http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7956845.stm

But my slippery slope argument is a logical fallacy?

Again, you’ve got nothing.

Given the performance of the Obama Administration so far…

Yeah, it’s been terrible! Americans hate their new president sooo much.

Your argument is that a large percentage of people without health insurance prefer not to have it or don’t feel terrible consequences by not having it?

Well, since we do not have 46,000,000 in the poor house or bankruptacy courts I’d have to say that yes, not all of them are feeling terrible consquences of their situation.

Unfortunately for you a majority of Americans disagree with you and want the government more involved in the health care.

Sure they do. Right up until it actually happens.

Given the performance of the Obama Administration so far on the task of governing I really shouldn’t be too worried about them getting this clusterfuck through.

If I mistype a quote I apologize, just retyping, not cut and pasting.

Try 46 million Americans as of 2006, I’m sure the number has risen dramatically since the beginning of the economic crisis.

That’s not what I was talking about. You had said that the lack of health care was devastating to a large percentage of Americans. I’m calling bullshit on it being “devastating” because you didn’t define it. Not having health insurance isn’t devastating in and of itself. I was using the 1.4 million Americans who filed for bankruptacy last year who listed health care costs as a factor in their bankruptacy. And I can’t split how many of those were filing for bankruptacy expressly because of the costs of healthcare, and how many were filing because that people with serious illnesses and injuries necessitating expensive health care tend to not be able to earn as much to begin with. I’m sure that there are millions more of Americans who are struggling because of health care costs, but I’d be shocked if that number was 10% of your 46,000,000. If you don’t have health insurance, and you have no need for health insurance, or even prefer to pay out of pocket, I fail to see how this constituties being “devastated” like you’re claiming it does. Even assuming that 10% of those 46 million are in dire straights because of it, I still fail to see why the solution to that problem is to restrict the liberty and reduce the take home pay for millions of other Americans.

THOSE are the people we need to target for help.

Why? Why must we “help” those people? What if they don’t want or need our help? How many of those millions of uninsured who cannot afford any sort of health insurance are perfectly healthy people in no forseeable need of health insurance?

make injured veterans pay their own medical care

I can’t imagine that coming from GEN(R) Shinseki. He would never, ever come up with a hair-brained idea which managed to tick off an entire branch of the military to accomplish nothing of value.

Nope. Never.

Excuse me, I have to go shave my hat.

What were you gonna say?

Try 46.6 million Americans as of 2006, I

This is getting ridiclious.

Try 46.6 million Americans as of 2006, I

Just like everything else.

From everything I’ve read on this it looks like nearly every single Democrat is against it also. I’m surprised anyone anywhere even floated this idea but fortunately it’s dead on arrival.

Hell, even Jon Stewart thinks Obama has lost his mind over this one.

WHAT THE F*&K ARE YOU GUYS THINKING!!??? Veterans having to use their private insurance to pay for their combat related injuries? THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT.

And what percentage of those 46 million can afford to purchase health insurance but choose not to? That’s the magic number that no one has bothered (or been able) to track down. Subtract those people from 46 million and you have the number of Americans who don’t have insurance because they can’t afford it. THOSE are the people we need to target for help.

I don’t believe that people who can afford coverage for them and their family but choose instead to spend their money on a home theater setup, or a Jet Ski, or a vacation in Hawaii, merit a lot of sympathy.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=uninsured+americans

Try 46.6 million Americans as of 2006, I’m sure the number has risen dramatically since the beginning of the economic crisis.
http://www.cbpp.org/8-29-06health.htm

Why do you hate the poor so much?

You’ve got nothing.

I take it that you know that ’slippery slope’ is another logical fallacy.

It’s not a logical fallacy if it actually happens. You will never go bankrupt betting that the US government will overreach.

Some of these people “who are not as well off” are more than likely the some of the tens of millions of Americans that currently don’t have any health insurance.

These are the same Americans who will be most hurt every day by the inevitable increases in sales taxes and vice taxes that will follow universal health care. Why do you hate the poor so much?

The system is currently devastating for a large percentage of Americans…

I call bullshit on this. Try less than 1% of Americans. It is a lot of people, but its not a large percentage. So, because less than 1% of Americans file for bankruptcy with health care costs as a contributing factor, I need to lose some more of my money, and put some of my liberty at risk? Bullshit.

Have you seen congress people? They’re not exactly svelte. I think fat people have rather decent representation in the US government.

So, you’re trusting that no one in congress will be a hypocrite? Good luck with that.

Plus if you have private insurance you’re subsidizing others. It’s how insurance works!

Indeed. And if I am not happy with my coverage I can switch providers or opt out entirely and pocket the money. It’s how choice works!

Were there small problems in each that were occasionally frustrating?

When it’s your life-saving treatment being denied because it’s not cost-effective, and you’re not allowed to pay for it through private insurance that doesn’t strike me as a “small” problem.

I speak from personal family experience on that one too, I’d go in to specifics but your track record on responding to personal stories has been to be an ass.

Given your track record of being a drama-queen and trying to use you and your family’s stories to garner pity for the situation I’m thankful for your discretion.

But both were fantasy lands compared to the ridiculous hell-scape that is the current American system.

As I said. Drama-queen. I am curious though how you were able to survive the ridiculous hellscape of American health care to be with us here today commenting. Might be a nice inspirational story.

I’d say someone has to have a pretty low opinion of America and Americans to think that we couldn’t develop a better health care system which costs less if we stopped with the clusterfuck of public and private systems and actually tried to let people make their own choices regarding their health care.

Stay classy, Republicans.

Just as you can’t be fired for the color of you skin (if it can be proven) An employer can fire you for no reason at all.

I take it that you know that ’slippery slope’ is another logical fallacy. I guess I see the incredibly popular and well run programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the national park system as a template for what the government is capable of. None of those have slipped in to some evil government organization of bureaucratic suits and black helicopters.

However, the people that the inevitable behavior restrictions which will come with national health care are those who are not as well off as I am.

Some of these people “who are not as well off” are more than likely the some of the tens of millions of Americans that currently don’t have any health insurance. Or the tens of million more Americans who are under-insured. The system is currently devastating for a large percentage of Americans and even the worst run universal health care system in the world would be an incredible improvement.

In fact, going beyond fat people where you could at least argue a bit about personal responsibility. In the current system if you’re poor, without health insurance and born with any type of illness you’re just not covered.

For example, how long do you think taxpayers will like footing the bill for fat people?

Have you seen congress people? They’re not exactly svelte. I think fat people have rather decent representation in the US government. Plus if you have private insurance you’re subsidizing others. It’s how insurance works!

any concept of unintended consequences or bureaucratic inertia.

I’ve lived in two countries with universal health care, the systems were pretty different. Both are incredibly popular and well run. Were there small problems in each that were occasionally frustrating? Absolutely. But both were fantasy lands compared to the ridiculous hell-scape that is the current American system. I speak from personal family experience on that one too, I’d go in to specifics but your track record on responding to personal stories has been to be an ass.

I look at what 99% of citizens in the OECD have and I know that America is capable of doing the same for it’s citizens. I’d say someone has to have a pretty low opinion of America and Americans to think that we can’t put in to place a system that’s as good or better than Australia’s or New Zealand’s or Japan’s or Canada’s or Germany’s or France’s etc, etc, etc, etc.