How bad does a Political Party have to screw up before...

[ChuckD]

What gets me here in AZ is that you have to register to vote as a certain party. Then in the preliminarys you have to vote in that party even though you make like the views of a person in a different party. I want to vote for who I want to vote for and not have limitations on me.

[Jackpine]

You could always do what I do, if I have to vote for a party candidate and I happen to like the other party's candidate. I simply vote for the "weakest" candidate in the party I happen to be registered for. That way, I feel I'm weakening the leader in the party I'm registered in, which should help, in some small way, the person I really like.

I also don't have a problem getting bumper stickers that say "Party Members for Joe", Where "Party Members" read ""Republicans" or "Democrats" and "Joe" reads the candidate I really like.

But, I agree, it would be nice to be able to vote for whoever you like in the primaries, without having to become an "Independent".

- Jack

[88Racing]

Originally Posted by ChuckD

What gets me here in AZ is that you have to register to vote as a certain party. Then in the preliminarys you have to vote in that party even though you make like the views of a person in a different party. I want to vote for who I want to vote for and not have limitations on me.

The same thing happens in SD too.

[BlackSTX]

Yes, in some states you have to vote in the primary of your registered party; in some you can vote in the primary of even the opposing party. I guess there's good and bad to it. One complaint I have heard is that those representing the opposing party will show up at the primary and vote for the least likely to win opponent. Good or bad.... there's flaws in every system.

As far as what's been happening lately. I'm sad to say that the politicians are flushing your children and grand-childrens future down the toilet. People seemed to make a big deal out of the debt Bush was leaving, but Obama has more than tripled the debt and there seems to be little outrage over it. Besides, the entire debt is not Bush's fault, don't forget, Congress has their hands in the "cookie jar" known as your pockets just as deeply, if not more so. People were flipping out over the Patriot Act and claiming it was an invasion on their privacy, yet I hear little about the government getting access to all your person medical information or access to your bank account; which to me is more of an invasion of privacy than a random phone conversation being listened to. Besides, if you were alarmed about your phone conversations being intercepted, you probably don't have a cordless phone.

As far as this health care proposal.... What is currently being discussed is a pile of steaming dog poop! It is ultimately going to destroy the best health care system in the world and drive up the cost of coverage for everyone. Also how many of you know that the actual cost of this plan is going to skyrocket after the ten year projection the government estimates for? That's why they propose billing has us almost immediately, but nobody receiving any benefits for several years; all to pass the administrations "promise" of not increasing the debt.... which is only another lie. Do you also know that medicare declines more treatment for their "customers" than private insurance companies? Do you think this is going to improve with the government trying to cover more people and yet still reduce costs?
My second cousin is a medical professional and researcher who has testified before Congress many times about health care, and he is opposed to government involvement for too many reasons to get into explaining here. Simply put, one incident he cited with outside involvement of a patients care would have cost his patient his life, within 24 hours, had he not stepped in to object. However, this does not mean that there is no means for providing affordable or virtually free coverage for every "American."
States who have already enacted tort reform have already significantly reduced the cost to their citizens for health insurance (some over 50%), yet this isn't even a consideration of this health care bill; in fact, there's a provision to discourage tort reform in this current bill.

You think care is going to improve too? Dream on! Just look to the treatment many of our veterans have gotten at the VA. If it weren't for the VA, my ex-brother-in-law would probably still be alive today. He kept going there for chest pain and they kept telling him it was gas. He died several weeks late from a massive heart attack.
A fellow coworkers father kept complaining of pain in his leg. They kept telling him nothing was wrong, then placed him in the psych ward for it. Turned out he had bone cancer in his leg and when it was detected at another hospital they had to question how the VA who claimed to have done the same test couldn't see it.

Lastly, I recently talked with a customer from Canada who had undergone a similar spinal surgery to me. He is now having further symptoms and is waiting to see his doctor for a consultation. His wait just to see his doctor is 15 months! I had seen my surgeon, had tests, further consultation with my regular doctor and chiropractor, surgery, and was already back to work in far less time than this.
Additionally, he priced having the surgery performed in the U.S., like many Canadians near the border do, and it would have cost him $40k. In Canada, if he were legally able to pay for the procedure, it would have cost him $65k. So were is this big cost savings that is supposed to come about with the government running the system? Look at Mass. government run system, it's costing an arm and leg too!

There's other ideas out there to cover people, yet the controlling party won't even discuss alternatives, it's got to be complete government control or nothing! In the end, we're all going to lose, and this plan isn't even going to cover all those without insurance; but it will jeopardize the coverage of everyone else's coverage.
This plan isn't about providing coverage for those without it, it's about ultimately forcing everyone into a government run system. Don't think so, search out the videos of Obama proclaiming he's for a single-payer government run system.

Well, I've expressed my thoughts.....

[soutthpaw]

You cannot judge a system based on a few individual cases. there is no shortage of similar stories here is the USA. Plenty who have died because they could not afford or insurance company refused or delayed payment or approval for a treatment... we do not have the best health care in the world by any means.. I go back to my original statement Health care is a right not a privilege.... Yes its gonna cost money to insure about 47+million Americans without health insurance, But it come down to what you feel is worth funding...