There has been a lot of discussion since Athens about foreign swimmers training in the United States. Most of them attend U.S. Universities, receive athletic scholarships, and compete at NCAA's. Some notable examples include Duje Draganja (Cal), Fred Bousquet and Kirsty Coventry (Auburn), Markus Rogan (Stanford), and the South African sprinters (Arizona). Some train in the U.S., but don't compete for a university (Inge de Bruijn). All of these athletes benefit from U.S. coaching, from training with U.S. swimmers, and in some cases, from financial support provided by U.S. entities (athletic scholarships). They all turn around and then win medals for other countries.
A couple questions: 1) What do you think about this arrangement generally? 2) Is it of benefit or detriment to U.S. swimming to have these foreign athletes training and competing here? 3) Should we be giving athletic scholarships, which are a scarce resource in swimming, to foreign athletes who will represent their own countries internationally instead of U.S.-born swimmers who will represent us internationally?
I'm sure there are other issues, but these come directly to mind.
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Originally posted by hooked-on-swimming
Oh, yeah, and about health care - well, I think America needs to be able to figure out how to provide a good health care program to its citizens first...How many people are on the edge of bankrupcy because of "the perfect American healthcare"?Just so that you know in a lot of countries it is government funded and you will not be charged for being treated...
Yes, lack of affordable health insurance is a significant problem for many Americans. That having been said, unlike other nations, we do not have waiting lists (six months or more) for bypass surgery or hip replacements. And no one can be turned away from an emergency room due to lack of money (federal law). If socialized medicine is the answer, why are other countries now exploring privitization?
Originally posted by hooked-on-swimming
Oh, yeah, and about health care - well, I think America needs to be able to figure out how to provide a good health care program to its citizens first...How many people are on the edge of bankrupcy because of "the perfect American healthcare"?Just so that you know in a lot of countries it is government funded and you will not be charged for being treated...
Yes, lack of affordable health insurance is a significant problem for many Americans. That having been said, unlike other nations, we do not have waiting lists (six months or more) for bypass surgery or hip replacements. And no one can be turned away from an emergency room due to lack of money (federal law). If socialized medicine is the answer, why are other countries now exploring privitization?
