Are the last two posters suggesting that all science is fraud? That science should not be used to evaluate the world around us? I don't think that would be the best approach, especially given that the medicical system we're debating is the result, 100%, of scientific work and advancement.

Scientists aren't politicians. Politicians, though, grossly abuse science, and they distort it for their own purposes, and for the past 8 years there has, actually, been a concerted effort, particularly on the part of conservatives, to paint science as unreliable and something to be mistrusted. It's not only conservatives, but the distortions have gone to new heights under the Bush Administration. The fact that only 30 some percent of...

Earnie S.,

So your diagnosis is that the lesions were caused by flouride in the water? And what were the methods by which you isolated just flouride as the cause? How is it that the millions and millions of people who have lived in areas served by flouridated water since 1945, currently at 70% of the country, aren't affected similarly? And why haven't any small-government conservative administrations taken any action toward dismantling it? Could it be that it's because it's one of the most successful health initiaves in our country's history? I'll refer you to the CDC's site on flouridated water, although you may just dismiss it as evil big brother disseminating propaganda to keep everyone docile and under control. I...

Second, I gather from your post that your concern is that there are people who can't get the relief they need from the medical system, and that if that system were adopted here, then the those large numbers of people without care might be...gasp...Americans, but I don't see any concern for the millions of Americans who are currently IN that same position, not because the government decided to leave them out, but because their countrymen took the rather unchristian approach of "I've got mine, so tough luck for you" when it comes to health insurance. "But they're poor!" you might say, which obviously means that they lazy, welfare-collecting drug addicts and most certainly not any "working poor" who hold down several minimum wage jobs...

Carrie,

TH won't let me post longer than 2000 words, so I'm going to split this up into separate posts.

I would be more inclined to believe that you're just not that bright as opposed to intellectually dishonest if you included all the information when you made claims. First of all, the NIH didn't stop all injections, only those for patients who had had pain for less than one year, and for whom no cause of the pain could be identified. That's an important distinction. I know it's an important distinction because of the argument that's always trotted out by conservatives to rail against the use of medical marijuana, which is that there's no scientific evidence that it's helpful. This is, of course, contradicted by...

Great post. I agree that the government frequently gets science wrong. As new information is revealed they're always changing their minds. Why should the rest of us have to suffer just because new studies provide more up to date information. They should have gotten it righ the first time.

And why do we let the EPA decide how much mercury we can eat? They get in the way of business being able to provide cheap products. China doesn't have an EPA and their products are just fine. Businesses are perfectly capable of regulating themselves when it comes to pollution like mercury. After all, what business is going to dump mercury into the oceans when, if they're caught, people will just stop buying their plastic bags, or their...

All 5 of the members, democrat and republican, were appointed by Bush.

Roseli,

If you look up the details I believe you'll find that the loan was for the purchase of US-made oil field equipment. The deal was well underway by the time Obama took office, and it was approved by a committe that contained two democrats, THREE repubicans...all of whom were appointed by George W. Bush.

Nothing is ever as black and white as it seems.

Ah yes, the death panels. Speaking of death demagogues. I believe Michelle may have run with that canard more than a few times. You have to give her credit for taking one to know one. I believe she may have slammed what she calls "anchor babies" a time or too, as well.

It takes a gutsy pot to call out a kettle.

Well done, Michelle. Quite the articulate gaggle of followers you have lol. You must be so proud.

The paranoia is palpable. As if every adminstration of several hundred to over a thousand individuals isn't going to have a few who are a little unstable, not as bright as previously thought, or downright corrupt. The idea that it's only democratic administrations that can be called out on this is ridulous on it's face. This kind of partisanship is what's creating all of our biggest problems. As a people, we agree on a lot more of these issues than we think when we sit down and look at real situations, real facts, and when real questions need to be answered about "what can we do to fix this." It's money and greed that gets in the way, whether it's in congress coming from huge special interests with a big stake in the status quo, or...