Is the US better off now than in 2008? What has Obama done?

[Bonam]

I don't understand why republicans are against healthcare.

I don't know why "Republicans are against healthcare", but here's a few reasons why I dislike the way it was implemented:

1) The individual mandate. I don't agree with the government forcing everyone to purchase something they may or may not want. Having insurance may be a good idea for most people, other people may prefer to pay out of pocket, or may prefer to live with the risk of being uninsured for a few years in order to improve their financial situation. It should be up to individuals to choose, not up to government to force people to buy something.

2) It puts even more burden for health insurance on employers. Why should health care be associated with employment to begin with? It is a stupid system, creating a lot of extra regulations, difficulties, and costs that an employer must comply with in order to hire someone. It also reduces people's mobility when it comes to jobs. Obamacare only builds on this problem. A proper healthcare reform bill in the US should have looked to disentangle healthcare from employment.

3) It creates exemptions on religious grounds, which is unfair to people who may not want to participate in the new healthcare regime for rational rather than mystical reasons. For example, members of the "Christian Science" church can opt out of the individual mandate if they want. Meanwhile, an ordinary citizen cannot, even if they disagree with it on a moral or philosophical level. Why is rational thought held subject to being overridden by government whim while religious doctrine is held to be above the law? This fundamentally offends me in many ways, and any law that has religious exemptions of this sort is deeply flawed in my opinion.

Edited October 28, 2012 by Bonam

[Shady]

Watch out, Obama's getting serious. He changed his campaign slogan from 'Forward' to 'Forward!'