Ask500

:0) I agree completely. That is much of the reason why I come here and why I also blog (non-political, just observations on life in general and about books).

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/gitmo-detainee-acquitted-of-all-but-1-charge-in-civilian-trial/19723144

:0( Sorry it seems you feel I may have wasted yours.

Ouch :0(

Yes, I wish we could all just get along. That area is such a powder keg it is really a shame. I can't argue with the absurdity of it.

Yes, ignoring a discussion I have had ad nauseam. I have yet to change my thinking, and agree to disagree on the benefits of a single payer system versus health insurance based in capitalism or not :0)

As for partisan investigations, can you argue the statement was made? Unfortunately I find the problem to be that the 3rd in line for the POTUS would be so blatantly partisan in a national issue she is trying to sell. As Speaker of the House, not only does the person holding that position represent their district but the US as well, and the attitude pass it and you will see it is rather inappropriate. Seems to me the attitude we are the party in power and do as we see fit has failed and hopefully both parties take that to heart if the recent change in power in the House is to be positive. See, it is becoming clear that cleaning house so to speak will be something the electorate will be more willing to do in the future. Granted I have never said the public loves the Republicans, but there is no love lost for Democrats either and as easily as voted in so voted out. Let me ask this, what would your opinion have been had Bush made such a statement regarding the Patriot Act. Would similar discussion or discontent have been partisan and weak? I am sorry for the partisan nature, but that is the state of the US system today and hard to escape.

As for what my discussion of the flaws of the mail system, it merely demonstrates that the government in the US will be hard pressed to make a case they can effective and efficiently provide health care to the nation when the mail system is in shambles. Our social security system is similarly in disarray, so I am hard pressed to be enthusiastic about turning over health care. We again must agree to disagree and retreat to our respective corners.

Oh, so I merely invented and imagined the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal Court, wow, crafty of me. Those all seem to be pretty global, and dare say it attempts to create global bodies dealing with issues handled typically by national government.

Yes, you are correct attention needs to be given to the reason behind the hatred for the West as well. Sadly force used by either side has escalated into a confrontation that is scary for sure, and talk or reason seems to be of little use now.

Lol, glad to hear it was a success :0)

Hum, the US government is more open. I believe Ms. Pelosi had said pass the healthcare bill so we could find out what is in it. “Speaking Tuesday to the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties, Pelosi began the windup of her healthcare pitch by alluding to the controversies over the healthcare bill and the process by which it has reached its current state. Then, just after saying, "It's going to be very, very exciting," Pelosi gaffed, telling the local elected officials assembled that Congress "[has] to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it, away from the fog of controversy."

http://politics.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/peter-roff/2010/03/09/pelosi-pass-health-reform-so-you-can-find-out-whats-in-it.html

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Pelosi-We-have-to-pass-the-bill-so-you-can-find-out-whats-in-it-87151897.html

And if memory serves wasn’t there some cajoling to get Obama’s campaign to disclose where certain funds came from during the election process.

“The campaign raised much of its cash in small donations over the internet, with about half of its intake coming in increments of less than $200.[50] Both major party campaigns screened regularly for patterns of abuse and returned or rejected donations in excess of legal limits, from overseas, from untraceable addresses, or from fraudulent names.[51] After some criticism of the Obama campaign on conservative blogs, the Republican National Committee asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate the Obama campaign's screening practices.[52]”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_presidential_campaign,_2008#Fundraising

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/6078399.html

As for cheap, yes, the mail is cheap to send. As for efficient, hum, there is serious talk here in the US to cut from six day a week mail service to five day a week because the USPS hemorrhaging money. Seems one would say a business having the same trouble would be pretty bad, wouldn’t it?

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/02/news/economy/usps/

BTW, hope your US trip was good.

Notice is said intended purpose, not structure. In the industrial age unions were called on for a particular purpose, today that seems to have been forgotten today when their ties are political and dubious at best. Seems they have taken the route of business and lost their purpose and their ideals are ringing hollow to me.

Of course corruption is in business, the difference is business isn’t usually claiming to be an altruistic benevolent entity, it is what is, there for profit and I am well aware of that. Government, or at least some in government, try to make people think government is above that and that all their programs to help are above reproach or censure. So fine, open the books in business and government, but I doubt either will be pleased with the idea. Recently transparency in the US government was a buzz word, is the US government really any more transparent today, I am not so sure.

Again, I don’t think capitalism is the enemy. “You'd have to ban Health insurance, because you remove the cost benefit for health care from the person and put it in the hands of the in insurance companies.” What, insurance is a business, like many others, imperfect as it is? Do I think government will run it better, not so much. I still don’t think they run the mail all that efficiently, but healthcare, I am sure they can do a bang up job there, but again I believe we have had this talk before.