>The government option cannot "outcompete" because it doesn't play by the same rules, it literally makes them up as it goes along. Just like Fannie, Freddie, medicare, Amtrak and the post office.
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>OK, so your position is that the government will run things badly, like the post office. In which case you agree with Obama's intended point that the post office has not driven UPS or Fedex out of business. In which case the repeated suggestion that a government-run system will wipe our insurers and reduce choice is a boogeyman. Great. Hopefully we won't hear that one again.

The Post Office is a monopoly! A government mandated and operated monopoly. They do not compete with FedEx/UPS in standard delivery because they are a federally mandated and maintained monopoly. There is no competitive market in standard letter delivery for the post office to compete. The competition from FedEx/UPS is in parcel and urgent delivery which is an exception that the Postal Service chose to carve out. Meaning it can be revoked at any time by the ruling body. To complete the circle, this is exactly what can happen under the current health care reform proposal. Namely the government gets into the game, changes the rules and takes over. Read the bill(s).

>Why should I limit my focus to the current plans? They are awful and go in exactly the wrong direction for true reform. All 3 plans advocate some form of governmental expansion into health care. I want the exact opposite and have posted a couple alternative proposals.
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>Logic requires a plan to be assessed on its merits. Otherwise you risk saying "I hate Chrysler vehicles!" and if Chrysler produces a vehicle that is perfect for you, you are so busy saying "I hate Chrysler!" that your prejudice causes you to miss out.

I have assessed the plan(s) so-called merits and found them wanting. Everything we know about economically sound policy, government control and the history of price controls and rationing is being ignored in the proposed plan(s). Even the CBO is not buying what they're selling and given the history of the the CBO predicting costs that $1Trillion over 10 years ought to terrify any rational cost-averse mind.

Logic requires we judge the plans based on what's actually written, not the sales pitch.

The public rhetoric of Obama et al does not match what's contained in the actual bills. Why? Because the citizenry of this country does not want the government in charge of our health care so they must spin it. Look at the polls. Look at the town halls. Look at pro-Obama dems who oppose this plan. Obama et al are trying to slip a public-option, poison pill contained in a Rube Goldberg like proposal and they've been stopped by members of their own party who know better.

In case you forgot they already laid the groundwork in the so-called "stimulus" plan.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_mccaughey&sid=aLzfDxfbwhzs