the replies

11. Comment by Tom D. (Tommy D) — January 19,2009 @ 5:54AM
Ratings: -59 +61
Hey Gov Brewer; I have lived here all but 2 months of my 55 years, pd taxes etc etc.
My employer does not offer health Insurance. I would be willing to pay for MY self but I cannot afford 600-800 per month for the Insurance policy.
I make to much to qualify for AHCCCS thus I wish I was 1 out of 6 eligible for AHCCCS.
So give us a break with that politician rah rah stuff

17. Comment by Ken R. (purist) — January 19,2009 @ 6:22AM
Ratings: -32 +55
#11, Tom D., Tom, I feel really, really bad for you. However, I must say that I do not understand why it becomes my RESPONSIBILITY to provide your healthcare because of the choices you have made over your 55 years of life.
What many fail to understand is that inflation is a result of the actions of Congress. Congress has chosen to involve itself in many areas and they are the cause of inflation; therefore, healthcare and higher education has become too expensive for many to afford. And think, these are too areas where government has involved itself the most.
Not only that, look at all the advancements that have been made in healthcare over the past couple of decades. These advances do not come cheap and these costs must be passed on to the consumer.
51. Comment by Pamela C. (85652) — January 19,2009 @ 8:19AM
Ratings: -24 +13
- However, I must say that I do not understand why it becomes my RESPONSIBILITY to provide your healthcare because of the choices you have made over your 55 years of life.-
Why is it my employers responsibility to provide healthcare? I pay taxes and I want my taxes to go towards healthcare. Period.
I wonder why I'm paying for social security that I'm never going to see in my lifetime, for a bunch of old people who never bothereed to invest in a retirement program....so there!
68. Comment by Meg B. (DesertDawn) — January 19,2009 @ 9:34AM
Ratings: -5 +20
#51 "Why is it my employers responsibility to provide healthcare? I pay taxes and I want my taxes to go towards healthcare. Period.
I wonder why I'm paying for social security that I'm never going to see in my lifetime, for a bunch of old people who never bothereed to invest in a retirement program....so there!"
Your kidding right? You employer isn't responsible, but in order to attract good employees they offer good health care. And it's alot cheaper to have a private company pay for health care than have the gov't do it. Have you ever been on Cobra? Talk about sucking the $$$$$.
70. Comment by charlie a. (treehugger) — January 19,2009 @ 9:40AM
Ratings: -9 +18
AHCCCS saved my son’s life. He was diagnosed with a tumor on his pituitary gland. He was a surveyor working for a small company with no employer provided health care available. He made the decision to eat and pay rent rather than to spend 75% of his income for private health care insurance (some here have suggested this was somehow an option). He was forced to quit his job and become indigent and penniless so that he could qualify for AHCCCS. This process took nearly a year. Fortunately the tumor did not grow fast or he would be dead. If he had health coverage when he was diagnosed he could have returned to work and become a taxpayer again a year sooner. He would not have required the food stamps and other State aid he got during the time he was indigent. His care could have cost less if the tumor had been treated earlier. In the end the State spent more for his care than it should have. At least he lived.

88. Comment by Chris B. (Chris B.) — January 19,2009 @ 11:33AM
Ratings: -4 +11
Here's an update for everyone. The labels of conservative, liberal, democrat and republican are pretty much meaningless these days.
You look at the budget deficits that the "conservative"/republican president has given us year after year and it seems ludicrous to call out democrats/liberals for not being fiscally responsible.
Then you have the suposedly liberal/democrat Obama saying that religion should play a bigger part of government than most in his party.
All I am saying is that it is just stupid to attack one party or the other. Or one ideology or the other. You can only really attack one candidate or office holder.
In this case, as a Democrat, I think Brewer is being much more realistic than Napolitano concerning our statewide economic difficulties. Just as I think Obama will be better than Bush at handling the federal economic crisis.
Or am I only allowed to like the office holders of one party or the other?
105. Comment by Michelle M. (Michelle M) — January 19,2009 @ 2:11PM
Ratings: -5 +9
One major difference between Janet Napolitano and Jan Brewer is that Janet Napolitano was twice elected by the voters of Arizona to serve as our governor.
Jan Brewer, on the other hand, was not elected to this post.
It seems to me that she is speaking as if the people of this state elected her. She is speaking as if we have actually given her permission to aggressively force her extreme ideology on us. And she does have this power, structurally speaking.
But she was not elected to the role she was in. (online forums, by the way, are not the same as democratic elections).
So myself personally, I would think that someone in that situation -- located as governor but not elected to the position, with an election coming up in a couple of years -- would be better off showing some humility and being positioned more to listen to the people of this state.
Instead, Ms. Brewer announces right away that she knows best, that her ideology is the best ideology, that she is going to use that ideology to govern, and that listening to us, the people of the state, is not a priority for her.
That's a lot of arrogance for someone who was not even elected to her post! Power without permission or accountability ... I suppose that's part of her ideology too?
I think it's a good thing that this is democracy and we have elections. This un-elected governor can't do this for more than 2 years without actually seeking the permission of the people. Given the mood of this nation and what is to come, I suspect that the 2010 elections won't go so well for her if she keeps this up.
111. Comment by tony k. (CharleyBucket) — January 19,2009 @ 3:46PM
Ratings: -4 +7
Can't we sell Janet Brewer to another state? We could raise money and find someone with a heart AND a bean counter's mentality all wrapped into one

118. Comment by Rude S. (W Dejavu) — January 19,2009 @ 6:54PM
Ratings: -0 +0
#11 Tom, no one will read this it is too late in the evening, but I will right this anyway.
you know I am almost 60, and have lived in Arizona all but about 4 months, not including a couple of vacations to California and such. When I was young we did not go to deep into Mexico, even when we lived within 5 miles of the border because my dad was afraid of the situations there. We went to Nogalas and Naco, but now I would not even go there.
But that is not the reason am writing. I was fortunate that I could work in the mines when I was in my late teens and that paid for me to go to University. I was fortunate that In worked for a big company and had health care.
But I will tell you, that things are different now, the state expects everyone to go into debt and supports nothing. If you want to go to college, the state does not help, but will sell your debt for student loans to the highest bidder.
As for medical care, let's just say that business get tax breaks but no incentives to take care of their employees.
So with that said, lets hope they stop thinking so much about bankers and more about people on the street, people working and doing no harm.