You say what government wants is not always what is good for the people.

The alternative is heath care in the hands of the Insurance companies, like it has been.

Insurance companies are not in the least bit concerned with what is good for the people.

Corporate control of our lives has increased.

No mater what you think of the government, it's a hell of a lot better than them.

The government is at least answerable to the public, while corporations answer to no one.

I pay taxes and do not have health care. When I default on a health bill, guess who picks up the tab?

You, smart guy.

Health care doesn't work unless it works for everyone. Even if you have insurance, the person who works next to you might not have it so when they sneeze on you, you get sick insurance or not.

"WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMEONE THAT DON'T CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY"
...does not contribute...

Classic selfish spoon-fed capitalist garbage.
Who are all these people "not contributing to society"?
The poor, or those with a pre-existing condition, thus doomed?
Classic blame the victim, protect business, American propaganda bullshit.

What do you call a contribution to society?
A company that kills people...even when they buy "insurance"?
A company that rapes the earth and tells you to like it?
A company that profits off war?

Dems want to stand in line with their hands out... what do you think companies do with government? What do you think corporate welfare is? They weren't pissed when W presented a "no stings attached" 3 page corporate bail-out. They weren't pissed because it was going into the accounts of the rich. But when a black democrat president does it, it's socialism!? Do you not see the hypocritical philosophy here?

Gov regulation of an industry is classic Keynesian economics... the very same America has been content with from 1929-1980, until Reagen's neoliberal regime deregulated everything, and look where that got us. There is no state sponsored health care... no public option...so to say the "big box gov has no place in the insurance theater", they don't! It's just regulations.

We're just being sold a bill of goods, that this is a dem agenda, when it's basically the same thing as a repub. Repubs. just want your votes, that's why they voted straight party line... so they have a marketing gimmick come November.

Insurance companies have no place in the health care theater. Being forced to buy something from a non democratically elected entity is unamerican.

Your argument is the very same whenever sweeping social programs are enacted... it's nothing new, nor insightful. But, as history has shown, most social programs are great for society and the economy. It's when you begin to remove them, that is when it goes to hell... and ironically, conservatives have the balls to blame those who wanted the social programs in the first place.

+^d

Thank you for demonstrating so clearly the intellectual level of your position.
Next time, don't forget to throw in something about teleprompters and birth certificates.
Oh, and fascism. You absolutely must mention fascism.

That's the problem, genius: I CAN'T AFFORD IT. Like many Americans. My job doesn't even offer it, because I'm technically a part time employee, despite working 35+ hours most weeks. I've been looking for a full-time position for at least a year. No such luck. I would ask if you're hiring, but I don't think I'd like working with a guy like you as a boss.

I mean, if there was some program where MY tax dollars can go into some sort of money pool that helps take care of people when they get sick, then maybe I would be able to afford some sort of state-run insurance... Who would think of a novel idea like that, I wonder? Perhaps I'll ask a conservative since they've done so much for the country in the past 30 years of... whining and complaining about taxes.

You apparently don't know jack about what real Americans go through in their own country on a daily basis. Maybe if you get a terminal disease and get your coverage dropped then you'll understand how screwed up the medical insurance industry is. So how about you stow the Rush Limbaugh talking points and take a permanent trip to Costa Rica with your mentor?

Uhhhhhh that already is happening, it's called capitalism.

Capitalism is inherently self destructive. You can put as many band-aids on it as many times as you want (such as health care reform, bail outs, the new deal, etc.) but it's doomed to fail. There isn't an infinite amount of resources to feed the machine.

The distance between rich and poor gets wider everyday. A "special class" isn't safe from revolution. We've learned that numerous times throughout history.
I believe Marx that the road to capitalism will lead to pure communism. An not the aristocracy of Soviet Russia communism. But, like Marx says, a pure socially equal, libertarian socialism.

That was my point exactly, thanks!

Soc Sec: taking hits due to tax cuts, and aging baby boomers, but I doubt it's going anywhere. They only way the can get rid of it is if they proclaim is dead in the distant future, like if they were today, they would say something like: anyone born >1980 doesn't get SS.
Medicare and Medicaid: funding decreased with this stupid "reform" bill. Mo' money fo' the ins industry. Their happiness comes 1st.
Welfare: On life support. Our ideology of the poor deserve to be poor is growing ever-stronger.

Agreed.
People are "for" or "against" based on their political affiliations and which pundit they rely on to shape their opinion.
I understand that someone can be for or against, but how can you claim satisfaction when no progress has been shown (or not shown).

This "reform" is a big song-and-dance, to make dems look like they're actually doing something, (only took the 2006 dem controlled congress 4 years!) this is the "change" Obomba promised. I'm just failing to see the overall difference between Bush giving tax dollars to oil and defense industries, and Obama forcing you to conform to the health insurance industry. The rich get richer, 2nd gilded age, only this time when the economy collapsed, we had Keynesian market controls in place to insure the rich say rich, and capitalism doesn't fail.

How is conformity to a very flawed insurance system "change"? What's to stop ins companies lawyers finding different loopholes, just as they did before? The idea that this is "a step" is complete non-sense. When the repubs regain power, do you think they won't destroy this bill? Do you think the insurance lobby will allow single-payer, especially with the recent supreme court ruling that corps can basically run for office? In our two party system, it will never work unless a substantial paradigm shift happens, which too is a doubtful occurrence.
Party ideology changes usually occur in catastrophic times, such as economic collapse. Obama ran in '08 on that ideology, but now, 14 months into it has proven he is acting upon the same ol' democratic Clinton-style conservative democrat philosophy.

Exactly. This bill is nothing but basic constraints on Insurance company greed without the public option. Totally not worth a year of viscous "debate"(Republican obstructionism).

What about government greed? How many more taxes are we supposed to pay because you don't like people making a profit?

By the way, insurance profits were usually between 1-3%. I'd hardly say that is an outrageous profit.

But you can't let insurance companies off the hook like that. They chose the industry...letting people die for profits is insane. Profits > people is treacherous.

This bill is health insurance's payday. Meanwhile, it will take forever (if it ever happens) to plug-up the loop holes the insurance companies will use to exploit the system.

If the government ran health care, there would be the capitalistic mantra of "make stockholders happy, deny patients claims". At least in government we (kind of) have a vote as to who is making the decisions, and not some underwriter looking for a bonus.

Had this been the 1930's the unions, and the population in general would have cracked down on this so fast....

said this to "PigFarmington":

"It [ this bill] wont be an incremental EXPANSION as Progressives hope,....the capitalistic parasites will slowly drain the vitality from ANY PROGRAM that isn't a massive anti-biotic;SINGLE PAYER/-weaker dose-PUBLIC OPTION.

You HAVE TO PURGE the worms from your gut to be healthy".

Don't count on what the Repuglicants fear:...the corrosive nature of "Big gubment" and "entitlements encroachment" to save this. I would LOVE to hope so,....but I don't see it.
If BUSINESS is not handed a RESOUNDING defeat,...at some point,....corporatism wins.
If you have another view of this longterm prognosis,...........share it.

Nope, I call bullshit.

Tell me, concretely, what's wrong with this bill.

It has problems, that I agree with, but your hyperbole is unwarranted and wreaks of Glenn Beck.

So if you can't tell me what's wrong with it without being vague, I say you're scared and you had someone form your opinion for you.

Why does your area disagree with the bill?

Your area doesn't represent the whole of Americans.

Vague references to economic repercussions don't represent any significant opposition to the bill.

The President's state of the Union address has "economic repercussions," big deal.

I'd say abolishing pre-existing conditions is a little more important, just maybe.

So you're saying their readers aren't the American public? Also, Please see Neocongo's post below.

Erm. They're a specific group of the American public.

Okay, which specific group . . . (specifically)?

USA today is 2nd to The wall street journal of most read and subscribed to news paper in the country.

there are liberal newspapers?

NYT likes to pretend they're liberal.

Agreed. She may be a brilliant woman and savvy politician (or not), but every time she appears publicly she makes me want to shoot myself.

u mad

Don't ask us, ask Dr. 90210. He is the artist, she is the canvas!

Racial? What did I say that was racial.

Ah yes, the adult version of "takes one to know one".
Sorry to insult your mentor Pelosi.

I noticed that the image of this article has been changed. No more ham.

No, I just hate Nancy Pelosi.

Titles are always misleading on current, but I would say that people are largely split. A lot of people support the bill, a lot of people don't, and a lot of people don't have much of an opinion on it either way.

Errr yeah, it does.

It prevents things like the sub-prime mortgage crash of 2008, which would not have happened if Glass-Stiegel and a bunch of other regulatory laws were in place.

Oh man, I feel kinda bad. I'll delete mine and refer others to yours if you want.

it happens all the time on current, i wouldn't worry about it. jeremy, i feel your pain, it's happened to me many times

Did the Gallup poll left out people who did not want the bill because of the public option omit or not? Out of curiosity.

BTW, I cant believe a lot of people dont realized this bill is not like the bill was added as a constitutional amendment it's just a law. It's not set in stone and can have amendments/edits overtime.

Yeah. I'd get complicated, no?

What about even beyond that with single-payer.

My 2 cents: Anything else but single payer will be destroyed by capitalists.

THAT is a BIG +^d.. It [ this bill] wont be an incremental EXPANSION as Progressives hope,....the capitalistic parasites will slowly drain the vitality from ANY PROGRAM that isn't a massive anti-biotic;SINGLE PAYER/-weaker dose-PUBLIC OPTION.

You HAVE TO PURGE the worms from your gut to be healthy.