US politics, viewed from afar

Workplace discussion of politics is rarely a good idea and I expect that this year, in the US, it is especially unwise.  Over here, however, Lisa and I get a free pass.   In fact, we’re expected not only to discuss politics but also to explain them and this year that means explaining the unexplainable.  We’re asked, “What’s going on in the US?  Why does half the country hate the other half?  Why is the religious right supporting a thrice-married adulterer who’s never read the bible?  Why do so many people hate Hillary?”  Our colleagues generally have a pretty positive view of Americans (fat, friendly and hard working) so they’re mystified by the support that Trump has received.   Europeans receive their news from the so-called mainstream media since they don’t have the cafeteria selection existing in the US (news or otherwise) and they probably read more about our elections than we do.  Also, they’re clearly much more invested in our results than we are in theirs.   I remember 2008, when people here were so unanimously supportive of our having elected Obama.   Even Paige’s Kindergarten teacher congratulated her.  How she beamed.   This year, they’re concerned but I’ve been telling everyone that it’ll be okay.  I admit to not always feeling fully confident in this but we recently spent two weeks in the US on vacation and while I’ve now actually met Trump supporters, I’ve also seen that the jig is up.   That’s not to say that there won’t be significant residual issues come November 9^th, there will, but the Obergroper will not be in charge.   Lisa and I did our part while stateside, mailing in our ballots (ironically from Texas although they’ll count in Rhode Island).  I made a copy to share with colleagues here and I must be doing a good job at explaining things as the only question I got was, “Who is Rocky De La Fuente”?  Also, I made them promise not to fill it out.  That would be rigging.  

 

Swiss Health Care

Here’s a fun topic.  It comes to mind not due to the political war currently raging in the US but because a few weeks ago I injured myself again playing basketball, this time breaking a finger.  Before beginning, I should note that I like the system here.  It’s not perfect and it’s expensive but it works and it’s fair.   That last part is important and is a bit personal for me.  Several years ago, prior to ACA, my oldest daughter was living in New York and went uncovered for a short time.  For me this was extremely unsettling.  She worked as a camp counselor for a private social work organization and even basic catastrophic coverage would have cost her twenty percent of her barely minimum wage gross pay.  She solved the problem by registering part time at the local community college, thus qualifying for the less expensive student insurance.  Most people aren’t as clever as she is and simply go naked.  This shouldn’t happen and it doesn’t here.   

Clearly, a blog like this is inadequate to discuss this topic in any depth so I’ll limit this post to just a few observations.  An obvious starting point when discussing health care is cost.   I hesitate to compare what we pay here with what we paid in the US because we’ve been away so long but it’s safe to say that both systems are expensive.  The US and Switzerland are ranked one and two worldwide respectively in percent of GDP spent on health care but they’re not neck and neck.  Switzerland is positioned at the top of a large cluster of western countries while the US has its head, shoulders and entire torso ahead of the pack.  The US is the Usain Bolt of health care spending.    So, what does the average Swiss health care consumer get for all that money?  Well, one clear benefit is high quality care and access to the most advanced technologies possible.   And it’s important to say that in this case, “average consumer” means all consumers.  It’s not that two-thirds of the population gets great coverage while the other third goes uncovered.  Another benefit is convenience.  There is simply no waiting and the hospitals and clinics are ubiquitous.  I had my broken finger attended to within thirty minutes of presenting myself, without an appointment, at a clinic located a five minute bike ride from my home.    In January, I needed an MRI for a suspected lung embolism and my waiting time was determined only by how quickly I could get myself to the clinic (not long).  Another advantage is that the insurance companies are surprisingly responsive and the paperwork is pretty limited.  We’ve had three providers here and all were much easier to deal with than any of those I dealt with in the US were.  One feature I don’t understand but won’t complain about is that your employer’s insurance covers accidents, whether or not they’re work related (for instance all of my basketball injuries).   This means that accident claims are not subject to deductibles.  Really, the only disadvantage of the Swiss system is the high cost but there are a number of amusing idiosyncrasies that merit mention.  For instance, ibuprofen is a prescription drug here and costs about a dollar a pill.  All of our Swiss friends stock up at the CVS when vacationing in the US.  And it’s not just OTC pain relievers.  You  pretty much have to visit the pharmacy for everything that you put in your mouth or spread on your skin (toothpaste and soap being notable exceptions).   Another funny characteristic is the general reluctance to use antibiotics, which makes sense from the creation of resistant super bugs perspective but these drugs do have a place in modern medicine.  I have a work colleague whose young son went through a progression of homeopathic treatments that included placing an onion slice under his pillow before she was asked if it would be okay if they tried an antibiotic.   Another common practice here (I’ll not comment whether it’s a pro or con) is that they seem to allow you to stay in the hospital as long as you want.  My son had a friend who stayed a week after having his tonsils removed.  A few years back, my second daughter broke her collarbone.  We’ll never know how long they would have allowed her to stay as we practically broke her out to go hiking after two nights.   In the end, as I said, I like the system here and while it didn't make my top 10 list it's yet another reason to live here.

Eurenglish

Lisa and I both work in organizations where English is the lingua franca but the mother tongue of very few.  While most speak English very well, much better than we speak German, they are unwitting participants in the development of an unofficial dialect, Eurenglish, a term I first heard from a friend, Rick Mowrer, a fellow American and professional English/German language instructor and translator.   During a recent visit from his home in Berlin, Rick brought to our attention an anthology written three years ago by Jeremy Gardner, a senior translator at the European Court of Auditors.   Mr. Gardner’s entertaining treatise, “A Brief List of Misused English Terms in E.U. Publications,” struck a chord with us because many of his examples are not just usages that we’ve read or heard first hand, we’ve experienced them so frequently that we’ve begun to question ourselves regarding the correct usage.  The line between English and Eurenglish has begun to blur.   If you’re not sure what I mean, consider the following paragraph in which I’ve used several of Mr. Gardner’s examples to illustrate my point.

“Eurenglish is not something we foresee, it is actual.  Concerning this, one should aim at deepening the language competences of non-native speakers.  A starting point would be to obtain seed corn money to develop a training course which would include testing though which the progress of the students could be controlled.  It is important to incite everyone to take this seriously as it will help to improve communication and planification.  In the frame of this goal it may even be possible to valorize the results.” 

If you live here, whether or not English is your native language, that probably made sense to you.  Otherwise, likely not.