Government is the problem, not the solution.

So, Captain Kirk, I presume....

If corporations aren't the solution and government isn't the solution, what's the solution? Vulcans?

Sorry, I don't mean a personal attack, just annoyed by pithy catchphrases that say nothing but sound all profound.

I guess we know who some of Senator Obama's big donors are now. :(

I think I'm gonna go hang with Cindy Sheehan now.

Love,

Hanna

Obama has no real vision, nor is he willing to really change the fundamentals of our corrupted system. He represents more of the same, and not any fundamental shift. Is he good looking and "likable"? Yes, but as a president I very much doubt that he would make any real changes in the way our system functions, whether we are talking about SS, medical isues, military spending, education, etc.

The Fraud's Health Care Plan: give more money to the corporations which have destroyed health care.

Imagine that we were in a real country that cared about its citizens. It might resemble something like Finland.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/05/AR2005080502015.html

"Finland is a leading example of the northern European view that a successful, competitive society should provide basic social services to all its citizens at affordable prices or at no cost at all. This isn't controversial in Finland; it is taken for granted. For a patriotic American like me, the Finns present a difficult challenge: If we Americans are so rich and so smart, why can't we treat our citizens as well as the Finns do?

Finns have one of the world's most generous systems of state-funded educational, medical and welfare services, from pregnancy to the end of life. They pay nothing for education at any level, including medical school or law school. Their medical care, which contributes to an infant mortality rate that is half of ours and a life expectancy greater than ours, costs relatively little. (Finns devote 7 percent of gross domestic product to health care; we spend 15 percent.) Finnish senior citizens are well cared for. Unemployment benefits are good and last, in one form or another, indefinitely."

Of course they pay for it and they don't mind that.

"On the other hand, Finns live in smaller homes than Americans and consume a lot less. They spend relatively little on national defense, though they still have universal male conscription, and it is popular. Their per capita national income is about 30 percent lower than ours. Private consumption of goods and services represents about 52 percent of Finland's economy, and 71 percent of the United States'. Finns pay considerably higher taxes -- nearly half their national income is taken in taxes, while Americans pay about 30 percent on average to federal, state and local governments."

But dumbass Americans think it is better to give their money to Halliburton.

Kirk I am sorry to say the government is the solution! LOOK A FRANCE! Even fucking Cuba has a better system then we have here. We are more advanced and the care is better here, but that doesn't matter if you can't even get access to it. Baby morality rates are LOWER in Cuba then in the United States. Other countries such as France whom have a single payer system LIVE LONGER (a higher life expectancy.)I am fucking tired of this stupid capitalistic can solve all our problems bull crap!

The problem is that with private health care, there is a conflict of interest! Do these capitalists fucks GET IT? It this simple private health insurance companies want to make money. That means trying to avoid treating sick people! Because Duh! They can't make any money treating sick people, it doesn't help the fucking all powerful screw humanity bottom line! Get it now Kirk? Yes it's that simple, but dense republicans and many democrats just don't get it! The solution is looking in them right in the face, yet there so blinded by the almighty dollar that they can't see the shit on their faces! Sorry to rant like this but, I am so fucking sick and tired of this proganda bullshit. Why not look at the facts instead of pretending that private health insurance is better when it JUST ISN'T. As a matter of fact it sucks! That is why we have millions of uninsured people in this country; dying from fucking treatable conditions!

Toast to Bernarda and tlfleming

Few people will get it, but thanks for trying..

"They pay nothing for education at any level, including medical school or law school."

This makes a big big difference. We're in a horrible spiral in this country right now with education costs. People generally figure if they fork over the $ for med school - no prob, they can make it back in income later. The costs of their education factor into the costs of health care.

There was a big push for universal health care; even the AMA backed it, but in the past few years, it has faded into the background, behind the war. Twould be awfully nice if Obama's proposal places the discussion back to the fore again. [url=http://www.bcbs.com/news/national/edwards-s-healthcare-plan-entails-tax-increase.html]Edwards's proposal[/url] is a bit bolder, and he at least admits there'll be a price tag via taxes.

I do like this: "If criminals have a right to a lawyer, working Americans should have a right to a doctor." Senator Harris Wofford (D-Pennsylvania, 1991)

oof - above link is to february run-down of Edwards on health care.

I like Obama, but he's an ass kisser and he can't speak the truth, so I gave 100 bucks to Mike Gravel, because he's the only candidate with balls, and he's on the money with every issue. I know people say what a waste of 100 dollars, but even if I doubt he will win, at least if he doesn't I can say that I gave him my support and sleep well at night knowing I tried.

Here's my proposal to get every child (without a pre-existing condition of course) covered:

1-Institute a draft
2-increase funding to civilian contractors in charge of military medical care. 3-give no-bid contracts to the Orcan man to prevent a rat problem in all those VA Hospitals

Vote for me in '08 (write-in candidate of course)

Donate to my campaign through paypal, it'll be the best 10 bucks you ever wasted.

Anyway, the best part of the Yahoo News article was this:

Obama's first promise as a presidential candidate was that he would sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of his firm term in the White House.

HaHa Yahoo, Learn2Spellcheck

That distraction aside, that means a vote for Obama would a vote for universal health care by at least...2012?

Maybe the rapture will happen before then and we won't have to worry about it, eh?

As seen here before, I don't understand why Mike Gravel has been sidelined. When did having character become "you are a character?"

As for Obama's plan, it can't work. They tried it in Tennessee with the TennCare plan. TennCare failed long ago, and the state government is now having to fund it at a loss with a very high standard for being able to get on it. When i lived there, my daughter (I'm a single dad of a special needs girl) was on it, but I was not eligible.

This model panders to the worst racket in the world.

I also wanted to respond to tlfleming's statement that the US's health care is "more advanced and the care is better."

This is really not true. The US's technology is really no more advanced than any other industrialized nation. The big difference there is that we pay for it out of pocket, so there are more, say CAT scans, available. Our hospitals run for profit. They are compelled to have all the latest greatest stuff, so they don't have to send patients elsewhere.

We also have the highest infant mortality rate of the industrialized nations.

See http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-healthcare.htm

for some interesting statistics (from 1991 (and sources not cited)).

Oh... wait...

Make that second worse infant mortality rate according to CNN in 2006.

Thank you fro bringing such nice posts. Your blog is always fascinating to read.

Every year, as the pendulum swings from left to right and back again, we are assured of one thing: monies will be poured into each party's pet projects, while at the same time, the monies going towards the other party's pet projects are funded without rescindment. What will happen if this pattern continues, if Osama fails to retract taxes? Welcome to America, owned and operated by the Chinese.

*Retract tax cuts, is what I meant to write...

Thank you for your patience.

Thanks Andy, thanks for pointing out my mistake. I had know idea, I just always assumed that the care was better here.

Gary - that wasn't a mistake in spelling by Yahoo that was them letting you all know that he's in the pocket of the "firm" a.k.a. corporations. ;-)