I posted this because the first commenter really sums my feelings exactly (emphasis mine)-
"The truly sad part is that the Democrats in Congress and Obama are relinquishing their majority partly because of this media coverage. MMFA makes the argument that this is poor journalism. In fact, it is purposeful propaganda. These media outlets aren't interested in journalism, they work for conservative owners who want everything the Democrats attempt to fail. They have health coverage and don't care about us. They simply want low taxes and government regulation that allows them to make bigger profits. The media is their water boy. It is populated by traitors who take their pay to misinform and mislead listeners with full knowledge of their misdeeds.
Democrats have the majority but some members are beholden to lobbyists to such a degree that Obama's agenda will fail. This is not a great country anymore; it's a cesspool of selfishness and ignorance. We spend $7 trillion a year for a military to abate our fears of foriegners while we allow our country to rot from within.
How stupid must we be to still fear socialism when we have successful social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Fannie Mae, public education, food stamps, HUD, subsidized college student loans, FDA, etc. People just don't get that our government protects us from all kinds a vagaries, both intentional and circumstantial, through tax collection and spending. Universal healthcare is the natural extension of the programs we already rely upon. "
To be fair, on some level, I think a large group of these individuals represent a block of people who -
- are upset that the Republicans lost the 2008 US Elections
- are upset that they lost the 2008 US Presidential Election to a moderate/progressive
- cannot get over the fact that the man who won the 2008 US Presidential Election is half black and half white.
But that's not just what's happening here. I think these large insurance companies and their demand for profit is on some level driving this hysteria.
It would be funny seeing all these individuals who attend the public 'town-hall' meetings with their swastikas, and denunciations of of Obama, the Democratic Party, Socialism, Liberals, etc.
That is, it would be funny if it weren't so sad. Have they ever experienced a situation where health care wasn't just driven by private insurance companies?
To me, health care is a right, not a privilege. This table sums it up -
Country  | Life expectancy | Infant mortality rate | Physicians per 1000 people | Nurses per 1000 people | Per capita expenditure on health (USD) | Healthcare costs as a percent of GDP | % of government revenue spent on health | % of health costs paid by government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 81.1 | 4.7 | 2.8 | 9.7 | 2,999 | 8.8 | 17.7 | 67.0 |
| Canada | 80.4 | 5.4 | 2.1 | 8.8 | 3,678 | 10.1 | 16.7 | 70.0 |
| France | 80.9 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 7.6 | 3,449 | 11.1 | 14.2 | 79.7 |
| Germany | 79.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 9.8 | 3,371 | 10.6 | 17.6 | 77.0 |
| Japan | 82.4 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 9.3 | 2,474 | 8.2 | 16.8 | 82.7 |
| Sweden | 80.8 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 10.7 | 3,202 | 9.2 | 13.6 | 81.7 |
| UK | 79.1 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 11.9 | 2,760 | 8.4 | 15.8 | 87.0 |
| US | 77.8 | 6.9 | 2.4 | 10.5 | 7,290 | 16.0 | 18.5 | 46.0 |
As Paul Krugman summerizes -
" ... all that stands in the way of universal health care in America are the greed of the medical-industrial complex, the lies of the right-wing propaganda machine, and the gullibility of voters who believe those lies."
When will enough people in the US stop believing in those lies?
UPDATE: It appears there may be some hope -
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