Founding Fathers.

Seriously, what is the big deal with these guys? They are not deities. They are not untouchable beings. Their judgement is and was not flawless.

Why do people have a hard time viewing things in context? The Founding Fathers set up a system that we enjoy today, but it is hardly the same system we had then. We live and work in a Post-Industrial society, which is much different from the Agrarian one they framed their ideas in. We live in a time when black-letter law of slavery, segregation, and oppression of women is done with, but these things were the norm in the time of the philosophical framework of the system the Founders agreed on. We offer public education for those who do not have the funds or the desire to see their child schooled privately. This option, however, was not something that was part of the framework for our founders vision. However, our society has prospered with those things implemented, and we've been fine. Why can other issues that may conflict with "The founders" intentions not be viewed in the same context?

If you lost all of your money or assets and had no more private school, you'd be damned happy there is a public option for your child to be educated under, to guarantee at least a minimum of education and opportunity in this society. Why should this be any different for health-care, the matter of life and death for many Americans? We have a "right" to buy cheap, subsidized fast-food (which was built up by government socialist subsidies to begin with), but not to be able to walk into the hospital or doctor to get care? I think this is less a question of freedom and more one of priorities. Government management was and is responsible for interstate highways, public schools and colleges, pell grants, GI Bill (albeit having a racist implemenation), Social Security, public libraries, bridges, NASA, and public transit. So why exactly is the government managing a public option for some a bad thing? Oh yeah, that's right. We already do have and have had public options for some for decades (Medicare and Medicaid). Somehow, the country hasn't collapsed into a socialist dictatorship. Imagine that.

Oh yeah, I forgot another large government beaurocracy: the military.

Somehow I get the feeling we'd be "okay" in adding a public option. It's our priorities with respect to who gets kickbacks, tax cuts, and subsidies that needs to be examined.