Now clearly, not nearly every broad-based program the federal government has gotten behind has worked out in the most efficient or effective manner. In areas as diverse as food safety, fuel economy standards, and gosh knows online poker transactions, there's an awful lot that can be improved upon.
But to those who would simply parrot the standard issue Palin/Beckisms of "the government's taking over your lives, ZOMG death panels!", I would cordially invite you to skip out on the benefits enjoyed in all other areas of your lives where the government has actually made a positive difference -- perhaps a fresh coat of lead paint in your bedroom, or just rip out the seat belts and air bags in your car and hope you don't have a highway accident (because such equipment only reached the ubiquity of becoming standard equipment thanks to government regulation).
I'm not suggesting the recently-passed health care legislation is perfect. Far from it. The failure to pass some form of drug reimportation is saddening, when Americans have to pay exponentially more for the same medicine from the same manufacturer, than Canadians do (as well as those of other countries).
However, all the fear-mongering in the world, most loudly by those who stand to financially benefit from fear (Limbaugh, Beck, et al.), only reflects how out of touch with reality a person can be. See, Limbaugh and Beck don't actually care that much about policy -- their riches come not from policy one way or the other, but solely from inciting and stoking fear and anger, because it builds ratings. And without ratings, they have no portfolio at all.
