Originally Posted by kane

While I agree with much of what you have said here (especially the part about our leaders not doing what is necessarily good for the country, but instead what will get them elected again) the one thing I disagree with is health care reform. Sure, some of it, for some of these politicians, is a tool they will use to get elected again, but I think it is something we badly need. If left unchecked the cost of health care will eat away at the middle class in this country. The strength of this country and our economy rests firmly on the backs of the middle class. As the years go on and the cost of health care goes up and up and up more and more people end up in bankruptcy and losing much of what they have worked years to get just because a family member got hurt or sick. Some people will say that it is not the governments place to take care of people, nor is it a right to get health care. I happen to feel that we can maintain our capitalist ideals, while sometimes stepping in and doing what is best for all of us as a whole.

I'm not saying that the government should run health care. I'm simply saying that health care reform is something that I feel is vital to the future success of this country and if we don't do something about it eventually it is going to bite us in the ass.

Also, I happen to think some government regulation of the financial markets is a good thing. When you look back in history you see that our past is filled with boom and bust periods. Not gain and recession, boom and bust. We need some regulation (much of which was put in by FDR) to help reduce the chances of that happening. As times change more and more people are now relying on 401K and other tools like that for their retirement. You can't allow these people to work their entire lives setting up a retirement fund only to lose it all because a few people on Wall Street got greedy. Over regulation is bad, but putting some in place to keep those that would abuse the system while fucking over the rest of us is a good thing.