What a SURPRISE!

[Excaliber]

Subsidizing is called "taxes" and yeah I think it needs to be done fairly. The question then is, "What is fair?" I've heard some estimates that suggest a person with a taxable income of $450K a year will see an increase of a $1,000 a year. About 70 or 80 a month? I think that's reasonable myself, to help, as Leona Hemsley called them, the "little people".

I think the primary aspect of this thread may be: A public option health care plan will make it impossible for a private/for profit health care plan to compete in the market. Therefore, the only viable option will be a Government administered, backed, run, setup (pick one or more) plan that would drive the independants out of business. Hog wash say I! Those private plans will flourish with folks that can afford them. Those plans that can't cut the mustard will go away.

While I'm fundamentally opposed to "more Government" it's clear that we have to have more over sight of key Big Business shops. Wall Street cannot regulate itself based on an honor system, nor can any big business. Government intervention/control was/is warranted in the current economic conditions for many of these institutions.

I'll grant you this, it couldn't be a worse time to push for a health care program, what with the deficit and all that. We should wait until 2016 or so when Social Security goes bankrupt and then try it again when were really really broke!