National Healthcare

[Lohman446]

I don't know where you get the idea that I don't want government at all, so let me be clear: I do believe that government has a purpose. I do not believe that it needs to be a monsterous thing that lords over everything to the finest detail and feeds deeply on the working class to appease the needs of the greedy and lazy.

There's a difference between navagating and driving. For the topic in hand, it's my opinion that the government should guide, not drive.

I think thats the crux of the debate. Not wanting more government running the medical system does not necessarily mean no government involvement. Many of us agree the system has issues. Many of us feel those issues are better resolved through government regulation than taking over.

[chafnerjr]

Too much wealth in private hands leads to irresponsible behaviors like those we have seen that led us to this crisis; people cannot be trusted to act in the best interest of the group as a whole.

Now I've been sitting here preparing a list of de-regulations that you asked me to point out because of the mention of the CRA I made previously. As I was reading this continued thread I came across this... rather disturbing comment of yours. Could you please for the sake of rationality, explain where the heck this ludicrous statement came from? I don't know what side of the political spectrum you fall on, but no one in their right mind could possibly substantiate that kind of argument. I didn't think that we really were going to have a comparison of communism vs. capitalism.

[Lohman446]

A strong argument could be made that it was a lack of regulation that lead to the financial melt down. It was greed from the top to the bottom that crashed the system. From people buying and selling on margin to those looking for 20% returns.

I don't understand how the argument for the regulation of health care is leading to the financial collapse. The financial collapse was the "bursting" of a bubble, that in hindsight a lot more people should have expected. We forced spending up and up to support systems, well not considering the ramifications of rampant debt spending on a consumer basis.

[bigk01]

med school?

What about the debacle that is med school in this country? US med schools set hard caps on how many graduate each year and accept foreign students. This is why there is a shortage on medical professionals. They get their education here then they run back to their home country. I for one think US schools are for US citizens.

[drg]

Compare the new drugs / treatments / procedures in medicine come up in the past twenty years through private industry compared to those brought up through the government.

These innovations do not come from the financial sector, they come from the industries themselves. The problem being addressed is the leeching effect the financial sector has on the relationship between public and industry.

I think thats the crux of the debate. Not wanting more government envolvement does not necessarily mean no government involvement. Many of us agree the system has issues. Many of us feel those issues are better resolved through government regulation than taking over.

Well the government isn't proposing taking over, but enacting a sort of "market-based regulation" to reduce the excesses of the insurance industry. To me that's the ideal solution and in fact if you know much about Obama, these types of hybrid solutions are his political trademark.