(Opinions expressed do not represent those of my employer or anyone but me. Sometimes not even me - I'm still trying to understand this myself.)

The problem is primarily one of reportage, exasperated by attention whoring.

The story becomes about the knuckleheads at the townhall meetings who start yelling, rather than any actual concerns they might have. Attention focuses on the guy carrying a gun rather than the message. Anything real gets lost, the story is now about methods.

The two main concerns regarding this issue have come about from misinterpretations of the bill(s): There are no death panels, and illegal aliens won't get free health care. No, I have not read the entire bill(s), nor have you (you can find it here http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf though). Thousands of pages each, several versions, several drafts. Many lies regarding them (Page 425 begins the section that Betsy McCaughey and Sarah Palin liked to present as the Death Panels. Really it's about enforcement of the patient's own choices regarding living wills and other end-of-life issues). Congressfolks claiming to have eliminated passages that were never there.

Yelling and noise.

How will it get paid for? Don't know. People are busy debating misinformation and being disruptive when they could be clarifying misunderstandings or presenting concerns to their representatives.

From a capitalist perspective, universal healthcare would be very good for small businesses.

If an owner of a small business needs a bit of help, there are wage minimums that may make it prohibitive to hire a worker even part-time (one more person out of work, one more business weakened). Assuming that business owner can budget payroll, odds are she won't be able to pay for health insurance as well. The employee in this case clearly cannot afford it on his own.

Since the employee can't pay for healthcare and needs the income, he will work when he really should not, lowering productivity, spreading germs, costing the business more money (and long-term income with potential loss of customers). Government assisted health care would help alleviate that.

More and stronger small businesses would make for a more stable economy.

Why don't we hear an outcry like this when public funds go to support a private entertainment business (if a stadium is so great for the local businesses, shouldn't they be investing it it themselves?)? How about the communist aspects of eminent domain and its abuses (as far as I'm concerned, that's most if not all uses of it)?

But if someone is broke and needs some help with their own physical well being, it's all WHARRGARBL!!

Why health and not housing, food, and fuel?
Someone who is unhealthy can't or shouldn't necessarily work, go to school, and be able to improve their lot to the point where they can contribute to society at a greater level.

Ideally, this would mean fewer people on other government programs. Reality? No idea. Is it open to abuses? Probably.

How will it be paid for? I'd like to know.

Summary

Rejected:
* Easily distracted media
* Debating misinformation
* Minimum wage laws
* Being ill
* Public funds for entertainment venues
* WHARRGARBL

Approved:
* Openly carrying a weapon
* Small businesses
* That picture of the wharrgarbl dog

Previously mostly against but find myself accepting more and more:
* Universal healthcare

... with the implicit threat that you may be in danger from cardboard cutouts.

Ever get the idea that some "journalism" is based on a dare?

Keep an eye on those shipping cartons.

You'll find me at Comic-Con this coming weekend, for the twenty-second consecutive year (Not that I'm proud). I'll be the pale, out-of-shape one with the unconventionally long hair.

The FoxTrot comic here can be found at http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2009/07/19/ and is unreasonably accurate.

Eläkeläiset is apparently a Finnish humppa band and the inspiration for a new hairstyle.