[dda]

A rational approach to health care would include some improvements to the current system in the U. S. However, you misunderstood the 2% number I cited regarding the current Democratic health care plan indicated the percent of American citizens who would be added to coverage by the new plan at the expense of 900 billion dollars at a minimum.

The fact is that the Democrat plan is not a serious attempt to improve health care. Nor does it claim to improve health care. It is touted as a method of reducing the cost of health care. However, it ignores several measures which would lower the health care costs to the average citizen which might well lead to a place where a rational universal health care system could be implemented.

As to who is more socialist, you or I. Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a damn. I am more about what I think would be better for my county than I am about labeling political ideologies.

I have watched politicians of both parties pandering to the American voter for about 5 decades. I have become disaffected regarding parties who are more about being in power and staying in power than they are about doing the right thing for the country.

I see government becoming more powerful and more reckless in the exercise of that power. I see individuals relinquishing more and more of their individual freedoms to the government without seeing an increased sense of duty on the part of that government. I see my government mortgaging the future of the country to China. I see the national debt increasing at a rate that can not be sustained and no real prospect of stopping it due to the lack of political will of either party.

Though many welcome the prospect, the U. S. is proceeding in a direction which will remove it from being a super power. That would not be a problem if Russia and China were not the heirs apparent to the title. I don't believe that the EU has the will to take the reins.

I hope that I am wrong, but i fear that I am not.