Universal/Single Payer/Socialized Medicine vs our current mess of so-called "choices"

I wasn't really planning to write all this, but I saw something, looked some things up to find out more, and here we are.

I don’t know that universal or national health care is THE answer to all of our problems, but I would like us to have more discussion of actual pros and cons. I am sick of the invoking of the Red Scare (Sound familiar? Great tax debate of 2008, anyone?) and that being sufficient for everyone to run for cover and bury it for 30 or 40 years, no questions asked.

Universal health care does sound pretty good, though, and I think I’m leaning toward it so far. It seems better than what we've got. I know the links are going to make me sound like a huge proponent, but I'm just trying to sort it out and compare it to all the negatives I hear.

+++

AMA Opposition to Obama Public Health Plan Echoes Group’s Decades-Long Resistance to Healthcare Reform (demonization of universal health care)

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/12/ama_opposition_to_obama_public_health

AMY GOODMAN: Yes, that, the voice of actor Ronald Reagan, employed by the American Medical Association in their campaign entitled “Operation Coffee Cup” to stress that the government-sponsored health insurance system would lead to a form of socialism.

+++

Socialized Medicine: Polemic or Panacea?
http://www.lawcrossing.com/article/4077/Socialized-Medicine-Polemic-or-Panacea-/

The movement for universal coverage in the United States goes back to the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, who first proposed the idea. Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman also attempted to implement socialized medicine as part of their administrations' legislative accomplishments, but it was killed by a public campaign engineered by the American Medical Association which claimed, "Socialized medicine…will undermine the democratic form of government."

+++

A Canadian doctor diagnoses U.S. healthcare
The caricature of 'socialized medicine' is used by corporate interests to confuse Americans and maintain their bottom lines instead of patients' health.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rachlis3-2009aug03,0,538126.story

What's Canadian Health Care Really Like?
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=111084018

Dr. DAY: I don't think there's a best system. I think that - and Canada and the United States, we have our own personalities, but I think that there are countries that we can look at the best practices from and copy what works in those countries, countries like Switzerland and Germany and Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, for instance, that are socialized democracies, that have an element of government care, but they're hybrid systems. They take bits of what Canada and the United States have. They do it more cheaply, more effectively and more efficiently and at a much lower cost than the United States.

Debunking Canadian health care myths
http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_12523427


+++

Physicians for a National Health Program
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php

Netherlands' Health Care Reflects National Values
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92641635

Series- Germany: Health Care for All
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91971170

Not only is he a terrorist, but also a socialist, too!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/18/campaign.wrap/index.html

http://news.aol.com/elections/article/mccain-says-obamas-plans-socialistic/216894

Anti-Americans, terrorists, socialists! Oh my!

Socialist? Three percent tax increase for the wealthy or Wall Street Bailout?

I've been saying that if we could get free college and healthcare like some in Europe, then let's go socialist. I would have a problem with a tax structure such that we all took home the same amount of money no matter what. I hardly think slightly increasing taxes on those who can afford it and cutting taxes on the middle class is socialism.

It's the flavor of the week. Before 9/11, the cry of socialism had people running scared like today's cries of wolf with Muslims, Arabs and terrorism. I've heard the right try and continue to cash in on the cold war scare tactic for years now. McCain raised the issue in the summer and he's back with Obama's comment about spreading the wealth.

This is just the flavor of the week for the McCain campaign attack dog, Sarah Palin. She's crying terrorist, voter registration fraudster, and socialist while telling us some of us aren't patriotic or pro-America (the Democratic area perhaps?). Now, McCain's either directing these baseless attacks through Palin or at least not reigning in the attack dog.

Why can't the McCain campaign just discuss why his plans will work better than Obama's. Instead, they insist on using scare tactics. Some "Straight Talk". Obama was right about the wheels falling off of that bus... or SUV or jet or whatever. Or are they going for change…wait…isn't the campaign still suspended?

And what's this about Palin picking on Obama for his "photo op being interrupted by a voter"? Didn't that happen to her and she gave an answer about Pakistan that's at odds with the campaign's stand? And she's the same Sarah Palin who has been shielded from questioning, instructed to stay on script, and who's several interviews have been rather disastrous? She really doesn't have room to talk, there. Neither does McCain, as he makes rather reckless jokes or comments in public at times.

Joe or Sam or that plumber guy that was mentioned in the 3rd debate 20+ times- he's probably better off under Obama's plan?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped1019pageoct19,0,6970048.column

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/384332_krugman22.html


I was listening to a radio show the other day and a caller made a good point. She was having a hard time with her mortgage and possible foreclosure and Joe may just have to wait another year or so to buy a business. Maybe Joe (Sam) isn't so average after all.