OT - when politics gets personal

On Feb 24, 10:29*pm, "Mark Bowen" wrote:
"Tom Littleton" wrote in message

...







wrote in message
.. .
What makes _you_ think that? *And no, Medicare is not a single payer
system.

because the power of negotiation will remove some of the bloated costs
built in, for starters. With the current system, a ton of breakdowns into
various insured groups almost ensures a lack of transparent price
structures. And, given human nature invites vast overpricing and profit
taking.

That said, I'm with Jeff in saying that healthcare ought to be treated as
a societal benefit, or as he put it, a right of citizenship, not a
for-profit business.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tom

I think our state and federal governments should sell the nation’s highways,
roads, and streets to for-profit organizations. That way we all pay to
travel to and from work, the grocery store, day care, your favorite bar, the
dentist, anywhere and anytime you or I might drive. Just think of the profit
potential. I mean, why should we pay highway usage or fuel taxes for our
government to maintain our roadways, when private organizations could
obviously provide better maintenance, construction, and means of usage. I
mean it is not as if use of the nation’s roadways is a constitutionally
protected right, right? Kelo vs. New London (I believe this is the case
name) determined that the public transfer of one private entities property
to another private entity for the purpose of economic development trumps the
rights of the individual. Hell, I say the government should exercise its
right of eminent domain over all U.S. citizens and transfer all private
property from private individuals to other private individual, *who can
*claim* that they will put the property to better economic purposes, which
thereby serves the public interest better. What makes travel to anywhere,
anymore important than one's health.

Hell, once we transer the nation's roadways to the for-profit companies and
make travel on the nation's roadways so expensive that we cannot affort to
drive to *and from work, get our groceries, pick up little Cindy Lou Hoo
from daycare, travel to your doctor's office, or the hospital to have
another child delivered, healthcare reform will appear insignificant in
comparison.

Op

An even better plan than it appears at first glance. Not because it
makes the cost of health care reform appear insignificant by
comparison, but because it moots the issue. Who cares what health
care costs if no one can get to it? Which, if you think about it, is
pretty much the situation tens of millions of Americans are already
in. Spread the pain a bit and everybody's happy!

giles