If you're referring to us being in debt...

We've been in debt practically consistently since the founding of the US. In fact, Alexander Hamilton argued that the US should stay in debt. Why? Because then we would pay only interest on money we owed other people, and thus they would want to keep the US in power so they would keep collecting interest on their money.

Slightly off-topic...I countinually find it distressing that the same people who pushed for a war in Iraq, costing trillions to save the Iraqis is unwilling to have the government pay to have people in America recieve free care.

Eveyone dies.  The less able to pay should die sooner rather than later.  Insurance is supposed to be for emergencies.  Not maintenance.  

I use my insurance for maintenance because I can... if I was self employed it would be cheaper to pay cash for all the insulin and testing supplies I need to live ... I have done that 2001-2004 when I was mostly unemployed (thanks GWJr)

And it wasn't nearly as bad as people make out. 

Had I had a heart attack during that time frame I would have died.  Unless my family saw fit to pay the bills.  Lucky for me that didn't happen.  And during that period of my life I would have gladly embraced death as a way out of the morass that it had become.

Capitalism is based on EARNING and buying whatever you can afford. 

This whole debate centers around giving away medical care to people that have no desire to succeed, provide or secure their life from hardship on their own. 

They are like starving Ethopians with their hands out having rice ladeled into their grubby little hands twice a day with a glass of water on the side.

They never HAVE to get up and grow food to feed themselves someone else does it for them. 

Canada has a great example of how this system doesn't work terribly well.  The Socialized part of the medicine has 2+year waiting lists for many procedures.  While if you can AFFORD IT, the private guy down the street can do it next week.

If you want to run a charity ward for the uninsured DO IT WITH YOUR OWN MONEY AND KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY TAXES.

The Federal government has gotten into far too many areas it shouldn't be into anything but:

Three real mandates

1) Protection from foreign powers

2) Upholding constitutional law

3) Administration of those duties through the military, judiciary etc...

There is no such thing as FREE care.  Its costs money to someone.  Whether thats the taxpayer or insurance or the individual is a matter of some debate.

You don't have a right to FREE MEDICAL CARE... you have the right to pursue happiness and if being healthy is part of that mandate then YOU better get yourself some.

Is this sociopathic opinion right-wing or republican mainstream? Because it surely isn't christian.

This isn't only racist, it also shows off your stellar stupidity and ideological ruthlessness.

Ethopia (and twenty other african countries) had a drought period in 1984 that lasted two years which resulted in a hunger crisis that cost more than a million lives.

I completely fail to see how you can gloat about something like that.

Damn ... let myself get off topic by this abomination.

Let's chalk this motive up as "Because poor people deserve to die."

Lugh - I strongly disagree with you.

"Capitalism is based on EARNING and buying whatever you can afford."

Trust me, you dont want pure capitalism. You dont want pure communism, too. A hybrid system provides best of both worlds, and is called social capitalism.

 "Three real mandates

1) Protection from foreign powers

2) Upholding constitutional law

3) Administration of those duties through the military, judiciary etc..."

 

That would be pure capitalism. Add one other real mandate:

4) basic services payed from your taxes, like firemen, policemen, education AND healthcare

Why are you so afraid? If it works very well in other countries which are even less wealthy than USA, whats the problem? Its not mandatory, its an alternative. If you dont want it, dont use it and pay for private service. But you still have to pay the tax, you will complain of course.

Its the same kind of thinking like "I dont study and dont have children, so why should my taxes go to education?" And that kind of thinking is just wrong...

If only the right wing politicians were as honest as lugh, we could have had health care a long time ago by now.

BEcause the money os not spent the right way. That's why the gouvermemnt is broke. Here in Canada the gouverment is always broke but we still have healthcare. Better to have health care and have everybody able to work.

HEalthcare should be the pillar on which a sociaty is grown. The  healthier the better your people will be. There as to bea  way to make it work.

As a canadian I do feel for you guys....

Brilliant.  Fucking brilliant.  'Analysis' a mile wide and a quarter inch deep.

I may be wrong, but don't you live in Massachussetts?

Oh, that's where you're trying to hide from my wrath, Daiwa.

True, it's brilliant... like a diamond ring that gets buried anyway along with the final banking balance.

Work hard, show off, slam the brakes, paint the walls, drink up.

Whatta life -- Stolen.

And it has long evolved into stealing when you suddenly, somehow (either from having been stolen from or any other good and bad reasons) can't afford the essentials.

I'd say that as long as a person works hard, a decent standard of living must be assured and that really includes comprehensive health care. I don't care how much they earn and could pay, they deserve it, period. society is not there for the strong, the intelligent. those can fend for themselves. just view it as in investment in security and internal stabilisation. content citizens are peaceful citizens.

as for the 4th basic reason that ShotmanMaslo mentioned: it's really secondary whether these functions are directly provided by the government or by private enterprises as long as the job gets done to specifications. that means low enough cost for a high coverage and good services to go with it.

also, I don't quite how a few times ppl wrote how they trust local governemnt, but not federal. I mean I live in a very federal government and I just don't make much of a difference. if anything I care less about the local level, bc most of the issues they decide on is not very important anyway. don't give me that crap about 'they are so far away and don't understand the issues'. these are professionals, of course they will study what they are doing and consulting experts. closer to home means nothing to me really.

Right now, we do provide "health care" for all poor. How? Emergency rooms. Who pays for that? Cities and their taxpayers. To be honest, I'm perfectly fine chipping in to help someone save their life, but the truth is, there's a more effecient way to keep the poor not dead.

What universal health care has proven is that preventitive care is a MUCH cheaper way to keep the poor alive. That's why other countries are able to have a healthier populace while spending less money.

There are so many things wrong with the inherent (and erroneous) assumptions in both these statements.  My fingers being sore from trying to explain elsewhere, I'll just suggest you pursue some further reading.