See the last thing I'm interested in is a flame war with you. That's a useless waste of both of our time. And you're just worth it.

And you can see the 85% of Americans who favor health-care reform as some sort of insidious plot to transfer wealth - I presume you mean your wealth - but I don't think anyone else got the memo.

But when you say that the majority of people without healthcare simply choose that way to go through life - well that's crazy talk. That's quality head in the sand talk. That's "I don't care what's actually happening in the country at large these last couple of decades, I'm going to ignore it and let those damn people - who I don't believe exist - die" talk. That's inhumane talk. Counterproductive to a good, functioning society talk. You know - reprobate talk.

Now get off my highway.

that's Michelle Bachmann and Virginia Foxx talk:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/24/bachmann-other-gop-mother_n_244348.html

http://letters.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2009/07/24/gates_crowley/view/index35.html?show=all

You're not alone, I've been contacting too and telling everyone I can. I don't frankly know that it does any good to post here about healthcare - Alex and Joan have got the Palin-birthing world by the tail (Botticelli take note), as the letter counts show, and War Room's healthcare coverage is pale and un-pithy by comparison. Those guys sure know their audience!

Good article today by Robert Reich, and great article by Bill Moyers on Huffington and Common Dreams over the weekend. Even a decent take by Ralph Nader on CD, bless his wayward heart. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a series of articles by Moyers? Or a real round-table discussion - an entire issue as it were - to cover the facts as well as the players? Something that starts out on a high note, so that it still hovers there after the faux W. F. Buckley dregs of the letters section.

Still, gotta love Ms. Pelosi for not taking the pressure off. And why not turn Rahm loose on the Blue Dogs more often? I'd love a youtube mash-up of that one.

Single-payer rally in Washington this Thursday, courtesy of Nader (but not Salon).

An article by Moyers on healthcare goes up on Salon! They heard my prayers. Must of been the idea of Palin on a half-shell by Botticelli.

Thanks Salon, seriously.

You've got more comrades in this than you know. It's not just the uninsured (me too), it's those who can't afford the deductible anymore, it's those denied essential treatment, it's those losing jobs and coverage tomorrow and the next day. It's 85% of the country, however that works out.

And it's those who've lost love ones due to a needless lack of resources. Salsipudes, I'm so sorry to hear your trauma - heartbreaking. One of the last refuges of the scoundrels who deny real pain and consequence within this health system is their ignorance of anyone truly affected. Someone who seriously does not CHOOSE to go naked. Or so they say.

They're either liars or should really get out more.

Ballsee, I'm with you on cascading loss of coverage, and timbuktom I'd happily help man the ramparts with you to reverse it - anytime.

"The stars are aligned" is not so far from the truth. We have the first president in years who's inclined to let this make or break his term (I think, in his own unruffled way, he is), a Democratic Congress (it's rumored) and a country in agreement. By next year all those things could be changed (although I don't think they will).

But strike now, hot irons, carpe diem and all that.

We can perfect the bill - the House may pass one but the Senate won't, so there's time to tune. There's time to argue and get active. And there's time to whip up the biggest majority of good will towards universal coverage that's ever existed in this country. Of course, it doesn't exist in these letters sections. Personally I blame Paglia for that, but I digress.

Let's stick together on this. We're closer than we think.

Everybody loses! Classic.

God if you could just explode heads by looking at someone, I'd watch TV every night.

Finance Committe to Drop Public Option, from Huffington:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/27/senate-group-dropping-dem_n_245839.html

I think there are some white guys in the Salon letters sections who still believe in existing health care - but they're all from the same right wing PR company.

You're completely right - it ain't no joke. This is the chance of a lifetime, and we'd better not let the obfuscators muck it up. Progress now.

For the same reason that Ballsee pays for the roads you drive on, the fireman and policeman you call up for protection, and your medicare. Oh, and let's not forget the vast amounts of money we collectively spend on our military budget. For the same reason that those shared services would be prohibitive to you or me if we paid only for our personal portion, ala carte - the cost is spread over everone's resources, the entire meal as it were. That seems to work. You're saying health care isn't as essential as those services? We can't make it work in the same way, if we put our heads together?

BTW, are you going to return your medicare benefits when they kick in because you personally didn't pay for them all? Or will you wait for Ballsee to foreclose on you (which I'm guessing he might with your glib analysis of his personal situation).

Anyway - you're not paying for Ballsee. I am, and he me, and I don't begrudge him dental at all.

Risk and costs spread over the entire population might even lower your costs. Wouldn't that be a disaster!

Healthcare, it's not you vs. them.