Originally Posted by SteveZ;208537[B

]Whenever we want more than what we have, because what we have now is imperfect and we know there must be a better way, the easy way out is - let the government do it.[/B]

The problem is that government, specifically the politicians who realize money and regulation is their bread and butter, is all too ready to take more money and write more regulations. Unfortunately, more money and more regulation does not make something better, but it does make it more expensive.

"Free" health care is like a free lunch - it isn't. And the quality of free stuff never seems to be worth much either.

We abhor it when insurance number-crunchers determine if a procedure will be authorized or not. How will it be with government number-crunchers? What will be the job description and pay scale for the government employee who will decide - based on to-be-written regulations - what health care will be authorized and to whom and under what conditions? How will it be truly any different (or better) than what exists now?

Before we jump to wanting national health care, take a hard look at operations such as the Indian Health Service which provides health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives (see http://www.ihs.gov/index.cfm?module=About and http://64.38.12.138/News/2008/008277.asp and http://www.nysun.com/national/senate...th-care/71935/ ). Is this what we can expect - expansion of efforts like this?