On Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:02:13 -0500, Vic Smith wrote:


Yep. Agee with all that. Reps just solidifying their reputation as The
Party of No. Don't know about going single payer quickly though. Too
disruptive in many ways. The gov option would be a way to ease into
single payer over a long time, or for private insurance to get
competitive. Haven't heard about the gov option being required to run
on the black side of the line, but that should be required.

I'd agree that single-payer wouldn't float in the present climate, but
then, at least, we might have a health care debate. As it stands, we
have a euthanasia, and government "take over" of Medicare debate. I'd
also suggest, any plan that requires all of us to purchase health
insurance, without a government option to provide some competition, would
be a disaster.


About
Obama's credibility, that's my estimation as an Independent. Tort reform
would tackle the malpractice insurance and defensive medicine costs on
the cost side. I'm no expert on it, but I've heard (think Lou Dobbs
addressed it in one of his pieces on foreign health care) that countries
with national health care have more sane tort systems.

I'm always a little leery of "tort reform". I can understand providing a
low-end threshold before allowing a suit, but I have seen to many medical
disasters to be willing to give up my rights to sue. If some drunken or
incompetent Doctor screws up, and makes me a paraplegic, I want to know
my family is taken care of.


It's just a question of doing the logical things to contain costs, and
since I don't question Obama's intelligence, what's left? Trial lawyer
politics. Not good. He should be above that, and could actually carry
it off. Same with pushing nuclear energy harder, which he should be
doing.
Besides, from a political perspective, he'd have the Reps voting "Nay on
tort reform. Because they won't vote "Aye" on any reform bill put out
by the Dems or Obama.
Most of the Reps are turning wacko. Sad to see.

Yup, two ideologies bashing out the ideas to come up with workable
solutions, works. From my perspective, the Republicans are behaving like
spoiled children. They weren't elected to provide "wins" for
Republicans. They were elected to provide wins for the American people.