America needs healthcare reform. We can provide it without increasing the deficit.

Failing to act will allow costs to pile up due to inefficiencies in the system. Failing to act will allow Americans to continue going bankrupt due to an inability to pay for reform. As the President has said, "The time for bickering is over."

I hope this speech will give healthcare reform the push it needs to get through the door.

It's not capitalism which is using up our resources, it's individuals. People want stuff. They trade stuff they have for stuff they want more. People build machines to extract oil from the ground in order to trade that oil for other stuff they want. This is the natural state of things.

Saying you want to do away with all that is like saying you want to do away with human greed. Sure that might sound nice, but there's no practical way to make that happen. I know you've suggested some kind of educational program or something like that to try and teach people not to be greedy, but I really don't think that would work. If there's an advantage to be gained by behaving selfishly, some people will always take it, even if they know it's immoral. If you disagree, I suggest you spend some more time chatting with the likes of Pyg or JoeCavalry.

So, if we can't get rid of selfishness, we do the next best thing -- we regulate it. Pigovian taxes, antitrust laws, environmental regulations, these are all ways of dealing with the fundamental problem of people pursuing their own short term interests at the expense of society's collective long term interests.

On a side note, I'm far from conviced that elimination of human greed would be a good thing. Greed is a powerful motivator, which capitalism harnesses in order to benefit society. You see, while free trade does promote inequality, it still leaves everyone better off than they would have been without it -- even those at the bottom. In the words of John F. Kennedy, "A rising tide lifts all boats."

I believe that treating the problem more objectively with the use of the scientific method is the best way to find a proper way of organizing scarce resources at the moment

You've just described the field of study known as Economics.

If the ad they refused to air was nothing but one lie after another, then I would understand.

Have you ever talked with a Canadian or a Brit asking them their honest truth about the health care? I have and they hate it.

I think you're lying. Even if you aren't, you're wrong. See this Gallup poll.

Percent "very satisfied" with healthcare:

US: 6%, Britain: 7%, Canada: 16%

Percent "very dissatisfied" with healthcare:

US: 44%, Britain: 25%, Canada: 17%

Have you even taken a look at what taxes would be if Obama got what he wanted? Last estimate I saw was $37,000 for each American. That would be a Marxist economy taking over 70% of every paycheck that is made.

I'm sorry, but you have clearly pulled those numbers from the depths of your rectum. There's no way in hell Obama wants to tax $37,000 from each American. I assume you got that from some dumb YouTube video that didn't account for progressive taxation or something like that.

What are you babbling about? I just pointed out that ABC pulling an ad is not totalitarianism.

You spelled "should" wrong. And "Marxists". And "hang". And you used "their" when you should have used "your".

Congratulations on failing four times in one sentence.

That's "League of American Voters".

........................................

Obviously we can pay for universal health care, we'd just need to raise taxes or cut other spending to do it. It's just a question of priorities. Are we willing to take a little bit from everybody in order to keep poor people from going bankrupt if they get hit by a bus?

We can and will pay down our national debt. It's getting high but is far from unpayable. Republican strategists know this, but are choosing just to yell and scream apocalyptic nonsense in order to score political points. It's pretty disgusting really. We need to be having a constructive debate about how best to improve the lives of the American people, but all we're seeing is bullshit like this ad which says little more than, "We're all gonna die!!!"

Totalitarianism? It's not the government that blocked the ad. ABC and NBC are private corporations. They decide for themselves what to air.

Stop fear mongering.

There's more than one bill out there. And all of them are still being negotiated. Regardless of whether the more controversial parts of healthcare reform happen, everyone agrees that something need to be done.

I believe the ad is below (YouTube search does suck, just use Google, then you can click on the video to jump to the YouTube link).

I agree with their refusal to air it. It's just one blatant deception after another designed for the sole purpose of scaring the American people. Shit like this should be illegal.

Well maybe he doesn't have a concrete plan right now, but he's the freakin' head of the Fed. If anyone knows how to put together a program to do what he's talking about it's him. I guarantee you that we'll be seeing concrete plans before long.