Obama

The Democrats have the best problem ever. They have two great candidates running for president either of which will crush the GOP in the election this year. The GOP is trying to figure out who to sacrifice because they know they are done. I think Obama has more on the ball with the best chance of getting the nod from the Dems at the convention as well as an overwhelming victory in November.

I've got just one complaint and it is with both Hillary and Obama, they are not strong enough on health care. So I sent them a piece of my thoughts on the subject via their web sites. Obama has a great site and it is easy to send along your ideas there. So this is what I sent.

The benefits to the people of this nation of good health would be dramatic in every area of our lives. There is no denying that good health and health care are of the highest common interest of any issue facing the American people. But the systems we have are far too costly, fragmented by marketeers and unresponsive to the needs of families and our country. We need to change everything about health care in this country. We must eliminate the word "insurance" from the conversation. We must commit to being the healthiest nation. We must join together and take care of ourselves. The premiums we are paying now for health care are too high. Those premiums pay for only the services that profit insurance companies. We must end our failed dependence on an industry that must make huge profits for it's investors and place the interests of the good health of our people first and foremost. We eliminate the divisions in the health services industries and provide the best care possible from tooth to toe. Dental care is just as important as coronary care. Vision care should be as important in the health care system of the future as the prevention of cancer.

We must build a system on the expertise of the best medical knowledge and technology that can be had. A system that covers every person in this country and every American citizen where ever they are on this planet. The providers of the medical services must know that they will receive fair pay for their service and medications and we must hold them accountable to high standards of practice and ethics. We must pay them direct instead of sending the money through companies that exist only to skim profits off the top. Our new system must be not for profit on the payer side while preserving fair payment to health providers.

We must commit to doing it ourselves, for the profit and future of every American so that we can do our best in every thing we do and every where we go.

We must therefore expect a higher level of courage than ever before from our leaders and our representative as well as ourselves. I hope you are that leader.