What happened to researching before you open your mouth with negativity.

Shelburne, you have asked a great question.  It is amazing that our Congress has adopted this vote first and learn later attitude as well in a big way.  Did you see the speed reader that Waxman brought in to read the Cap and Trade Bill in Congress so that he could say that they read the bill.  It is rediculous and insane to push through these outrageously expensive bills without anyone..including Congress actually reading the bill so that it can be debated honestly.  Most of the legislation introduced in Congress is prepared by lobbyists or what we call "beltway bandits" or special interest groups that are hired by congressional staff to develop the first drafts of the legislation.  The Healthcare Bill is a warmed over version of Hillarycare that Tom Dashle reworked for Nancy Pelosi for House consideration.  My guess is that to this day, that Pelosi has not thoroughly read the Bill.  This country is hamstrung by a Congress made up primarily of lawyers and political science majors that have never really held a real job.  The lawyers are trained in an adversary environment and really do not have much experience working on a team or attempting to find consensus on anything, so therefore, it is all a win/lose game with many of them, regardless of their political party.  They couldn't work together in a bipartisan way if their life depended on it, and, actually, maybe it will if Obamacare goes through as currently depicted in the House bill.

The bottom line for me on Obamacare is that I do not want the federal government running our healthcare insurance or delivery system. The government has never been able to run any business in an efficient and competitive manner and to give them control of the most important issue on the table (our healthcare) is insanity. 

It is true that the federal government can provide leadership to reform the healthcare industry, but, it should not try to run it.  We need tort reform, for example, we need fewer healthcare insurance providers, we need insurance that is portable from job to job and state to state, we need to provide coverage for those with preexisting conditions, and we need to help those that cannot afford any healthcare insurance, etc. We do not want the government to take over it and basically assume a role as a monopoly where there would not be a level playing field with private insurers which would be driven out of the market.  And, if a single payer government run system is what Congress really thinks is best and we cannot stop them, then, they should be the first to sign up for this program.  Let the government workers and those in Congress road test it first before forcing it on the rest of the country. 

VERY WELL SAID Dave!!!!! WE need a few more people like you around Yedda. Someone with the capacity to verbalize a thought without condemning Our President for trying to do what he thinks is in the best interest of the people.

 He definitely has the right idea, but he has in entirety the wrong people working on putting this bill together. He's working with a congress and senators who HAVE NEVER been in a situation where they stand to lose everything they have worked for because of one unfortunate illness or injury, or a job loss or layoff they had no control over.

Your comment that govt. workers and congress need to road test it first before they drop it on the public is brilliant!!! They need to get down in the trenches and see what life is like for the average American, struggling to make it in this over inflated economy.

We do SO DESPERATELY need some kind of health care reform in this country, but what is going on right now is pure chaos.

We need a program where if people want to keep their existing insurance with it's exorbitant premiums, high deductibles and co-pays, that should be THEIR business. But for the millions of Americans out of work, those having been denied coverage for pre-existing health conditions, or those denied treatment because an insurance carrier deems it to expensive or "experimental" there has to be another answer.

They, the govt. needs  to do a poll across the nation of people caught in the tides of the recession, unable to stay afloat, much less afford medical insurance coverage, (we all HOPE and PRAY we'll never need) or god forbid medical treatment should the occasion arise. THEY need to spend time in emergency rooms and hospitals, talking to people about their availability or unavailability to pay for their treatments. They need to see what it's like to have to beg, borrow or steal just to get health care in this country without insurance, and even with it many times, depending on the policy and what it doesn't pay, you can still be left with a substancial amount of debt. I've seen people who have had to sell their homes, cash in stocks and bonds, and cash in all their life insurance policies just to pay their medical bills. My god it's bad enough to have to suffer through a terrifying illness or injury, but to have to give up everything you've worked a lifetime for just to stay alive or receive the medical treatment you need is unacceptable in any way shape or form.

I feel if someone other than Obama had a grip on reality they might have come to a reasonable solution by now. It's sad and disheartening to know that our elected officials haven't a clue as to what goes on right here on planet earth in America. Other countries have long since adopted health care reform for the betterment of their societies, but the so-called "World Power" of America can't come up with a workable solution to alleviate the burden on our society by over inflated medical costs and ridulously high health insurance coverage,  stymies me!!!!  

I do not however condone in any way the taking care of (with taxpayer dollars) those who have chosen to squander their money away with drug addiction, drinking, gambling or any other unconscionable form of addiction. I am speaking of those caught in the web of unfortunate circumstance. AND, I do NOT condone the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for the medical relief of those who have immigrated to this country illegally to rape our country of all they can extract from the system!!!

But for those who have fallen prey to the unforeseen and uncontrollable events that can and do occur in any given life, there must be a cushion, a back-up plan to aid these individuals, and medical care being the top priority needs to be addressed and executed with expedience. One never knows when one might be in that very situation.

And I wish people would quit condemning President Obama for something that Ted Kennedy lobbied for years ago and Hilary Clinton picked up the torch on and passed to President Obama. Somewhere, somehow the existing health care system has to be rectified for the betterment of all concerned. And if they don't start now, they'll NEVER get there. It's long over due.