Below is the response to the comments for yesterday's entry.
Re: Robert
First of all, wow, I'm glad I got you guys to finally leave a comment. Now on to the nitty gritty.
Not sure where all this "US vs. China" comparison is coming from. Because it is definitely not coming from me. I did not once mention the US in my entry, and I don't recall initiating the use of the US as a comparison point during dinner. I won’t try to dissect communism, but I will judge their actions. This entry was supposed to be more about human rights and lack of fairness/freedom. I (perhaps mistakenly) tied in all of China’s issues which made for a much broader topic.
Healthcare. I never said that China should emulate the US system. In fact, the US system is the system that I hate the most. What I support is universal healthcare, and I also think that would suit China the best. Implementation and regulation are issues that I believe China is completely capable of dealing with. That is the “beauty” of communism: decisions can be made, and they are usually met with little resistance. I agree that we shouldn’t compare the US to China (which I did not), but I disagree when you compare China to India. Why compare yourself to a nation that is a failure? The two nations are similar, but China should be looking at their positive possibilities. With their recent success (and surely more to come), China should be looking at their upside potential and not compare themselves to India, or Russia, or Indonesia.
Yes, its great that China spends more of their GDP on healthcare than India, but all I care about are results. Numbers like that don’t give me much of a hard-on. All I know is that right now in China, if you have money, you can go to the hospital (emergency or not). If you don’t have money, you are literally left to die. There is such a thing as “fake ambulances” in China. You can call for one of these illegitimate “emergency” vehicles and go to the hospital… after first paying the driver. Again, I don’t support the US system, nor do I think China should adopt the current US healthcare model. 270 million. Sure, the US has one quarter of China’s population, but it costs a lot less to educate, feed, house, and heal a person in China. Chinese people don’t have high demands like they do in the US. It may be a less daunting task than we all think.
You know, I really do think it is about money. When Hong Kong businessmen can donate cash to have a school built, it gets done. In fact, it is all about money in China now. Chinese people are only motivated by money and very little else. Okay, maybe some are motivated by Andy Lau, but that’s it!
I don’t expect China to get this done overnight, but I hear of NO progress, and NO plan. The only policy changes you hear about are relevant to business and the economy. I want the government to throw us a bone. Let us know that steps are being taken to progressively improve education and healthcare. Right now we’ve got nothing. And though I don’t expect overnight change, I do expect it to happen quicker than it took the US and other western nations. Being the 21st century, I expect China to be able to have quicker and more efficient development.
To be completely honest, I laughed when I saw that whole rocket deal in China. I suddenly felt like the world regressed 30 years. Do you think anyone outside China was remotely impressed? I don’t see how a space program can help the economy at this point in time. If China needs help putting satellites in space, they can ask their buddy, Russia. China might want to develop a space program in the future for those purposes, but I feel that there are more pressing issues at hand. And no, I don’t agree with NASA and/or Bush wanting to send crap to Mars. I’m not comparing the two space programs because that would surely be like comparing a Chevelle to an Enzo
Stricter labor laws are great, but everything is for a purpose. When the government wants to push business out of a certain area, it CREATES and enforces tougher labor laws for that region only. Believe me when I tell you that these “labor laws” are far from universal. The central government changes the rules and regulations as they see fit. Its certainly not for the benefit of the people.
I never said we should sacrifice Chinese people for the economy, but that looks like what China is doing. I like democracy, but obviously China is not there yet. Of course not everyone in the US is happy, but I’ll bet that a majority of their problems are trivial when compared to the impoverished people in China.
“Give me fairness, give me freedom…” sounds like sweeping comments, but it is truly what I and many others value the most. Right now in China, you may not even be able to have a fair, open, and honest discussion without being censored by the government.
Re: Jamee
I’m not comparing the US to China. See above.
Again, all the answers to your questions seem to be: money and communism. In terms of social welfare, I’m only asking for education and healthcare. You don’t have to feed a billion people, but you do have to get them started on feeding themselves. I do have ideas on how to employ these people, but I’ll save that for another time.
Again, all I ask for is freedom and fairness. These two things are virtually free, so no, I cannot cut China a break. Not when innocent people are in prison, and not when my words are censored.
Why are you comparing China to a failing country (India)? Why stoop to that level? No one in China is comparing themselves to India. Its like saying my 81 Honda Civic is faster than your 75 Toyota Corolla. Big fuckin whoop.
I criticize the US as well. Please see my “Only in America” entries. Small but growing.
The US shot rockets into space in the 1970s in order to compete with the Soviet Union. It was much different then because they were actually COMPETING. Space was the new frontier and the two nations were on equal footing to see who could one up the other. Thwart Soviet aggression? Fine. What’s China’s excuse? I believe there are better ways to give hope and increase patriotism. The Olympics are a good example. However, what saddens me is that we actually have to worry whether the now clean streets of Beijing will become dirty again after the Olympics leave town. Is our government really so “spur of the moment”? Do they have a vision? If so, tell me what it is.
There is no doubt that the US poses a greater threat to global peace than China. Which is why I think China should cut their military funding and spend it elsewhere. China's biggest threat is its economy and its tainted food/consumer products.
You hear stories about people stealing pens and paper and various office supplies for home use. Some companies even search the vehicles of employees upon exiting company grounds. 
