...and the various points of view and I guess my worldview stresses personal responsibility over all else.

Your health...is your personal responsibility. If you smoke, drink to excess, do drugs, overeat or destroy your body in some other way the responsibility is yours. How many kids today will do one or more of these things when they are young and invulnerable - tell the people who try and help them to quit and take care of themselves to -uck off - only to be hospital hopping starting at age 45 and to continue on for the rest of their lives? How many of these same folks are now the ones praying for socialized medicine - so they don't have to pay the price for their stupid actions?

There were no health care plans back in 1884. You treasured your health, dressed appropriately for the weather, feared drafts as if they were demons coming to carry you off and women and kids did not smoke.

Today, everyone wants a safety net. The comfort of a free physician is a psychological tool that somehow allows one carte blanche stupidity when it comes to taking care of oneself or one's children. America is now obese, addicted to everything, and kids are smoking at 12 and health problems are arriving earlier - the thirties.

Now add the burden of 3rd world illegal immigrants to our hospitals and we have the nightmare that is our healthcare in the USA.

Socialized medicine is the worst possible answer to healthcare. It will NOT make folks live longer. Socialized medicine countries have horrible healthcare - I know. I was able to experience firsthand in Germany how their system works.

It's not just the quality of care that decreases - it's the terrible attitude that the doctors have and the employees in the hospitals. They become like DMV employees here in the US - automatons with no feelings. The caring doctor (always fearing a malpractice lawsuit) becomes just a "body-mechanic" working on yet another vehicle, who has no vested interest in the outcome of the treatment he performs.

Sure the sick and desperate would love to have ANY doctor for FREE - at least they think they would - until they realize that the socialized system will use inferior and cheaper medicines, perform shoddy operations and misdiagnose more often than not as they race through the neverending line of patients.

Your chances for extreme longevity under a socialized system are not good. Those who understand this will always seek out a nation with independent medical practices - separate from the government.

The Landru school of medicine is always accompanied by some covert private practices for those who can pay. The good medicines are saved for these folks and the poor still die, wait, and when treated are often denied treatment based upon their age.

Yes - the government can say "Johnny boy, you're 76 now, you're a smoker, we've already spent X amount of euros on your treatment and we're not going to spend that sort of money for your operation - you'll just have to do without it."

Didn't know that did you? Some bureaucrat can decide whether or not to grant your operation - just like a cheap HMO - only far worse.

That's the reality of socialized medicine. It's not better than the current US system and would effectively save a subset of the population some money, provide those without a level of care only slightly better than they could receive from their local 24hour Med-Plus, while forcing everyone else to have less quality care and no recourse after some doctor kills your child with a improper dosage or your continued chemotherapy treatment is deemed too expensive.

Kids today are less healthy than ever - society drugs them starting at age 7, overfeeds them so they are overweight by age 9 and obese by age 13. They are addicted to video games and don't get enough exercise. Many will get diabetes, joint ailments and other related maladies before they are even out of their twenties.

A government safety net wont help the masses of kids today live a healthier life. Kids need parents who are not self-absorbed and who can teach them right from wrong and who don't substitute a 'Happy Meal' for real love and affection. Parents who serve as good role models.

Socialized medicine leads to increases in youth drug usage. One only need visit Europe to see the strung out addicts near every public restroom. They can tell themselves that a trip to the free clinic awaits them when they need it.

If given the choice between the status quo and socialized medicine, socialized medicine is the greater of the two evils.