"I'm Howard Dean, and I'm voting for John Kerry." I'm Dan Flynn, and I'm not. Many Christians have adopted the slogan "What Would Jesus Do?" I've embraced a similar slogan: "What Would Howard Dean Do?"--or WWHDD? for short. When I don't feel like thinking, I ask that question and then do the opposite. It has served as an excellent guide.

So, I guess based on this post, your plan for America will be (1.) to insure that it is never the case that all Americans have health care and (2.) to reduce the number of jobs?

I'm moving to Europe.

Le G.

National health care is great! Just take a look at an Englishman's teeth. Le G when your ready to move to Europe be sure to let us know. We'll throw you a blanket party:)

When they stop defining infanticide as "health care", then we can talk....

I kinda miss Howard Dean. He was the only candidate who was truly anti- the Iraq War.

So I guess all of those people I see screaming in public at their kids must be Dean followers? Just teasing. I like the fact that Dean got people interested in politics this year.

I get tired of hearing the WWJD stuff. The real question to ask is:

WDJD - What DID Jesus Do?

Le Gagfly's comments, while somewhat witty -- and yes I am getting my dentist visit in before I go to Germany -- completely ignore the fact that Howard Dean's position on health care was to go for 100% coverage ... WITHIN THE CURRENT SYSTEM.

He didn't favor Universal Health Care, but rather the much less ambitious universal coverage, which he had already achieved in Vermont.

I think this is a worthy goal, frankly. We do have (estimates differ) somewhere between 35 and 44 million uninsured people in the country. I think after you factor out those who are not insured by choice, you're still looking at 20 million, at least, who would have coverage except they can't afford it. This is a national shame.

People can differ about the means to get them coverage, but I would hope that everyone would agree on the goal: they ought to be covered (or at least have access to health care if they need it). I think our system ought to be modelled so as to allow the Hippocratic Oath to structure care in this country, rather than the profit-motive. If you disagree with the goal, then there's really not much to talk about, I guess.

On another note, a propos of Raging Fred's comments about "infanticide" als health care in Europe:

The abortion laws in Europe are much more restrictive than ours when it comes to second- and third-trimester abortions. I'm not saying that things are all good in Europe (and yes, national health services in France and the UK do pay for abortions), but if you bother to ask them, they think our abortion-on-demand barbaric (much the same way they view the practice of the death penalty here).

If your argument is, "well, we may have more permissive abortion laws than Europe, but at least the state doesn't pay for it," then I have no reply. But you ought to look more closely at what goes on in Europe. I suspect your dislike is more for the state paying for anything, rather than for abortion, per se.

If you take a closer look at the more economically moderate European states, however, you'll find that they have no qualms about funding just about everything: schools, including Catholic and Protestant schools, are well-funded (and equally funded) by the state. It's a philosophy of governance which is different from ours, and there's not too much one can do about that.

But if you focus just on the abortion laws in Europe and here --what they permit-- I would say that the unborn in Europe have a much better time of it than they have here.

So they kill kids a little sooner than we do...I could care less what these people think.

So what? They're more humane about it? Another hypocritical idea from the Europeans, "We kill children more gently than the Americans."

And it IS a big deal whether the State pays for it or not. I DON'T WANT TO BE AN ACCOMPLICE TO MURDER. Do you really not see this???

My point was clear: as long as keeping the slaughter of innocent children legal is a primary focus of the Democrats (and let's be honest, 'Health Care for Everyone' will certainly include abortions-on-demand), no one with a shread of decency should give these people the time of day.

If they took "The Right to Convenient Infanticide" OFF of the table...I might actually listen to what John Kerry has to say......maybe

I too will be moving to Europe as the “Fly” has recently stated.

Maybe I’m being way too cynical and negative, but my belief is that within the next twenty years, the U.S. will resemble a Banana Republic.

Next five years will be the test and preview. If we don’t start being strong as a nation and acting First World, as Dennis Miller has said many times, “I am outta here”!!

Got the perfect place picked out too.