so, hvogel, you are ok with subsidizing Canada's and Mexico's health care? Manufacturing cost to make the meds is very tiny compared to the retail price. You're right, the cost of R & D is enormous so are the ads they bombard us with.

Ken, you are wrong. It wasn't until the funds of SS was removed from SS and put into the general fund (SS was chugging along quite nicely until that time). Then later another political lie came about when they (the Pols) said they were putting the funds into a lock box and they could only "borrow" the money, leaving IOU's that aren't worth used TP. JMO

It is not congress. The House has the purse strings. It can refuse to fund anything, thereby rendering any spending bill moot. The budget comes from the WH. If the damn politicians would DO what they are elected to do there would be no problems. How about taking the House Representatives and the Senators OFF the federal teat and return them to a payroll set by the idividual states for their Reps and Senators, you know, like it use to be. The limit should not be highter then the Gov of the state. (no pensions, no freebie medical plans) Pay raises for State Pols should be voted on by the State's Citizens. Don't all of you wish you could just vote yourself a raise? These idiots are out of control.

eric and tin; religion was never taught in the schools I went to and I grew up in Baltimore, Md and I attended public schools.

I probably went to school long b4 you did. I started in 1945, went through the 12 years and onto the state university. There was never any attempt by any teacher to teach or recommend a particular religion, although in grade school we did read a psalm to start the day. Since each of us had to read one, I think it was more about reading in front of a group then anything else. I just remember being happy I wasn't the one chosen to read to the class. It wasn't the subject matter, it was the deed. I don't recall any discussion amongst the kids about the psalm or about any religion at all. Apparently there are some that abhor religion. That's fine with me. I really don't care what they think, they have their belief and I have mine.

do you teach science at a high school?

Medieval lifestyle? That would be illegal. You can't be burning wood, it fouls the air. Doncha know nuttin'?

since I don't give a rat's patootie what the temps are at the N pole or the S pole or any other god-forsaken location, why not just take the temps of all the major population areas (cities) and average them. Since all that brick and mortar and concrete and paving should hold heat we should see a gradual increase in avg temps as the cities grew. Betcha the temps don't show that.

Rubio, another Rino. He is hispanic first, American 2nd. But, you could say he stands for something more then getting re-elected. yeah, right.

back then they called it progressive, not socialism. Today it is the same thing, just 70 years later.

You are so wrong it's mind boggling. You need to read some history my friend. I lived it. I'm not a supporter of today's unions, in fact I believe they need to be dismantled. The corruption is worse then ever. However, labor organized to protect themselves, the worker. There was no OSHA setting work place safety, companies normally refused common sense safe guards on equipment reguardless of cost. If a forman's nephew or friend needed a job you were terminated and replaced.