Who are the 47 million 30 million 8 million(?) without health insurance? Is it really the taxpayers responsibility to cover those of us who are capable financially to cover themselves? I have no qualms with raising the maximum limits for those who are unable to truly afford insurance and I - obviously - believe our disabled and elderly should be cared for as well.

However, to change everything for the roughly 8 million people who can afford it and choose not to seems irresponsible and just plain dumb.

I hear the other side's arguments. What about someone who doesn't have insurance and has a tragedy requiring medical care? Who is stuck with the bill then? Wouldn't be prudent to avoid these situations altogether?

To this I say no. For one thing, should he not have insurance, he will be billed like anyone else (insurance often only covers 80% anyway). If he loses everything, well then isn't that why we take out insurance in the first place? But in the case where he had nothing to begin with, then yeah - the government foots the bill fr the hospital.

But this misses a vital point. Namely, if he didn't have the ability to pay the bill, he should have been on Public Aid anyway. If he has the ability and still doesn't pay, well do to him what is normally done to deadbeats (I know because I used to be one).

I agree that quality health care is a right. That's why we have laws mandating that an emergency room may not turn anyone away. However, free health insurance isn't a right. Blowing up the entire industry isn't the answer.

Of course, President Obama claims he simply wants to correct what needs correcting and prune what needs pruning. He claims his plan will be funded by doing away with the waste and fraud in Medicare. But this is not a true statement.

For one thing, if this were so easily done, how come it hasn't been done before? Why do we need a whole new bill to accomplish this? In addition, the waste and fraud so rampant in the system was caused by Washington in the first place. Does anyone really believe the government is capable of policing themselves?

Isn't that kind of like hiring the fox to guard the henhouse?

I have an idea for the President. Why don't you clean up the waste and fraud in all the government entities and then with all the money that has been saved, do ahead and come back to us with your plans. You want us to trust you? Why on earth should we? What have you done over the past 8 months that would even suggest we should?

How about it? If you are that certain that you can do it - then do it. I'll give you until November, 2012.