A TRAIN WRECK A-COMIN'

The health care bill...from a humanitarian point of view, has appeal. Sixty percent of Americans would (will) get their health care from Uncle Sam. What a deal!
Ideally, I'd want it, for the sake of mankind.* BUT, from an economic point of view, it's a disaster waiting to happen.
Americans would not be forced to live under a law that 49% actively oppose if our economy hadn't collapsed; yet in reality, Wall St tanked, the govt bought into major banks, and our capitalist way of life took a big hit.
Socialism rears its ugly head when capitalism isn't working; and we have just the legislators in power to make it happen. A convergence of events and persons...

As I think about health care, I have to wonder: Is pollution (i.e. the state of the environment) really and truly heavily contributing to serious illness?
If part of the money spent on the mismanagement of health care had been spent remediating groundwater and cleaning up the toxic leftovers of war, would we be better off? I believe so.
If part of the money spent on war had been spent on education, would we have less obesity which leads to a third to a half of our cancer cases and most of our heart-related problems? Certainly-and education about how to avoid war would help, too.
But, some may argue, war and related industry leads to so many scientific discoveries and technological advances. (Or is that the space program? I forget.) Either way, what if they each create more problems than they solve?
What if the best cost effective answers to illness aren't advances like scans, drugs, and robotic surgery? What if technology is trying to cure problems we should have avoided with a cleaner earth, leaner/cleaner diet and lifestyle?
Then to continue in this questioning vein: What if the fix we're in presently is most fundamentally about the economy? ...The economy which hasn't been helped by military spending. ...The economy that 79% of us think can collapse.
And where is the FREEDOM we are always fighting for and about? How many have given their lives for our country and WE AREN'T EVEN FREE to tell the federal govt to get out of our medical care! My gosh, we want freedom for Iraq but can't have it ourselves??? Oh, one thing leads to another.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda...
What can we do now but LEARN FROM THE PAST and make changes today-re-ordering priorities, becoming less toxic in industry and international relationships.


America as a whole qualifies for ICU with its border issues, aging population, lack of jobs, and polluted land and water. Funny how health care is impacted by all the things just named.
If only all - or at least several - of the pieces of the USA puzzle could be put together and solved/improved at once! Are we not intelligent enough to understand how our problems impact one another especially over time, with some having created others?
However the health care vote goes, I see a train wreck for the America I knew and loved-unless we fix a train of complex issues.

*Would have loved to have seen a reasonable bill covering insurance portability, pre-existing conditions, good mental health care, preventive testing, more money for research, limitations to premium costs and doctor's liability insurance at a cost range Congress deemed fair; with lowering of overall health costs!!! The major problem is that costs are so high that no one, not even the government, can pay them all. Seems all Americans are revolting over the cost of health care, and this needed to be re-worked according to sound economic principles with incentives for participants.
We needed to accomplish all this in stages, BUT NO!
As for abortion...If a woman or couple get an abortion, I believe they need to take responsibility before God and society, and at least pay for it themselves. Personally, I think abortion is wrong,* and I also think it's not morally or economically appropriate for government to be in any way a part of.
People, let's have some pride and live according to what we profess to believe! I know from experience this takes guts.

*Until I can honestly say it would have been perfectly fine for a mother to abort me or the people I love, I will oppose abortion. How can I enjoy the blessing of life and deny it to others?