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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: slacker711 who wrote (47851)	2/4/2008 11:24:07 AM
From: Steve Lokness	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541625

slacker - re: health plan; We would never go back to a free market system. We don't have that now. And it surely is not what people want. Do you really want to pick your dr depending on what he charges? If you go into a hospital do you want them to run it as a free market? steve

To: slacker711 who wrote (47851)	2/4/2008 11:37:45 AM
From: JohnM	Respond to of 541625

My point was a general one, once instituted, government programs pretty much never expire. It really doesnt matter whether they are effective, serve the intended purpose or cost far more than planned. They are essentially one way streets...and it is one very large reason why I am leary of universal health care. It could increase costs or severely bring down the quality of care (for those insured), but the most we would get would be a tinkering with the mechanisms. We would never go back to a free market system. As is our wont, we have a fairly fundamental difference here. As I read material I see on health care, it looks to me that countries with universal health care actually provide better aggregate deliver of medical care at lower costs than the US system presently does. And, best I can tell, single payer universal health care systems are best. So, not only am I not eager to go back to "free market systems" which in our configuration now turns out to be health insurance companies gaming the system at the cost of health care delivery. But I would like to see us provide medicare for everyone. Love the slogan. I realize, as I know you do, this is a complicated question but the comparative health care delivery data seems pretty convincing. Ah, farm subsidies. Boy do I agree with you on this one. If you wish to start a movement to rationalize those suckers, count me in. As for your comments on the Patriot Act, the reason I don't see any of the much needed corrections taking place is the tendency to call folk who wish to correct it "unpatriotic". I just don't see the Dems doing anything seriously about it on their own. They will need a cadre of like minded moderate Reps to pull off the trick.