Hi Dan - I am using you as a conduit to comment on the health care discussion as I do not want to join a group called Health Bill Exposed - perhaps Health Bill Discussed or Debated but that is of course besides the point!! I grew up in Australia where I suppose we had a quasi-socialist government because health care was free to all, university education was free to those who qualified academically, the senior pension plan was the same for everyone no matter what you earned when you worked and there was a reliable safety net for those who needed it. I think that the difference is in how the society values its citizens. Here in the US your benefits and security depends on what you earn which is determined to a large degree by what you do. In Australia every job is considered a valid contribution to the society - the bus driver or the librarian or the pharmacy clerk or the tax office assistant are all veiwed as important in the roles that they play as we must have citizens in all roles to have a viable community. Not everyone can be a surgeon as that requires a shill set possessed by only a few but if you should be so lucky then one can be a doctor because that is what one loves to do or a vet or a teacher - professional people do earn more, hard working pool builders get ahead but everyone realizes that equitable contributions to the tax base (earn more pay more) improves the quality of the life of the community. I want my children to go to school with children who have equal access to health care, that is not determined by the fact that their parent's skills will never allow them to find a job with insurance opportunities. While the devil is in the details, I believe that we must create a system that supports everyone, not linked to one's work and not run by special interests. "We the people" are the government - it is time to find a solution that takes care of everyone.
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Justin
We are going to Pellys with friends tonite. Fish tacos!