Divide and conquer is the modus operandi of American politics. You are either for us or against us. If you are for us then you must believe in (our) God. If you are not for us you then must be against us and you are with the Devil and will be dealt with accordingly.

N.B. Voting for a political party's candidates is necessary but not sufficient to being for them.

I failed World Religions in college (I attended State colleges exclusively). I never put more effort into learning something but still I received one of those few pesky F grades which dragged my GPA down to 2.91. That is painfully just shy of the 3.0 required for the apotheosis to graduate school which all three of my siblings have enjoyed, so relishing the status and security which it has bequeathed to them.

Instead I got to be a sergeant in Iraq who once convoyed to the Abu Ghraib prison on what was arguably the most dangerous road in the world at that time. Years earlier under the first Bush and in a different desert I got to clean all the latrines in the Bright Star military exercise in Egypt not once but twice.

In contrast to religious studies I did do well in Business Statistics where I earned an A and was so consistently strong throughout the semester that I did not need to take the final exam to earn it, finishing third in that class. I also was second in my Army imagery intelligence class but I have been blacklisted by the government with no explanation and can not find suitable employment as an imagery analyst since leaving the military to return to civilian life.

I have my religious faith in God which is a personal possession more than a public proclamation or political gambit and I believe in basically one thing, statistics. My manner of keeping my faith personal and my public life focused upon statistically verifiable facts has made me blindly follow no one ideology, group or person and consequently I am labeled by all as being against them and so to be punished. That is the reality of American politics.

I realize that the obvious response to my above homily will be, ‘What article is your post about anyway?’ That was the response when I addressed the issue of how many different denominations exist in America and how they are geographically distributed after reading the Slate article about Nixon contra Jews. At least no one is accusing me of plagiarism nowadays.

(Why do so many Americans go without affordable healthcare?)

(Why do so many Americans go without affordable healthcare?)

Because there is not enough competition in the health care and pharmaceutical communities. For the most part they are more interested in money than in helping people.

Government regulation is not the answer, it tends to do more harm than good. Competition could be promoted by requiring that prices for common procedures be posted on the net. I wish that I had a better answer, but I don't.

The main problem is that 30% of all health care dollars are sucked up by the insurance companies.

Probably for the same reason that not everyone goes to heaven, gets elected, goes to graduate school or is eligible for health care programs for one reason or another. The ones who do wear the mantle of religious authority, get elected, go to graduate school and/or head business organizations make up those reasons for all of the rest of us as they go along.

No matter that they are thoroughly corrupt and routinely contradict themselves. Once in power they destroy all dissent by all means available. And they have many meek stooges who prattle on endlessly for them and to cover their tracks for them. This is called representational government.

The beauty of The Fray and all such blogs is the ease with which pseudo-concordance is achieved while true accountability is rendered obsolete.

OldGaffer:

The main problem is that 30% of all health care dollars are sucked up by the insurance companies.

You have a valid point there.

"(Why do so many Americans go without affordable healthcare?)"

Who says they do?

You mean why do they go without insurance. People can get health care. There are tons of free clinics. Hell, patients first is dirt cheap. Most local Health Departments treat most things, especially the stuff you need, like immunizations.

If you are injured, the Hospitals have to take you.

To claim that the poor don't get health care is an utter lie.

They do.

They just lack insurance.

And guess what? The Democrats get billions in donations from insurance companies to push for the government giving money to those companies.

Funny how you people are against businesses but want to give billions to the scam called health care.

Nanotech:

OldGaffer:

The main problem is that 30% of all health care dollars are sucked up by the insurance companies.

You have a valid point there.

Do either 'Nanotech' or 'OldGaffer' have any evidence to support this statistical assertion? It appears to be a case of flummery. And even if accurate it's besides the point of how politics commandeers religion in America, unless you are suggesting that drugs are useful in that enterprise too.

San:

"stuff, stuff, stuff...Funny how you people are against businesses but want to give billions to the scam called health care.

San, you are not even amusing anymore.

I really don't care if I amuse you or not. You are a retard regardless.

San:

I really don't care if I amuse you or not. You are a retard regardless.

How's that?

I don't know. Maybe you were born that way. Maybe your mom was trying to perform an abortion and screwed up. Maybe she was doing heroin like all the other drug obsessed liberals.

There are millions of ways liberal parents screw up their kids. I'm sure we could find quite a few to explain your mental problems.

San:

I don't know. Maybe you were born that way. Maybe your mom was trying to perform an abortion and screwed up. Maybe she was doing heroin like all the other drug obsessed liberals.

There are millions of ways liberal parents screw up their kids. I'm sure we could find quite a few to explain your mental problems.

Interesting. You clearly know nothing about my upbringing. You know even less about my mental health. Perhaps you should try to comment upon things which you do know something about. If that means that you do not comment at all, so much the better.

At a minimum direct your rabid attacks at someone who is at least approximately like the person who you describe in some verifiable way. Your luck is that my fairly conservative parents raised me to have some compassion for others like yourself who lash out wildly in desperation.

You are fortunate that I can not afford the proper legal representation needed to take you to task for your unwarranted attack upon my character. I know in advance your response, everyone has free legal representation in America. You are both utterly predictable and useless at once.

Clearly something else unrelated to me or my views is upsetting you. I am sure that it is not my views on American politics and religion which you will not deign to acknowledge or to comment upon. Try attacking my clear-eyed observations without obfuscation for a change.

"Interesting. You clearly know nothing about my upbringing."

If a piece of chicken tastes bad, I am capable of knowing that it was either ruined in the cooking process or it was bad in its raising.

Since you lack intelligence, I can posit that its a failed education system or something wrong with how your parents physically raised you. Your level of retardation is strong enough to know that education did nothing for you, so it was mostly from some physical problem. Most likely, since you are a liberal, your parents were hippies and probably did lots of drugs.

And you have to prove that your parents didn't take drugs before you were born before you can even accuse me of any kind of slander. Good luck.

San:

And you have to prove that your parents didn't take drugs before you were born before you can even accuse me of any kind of slander. Good luck.

I do not have to prove anything. I am not on the defensive here, you are. I have reported your abusive use of this forum to The Fray for their consideration.