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Why should I comment on France - or avoid doing so?

Posted By: TechSupport on 2009-05-01
In Reply to: Have you studied the healthcare system in France? - lall

We're not France. It's not like you can take a system from one culture and parachute it into another culture. This isn't Leggos, or buying off-the-rack clothes.

There are many, many factors to take into account when a society fashions something like government-paid healthcare because it will impact, and be impacted by, that society in many ways. We don't have the same culture that France has, we don't have the same tax rates, we have a different healthcare delivery system in place, and on it goes.

No, I won't be commenting about France, except to say that I watched an extensive documentary about government health systems around the world and neither England, Canada, France or Sweden were rated very highly in terms of efficiency or patient satisfaction. Japan's system was considered the best on most metrics, so if anything I would comment on that system - which I won't do either for the reasons mentioned above.


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Let me try this again. You're demanding that I comment about France for some reason.
Have it your way, though. I certainly have better things to do. Our side of this conversation is over. I'll continue to discuss this with others who don't have a "French fixation" though.
France is burning.

Radical fundamentalist Muslims are rotting Europe from the inside out.  They know it and they are actually starting to admit it.  But their country had to burn before they took their cowardly unappreciative heads out of their hairy armpits.  France especially should be ashamed of their actions.  If ever a country should show some appreciation for the tens of thousands who died to liberate them...but then, they are French.  The only country in the world where every citizen can say *I surrender* in ten different languages.  Phooey on them.


Protests going on all over France like this.
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/international-2/124092166956780.xml&storylist=health
More on that note....France, that non...
judgmental open-minded country....their Prez says France cannot accept Burqas...this is just part of it....PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Muslim burqa would not be welcome in France, calling the full-body religious gown a sign of the "debasement" of women.

In the first presidential address to parliament in 136 years, Sarkozy faced critics who fear the burqa issue could stigmatize France's Muslims and said he supported banning the garment from being worn in public.

"In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity," Sarkozy said to extended applause at the Chateau of Versailles, southwest of Paris.

"The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly," he said. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."

Hmmmm. Oh my. Muslims world wide (not to mention the 5 million that live in France) are going to LOVE that.

And people say WE aren't open-minded? LOL. Where is the French version of the ACLU?? Hey...they can borrow ours. HEY, Sarkozy...take THEM ALL. :-) lol
So to avoid the bad things...
better to 1.2 million babies a year. If you are okay with that, that's fine. You are entitled to, by activist judges, kill all the babies you want.

There are many more successful adoption stories than unsuccessful.

One person's experience does not mean that every person's experience will be so.

What's next? We are already aborting Down's babies. What next? Oops...that one is minus a finger. Kill it. Oops, that one is minus an arm...kill it. Oops, that one MIGHT, just MIGHT, be developmentally disabled. Kill it.

That line of thought disturbs me, and yes, I will speak out against it. It is my right. Why is it that only the pro choicers have rights? That sounds more like Nazi Germany than America. You guys act like you are the only ones who have a right to an opinion and express it. What's up with that??
sorry - I avoid the nutball

web sites and stick to the fact-checked organizations.  Nice try though.


 


France is getting universal healthcare right...

Great post piglet.  I so agree with what you all had to say in support of changing our current system.  Canada probably has the worst universal healthcare system, and yet the average Canadian lives 3 years longer than the average American.  People always point to the flaws in their system and just assume that we will make all the same mistakes.  Of course their system has flaws, just as our system has many fatal flaws.  England and France actually have great universal healthcare systems.  Here is an article I found about France's successful program:


"France's model healthcare system
By Paul V. Dutton | August 11, 2007

MANY advocates of a universal healthcare system in the United States look to Canada for their model. While the Canadian healthcare system has much to recommend it, there's another model that has been too long neglected. That is the healthcare system in France.

Although the French system faces many challenges, the World Health Organization rated it the best in the world in 2001 because of its universal coverage, responsive healthcare providers, patient and provider freedoms, and the health and longevity of the country's population. The United States ranked 37.

The French system is also not inexpensive. At $3,500 per capita it is one of the most costly in Europe, yet that is still far less than the $6,100 per person in the United States.

An understanding of how France came to its healthcare system would be instructive in any renewed debate in the United States.

That's because the French share Americans' distaste for restrictions on patient choice and they insist on autonomous private practitioners rather than a British-style national health service, which the French dismiss as "socialized medicine." Virtually all physicians in France participate in the nation's public health insurance, Sécurité Sociale.

Their freedoms of diagnosis and therapy are protected in ways that would make their managed-care-controlled US counterparts envious. However, the average American physician earns more than five times the average US wage while the average French physician makes only about two times the average earnings of his or her compatriots. But the lower income of French physicians is allayed by two factors. Practice liability is greatly diminished by a tort-averse legal system, and medical schools, although extremely competitive to enter, are tuition-free. Thus, French physicians enter their careers with little if any debt and pay much lower malpractice insurance premiums.

Nor do France's doctors face the high nonmedical personnel payroll expenses that burden American physicians. Sécurité Sociale has created a standardized and speedy system for physician billing and patient reimbursement using electronic funds.

It's not uncommon to visit a French medical office and see no nonmedical personnel. What a concept. No back office army of billing specialists who do daily battle with insurers' arcane and constantly changing rules of payment.

Moreover, in contrast to Canada and Britain, there are no waiting lists for elective procedures and patients need not seek pre-authorizations. In other words, like in the United States, "rationing" is not a word that leaves the lips of hopeful politicians. How might the French case inform the US debate over healthcare reform?

National health insurance in France stands upon two grand historical bargains -- the first with doctors and a second with insurers.

Doctors only agreed to participate in compulsory health insurance if the law protected a patient's choice of practitioner and guaranteed physicians' control over medical decision-making. Given their current frustrations, America's doctors might finally be convinced to throw their support behind universal health insurance if it protected their professional judgment and created a sane system of billing and reimbursement.

French legislators also overcame insurance industry resistance by permitting the nation's already existing insurers to administer its new healthcare funds. Private health insurers are also central to the system as supplemental insurers who cover patient expenses that are not paid for by Sécurité Sociale. Indeed, nearly 90 percent of the French population possesses such coverage, making France home to a booming private health insurance market.

The French system strongly discourages the kind of experience rating that occurs in the United States, making it more difficult for insurers to deny coverage for preexisting conditions or to those who are not in good health. In fact, in France, the sicker you are, the more coverage, care, and treatment you get. Would American insurance companies cut a comparable deal?

Like all healthcare systems, the French confront ongoing problems. Today French reformers' number one priority is to move health insurance financing away from payroll and wage levies because they hamper employers' willingness to hire. Instead, France is turning toward broad taxes on earned and unearned income alike to pay for healthcare.

American advocates of mandates on employers to provide health insurance should take note. The link between employment and health security is a historical artifact whose disadvantages now far outweigh its advantages. Economists estimate that between 25 and 45 percent of the US labor force is now job-locked. That is, employees make career decisions based on their need to maintain affordable health coverage or avoid exclusion based on a preexisting condition.

Perhaps it's time for us to take a closer look at French ideas about healthcare reform. They could become an import far less "foreign" and "unfriendly" than many here might initially imagine."


http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial...lthcare_system/


I thought it was working in France? nm
.
You avoid the nutball sites? LOL. nm
nm
sighhh...you just can't avoid the low road can you?
lol
avoid political discussions . . .
with people who get angry if you question their beliefs or have no respect for your beliefs. My mother is a staunch conservative who will go on and on about how stupid liberals are and how she hates them. Well guess what, I am a liberal. But she is so involved in her own view, she has never even noticed I am a liberal because I don't talk about it with her and either walk away or change the subject. Can't stand the venom that comes from her mouth when she rants about people with different beliefs than her. Started her tirade at my daughter's high school graduation dinner, and I had to tell her it was inappropriate. She didn't understand where I was coming from and got all offended. She is nuts anyway and has no clue about other people's feelings.
Can we avoid lumping everyone into one bunch?

I'm a liberal and I have to say, I really resent it when people say the libs this or the dem's that and refer to all of us in one great big bunch that worships Obama and thinks he's the messiah.   It really bugs the crap out of me.  He's a man.  He's not my Savior. 


I have seen condescension and name calling from BOTH sides of the fence, none of which is appropriate coming from anyone who calls themself an adult.  I do find it interesting that it seems to be much more accepted in this election cycle than in years before.  I don't know if it's because of the proliferation of message boards and the complete lack of humanity that tends to go with posting on them, or if it's this particular year and set of candidates/winners.


Let's give the man a chance.  Yes, he's a man.  I believe he is a very smart man and I have high hopes for him.  Let's avoid name calling, liberal bashing, conservative hate, etc.  That just does everyone a disservice.


I agree. If not for the US, France would be speaking German. nm
nm
Have you studied the healthcare system in France?
I have not seen you remark on it once.  It seems you are avoiding it.  The young person who opts out is not an issue.   
Personal e-mail was used to avoid subpoena!
While Ms. Palin took office promising a more open government, her administration has battled to keep information secret. Her inner circle discussed the benefit of using private e-mail addresses. An assistant told her it appeared that such e-mail messages sent to a private address on a “personal device” like a BlackBerry “would be confidential and not subject to subpoena.”


Well, Mcsame saw this crash coming and tried to avoid it...
unlike some others. That is one of the reasons I trust him.
I have found all liberals this way. Avoid Ayers,
nm
topics to avoid during polite conversation.
We do have separation of church and state.


Yep...and today he is holding a town hall in France...
yukking it up with Europe as his own country circles the drain....pittiiiffullll.
No. Latest news is that costs for France rising too
nm
U.S., France join in cease-fire call in Lebanon war..sm
So we are back bumping elbows with France. If only we would have taken their advice on Iraq too.
Soldiers flee to Canada to avoid Iraq duty

Soldiers flee to Canada to avoid Iraq duty


Duncan Campbell
Tuesday March 28, 2006

Guardian

Hundreds of deserters from the US armed forces have crossed into Canada and are now seeking political refugee status there, arguing that violations of the rules of war in Iraq by the US entitle them to asylum.

A decision on a test case involving two US servicemen is due shortly and is being watched with interest by fellow servicemen on both sides of the border. At least 20 others have already applied for asylum and there are an estimated 400 in Canada out of more than 9,000 who have deserted since the conflict started in 2003.

Ryan Johnson, 22, from near Fresno in California, was due to be deployed with his unit to Iraq in January last year but crossed the Canadian border in June and is seeking asylum. I had spoken to many soldiers who had been in Iraq and who told me about innocent civilians being killed and about bombing civilian neighbourhoods, he told the Guardian.

It's been really great since I've been here. Generally, people have been really hospitable and understanding, although there have been a few who have been for the war. He is now unable to return to the US. I don't have a problem with that. I'm in Canada and that's that.

Mr Johnson said it was unclear exactly how many US soldiers were in Canada but he thought 400 was a realistic figure. He had been on speaking tours across the country as part of a war resisters' movement and had come across other servicemen living underground.

Jeffry House, a Toronto lawyer who represents many of the men, said that an increasing number were seeking asylum. There are a fair number without status and a fair number on student visas, he said, and under UN guidelines on refugee status they were entitled to seek asylum.

The first test cases involve Jeremy Hinzman, 26, who deserted from the 82 Airborne Division and Brandon Hughey from the 1st Cavalry Division. A decision on their applications is due within the next few weeks. If they are turned down the case will be taken to the federal appeal court and the Canadian supreme court, according to Mr House, a process that would last into next year at least.

All deserters, past and present, are placed on an FBI wanted list. Earlier this month, Allen Abney, 56, who deserted from the US marines 38 years ago during the Vietnam war, was arrested as he crossed into the US, a journey he had taken many times before without problem. He was held in a military jail in California for a few days, then discharged.

They have resuscitated long-dormant warrants, said Mr House. I know 15 people personally who have crossed 10 or more times without problems and then all of a sudden they are arresting people. It seems like it would be connected to Iraq.

Lee Zaslofsky, 61, the coordinator of the War Resisters' Support Campaign in Toronto, said that he was impressed by the young men who were seeking asylum. Some have been to Iraq and others have heard what goes on there, he said. Mainly, what they discuss is being asked to do things they consider repugnant. Most are quite patriotic ... Many say they feel tricked by the military.

During the Vietnam war between 50,000 and 60,000 Americans crossed the border to avoid serving.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1740986,00.html

Comment on Bush comment

I heard Bush this morning saying that no one predicted or knew that the New Orleans levees would give way.  Well, that is not true.  This was widely predicted by engineers and meteologists.  The engineers predicted it for years if/when a major hurricaine hit, as well as engineers and meteorologists predicting this 1-2 days before Katrina.  I even told my boyfriend last Sunday night that they were predicting some levees would break, that New Orleans would be in water the same depth as Lake Pontchartrain and that thousands could die.  Gee, guess I should be a White House advisor.


My other gripe is that this federal response seems a bit slow.  Like maybe Monday afternoon things should have been put into motion instead of......Thursday?  But then, I'm sure not an expert.


too ignorant a comment to comment on...nm
nm
not avoid their rehab, afford their rehab....sheesh lol
I will correct myself before someone else does...lol
Comment

Why did you choose the Hilter comparison?


Here is what I saw in Hitler:


1.  Megalomania - yes, possibly in Bush.


2.  Skillful use of the propaganda of hate to unite a nation and incite a lust for war.  Blaming of select ethnic group for Germany's woes -- yes, I see some similarity there, but Bush seems more like "oops, sorry I accidentlly killed you" to the Iraquis (Islam nations) rather than "I will place you in concentration camps until you are all exterminated." 


3.  Hitler was mentally ill but still capable of great, inspirational speeches and inspiring confidence in the masses -- Bush is kind of dopey and I'm not sure who he inspires, really, if much of anyone.


4.  Hitler seemed to have an agenda to exterminate -- as mentioned, I don't see that in Bush.


Well, I had fun with this.  WWII is an area that I know quite a bit about.


Comment

Did gt actually say there were NO socialist Jews?  I took her to mean that Jews in general should not be categorized as socialists.  There are probably socialist Irish, socialist Catholics, socialist African-Americans....but that doesn't mean you label the entire ethnic group as such.  Common sense would dictate this.  Just as I keep saying, you cannot label all liberals or all democrats as having the same ideals and belief systems.  You seem to keep trying to put square pegs in round holes here....or, as also has been mentioned...thinking only in black and white when the world and all its people are shades of gray.  It makes me very sad to see this and I end up feeling hopeless about the future of our country and of the world.


As far as Chomsky, I haven't read tons of his writing but what I did read a few years ago I very much liked.  Could it be a case of you taking some things he wrote out of context?  Or perhaps some things he wrote were more fiery or radical than you were comfortable with?  Perhaps you didn't survey his writings as a whole and only picked out a few you didn't like.  When you make an accusation as you did, please provide examples to back up your comments.


Your comment...

I think I do your understand your point....basically you are saying his comment was taken out of context?  It did seem that what I read of this quote was more that he was careless in his comments - they touched a nerve, as I said.  It seemed he was looking at a cultural problem from a tongue-in-cheek statistical line of reasoning, and perhaps spoke before thinking.  At least, I HOPE that's all it was.  I have not read this all that carefully, I must admit.  I also admit I know NOTHING about him personally or his past.


Thanks for your intelligent commentary.


Comment

Obviously your beliefs bring you solace and comfort and that is a benefit that religion offers, in my opinion, and that is very good if it helps you.


However, perhaps you should not generalize.  I was a hospice worker as well as watching my mother die from cancer.  She was a life-long agnostic and I don't believe it ever even crossed her mind to call out to Jesus or Zeus or any other deity.  She made the most graceful exit from this world I have ever seen and was at peace with that process. 


I do agree though that in times of extreme stress many folks may want to enlist the aid of a higher power, but please don't assume that we all turn to Jesus.


Just a comment
Does this apply to anyone who helps a  specific region?  That would certainly limit a lot of programs that target specific groups of the poor.  So when President Johnson launched his War on Poverty targeting Appalachia he should have been required to live there?  I am just so happy to see interest and help provided for the most downtrodden sectors of our society (as well as worldwide) that I can see no good reason to require that the folks contributing have to change their place of residence. 
Had to comment
The story about your prescriptions rings so true! My insurance company sends me these little papers after every x-ray, lab test, etc. that outlines what I paid, what they paid, and whether or not the price was reduced. I had blood tests that I was initially told cost $1,150. (I almost passed out!) After a few months of arguing with the insurance company and the lab, I get one of these little papers that says my $1,150 bill was knocked down to $150 - without my insurance paying anything. The lab went ahead and reduced the price since my insurance was obviously not going to pay for it. I've had this done with hospital bills, too. I just love looking at those numbers. Someone is making a HUGE profit somewhere for them to be able to cut the price down that much. Kinda like when I worked in retail and I got to see the difference between what the store paid to the manufacturer and what the price tag said. Sometimes I'd almost rather not know...
Just another comment
I've been watching all stations of the news. I'm not voting for Obama. I don't trust him. I also don't trust McCain and not voting for him. I'm sure I will write in someone's name. With that said I have seen no "love fest" with Obama (watch CNN, MSNBC, and FOX). I'm not seeing this "love fest", however it was so obvious with Clinton. It was so obvious and so nauseating that I always had a bucket nearby to retch in.

As for McCain..who is saying that he is supposed to "hide" the fact that he was tortured. I've never heard that on any station. However, McCain keeps playing it over and over and over. This is not the Vietnam war and I don't care what anyone says...just because he was tortured doesn't make him qualified to be President. What makes some qualified is having your "faculties" together. Know what country you are talking about and know what's going on with the countries. DH and I were looking at each other funny when he's talking about Iran and says the Israeli people and vice versa. He doesn't know where the Taliban are, and for sure he has no idea or plans to get this country back on its feet. He is a war mongerer and that's all he's planning for. If its not one country he'll start up a war somewhere else. It's what he thrives on.

As for September 11th - the truth will come out one day and people will be shocked and in denial.
First of all, i appreciate very much your comment...
about her daughter.

That being said...there are women in high places who have young children. I do not think that precludes Sarah Palin from serving. She has been managing as governor, including firing the state chef because she wanted to cook for her own kids.

JFK had young children. Both John and Caroline were very young. Jackie did a fine job raising them. They were/are fine young people.
the difference is that Sarah is VP, not president, and her husband will be taking a larger role. There are a lot of husbands who stay at home more to take care of children because of the wife's career. I don't remember how old amy carter was...13 maybe?

At any rate, that is not an issue for me. Those children seem happy and well adjusted after their mom being a mayor and then a governor, and I have no reason to believe they will suffer if she is VP.

I think that just brings her closer to understanding career women, who can have both without excluding the other. I think that makes her closer to mothers, period. She understands.

But that is just my opinion...and you are certainly entitled to yours.
Just a comment
Having offspring is not the only reason to get married as your post suggests (not saying it says that, just saying it "suggests" that). You said "If same-gender marriage was to be then where would there be offspring". There are a lot of man/women couples who cannot have children (like me), should that have stopped us from getting married? Loving a person and wanting to spend the rest of your life with them and share the same rights every other human being get to have should be the basis for a marriage. Just leave the offspring to couples who can have kids. The world will still be fruitful and multiple.
Well, my comment on that is ---
If you don't believe in abortion and you don't believe in gay marriage, then don't get an abortion and don't get married to a gay person, and you will still get to pay less taxes!
Thanks for your comment..nm
nm
Comment

(Basically, Russia wants to be able to trust the USA again but is deploying "short-range missiles near Poland to counter U.S. military plans in Eastern Europe" in response to Bush's missile placement in Poland and the Czech Republic.)


From: 


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081105/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_medvedev


After the speech, the Kremlin announced Medvedev had congratulated Obama for winning the U.S. presidency, saying in a telegram he was "counting on a constructive dialogue with you on the basis of trust and taking each other's interests into account."


So, no comment on JTP?
x
I think we both know better so why should your comment
))
Thanks. I appreciate this comment.
I was beginning to think I was hallucinating hate speech after hours and hours of defending the other side of the coin. Guess that means I should pack it in for the night. After all, the Israelis will still be attacking Gaza in the morning and I guess it wouldn't hurt to say a few prayers, begging for mercy and hoping the gound invasion will not take place.
My comment is to anyone
who lived that carefree, don't worry about tomorrow attitude that got them in the situation they are in now. Who in their right mind would agree to an interest-only mortgage, an ARM, or any other harebrained idea to own a home. I am more irritated with the ones who knew they made $50,000 a year and bought a $300,000 home and can now plead stupid and irresponsible and the gov't will bend over backwards to help them out. I am sick and tired of my money going to those who have no clue as to how to manage money, can't better themselves without the gov't helping out, and just plain expect someone else to pay for their mistakes. Believe me, I am tender hearted, feel for the children, etc, I don't want to see anyone lose their home but for cryin' out loud, take some responsibility and quit blaming the lenders; they did not FORCE people to buy homes. Sure, they made an attractive offer, but that does not preclude common sense going right out the window just because you want something. Shelter is a right; owning a home is a privilege when you can afford it.
no comment.....nm
nm
I'll take the ignorant comment
as a compliment....believe or not I do read a lot and from different perspectives.  What people like you can't stand is that some people don't take the same perspective as you.  If you want to live in a doom and gloom and defeatest mindset go ahead...you are certainly free to do so, but calling me ignorant for my perspective on the whole situation shows that you cannot accept other's views on the whole subject.  Again, where's the tolerance and understanding? 
Dont comment, please
A Xtian, if he/she does not want to look like a fool, should not comment on Israel.
Okay, one last comment (for the time being)

When I spoke of hijacked I meant:


1.  I have been banned at times from the Conservative board for comments I've made which seemed pretty tame in retrospect.  How many of you conservatives have been banned on the liberal board? I'll bet none, but hope I'm wrong.


2.  The conservative board have reminded the liberals posting on it REPEATEDLY that it is their board, no bashing allowed and to go back to their own board - often in a very nasty fashion.  Fair enough, but the same rules are NOT followed by the conservatives posting on the liberal board and that is definitely not playing fair and creates a double-standard.


3.  It does make me happy to see conservatives posting on this board but I do not enjoy the bashing and the double-standard (see point #2) that I see going on.  Worst of all, it turns me into a basher at times, too, out of frustration!!


That's it, didn't mean to start a civil war or anything.


I have learned SO much from both conservative and liberal posts and hope it continues.


Additional comment on this.

Open the website listed and take a look at ALL THE OFFERS.  It is WONDERFUL.  Some groups are accepting over 1000 people.  It will make you feel like people really do CARE and they are all over the country. 


Oh yeah, and what about the *pot* comment at the very end

Thought you didn't smoke pot gt?  You were all up in arms about that last week  So which is it, you do or you don't?


Nuevo California state motto---what grows in Nuevo California stays in California!    


 


Here is the comment I was talking about....
it was NOT a skit. She has done this twice. The time I am talking about, she said this: ...Rock bottom came when [Randi Rhodes] compared Bush and his family to the Corleones in the “Godfather” saga. “Like Fredo, somebody ought to take him out fishing and phuw,” she said, imitating the sound of gunfire.

THIS is the one she apologized for: The announcer said: “A spoiled child is telling us our Social Security isn’t safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here’s your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [audio sound of four gunshots being fired.] Just try it, you little bastard. [audio of gun being cocked].”

Anyone who wants to complain about Ann Coulter should try a little Randi.

If she did it twice, I have no doubt of her intent, no matter how many times she *apologizes.

Just to keep it REAL.
I guess my comment to that would be
Not everyone CHOOSES not to have insurance. Take my father for example - He worked in construction. He had a heart attack this past year. This past month, he was laid off. He will not be able to get private health insurance because of his heart attack. Not all people do not have insurance because they don't want to. Some cannot afford it. Others have it, but it is dependent on their full-time employment. People are getting laid off left and right down here. Those people will now be without insurance until they can find another full-time job. Yes, I do realize that there is Cobra, but the premiums for that are astronomical. How is a person without a job supposed to pay $800 a month for health insurance (for just one person)?

The other issue, is the one I bring up for my situation. I have a pre-existing condition. I cannot get private heatlh insurance. I HAVE to work full-time to keep this insurance. I have only two options - work full time or not work at all and get Medicaid. And yes, I had insurance when I was initially diagnosed, but I was covered under my mother's health insurance because I was in school and under 25. At that point, I got very sick and was not able to get a full-time job to cover the gap in coverage. When I tried to apply, I was denied. When I finally was able to work full-time, I had to pay for 12 months of insurance during which time NOTHING was covered. So, not only did I pay the $300 insurance premiums, but I still have a few thousand dollars in medical bills.

My main point was that the poster above mentioned free enterprise and letting insurance companies have free reign. I was just trying to explain why that is a horrible idea because insurance companies are a business and they only care about $. They of course will choose not to cover someone with an illness. SOME government control over the situation I feel is necessary.
Just had one comment to make...
I agree that we should have stuck with Bin Laden until we caught him, but here is the thing.  Bin Laden isn't doing the fighting.  He is sending his people to do all the ugly work while he hides and is well protected.  The only way for us to win the war on terrorism is if the people in these countries fight themselves against the terrorists.  If they stand up and say....I've had enough.....it will be a lot harder for the terrorists to do what they are doing.  JMO though.  We can't make them stand up to them though and I can't really blame them because I'd be terrified if I were them too, but that is the only way it will stop.
I think what she meant by the last comment - sm

was that now McCain has nothing to say about Obama's lack of experience because Palin doesn't have much either.  I didn't take it necessarily as a bash. 


How can someone be pro-life and pro-death penalty?  A life is a life right?  Most of the pro-lifers I know, have listened to have made comments about God's the only one who can take a life, well if that is someone's stand how can you be pro-death penalty.  I'm not saying that that is her reasoning, God, but just a question.


I'm all for cleaning up gov't too, including your party, but isn't what she is under investigation for a bit of gov't corruption too with the whole ex-BIL incident.  I read that somewhere too about firing the guy because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex.