Who’s getting tired of all the ads that are calling the proposals for Health Care reform “Socialized Medicine”? Even the most liberal approach to the reforms “Single Payer” is not at all socialized medicine. At most, it might me considered “socialized payment” or “socialized administration”. None of the plans call for socialized medicine, if you are one that falls for this misinformation then the Insurance Companies are getting just what they want from you.

A more realistic example of socialized medicine would be the British System, in which the hospitals are run by the government and the doctors are on the payroll of the government. Another example closer to home would be the VA in which the government provides the hospitals and the doctors to vets. What is being proposed here “Single Payer or a Government Option” is a system in which the federal program only takes the place of the insurance company and pays the bills to the doctors or the hospitals. This program is more analogous to the Canadian and French systems. The beauty of this program is that it takes away the insanity that doctors have to go thru in dealing with hundreds of separate carriers and it provides coverage for everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions.

Do you really have a personal relationship with your insurance provider today? Do you even have a choice in which carrier you get? Most people don’t, they have to take whatever carrier their company provides for them. And then, once they take the carrier that is provided, they usually have to pick a doctor that is on the plan that the company offers. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a lot of free choice to me. You are being lied to by Insurance Companies. Single Payer will provide more choice and more cost savings to the average household. The only group that will suffer form this are the Insurance Carriers, and they will tell you every lie they can to stop it from being implemented. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for these companies. The way I see it, they are a big reason costs have escalated and quality of care has decreased over the last 30 years.

P.S. I do not agree with everything this president does, but I do want to give him a chance to change this country into a better place than it became under President Bush. I want middle income and poor people to have some say in what happens in this country. I am sick to death of the extremely wealthy getting wealthier while my country is financially going down the tubes... while middle income and poor people are continuing to lose their jobs, their homes, their medical insurance and every other necessity needed to live a normal life in this country.

You call it "socialism" and I call it fairness and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You seem to approve of the wealthy corporations wielding all the power in this country and the millions and millions of dollars they use to bribe our Congress to vote for legislation that will benefit them.

I just for the life of me cannot understand how anyone is so blind to the truth.

P.S. I do not agree with everything this president does, but I do want to give him a chance to change this country into a better place than it became under President Bush. I want middle income and poor people to have some say in what happens in this country. I am sick to death of the extremely wealthy getting wealthier while my country is financially going down the tubes... while middle income and poor people are continuing to lose their jobs, their homes, their medical insurance and every other necessity needed to live a normal life in this country.

You call it "socialism" and I call it fairness and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You seem to approve of the wealthy corporations wielding all the power in this country and the millions and millions of dollars they use to bribe our Congress to vote for legislation that will benefit them.

I just for the life of me cannot understand how anyone is so blind to the truth.

I don't have time to catch up on the thread but well said. Simple to the point .

Those of us that have jobs, homes, cars, families etc need to remember if a major illness strikes us or loss of income, the vast majority are 30,60,90 days away from ruin. We will become homeless etc unless of course we have someone to take us in. If you are making a big income and you get laid off, your unemployment benefits will only cover so far and your income will be reduced to a fraction of what you were earning, it is capped! So you will still lose your possessions etc.

As usual, BJean, you are right on. I have been reading a book called "Idiot America" and the author presents three "Great Premises" of promoting idiocy (otherwise known as things that aren't true.)

1) Any theory is valid if it sells books, soaks up ratings or otherwise moves units.

2) Anything can be true if someone says it loud enough.

3) Something has to be true if enough people believe it is and because they believe it fervently enough to act on this belief.

THESE 3 PREMISES ARE WELL-REPRESENTED IN THE RIGHT WING TALK RADIO AND TV.

And this reaches a huge audience because of the 257 stations owned by the five largest owners of commercial stations, 91 percent of weekday talk programming is conservative.

And they cannot talk about the agenda of this president without using the following words (among others):

-socialism

-death panels

-illegitimate president

-czars (as if bush didn't have a ton of them)

-holocaust

-nazis

-communist

-government take over

-dithering

-terrorist/terrorism

These words are meant to inflame and play on people's emotions and fears. They are not based on facts. When the facts dispute their claims, well - they just ignore the facts.

For example: Intelligent design (creationism) is disguised as science and it defends itself as science by relying largely on the "respect" that we must give to all religious doctrine.

Another example: Any science (which has been proven) is a mere opinion to the non-believers.

Did you see the SNL skit about Fox news presenting the Tuesday election results? It was spot on. They were extrapolating the results into all kinds of anti-Obama rhetoric and wouldn't give the liberal any time to talk.

I'm sure Fox didn't even reveal that the only two national elections - 2 congressional races - were won by democrats - one in a district that hasn't been democratic since like 1872.

THEY AREN'T PRIVATE businesses when MY TAX DOLLARS bail them out. And you don't think Bush had czar's?

This post is so unintelligent I can't even respond to everything. Go back to college and improve your critical thinking skills. And TURN OFF GLENN BECK.

Last year at this time, did you think that we would be where we are today? A 'czar' appointed by the president is cutting the pay of execs in private businesses by 50 or 90%?, Another 'czar' talking about resisting talk radio, A plan floating around to subsidize newspapers, to create a situation where some newspapers, in order to survive, would need to depend on the government liking what they publish?, The governemnet "experts' who will decide who can and can't get life saving medical treatment? Obama has talked about the idea of a National police force. That seems more like the brown shirts of dictators than like anything American. How far this president will go depends on how much resistance he gets. The direction he is trying to go tells us so much about him. The people he has associated with all his life have expressed their hostility to the values, principals and people of this country. Rev. Wright said it with his words,"God damn America!" And don't forget that Obama sat at his feet every Sunday for 20 years in his church. Bill Ayers said it with bombs he planted. The Czars he has appointed have praised enemy dictators like Mao, have seen the public schools as places to promote sexual practices contrary to most American's values. Why should we assume that Obama didn't know what these people were like? especially since he had been associating with them for decades. His involvement with Acorn prior to his candidacy speaks volumes. Acorn is a dispicable program that cheats and defrauds with government funds. This country better react to his plan of socializing America. Let's pray that the public option health care bill doesn't get through the senate, for if it does, those democrats will be jobless in 2010.

With those words, and many others that you have posted at LBT, you have convinced me that you are a very extreme individual who does not pay any attention to the truth. You make up your own truth. You and Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Rupert Murdock and other extremists.

Disprove anything I said.

It has been admitted by Murdock that he tells his employees what they can say and what they must say. If a person is being interviewed on air and Murdock (and his employees/screeners) do not like what the person being interviewed is saying, they lower the volume on that person and up the volume on their employee/show host. And that is only one of the tricks they play on people like you.

Sorry, I don't even know who Murdock is.

It is almost amusing to watch extremists waving signs that say: NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, and the BBC are all left wing organizations who don't report the real news. Amusing because it is so ludicrous! There is one television station that people like you agree with: Fox. Everybody else is telling lies. What foolishness. What folly. At least it would be if it weren't so dangerous.

Then I guess the majority of the country is just plain stupid and gullible, unlike you. For FOX is the #1 watched news forcast in the nation. People tend to gravitate towards whom they agree with.

Because Fox preaches (yes, preaches) hate. They don't just slant the news, they actually manipulate their entire broadcasts. They have been known to lie. They certainly misrepresent facts. And it's very obvious to everyone but those people who like the lies, the ones who agree with the hate and the venom that spews from that station.

And their devotees are convinced to take to the streets with signs and even guns. They show up and they scream hate slogans. They claim that the president isn't a citizen of the U.S. They hold our president responsible for things that a riled up minister said. They hold the president responsible for actions that a man who in his early years was a radical who demonstrated against things that the government at the time was doing.

Must I upload all the signs the democrats held up during their protests of Bush again? Those dangerous, vile, hating, democratic anti-BUsh protestors. Let's get over that, huh? You and I both know that they're all alike.

How are Bill Ayers or Rev. Wright any worse than the likes of you? The difference between them and you is that they have apologized and admitted that they were wrong.

Not until they were found out to be who they were hiding from the people. Obama associates. Don't tell me he doesn't know what these people stand for.

You sure won't do that. You won't see that you are just as guilty of radicalism as they have been. You won't try to learn the truth behind the false claims that you hear coming from the right wing. You just join in the fray and bellow about how bad our president is and you even go so far as to compare him to Hitler.

No. I never compared him to Hitler. So, who's the liar now?

That proves, beyond a doubt, that you are an extremist. You are incapable of understanding the truth. You do not allow the truth to get in the way of your hate for our president and what he is trying to do.

Say what you want, but I don't hate anyone. I disaprove of what they do. See, that's where you and I differ. I can dislike the policies or actions of someone else without hating them. You can't differentiaite between the two. You feel that if someone is against what someone else does, that they hate them. Is this how you are with people? Do you Hate everyone that you disagree with?

That is such a pity and so irritating in light of the fact that you were one of the ones who said that, during the former president's tenure, that if we didn't respect our president that it was akin to treason. You accused those of us who vocally disagreed with President Bush, of being unpatriotic and unAmerican.

I don't believe I ever said that.

Well guess what that makes you... right now!!

...........................................................................

THEY AREN'T PRIVATE businesses when MY TAX DOLLARS bail them out. And you don't think Bush had czar's?

This post is so unintelligent I can't even respond to everything. Go back to college and improve your critical thinking skills. And TURN OFF GLENN BECK.

I would guess that Patty and others like her feel as though listening to GB and RL is more valuable and relevant to them than anything the “left wing” professors are lecturing about. The sad thing is that too many people (those on the left and the right) get the majority of their information from sources that slant the way they do. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost the ability to be critical thinkers in this country. We do it on “our” side too, there are far too many liberals out there that only listen to Keith O. and Rachael M. on MSNBC. C’mon people!!! Wake up and think for yourselves.

Yeah, Kartman, but Fox news isn't even apolgetic for their lies and distortions. They have no shame. I don't know why so many people allow themselves to be duped by them:

Daily Kos: Fox News is Going Down - MAJOR Bust by Daily Show UPDATEDx2

Oh, I agree. Critical thinkers are hard to find nowadays.

There are plenty of places to get accurate factual information, and entertainment television certainly isn't one of them. I do politics and media for a living, and I am amazed to see how easily people can be lead to the polluted water. And how those lines between facts/journalism and entertainment have become blurred.

People are lazy. They want 10 second sound bites. They want bells and whistles, and to get a rush from having their displaced anger validated. They want understanding to be handed to them, and they don't want to work for it. It's beyond irritating.

Having a different perspective on issues is not the same as just having the facts all jacked out of place because one is too lazy to ascertain the facts through the smoke machines.

Here's an extrapolating the b.s. 101 for people.

1) If you get a viral email, 99.9% of the time it isn't true. Go to snopes.com, or www.factcheck.org. Just because it's in writing somewhere, doesn't mean it's true. Look at your own biases, predjudices, and lack of critical thinking to see why you eat it up like candy.

2) Don't ever believe a campaign commercial. They have no legal obligation to be truthful. They know if they repeat it enough, enough idiots in the swing votes will believe it. If you are accepting campaign commercials as fact, you are an idiot.

3) Know your sources. If you see it on FOX, it's right off of a republican press release. Proven. Even if you agree with the source, know if it's slanted or not.

More to come.

I would guess that Patty and others like her feel as though listening to GB and RL is more valuable and relevant to them than anything the “left wing” professors are lecturing about. The sad thing is that too many people (those on the left and the right) get the majority of their information from sources that slant the way they do. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost the ability to be critical thinkers in this country. We do it on “our” side too, there are far too many liberals out there that only listen to Keith O. and Rachael M. on MSNBC. C’mon people!!! Wake up and think for yourselves.

1) If you get a viral email, 99.9% of the time it isn't true. Go to snopes.com, or www.factcheck.org. Just because it's in writing somewhere, doesn't mean it's true. Look at your own biases, predjudices, and lack of critical thinking to see why you eat it up like candy.

Unless it is Red and Blue font on a White background, I heard that those are always true:lol:

I love Snopes and Factcheck BTW, also a big fan of the SiriusXM station POTUS - it is about the most complete station I have found on the airwaves.

Yeah, Kartman, but Fox news isn't even apolgetic for their lies and distortions. They have no shame. I don't know why so many people allow themselves to be duped by them:

Daily Kos: Fox News is Going Down - MAJOR Bust by Daily Show UPDATEDx2

They are there because there is a market for them. People like to hear what they want to hear. Fox feeds into their fears and prejudices, and is making a killing doing it. Having said that, the way to beat them is to point out every one of their lies and distortions, to “call them out” as Obama said in his speech to Congress. Whining about them only makes them stronger, and shutting them out like the White House has done recently is just plain stupid. Whoever on Obama’s team is doing that should be fired, it will get them nowhere. My current hero is Jon Stewart form the Daily Show for this little gem (oh, I see you posted this link too - it bears repeating)

If they are soooooo wrong about everything, then why do most people watch them? They have the highest ratings because people will watch what they agree with. Looks like you're way of thinking is in the minority. When I turn on MSNBC or CNN, I can't agree with their liberal, stupid way of thinking and it makes me sick to watch them. "How can anyone think that way?" is all I can say while I view their stand on politics. Face it. Many more Americans are in agreement with what FOX news commentators have to say about our government than with the seemingly other liberal stations. So, I guess you are outnumbered. Could your views be wrong?

If they are soooooo wrong about everything, then why do most people watch them? They have the highest ratings because people will watch what they agree with. Looks like you're way of thinking is in the minority. When I turn on MSNBC or CNN, I can't agree with their liberal, stupid way of thinking and it makes me sick to watch them. "How can anyone think that way?" is all I can say while I view their stand on politics. Face it. Many more Americans are in agreement with what FOX news commentators have to say about our government than with the seemingly other liberal stations. So, I guess you are outnumbered. Could your views be wrong?

If what you say is true, then how did Obama win so big last November? Fox was ahead then, too. No blue state turned red and 4 red states turned blue. The people who listen to Fox might outnumber those who listen to CNN and MSNBC but they do not represent mainstream America. Their ratings are irrelevant to political policy.

If what you say is true, then how did Obama win so big last November? Fox was ahead then, too. No blue state turned red and 4 red states turned blue. The people who listen to Fox might outnumber those who listen to CNN and MSNBC but they do not represent mainstream America. Their ratings are irrelevant to political policy.

You mean you don't know? truly? Obama had a vast majority of the young naive people, college students who never cared about voting before and still probably don't know a thing about politics, and he also got nearly every black american who never voted ever before cuz they didn't care who got in prior to the first black man to ever get on the ballot. Obama had NO prior experience to run the country. My daughter is 22, and black. She registered for the first time and voted for him because he would be the first ever black person to be the president. Absolutely no other reason. She actually didn't know a thing about him and didn't even care to know. That's the honest truth. When I reveal to her the things he is doing to this country and how he has indebted us into oblivion, she actually wishes she knew more about him before she made her vote. I joke with her and say," oh well, he's black, and that's really all that matters, right?" lol. He also spoke alot about "change", and I believe the people thought he meant change in the WH where government and pork spending, corruption and the like would be halted. That's the 'change' I thought he was campaigning about. But now we know that the change he spoke about was a change to socialism and exhorbitant spending.

You mean you don't know? truly? Obama had a vast majority of the young naive people, college students who never cared about voting before and still probably don't know a thing about politics, and he also got nearly every black american who never voted ever before cuz they didn't care who got in prior to the first black man to ever get on the ballot. Obama had NO prior experience to run the country. My daughter is 22, and black. She registered for the first time and voted for him because he would be the first ever black person to be the president. Absolutely no other reason. She actually didn't know a thing about him and didn't even care to know. That's the honest truth. When I reveal to her the things he is doing to this country and how he has indebted us into oblivion, she actually wishes she knew more about him before she made her vote. I joke with her and say," oh well, he's black, and that's really all that matters, right?" lol. He also spoke alot about "change", and I believe the people thought he meant change in the WH where government and pork spending, corruption and the like would be halted. That's the 'change' I thought he was campaigning about. But now we know that the change he spoke about was a change to socialism and exhorbitant spending.

While black people certainly voted for Pres. Obama in record numbers, he could not have won with their numbers alone. It was white people who elected him. He had an enormous grass roots effort, of which I was part. There were only a few (less than 5) black people that I saw involved in his campaign in my area. The rest were white people of all ages.

And many who voted for McCain voted for him just because he was white. No other reason. But since there are more white people than black people in this country, why didn't McCain win? Because it was the white people who elected Obama with the help of the black voters.

While black people certainly voted for Pres. Obama in record numbers, he could not have won with their numbers alone. It was white people who elected him. He had an enormous grass roots effort, of which I was part. There were only a few (less than 5) black people that I saw involved in his campaign in my area. The rest were white people of all ages.

And many who voted for McCain voted for him just because he was white. No other reason. But since there are more white people than black people in this country, why didn't McCain win? Because it was the white people who elected Obama with the help of the black voters.

I never said ONLY black people voted for him. Many, many, many white people shared the dream of having a black man reach the highest office in this country, myself included. I didn't vote based on his skin color though. IMO, As wonderful as it was to have the initial thrill of seeing that a black man could make it to be president, that was the only thrill that came from his election. It has given hope to all minorities that this country is more mature and stronger where the race issue is concerned. Hopefully his election will put that issue behind most of us now, but you shouldn't vote for someone to be President simply because you wanted that issue resolved or because you wanted to be a part of 'history', and I know ALOT of young college students and black people who never voted before who registered specifically because a black man was on the ballot. A group of black women that I work with at the convelescent home gathered and talked about Obama during the campaign on our breaks and openly shared that they didn't care about his experience, but they wanted a 'black' president. My own daughter registered for the first time JUST to vote for a black man, so don't tell me that he won because he was the most deserving candidate. If those numbers (the blacks and 18-25 age group) didn't get out and register especially for that historic election, Mccain would have had it. Even many white people voted for him because he was a black man and they wanted to see a black man reach the WH. Believe me, I wanted to see that, too. But, not at the expense of his policies or what he stood for.