The People's Democratic Party has again proven that they are not really a party of the people. On Oct. 13, the Senate Finance Committee approved a health-care plan that is slated to cost $900 billion over 10 years. Of course, the tax increases begin almost immediately, the benefits are delayed, and after 10 years the costs increase dramatically. All of this as Medicare and Medicaid are circling the event horizon of a black hole into which they will disappear in 2018. 
Canadian conservative think-tank, The Fraser Institute, has just released its annual report on wait times for Canadians in search of surgery. This is a calculation of how long it takes a patient to move from the initial appointment with the family doctor, to the appointment with the specialist, to the appointment for the diagnostic testing, to the receipt of the results of the diagnosis, to the day of being wheeled into the operating room.
Many very intelligent and perceptive conservatives have advocated free market steps that would "bend the curve" of healthcare costs downward. However, I believe that with intelligent reform based upon tried and true principles we can do better than that. We can start a whole new curve! (Click on title to read full article) 
MY TWO-CENTS' WORTH ON HEALTH CARE:
There are many comments and criticisms one could make about any single-payer [government] health insurance system, such as Canada's. But on that subject, I am fond of making this factual (not critical) observation:
The Canadian Health Care System is a gift from the American taxpayer and their national military.
Why? Because if Canada invested in its own defense to the extent required to genuinely protect its people and territory without dependence upon the United States, the country wouldn't have a hope in Hades of affording socialized medicine.
The U.S. military is 2,300,000 strong (regular plus reserves), with plans for another 750,000 to be added within the next three years.
The Canadian military is less than 100,000 strong (regular plus reserves), with no plans for increase. The number has already increased from its nadir in 2001 [having fallen by one third in the decade since 1991].
Canada's population is approximately one tenth [10%] that of the U.S., and its land mass is larger.
Canada's military population is less than one half of 1% [.043] of that of the U.S. [Feel free to help me with the math if I've screwed this up.]
Canada is essentially defended at the expense of the United States, with Canadians secure in their knowledge that the U.S. would never permit any military threat to their northern neighbour, because it's just too close to home and would leave America vulnerable.
So Canada's far (FAR) from perfect health care system is even more expensive than anybody is letting on. In at least one sense, it has cost Canadians their sovereignty.
d Days before Trudeaupia infected the land, Canada had a proud tradition of punching WAY above its weight in joining the community of nations for the preservation of the civilized world.
This article is the second of a point / counterpoint series on Mr. Obama's health care plan.
Healthcare is about protecting human life of every race amid attempts by the proponents of the culture of death, led by our president, to demean the lives of the pre-born, the infirm and the elderly. Our system of payment for healthcare needs to be improved and costs should be contained. However, our healthcare delivery system is the best in the world. It is not the free market that is the problem, but government manipulation of the free market. (Click on title above to read entire article)
The health care debate in this country is an old story. It began in 1934 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to include government-funded health care in his "New Deal" as part of his comprehensive Social Security legislation. President Roosevelt was very concerned that the Supreme Court might rule parts of his "New Deal" unconstitutional. He tried to induce Congress to approve increasing the total number of justices on the Supreme Court to fifteen, attempting thereby to circumvent the judiciary and the Constitution by stacking the Court in his favor. (Click title to read full article)
How could we end up with a $10 tomato? The prices of tomatoes, potatoes, breakfast cereal and other commodities are generally kept fairly low because consumers control what they buy. No matter what we do in our current system of shopping, we will not see a $10 tomato until Obamanomics causes hyperinflation and we begin using tomatoes as currency.
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