Michael & Len:

Thanks for the comment, as it summarizes the philosophical piece of the discussion quite nicely.

Len - I got confused with the discussion thread, and wanted to nominate you to be our Health Care Czar. Thanks for your great comments and ideas.

Matt

John for Healthcare Czar!!! Fantastic plan. You hit all the important points, and even found help for poorer Americans. How does Canada help out those with poor education, bad eating habits, and over-all bad health hygiene? Also, is there anything for illegal folks? Thanks for your thoughtful and timely remarks!

Best,

Matt

Chris:

Thanks for your reply and comments. I'll admit that I was passionate about my dislike of Bush's policies, but I never suggested that he be assassinated! Publishing a poll on Facebook about whether or not Obama should be killed is tantamount to premeditated murder.

If you were conscious of the temperament of Americans in the 60's, then you were witness to the assassination of JFK? Was the country better off after he was killed? I completely disagree with you on the nuance of "fervently disliking" someone and "hatred." They both end up with terrible consequences. I don't give the American public the benefit of being able to separate hostile rhetoric from hostile action, especially when it is repeated over and over again by the likes of Limbaugh, O'Reilly, and others on the hateful right. Passion unchecked often leads to tragedy, so tone it down a bit, O.K.?

Regards,

Matt

Hi Richard:

Thanks for your post. We are in agreement on a number of key issues, including the emergency room scenario that you present, portability of healthcare, no exclusions, and tort reform. Although, I think that tort reform needs to be taken up separately. If anything, put the blame on a divided Congress for the failures so far, not Obama. With Blue Dog Dems., rigorous partisanship by the Elephants, and Democratic Liberals from Mars, Congress has ruined a great initiative.

I just don't think that our health care system is working. Since writing this piece and speaking with many folks out there, the absence of a safety net (i.e. public option or some government health care provision) is terrifying to them. You and I can work for 40 years, pay our insurance premiums, and develop a rare disease that will absolutely bankrupt us. That's wrong.

I have great health care, and resent the hell out of it. As an avid athlete and foodie, I am quite careful with my health. I have low body fat, and a resting pulse of 50. I work out six times a week, and eschew any form of fast food or other crap. No smoking or excessive drinking. Yet I pay exorbitant premiums to an insurance company in the hopes that one day, if I really need it, I can rely on it. I'm not so sanguine as to think that Regence has got my back.

Listen, people need to take personal responsibility for their terrible food intake and sedentary practices. Let's give everyone a baseline physical rating, and then set healthcare on the basis of incentives for staying well. That's American. The top dogs get the most benefit.

However, I'm charitable enough to want my fellow American covered for the horrible health crisis that may befall them. So, we need a better system to help those folks. I'm sick and tired of seeing homeless drunks sucking on the tit of public services like the fire department to transport them to the hospital, and then care administered to that person because that's what they do at the emergency room. Enough of that crap.

Open your mind to the success of healthcare in Europe and Canada for those who are not treating their bodies like a dump. And after the banking debacle, I really take exception with your notion of further deregulation. Show me how to rout out greed and corruption in the American Capitalist model, and I'll vote for all the deregulation possible.

We tried it the other way for eight years, and nearly fell into the abyss of another Great Depression. This down turn has been bad enough, don't ya think? Did your team turn in an "A" effort during their 8 year run? I didn't think so.

Regards,

Matt

Julie: I think that you should leave this discussion thread because you continue to devolve into personal attacks, getting progressively nastier and nastier. As a therapist, I try to empathize with my clients to gain a better understanding as to their pain. You're a portrait artist, looking to capture the emotion and character of your clients. It pains me to see you so angry and parsimonious with your replies to other Biznik thinkers. As a parent, I would be terrified to allow you access to my children's inner emotional space. "A photograph should make you laugh or even cry; it should make you feel something." All you seem to feel is anger and hatred. Switch the channel or sign off, please!

Jeez! I left for a few days to attend a friend's 50th birthday, and re-joined the discussion thread, only to see the same cyclical and recursive dialogue. It's healthy and good to read this robust response, but keep it civil, O.K.? However, it shows me that there is a great deal of frustration, anger. and fear among the Biznik crowd. Janet is right that we are all offering opinion, not truth.

As you are all aware, there is a great deal more fiction than fact coming from our politicians. Can we all agree that something needs to be done about this healthcare situation, and that many of our congresspersons are too beholden to corporate interests to ever get an honest answer from them? As I stated in my article, I would have loved for the "private market," or "free enterprise" system to solve this, instead of government. However, let me state, unequivocally, humans are greedy, selfish, and make a mockery of our greatest asset: free will. We know that bombs will kill, yet we make them. We know that oil is an environmental poison, yet we cannot get off its tit. We know that thousands are dying every day from a lack of access to good healthcare, yet we watch this pathetic debate by our "Leaders," and succumb to the meanness and lies of radio zealots like a bunch of dull sycophants.

For historical perspective, a number of senators who are decrying the Obama's administration's brave and heroic attempt to solve the healthcare crisis as "Socialism", are the same persons who screamed "Socialism" when the Bush Administration, on the advice of Henry Paulson, bailed out the banks first. Oh the irony of it all!

It's time to do an intervention for Julie. She is seriously brainwashed by the likes of Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and the rest of that posse who dare to moralize to the rest of us, while perpetrating the ugliest divisiveness in recent memory. Incidentally, what the heck did Bush ever try to do about this key issue during his 8 years? At least Obama has the intelligence and guts to try to fix a very broken system. Julie, you're living a sad existence if you've thrown your hat into the ring with these losers... For those of you who have chimed in on the side of keeping government out of your lives - good luck. Try this on for size - Your next police force will be provided by the folks at Blackwater, for a fee. Look at highways, water supply, food, and everything else that we need to move and live, and back government out. What's left - Nihilism. Enjoy!

@John and Judy:

I'm glad to see such a robust discussion on this important issue, and was not surprised to see Julie exit with no dignity, as those on right often devolve into accusations and meanness (re: Joe Wilson) when their dogma is challenged. To the point of creating a "wellness care" option, I believe that the UK already had a workable program. Each person submits to a full physical and family history (of course there will always be deceit in this model), and are assigned a risk rating, based on their over-all score. Depending on that score, the newly created one-payer system will ascribe a certain pool of dollars to each and every legal citizen (No. Joe Wilson, there is no language in either the house or senate bill to pay for illegal immigrants, and even if they had the resources to buy care, there would be significant barriers to entry in the market system being discussed). Persons who are healthy, and engaged in living a healthy lifestyle would pay less into the system, and have a smaller "benefit," but would be covered for any emergencies. Persons who over-eat, smoke, drink excessively, would pay more into the system, and have a larger benefit allocated. The problem for this system, before you chime in, is that it penalizes the poor, who tend to exhibit terrible judgement in terms of their food choices and healthy lifestyle. They would have to submit to program, administered by state programs, employing the best nutritionists and personal trainers ( a la "Biggest Loser model), subsidized by business with more than 100 employees, with higher tariffs placed on the likes of McDonalds and Fatburger. And this system would only be available to those who want to drop their expensive healthcare insurance option to move into this program:)

YEAH! It's time to start paying for medical treatment, not an insurance premium in case we get sick! You totally got the gist of my message.. thanks!

@ John: I appreciate your perspective on the influence peddling that corporations have engaged in "buying" Congress. The tenor of my article was most likely wishful thinking. I completely agree with Julie that our government is not functioning properly. The narrow interests of Congresspersons , as evidenced by their disposition towards a vital program like a public healthcare option, shows the power of outside corporate interest to own these "puppets." What saddens me is all the anger and fear residing in the souls of our fellow citizens. A president once promised "compassionate conservatism," and proceeded to give tax breaks to the largest energy companies, financial institutions, and wealthiest individuals in our country. Is it any wonder that there is tremendous cynicism towards our government? What I cannot understand is all the vitriol spewed towards Obama, who is only saying that he wants to level the playing field, and give financial relief to those who most need it!?

Thanks everyone for sharing your own experiences and insights during this difficult time. I hope that we are nearing the bottom, but was really taken aback by some stores about B of A (reluctant to relinquish funds from a CD redemption - Oh oh!), and the imminent nationalization of Citigroup. As one commentator put so well, we looked for our nemesis, and discovered that he is really all of us. Once we go through a period of de-leveraging, I think we'll be fine.