Bob L,
I watched the video, twice, and failed to see where they stated that 'They are hoping there's a nuclear attack perpetrated by Al Queda in order to change our immigration policy.' please tell me what min:sec I should pay particular attention to, to see where 'They are hoping there's a nuclear attack perpetrated by Al Queda in order to change our immigration policy.'
Steve,
Your right - health care definitely has room to change. While I stand by my statement that we have a kick ass health care system, I do not deny that there is room for improvement, Yes, we are already paying for people that cant/wont pay their health care bills. But not all of it is lack of insurance - there are programs, such as cobra, that a person can use to get health care.
I don't see how my opinion that your health care is not my responsibility makes me a bully. How about some personal responsibility - you(and to be clear, this is a generic 'you', not you personally) quit/get laid off/get fired, and you decide not to get cobra to cover your health insurance needs until you find a new job with benefits, and you end up in the hospital. How is paying for that my responsibility, when you could have enrolled in cobra and been covered, but you made the choice not to enroll. So because your lack of planning bit you in the ass, now its my responsability?
I see your point about the term 'socialized health care' being a hot button issue. I don't see how universal health care can be anything but socialized health care. And, again, if the govt can't run the current health programs, I don't see how we can expect them to pile universal health care on top of that. The current health care reform that the govt wants is socialized health care, and I find that to be very scary.
I have nothing against programs for providing health care, but i think that the govt should stay out of it, but as it stands, they wont. For example, the drinking age in all 50 states is 21, because the federal govt said 'you make the age 21, or you wont get this money for your roads'. In my opinion, the same would be true for health care - the govt would provide money, then say 'I don't think you should treat this 60 year old woman for cancer - just give her some pain pills' If that was the case, my mom would have been dead 15 years ago.
Never once did I say that children don't deserve/need/etc health care. And to say I don't make a contribution - hello, I pay taxes just like you. Or do the taxes I pay somehow not count? Also, you have no idea how I may or may not contribute to those less fortunate than myself. How, or if I contribute, is my business, and my choice, not the govts, not yours. Are you saying that the govt should just make my contributions mandatory? So, you think they should legislate what should be my personal choice? That sounds and awful lot like legislating morality.
I don't agree with you that my statement regarding universities getting more money for more minorities is an over simplification or a fractional truth. Sure, what I said was simple - more minorities = more money. How is making choices based on skin color not racism? If I get a job/get accepted into a university/etc and the determining factor is that I am white, that's racism. If the guy next to me, all things being equal, gets it because hes brown, how is that not racism?
[This message has been edited by mhaus (7/29/2009)]