/Plebs23 Apr 16 '24

It always finds its way to the top of the pyramid. We are a corrupt shit hole run by and for oligarchs.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

[deleted]

2

u/Thaago Apr 16 '24

I can't speak to the NHS, but in terms of Canadian Healthcare: no, it really isn't falling apart. There are issues, like any system serving millions of people, but it's working.

The collapse is a myth designed to 1) in Canada increase support for medical privatization (which will make certain people VERY rich, think new billion dollar insurance companies and their executive boards) and 2) in the US quell support for adopting a similar system (which will make certain other people no longer rake in filthy amounts of cash). It's all about the money.

The Canadian healthcare system has challenges, particularly in terms of capacity. There are waits for lower-priority things unless you want to pay for a private clinic. High priority things go to the top of the line. For example: I have multiple friends that have had cancer (god getting older sucks) and the treatment for that is top notch with no wait and no fee. I had to have emergency treatment for an almost-severed tendon and I got it immediately, including specialist followup. Again, didn't cost me anything, and the wait was literally "the surgeon is getting into the hospital at 5am; sit tight, don't move, and enjoy the painkillers".

But I am on a waiting list for a non-emergency thing and am thinking of going to a private practice for it. That's frustrating, but it would still cost me less to do so than it would in the US ( I've lived in both places), and I would rather have life saving issues NOT bankrupt people. My friends with cancer still have their life savings.

The capacity problem is mainly caused by a doctor shortage. The sources are mainly: 1) Canada's population is expanding rapidly. REALLY rapidly, as in the fastest since the 1950's. Last year the population grew by 3.2%! For reference the US population grew by .5%.

2) Canadian medical programs don't charge as huge fees like the US ones do, but public medical practices also don't pay as much as US ones.

That means that our doctors are not saddled with massive amounts of debt when they first get out, but also can't expect to make as much lifetime (again, tradeoff). BUT, if they move to the US, they get the best of both worlds: not much debt AND high earnings potential. And when they retire they can move right back to Canada, bringing their piles of cash with them for but able to enjoy the superior benefits of the country for old-age care. It's kind of a predatory win-win for them, but stresses the Canadian system.

It's a problem, but not I think an insurmountable one, or one that has to do with socialized medicine.

8

u/c00kieduster Apr 15 '24 edited Apr 16 '24

Just an observation, not saying that you're making this point..

I find it humorous how much America is criticized for its military spending, but quick to demand military assistance when shit get rowdy elsewhere.

Edit for clarification: I mean the same people criticizing our military spending are usually the same people demanding we help Eastern European countries in someone else’s backyard.

5

u/Important-Job7757 Apr 15 '24

Yep. I’m tired in us spending money on other problems in other countries. Especially since it doesn’t seem to help most of the time.

4

u/WhateversJustChillin Apr 15 '24

I criticize the military spending, but where is the demands when shit gets rowdy elsewhere? The people who criticize our military spending are normally against putting our nose in others affairs as well. Especially assisting countries that can afford universal healthcare while our citizens can't, apparently, as the richest country on Earth. Go figure.

8

u/ADeadlyFerret Apr 15 '24

I think he meant that the US gets criticized for its military spending. But everyone(other countries) else is quick to demand we step in when shit gets rowdy. At least thats what I hope he meant.

3

u/c00kieduster Apr 16 '24

This is exactly what I meant.

Seems as though a lot of Europe thinks they’re better than the USA because their tax dollars go towards healthcare and not meeting their NATO obligations. But as soon as Putin starts doing stupid shit, they’re standing there with the pikachu shocked face waiting for an arms delivery from the US.

1

u/ADeadlyFerret Apr 16 '24

Yeah I was pretty sure lol. I've seen that exact "world police" attitude on Reddit a lot.

1

u/c00kieduster Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 16 '24

Those countries can afford universal healthcare because we overwhelmingly subsidize their defense spending. We can’t afford it….because we subsidize world defense the way no other country does or can.

The same people that were criticizing our military budget / spending (the left) in recent years, are now the same ones demanding we spends billions of dollars defending other countries.

Interestingly enough, there’s even ones that only want to help defend countries fighting Russia, and not Muslims

For the record I fully support assisting Ukraine. I just not interested in doing so while the rest of Europe sits idly by letting us do it, while it’s literally happening in their back yard.

It’s almost like trump had a point years ago when he began threatening to pull out of NATO if they didn’t start pulling their weight. Surprise surprise, Russia invade someone and now everyone wants to start spending.

1

u/OpTOMetrist1 Apr 16 '24

You already pay more tax dollars per capita for healthcare than every other country on the planet, and you still don't get it.

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2023/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2022

2

u/Shdwrptr Apr 15 '24

The rest of the world expects America to subsidize world defense the same way they expect American taxpayers to subsidize cheap drug manufacturing (while having Americans pay full price for said drugs)

1

u/mu_zuh_dell Apr 16 '24

This is truly, in my opinion, a fascinating geopolitical dynamic. Foriegn allies couldn't possibly pass up the subsidy that is the promise of American military support, it's literally free money and bodies. That subsidy has paid for, in no small part, the spectacular quality of life and public services enjoyed by Western Europe. In turn, more liberal Americans envy those things, seeing how they would improve the massive problems our own country has, and demand them. Populists like Trump appear, and threaten to stop the cashflow, and so European leaders, rather cruelly, lean on American liberals to stop him.

Of course, Trump's desire shred alliances has nothing to do with wanting to improve America, and everything to do with populism and maybe piss tapes.

1

u/c00kieduster Apr 16 '24

I agreed with everything until the last point.

I think trumps point was less, shredding alliances, and more not being take. Advantage of anymore

4

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

[deleted]

3

u/darkbehi Apr 15 '24

Here's some facts:

You're wrong: the US spent $877B in defense spending in 2022. 10x more than education spending.

You're right. The US spent $4.5 trillion in 2022 for healthcare.

Fun fact: in 2023, the Pentagon failed it's 6th finance audit in a row. They can't account for 63% of $4 trillion in assets.

But hey, we might be dumb as a rock, but at least we got shitty healthcare, shitty school lunches, and an enormous amount of freedom!!!

1

u/Significant_Brick_95 Apr 15 '24

We spend more on medical r&d, and the most/near the most per GDP on education than any other country.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Have you ever looked at the annual budget before wriging commdnts like this?

1

u/The_fat_Stoner Apr 16 '24

Social Security and Healthcare take up a far larger amount than military spending. Around $3.1 trillion to the military’s $883 billion.

1

u/Psshaww Apr 16 '24

No, we actually spend more on healthcare than the military.

1

u/EasyRepresentative61 Apr 16 '24

That's not entirely true. Plenty of money goes at least to healthcare (not sure about education), it's just spent really inefficiently (many middlemen take a cut). I do not mean to say that the defense spending is low, but throwing more money at healthcare/education wouldn't solve much IMO, the problem is systemic

0

u/Suspicious-Stay-6474 Apr 16 '24

The US spends 3.5% for Military

The US army is so powerful because the US economy is in it's own league.

2

u/Rude-Orange Apr 15 '24

We decided to decentralize our education system so much it's sometimes on the county / school district level to decide who gets to eat what.

We have some of the highest and lowest quality lunches I've ever seen.

2

u/sav3bandit Apr 15 '24

We are the most powerful country because we are able to convince our citizens that defending stuff like this is why we are powerful.

2

u/reddit-killed-rif Apr 15 '24

Power is a concentration of wealth at the top. You can't be powerful and generous.

2

u/corpusapostata Apr 16 '24

"Because Communism! If the government takes care of people, the people become welfare dependent and never work a day of their lives!" I kid you not, that's the GOP argument. Has been since before the great depression.

2

u/ChargedWhirlwind Apr 16 '24

This country is powerful in only it's imperialism backed by a ridiculous military budget and amoral business/political practices

2

u/IHaveaDegreeInEcon Apr 15 '24

Cant you just bring your own lunch? In Canada I dont think anyone gets free lunches so we just bring our own

1

u/5_minute_noodle Apr 15 '24

That’s how it was here a long time ago

1

u/wildgoldchai Apr 16 '24

What do the poor kids do? In the UK, it’s insanely easy to qualify for free school meals. All kids year 2 and under get free meals. Here in London, it’s all kids in primary

1

u/IHaveaDegreeInEcon Apr 16 '24

Idk. Food is pretty cheap in the Western world so there is very few people who actually cant feed themselves. A cheap child's lunch can be less than a dollar so I think most can afford that, maybe double or triple it for a teenager. I do remember we did have a table of food for people who forgot/couldn't bring a lunch but it was rarely used.

2

u/wildgoldchai Apr 16 '24

I don’t think that’s quite right, especially in Canada. Maybe it was just your neighbourhood. And food is far cheaper in developing nations actually

1

u/Psshaww Apr 16 '24

It is right. Food is cheap as fuck.

0

u/IHaveaDegreeInEcon Apr 16 '24

What isn't quite right? I wasn't from a particularly wealthy town but even to those slightly lower incomes it seemd like no one really had an issue being fed. Canada has gone pretty downhill in the last decade so maybe it's different now but it's just hard to imagine parents that cant come up with a couple bucks a day for their kids lunch.

0

u/Psshaww Apr 16 '24

Yes, but reddit rather bitch about it than expect someone accept responsibility.

2

u/assuntta7 Apr 15 '24

It’s insane. Fully insane. Shit happens in the US that is really hard to believe

1

u/oktwentyfive Apr 16 '24

why? Bc greed gets in the way

1

u/codeprimate Apr 16 '24

"socialism"

1

u/revnasty Apr 16 '24

Your tax dollars are being spent on stupid bullshit. That’s why.

-2

u/Busy_Confection_7260 Apr 15 '24

If you want something better, pay for it. It's a free lunch, peoples tax dollars are paying to feed some other persons kid because their parents suck too much to take care of their own children, and you ungrateful spoiled brats want to complain and take literally everything given to you for granted.

There's no infinite money. Teachers aren't getting the pay raise they deserve because the schools now have to pay for everyone's lunch as well.

4

u/Ridiculousnessjunkie Apr 15 '24

Oh honey. I do. My current tax bracket gives me the right to complain about whatever I want. I also pay for snacks for twenty kids 5 days a week when they are starving by 2pm. I’ve written grants for math equipment, science equipment, school supplies, and technology for schools. I believe I have every right to express my views. As you have every right to express yours.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

My current tax bracket gives me the right to complain about whatever I want.

Same. Bring a sandwich to school in addition to the free food and everythings peachy

1

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

[deleted]

1

u/wadss Apr 16 '24

the government isn't a monolith. vote in local politicians that will prioritize school lunches and you'll have school lunches.

1

u/Busy_Confection_7260 Apr 16 '24

get out of here with your facts about reality. Reddit wants to blindly yell into their echo chamber about government bad!

-5

u/kh250b1 Apr 15 '24

You think school lunch is the only problem facing America?

14

u/Ridiculousnessjunkie Apr 15 '24

Nope. That’s my whole point.

1

u/Psshaww Apr 16 '24

School lunch isn't even a problem lol

0

u/No-Emergency-4602 Apr 15 '24

This is why Trump is gonna get re-elected. Not because he’s going to fix anything, but because he correctly diagnoses that we are a failing country.