and I'll drink to that as well, Mr. Keillor

Our representatives and senators in congress aren't confused at all. They know 60% of the bankruptcies in this country are due to our lack of universal health insurance. They know Americans pay the highest amount on health care in the world for coverage that is the riskiest in the world.

They also know that the health insurance lobbies give them good, green money to side with the most powerful overpaid executives in the world, American excecutives, and let the rest of us fend as pathetically as we can trying to get our broken leg fixed.

Conservatism only works until someone gets an advantage and a monopoly on a service. This is unfortunately always. Our health insurance companies are in that position. Our executives are in that position and shall remain so until their companies crumble underneath them as the common people go bankrupt. This is happening now.

you can borrow one from australia, or britain, or canada, or just about anywhere, and improve american life.

the hard part is that the people who run america aren't the people. the corporations do, and they are there for the money. nothing to be done about it, a large part of the electorate are house-trained, or house slaves, as so many founding fathers were in a position to say.

you get the government you deserve, and political cattle must take what they are given. it won't be much.

It was a lovely afternoon, full of humor, poignancy, and gracious strangers. And free! :-)

Anyway, just wanted to say thank you. And Happy 35th Anniverary!

Now all of a sudden the health care “business” has discovered 155 billion in savings and big Pharma has found 80 billion in savings. Where has all this money been going for the past 10 years? Oh, 100 billion will be lost in future payments anyway from the government so they are really only giving back 55 billion. It’s another trick. These no good rogues will present any deception they can think of to thwart the possibility of a public plan. They know the jig is up and they are on the edge of the finish line. The days of holding prolonged discomfort or possible sudden death over the heads of the American people in order to facilitate serial armed robbery is coming to and end. We are the only civilized nation in the world where before medical treatment is provided we must answer 100 questions about how we will pay for the treatment “before” it is administered. Stories about Americans dying in emergency rooms for lack of the ability to pay are regular nightly news events. Two years ago, the story about the young man in Chicago bleeding to death right outside the hospital door because no one would attend to him due to his lack of coverage is enough in and of itself to justify change in every medical policy we have in our country.

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican from Kentucky, in an effort to denigrate the President‘s plan, yesterday told a story about how long Canadians had to wait for a knee replacement. In his disingenuous comparison he conveniently left out the fact that here in American 50 million Americans don’t even get placed on a list because we have no way of paying for it. If I have to choose between waiting 6 months for the surgery or not even being considered for the surgery, I’ll get on the waiting list. Thank you very much.

"Why should anyone, least of all a valuable contributing member of society, have to pass the hat to pay the doctor?"

Because our society has failed.

Besides, when you're willing to forgive the people to whom we've entrusted all the power of our society for torturing, why worry about a little thing like healthcare? Perhaps if those tortured in our names could play a good ragtime it would matter more, hmm?

I've written extensively on the health care policy reform issue lately. See my latest two posts. Link in my name.

My conclusion, following Guiness Book candidate detail in one of the posts:

"I have to admit at this point to a net leaning toward the Single Payer concept, potential warts and all. I do not see that happening anytime soon, however -- certainly not this year. We seem to be headed toward an inscrutably hyper-complex re-jiggering of our no-value-adding "health care" paper-pushing industry. I hope I'm wrong."

Hello Mr. Keillor-

Loved your column about the insurance lobbyists! I hope President Obama (or somebody at the Big House) reads it and gets the message! I am sending it to him forthwith! I'll let you know what I hear--uh huh!

Kate Madison

Depoe Bay, Oregon

and I owe my life to their public health system several times over.

After I came here my artificial heart valve became infected. I ended up on the heart surgury floor at St. Vincent's in Sydney. things were real grim. I woke up one time to the priest preparing for last rights. I kid you not!

Three months in the hospital cost me (Aus)$75. I thankfully was not financially wiped out. I met doctors who have discovered new medicines for resistant strains of bacteria. I have seen posters describing new surgical techniques discovered here in Oz. The American medical establishment doesn't have a monopoly on innovation.

In addition I suggest you look at some Aussie anti-smoking ads. One shows the lungs and dissected brain of a cancer victim. Currently we are starting to see some ads that have to do with our diets. I am a member of a sporting club that is partly publicly funded. All these things are due, in part, to a medical system where the costs are publicly borne.

Just don't ask about aboriginal care. It is underfunded and overworked. Australia and public healthcare are not heaven.

In large part your healthcare system is about values. American leadership values blowing up large and small countries. Its citizens can go stuff it.

There is one point that is missing. Most public healthcare systems are run by governments that are accountable to the citizenry. IE if you don't like the way the current government is running things you vote the bastards out. I mean to say that you need a functioning democracy for the system to work. In the US case I'm not sure how well the democratic system works.

Just to gently prod your readers. Despite overwhelming opposition you are still in Iraq and Afghanistan. The government is bailing out banks like they're going out of style etc. American governence seems to be week on the whole accountablilty thing. Unless it's about sex.