The real question in all of this is A person's health a matter for government?

[Winterblues]

Republicans believe a person's health is their own business and the government should stay out of it. Democrats believe Health is a National concern. They believe it is the Government's duty to maintain the Health and Welfare of the nation. That a healthy nation is a productive nation and a sick nation is just that, a sick nation...Republicans believe it is every person's problem and they should deal with it how ever they can or can not. That is why Insurance companies are even in existence. To help people handle their health problems. If people can not afford Insurance they surely can not afford Health Care so they and by extension the nation just has to suffer..As a Liberal I believe Health Care is every bit as important as our Military and in fact more so. More Americans die from Health problems than from any foreign enemy. More Americans have their lives completely ruined because of health problems than War problems. Hell more people die every three days from tobacco exposure than died on 9-11. Health Care is a National Problem of enormous proportions and we need to focus the debate on just whose problem it truly is. The individual's, as Republicans claim or the Nation's as IMO it truly is.

[mediaman007]

1. It's in everyone's advantage to have healthy children as learners, a healthy

workforce at work and healthy attitudes about living!

[Cleita]

2. Physicians for a National Health Plan addressed this when they founded

their organization. After researching and studying the issue they came to this conclusion, that the best health care was done in the private sector by doctors and other health care providers, however, the real problem was how to pay these caregivers so that everyone would be taken care of regardless of ability to pay. Studying many systems, they came to the conclusion that a single payer was the solution. Money would go into a single entity and that entity would pay the care givers. However, who should that entity be? The PNHP people were not fans of government in medicine but after studying Medicare, Canadian Medicare and many other systems came to the conclusion that the logical single payer would be the government because it could meet the criteria of universality, not only in collecting taxes for the health care program but in administering it. It was not a Republican or Democratic issue but one of human rights.

Also, many countries have a government run health care system like Great Britain and testimony even here on DU indicates that the system also works quite well. It's our Wall Street driven pay or die system the Republicans love that isn't working.

[ret5hd]

3. Wrong thinking! Citizens ACCESS to healthcare is the matter for the gov't...

Healthcare is between a citizen and his/her doctor.

If a wackjob doesn't want gov't provided ACCESS to healthcare, no one can force them to make an appointment.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. All the civilized nations in the world have already figured this riddle out.

[Winterblues]

5. America is proving daily we are a ways from civilized.

Does anyone believe people walk around with loaded guns as a symbol pf comtempt in those civilized nations.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. It's actually getting below 3rd world at this time.

[valerief]

7. Terry Schiavo, Republican emergency. nt

[Bluerthanblue]

8. you can't have life, freedom, or pursue happiness if you aren't alive-

Having EQUAL access to health care (without economic prejudice) is as necessary to ensuring our "rights" as having a Military, or a Police force.

imo-

[Joe Fields]

9. Anything that involves the security of our country is the government's business.

And since the price gouging insurance companies are out of control and threatening the financial security of the citizens of the U.S., then I would include that, also.

[gratuitous]

10. Which explains why the GOP is against it

It doesn't serve the Party of No to have a populace that's too educated, too healthy, or too participatory. When people are ignorant, scared and alienated from or suspicious of each other, they can exploit that. When people know what's going on and demand real action and programs from their elected representatives, Republicans actually have to do something to protect their phony-baloney jobs. And where's the fun in that?

[SoCalDem]

12. Republicans have always been "micro". They only see things in relation to them THEMSELVES..

They vehemently oppose spending for medical research until THEY get cancer. They vehemently oppose special ed funding until they have an autistic grandchild..

They are the party of "MY" and "MINE"..

Democrats have always looked longterm..they are macro

[Bluerthanblue]

13. i don't like generalizations, but

the party of "me" vs. the party of "WE" does seem appropriate.

The big tent, vs. the castles and serfs.

:hi:

[SoCalDem]

17. There needs to be something between the castle & the hovel

and that's what democrats have been trying to accomplish..forever :):hi:backatcha

[KittyWampus]

11. No, the question is- does the Govt. have a responsibility to protect citizens from predatory

corporations who have no ethics and are willing to watch Americans suffer and die.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

14. Not until the cost of healthcare eats up the GDP, kills people, bankrupts them, and makes the

country completely non-competitive in the world marketplace.

At that point if the government doesn't address the issue, they are guilty of negligence and malfeasance.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. Supposedly, in a democracy, the people are the government. So, yes.

[Capn Sunshine]

16. I think the framers of the constitution certainly had it in mind.

The phrase in the preamble "promote the general Welfare" certainly allows that the health of the American Public is a COMMONS.

I don't know about you, but communally held things like the electric grid and our collective health, it's common sense that they should be socialized and the profit eliminated.

[damntexdem]

18. No, the real question is how long the nation will allow the RW deny tht health is a govt. matter.

How long will the U.S. support the unsupportable?

[WeDidIt]

19. The government has a compelling interest in a healthy population

The Republicans have a compelling interest in a weak, debt-ridden, fearful, uneducated, working class.