[Winona Online Democracy] The Federal Government is the logical and - in my mind - only choice for this effort. The reason is that government is what we do collectively to serve our common needs. Health care is a common need of everyone and a government program is the logical outcome of that. Consider other basic services that are guaranteed and provided by the government: mail, roads, universal public education, etc. Will it be perfect, smooth, and pleasing to everyone? Of course not - we all know that government programs and bureaucracies can get out of hand - but it is better than the alternatives:
* The AFL-CIO does not have as its purpose to serve all citizens of the U.S., only its member unions. * Banks and credit unions do not have as their purpose to serve all citizens of the U.S, only their investors and account holders. * Wal-Mart does not have as its purpose to serve all citizens of the U.S., only those within its trade areas from which it can make a profit. "We the people" can set our goal to serve all citizens with decent health care and follow through on it. Any of the other teams could decide to withhold service as not being in the interest of their core constituencies. The Federal government is the only one of the teams with a founding vision that includes the desire "to promote the general welfare" (in addition to the desire to form a more perfect union, provide for the common defense, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity). - Phil Carlson, Mpls _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
