When are you going to realize that health care is not the same as health insurance. You better review your Rush tapes to see how to answer to that one.

As far as your Blackwater comment. What does being there have to do with anything. Are you suggesting that only the mercenaries who work for Blackwater can comment on the subject? Very strange thinking…

Thanks for the side show!  You are really helping us understand the issues here.

Now how about a bit of your background.

Tim Allport,  is currently Vice President at Local 709, American Federation of Government Employees, at the Federal prison in Jefferson County.  Tim has held elected or appointed position in this local for almost 20 years and has taken an active role in representational duties and union administration. He also serves as a Legislative Coordinator for the prison Council's  North Central Region, serves on the executive board of the Denver Area Labor Federation, active on the Colorado State Democratic Labor Education/Advisory Committee and other community groups.  Tim works full time as a Drug Abuse Treatment Counselor at the prison maintains state certification as an Addictions Counselor.

Sounds like you're pretty involved with the union to me…………maybe a BIT more than a “labor volunteer,” eh?

And YES regulation of insurance companies is part of the high cost of health care, though it is complex. Just one of the 100's of legislative mandates caps the profits for single distribution and sales of insurance plans. So to make a profit they add several layers of companies, the end result is that instead of being head on competitive, there can be as many as 10 companies all taking a piece of the “premium” cost so by the time it gets to a company or individual policy holder, the cost is higher.  NOT to mention mandatory care for legal and illegal uninsured that hospitals have to bear.  So again, the government drives up costs, then mandates coverage of illegals and then screams about the cost of healthcare…you just can't win this one.

Regarding blackwater, I wasn't there so can't comment on what happened.  I will say that if I had to go there as a civilian I'd rather have them with me, than not!

I do not think “corporations are inherently evil” and cannot say I know anybody who does, but I do think that corporate power is out of balance with the rest of society as far as having undue influence on public policy. 

A lot of people think so based on what is happening in this country.