An interesting thing today. Conservatives, healthcare.

[Tim01]

I was doing some training today with a small bunch of gun guys from the East coast. Gun guys are usually very conservative on average, just the way it is.
During some down time I brought up the subject of govt. health care. Much to my surprise the group was fairly evenly split between people who were in favor and those against. It surprised me.(I know this is a tiny sample.)
So, if we have the conservatives evenly split, and the liberals in favor of it, then that is roughly 3/4 of the people in favor of it. And 1/4 against.
So, what the fuck is going on in D.C. ?

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Lobbyists, money & political contributions

That's what the fuck is going on in DC. Everything else is secondary. Money is the grease that makes the mechanism work, and unless you've got plenty of grease, you're not going to get heard. Hell, insurance company lobbyists paid more to Max Baucus than he got from his own Montana constituents.

[Skittles]

2. anyone who truly experiences "health care" in America will be pro-reform

that's my take on it

[Critters2]

11. One of my conservative parishioners just got a shocker of a hospital bill.

She has insurance, but still thinks her portion may be more than she can do. And now, she's beginning to understand.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Your annectodtal sample matches the polls

and DC... he who has the gold... and all that

[Recursion]

4. Just what I was thinking

Don't put too much faith in small samples, and don't overestimate the conservativeness of gun owners, but 75% for is pretty much what most polls say.

[common_sensor]

5. Media Deflection

Well, it's a small demographic to be working with and make those assumptions, but still, because the media is also a "for profit" market, we get "sensationalized" versions of the truth, and deflections in the focus of the discussion. It's the media that controls what gets talked about.

As for what's going on in DC, all you have to do is look at who is benefiting from the currently proposed bill put together in committee. The insurance companies are licking their chops over the approx 45 million additional insureds, with effectively no controls on cost to offset. This bill was effectively written by the health insurance industry.

Until we stop giving civil rights to big business, we will not have legislation that represents the will of the people. The Constitution was not intended to give business the power to influence laws.

-sensored

[Bravo Zulu]

6. Are they against Medicare,

Are they going to refuse it when they retire, Medicare is Govt, run health care?

[Tim01]

9. I didn't ask. My question was about the current health thing Obama is working on now. nt

[spanone]

7. the media plays the 20 percenters like they are equal to the 80 percenters

[RagAss]

8. You own the Networks...you own the country.

[OHdem10]

10. The Republicans on the Hill are much more conservative than theif

Constituents. I am not saying their constituents are liberal
but you better believe those consituents are not ready to
give up SS and Medicare.

Why else would the Republicans try to sound so Oh, I am for
healhcare reform then attack democratic health care.

[st8grad93]

12. I don't know anyone that doesn't want reform ...

It is the makeup of the reform that is the difference. Did your conservative friends agree with the public option and mandated coverage ?

[Tim01]

14. We didn't get that far. But fo rthe guys against.....

But I can tell you of the people against it they are afraid of
1)We don't have the money for it so it will again/further/completely wreck the economy to pay for something we already don't have the money for.
And
2) They are afraid they will not be able to get the care they need, them being old guys, because the resources will go to other people first. Even though they have worked hard their whole lives to establish enough money to take care of them when they get old.

That was the concerns of the other side. The conservation didn't actually last very long, and everybody was very civil and respectful. We got back to work.

[orleans]

13. k&r. n/t