Candidates Debate ‘Older’ Issues, including those of Clinton

Although I favor the Richardson’s Health Plan (no tax required, not mandatory, prevention and efficiencies driven) over most of the Democrats and Republicans candidates, I must say, the Democrats as whole seem to be better at tracking this issue with the economic reality and needs of the future for Americans than the Republicans. Some realities, a little over half of American have a private health insurance, while the rest do not. Those residents in the United States regardless of citizen status, that do not have a health insurance policies are entitled to medical help in hospital emergency rooms because of the legality and ethics of our system. Such cost to treat the uninsured is passed on to those with health insurance with increased premiums each year, so in saying that, under a free-market Republican plan this issue of passing the cost of the uninsured would not be controlled regardless of plan. Today, private companies that provided a benefit of health insurance to their employees pass this cost on to the consumer or their customers. It is estimated that the 1/3 of the price tag of a American automobile pays for health care for auto workers in Detroit. So this not unusual for businesses to amortized the cost of health care in the price of products and services. The economic problem that lies ahead is the large number of the baby boomers that are going to retire and come of age to require more medical attention in their senior years thus placing a higher service capacity and cost on our current health care system. Not to mention, is a system that is under-capacity with skilled labor and affodable technology. It is important to factor in the cost variance of the projected inflation assumptions to health care cost along with consumable inflation, in economic terms, will require action to be taken now to offset. If we hold the current course and do nothing, the critical path will have a disastrous outcome for our country’s future economic health.

Biden is more credible than the rest of the democratic candidates.

Waleeg and Marc:
Joe Biden’s biggest disqualification to be president is Joe Biden. Sen. Biden cares far more about looking like a stand-up guy who knows what he’s talking about than about being such a fellow. A lot of people are ill-informed and/or have no idea how to evaluate an argument. On the other hand, a lot of people do. The only way to appeal to both sets of people — which Sen. Biden wants desperately to do — is to talk loudly out of all sides of every orifice bequeathed to him by a gracious Creator. This, Sen. Biden certainly does and it has quite an effect on the easily impressed. But unlike Sen. Clinton, whom I believe has a mission in running for president (i.e., to bring competent management back to the country), I can’t think of a single reason Sen. Biden wants to be president.
TexBork:
A very close friend of mine works in the pharmaceutical industry. His co-workers fear a second Clinton presidency more than anything. They are afraid that she’ll wreck their profit-margin by piloting a more consumer-oriented Medicare program through Congress. To the extent that they donate to her, it’s so she’ll at least listen to their proposals. I believe that health insurance lobbyists feel exactly the same and they have very good cause to do so.

The realities are that it is only possible to cut a national health care plan so many ways and that is why most of the Democratic plans read so similar. None of the plans rely on 100% government operations or ownership. They all rely on tactical partnerships with the private sector, insurance companies and the rest of the medical-pharmaceutical complex to be an active principals in the plan. The closest plan that models the proposed Health Care Plans by the Democrats, is the Massachusetts Health Care Plan, which was carried out by a Republican Governor (Mitt Romney) and a Democratic Senator (Ted Kennedy) of a very blue state. According to the Heritage Foundation, the Massachusetts Health Care plan is a live and well, and meeting its targets to provide health insurance at lower insurance premiums. Rumors in Republican political circles are that the government has gone broke and has gone deeply in debt in the last seven years, so It’s almost silly to think the Federal government could even afford to take on 100% ownership in a socialism model. Lastly, the real elephant in the room, no pun intended, is the shortage of doctors, nurses, affordable medical technology and pharmaceuticals. The free-market is current experimenting with a market-based solution to address this health providers shortage and affordability issue. We should see more retail medical centers in grocery stores and pharmacies to take a greater capacity for more patients within the health care system in the future. Far from reality, and not in the picture frame is a socialist model that only exist in the fiction or antedodal side of American politics.

When it comes to the case, can Richardson get elected? Richardson is the only Democrat that can appeal to moderates and conservatives more so than any other Democrat running. Based on the last to Presidential elections, the Democrats just cannot do the math. They fail to appeal to moderates and conservatives and always focus on Northeastern and California liberal voting blocks to carry them through and ignore the conservative Western and Southern states, the NRA crowd, military families, and conservative and moderate Latinos, Blacks and White voters. The truth of the matter is, the Democrats need to grow their base towards the right and center if they wish to cull enough votes to have a reform mandate otherwise, more of the same. Without Richardson on the ticket, the Democratic party prospects look dim in 2008 or slim pickings without a voter’s mandate for 2008 reform. As for Joe Biden and his attack tactics at the debate, Richardson is to gracious to counter-attack, and Biden should already know that such tactics will only harm his cause as well as the Democratic party in the long run.