I think not. Beginning with the creation of the Department of Education in the Carter administration, the Feds have progressively edited curriculum content, thought, and implementation of “basic” education. They, through funding and tax policy, they have successfully lessened the quality and dramatically increased the cost.

As a physician and surgeon, I have never refused care to anyone on the basis of their ability to pay, an ethic and responsibility that I believe is a component of being a doctor. On the other hand, I have experienced a great deal more difficulty in being charitable (government paperwork, even when you are not going to charge or be paid). The Feds are already the primary payer for over 50% of the “health care” delivered in the US, and the bureaucracy involved has been somewhat responsible for driving up costs.

Federalized health care is not the answer. We would see higher costs, lower quality, and the same sort of regulation (i.e., must provide certain services) that we have seen in education.

Dr Mirus wrote:
“In both theory and practice it is up to the laity, formed by Catholic principles, to determine the best prudential response to various public issues.”

However the bishops are the leaders of the Church, the successors of the apostles, and it would be a brave or foolish lay person who would claim to know more than the bishops about Catholic teaching.

Let us pray for our bishops and especially the Pope that both his meeting with President Obama and his new encyclical “Veritas in Caritate” will be successful.

that sort of thing used to be very widespread. Such cooperatives formed on the basis of neighborhood, faith, workplace, or nearly any other thing around which human associations gather. They were called “friendlies.”

Some of them were based around political associations. Some of them (less than two per cent) were based around sedition. Because of that, the Federal government outlawed them ALL, throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Our Lord promised when He gave St. Peter the keys to the kingdom that the ‘gates of hell will not prevail against it’. Sadly, the US Catholic Church will not fight the good fight. That will have to be a remnant in a place less spoiled than America.

D. Smith

Note to PrairieHawk. Look up health care insurance alternatives. There are several in existance. They are NOT insurance companies and, so far, they are not specifically Catholic–they are Christian and my husband and I have been a part of one of them “Christian Healthcare Ministries”. You cannot drink (to excess) nor smoke and basically live a Christian lifestyle (verified by your Pastor). Not only have we had medical expenses met, we also receive notes from all over with people praying for our medical situation. We do the same, in turn, each month. While not completely what you describe….it has been a real blessing to us!

As for our Bishops, their role is to preach Christ! I believe they have failed to do that more often than not and so have we, the laity that is. Legalized abortion is a case in point. A well Catechized flock would change the political landscape overnight. As for Health Care the same principle applies. A well catechized flock would ensure that charity would aid the less fortunate as it once did in our not to distant pawt. That would circumvent the very real need to keep government OUT of this issue for which it has NO mandate.

The State is not our “Nanny.” To think and act as if it were is very dangerous. State control of anything means it is politicized meaning that the most powerful set the agenda. To think that any kind of oligarchy has your best interests at heart is naive at best. The decision of who gets what treatments and under what circumstances is left to a beaurocrat. Anyone thinking that that is the way to go is sorely misinformed and that includes our Bishops.

Sounds good to me, and we could even have orders of brothers and sisters, who have taken a vow of poverty as adminastrators, doctors and nurces.