For the record, in the past 20 years I've owned four Fords, two Chrysler products, a Chevy, two Toyotas and a Honda. I also used to live in MIchigan a couple hundred miles North of Detroit. The Toyota sitting in my driveway right now was built by American labor in Indiana.

I'm about as patriotic as they come, which is precisely why I now refuse to buy GM and Chrysler. Why would I support a socialist trend that has the founding fathers spinning in their graves?

Besides, I give my dollars to the company that gives me the best product in return. The problem with American companies IMO is that they've adopted an entitlement mentality -- we owe them the business because they're American. Thus, they blame loss of sales on their customers, instead of fixing the product. My Toyota attests to the fact that there's nothing wrong with American labor -- it's the companies that employ them.

But as you said, this is a health care thread. Recent news ought to give people pause about Government health care. The government recently decided that women now don't need mammograms until 50, and is telling women not to do self-exams. Now they're saying similar things about cervical exams -- don't need to do them until after 21, and don't need them annually. Trust me -- I've lived with government health care for over 20 years. This is not something people want.

Well I sure won't argue with point that because it's sadly becoming more true every year and I'd be a fool if I tried to believe otherwise. With cars it's hit and miss a lot of times. I've always had great luck with Jeeps and Dodge trucks so I figure Chrysler has given me a good product all my "driving" life and with 0% interest three times in the last 20 years. I like to buy American when I can, but I usually give my money to American companies who earn it and are known to give a good product in return. But even those companies are becoming fewer and fewer every year.

As far as living with government runned health care for 20 years.......was that the time you served in the military?

Yes. Any health care provider can limit care. People complain about private companies rejecting them, too. But with private companies it's generally a battle between patient care and fiscal restraints.

A government run system still has that battle. But there's an added problem -- resources being allocated for political reasons. The abortion issue is perhaps the most glaring example. I couldn't tell you how many examples I've seen in government where decisions are made that don't have anything to do with the problem, but have everything to do with someone's political agenda.

And I can't overemphasize the corruptive aspect of this. It won't simply be an insurance program. Once government runs it, it's a sure bet that it's going to use its power to set caps on charges and thus put hospital revenues in its control. The current administration has made it very clear that it sees no use for profit beyond feeding the greed of evil people. So what happens when hospitals are squeezed and can't fund facility upgrades or new equipment? Do we set up a government grant program to fund such things? Now there's a corrupt program waiting to happen -- who gets the dollars? Inner cities or suburbs? That's a political decision.

I had my wife in a military emergency room once and there was trash on the floor and a used band-aid stuck to the gurney. There was rust all over the dividers in the bathroom stalls. I've had friends almost have to file a congressional complaint to get an MRI that proved they had ruptured disks. I once held a flashlight while a military doctor and nurse performed a pelvic procedure on my wife in a storage room. It goes on and on. Most of it's good, but it has its dark side.

I once performed a pelvic procedure on my wife in a storage room too.............Oh.....wait......um....nevermind.

He put his left hand on my shoulder and put his right hand in my...no wait; he put his RIGHT hand on my shoulder and put his left hand in my...Hey! Wait a minute! He had BOTH hands on my shoulders!

I didn't want to go into details, but it was one of those minor surgery things to keep from losing the baby. Nowadays I'd throw a fit, but I was younger then and more easily intimidated by a white lab coat.

The math does not add up . Now they say they want to expand medicaid yet they will lower the age for when you are entitled to it . Then they say it will save a bunch of money. Less then a year ago they wanted to raise the age requirements to 70 . The reason they were nearly bankrupt. They will say anything they can to lie to the public to get this passed . It is funny none of the senate or congress is willing to give up there health care to have the one they are pushing on the public.

THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO PULL ARE HEADS OUT OF ARE - - - AND VOTE NEW ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. THERE WAS A POLL I SAW THE OTHER DAY AND I WAS SHOCKED ON HOW MANY PEOPLE VOTED FOR OBAMA JUST TO HAVE A BLACK PRES. I AM NOT RACIST I HAVE BUDDY'S THAT ARE BLACK WHITE SPANISH BUT I DO KNOW THE WHITE GUY PUT HIM IN OFFICE. THE ONES WHO ARE IN OFFICE AND HAVE BEEN THERE FOR MORE THAN 6 YEARS NEED TO GO. I AM REPUBLICAN AND IF THERE IS A DIRTY REPUBLICAN IN OFFICE I WOULD VOTE A NEW FRESH DEM IN OFFICE THAT IS HOW BAD I WANT THE OLD OFFICE MEMBERS GONE WE THE PEOPLE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO HERE AND DO ARE HOMEWORK ON WHO WE PUT IN OFFICE, SO PLEASE IF YOU READ THIS DONT VOTE FOR THE SAME OLD STUFF IF YOU DO ALL WE WILL GET IS THE SAME OLD STUFF!