kiowamohican...I think you hit the nail on the head with that statement. I'll also add that another thing that gets in the way of that pursuit is also the citizens of this country. Afterall, it's US, the citizens of this country who make up that overbearing government! We lack leadership in all levels of government, without question. The main reason we lack leadership there is because we're lacking leadership where it all starts which is in the homes of America. Alot of babies being born with massive potential to be geniuses and leaders that are taught to be ignorant. It's becoming more and more evident as our generations having these babies have been raised by the corporate driven media that the government happens to be part of! A proper education is lacking in our society. It has been for many years.

AMEN; lovemycountry
People who are looking to the government to better their life, or their mundane problems, are going to be sadly let down. Liberty is all about the pursuit of individual excellence, and doing so by freedom. The only thing that gets in the way of that pursuit is an over bearing government.

I still <3 Obama. :)
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And therein lies the core reason for our worsening economic collapse. We shouldn't be looking to President Obama, Bush, or Congress to save us. Everyone should have the individual responsibility to manage their own lives, knowing life has good and bad times. Some of us have yet to learn that as we allow government to assume more of our responsibility, we are giving a little more of our freedom and liberty to the government at the same time.

I still <3 Obama. :)

SA...I respect your opinions, but I resent the fact that you are trying to bully me into thinking in your terms. It is our right to have our own opinions, but I don't believe it is my place or yours to implant "thought to be's" in others' minds. JMO

MooShoo: "I think President Obama is taking us out of the pit George Bush put us in."
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You can't get out of debt with more debt.

Sorry to break it to you "optimism", but until Obama and his cronies, (ie. Pelosi, Prince Harry, Feinstein) realize that there are bigger problems on hand than investigating the Bush administration, this country will never get anywhere. They are definitely good at using distractions to get ridiculous policy changes passed, and keep a nice smoke screen up. All the investigations into the Bush administration are doing is giving the liberal media something less important, and less damning to talk about (than Obama's current policies). To go into a 3.5 trillion dollar deficit with no money, no plan, and no members of congress that read any bills sent through, we are in a little bit of trouble. Even worse, our kids and grandkids will probably be paying 70% of their income in taxes because of us. Oh, but let Obama tell you he's not raising taxes. He is almost right, except for the fact that he will, and Jim Doyle is being Obama's proxy on taxes. Let's tax everything and anything during this recession (looks like that thirteen dollars per paycheck won't do so much, seeing as the new taxes will take care of that on a daily basis. Well, optimism, keep hoping that Obama reveals some national security secrets, or Feinstein talks more about secret programs to the national press. The loose lipped liberals are putting our soldiers, and the American dream at risk!

http://chrisbrady.typepad.com/my_weblog/...

Enough said!

mooshoo, You've got it backwards. I could care less about George Bush and all of his shortcomings at this point. The task at hand is an uphill climb and regardless of the great "black" hope (Obama) and his optimism, we are facing perhaps the greatest economic challenges this country has ever faced. People need to understand that it's not going to be easy and we will face many dark days before we start to see light at the end of the tunnel. The majority are expecting some miracle turnaround and it's not going to happen! Change is in order and for that to take place, it's going to require the most change where it hurts.......in the American people! It's wake up time. This isn't a dress rehearsal! The only slope in sight is pointing upward and the sooner people face reality, the faster we can move forward. The only thing correct about the headline is the fact that the slope is slippery. We're going to be taking steps forward and many steps back before we get traction. There will be massive growing pains for this country if it's done right. We've tried the patch job thing for too long now.

Gazette...could you please, if possible, cover the story of the CIA mishandlings (or whatever they were) exposed by Obama from under Bush's watch? I can't seem to find the whole story on this.

I love Obama! :) If all else fails, at least he is giving us all something to look forward to, which is more than we have had in a very long time. I had a wonderful feeling about him from day one. And I have yet to be disappointed.

matthew516, you got is backasswards. In this opinion piece, Krautyhammer tells us Obama leading us down the slope. Like the majority of optomistic real Americans, I think President Obama is taking us out of the pit George Bush put us in.

I guess we should return to Clinton, and a Gingrich lead congress then..I have no problem with that! The budget was indeed balanced, and you had huge economic growth in those years. Granted a lot of that "growth" was built on a house of cards. Much of the huge GDP growth and revenues to the treasury from that growth was based off a dot com boom that created all sorts of false wealth.
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Now that all the bubbles have finally collapsed you are sitting on MASSIVE deficits, that are projected to be in the TRILLIONS for DECADES, with no end in sight, while the scope of government grows bigger and bigger. Bush saw the budget grow from about $2 trillion when he took office to over $3 trillion when he left office. The Obama budget is proposed at around $4 TRILLION. God forbid we would ever balance a budget by CUTTING SPENDING!

It would be funny if it weren't so tragic. Reagan and Bush run a colossal deficit, Clinton fixes it, Bush runs a colossal deficit, and just when we hit the skids because of Bush laissez-faire economic policies and need to run a deficit, suddenly all you guys can talk about is balancing the budget. High time to get religion, wastrels.

DrTalk is right. Clinton did not leave Bush with a surplus. Clinton did run the government and turn a yearly surplus, but was not in office long enough to get rid of the total deficit. He only took a chunk out of it. Of course we know Bush completely took us back and then some.

justsaynotomath,
Bill Clinton did not leave George Bush a surplus. He did get the deficit down to just under $18 Billion, but there was never a surplus. This can be verified on the U.S. Treasury website. But here's an article that summarizes it.
http://www.craigsteiner.us/articles/16

Factcheck: Your bias is showing! First you said the average cost of health INSURANCE is $8000 per person. Later you said the average cost of health CARE is $8000 per person. You're right on the second count according to www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml
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The average cost of health insurance varies depending who's doing the reporting:
ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2008/10/16/for-the-record-just-what-is-the-average-cost-of-health-care-insurance.aspx
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Everyone can agree, though, that the cost of health insurance is ridiculous. Something does need to be done. But nationalized health care is not the answer. I don't want to wait for my cancer treatment like in Canada, and I certainly don't want the low-quality dental programs of England.
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My company offers a high-deductible healthcare program. I pay a low premium for coverage for myself and my child ($50 a month/$600 per year) as well as the first $3,000 total of health care (annual physicals are free); the company covers 100 percent of all other care. I have a health savings account, which covers the deductible and comes out of my paycheck pre-tax (I do have to pay Wisconsin income tax, though), earns interest and is not "use it or lose it."
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The plan by default encourages me to seriously consider the need for minor care--because it comes out of my pocket--but will cover the costs of catastrophic or major care.
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I think that's what health insurance is meant to do: not cover the little stuff, but cover the costs for major illnesses and other events that would be impossible to pay out of pocket.

5284, people are turned down every day in the US because they have no health care, and no way to pay. It`s not a secret, the stories come up about once a week when somebody is denied in a life-threatening situation. You always see fundraisers to help people get care. Medical bills are a leading cause of bankruptcy in this country. It is time for national health care, and it will be good for business community also.(Maybe not so good for the corrupt insurance industry!)

The headline for this article says alot about the leadership of President Obama! Obama is supposed to be a leader! Leaders don't lead people "down" the slope! Leaders lead the charge up the hill and the downhill side is supposed to be a reward for the hard earned efforts by the people who chose to have courage to venture UP THAT HILL!

I only partially like two out of these three:

1. universal health care
2. universal education
3. a new green energy economy highly funded and regulated by government.

1. People with health care do not want to fund the poor. They also don't want to wait in line behind people that are getting government health benefits (especially if they are in pain). Don't see this ever happening.

2. I don't see this happening either. There are plenty of grants out there that poor people can get. They may not pay for Harvard, but would pay for a state school. That is good enough. We don't want to devaluate a college education by sending everyone.

3. I like the focus on green energy (or alternative fuels), but I would like to see the government award cash prizes out for inventions that could be mass produced and actually used. The government is a terrible project manager and I can see a lot of wasted cash in this endeavor.

The unions don`t buy the health care yet, but when they do they will pay the same if the coverage is the same. Cost of labor at GM last year was less than 6% of income, I hardly call that shafting. I have looked at plans for a single person, and $3-4 hundred is a low coverage , high deductible one .

I call shenanigans on the "good" health plan for $100/month. Was that 1963?

I had plenty of coverage with a $100/year deductible. GM is probably getting shafted by unions. They have been for years. That's part of the reason they are in trouble. The states with big unions are the ones hurting the most. I am pretty sure that's a clue. I'll have to look back at the research about the pill. It was fairly prevalent a few years ago. Shouldn't be too terribly difficult to find. Although, as I recall, it was buried somewhat.

Average cost for a single person for health care is $8000, I don`t say this, the health care industry says it. GM pays $12,000 for a couple and they cover almost a million people at a discount. For a family of four it is almost $16,000 according to the experts. If you were getting a plan for $100 a month you must have a $5000 deductible, or virtually no coverage. A cheap plan is $3-4 hundred a month. Germans abhor suicide, they still remember the Nazis killing people that didn`t fit their idea of society and it bothers them. I would be very interested in knowing where you got the "pill" information.

I know of no one in this country who has ever been denied medical care. Can't say that about countries with socialized medicine. 'nuff said

Don - Never has a government successfully legislated personal behavior. People have to be allowed to fail, as well as succeed, in all of their choices (health care, finance, etc.). Without failure, there is no objective standard by which to measure success.

Oh, and by the way: Insults don't make your arguments any stronger.

I have personally purchased a very good health insurance plan for about $75 a month ( and no, it wasn't some crappy HMO deal). Truthfully, over a three year period, it did go up as high as $100/month. We just shopped around and found a better deal. If you're paying $8000/year for insurance, you need to seriously consider changing which insurance company you are dealing with. Don't tell me about having to buy health care insurance...been there, done that. Had to adjust the family budget a little bit, but we all have to set priorities. Look at where your money goes and you will see what your current priorities are.

Bush, by himself, had almost $16 trillion worth of budgets, let alone the other 42 presidents. Your statement is silly!

The only thing that has passed is the stimulus, no budget yet. Check your facts!

Factcheck better check your facts again. You are including budgets that are partially offset with ntax collections. Obamas' spending is over the top and unfunded.

Obama hasn`t even come close to spending that amount, don`t be ridiculous! The national debt, what all other presidents have overspent, is over $11 trillion, not to mention what they have spent that was paid for. If you want to get on him for spending, fine, but make statements rooted in fact, not stupidity!

The conservative posters on this article are correct in that Americans do need to take better care of themselves. While they talk about the negatives of socialized health care they take, or should take, into consideration that in terms of longevity the US ranks 17th in the world, far behind many other countries with socialized medicine. Why? because we as Americans want our cake and want to eat it, and our neighbors', and our neighbors' neighbors' etc... I can't disagree with this but what happens in the case of someone without health insurance who gets into an accident through no fault of their own? The person who has lived a "clean" life and gets cancer? It is a fallacy to believe that living a healthy life style automatically leads to a healthy life. What about children? Do we deny them health care because of the choices of their parents? In a perfect world, only those who treated themselves like crap would get sick, but that is just not the case. Conservatives want companies to be able to sell you anything your willing to buy but let the same companies off the hook for the damage they can cause. The guy who owns stock in McDonalds says thanks for buying our garbage and oh by the way, when you need a bypass don't come calling to me. The cigarette companies are classic example. They put cigarettes in soldier's food rations then say, don't ask us to pay for your lung transplant. They are allowed to market junk food to our kids on TV and at school then tell them it is their fault that they're fat and we won't pay for their medical care. If individuals are responsible for making sensible choices then wouldn't it be better if we had a government that only gave them sensible choices to make instead of giving them bad options then saying, Thanks for your money. Bye, bye now. I hate when conservatives say "Don't make me pay for them", but have to come seek help for making bad business decisions. Even DrTalk will need health care at some point in his life. I assume from the posts that he will happily decline medicare and feel better about himself knowing he never asked for help from his fellow taxpayers, but I doubt it.

Using Canada's socialized health care as something to strive towards is completely laughable. The care, when you can get it, is nowhere near the quality of care that is available in the US. That's why Canadians with the resources end up getting care in this country. There is nothing wrong with our system as it stands. I completely agree with employers having the authority to curb the habits of their obese employees as well. They should be required to exercise and take better care of themselves.....

OBAMA has spent more $ in his first 30 days on the job than all administrations since Washington up to the day of his inauguration. No way to pay it back. If he took every cent earned by all American workers for year it would only ncover the first bailout. I say let all the legislators who voted for this be the first to give up their pay. A president is supposed to be a caretaker of our democracy. His job is not to change the governmrnt into HIS vision of what he wants it to be. God help us.

Try buying $8000 worth of health insurance while making $35,000 a year, maybe you wouldn`t be such a miserable excuse for a human being. I can understand if you don`t like the government, but to want to take it out on people that work hard, play by the rules, but just don`t make enough to buy insurance is pitiful.

Another thing: Many of the countries with socialized health care have rationing of that care. In Germany, when you reach a certain age, they will actually give you a "suicide" pill to take in the hopes of saving a few government bucks by having you take yourself out. In the U.S. you accept a job knowing what the pay and benefits are. If the pay is not enough or the benefits aren't what you want, then you find another job. Yes, you may have to retrain, you may have to work outside your preferred field, you may even have to go back to school, but missed opportunities are no excuse for just giving up. That's not the attitude with which this country founded. The tuth is that Americans are "can-do" folks who just will not give up. The complainers and whiners just slow everyone down. Remember this: If you are not part of the solution, then you must be part of the problem.

I'm tired of fat people with cell phones, i-pods, big-screen televisions, satellite dishes, personal computers, blackberries, and internet service who buy $30 -$50 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets and two or three cases of beer every payday crying about not being able to afford health insurance. Live with the consequences of your decisions. Don't ask me to finance the removal of consequences for your irresponsible behavior.

I strngly urge every one to fight this notion of bailing companys and banks out, we are putting a burden on our children that is going to be impossible to over come. our government can't run any thing right, I beg any one to prove me wrong on this. We are all being hoodwinked into thinking we are in such a crisis that they are using fear to cram this socilist crap down our throats.

"Man can live and satisfy his wants only by ceaseless labor; by the ceaseless application of his faculites to natural resources. This is the process of property.
"But it is also true that a man may live and satisfy his wants by seizing and consuming the products of the labor of others. This is the process of plunder.
"Now since man is naturally inclined to avoid pain - and since labor is pain in itself - it follows that men will resort to plunder whenever plunder is easier than work."
--- Frederic Bastiat

So you want to put health care into the hands of the government? The same government that gave $400,000 of tax payer money to a teapot museum in N.C? The same government that spent $50 Million of taxpayer money for an indoor rain forest in Iowa? The same government that wasted $100 million on unused commercial airline tickets that were returnable and refundable?
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If you think health care is expensive now just wait until the government takes control of it. You'll be getting taxed a lot more and the government will squander it.

I wouldn't know personally, but a Canadian once told me that in countries with socialized medicine they have honed the system into streamlined perfection to ensure that everyone's health needs are treated equally. He further explained that they wait for their patients to die of whatever horrible disease they have instead of actually treating it. It's an extremely simple and cost effective solution to a complex healthcare problem.
Sorry folks, but socialized medicine is merely a tax in disguise.

Tax: Charge against a citizen's person or property or activity for the support of government.

Tax (In America): Charge against a citizen's person or property or activity so the government can pay someone to teach the polar bears how to swim.

Everyone else is paying for it now in higher health costs. In the long run, a national health system is cheaper. Instead of 16% of GDP other countries pay 8% for health care. Canadians pay around $40 a month for theirs, not $666 like here.The only people using that phrase use it in a derogatory way, I`ve never heard a mainstream Democrat, or Obama use it, have you?

Heavy Progressive Income Tax? This we do NOT have. When I doubled my income in turbo tax (just to see what would happen) my effective tax rate went down.

Those making over the Social Security max see their effective tax rate plunge compared to someone making under 100k.

With cradle to cublic education, that takes of the 10th plank...(thanks to Reps and Dems)
The 10 planks of communism:

1. Abolition of private property
2. Heavy Progressive Income tax - Done
3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance
4. Confiscation of property of all emigrants and rebels
5. Central Bank - Done
6. Government control of communication and transportation
7. Government ownership of factories and agriculture
8. Government control of labor
9. Corporate Farms, regional planning
10. Government control of education - Done

factcheck,
So your solution is to make everyone else pay for it? You're really generous with other people's money.
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By the way, factcheck, you need to check your facts. It wasn't Republicans that started the Obama Messiah stuff. It was Louis Farrakhan.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=775...

ProudFighter11 has anyone told you are full of crap today? what do you want ,after 12 years of
bush control . total ruination of our country and other country's. pull your head out pal.

They can`t afford the insurance, period! I get a little tired of this 'liberal media" crap too. All the big networks, cable outfits, magazines are owned by big corporations and Republicans. They control the news. Republicans started that Obamessiah crap, not Obama, and not the Democrats. The recession started in December of 2007, well before anyone knew Obama would be the candidate.

"People without insurance do not take better care of themselves, they neglect care."
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Well then that's why they would have a hard time getting insurance in the first place. If they don't take care of themselves (eat healthy, exercise, etc..), then Insurance compaies would see them as a risk. If they did get insured they would be paying high premiums. I recently read that some employers are requiring their employess to eat healthy and excercise to keep health care costs down.

Happier than I was under George Worthless Bush and tinkle down economics. Good thing we do not have a Republic President in power now. It would be like reliving history under Herbert do nothing Hoover.

I'm not real crazy about letting people like Nancy Pelosi be involved in decisions regarding my health care...are you?

Obamaniacs did everything they could to scare people into voting for him. That and the Liberal medias constant negativity in the name of their messiah is what threw us into this great recession. Are you happy now Democrats?

Reps AND Dems have brought us socialism. Don't blame B.O. for being socialist, blame the suckers who voted for him. Ask them, where will he get the money ?

Krauthammer is a knee jerk wing nut conservative. His first paragraph includes comments like "boldest social democratic manifesto" and "Obamaism". He is full of himself, and full of kraut. George Bush and his country club politics dragged this county to near ruin. P.U. Krauthammer.

Dr Talk obviously believes everyone can attain his apparent 6 figure salary... Not the way the world works...then the generalization that all health care is political, implying everyone can afford this crazy escalating inflated mess... without getting personal, that is just sick and wrong.

Health insurance isn't the solution to high medical costs, it is the cause of them. It was instituted as a loophole in government wage and price controls to provide tax-free income. It has since evolved into a system of socializing health care for profit. It isn't even "insurance" in the strictest sense of that term. At at time when few had health insurance, routine medical care was affordable for the average wage earner.

Health insurance is now $8000 a person, and for most people not affordable. Half the taxpayers in this country make $35,000 or less. People without insurance do not take better care of themselves, they neglect care. Insurance companies now spend about 30% of premiums on administration, unlike Medicare which is 4-5 percent. 16% of GDP is spent on health care, and we have lousy statistics compared to other industrialized nations. It is time for national health care.

Don_Diego,
People should exhibit personal responsibility and buy their own health insurance. This idea of socialized medicine is reticulum. Health insurance is a moral hazard. There are people with health insurance that will go to the doctor's office at the first sign of a sniffle. Doing that drives up the cost of health care. People without health insurance will take better care of themselves than those with health insurance.
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This whole idea of health care is nothing more than a political pawn. Politicians will use the idea of socialized medicine to gain the votes of those who don't have health insurance. And those without it somehow believe that it's the government job to provide them with things they don't have.

First class and third class, what about 2,4,5,6, etc. Couriers deliver first class. As an independent they get no government money, as such they are "free market" operators, so you can`t say "the government can`t even make money for the Post Office." They are on their own.

"The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an "independent establishment of the executive branch" of the United States Government (see 39 U.S.C. § 201) responsible for providing postal service in the United States. Within the United States, it is generally referred to as "the post office."

The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g. Amtrak), but as noted above is legally defined as an "independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States,"[cite this quote] as it is wholly owned by the government and controlled by the Presidential appointees and the Postmaster General. As a quasi-governmental agency, it has many special privileges, including sovereign immunity, eminent domain powers, powers to negotiate postal treaties with foreign nations, and an exclusive legal right to deliver first-class and third-class mail."

Obama leads us down a slippery slope? Is he joking? Good grief, we've been flying down this slope at break neck speed since Bush declared his war on "terror". I don't think many realize the situation. The American economy did collapse. The only reason we have stayed afloat is because of the billions floated to corrupt financial institutions, who have blown through it with little or nothing to show. While I do not fully blame Bush for the financial disaster, it is a direct consequence of the last 8 years of governance. It's going to get worse.

Simple statement. The Bush administration put the economy in this situation. Does anyone really believe that is not the case? Obama is making bold choices because we need bold choices...I applaud the man for having onions......As it stands, more big fish could go under...GM for example

By the way, stamps are going up two cents in May.

Fed Ex, UPS, etc. Start your own service. The government does not run the Post Office, it is on it`s own. No money from the taxpayers.

These actions were inevitable. In the wealthiest country in the world people are without health care. This is unacceptable. Socialized medicine is basic health care. Having spent a week in a public hospital in Costa Rica and Honduras for different ailments, I can personally attest to this. Was it what I expect from health care in the US? No, but both times I came back stateside in excellent shape and both times doctors here could do nothing more for me that what had already been done. I have yet to see or here a better solution that will ensure that everyone has basic health care. When people don't have health insurance they go to the emergency room for basic care since they can't be rejected. This is extremely expensive. Until someone explains how this could be solved better, I vote for socialized medicine.

"The government doesn`t run the Post Office, that is a free market enterprise!"

Really? So if I want to offer to deliver mail for a lower stamp cost I am free to do so? Better look again.

The government doesn`t run the Post Office, that is a free market enterprise!

Japan tried the 100 trillion yen stimulus, didn't work. Brazil tried the free health care AND collage education in the mid 80's didn't work. President Johnson The great Society, war on poverty, and Viet Nam, didn't work. President Ford $300 dollar rebates, didn't work. President Carter raised taxes in the 70's, didn't work. President Bush ran up big deficits, war, didn't work. President Obama and congress think all the above will work? I just wish the gov could run the Post Office with a profit. Socialism works real well in Europe..

"Conservatives take a dim view of the regulation-bound, economically sclerotic, socially stagnant, nanny state that is the European Union"

And look where they views brought us, close to a depression, trillions of dollars more in debt to foreign countries etc. Now look what their views brought them, out-of-power.