Michael Moore/Sicko

OK, has anyone seen Sicko, the new Michael Moore film about insured and underinsured Americans and our health care system? He compares our privatized health care system to the systems in place in England, France, Canada, even Cuba and ours comes out far behind in most issues (wait time, cost, etc.)

In one part of the movie he meets with a group of Americans living in France. And I thought I was mad before! Not only do they not pay for health care but they are guaranteed 5 weeks vacation time or more, they have far better maternity benefits, extremely inexpensive day care (amounting to about $1/hour), government-paid nannies to help out a few hours a week (do laundry, cook, etc.), doctors who make house calls at all hours of the day and night and free higher education! Clearly being a single parent there would be a lot less exhausting. Living here I will be on call as a parent 24/7/365 and have to work full-time and run a household, not to mention trying to fit in some dating! When I was in Senegal a couple of months ago I hung out with some parents who said they can't imagine living in the US anymore because in Senegal they can afford a cook, housekeeper and a live-in nanny and are therefore able to have a lot of quality time with their children. I definitely left the movie with thoughts of living abroad etched even more deeply into my mind...