Mark2005

I can only speak for myself, but the first time anyone asks me for any sort of papers, they are going to get a lot more than they bargained for. This stuff is nonsense.

Have never read Verhoeven's book, but have heard that as a possible explanation before. It's something no one can prove or disprove.

To me, that is the crux of it. No one should be denied medical care. Period. I don't know if universal insurance is the answer or not. A lot of people I know live month to month with little to spare after the basic necessities. They simply cannot afford hundreds or thousands of dollars per year in insurance premiums. So maybe insurance isn't the solution. Maybe the whole system should be government run, the way other services are. When I need police assistance, I pick up the phone and call and expect someone to respond. Maybe that's the way medical care needs to be. If it can work that way in prison, of all places, surely we cann find ways to make it work elsewhere. I don't claim to have all the answers. But we need to find a way that every person can get the care they need. Period.

Still waiting for someone to come up with a better plan.

I've always been too liberal for my conservative friends and too conservative for my liberal friends. So that tells me I'm probably somewhere in the middle. There are ditches on both sides of the road.

I say basically the same thing elsewhere and I get called all sorts of names.

Again, it depends where and how you do the poll. Stand outside a gay bar and the percentages tend to go up a bit. Color me shocked. And people want to call ME a homophobic bigot and other ugly names?!?!?!

I suppose it depends how the question is worded. I certainly believe in the existance of God. Now exactly WHAT I believe about him (characteristics, qualities, etc.) may differ widely from someone else. Not surprising that younger people are less likely to believe. Just a symptom of the society they were raised in. As for political parties I would hazard a guess that perhaps more Republicans are evangelical or Mormon (Mormons are almost all Republicans), while more Democrats are Catholic or mainstream protestant.

It all depends where the poll in conducted. Learned that in my Research and Statistics 101 class in university.

No surprise. Everyone has the right to his/her own opinion. But it seems they are increasingly in the minority.

Yeah. But it's only as valid as people's willingness to go along. This isn't new. Back in first-century Jerusalem, authorities told the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus. They basically told the authorities to stick it.

Wake me the first time anyone goes to jail for failing to purchase health insurance. YAWN!

In reality, the government is going to find out that FORCING anyone to buy anything is simply enforceable. We need a plan where no one is denied medical coverage because of the inability to pay, whether public or private.

Eh, interesting. Not sure how someone rises from the dead after a few days and walks seven miles, either.

What difference does it make whether it is the federal, state or local government issuing a mandate? A mandate is a mandate.

Yeah, I fought the same battle over car insurance, arguing that a person cannot be forced into purchasing anything unless the government is willing to pay for it.

No. I just said I am capable of protecting what is mine. Don't mess with me and we'll get along fine.

I don't need any law to protect what is mine. I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself, thank you.

From a practical standpoint, what better options are there? These kids have been in the US for a while; it's pretty much home to them now. They can drop out and be on the streets and a menace to society as we so often read about. Or they can stay in school, work hard and do the same things every other student does. If they do, good for them. Now, when they graduate (maybe with honors), what? Oh, sorry, you can't get a job because you happened to be born somewhere else 18 years ago? So go steal and sell drugs to support yourself and your momma, who may be working two minimum-wage jobs to keep a roof over their heads? Look, there are a lot of problems in society and lots come from immigration issues. But we need to take a realistic and productive approach to this. You're not going to deport them all.... not even a large enough percentage to make a dent in the problem. That's fantasy-land. They're here, so what are you going to do address the issue? The more you marginalize a person, the more likely they are to become your enemy (I know this from personal experience). Is that what you want? Or can you offer a viable solution that works for everyone involved?

Why would they get preference? Anyone out there offering a better solution?

Yeah, have heard that Petrus Romanus will be the next pope after Benedict and perhaps the final pope. Only time will tell. It could get interesting when Benedict is done.

This is what you get when you start recognizing special groups of people. Everyone wants their own 15 minutes of fame and it just becomes a joke. People are just people.

More political correctness run amok. When someone uses the term "god", it can be anything they want it to be: the Christian god, the Muslim god, the hindu go, etc. Never understood why the need of some to create a completely secular and godless society.

Every government is that way. What organization seeks to make itself smaller and less relevant? On the contrary, the bigger government is, the more important it seems. And that feeds the ego of those in office. It's like a plant... over time, it only gets larger, never smaller. The only question is how much how fast? The only way you are going to get a smaller government is via revolution.

Glad you're not a hater, yod. A lot of things Limbaugh says easily inspire hatred in those inclined to feel that way. Most everything he says is an attack on someone or something. As for the campaigning and governing, I've said before that the US is so divided it's impossible for an idealogical conservative or liberal to win a major national election. Everything is about compromise, compromise, compromise. It may come as a surprise to you, but there are quite a few liberals who feel Obama isn't liberal enough for their preference. But their feelings are similar to ones conservatives express about Romney.... that he's the best they can do for now.