Universal health care and oil

I don't like the idea of universal health care because of the expense to the average citizen and the lack of competition which drives up costs and lowers efficiency. Many Canadian citizens have come here for operations that they could not afford to wait for under their system. The waiting list can be long there. Taxes in the countries that have universal health care range from 40% of personal income and up. Another drawback is that people tend to use a service more often if it doesn't cost them much.

I grew up in the era of lead soldiers, toy cars etc. We also would break thermometers and play with the mercury in them. I ate a worm once on a 50 cent bet, smoked a cigar for $50., and jumped into the waters of Beverly Harbor for another $50. I'm still here.

Now to oil...There are companies now recovering oil from the oil sands of Colorado and we have enormous quantities of oil there. The Canadians are doing the same in Alberta. There has been a lot of contraversy over the oil in Anwar. From what I have learned, if we explore for oil in Anwar, the area affected will be the size of a postage stamp on a football field. Years ago when the Alaska pipeline was built, there was much talk about the harm to wildlife. After the pipeline was built, many pictures of it were shown. Caribou and elk enjoyed walking along that route in search of browse and the herds actually grew. In our own yard, where we have recently developed two house lots, our six deer walk down the new gravel driveway and enjoy all the plants that had started sprouting. Before, they had stayed on a rough woods road. We hope that our small herd will grow.