Disappointig but not surprising. This bill is not too rushed, in fact it's been overdue for about 40 years. Snowe is just taking the position of the Repbulican party, which has been tryng to slow things down enough to kill the bill. The big money donors (think insurance companies & big pharma) don't want reform.

Quit with the BS that this has been in play for decades, or nearly a century as Obama says. This particular bill isn't even written yet. Nothing in the bill is more than a few years old, with the possible exception of some of the things from Hillarycare. It's been rushed way too fast, and has been hidden from the people because if we knew what was actually in there, we'd fire everyone that votes for this mess.

Rushed is what the republicans call it......40 years is pretty long time in my book! Stop the fence sitting and get this billed passed and lets git on with it, we can make changes as needed! You actually think bills were written that were never changed...........Git r done!

We need to demand a copy of this bill be posted on the internet for everyone to read. We are being left to "guess" what's in the bill.

People are torn... we are told that we will be forced to have health care insurance that will in the end cost us big bucks, we will be put in jail if we don't have health insurance, we will be paying 13% from our paychecks for healthcare, the deductibles will be huge, etc...

Show us the actual bill, let the people decide what they want, and go from there. I don't for one second trust anyone of those folks down in D.C. to come up with a good healthcare plan that would help any one of us. They're too busy manipulating it so that they can continue to rob the taxpayers and still collect their pay!! Look what they've done to the country already.

How exactly do you people think this health care bill will be funded? Do you people really think that we can afford higher taxes? If you think it won't cost the tax payers a cent, you are buying into Obama's BS and need to stop taking everything he says at face value. Do you expect the government to pay your automobile insurance? How about your home owners or rental insurance? Why should they pay for your health insurance? Do you really want the goverment handling YOUR healt care? Deciding what's best for you instead of you or your family deciding whats best?

My son asked me today where the health care bill goes from tonight. I told him right up the taxpayers @SS!

Somebody mentioned Currently, a 60-year-old likely would pay five or six times more for private medical insurance than someone in his twenties but it may not be true always check http://bit.ly/7bwEx2 for lower price coverages

Ya think Bangorian???

Your correct Amazed, the last I heard about BCBS being part of the reform, I almost fell off my chair! Thought, they must be joking. The very insurance company that has made billions of dollars from denying the kind of care you are "allowed" and for how long. The refusals because of pre existing conditions and the high deductibles. Seems to me that the insurance companies won on this one ....again, God knows how many pockets were lined with blood money.

you all talk all you wnat but the Constutituion does nto gurentee health care never has, the goverment is getting to big to stop and if we let them keep passing bills with out posting on line, giving us time to go over them, makeing changes to them and so forth then they are not working for us. Polls show 64 percent of the american people do not want this bill passed in current form. so every one keeps saying the president and senate have the right to do what is best for the people, well th epeople have spoken they dont want it. If they are so sure that this bill is what we all need then put it up for a natinal vote lets take senate and congress out of it and see what happens when the americcan peole go to the polls on it. That wont happen because Obama and hid cronnies need this bill to say they did soemthing in the first year other then rasie our debt buy 2.1 trillion dollers. I am glad the snowe wont surport it becasue it is about time she started listen to all the people of maine not jsu tthe left side.

Now having said that be for you flam me i am more then willing to discuss a health care refom that help senior, vets and the poor that does not come out of the taxs of anyone else. I am so tired of paying almsot 50 percent of what we make in some form of tax or another and now that maine is collapssing in on it self i am sure we will see another tax raise in this state this year. So why is it no one wants to have honest devate and when ever anyone brings a new idea to the floor htey get shut down and not even givving a chance to speak, whatch the live brodcast fromt he senate floor see how they wok it to make sure only the people they want to talk get to speak.

Merry christmass to all

Some of you don't care how this

will affect us. You don't care who

has to pay for it.

Most of you probably don't even

have hhealthcare and think this

now will be free for you.

This was rushed. 40 years could have been 41.

This don't do nothing for 3 more years while

we be robbed.

Talk about rushed, no one even knows what is in

it. The transparancy and the change in DC is hilarious.

You complain about the state robbing you? The dems are going to

break you t the fed level.

Snowe is "disappointed" and thinks it's rushed. Why in the world did she provide a key vote early on to keep it alive. She SAVED it from sure destruction. Thank you Snowe for our socialism health care package.

I suppose you left wingnuts on here see Dirigo Health as a success. It’s not. It’s failure, it was a mistake, it’s insolvent & it’s a financial drain as is every govt run program. Nationalized healthcare will increase costs born of govt inefficiency & will result in poor service. The best thing that could happen to this is for it to go away so the tyrants in Washington can resolve the nation’s biggest problem: unemployment. Stalling & hopefully preventing this fiasco is not obstructionism, it’s doing the right thing for the people.

I gather those of you against health care reform would just as soon continue to pay more for your health care to cover those that do not have health care. When your insurance premium increases or your hospital bill increases, you whine and complain but oh well...just pay it. If your taxes increase...OMG! It is big government once again, why should I pay more taxes for those who are not insured....You have been paying for the uninsured all along and paying more money than need be. I am not in favor of this bill either because it gives insurance companies millions more customers and no regulation on what they can charge all of us.

Once this is rammed though against the wishes of 60% of Americans, you're owned property of the almighty state. If I'm paying your bills I own you.

Report to the armory at 06:00 for compulsory PT. All purchase, possession or consumption of alcohol, tobacco, foods containing added salt and any food deriving more than 15% of it's caloric content from fat is strictly prohibited. All consumers must scan a thumbprint at the checkout of any retail establishment that sells any food product and anyone who purchases more that the government permitted amount of calories for a one week period will be subject to a fine and up to 30 days in the federal fat farm. All must report to the government clinic at minimum quarterly for blood lipid and bodyfat proportion analysis. Anyone whose HDL, LDL ratio is outside guidelines will be fined and must report for reeduction counseling at the federal health camp. Anyone whose bodyfat is above 10% will be fined and must report to the federal fat farm. Anyone who exceeds guidelines for three consecutive quarters will be fined and imprisoned for a minimum of one year.

It's for the children.

I want to know who is going to pay the tax on existing insuance policies? Will the policy holder see a bill for the tax or will it be the payer?

See? I posted when Snowe gave preliminary approval of the health care legislation that she is good to talk but watch when push comes to shove...and here it is...when the votes really count...she is for corporations and insurance companies....I agree that this legislation is way over due...when Mitchell and the Clintons tried to pass health care back in the 90's....get out the clothes lines....we're going to have a watered down version of health care and were going to be all hung out to dry.

Tom_Bingham -- I have one line -- Animal Farm 101. It could come to that. Some may think it is far fetched, but not so.

If Snowe inevitably votes for this, I will not vote for her again.

What kind of 'carol' are they singing? I don't know any other but "Christmas" carols. What does this have to do w/health care reform of the lack of?

Obama say "one for the history books" yeah the man who killed the most people with an ink pen and piece of paper. When I heat the word "Reform" it is generally in a bad context.

social security is broke..medicare is broke... freddie and fannie are broke...PBGC is broke.. FDIC is charging 3 years premiums due to running out of money.. who actually beleives this boondoogle will save money.. this is a gift to the drug companies and the trail lawyers and this does nothing to reduce cost.. how stupid can people be..these people singong on snowes doorstep do not have a clue...i am very scared for our country....I am an independent and think both parties do not represent people who pay taxes and work..

I have to wonder what Snowe and Collins would have done if the Dems could have only conjured up 58 votes.....2 votes shy of passage? This is a nice story written about Snowe and her reasoning to not support the bill.....But the truth is , they play games all the time and since her vote was not needed, this could be a smart "career"move on Snowe's part...

.

This bill is bad,sad, and I'm mad.

I am a Republican and have been for 50 years and I am just sick of my party saying NO, NO, to everything that comes up to be voted on.....47% of Maine's population is on Federal welfare, and that's a fact. That is almost half the population. Do you think that these very same people are paying for their health care....NO you and me are. But yet they are usually the ones who are crying about the goverment not doing the right thing....yet they are right there every month cashing their walk about checks.....My party is going to pay for their NO vote when people start to get help with their health needs and not have to lose their homes because of be coming sick through no valut of their own. We have to start somewhere and this is a start. Now they can add or take away from the bill as they move on. We can spend Billions, I mean Billions on Iraq and Afganistan, but when it comes to taking care of our very own, we say NO, NO, NO....Why is it that we as Republican are so concerned about building up and taking care of Iraq and its people, and keep saying NO, NO, to bills that will help our very own in dire need.....My party and Snowe are sooooooooo wrong.....

Hillary would've had a public option, an early buy-in to Medicare, and Joe Lieberman's balls flying from the Capitol flagpole. But Obama's watered-down version of health-care reform, if it does anything to curb the abuses of the private insurance industry, is still better than nothing. This Democrat is dismayed by all the compromises with Republican obstructionists. We'll get to single-payer eventually, in another generation or two.

If it passes, it will be the end of the "Progressive" agenda. The federal treasury will be depleted, the states will be broke. businesses will be bankrupted, and the consumer tapped out of the capacity to take on more debt. No more massive federal programs and generous grants, states will be laying off and downsizing existing services, businesses will not expand and take on more staff, and citizen disposable income will be zilch after taxes. Nice going liberals.. you just hung yourselves. No more large public employees pensions, new cut-backs in benefits, new unpaid days off, less education aid, less new jobs in the public arena, and NGO's will not be getting sweet contracts. Charities, you loose the most. Suck it up.. you were not "Careful for what you wished for" and now the law of unintended consequences is in full force.

MANDATE is the key word in this legislation. The government will MANDATE coverage. If citizens do not purchase coverage they will be fined/jailed. This is a Christmas gift, wrapped with a bow, to the insurance companies. Insurance companies cannot deny coverage for preexisting conditions but is anyone going to be regulating the premium costs?

This legislation is being rushed through at the end of the year, during the holidays, when most Americans are too worried, wondering if they'll be able to finance the festivities AND heating oil, to be able to pay attention to the miscreants in Washington.

"We the People" are being robbed AGAIN. The networks and cable news are complicit in continually wagging the dog so we don't notice what is happening. This is not a problem that can be uniquely attributed to this administration; the disparity between the elected elite and their constituents has been growing for generations.

"There's NO REFORM in health care bill.

Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health care reform.

Real reform would insert competition into insurance markets, force insurers to cut unnecessary administrative expenses and spend health care dollars caring for people.

Real reform would significantly lower costs, improve the delivery of health care and give all Americans a meaningful choice of coverage.

The current Senate bill accomplishes NONE of these.

Few Americans will see any benefit until 2014, by which time premiums are likely to have DOUBLED.

In short, the winners in this bill are insurance companies; the American taxpayer is about to be fleeced with a bailout in a situation that dwarfs even what happened at AIG.

This bill would do more harm than good to the future of America."

- Howard Dean

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_14018893?nclick_check=1

Our senators are just looking out for their biggest contributors. That's just business as usual for a government that caters to the highest bidder. I just found out that going bankrupt over medical bills isn't even considered in other countries and in the USA it is the most common cause of bankruptcies. If you get sick; go back to start, do not pass go, do not collect $200, start your life over again.

coolfusion painted the picture right...all these things will happen

Good for Sen Snowe, but bad for our country........I smell a revolt/revolution in the works.......

think 'Tea Party'...........

Obamacare is Unconstitutional under Article 1, Section 8 which states "lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Impports and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United Staes..." (Commerce Clause). Some people think they are going to get Free healthcare. The bills all require YOU to buy your own insurance with your own money or be taxed for not buying it or pay a $250,000. fine or 5 years in Federal prision. IF the Supreme Court could stretch the interpertation of this clause to include this healthcare bill, then Congress could do anything. They could require us all to buy GM cars to support the goverment-supported auto industry; require us to buy war bonds to pay for the afghan war; grow wheat (10 bushels each)....

Is this the US or USSR??

It is very ironic that you never hear Snowe or Collins complain about their free government health care. Rushed or not. What is rushed, a year of debate is rushed? Why don't Snowe and Collins give up their free government health care and start paying with a private insurance company like the rest of American society is forced to do with premiums and co-pays going up every other month.

Too rushed! That's an understatement. How about it's a bonafide disaster in making! I watched Axelrod on Meet the Press. He said this was just the beginning. The beginning of what? The beginning of socialism, that's what. He also said, now all Americans with pre-existing conditions will be able to purchase insurance. All you people in the photo holding signs villifying the insurance industry, this is a huge plus for them. We all have to buy insurance or we will face fines or go to jail. Do you think insurance rates might go up a little? If the goal is to cover people with catastrophic illnesses, then let's create a catastrophic insurance, perhaps govt. run policy for everyone. Wouldn't that bring down insurance rates if insurance companies no longer hato worry about going out of business because of millions of dollars in payouts? This mess we are about to have heaped on us is not even readable. It has layers and layers of new beauracracy. I'm so disgusted. Snowe is right not to support this bill, however I don't see her coming up with sensible alternatives. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!

there goes our stimulus money

Funny she could hae stopped this madness if she did not vote for it the last time it was up for vote. If it was not for her we would not be seeig this maddness going on right now! Get ready for highe taxes, higher insurance cost , less coverage, and your tax dollars going to murder unborn children! Thnaks for nothing Sen, Snowe!

Aaron E. CarrollAssociate Professor of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine

Another Doctors Opinion on Whats Best for America

huffintonpost.com/aaron-e-carrol/other-health-care-systems_b_309581.html

Short summary of Canada, France, Netherlands, Singapore, Swithzerland, United Kingdom

You guessed It all Different forms of A Single Payer

Again the comments to the article are much more interesting than the article itself.

I want to credit Senator Snowe for voting against this bill.

I think everyone can agree that we need reform and that there has to be a chance for affordable healthcare.

I have several issues with this particular bill (or what I have seen, since the bill they voted on wasn't presented until Saturday and then voted on Sunday night.)

The cost is HUGE. The only way they keep it "deficit neutral" is by collecting the money for 5 years before paying out any benefits.

There is nothing written into the bill to control rising healthcare costs.

Massive cuts to Medicare are bound to affect many people. Taxes on those who have private insurance already will definitely affect many more.

If you are young why wouldn't you decide to pay the fine for not having insurance and then if you do get sick sign up for insurance then?

Those who say we are all paying for uninsured people now . . . Cost will continue to rise regardless of if we are paying for uninsured people or new insured people.

After this massive spending only an additional 30 mil people will be covered at the expense of everyone else . . . 24 mil will still be uninsured.

Whatever the government has estimated the cost to be we can guarantee it will cost at least double like everything else.

Prices will NOT go down.....Taxes WILL increase......still NOT everyone will be covered.......other programs will be CUT......insurance companies WILL continue to line their pockets........Makes me wonder what is good about the bill and how it will help people.

No matter what side of the health care anybody is on these are the same people who have run up a 13 trillion dollar defacit,shipped all good paying american jobs over seas ,voted themselves raises have the best of health care for life,voted for by themselves travel for nothing,eat for nothing and screw the american people for everything , im not confident about anything they do because everything they do only benefits themselves thier big business partners and wall street in which there all heavly involved with and thats all there concerned with......

You want to see something Interesting

(( Google~~Singapore Single Payer System ))

Folks, the Senate and House Bills

Had to Come this Far for anything to Happen

Now the War for A Public Option or Not has Just Begun

When a family plan costs over $600 per month , not including a $500 deductible per person and the co-pays, with the risk of denials....I would

be willing to pay extra taxes every week to our government instead of the insurance companies. I find it hard to beleive that my taxes would

increase by this much anyway per month..... ten years ago a family plan cost $350 per month total, now it cost over $1100.00 per month....something needs to be done...

mmkraic, our healthy family now costs 1200 a month to cover. We only pay half of that up front. My business pays the other half. Plus we have the deductible, the threat of noncoverage and cancellation, and we're paying monthly on a copay for a minor operation that the insurance only payed 80% on two years ago. Single payer is the only true solution. Is the current bill a step in the right direction? Who knows. Some say it is the necessary step toward true reform -- but I don't believe for a minute that those profiting from the current arrangement won't find ways to continue to exploit us. As long as healthcare is profit-driven rather than care-driven we will be the pawns of their game.

Snowe is correct, the bill is too rushed. Its suprising that this same senator thought that our countrys worst wasteful spending bill of all time (stimulus) was something that needed to be passed overnight.

So, senator gets on fast moving express train and wonders why it's going so fast and not making any stops? Who knew?

Even with all of the bleeding heart liberals posting openly here,( in case no one else noticed most if not all of the negative posts have been hidden) and all of the obama a$$ kissers chiming in, I still am not surprised to find that the Bangor Daily News is the most liberal rag published to date in this state,I say that just because it happens to be true, Anyone that believes anything good will come to anyone not already living on the backs of the tax payers from this miscarriage the democrats are calling health reform deserves just what they get...The rest of us how ever, consisting mostly from the WORKING class will get the opportunity to pay for it or die trying.... How's that hope and change working out for you?

aarongantt21: again with the LIbyan websites? Take a break, would you?

So @mcrafty~~Obviously you support Book Burning Too

Well You wouldn`t know Hope and Change

If it Slapped you In the Face<<

"Vote your hopes, not your fears. Seize the moment."

United States Senator Thomas Harkin

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Aspire, break bounds. Endeavor to be good, and better still, best."

- Robert Browning

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FINALLY we are going to get this done in America. It is interesting to hear republicans gripe that the health system reform movement is all brand new and is coming out of nowhere, being rushed through and rammed down our throats. This movement has been a struggle for over 75 years in America. We have sat idle and been royally gouged by corporate america in the name of free markets. Always with the promise that "the market" would take care of things and fix itself. In the meantime the rest of the industrialized world got real and set the correct health systems in place for their citizens. In the United States of America, free social values are just as important as free market values and still must be reconciled to the common good. It is good to be an American today for our system is once again shining the world over as an example of human liberty.

This is actually a good thing. It is a horrible bill full of holes and extra payments to insurance companies not fewer. We will pay higher insurance premiums and even higher taxes for more government BS. This will once and for all destroy the Democrats and their welfare state.

A shame so many will suffer because of them but they wouldn't listen to reason.

"I gather those of you against health care reform would just as soon continue to pay more for your health care to cover those that do not have health care."

In what way does anyone believe this bill will decrease, rather than increase, health care costs?

I believe that health care costs will increase nationwide as part of this new bill because is designates an entire new level of breaucracy and red tape. The money to administer that comes from somewhere.

If you believe this bill is going to decrease costs, please state specifically why.

"We have sat idle and been royally gouged by corporate america in the name of free markets. "

Is that more or less preferable to being royally gouged by the federal government?

Did you see how many millions of dollars in concessions were made JUST TO GET IT PASSED?

We've gong from a reckless and irrresponsible republican regime to a reckless and irresponsible democratic regime in the span of the last two elections.

Yay.

This bill is way over due! I thought this bill would never get passed with all the fear mongoring and misinformation that the right wing is putting out there. They 've got Rush, O'realy and Beck working overtime on this, and all the brainless idiots out there are eating it up like candy.

The Senate Bill is unacceptable. A requirement that everyone buys insurance without a public option is unacceptable. This bill is dead on arrival. If passed, the conference will merge it with the much better house bill and maybe they can report out a people's bill not an insurance companies's bill. Conservatives hate either bill because at least the house bill will solve a major national problem - insurance monopolies. Progressives hate the Senate bill because it preserves those monopolies and turns 30 million more Americans into customers who will be abused and cheated by the insurance companies.

Snowe justification for voting against the insurance industry rescue bill makes no sense.

I have never felt so helpless before as a taxpaying citizen. we've long lost control of augusta, now washington is being over-run by liberal elitists that are signing away our freedoms at an alarming rate. folks, when you have half your paycheck taken away in taxes, do you even realize how many liberties you've just lost?

People need to speak up and go to the polls next year and 2012 and take our country back. these people are despicable trying to ruin our economy and healthcare by rushing thru a bill that noone wants. after passing the stimulus in a late night meeting telling everyone we were headed for doom. look around, people are not dying in the streets, but you'd think so, by listening to these people.

The same people who are certain that Dick Cheney was listening to their telephone conversations have no problem with the same government telling them how much health care they deserve.

Be careful what you wish for. This is not Blue Cross for All...it's not even Medicare for All anymore.

Cowards who would vote to hide my earlier post because as per usual you are more receptive to lies than the truth! Shame on you BDN for allowing posts to be hidden that are not rude, vulgar, hate speech, etc and for allowing my freedom of speech to be denied simply for telling the truth.

"Did you see how many millions of dollars in concessions were made JUST TO GET IT PASSED? "

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Why aren't you complaining about the millions given to the republicans by the insurance, AMA, and big pharma lobbies NOT to pass reform?? That is out and out bribery that ought to be illegal and that politicians should have to go to jail for.

In response to electroglides smart a$$ remark,Your one of the ones that will get what you deserve.

Nay, mcrafty1>that was just baby food for you~~Now open Wide

Here is some Spinach for Ya~~Ya gonna need IT

You use the word Smart to describe me and others

Yep, We Smart~~You NOT>WHHahhhhahahhahaaaa

It Ok mcrafty1Someday~Maybe

Why didn't Snowe and Collins

get paid off?

Do any of you realize that Maine

will have to increase medicaid to

proportions that it already can't afford?

Nebraska was bought and don't pay nothing.

Chicago politics at it's finest and for what?

Now sit back and bend over open your wallets

and wait for 3 years so the most important thing in the

world that had to be rushed will go into affect after you

paid for 3 years. The biggest ripoff next to cap and trade.

Excuse me downbeat, "social security is broke..medicare is broke... freddie and fannie are broke...PBGC is broke.. FDIC is charging 3 years premiums due to running out of money.." You mention stupidity. Have you been in a coma for the last NINE years?

Since it's the middle of a work day I take it that the people in the picture don't work and want something for nothing.

Sinceresidents of Quebec and New Brunswick love their health care and pay 1/2 of what we do, I don't see what takes Senators Snowe and Collins so long to figure out whee they should stand on this.

Take a drive east or north and see for yourselves.

Obama is pushing this down our throats, even knowing the majority of Americans are against it. He knows the longer it takes, the more the people will be oppossed to it, so he needs to get it done now regardless of what it takes. Obama is obsessed with destroying this country one way or another, first financial ruin, followed by anything he can come up with. He is more concerned about his Muslim brothers than the people of this country.

Collins and Snowe need to stand firm against this beast, see him for what he is, and try to stop him and truly represent the people of Maine and this Nation. It needs to be "one nation Under God" again. We do not need liberal Senators, we need conservative Senators who will stand up and oppose Obama, instead of someone he can call to the White House whenever thinks he is not getting his way.

Everyone working with Obama needs to defeated in 2010.

HomerMaine - 5:39 PM - Obama didn' t need to buy votes from Snowe or Collins because he was albe to bribe people in his own party. But, I guarantee that if he needs votes for the final bill, he'll be on the phone to both of them. And you can take that to the bank.

After months of secret, partisan, closed-door negotiations and behind-the-scenes "cash for cloture" deals, the democrat takeover of health care is almost here!

When Democrats began pushing their version of 'reform,' they promised lower premiums with no additional taxes and no reduction in Medicare benefits.

What did they deliver?

Increased premiums for many Americans, higher taxes, and over $500 billion in cuts to the Medicare coverage many seniors rely on.

JAIL TIME for people who do not pay the government forced premiums!

I say again...

Never...Ever...elect or trust a democrat!

Ok, if this health care is sooooooooooooooooooooo wrong, then how is the health insurance industry going to make it affordable for us working folks???? They have had over 15 years to clean up their act...alot of folks here are pointing fingers at the political parties and theorizing the what ifs and the what fors....but I have noticed not many are focusing on the issue of affordability and less profits for the corporations...why is that?? C'mon what is it going to be....either condemn the parties or work on a viable solution.....this is our time, no one elses... one posting said maybe in a generation or 2 we might have single payer health care, what is everyone afraid of?? It's easier to point fingers and no one has to work at doing anything....like the hen that needed help in making the bread for the farm, no one wanted to help but they sure gathered around to eat it once she put all of her hard work into it....that is my version of Animal Farm, we're not looking like, they're those that do and others that complain, which one are you??????

Too rushed, how many months should it take???!!! Would it have been too rushed if we did it another way, would it have been too rushed if it wasn't the President's idea, something he was behind and backed. Snowe should be ashamed for falling in behind the republicans on this, not one person of that party supports this bill or even the watered down version being put forth??!! Lemmings and sheep, let's see who survives the fall from this cliff....

Mainer50: I feel the same "Animal Farm" way sometimes. I work and everyone laughs at me for working so hard, and when my paycheck comes, they are all there with their hands out wanting a piece of it.

Why push for a 1 a.m. vote; Just another way to keep you in the dark!!

Welcome to the Union of America

Tomorrow the Demon-crats will tell you which car you can drive as they fly off to a Climate Summit in their private 737's

It is no secret that the health insurance industry is one of the most concentrated and profitable industries in America. The few companies that make up this industry have absolutely no incentive to compete on price, because if one does they all must follow, and in the end they all end up making only a normal profit, or maybe less. Price is not determined by the market as it is in highly competitive industries. The addition of a public option is simply a means of forcing insurance industry giants, who behave like a monopoly but aren't regulated like one, to compete on price as well as costs (reducing costs will carry more incentive, as it will have a greater effect on the bottom line than in the current structure). This will certainly drive prices down in the short-term, but I still think that single-payer will be the eventual outcome, as diminishing costs to scale will push the industry toward further consolidation (if allowed) as has been the case for years.