Ten years ago I experienced a severe medical incident that may have been protracted by one physician's insistence upon a more "holistic" approach. Well, I nearly died. I don't mean to imply that it was all due to a "holistic" approach, but hard, effective scientific medical care is the only thing I will ever accept when it comes to my health, or that of my loved ones.

I have nothing against people wanting to take vitamins, or meditating, or even positive thinking as espoused by books like The Secret. But, these techniques should NEVER, EVER take the place of medical science practiced by licensed physicians.

There is too much quackery in our society these days, based upon a new age, feel good mentality that suggests most of our ailments are due mainly to "negative thinking" or bad environmental elements. I throw the bullshit flag on things like that. Health is much too precious to screw around with, and I'm upset that people like Oprah and others tout these crap remedies as legitimate cures.

And what possible legitimacy do people like Suzanne Sommers have in talking about hormone therapy? Did she get her M.D. between takes of Three's Company? Or Jenny McCarthy, who's airhead idea about vaccines suggests a vast medical conspiracy against children. Please.

Medical science is not perfect, but if I am sick I want legitimate, scientific medical care. I'll take that any day over drinking tea, thinking good thoughts, and walking on the beach.

Dobson referred to the hate-crimes legislation that the House recently passed as "the utter evil that's coming out of the United States Congress."

Only a man as hateful and bigoted as Dobson would consider legislation designed to protect minorities as "evil". This is a man who led a fundamentalist crusade to strip people like myself, and millions more like us, of every right we are granted in the Constitution. He and his mindless followers have fought tooth and nail to create a fascist theocracy in this country. Finally, at long last, America is waking up to what a danger this man, and people like him, pose to the freedoms we are granted, and to the rule of law.

I'm thankful beyond expression that Dobson and his ilk have "lost" the culture wars. Had they won in the way they had wanted, I'd likely be in a concentration camp by now.

Dobson is a fascist, fundamentalist piece of shit. May he dwell in reviled obscurity for the rest of his days.

is universal healthcare in the United States. Insurance companies are nothing but leeches who steal billions every year and deny adequate coverage for even the most simple of treatments. They need to be cut out of the equation altogether.

This is one major reason that I, and MILLIONS of other Americans voted for Obama. We know that our current healthcare system is an abomination and it needs a complete overhaul. It is unjustifiable that we continue to operate with such a shitty care system, when every one of the other major industrialized nations have some form of effective, universal coverage. For Christ's sake, Costa Rica has a better healthcare system than we do, based on the current rankings.

So where is this "Change" we were all promised? Seems our new President and our Congress need to grow themselves a spine.

I agree that many people have that fear about Medicare. But I honestly think that it's an unnecessary fear. A healthy society is a more productive society overall. It benefits all of us by having a universal healthcare system- less lost working hours due to illness because people can take care of their illness when they get sick. Thereby taking care of the problem before it becomes unmanageable and they are unable to work altogether.

Every year we hear statistics on the news saying that the common cold and flu cost businesses X million amount in lost revenue. Wouldn't it be nice if people could just visit the doctor, take a few days off, and return to work healthy, instead of having to soldier through it and make their co-workers sick in the process?

And to the issues raised by lower-income and welfare individuals, the costs of their healthcare is already spread into our system in a number of ways. Consider that- if someone of low income falls ill they often rely upon the emergency room to treat their illness- at a higher cost than a primary physician, and often at more advanced symptoms had they visited a primary physician in the first place. These costs are transferred on to people with heathcare in the form of higher premiums. Wouldn't it be better if people were able to take care of their health problems before they got bad, and with a primary physician as opposed to an emergency room, which will charge hundreds of dollars more for the same care?

And the idea that paying people are somehow more "worthy" of heathcare than those who are poor is disgusting beyond belief. Heathcare is a human right, and it should be one in a country as wealthy as ours. I just wish more people would wake up to this fact.