If you can find willing lawyers and judges you can sue anyone for anything at any time, but the government has legislated MANY exemptions and immunities for themselves. Haven’t heard about such exemptions or immunities in the current health care takeover bill, but I’m willin’ to bet they are there.

@OP: “… I’d rather have some green eyeshade guy working in the private sector worried about me or my family suing the crap out of his company making that choice rather than a “bureaucrat with a slide rule.””

… who may be exempted and immune from such lawsuits. Again, I’d be willing to bet they’ll exempt and immunize themselves.

2.) Blessed as my life is I have not now nor have I had any illness that required any testing

3.) Even with a heart defect that causes a sharp stabbing pain in my chest it only happens once or twice a year and sometimes I doesnt happen at all

4.) I do not want too pay higher taxes for something I do not need

5.) I do not want everyone paying higher taxes for something I will not use.

6.) I have been without healthcare all of my life except for what was provided because of the level of poverty I was raised in and the companies I worked with and even then I’ve only used my company provided health coverage once in the 12 years of my professional life

7.) there have been 3 times in my life that government provided poverty health care was used by me, twice for a broken arm and once for when my eyeball swelled too the size of my eye socket in my skull do too an allergic reaction

I am an un - insured American and I see no point what so ever too have the government make me pay for something I am not useing, do not want, and will not waste money on. So where is my opout section in thier bill, why cant I say “no thanks im too healthy for health insurance and I do not want too pay for it”

Because I am the reason the government wants too provide health care, as well as the countless millions of americans who are also blessed like me.

This extra money will indeed go too Americans and illegal immigrants who are not blessed as many of us are but theres the problem, not all of it.

Too bad. So now, after all of the compromises that will be made to bring the Blue Dogs into line, you are going to get your “snickers bar” health care program. Obama and company will then crow to the heavens how they have saved America from the forces of evil. And then we will spend the next 20 years trying to fix the resultant 1+ Trillion dollar bandaid of a healthcare system when, by your own admissions, a bandage was needed.

Good luck with that!

I have a very short answer for you - CRAP!

First, I am a Republican and I know the health care system needs to be reformed. I also do not know of a single Republican who does not agree with me on that count. I would like to repeat that - NOT ONE!

If I want to buy a candy bar, I go with my gut and take what’s off the shelf that appeals to me at the moment. If I want to buy a car, I take my time and research the options and make sure I am an informed customer before I ever go to the showroom. Why the difference? One dollar versus 20,000 dollars.

I do not want to rush into this reform of the health care system and just take what’s off the shelf. I want time to reflect on the options. I know there is not going to be a 100% solution to the problem but I do not want to plunge head first into the abyss. There is far too much at stake and far too much to be lost - and gained to do this haphazardly!

Obama wants this yesterday becasue his political butt is on the line and he knows he is dead meat if something doesn’t happen. OK, loet someting happen but I would like to ask you something. Do you want a good health care system or do you want something cobbled together, just barely above the mess we have now, just so Obama can crow to the Heavens about how great he is?

Because that is the path we are on right now - and you know it!

Short and sweet response to that - Bullshit. You believe what Obama is telling you that the Republicans are the Party of No, then you have drunk far too deep from the bucket of Koolaide - and purple Koolaide at that. I am a Republican and I do not know of a single Republican out there who does not agree that the system needs to be reformed. NOT ONE!!!

But just like the Stimulus bill, the Republicans have not been given a chance to bring anything to the table. The Republicans brought 14 amendments to the Stimulus Bill and not one of them saw the light of day. And the resultant bill? Well, you get my drift.

I want to see health care reformed. I want to see that the uninsured have a path to healthcare coverage. But I do not want to destroy the system in order to do so. And that is what I see going on - “and you know it”.

I may have been less than clear, so let me re-phrase what I said above. I don’t believe, for one second, that Republicans want to delay the issue to “fix” it. I believe they want to delay it so that it slowly dies, and the healthcare system does not get reformed. I agree that extended, thoughtful debate would be the best course of action. I don’t see that as an option. I see either try to fix the system now, while there is possibly enough momentum to get something done, or do absolutely nothing at all. If those are my 2 choices, I pick door #1. If you want the system to be reformed, but don’t want anything to happen until the proposal is 100% perfect to everybody concerned . . . then you don’t want the system fixed.
You don’t trust the government. Neither do I. I specifically think the Leglislative Dems are wear-helmets-inside dumb. If that’s a reason not to support healthcare, aren’t you saying the government should do nothing at all? I don’t trust them to manage the military well with their budgets. Guess they shouldn’t pass a military budget. They’re incompetent at maintining ifrastructure. So no more road reapairs or bridge upgrades until we’re sure they won’t muck something up.

No doubt that you got promised (a) and then got (b) with the VA. If you think that relying on the private sector (and specifically private, for-profit insurance companies) is going to avoid that problem, I respectfully disagree. They promise one thing, then deliver another. And they have an incentive (higher profits) to do it, as opposed to just stupidity.

Let me re-phrase the question: Should health care be provided for the uninsured? you can agree or disagree. But if you agree, then “Why the rush?” is answered with “because it won’t happen otherwise”, and you know it.

You do not trust the private insurance companies. Fine - go get another one. I don’t trust the government - but I don’t have the luxury of getting another one, at least for another 18 months or so. And that won’t happen even then unless your “people’s support for a public option is overwhelming” turns out to be a lie.

You ask a valid question, “Does your opinion of the plan change if you believe that your insurance isn’t being touched?” No because of one basic premise - I do not trust the government and more specifically this administration to tell me the truth. They told us the Stimulus package was about jobs! Any questions?

I am a retired Air Force LTC (Lieutenant Colonel to the civilian readers). The retirement benefits promised me when I enlisted (and officers do indeed enlist) are not the ones I have today. Ask any retired military person you may know or even better yet, go to your nearby VFW and ask the members about government promises made for disabled veterans. Ask them about the VA hospital system. Try it on for size. That is the look and feel of the public option - 20 years from now.

But you have not answered my basic question - What’s the rush? Why does it have to be done NOW? Are you afraid of a few months of real debate? Are you afraid of a few months so people will be able to actually READ the legislation before they are asked to vote on it? Or are you afraid that the “people’s support for a public option” is in fact a lie? Seems like every day that goes by that “overwhelming” support dwindles. And don’t BS me about the years of debate about health care. I’M TALKING ABOUT DEBATING THIS BILL. Even Obama has even admitted he does not know what the bill contains. But he has the “audacity of hope” to stand up in front of the American people and tell us we HAVE to support it. WE HAVE TO! Sorry, I’m not drinking the koolaide.

Bad cite listed in comment #18. The relevant part is on page 16:

(a) GRANDFATHERED HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE DEFINED.—Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section, for purposes of establishing acceptable coverage under this division, the term ‘‘grandfathered healthinsurance coverage’’ means individual health insurance coverage that is offered and in force and effect before the first day of Y1 if the following conditions are met:
(1) LIMITATION ON NEW ENROLLMENT.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first
day of Y1.
(B) DEPENDENT COVERAGE PERMITTED.—Subparagraph (A) shall not affect the subsequent enrollment of a dependent of an individual who is covered as of such first day.
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/AAHCA09001xml.pdf
(page 16, lines 3-20)

“If this is so important, if this is so vital, why is this proposal having such a difficult problem keeping their own party support intact.”

I thought you didn’t believe the government was competent. Now you think they only act in the best interests of their constituents? I’m going to guess that one of the reasons they are having trouble keeping votes begins with the letter”L” and ends with “obbyists”.

“Do you think a proposal thrown together in four months, which could change the way health care is approached in this country forever, which no one has even read, that has only partisan support is in your best interest?”

If I thought that the legislature was truly focused on nothing more than my personal good . . . no. If I think one party refuses to support anything that a president does, across the board . . . then it looks like they are just playing a game, and “in my best interest” seems to be utterly irrevelant to the debate.

“We’re going to break Obama” in no way equals “please think of the children”.