Is it because this "baby step" toward a single-payer system is not QUITE working out too well? No kudos and thanks to the powers-that-be?
No, it's mostly because I didn't want to talk about it with someone who is being deliberately annoying and button pushing for his own personal amusement.
However, you seem to insist. There's a LOT of people that now have healthcare who didn't before. ER visits are down too. And that's just the start of it. Long term better health for the country is on the way, particularly if we can keep the "pre-existing condition" crap gone (that the Republican'ts seem to want to insist on).
It's gonna hurt for a while. It's gonna change for a while. But it's gonna happen. And fewer people will be dying in the streets. And THAT is the hallmark of an advanced and civilized society. You know Bear, every other 1st world country out there had it figured out a long time ago. AND...they will get a handle on the cost side too. AND they will improve the bang-for-the-buck (because the USA only has "the best" healthcare if you're a multimillionaire..otherwise, that's a big fat lie compared to the other countries overall).
Remember that the Progressive party was started by Teddy Roosevelt in 1912. It was a CONSERVATIVE idea. And most of the original goals have been achieved by the current "liberals" that have not sold out to special interests like the extreme right-wing nuts. And there's no government-run stuff (other than the VA). It's privatized, but publicly mandated.
Just a little history, with some RED HIGHLIGHTS so you know this stuff is 100 years old and the current Republican'ts are STILL trying to block it.
Platform:
To that end, the platform called for
Strict limits and disclosure requirements on political campaign contributions
Registration of lobbyists
Recording and publication of Congressional committee proceedings
In the social sphere the platform called for
A National Health Service to include all existing government medical agencies.
Social insurance, to provide for the elderly, the unemployed, and the disabled
Limited injunctions in strikes
A minimum wage law for women
An eight hour workday
A federal securities commission
Farm relief
Workers' compensation for work-related injuries
An inheritance tax
A Constitutional amendment to allow a Federal income tax
The political reforms proposed included
Women's suffrage
Direct election of Senators
Primary elections for state and federal nominations
The platform also urged states to adopt measures for "direct democracy", including:
The recall election (citizens may remove an elected official before the end of his term)
The referendum (citizens may decide on a law by popular vote)
The initiative (citizens may propose a law by petition and enact it by popular vote)
Judicial recall (when a court declares a law unconstitutional, the citizens may override that ruling by popular vote)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Party_(United_States,_1912)
Now, I may not agree with all of it, but it IS interesting, yes?
Face it Bear, sour grapes just won't work for long. Get the digs in while you can (although I personally believe we'll all answer for em to a higher power) but in the end, progress trumps stick-in-the-mud every time. It's easy to crack jokes. Easy to be selfish and let people die. It's harder to make it work. That's the more noble attempt though. I hope you are on the side of compassion rather than not. But IDK your exact position.
So yes, Bear, thanks and kudos to the POTUS for putting up with all this crap and getting something rolling, even though it was poison-pilled as much as possible by the extremists. No thanks to the pot-holes-in-the-road-to-better-health Republican'ts (I hate to call them Republicans, the current faction bears little resemblance to the good old days of common sense).
