Every human necessity should have a public option.

[Drix]

Not just health care, but all insurance services, banking services, and energy. Why we as a people have not done this is baffling. The situation as it is now with major corporations holding these basic human services hostage for their profit is insane. You'll notice that the companies that control these products and services have eliminated any true competition for their products and services and are obscenely wealthy.

[Capitalocracy]

1. And food.

And water. And transportation. Oh, those two already exist, at least in some places, but they're trying their damnedest to get rid of them.

[Drix]

2. Agreed.

Water should come from public utilities. I would also have no problem with post office like food outlets.

[Cid_B]

6. Saw how well that is going...

The Postal Service said Friday it lost $8.5 billion last year despite deep cuts of more than 100,000 jobs and other reductions in recent years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40151702/

[northoftheborder]

4. I totally agree. All utilities (electricity, water), health care, transportation, basic shelter,

should be publicly owned or at least governmentally controlled.

[kestrel91316]

3. Even public housing - as an option. Sort of like buying generic

foodstuffs rather than the pricey brand names.

Sigh. A girl can dream.

[provis99]

5. the Canadians get Crown Corporations.

I want some of those.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=a1ARTA0002048

[shoutinfreud]

10. And they work well, and Canadians are constantly fighting off Conservative attacks on them

BC has public CAR insurance because private insurance was always screwing people, taking EVERYONE to court...etc. So, all this was costing the government money, so they said, "okay, screw you then," and nationalized the industry. Sigh, remember when government did that? They took care of business creating problems instead of eliminating solutions and creating private industry problems?

Those days are missed.

[RegieRocker]

7. Mind boggling isn't it?

[cilla4progress]

8. My political philosophy on this for a long time has been

that education, housing, food and health care should be excised from the "free market" / capitalist system, and provided, in this, the world's largest economy, as a baseline for all citizens.

If corporations want to vie for TV, luxury auto, or vacation tourism sales based on profit motive, have at it, but it's obscene to make these human necessities only available through control of markets by the corporate gods.

Oh, and I would indeed add energy and water...at least...to these!

[digonswine]

9. They need a middle man

inhabiting every conceivable niche of each tier of their corrupt system in order to funnel our money up to themselves. It is insane and I don't understand such blind and destructive greed.