Western Courier

Wes - Universal healthcare systems are covered by an increase in tax revenue from a countries citizens. While I agree that the US' level of debt is too high, is cutting off many of the nation's people from what should be a universal right in a country as wealthy as the US less important that curtailing that debt? I should hope that everyone would agree not.

National insurance payments in the UK are much less than what most Americans pay for insurance through their employers, and it guarantees that everyone has access to world-class medical care. Other countries (most of Europe, Japan, Canada,etc) have similar systems and live in constant amazement that America - with the world's largest economy - is run by politicians so greedy that they would sell out the well-being of their fellow citizens for the money brought in by medical interest groups.

And as to John McCain being a "hero" - he may have fought bravely in a (unjust) war, but at the moment he is no hero - only yet another in a large group of dishonest, self-gratifying politicians that crowd Washington.

Universal Healthcare just is not the answer...as seen in the movie,Sicko, supposedly Cuba's Healthcare system is top-notch, but then why are all the Americans running there, and all the Cubans are fleeing?

It's not the health-care the Cubans are fleeing from... And you probably shouldn't take your views on any topic solely from a Michael Moore film. While it did much to promote universal healthcare, Sicko wasn't without its problems as a factual source.

Universal healthcare is such a horrible idea. My gosh just cause the word free is in there doesn't mean its the answer to a problem. I get really tired of people complaining asking for things form the government. I think we are independent, and we should take care of ourselves. Could honestly like the fact that some junkie on the street gets the same healthcare you get from your hard earned education? Let's try to something for our country instead of asking it to do everything for us.

univeral health care would not put us in increasing debt! when you do not have health insurance many people wait until the last moment to go to the doctor and their medicine ends up costing more, if everyone had health insurance moe people would stay healthy on a regular visits to the doctors and would actually be saving everyone money by those individuals not going to the doctor for one big issue and if they go over time, they will definetly decrease debt!

"Could honestly like the fact that some junkie on the street gets the same healthcare you get from your hard earned education?"
This isn't a complete sentence, but I'll answer the question as if it was one.
YES, that junkie should get the same health care as me or anyone else.
That junkie needs it more. That junkie has just as much potential, but simply isn't using it.
If junkies had access to health care without having to choose between a checkup and their fix, the rates of HIV infection would go down dramatically. I know of no information to support this, just call it a hunch.
Can you look someone suffering from injury and/or disease in the face, and tell them that you simply refuse to allow your taxes to increase to help them? That you won't pay a few pennies more along with the more humane portion of our population to address their suffering?
Those who know suffering, who have had an injury or disease, and been thankful that they had the money for treatment, and those who have not been so lucky to afford treatment, they know that all deserve health care. This nation was built on equality. Saying having wealthy parents entitles you to a longer, healthier and thus happier life is tantamount to supporting the establishment of a landed aristocracy in this country. Or rather, tantamount to supporting the existing analog to a landed aristocracy.
If our nation's wealth can't buy our people better health, what can it buy? If you're wealthy, but your neighbors are poor and dying of treatable diseases, are you a good American?
I say all this in support of universal health care, but I worry about it, too. Pharamceutical drugs keep increasing in price, and doctors preferentially use newer, less stringently tested and observed medications than older medications, simply because the drug companies push them. We need cheap generics, we need cheaper name brands. We can't keep letting the prices increase at rates 6-10 times the rate of inflation. We can't continue spending more money than all other nations in the world on pharmaceuticals, especially if the money is on the tax tab.
All the same, your neighbor's suffering is your responsibility, in my mind, especially if you can do something about it.