allistar

real world; "job killing obama care" versus 31,000,000 plus people with no health insurance and uncounted millions more keeping their crappy job because they have a pre-existing condition. I know which side I come out on. With so much pre-worrying about what is going to happen in 2014, if nothing changes between now and then, by 2015, most americans will fully support obamacare. Hopefully, then, the GOP will see the writing on the wall and come to the table to seek a plan to curb healthcare costs. I don't see the GOP doing anything between now and 2015 to help the healthcare situation in the U.S. And I do think that obamacare will pass the muster of the Supreme Court. Not reality;de-coupling healthcare from one's job. It puts too many burdens on employers and makes millions of people keep jobs that they don't want for the healthcare insurance. Those that have good healthcare insurance through their jobs are scared shitless about any change to their access to healthcare.

Just curious, HH. Have you ever bothered to figure out what your recent stay in a hospital cost, in total? Did you ever dispute a charge that seemed high, or was clearly incorrect. Or did you figure you weren't paying for it, so who cares, as long as you got the treatment that you deserved.

Winston Churchill said just that, until you consider the alternatives to democracy. I just hate to listen to people whine about U.S. government, until you point out in what instances they are benefiting from that government. And make no mistake about it; the passage of prop 13 (under California laws) gives a big benefit to millions of California house owners. But, according to them, everyone else is stealing from the government. Certainly, there needs to be fundamental changes to the way federal, state and local governments operate. But there also has to be a change to the mentality of the "me" generation, which says I've got mine and screw everyone else.

You mean like California's prop 13, which kept property taxes lower for millions of residents (like yourself)and is a major contributor toward's California's economic state today. I guess some people wouldn't consider that welfare.

A "grinder" is a mini-loaf of bread, hallowed out and stuffed with some kind of meat. Meatball grinders are popular in the U.S. And no, as an american, I don't put vinegar on the chips.

When I stayed in Edinburgh for 3 months, I used to stop off from a night of pub crawling on Rose street at a take home deli for a haggis grinder and chips. It was the same as stopping at taco bell at 2 in the morning in the states.

If I grew up in a town like Detroit in the late 1960' through the 1970's, I might feel the same about living in the U.S. http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2009/09/24/been-a-long-time-coming/

Did they ever come up with a final amount that the Scottish parliament building cost?

Is the Royal Bank of Scotland still in business?

Maybe, this was the government's plan all along. If this is upheld by the Supreme Court, and insurance companies leave the health insurance field, the government can step in and institute the public option as the only alternative.