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All of Obamas domestic policies – education, health care, welfare, global warming, liberal activism, voter-base expansion is tied to his moral system. And his moral system is one of social, redistributive justice. It requires big govt for its big programs and big ambitions. But if Obama had expressed his moral vision directly, he wouldnt have been elected. And currently, through big govt is the money train of his moral system, he dare not say it!

FIX IT RIGHT NOT FAST.

This should be above politics and it is quite literally life and death.
To do such an important thing fast is in itself an irresponsible act.

And if this isn't a true bipartisan fix than it will be a political foot ball that will not be stable but will politicize an already damaged health care system.

Sure.... that will be better and make things less crappy... sure right.

SLOW DOWN AND DO IT RIGHT NOT JUST TO PLEASE A POLITICAL BASE.... any base.

Can politicians make a bad situation worse?
They have 'NEVER' done that before correct?

Dear Julia Byrd,

My parents live in Greece 9 months out of the year, and according to my mother she won't take her DOG to the hospitals there. What's disgraceful is that YOU and all the brain washed liberals agree with BO's health plan, and you post these lists with out any facts to back it up.We do need to do something about health care....maybe we should begin with all the illegal immigrants that come into the US, and receive health care on the tax payers dime. That would be a great start. Oh yeah and maybe reading a bill that would drastically change our counrty for the worse if not done right would be highly appreciated as well.

Good news! Now, how about let's investigate how a specific group of people in these United States of America can raise generation after generation of kin with government money, feed them with government money, and treat their ills with government money....all with no end in sight. Let's let the US government do this for all of us and then we'll all be equal.

So if America attains Universal Health care, what happens when illegal aliens boldly arrive in the ERs and OB units?

When we had to go to a hospital in Canada and did not have a Canada Medical card they asked for a credit card. Which credit card are the illegals going to use?

why are so many of you standing up for the insurance companies? they're robbing the consumers blind just like the wall street meltdown. stand up for yourselves. you deserve public healthcare just like your representatives who work FOR you. the song and dance is to protect campaign donors...please, wake up.

why does the gop and some of the democrats hate average americans who work hard for this country? doesn't anyone care that big insurance jacks up your rates with no explanation? come on!

Include as many nay-sayers as possible, get their feedbacks, and then hammer out a decision.

Actually, to get this done right, all healthcare benefits should be suspended for our elected officials until all us get the same wonderful, comprehensive coverage they now enjoy at our expense. It's easy to complain about big government but our "government employees" have much better coverage using our dime than we can ever hope to have paying for our own insurance. I also recently read where the average cost of health insurance for a family of 4 is close to $12,000 per year. Afford that on 2 minimum wage jobs and still be able to have shelter and food. Get busy Congress or we'll cut you off.

Get off your slow behinds and get the job done for health care reform. I am so sick and tired of you people saying the President needs to slow down.
If you people can not keep up then this is not the job for you. Now
get to work and get health care reformed with or without bipartisanship!
The Democrats are in the majority. Make it happen! If the republicans and the other scared lazy people are still complaining about reading the bills, apparently they can not read
or they do not want to read the bills. Do your homework and stop
playing around. Do your job and speed the heck up! The American
people are anxiously waiting on real action for health care reform.

Ray Lawson from Danville, VA July 17th, 2009 4:18 pm ET

I get very tired of hearing the media say that Obama wants a health care bill passed now. I really don't care what Obama wants.

For the Last 50 years or so this has been an issue or concern. had either the Repub or DEM's done something about this in years past we would not be in this position of run away health cost. Both groups saw this coming but just kept getting paid by the Large Ins. Co. that just want to get paid at your expense not your health. Again this is more about cost-cutting a conservative thing by nature, Not of reform.

OK - Take your time folks.

In fact, take the whole month of August. There's nothing else on your schedule for that time. Give full-time to the issue. Earn what you are paid. Too many vacation days throughout the year. Earn your pay.

We have been debating heath care reform and energy policy for 30 plus years. It's time for the 60 and over crowd to step aside and let the rest of get a plan in place. This older generation prefers name calling and arguing. It's easier.Well the rest of us are ready to ACT. Put the plan in place. My premiums have raised 168% over the past 6 years and I can't even meet my deductibles if god forbid a member of my family has a catastrophic illness.

Stop fighting and create a business plan. If you have no idea how to create a plan, get out of the way and let the others get the work done.

Okay, so no health care reform, everybody that doesn't have insurance, just show up at the emergency room, be sure it's a hospital that has received government funds, i.e. Hill-Burton, also they can't refuse care, they have to stabilize you. Trust me if we all did this every day, health care cost would rise, and guess who will pay the bill, all you greedy people that have insurance and don't want the rest of the poor people to have health care. Trust me on this one, the insurance companies would not raise the payment for your services, the hospitals and doctors will pass the cost on to you, and the cost will get higher, higher and higher, then hospitals will go out of business and a few greedy doctors, and then, only the rich will have health care, is that what you want. Go for it suckers.

The last thing we need is another piece of legislation rushed through the process that nobody gets to read. I applaud these Senators for looking out for the welfare of our country. They aren't saying no, they are saying let's get it right.

It seems that all the people that hate the health insurance companies really really really want health insurance.

It seems some posters here would accept bad health care reform just for the sake of having health care reform. Not real smart!!!!

Finally, some common sense. Stop letting Obama ram all this garbage down the taxpayers throats.

He is trying to kill off ANOTHER industry and have the government snatch it up; is this the US or the USSR? Oh sorry, they are no more.

When you are dealing with something as complicated as fixing health care and adding more gov't spending to take care of more people, you have to figure out how to pay for it, BEFORE implementing it. I understand there are people who need health insurance, but pushing through legislation that is going to create more problems than it fixes is NOT the answer. Just look at Obama's mortgage rescue plan that was supposed to slow down foreclosures. It is a complete mess because they didn't have the implementation plan figured out before they passed it. You can't just expect trained employees to appear like magic to run a new system. Obama can urge and chastise the mortgage industry all he wants, it won't speed up the process.

Congress,

You knew this day was coming. Now that it's here, you guys are playing drag ass. The American people as well as the President WE voted for want this bill passed this year! Roll your sleeves up and find some savings. 46 million people may seem like alot of people to insure. It is. I've worked a full-time job for the last 9 years and can't afford my employer's health insurance. All I want to be able to do is see a MD at least once a year for a checkup. The least a goverment option plan is have money set aside for emergencies, Rx's, etc. So I know there is more money that the government can save. Get on it!

first he fails on the economy, unemployment and home foreclosures...

then he fails with N. Korea and Iran......

now he fails with this socialist health care nonsense....

what's left?????

I like to see the healthcare debate should continue without any holds and finish before August dead line. It is a moral and ethical responsibility of each and every elected member of senate – congress- and executive branch to cooperate well to accomplish this goal. Hope the senate will honour American citizens wishes as they are elected by the people...Don't take any money from lobbyists to get elect again...if you do a good job, we will elect you again.

This is Obama's thing. He said that the Republicans were guilty of fear-mongering. Obama is the worst I have ever seen. He first said that with the stimulus package, that we had to do it NOW or that we would be worse off. He shoved a 1000 page document of a stimulus worth 800 billion down Congress's throat and it passed without even debating it. Now he is saying the same thing with health care that this has to get passed, even though EVERYBODY is saying it will fail. Obama says we will be in trouble if we don't do it. Obama is trying to correct 70 years of health care in 200 days! The funniest thing is that Obama isn't even doing it, he is counting on Pelosi's aides just like in the stimulus to draw up this health care bill, and Obama isn't even putting his own twist on it. He is just trusting them to do it right. Don't give me all this talk of how the stimulus has SAVED jobs (nice way of him to politically say he hasn't created any) and that this will take 2 years. Obama initially promised us that the stimulus would help immediately. How laughable this guys is. And I don't want to hear that Bush created all of this. Yes, Bush was not a good President, but that doesn't give everyone the right to just say Obama isn't screwing up the country even worse. It is unbelievable how so many can be brain washed by speeches and the media. Truly remarkable.

why???? are they bribed?????

What President Obama is saying makes sense. We need to reform health care now.

Even "if" we all have to pay a little more now, it is essential we do this for ourselves and our children down the road. Whether we can afford to or not.

Our economy is in trouble. Health care costs are going to be out of reach for the average person soon if something isn't done.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned eliminating free health care to anyone who enters our country illegally? How many millions do United States citizens pay each year for the health care of non-citizens when we can't afford health care for ourselves? Can we go to Mexico or Canada and receive free health care? I think it's time we do something for ourselves.

Enough politics, no one is fooled. It's time for the Senate and Congress to put aside their personal interests for the good of the people. Right.

I was present this past weekend at a retirement function and everyone there was not in favor of pushing this health care plan through. Congress need to take time and make sure they read what they are voting on this time. This country is in an awful mess.

I get very tired of hearing the media say that Obama wants a health care bill passed now. I really don't care what Obama wants.
If health care needs changes, why can't Congress have a long quiet debate and look at all sides of the debate so that the 300 million citizens of this country can follow along with what is being discussed?
Obama wants to ram things through before people know what is going on and that stinks. He is not a king and he works for us, he doesn't rule this country.

Okay, here's a chance to avert financial disaster before it becomes law. But Obama has his mind made up and frankly he's a little bit spoiled now spending all the money we don't have. Good luck with that.

Congress needs to put themselves and the President on any government run health insurance program since common sense tells average Americans their company will probably put them on it too. That way we will never get a government run system that will go broke like Medicare/Medicaid will in 2017 if not sooner. It is funny how the democrats only use the CBO numbers when they are in their favor and the media may give the information out but it is near the bottom of the list in importance unless it favors a democrat program.

yeah please!

This fear tactics of "we gotta do it now or it's the end" is not the most effective way to reform health care. It's bound to make it worst!

He wove his own web. Building on Match-Sticks then he forgot where.

Maybe they went up in smoke, with is cigars.

Would you Elected official got off you collective butts and get this done, It is not a finished plan, So how can you say it not going to save or not save money. Get a finish plan first before you slow down, you Follish Elected officials

I wonder if congress is "firmly committed to enactment of comprehensive reform this year". I know that my elected officials have great health benefits & until those are reduced congress won't do anything to help the rest of us. As a bookkeeper I have seen 15-20% increases in premiums year after year while the benefits are reduced to the point I pay more to see a doctor than my insurance co. does. But without the insurance I stand to lose everything I have worked for in one illness. A letter today in the USA Today states that the legislation currently coming out of committee puts a burden of $326 per individual per year for health care. All I can say is sign me up!

Finally the Congressional Budget Office sheds some "honest" light on this subject. Health care reform will not save any of us a penny and likely lead to huge budget shortfalls in the future – like Medicare.

This is not a health care bill it is another government control tactic. Just like Cap and Trade does little to actually help the environment but it gives government more control and taxes. The bail outs are the same way. GM could have went bankrupt without government money but then government would not have a share of control over it.

Less freedom, fewer rights, less choices, bigger bills, higher taxes – BIG GOVERNMENT.

Senators; I agree that you must take the time to do it right! I have a thought for you. Why not let the government collect premiums from everyone( the government is good at collecting money) then pay the insurance companies to administer the plan. The insurance companies would then make a profit based on efficiency instead of denials.

Just thinking about the cost of healthcare reform and the creation of another government bureaucracy stuns me. A minimum of a trillion plus dollars to be spent in the next 10 years. Is there not an alternative to creating a single payer system or creating another department to manage the "new and improved" health care system?

Has the government and Congress really considered alternatives to the current model? With the record keeping system the US government and the States manage, why not just create cooperatives managed by current health insurers, obtain good coverage plans for individuals, provide block grants to the individual states, who would process and qualify individuals for payment of health insurance coverage. Indigence need not be the sole factor for providing coverage. A means test could be employed. Thus everyone could be covered and the Feds would only finance the program, but not manage it.

Just an idea......thank you....

I wonder how many of these senators have a clue whats it's like to be with out healthcare.

They need to take the time to get this right; and another aspect of the debate should be whether healthcare should continue as a "for profit" industry with our health care as their product? As a taxpayer who pays for my own insurance and has to pay the bill for the free access of so many others, both citizens and undocumented, I feel like I'm being overburdened with costs of a "product" that so many view as a "right" and that they should have unlimited access to all levels of care. Which is it going to be???

where are the practcing doctors on Obamas panel? Why are they not talking about the doctors and the type of care the US will be getting? ie Canada

Thank God somebody in Washington is listening. If as a nation we don’t want this “Government Health Care”, then our elected representative’s should not vote for it. Our system of health care is not perfect, however, we should not be forced to take this one. And if I choose not to have health care, then that is my business and not the governments. I also have to accept the fact that if I get sick; then I pay for it.

of course they want a slow down on this issue. the insurance lobbists need more time to grease as many palms as they can to stop the insanity of the thought of everyone being able to get good medical attention. the price of health insurance keeps going up and up, and more, and more companies can not afford to pay for it. every year my companies rates go up, and we have to figure out how we can pay for it, and not pass it along to our employees. sometimes we have to pay for a lower level coverage package, or we have to raise the out of pocket to the employees. the ceos of the insurance companies are not hurting for money. more and more americans are hurting very badly.

Can they slow it down, we ant to know how much money the insurance companies and pharmeceutical companies are giving to candidates before all of this is decided upon!!

Bull-zit! Push Harder! Move Faster! Get your behinds in gear and get with the program!

Those three so called "Democrats" can consider themselves toast. You're gone at the next election – mark my words!

The Congress is, of course, going to abolish their own health care plan and enroll themselves in the new plan, right?

"THEY" talk money.

"WE" talk people's lives.

Why are we paying them a salary? They don't care about us. Only their own.

Hmmm – people keep calling this "Obama's problem".

I think it's OUR problem. We're the people with expensive healthcare thanks to Insurance and Pharmaceutical Companies.

He's wealthy. He doesn't have a problem.

WE DO. The need to earn their pay and DO SOMETHING.

I truely appreciate their decision . This is something kthat will definitely affect all of our lives and we need to get this right if it is there is going to be any kind of reform. I do not agree with a Universal Health Care Plan, however we should try to lower cost.done.

Thank You Senators for using some logic in this bill and for looking at
both sides of this issue and what will be like if this bill passes.

SLOW DOWN? What is wrong with you senators? Are you truly asking the American people to continue to wait for health care reform?

We want health care reform that includes the public option NOW. So it comes down to; you not voting for us, we definately won't be voting for you.

2010 will be the election where we kick all of you that haven't backed what we want to the curb, regardless of party affiliation!

We need to get rid of Nelson, Lieberman, Landrieu (who I pushed for when she struggled for re-election) and Wyden. Plain and simple. So called "blue dogs" might be the death of ANY reform.

Whether it is passed quickly or slowly, whatever health care program is put in place MUST apply to all members of Congress, the Executive, the Judiciary and all members of their staffs. There must NOT be an exemption or waiver for the government members or employees. Those in charge must follow the same rules and policies as the rest of the American citizens/

"We believe taking additional time to achieve a bipartisan result is critical for legislation that affects 17 percent of our economy and every individual in the U.S.,"

We tried that with the stimulus bill, we made several changes and watered it down to appease the irrelevent republicans, and what did that get us?
We know that the healthcare industry has a powerful lobby and strong relations with our Congress. We know about the large sums of money that health insurance companies have given to members of congress. We know that the money affects your decision. We know that health insurance companies don't want us to have universal healthcare. That would get in the way of them fleecing the people and taking all of our money in exchange for health.

KNOW THIS! We want universal healthcare. WE WILL GET IT! If these Democratic Senators are standing in the way of this progress. The people WILL vote you out and install someone who will get us universal healthcare. If you don't believe, wait till 2010 and see what your opponents will be saying in their commercials and during debate.

Universal Healthcare is the will of the majority of the American People

These senators need to be commended for having the sense to slow down this madness.obama,pelosi and reid surely don't. They don't have a clue about running this country. They could not collectively run a hot dog wagon and turn a profit. They have already been told by their own people that this reform will break the country, yet they just keep on grandstanding.Maybe financial ruin of the U.S. is their motive after all.All of them should be replaced as soon as possible

Let us remember we already pay for the uninsured to get medical coverage so....

If this bill is supposed to save all of us money by providing insurance to the uninsured why is it necessary to raise taxes to pay for the reform?

Did we really need the CBO's assessment to tell us we are not going to "save" any money with the new health plan?

Power to the People, if everyone would register to vote, that's all you people without health insurance, and everyone that has a family member without health insurance, or knows someone without health insurance, we could vote this bunch of greedy losers our of office. See the list above. I put Liberman at the top of the list.

We cant do that then you may actually have time to read it and see what a scam it is like Cap & Trade and the Porkulous package.
Where is the transperency and posting of all the bills????

It appears the liberals are the ones with the bad home loans because they didnt Read what they were getting into. I think BoBo was a Mortagage Broker prior to his scam run. "Oh trust me just sign it I am here for you" Nice work sheep

This dont look healthy for Obama. Kill the drama. Sack Obama.

corrected version.

Slow down? Our health care system is a total mess. It should be a crime to get rich off the sick and dying. Disgraceful. Also, we are not the best in the world, we rank 37 th in the world, go to the World Health organization and look it up. We need a one payor plan like other countries that put their citizens first, not the almight dollar, and I didn' appreicate watching your stupid CNN reporter this morning, I think his name is John Roberts, making fun of President Obama's plan. He is totally insensitive to the feelings of people that are sick and have no insurance. You know John, what goes around, comes around.

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
38 Slovenia

Translation, we don't want to do anything!
If it doesn't get done now it never will and these Senators know that. They simply want to put it off again for the sake of their own re-elections. They care more for their own careers than they do the American People.
These Senators are cowards in my opinion.

Slow down?, our health care system is a total mess. It should be a crime to get rich off the sick and dying. Disgraceful. Also, we have are not the best in the world, we ran 37 th in the world, go to the World Health organization and look it up. We need a one payor plan like other countries that put their citizens first, not the almight dollar, and I didn' appreicate watching your stupid CNN reporter this morning, I think his name is John Roberts, making fun of President Obama's plan. He is totally insensitive to the feelings of people that are sich and have no insurance. You know John, what goes around, comes around.

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
38 Slovenia

Slow down, our health care system is a total mess. It should be a crime to get rich off the sick and dying. Disgraceful. Also, we have are not the best in the world, we ran 37 th in the world, go to the World Health organization and look it up. We need a one payor plan like other countries that put their citizens first, not the almight dollar, and I didn' appreicate watching your stupid CNN reporter this morning, I think his name is John Roberts, making fun of President Obama's plan. He is totally insensitive to the feelings of people that are sich and have no insurance. You know John, what goes around, comes around.

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
38 Slovenia

I have to agree with the letter. I do not want something hastily put together that will not help. I did vote for change, but not debt. We want reform of the health care system not massive debt. I do not understand how paying more for what I already have is reform...

I am glad there are some Senators who are thinking and not just voting to pass it because President Obama wants it a done deal before Aug. I hope Congress will take notice and take their time to review this and look at some of root casues of why healthcare is out of control. They keep forgeting Tort reform. Also, if this passes then Congress and the President should be required to be on the same great plan.

Senators Ben Nelson, Olympia J. Snowe, Joseph I. Lieberman, Susan M. Collins, Mary L. Landrieu, Ron Wyden

The President gave you a deadline when he wants this bill on his desk. Find a solution. Everything needs to be on the table. Co-op, public option, tax the wealthy, etc. Please pass this legislation this year!!!

Let's make it easy on everyone...just put every American on the same insurance policy that members of Congress have. I understand it's quite remarkable, as is their retirement package.

I'm sure the "Democrats" want a slowdown because they need to find a way to protect the rip-off artists we call a healthcare system. These private companies have expensive, purposly inaccurate records that leave most of us in paper-trail hell for months clearing up their mistakes in billing. Let private healthcare go under. They are no better than the giant banks and they are bleeding most of us dry. We need small business to create new jobs and new industry but it's suppressed by big insurance. Wake up people! Dems and Repubs alike are joined at the hip to these billionaires profiting from out sickness. It's disgusting.

Looks like HC reform won't be done this year, that's for sure. Looks like too many Dems are worried about their jobs if they screw this up or pass it without reading it first.

Take your time folks.

In fact, take the whole month of August. There's nothing else on your schedule for that time. Give full-time to the issue. Earn what you are paid. Too many vacation days throughout the year. Earn your pay.

wow something out of DC that makes sense.

I think that we need to push this thing through ASAP before anyboy realizes what the costs are going to be. After it's done we can just start taxing the crap out of the wealthy to pay for the cost over runs.

Sanity at last!

Good idea. Let everyone actually read the bill, get come cost estimates, measure public support and then vote. Isn't that how a Democracy is supposed to work?

this is trying to be raced through.. another bad choice for america. so when this dosnt work. is it going to be another misreading. the liberals excuse for another screwup on thier part