What too many do not seem to realize is that the insurance companies ARE the problem!

Stop talking about fixing anything involving private insurance companies! They are the problem with this countries health care. They need to be gotten rid of. Why does anyone think all those countries that went to Single Payer in the first place, outlawed health insurance companies from covering anything covered by that country's Single Payer system?
That is why the Mandate is bad. It guarantees private health insurance company profits with the force of federal law.
The best way is what EVERY OTHER civilized country and many not so civilized countries, has done decades ago. Government run Single Payer, Universal Health Care. The United States is the LAST hold out.

Everyone is covered. Employment or lack of same is no barrier. Change jobs? Still covered. Where you work goes bankrupt? Still covered. Want to start your own business? Still covered. Your kid wants to move out or reaches a certain age? Still covered.

The one and only answer to our health problems in this country is Single Payer, Universal Health Care. It he answer involves any health insurance company, that is not a workable answer.

So why is it so hard to go with the most obvious, the most humane course of action, which is what every other industrialized nation on the planet has already done? Single Payer, Universal Health Care. The hard work has already been done by these countries. All we have to do is cherry pick what works. What is so hard about that?
The United States pays twice as much for health care than any other country. See chart below
And yet 45,000 people a year are still dying for lack of access to basic health care. People are losing their homes, going deep into debt, going bankrupt for basic health care.

[center]How can we be the Greatest nation on earth,
if we can't/won't even take care of our own citizens?[/center]
How is it the same people that do not have a problem with two three four five four and a half wars, that are costing us, US, $16.5 trillion so far, have a problem with health care reform that will save us billions?

[center]




[/center

What's the Matter with Kansas?

It depends on whose idea of civil.

Having the self-appointed acting as parents, telling the rest of DU how to behave is not my idea of civil on their part.
Not only that, what is civil in one part of the country, is boorish in another part. This can get as bad or worse than the Word Police and their non-list list of words.
Why do people keep trying to remake DU into what they think a web site should be.

This is a big ADULT political web site, a discussion board, with all kind of people, with all kinds of experiences, with all kinds of opinions. You want civil, be civil your self by not taking it upon yourself to tell the rest of us to be your version of civil.

There are some very vindictive and mean people out there trying to enslave us. Try making them act civil instead. Bein' nice ain'ta gonna work very well with'em.

Dumbing DU down to everyone being civil to each other, will reduce Democratic Underground to an Echo Chamber and will be defeating the reason DU was founded in the first place.
I know that is the purpose of even some long time members, but I for one want DU to be around for a while longer.
If you want nice, goto Sesame Street.

The real problem are the people keeping this going do not think they are bullies.

You cannot just decide a word or phrase is hurtful to someone or some group that is on DU and post your outrage in Help & Meta and expect the rest of DU to quietly fall in line. (We are supposed to be Liberals/Progressives/Democrats here, you know herding cats?) Especially when you supply your own definition to that word or phrase or subject that is quite acceptable and is being used in everyday conversations and on "Family" TV every evening.

Maybe if we stopped with the angry OP's that cause the several hundred post threads in Help & Meta threads because someone has decided they are outraged and the rest of DU had better agree with them or else. That is the real problem. Lock step is not and never was a Liberal/Progressive/Democratic ideal.

We are supposed to be nice to each other. It is in the DU Rules.
It is only a few here that are not nice and are causing the problems. Deal with the those few and their temper tantrums.
Ya Think?

Without Living Wage Jobs, people cannot afford to buy.

With people not buying, business cannot afford to hire, or to pay a Living Wage. To break the cycle, Main Street needs to be bailed out instead of rewarding the big financial gamblers.
(Insert definition of insanity here) The fix is to do something other than what got us, U.S. in this economic mess in the first place. We are still trying to dig our way out with the same tools and plans that that were used to dig the hole in the first place. What is wrong with this picture?

I agree with your Reply title.

Then you lost me. DU2 was not all the clean and purified as some on DU3 remember.
We need to disband the various swarms here and find a way to deal with the frivolous Alerters that alert on any and everything they disagree with, regardless of the Facts or Truth or context, of which they have been known to make up, twist and spin, when they alert.
That is part of what is making DU suck. We are too busy finding fault with and being hypercritical with each other. We still have a common enemy out there to deal with. Be hypercritical and find fault with them. Have some tolerance for your fellow DU'er.
Also, there are the attacks on Newbies that haven't managed to stay hidden long enough to acquire 1000 or whatever posts. One "banned" word or "objectionable phrase", just one, and "POW" gone. Most often no one even responds to them, to inform them of their "crime". Just blind side them with a hidden post, a search to find something objectionable, then tossing them out and slamming the door behind them, in self satisfied smugness. How many of those "Trolls" were not really trolls when they arrived, but are now down on Democrats and Liberals in general because of their poor treatment here? I know, I know, there are real trolls here. But not all newbies are trolls and not all trolls are newbies either. Stop acting like all newbies are trolls. Stop using the SOP and TOS as lead weighted clubs. That is why juries have that desertion not to.

"Bigotry" on DU is losing it's meaning by being applied to most anything someone disagrees with. Why is Democratic Underground becoming so hypercritical and intolerant on the the differing views that member have, especially when not of a peculiar clique or swarm? Can't anyone just ignore posts they don't agree with anymore, instead of becoming passive aggressive bullies about it?

Or sets themselves as judges for what is allowed or not for the rest of DU.

Your post got hidden because DU as a whole, is losing sight of the real enemy.

Those guys farther to the Right, that are trying to destroy this country for their own gain. Some of those people are posting here as members in good standing.

DU is eating its own. There are members whose main purpose is to read the worst into any post by anyone not a member of their own swarm or clique, so they can alert and hopefully get the post hidden.

Facts, intent, context, don't matter much. It's the better known posters being alerted on and whether or not the alerter can spin the post enough to get a jury to hide it. A part of the "Divide and Conquer" technique to torque off good members and get them to alert on "questionable" posts in retaliation. Or just to shut them down. To turn DU against itself. It is working well.
Remember, there is an election coming up and it's anything it takes to win for the Right-Wing-nutz. Democratic Underground is high profile.

Ignore is your friend. It was implemented for a reason.

DU is starting to suck bowling balls for all the PC crap being invented to keep the Free Thinkers here from impinging on someone's thin skin.
I wish some here would stop trying to get everyone else to march to their idea of what they think everyone else's drum should sound like.

That said, maybe that person was thinking of lemons and you should get your mind out of the gutter.

Can someone tel me the legal difference between the damage and killing a drone does vs a maned plane

I'm not seeing it. The drone and plane are ultimately controlled by a human being in both cases. It is still our weaponry. What if we were shooting artillery shells into those countries?
All are acts of war, are they not?