Newest Pet-Peeve: ZOMG! Universal health care will turn us into Greece!

Golly, Greece is the Right's new favorite country.

This has to be a new winner of the stupidest over-generalization of the year award.

The easiest way to combat this particular "gem" is to point out that two of the industrialized countries with the LOWEST debt to GDP ratio, Canada (33%) and Australia (11%), both have universal health care.

In 2007-08, Australia spent 9.1% of GDP on health care, whereas the US spent 16% in 2007 and is on a steadily increasing trend.

So it is very plain to see that a properly run universal health care system can actually save a country huge amounts of money. Granted, the PPACA does nothing to reign in costs, but I see it as a first step towards constructing a health care system that is both patient effective as well as cost effective.