The problem Goober, I will get to your issue Diuretic in just aminute, the government is in fact already spending that much on programs that do not actually provide health coverage except for some retirees and some people on welfare, most of that is still comming from the states. And even with that limited number of people covered it is still spending more than anyone else on health care. You expect me to believe that if they were to offer univesal coverage to all and levy a tax to pay for it that somehow the numbers would magically drop back into line? I have yet to see a government run program, almost any program, run efficiently and this will be the single biggest program it would have so why should we think this would be any different.

Diuretic, the arguement was made by AOM, I think it was AOM, that GM is not competative because of health care costs, and to a certain point AOM had a valid point. But lets look at why their costs ae so high. I pay for a part, a good part, of my own health care system through my employer. Now I have a choice of how comprehensive a program I want, and I will pay according to the level I choose, the company picks up the rest. The company doesn't pay more if I choose the cadillac program instead of the yugo program they pay the same amount and I pay the difference. However everyone working for my comapny has the ability to get health insurance even though they share the cost. Now lets look at GM historically. The unions fought for and were given by the management of the company free health care for their members. So in essence while I agree this is a problem it is a problem of their own making. GM is not the only union organization where this was the norm while in the rest of the non union country participatory programs were the norm. As a result the non union companies had the advantage, and we still got health care.

I am not going to sit here and pretend our health care system is perfect, but it is far preferable to a government run program. There has to be a different way other than the government taking over and using its usual lack of efficiance to run the system.

__________________

The universe grows smaller every day and the threat of aggression by any group anywhere can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all or no one is secure... - Klaatu