So let me see if I understand this:

we spend a few trillion in wars to protect us from another 9/11 because we want to protect American lives.

We spend a lot of money on fire departments, ambulances, and police, because we want to protect people.

Left and right folks generally support defense, police, emergency services.

All to protect us because we value life.

But when it comes to everyday health care, which would save a ton of lives, folks all of the sudden get freaked out?

We spend so much protecting people against emergency situations (from attacks from other countries to heart attacks) that maybe we have missed the forest for the trees.

Health care is but an extension of the above - taking the values we as a society have agreed upon and taking them to their logical conclusion.

We pool our resources for the benefit of us all - from defense to emergency services to health care.

Why is this even an issue with some people???

More die from lack of health care here then from outside countries/groups attacking us - so why aren't we focused more on health care?

. . . are government services that the rich benefit. The won't benefit (actually, they don't see that they will benefit) from poor people getting health care, so it becomes a political issue.

Especially around the Wall St. area. How could a fire in one apartment possibly effect the value of another? :sarcasm:

think of the public health expenditures - FDA supposedly keeping our food safe, drugs effective, etc. And the EPA, fighting to clean the air and water. And CDC looking out for epidemics. These agencies are trying to keep people from getting sick, and we spend money so to do. But if, say, some tainted peanut butter gets past the EPA and someone without healthcare coverage eats it, society should not fund their treatment...

Because there's more profit for thieves in doing it the other way?

National Single Payer is a HUGE bargaining chip, and the dealmakers are going to want a HUGE payoff to sign on for it.

My guess? I'm guessing that part of this economic meltdown is a strategy on the part of the oil companies and some other HUGE players to drive the government so far into the red that they have to sell the only thing they have left to sell: The national parks and the ocean floor itself, not leases, sales.

It is the first and last issue it instantly reignites the economy and makes a more productive workforce, very straight forward. Someone had the idea of expanding medicare for a trial basis to 50, if folks liked it then they could jump on board the train of progress.

and Rush and Sean told me that Socialism is evil and will destroy this country. Now give me another tax cut and balance the budget without cutting defense NOW! :sarcasm:

so many to have adequate health care (especially preventative health care) but we REFUSE to let them refuse medical care or end their lives. It's very strange.

Built massive nuclear ships and subs, electrified the country, built an unparalleled water system, and on and on. You would think people would have more confidence that it could provide a doctor to write a prescription for an earache.