[N_Fiddledog]

One things for sure, if they think the opposers of the bill have been shut up they are sadly mistaken.

I've been browsing the right wing blogs today. The hits have been rolling out fast and furious all day. You can see the battle forming that will be fought in November. I'll give you a few examples.

Pundits are starting to take the bill apart and reveal the problems with it. Here's a guy from Reason TV who took an economic angle.



The creative guys at YouTube got busy in a hurry once they saw the signing of the bill coming.

There's this well known, old kid's cartoon from this American show called Schoolhouse Rock where children are shown how a bill gets passed. A guy created a parody. * Warning * NSFL (not safe for liberals).



Charles Krauthammer predicts the VAT (value added tax) is coming sometime after the November elections. I predict the Republicans using that possibility for scare purposes in ads leading up to those elections.

[Zipperfish]

I don't think anyone expected the right-wing demagogues to shut up. They just get more shrill.

Typical right-wing idealogues--they've got a memory of about four months long. Gee--what is one of the reasons America is in such crappy financial shape? Why George Bush who lowered taxes for the rich and spent money like a drunken sailor. It's OK to off a hundred thou or so in a war based on lies, fine to give security apparatus of the state the power to arbitrary torture kids. But help out the guy who can't afford healthcare? Fuck no.

[commanderkai]

andyt andyt:

Yes, but some of those people will cost the US when they do have medical needs. Even if they die, losing healthy young people is not usually in a nation's interest.

But if people have the ability to get health insurance, but don't, who's fault is that? Same thing if somebody doesn't get insurance on their house, and it burns down. Should the government enforce the purchase of fire insurance?

I'd assume you'd say no, but then again, things can be extremely surprising. Either way, people should have the right to make their choices, even if it's the stupid choice.

There are plenty of things young, healthy people do that isn't in the nation's interest too. Risky sex, binge drinking, playing dangerous sports or games. Why not just regulate everything else too, to further the nation's interest?

$1:

As Dianne Francis points out, the US insurance system is a mugs game. The govt insures the high risk groups: veterans, indigent, elderly, while the insurance companies get to make obscene profits from the cream.

Seemingly any profit is obscene these days, according to some people. The United States government already has their own insurance system, as you mentioned, and yet, those systems aren't doing to well, are they? Losing big loads of money, rejecting claims left and right, and yet it's all the corporations' faults. Now, pray tell, does this bill solve the issues in Medicaid or Medicare? Actually, it takes money AWAY from those programs.

$1:

What a way to run a country. Or are you seriously suggesting the govt should get out of insuring those high risk groups? Wasn't one of the Teabagger rallying cries "keep your government hands off my medicare?"

Hilariously enough, guess what the government is trying to do? Take money out of MEDICARE. Now, you might wonder why those "Teabaggers" are upset? Well, partially because taking money out of one entitlement program to fund another, untested entitlement program isn't exactly popular.

How about, instead of blindly looking at those evil corporations that make easy scapegoats, why not look at the US government itself?

[andyt]

Or they could just look at the health care system of any other developed country, copy it exactly and save themselves at least 1/3 of their healthcare costs with far better outcomes. Better yet, since they could look at the best elements each of those countries have and cobble together the best system in the world. Anything but the crappy system they have now that leaves so many people in the dust. One woman was sued to recover health care costs because she had cancer and did not disclose a pre-existing condition. What was it? Acne when she was a teenager.

As has been pointed out, Canada, with all it's failings, has much longer lifespan, lower infant mortality, and better outcomes in cancer and heart disease than the US. And the French system makes us look like the backwards rubes we are, as far as outcomes go.

[xerxes]

For better and for worse, Americans aren't keen on foreign ideas. That's why tehy're the last country on earth (save for the UK) that isn't on the Metric system.