After reading all your posts, I would first like to comment on the number of people who have mocked me outright and my profession as a (music) teacher, rather than respond to my posts. You only bolster people’s opinions that perhaps personal attacks outweigh reasoned debate here.

You’ve finally said something I agree with. I’m not a big fan of the ad hominem (with the possible exception of Rosie O’Donnel, about whom I cannot say enough terrible things).

As literally one of the ONLY liberals I can find here, I expected maybe a curiosity factor would help me receive slightly more decorum.

I know of at least four regular liberal commenters here, which is four more than the number of conservatives tolerated on Kos on DU.

I was wrong. You’re cowardly, because you know more about me than I about you, and there you mock from your anonymous hiding place. (Flame away.)

Unless “watershed” is what is says on your driver’s license you’re every bit as anoymous as we are, and this complaint makes even less sense than your other arguments.

I think the Frosts are a family, like most American families, in search of the American dream. I think they have took every step to attain this goal…

…every step, that is, except carry health insurance. Insurance that everyone here, you included, recognizes as being vital. Insurance that, as has been shown here more than once, they could easily have afforded before their accident by making a few responsible choices.

I think then something happened and the dream became more difficult to acheive.

Join the freaking club.
I was making a really, really good living in downtown Manhattan until one September morning when some lunatics literally murdered all my clients. Put me out of business, overnight. I didn’t turn up at the county clerks office with my hand out.

(They say, in an interview, that among other burdens, their business couldn’t handle the costs of medical insurance, and they had to end the business. I believe them. Maybe you don’t.)

I believe them. I also believe that means they had a poor business plan and should have just gotten jobs with benefits. Instead they decided that pursuing their entreprenurial dream was worth the risk. Fine. Had that risk paid off I’d want them to reap the benefits. Since it didn’t pay off I want them to shoulder the consequences.

I think more families, in similar situations (hard working class familes who cannot feasibly afford insurance) should be covered by schip.

You have a bizarre definition of “working class”.

Congratulations. You manage to use more words and address the point less than just about anybody I’ve ever encountered.

But I’ve finally got my answer. You feel there is no level of sacrifice that should be necessary for anyone to make in this type of situation.

Fair enough. That’s your opinion. However, I would say this: It should be patently obvious to you that there are a significant number of people who don’t feel that same way. We feel that there is still something to be said for fending for ourselves – making sacrifices in order to get things done without putting the burden on our fellow citizens through an increased tax load.

As has been pointed out – by myself and others – the Frosts WERE COVERED by SCHIP. My problem, along with some others, is that the Democrats want to expand the program even further to families that by all rights should have the means to insure themselves.

BTW, it’s been pointed out here that the Frosts could have obtained medical insurance for their family for approximately the same amount as a payment and monthly operating expenses for one of their vehicles. Frankly, I see nothing wrong with asking for that “sacrifice” – after all, that would leave a family with two licensed drivers with two vehicles.

Which brings me to this point: My understanding is that the Frost children were injured in an auto accident. I know that my own auto insurance includes $1,000,000.00 worth of medical coverage. I set it up that way on purpose – JUST IN CASE an accident should occur. It really doesn’t cost that much more – just a few dollars more a month (and I really do mean just a few).

Couldn’t the Frosts have done that? My own answer is – yes indeed they could have.

But then again, we’re talking about a family that seemingly thinks things like insurance are optional. What a shame, especially since they could afford it. But then again, they qualify for SCHIP – why should they bother with pesky little things like insurance?

The point being: A family with the means of the Frosts could very easily have provided enough coverage for themselves NOT to have had to rely on the government for help – and yet they STILL QUALIFY for SCHIP. Where does it end? How far up the ladder would you have us go, watershed? If it’s good enough for the Frosts, why shouldn’t it cover Bill and Melinda Gates? Or Donald Trump? And please don’t say that it’s ridiculous to talk about the Gates or Trump. Who decides where that cut-off will be? And if we wind up with socialized medicine in this country, then yes indeed, the Gates and Trump most assuredly WILL have their medical bills being paid for by the government – i.e., the taxpayers, i.e., you and me. Then again, maybe not. They’ll be the ones that will be able to afford to go someplace where the practice of medicine is still done in a free market – but that’s a whole separate debate for another time.

How much of my money are you willing to take, watershed, in order to pay for something that people can and should do for themselves?

No matter my circumstance, I will not agree with universal health care. This SCHIP is one of a number of programs by which we will see universal health care and more governmental control in our lives.

I’ll die first.

Didn’t the republican congress first bring this program into existence? Why is the argument whether to expand it instead of eliminating it? Why are we always reduced to this argument of more and more and bigger and bigger programs?

Get the government out of it altogether.

If everyone received a tax deduction for their insurance costs and/or medical costs no matter the income level the debate would change dramatically.

Ditto with rent deductions vs. mortgage interest deductions. Why are renters penalized? Maybe that would help lower income people that everyone seems (NOT)to care so much about.

DO YA THINK that might be a reason so many people are in the sub prime situation because they wanted a deduction too???

Heck, I give up. There is no way to move this behemoth in my lifetime.

If only a fair tax solution could be seriously addressed. Seriousness is not what our government is about.