Monday, February 11, 2008

Government Controlled / Universal Health Care

My first post on branching out on SoxyLady....

I have never been interested in politics.

I have voted and taken advantage of that liberty, but I didn't follow politics on a regular basis...neither did my friends. This year, however, I've noticed a lot more of my friends, family and acquaintances are big into the politicians and the elections.

I would say 8/10 people I know and talk to are planning to vote for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. What a great time to be an American, being able to vote for either our first black President, or first woman President!!! We can make history! Now before I go any further, let me state I do not consider myself a Democrat or Republican. I am not a fan of Hillary, Barack or John McCain. I am not pushing for any one candidate. What I've decided to do was take a look at some of the bigger issues and see where I stand on them.

The first is the Government Controlled / Universal health care. Health care in America sucks right now. I don't think anyone will argue that. Since 2000 every one of our premiums have at least doubled, the cost of prescriptions after insurance is ridiculous. Doctors are leaving medicine because of the cost of malpractice insurance. And, as my sister-in-law to be pointed out, how much of our expense can be attributed to people who go to the emergency room instead of a doctor, because they can't afford insurance? Why wouldn't every single American jump on board for some sort of change?

Looking into it -
A lot of those people who go to the emergency room, instead of the doctors, are illegal immigrants. They go to the ER not only b/c they can't afford health insurance but because they can't get it. So do you think people who are in the country illegally should be able to have the same insurance, provided by the government, as those of us who pay taxes? I am a supporter of immigration, I am not a supporter of illegal immigration.

George Bush has tried to pass a frivolous law suit act for the past 7 years. This would protect those doctors from frivolous malpractice suits, but it has been voted against - and Barack Obama is one of the people who voted against it. (and trust me, I am NOT a fan of George).

I totally agree we need a change in the system, but nationalizing the health insurance system would be wrong. The doctors would have to agree to the stipulated fee for services, as set by the government. Many doctors won't do that b/c they can't afford to - which will shut down a lot of practices. This is currently a major problem with Blue Cross and Blue Shield (which I have). So not only will we have to go to the doctors the government tells us to, but we'll have to wait longer to see them b/c there will be less doctors available.

Here is some more information on the health care in Canada (which has a system very similar to those proposed by some of our Presidential candidates):
http://www.freemarketcure.com/brainsurgery.php

I urge each and every one of you to watch this video and to read this article:
http://www.freemarketcure.com/whynotgovhc.php

I am not campaigning for one President or another. I just want to make sure, we as the future of America, are educated enough to choose the right Presidential candidate. Don't vote b/c you want to make "history" or because someone is an extremely eloquent speaker who makes you "believe." Believe when they talk about the issues and how they are going to fix them.

Please, comment back on this post - dispute what I've written, agree with it, whatever - I'm trying to get everyone to be as informed as possible before voting in November. I don't have a solution for the healthcare "crisis" - I am just urging you not to jump on the boat of Universal healthcare just because you think we need a change. Understand what it will do to our country first.

Guess Who's Back....

...back again....Soxy's back....tell your friends....guess who's back....guess who's back....guess who's back....guess who's back....

There were 101 times during the off-season I wanted to post. I had ideas of great things to talk about while the news was slow, blah blah blah...but I didn't. And I'm not really going to apologize b/c, well, I'm just not.

So here I am - Truck Day has passed, pitchers and catchers are getting ready to report and all might be right in the world again (after that horrible Super Bowl) - even if Schilling it out for a while.

I've done a bit of soul-searching about my blog. While I still remain committed to posting about my favorite Boys of Summer, I think I'm going to expand my horizons a bit. A lot goes on in this little head of mine, and sometimes I just want to share it with someone. So come along for the ride!