Do you think all of that information about family history, personal medical history, lifestyle, etc. are to treat your cold. Heck no, they are stored away in data banks. Those data banks are mined so that they can decide what rates to charge what people … often based on nothing more than race, sex, and ethnicity.

I’m betting that if it comes to a vote, we’ll cancel each other out:)

1. I like this approach if you are talking about a national vote. Let’s do put the public option to a national vote. If 80% are currently covered and relatively happy with that coverage, the public option crowd will get trounced. Why? Because those of us that have healthcare are staring at higher taxes, higher premiums, and less adequate care. Not to mention the inevitable declining spend in innovation, if a public option is passed. If you are referring to putting the public option in a seeing if it works, I don’t want to pay for the experiment financially or with long lines and inferior care. THE PUBLIC OPTION AND/OR HEALTHCARE REFORM AS BEING PROPOSED HAS TO BE PAID FOR BY THE TAXPAYER. OUR GOVERNMENT DOES NOT EARN 1 DIME. THEY TAKE THEIR MONEY FROM INDUSTRY AND THE TAX PAYER, NEED I REMIND YOU. MANY OF US HAVE NO MORE CASH TO GIVE TO GOVERNMENTAL EXPERIMENTS. GOVERNMENT REVENUE GROWS WHEN THE TAX BASE IS HEALTHY, NOT WHEN WASHINGTON IS KIILING WITH INDUSTRY AND THE TAX PAYING INDIVIDUALS WITH HUGE DEFICITS AND TAX INCREASES.

2. I am not pleased or proud of the job the insurance companies have been doing. But next to banking, do you know of an industry that is, or has been, more heavily regulated by the federal government. All that brilliant regulation has led to skyrocketing costs and little competition in the states the insurance companies are allowed to set up shop and practice. This is crazy. Start by reviewing and creating smart legislation that provides an appropriately competitive environment across the country and still protects consumers from unfair practices, such as dropping insured or refusing appropriate treatments.

3. The “pursuit of life, liberty, and hapiness”. This entitles citizens the right to get off their asses, get educated, and get a job or career. If you are a legal citizen, nobody is denying you these rights. If you are mentally or physcially disabled, as a compassionate people, we should help you out. If you are lazy, believe work is beneath you, and would prefer to have your families live off the system generation after generation, you have earned nothing material or monetary required to be provided by other citizens who have pursued their inalienable rights. Healthcare is earned, just as a home, a car, a cell phone, a vacation. There is no depravation of rights to pursue prosperity, enjoyment of life, or individual liberties within the law in the system today, just people with differing priorities in the lives. Prioritze wisely.

All this being said, reform is necessary, but it has to be smart and focused on the real “cost” side of the problem. Doctor’s fees and Insurance company profits are not the major culprits in the crisis. Fraud, legislative limits on competition, and malpractice law are. Fix these first!!!

I listened to the debate between our two candidates for governor and ended up turning off the debate because I was disgusted by Mr. Deeds comment about the public option. While I may or may not agree with the public option, I should have a right to vote on whether or not the state opts in or opts out. No offense to public officials (in both parties), but I really don’t trust you all to vote the interests of your constituents, especially when corporations are funding your campaigns. Personally, I think the folks up in DC should put in a provision to opt out, but require a public referendum to do so. Put it on the ballot and find out what people actually think.

We cannot expect politicians to do what we want unless we are constantly voicing our opinions as loudly as we can. We simply give them too much freedom and are too often wooed by their speech writers than by their policy details.