A lot of people are talking about the evils of health care rationing and denying care to people who are unable to be ‘productive’. I think their hearts are in the right place.
I’m really moved by the passionate commitment to defending the sacredness of life. I’m not a lawyer or a politician, and I can’t comment on all the fine points of the proposed health legislation–but there is something simple that the left and the right can come together on.
Let’s insure everyone. We can start with the children.
There are 9 million American children who have no health insurance, and most of them are eligible. Medicaide and S-chip are programs that already exist, all we need to enroll the uninsured children so that they don’t miss out on pediatric care. Then we expand the programs so that no one is left out.
Good people can disagree on a lot of things. Let’s clarify what we have in common and get some change for the better. Sing Kumbaya.
Kmareka.com 
I know it was fictional, but in the last season of West Wing, Jimmy Smits’s character suggested removing the age limit on Medicare — boom! Instant government option.
nancy-the problem seems to be trying to do it all in one HUGE bill.This could have been more effectively incrementalized.Let’s say introduceapublic option as a stand alone bill and see how it is received and how it works if it passes.Congress and the public would be able to understand it better.Then move on to the next major reform,whatever that might be,and examine it in detail.And so on.Just trying to take it all in at once sounds like one of those crazy eating contests.
a lot of writers on the left are unhappy with the public option vs single payer. but it’s the right that is trying to tank it. it was looking like the public option was going to be the incremental change you are talking about, then the extreme right mobilized to block any change at all, labeling the whole bill as a Nazi scheme. the conservative Democrats are backing away from the public option.
the insurance companies have never had any real competition and they don’t want any now.
You know,some of those people on the left,like pat crowley probably have pretty good health care plans-I would not be off in space assuming that a NEA executive would have a nice paln,would I?How quick would he and some other leftists jump to single payer?I’m already on a single apyer plan and I have no complaints.
One size doesn’t fit all,whatever walk of life we’re discussing.
Lets get together on Health Care. Some health care is better than none at all. Medicare & Medicaid has worked for a lot of years already. The ones that have health care seem not want those that do not have it, to not get it. The VA Health Care System is good for those veterans who have served their country the only thing wrong all these years is that it haqs been underfunded and the Republicans even sued some veterans from getting compensation from Agent Orange that they were exposed to in Vietnam. Like President Ronald Reagan said the VA Health Care System is a burden on the Taxpayers and veterans should not be treated in a separate health care system. This country would not exist as it is today if it wasn’t for the sacrifices of those that served and continue to serve. One doesn’t have to go to war to get a disease or be exposed to some hazardous substance or toxic substance while serving in the military, because there are diseases in other parts of the world where they may be sent and one could catch a disease for that area.
Very good observations Craig.i couldn’t agree more,being a recipient of VA care.Reagan was wrong on that.I liked a lot of things he did,but that comment is very disappointing to hear.
Clinton was far and away the best president for veterans’ health issues.
He wasn’t bad on some other things either,but he made some big mistakes.a very hard President to evaluate.
Obama made a remark about veterans needing to sacrifice something in the health care arena,and he was taken to task hard by the American Legion and VFW.We already gave the government a blank check on our bodies and minds,and mine was partially cashed,so I figure most of us have given something up,if only time out of our lives when we could have been involved in other pursuits.In the military,you have to give up a lot of freedoms on a routine basis just due to the nature of the organization.Those who haven’t been in can’t understand that-not their fault,just how it is.
I hope we don’t start having murders occuring over this issue-it isn’t stretching-someone uses a bat,and gets paid back with a bullet-that easy.
The rabble rousers on either side batter think about what they’re saying.Speech is free and should be,but it does have consequences sometimes.
A certain blogger on RIF has been ginning up a fight and there hasn’t been anything in RI like in some other places,so is he trying for a self-fulfilling prophecy?