FOX news can do wonders to uninformed minds.

Not a communist in sight, or?

I have often wondered about people who voted for and believe in Donald Trump. What twisted logic can make them support a person with so few, or no, redeeming character traits?

I got my chance, talking at some length with a retired American surgeon and his wife from major city in a Southern state.

On the subject of Canada:

"You are leaches of the earth and sucking the life out of the American worker. Your 270 % import duty on American milk (!) is just a blatant example of how you mistreat your trading partner – and get away with it."

(That duty is a penalty on a quota representing 0.0002 % (2/10,000) of all Canadian import from USA and has never been imposed.)

"Your health care systems sucks and Canadians lead a life of pain and misery, dying while you wait for your poorly rationed health care to be available to you."

(Canadians live four years longer than the average American.)

"Canadian doctors are “probably” the ones that failed to qualify to work in USA and had to settle for being employees of the state in a second class country." 

Said by a surgeon from USA.

Needless to say, he was a great fan of Fox news.

After a few more failed attempts to connect on a more factual level, I innocently asked.

“You just told me that Donald Trump has proudly said that he has almost eradicated Obama care, making forty million Americans uninsured.”

"They all get excellent health care, all they have to do is to walk in to the nearest ER and they will be looked after."

"What kind of care?"

"They get what services they need to leave the hospital and will be charged accordingly."

"But what if they cannot pay?"

They will be charged anyway. But the hospital may have to write off the fees as uncollectable.

"You were a surgeon in a hospital, how many operations did you make that you were not paid for?" 

"About 20 % of my patients couldn't pay. I sent the bill and after a certain time had gone by, forwarded my claim to a collection agency. Sometimes I got paid a little but often nothing at all. That’s life."

"Did you perform different operations when you knew that the patient couldn’t pay?"

"Not really, but I may have cut back on some of the long term possible cures. I knew that they couldn’t get them, anyway. My objective was always to do enough so that the patient, hopefully, could leave the hospital soon.

Some of the uninsured are losers and slackers. They are unwilling or unable to find work with an employer that would pay health insurance fees to support themselves and their families.

Millions are illegal immigrants and they deserve nothing from the US government. They will soon all be deported. Trump is doing a good job of arresting them and sending them out of the country. Then they will no longer be a problem to our health care system.

We also have the same problem with all the criminals, all the drug dealers and other persons that live off crime. They don’t deserve anything at all and may soon die on their own."

I stopped taking notes at this point.

His wife turned to me and asked: “Which church do you go to?”

Church?

She proceeded to tell me that only good people were in church. The kind of people who look after their fellow man and live a righteous life.

My next question, posed to both of them: 

“So you think that is a good Christian way to let so many people go without access to health care insurance?"

I drew a blank on that one.

The two of them immediately changed the subject and were more interested in Canadian socialism, which in their minds was exactly the same as total communism, where our government “spends other people’s money until it runs out”.

How poor Canadians are hounded by the government who controls so much of our lives and makes Canadians pay what must be the highest taxes in the world.

The discussion soon ended when I told a few financial facts and when I explained them, correctly, that Canadians pay far less in taxes than Americans do. 

We get many public services that we appreciate, add in the value of free-to the-user health care and Canadians are paying among the lowest taxes in the OECD.

They had never heard of OECD.

I didn’t sleep well last night, having met two representatives of true Trump supporters, totally convinced that FOX network is the only news station that tells the truth. All other news sources carry fake news. 

They both agreed that Donald Trump is the best president that the USA has ever had. He will make the land prosperous like never before.

"Look at how well he negotiates our trade around the globe."

and...

... "Just wait until Trump has put that soon-to-be Nuclear-armed Iran in its proper place..."

These persons were very well off, well educated and with bright minds.

Oh – what propaganda can do.

Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda, Nazi Germany,  would have felt proud to hear the effects of one-sided propaganda today.

They loved America, the best country of all...

... "especially if compared to Canada that is run by such an incompetent and lying Prime Minister as Trudeau." (sic).

I felt sick…

---------------
If you want to read my memoirs, "The seasons of Man", buy the book here:


https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bengt+lindvall+the+seasons+of+a+man