It really depends on how well it is done. The Japanese have done an amazing job with universal health care and they have one of the healthiest societies in the world. It works well for them and is done fairly efficiently. Our government though, has proven to be inept at everything. I think we should focus on fixing Social Security and Medicaid before we try to implement another government funded service. We are already 9 trillion in debt, and we want to add more to the budget. We need to take care of that and fix the other broken social services before we add more.

Every day Congress does something that makes me want to hurl my shoe through the TV. I don't know much about the UK or Australia or Canada... but I'm sure they get upset with their Parliments as well... but who cares? We're talking about the US. Let's try and keep it in context.

I use the last budget as a perfect example of how things can go horribly wrong.

Bush halted additional funding on Education and Medicare/Medicaid. Why? So he can give the Pentagon another $35 billion of course - but this isn't the issue. The issue arises when Congress wants to add funding to the social structure of government. Say they want to give $10 billion to Medicare/Medicaid... but Bush doesn't want to.

What happens? No federal budget gets signed? The government shuts down? No federal payments? And what happens to the peoples' health care?

This is what I don't like. The fact that the US can be held hostage by the ineptitude of partisan wankers.

I don't want that to happen.

Sorry, I'm a realist, and I'm not willing to risk the nations economy on a "moral idea".

There are more reasonable approaches - like a code of conduct for patients or simply destroying companies that outright screw their customers (no fines)... or maybe promoting (but not FORCING) people into a healthier life style?

We don't need to totally rebuild health care... just fix it.







And a less pretnetious quote than the one you were looking for probably would have been: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

This is one issue that I'm extremely torn on. I know that universal healthcare would be a great deed to the poorest and those in need but at the same time it comes at such a high cost. Now I'm not greedy but anyone who's worked their ass off and has to give half their paycheck away is bound to get annoyed including me. Also if it is going to be this way it needs to be for everyone, not just kids or certain group of people. Another thing to consider is you might well be paying for people who have no respect for their body or pill poppers who need to go to doctor every week to get their fill. But really I'm torn and honestly don't know how I feel about it. If anything we can try it for awhile and if it doesn't work we can switch back just as we did with prohibition.

excellent point!
i am 110% for universal health care.

everyone deserves to be treated for all conditions whether they are preexisting or people who changed jobs or people who had to take a job that offers no benefits or people who are homeless.

but i am sick of hearing the typical BS about people not deserving it because they need to work for it.

do a search and find out who many people are employed and dont have insurance or mothers who choose to raise their children at home etc...

America isn't "everywhere else".

I thought you would have figured that out by now?

On the contrary. We're a country of fat and unhealthy arrogant individuals who don't trust government with large sums of money and fear any concept of tax hikes.

Go ahead. Tell everyone that universal healthcare isn't actually free and see how many Americans will jump to see 1/3 of their pay check go missing.