Back in June, there was a poll that came out saying the majority of people in this country wanted universal health care coverage, and they were willing to pay for it. As a matter of fact, the number wasn't even close; 85% favored it.

So, I'm wondering just what's happened in the last two months that has gotten so many people riled up, to the point where it seems the President is ready to back off some of what he'd been advocating for, Democrats are fighting each other, and Republicans are pretty much saying "see, I told you so."

I hate taking issues on this topic, but I will. I'm all for universal health care coverage for everyone. I'm not sure the government can afford it right now, though, especially as we're still in a recession, unemployment is high, companies are laying off people, and there's a major commercial real estate crisis coming which could eliminate even more jobs.

Of course, we were in almost the same position back in the early 90's when President Clinton took office, and the country was in a tough financial position and he tried to push health care coverage for all. It was lost then, and this doesn't look all that much better.

If you measure my little boutique health plan for America against President Obama's eight health care principles, and then hear some of the numbers coming out of Washington, I'm thinking that parts of the plan Congress is trying to put together is going to kill the entire thing before it gets off the ground.

Right now, they can't solve his major principle, that being it's not supposed to increase the deficit. And because of that, the shouters are having their way at these attempts at town meetings across the country, and it's proving to be embarrassing because these politicians, who are supposed to be skilled at knowing how to talk to people, are sounding like they need to go to broadcasting school to learn how to communicate with the general public. Meanwhile, President Obama's approval rating is down around 50%, partially because it looks like (I'm not saying it is, just looks like) he's forgotten the main principle that prognosticator of good sense James Carville once launched: "It's the economy, Stupid."

The only real losers in all of this are going to be those 48 million people who have no health care coverage at all. And they'll continue going to emergency rooms, where people on both sides of the political fence say they don't want people going because it drives up health care costs, which is does because, by federal law, no hospital can turn away a patient for any reason if they're sick. I can't remember who said this, but they were so right; if things continue as they are then we'll always have what we have.

Folks, can't have it both ways. Although the words may not quite fit, the sentiment works here. A quote from Martin Luther King, Jr:

"If you're going to keep the black man in the gutter, you're going to need to have a white man in the gutter to keep him there."

Apply that one to health care, y'all.