Matbow wrote:bayside wrote:Matbow:
Can't let your idealistic, simplistic, out-of-touch-with-reality answer to Vincent slip by without comment. Your opinions, of course, are your own. They are troublesome, however, when you attempt to present them as fact.
The comparison I posted was not mine, it was from an article on the internet that I thought was relevant to Vincent's question. I really have no idea how it warranted such a scathing response though...
As for my own opinions, to elaborate on what I said in my original post on the matter; I think fairness is key - for both the tax payers and the people who need assistance (health-care, welfare etc...) There has to be a balance whereby every who needs care/assistance get's it, everyone pays a 'fair' amount of tax/insurance and finally, such assistance is at a level to ensure people have an incentive to reduce/remove their reliance on the Government (i.e. avoiding the Welfare Trap).
(I think this is an interesting subject to discuss and I appreciate it's a delicate subject, but let's keep the discussion on a friendly level)[/quote
We do have our differences here in the states, folks. What you see from the quotes above is the difference in views between an East Coast Liberal and a West Coast Conservative. Our ridiculous imitation of a president spent his first year in office cramming this Government Health Care Program through both houses of Congress, which his party controlled. He did this at a time when he should have been concentrating on the Economy. Instead, he demanded the full attention of Congress and didn't let up till the bill was passed. What the news media did not emphasize, however, was that the bill was OPPOSED by 70% of the public. This was an unpopular bill, very poorly crafted, full of special-interest benefits (all union members exempted from the restrictions of the bill), and, most importantly, it carried no provision of "How It Was To Be Paid for".
What people from other countries do not realize is that your taxation rates are far higher than those in the US -- and that's how you pay for your national health plans, or else you are rolling natural resources that bring in a surplus. We in the US balk at increased taxes and do everything possible to keep government out of our lives, yet we have a government that overspends. Sadly, that is a recipe for disaster, and was why I referred to Greece in my first mention of the word "Socialism". Tomorrow our national debt will hit 15 Trillion Dollars! We could pay for two health programs from the annual interest we pay on the debt. Frankly, I predict we are going to see a series of governmental defaults throughout the world that will radically alter all economies. The Liberals always demand more entitlements, but turn a deaf ear when asked how they are going to pay for them. Perhaps this will put the subject to rest -- unless ......... Bayside
ps: For John Rodgers -- I think back to the 70's when your country suffered through your years under Pierre Trudeau, remember? Perhaps, we, too, will survive.
Fortunately, our Supreme Court is about to hear the challenges from the public on this bill. I predict it will be overturned as unconstitutional.
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