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Juan I am so sorry you were subjected to the remarks of a black racist on O'Reilly last night. Racism will never disappear in this country because it is a profitable industry for men like Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton. I am white, 72 yrs-old and brought it with the traditional racism of pre-1960s; however, I had already educated myself to judge each individual on his/her own merits before that. I had a black voice teacher, sat next to blacks on the city bus, etc. before anyone had ever heard of Rosa Parks. And I tell you, it's hard not be be resentful of the professional race-baiters blaming white people for every problem every black has or ever had. Slavery wasn't invented by Americans and it still goes on in many countries today. God bless you. It's hard to remain sane nowadays.

it's nice of you, who have, to stop others from getting. maybe if the gop gets control again u could ask them for your kind of reform. they didn't look at heathcare from 1996 - 2006 when they held the house & senate.
maybe next time

We have a family plan under my wife's employer. Her plan was better than mine. Make no mistake, I want reform. I want everyone who needs and wants health care to get it. I have had run ins with insurance cos and know the system is not perfect. I also know that this is a power grab and will not make health care in the US better. It will make it worse for most of the people.

Calls'em
who pays for your healthcare?

The simple public option - everyone without insurance gets to go on the Congressional plan. Why won’t they do that? What are the Democrats afraid of? Why are they breaking a system that works for 85% of the country? Why does the plan for all its expense only help ¼ to 1/3 of the people alleged to be in need? Why does the plan only really go into effect after 2013? If people are dying, why are they playing politics? If the plans are so good why have the Dems hidden it from the people and even some of Congress? There are so many questions about rationing, fines, fees, reductions in service, reduction in quality of care for most Americans, criminal penalties, intrusive national data base about your most private medical information, intrusive IRS link to your bank accounts to pay your bills, fines, fees and then of course - your taxes, too; why no uproar from the left? This is Nazism at its worse! All of these questions should stop all change other then fixing what is broken without breaking what works!!! What has happened to common sense???

As a daily Brian Lehrer listener I have become used to guests who have credibility coming on the show to share their expertise. Julian Willians is the consummate Foxhouse Negro. He has consistently shown a bias against the President. Why not ask him why NPR asks that he no longer be titled on TV as being associated with them? Why not ask about how the organization that feeds him, Fox News is distorting the news and feeding a racist reflex in this country? On Jan 26 before the Obamas took their elected place, Williams said of Michelle Obama "has a Stokley Carmichael in a dress thing going? "if she talks she will be an albatross.." Great insight Juan! If Williams were white he would have been run the pole.

Thank you B Obama!

AND I AGREE WITH HUGH TOO! Juan Williams has never liked B. Obama. People want B Obama to do more work, to do less work, to travel to New Orleans more and to stop traveling..no end to one person with contradicting comments.
I tried to listen to "To The Point" last night: the same thing.one person saying both sides..do more, do less....do it quicker, do it slower..
THANK YOU Hugh from Brooklyn.
I say to B Obama, thank you for working, for trying to solve problems created before you got to DC!! Thank you B Obama!

Unfortunately the financial bailouts and the addition they made to deficit have probably killed the public option. People do see government as getting too big, and I think they're now squeamish regarding a major shift in health care policy. Obama had to do it, but unfortunately he's now paying the political price for saving wall street.

Brian ask him about his book that was critical of the Black leadership that has self appointed itself as spokes men for all blacks.

Why do Republicans think it's unpatriotic to pull out of Afghanistan when Bush is President, but now they are asking questions like, "why are we there?"

Wow a qualified black guest on Brian's show, that Brian does not have to patronize or make excuses for. Juan Williams is a breath of fresh air, not the usual guest Brian has on.

Why do Republicans think it's OK to spend 2 trillion dollars in Iraq, but they refuse to spend any money in their own country?

And I agree with Hugh.

I don't see how forcing people to pay these extortionate rates for insurance - that they can't afford now, or they'd have insurance - how is that helping anything? It's just making sure the insurance companies make money. Does anyone think they are really going to lower their premiums? They have monopolies in most states.

Ed

does the 40,000, who died because they had no health insurance, have value to you?
culture of life?

On polls regarding the public option, Juan Williams does his standard FOX lie: Polls on the public option typically fall between 65% and 75% (except, predictably, for right-wing polls, which STILL show support well over 50%).

Public option has to be in the final bill, or this will all be a waste...

Why don't you do full disclosure and point out that Juan Williams is a conservative, a regular 'commentator' on right-wing hate network Fox?

Ed[1],
If that kind of single-issue obduracy had prevailed in 1787, the former English colonies in America would never have been able to agree on a Constitution, and the United States of America would never have been founded.

Truly appreciated Deepak Chopra's comment the other day on this show pointing out that this sort of chatter has been reduced from health care reform to (merely) insurance reform -- despite the more urgent need Americans have for the former over the latter.

Is Obama honestly disoriented by all the powerful business interests -- or is this plain old cynical "politics as usual?"

The Republicans have amply demonstrated they are not interested in bipartisan efforts to improve our healthcare system. They have voted NO on all the reform proposals.

It's time for the Democrats to use their majority.

Use it, or Lose it!

Jeffrey[2],
If the legislation goes through without a strong public option, what you propose will indeed come to pass.

The fact that the health insurance industry has in the past week broken their earlier apparent pact to not overtly oppose the President's efforts suggests there may be hope, however.

We need basic Medicare for all citizens, with an option to buy supplemental health insurance if you are so inclined and can afford it.

is it time for a federal millionaire's tax to pay for some of the pork that the ruling class has gotten since 2000?

The idea of mandatory payment to the health insurance industries is such a despicable sell-out of the American people. As far as I'm concerned, this is like some kind of stereotypical Hollywood mafia scheme where a bunch of hoodlums demand "protection" money from some shop keepers. Only it involves 300 million citizens and it's really going to happen if we let it.

The various health care bills are still an abortion mandate in that they require that at least one plan in each area contain abortion coverage, which all of us pay for, which gets around the Hyde Amendment.