Originally Posted By: L. Brown
BS, Jack.

Very mature, Larry.
Originally Posted By: L. Brown
..it has to be demonstrated that not only is the CONCEPT superior to what we have now, but that whatever SPECIFIC PLAN is being offered us is an improvement.

That's where your straw man fallacy falls apart - you try to refute a general proposition by demanding a "SPECIFIC PLAN" which has never been suggested. It's a flimsy tactic, Larry, usually deployed by losers in the logic game.
Originally Posted By: L. Brown
...the fact is, you are in partial agreement with those Americans who oppose universal health care: you too are against Hillarycare and Obamacare.

Another fallacy. Opposing HillaryCare and ObamaCare is not "opposing universal health care." That's like saying being against Al Qaeda puts me in "partial agreement" with Americans who oppose Islam.

I do oppose ObamaCare and HillaryCare, because both keep the rapacious US private health insurers in control. Ever wonder why health costs are driving US companies overseas? Here's what the top HMO execs were making 12 years ago:

The 10 Highest Paid HMO Executives 1996 Annual Compensation
(Exclusive of Unexercised Stock Options)

Stephen Wiggins, CEO, Oxford Health Plans, Inc. $29,061,599
Wilson Taylor, Chairman and CEO, CIGNA Corporation $11,568,410
David Snow, Executive VP, Oxford Health Plans, Inc. $10,403,451
Robert Smoler, Executive VP, Oxford Health Plans, Inc. $10,085,972
William Sullivan, President, Oxford Health Plans, Inc. $7,823,076
Joseph Sebastianelli, President, Aetna, Inc. $7,394,506
Michael Cardillo, Executive VP, Aetna, Inc. $7,069,969
Leonard Schaeffer, CEO, WellPoint Health Networks, Inc. $7,010,698
George Jochum, CEO, Mid-Atlantic Medical Services, Inc. $6,526,065
Ronald Compton, CEO, Aetna, Inc. $5,813,287
http://www.harp.org/hmoexecs.htm

Managing health care for maximum profit is the problem, not the solution. And I have shown that government management, in the US (i.e., Medicare) as well as abroad, is more efficient and equitable.

We would be better off with most of the European single-payer, universal health care plans. If you feel a need to identify which is better, the World Health Organization Report 2000 is probably the most comprehensive indicator. Check out Annex 10, page 200: http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/whr00_annex_en.pdf

France and Italy rank #1 and #2. The US ranks #37, not quite as high as Costa Rica. But hey, we're better than Slovenia! That should make you feel proud.

Sample my new book at http://www.theweemadroad.com