Bucco,

You have a point. But it is inevitable that the new health care laws, like every other law passed in the entire history of our nation, will contain provisions that are "unfair". I submit that if exactly what you are referring to comes to pass, it will be a microscopically trivial injustice compared to failing to pass the entire legislative package.

So many of the furious objections and fears about the proposed legislation are about minor points, regulations which will affect either a relatively small percentage of the population, or, if a larger number of people, but to a relatively small degree. Doing everything perfectly or eliminating all of the "unfairness" is impossible in our diverse country. And BTW, just what is "unfair"? Is it unfair that those who earn over $1 million per year may be required to pay taxes that are a few percentage points higher to assist in providing more comprehensive health care to millions of people who cannot get it now unless they are life-threatened?

We cannot be distracted by the special interests who stop at nothing to find "unfairness" anywhere in the proposals, with the single objective of stopping any reform at any cost.

Progress is incremental and, in our country, usually maddeningly slow. This nation must finally come to grips with providing a better health care system. The electorate gave us the rare combination of a Congressional majority and a President who have steadfastly refused to give up on the enormous challenge their predecessors couldn't, or didn't care to conquer. The proposed legislation, regardless of how it is finally tweaked by the conference committee, is an historic, positive first step.