jim, i think you're going a long way around saying that health care must be considered a right, like breathing. it's essential to life. without one's health, a person can't function, can't work, can't survive.
the best method of providing health care is a single payer system because it gives people choice. what govt is likely to do is what hillary tried, and thankfully failed, to accomplish: throw everyone into the arms of greedy, bottom line based HMOs who contribute to politician campaigns. remember her secret meetings with these public spirited citizens, on a par with cheney's secret meetings with energy moguls?
there's a fundamental disconnect between our politicians and reality that's for sure. our politicians -- our congress -- have their own health care system. we don't hear much about that from pundits, major media, the politicians, etc. their system is the one that should be extended to every citizen in the USA. but the initiative won't be coming from our "law makers" because they are very wealthy, privileged characters, most of whom don't live in the same world we do and could care less.
their apologists on this list may wake up when they, or someone they love, get a serious, long term illness. (heaven forbid.) but don't hold your breath.
R
At 01:39 PM 9/16/2004, you wrote:
>I have asserted many times on this list that there is a fundamental disconnect
>between the political realities that we are told we live under by major media,
>pundits, and politicians (not to mention a handful of their apologists on this
>list) and the actual political realities we live under regarding health care.
>
>There is yet another poll out that shows that a strong majority (67%) of
>Americans think it is a good idea for everyone to have health insurance. [PDF
>at
><http://www.resultsforamerica.org/calendar/files/RFA%20CSI%20Healthcare%20FINAL.pdf>].
> This is not a new (arguably this has been consistently true since
> rudimentary
>polls nearly 90 years ago showed) but what is pretty unique about this poll is
>they probe further to see how soft this support is (one of the conventional
>excuses for Clinton's failure was that while support for universal health
>insurance was strong it was thin and wilted under industry PR--a position that
>is somewhat true but only a small part of the story).