Sethnintendo, you are right that our health system needs changes. It does need reform. One of the problems in our healthcare system is the amount of tests a hospital has to go through to tell you something the doctor already has probably known. There are so many unnecessary tests that often take place. The problem is all the doctor has to do is breathe on you wrong and the hospital gets sued now days. They do so many tests to cover their butts. Our system can be over thorough many times.

Also @ Vetteman94.  You want the European style health care in America? Why is it that many of the rich in other countries end up coming to the States for their health care? Because its is arguably the best care in the world. You were also talking about how our country can't cut anything from the government programs, because it would hurt the poor people. The problem our nation is facing is with so much money being dumped into medicare, medicade, social security, ect that they are becoming unsustainable. We are becoming more and more a welfare state with an entitlement mentality. how did this nation become so great and prosperous?

1. through the freedom a man/woman has to go out and put his hand to the plow. the freedom a man/woman has to create a product and sell it at a profit. The freedom a man/woman has to buy and invest his money into whatever he wants.

 2. Through hard work and perseverance. The drive to not give up on the pursuit of prosperity and happiness. Through being individually responsible for oneself in providing for his/her needs and their family. The early settlers understood this.

3. It was through charitability in helping your fellow man in hard times to achieve the same goals so that we can prosper as one nation that stands for liberty and freedom. Its the freedom we have to make our own choices without a government telling us what we can and cannot do as individuals.

I think our country has lost some of these view points and has begun to rely more on what our government can provide for us. Its a shame to see so many people out of work. To see so many people on food stamps and on unemployment benefits. What are some of the nations of the world coming to when there are riots in the streets, because a government tries to handle some of its debt by making its people provide a little bit more for themselves? I ask why have we become so reliant on these government programs and then say we want government to provide even more for us? This is a shame. I understand there are those people out there that absolutely have no ability to work and are disabled. Those are the people who need the helping hand, and not the man that has capable hands and feet with a good back that can work and earn an income, but instead sits on his fanny collecting money from the government while his neighbor is working very hard and sees some of his money get distributed to the lazy man.

I see plenty of unemployed that would rather sit at home than honestly seek a job, because the government will pay for their needs. Grant it there are fewer jobs today, but I argue its because of increased regulation and government control rather than greedy corporations not wanting to hire workers. The American entrepreneur's spirit continues to be extinguished as the government promises to provide more and more for its people. Why should one work if he can get paid to do nothing?

I know something is wrong when people ask the government to provide more for them. Yes life is expensive. It requires hard work and dedication to have success. I am sorry if I offend, but I had to respond.

The US is ranked like 30th in the world for health care,  so to argue its one of the best would be a wrong arguement.  The only thing i have seen rich people from other countries come here for is plastic surgery and what few normal physicians they go to for normal things,  everyday people cant go to them due to how expensive they are so why bring them up.

Social Security is a self sustaining program,  and its currently sitting at a surplus.

No. It's not self-sustaining. It was in the red for the first time ever in 2010, and is likely to never see a surplus ever again. This is due to the faulty way the program was built and sustained for a long time. In the 1950's, there were 8.6 workers per beneficiary. Today, its 3.2 and dropping. This will have a significant impact on the system, and eventually destroy it.

And with one small change to the Social Security system, raising the tax ceiling, it will take care of any issue that would arise in the future.

But why would you want to tax more people through such a broken, horrible system as Social Security? The reason more people would need to be taxes is that........It doesn't work! If SS was self-sustaining (as you said), then why would anything need to change?

 But thats been tried and blocked by the Republicans. And Medicare could cost less if we used its size and number of participants to bargain with the drug companies for lower prices,  but that keeps getting blocked by Republicans because it hurts the drug companies.  Not to mention Medicare is going to start becoming cheaper over the next few years due to ObamaCare,  as it saved a significant amount of money.

The CBO has heavily re-adjusted the Obamacare savings estimates. Instead of saving money, it is likely to cause massive deficits over the next decade.

There are no jobs to be had in this nation.  Corporations are outsourcing work more and more since it is cheaper and gives them higher profits. Not to mention some are even moving their facilities out of the country cause its cheaper to ship And all the labor jobs are going to illegal immigrants due to low cost to pay them/  The unions are getting busted up and their bargaining rights taken away so whats left of the middle class basically cant fight back against these Coprorations.  But what is this increased regulation and control the government has over these corporations you claim?  Not getting enough H1B Visas for overseas help?   Not getting enough subsidies from the government?  Tax rates not low enough?

What unions are getting busted up? The only ones that are getting broken are public ones that should never have existed in the first place. Outside of that, most companies would rather do business in right-to-work states that don't have heavy, job-killing unions in them which is why states like Texas are booming.

The government has a lot of increased control over corporations, but it usually results in some corps getting favored, while killing smaller businesses. That is why the government needs LESS regulation, not MORE to favor certain industries or companies. We need lower taxes, no subsidies, and no credits.

And I think there is something wrong with the people in this country when people think its ok for the poor to suffer and the rich prosper and the dividing line between the 2 increases at an exponetial rate.  When they worry about the richest 1% getting more of their money and corporations not have to pay taxes, but to make that happen the poor have to do without and the elderly die from no health care.    But hey its ok,  the rich really need that money more right.

We've had 40+ years of welfare in this country - trillions have been spent to get the poor out of poverty. Why is it worse than ever? Surely if welfare was to help the poor, would it not have fixed things by now? The problem has nothing with the rich getting richer, it more has to do with how the poor work and operate vs. how the rich operate. In my own life, I see so many people staying poor not because of other people, but because their education is horrible, and they have no drive to improve their life.

There was a 68.6B net in 2010,  it was only speculated that it would go into the red due to an increase in retirings,  but that never happened.  And the increase i am refering to wouldnt increase taxes for everyone, the current taxable shelf for SS is 90k,  which means anyone who makes 90k or more pays the same amount. And in all cases the increase would be minute as SS doesnt make up a huge percentage of taxes anyway. Raising that would eliminate any possible issue that is in the forseeable future.  One being when the Baby boomers retire.  So yes it is still self sustaining.

I never said Obamacare was perfect,  I was only refering to what it did for Medicare.  But what you are refering to can easily be fixed.  Its still a far better plan than Ryan's idea thats for sure.

But thats exactly what I am talking about, moving to states without a heavy union presense kills them in others.  Plus what union has ever killed jobs?  Thats a ridiculous concept.  Is it because a corporation doesnt feel that a blue collar worker should get his fair share?

And taking away regulation would do the same thing to smaller companies.  They would be crushed under the power of the larger corporations who have less regulations on how they do business.  They would never be able to compete with them.  

Well we have had 10 years of lower taxes and we are still in an economic downturn,  tax revenue is at its lowest in 50 years and the deficit is sky rocketing.  Maybe we should raise taxes since thats not working.  Since the tax cuts really didnt help me much and in fact I probably pay more now than I did before.   Probably because Im not in those top brackets yet though.  So yes some of it does have to do with the rich getting richer.  But I agree education is poor in this country,  but whats going to fix that?  Cutting taxes so public schools get worse due to less funding? Privitise it so only people who can afford it can send their kids to school?  Dont both of those situations just help the bad situation that its in currently get worse?