To the Ron Paul Supporters... [Paul]

[Taopoet]

With regard to health care, I'm not convinced that people falling through the cracks is an inevitable eventuality. I could be wrong, and I'd appreciate some input from people with experience in other countries, but I think that if you're British, French, Canadian, etc., you can walk into your local hospital or clinic and receive the care you need. The only people, ostensibly, who fall through those cracks are those who choose not to seek care. Bringing the competitive market advantage into this equation renders something as important as life a mere commodity, perhaps driving a race to the bottom to enable the delivery of less costly care.

I agree with Mike_115's earlier interpretation of Ron Paul's stance on providing care for veterans, but it seems to imply that veterans are the only people among us who do service for their country. Aren't doctors, teachers, police officers, fire fighters, state senators, garbage collectors, power-line workers, entertainers, servants, bus drivers, and other members of our great society also deserving of this reward for their service? Or is the willingness to shed blood in the name of Americanism somehow a higher qualification?

I'll save the issue of taxes for another thread, as it seems to warrant its own space, but suffice it to say for now that I'm positive that tip earners are not among the poorest by any means. As a waitress, I made much more than people who earned hourly rates for work in fast food, Wal-Mart, and other low- to minimum-wage jobs, even when I declared 100% of my tips and paid income taxes on my full income (highly unusual in the industry).