I'm glad to see health care is getting such a prominent debate in the media these days. It's high time we as a nation got serious about a real problem -- private industry just isn't working.

For evidence, look no further than Michael Moore's latest movie, "Sicko." The first part of the movie does a great job of detailing just how little the drug companies, insurance companies and the American Medical Association care about you and me. If you really think corporate health care will put a person's best medical interest above the greed of ever-higher profit margins, well, I gots some ocean-front property in Missouri I'll sell ya cheap.

I especially love the tale of the woman who was dropped by her insurance because she failed to disclose that she once had a yeast infection. Really? A yeast infection? What's next, disqualifying folks who need treatment for pneumonia because they once had a cold and didn't disclose it? It's just sick.

The movie goes on to paint a really rosy picture of universal health care systems in Britain, France, Canada and Cuba. While I have little doubt that Moore could have been more objective about how these operations really work, I'm glad he's really brought this debate to light. It's something we as a nation need to talk about.

For those of you who absolutely believe Michael Moore is the devil and want to read up on possible inaccuracies in the movie, check out MooreWatch.com.

Here's where I wish the debate on this topic would go. It would be great if we could get some of the talk radio ass clowns like Sean Hannity to move this debate forward. But since he won't, I will.

Fact is, both the liberals and conservatives make good points about the health care debate. Moore and the left are correct that privatized health care doesn't work. Too many hard-working Americans slip through the cracks. The industry is too focused on profit margins. If you're in the elite class, like Hannity, you can afford big premiums and deductibles, not to mention costly co-pays. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, it's a lot tougher.

Hannity and the right are correct that just patterning our health care system after Cuba, Britain, France or Canada won't solve all of America's health care problems. But his contention that things are fine as they are -- because emergency rooms have to treat you when you're ill -- only works for the richest Americans.

Before we got married, my wife didn't have health insurance. Her work didn't offer it to her at the time, and I couldn't get her on my insurance until we were married. So when she developed back pain, we couldn't do much. When the back pain became too much for her to stand, we made a middle-of-the-night trip to the emergency room. It took us more than a year to pay it off. And if she ever develops some kind of back problem again (she works on her feet all day -- what do you suppose the chances are?), chances are pretty good our current insurance provider will claim "pre-existing condition" and drop her from our insurance.

What we as a nation should be debating is how we're going to change. Should we adopt one of the models used in Cuba, Britain, Canada or France? No, not entirely. But can we take the best parts from each, as well as from our own health care system, and craft a compromise that will be better than we have now? I believe we can.

If Sean Hannity were the great American he likes to claim he is, he's push that question on his listeners. But he won't. And neither will the other right-wing talk shows. Why? Maybe it has something to do with his endorsements or stock portfolio. After all, you hate to bite the hand that feeds you, don't you? Or maybe he's just afraid of not having rich man's insurance. I don't know. Wouldn't it be great if I could ask him?

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No real point to this blog, other than to write some stuff ...

-- I am thanking mother nature everyday for the awesome summer we've had so far. At this time last year (and the year before that), the summers were just unbearable. We had the kind of humidity that sticks to your face for a good 20 minutes AFTER you exit the outdoors and come into a nice, air-conditioned room. This summer, the humidity hasn't been bad. We've seen some 90-degree days, but that's to be expected in July. I hope it continues to be like this for the rest of the summer.

-- I came to a realization while I was listening to Sean Hannity gush about the Bush news conference yesterday. My realization: Sean Hannity is flat-out in love with George W. Bush. After all, do you ever say a bad word about somebody you are totally and completely in love with? Too bad Hannity supported all those anti-gay marriage amendments a few years back. Now he'll just have to dream about living in sin (or dream about moving to Massachusetts).

-- I think I'm going to treat myself to a movie today. I was thinking "Transformers," but I'm going to save that one for when I go home next weekend. I think I'll try "Sicko" instead today.

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That criticism has echoes of the risk aversion that the officials said pervaded efforts against Al Qaeda during the Clinton administration, when missions to use American troops to capture or kill Mr. bin Laden in Afghanistan were never executed because they were considered too perilous, risked killing civilians or were based on inadequate intelligence. Rather than sending in ground troops, the Clinton White House instead chose to fire cruise missiles in what became failed attempts to kill Mr. bin Laden and his deputies — a tactic Mr. Bush criticized shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Hmmm, could it be that Democrats, particularly Clinton, weren't as incompetent as the right wing has made them out to be in relation to national security and terrorism? I can't wait for the next time some right-winger tries to tell me we could have had Osama back in the '90s had Clinton 1) Not been too lazy to come off the golf course to give the order; 2) Been brave enough to send Special Operation after Osama when we had him pinned down; or 3) Not been so preoccupied with his extramarital affairs.

No, it's because politics and running the free world (which is essentially the job of every U.S. president) very rarely is a black-or-white choice. I really wish right-wing talk radio would remember that, especially. They do when they have a guy in office, but rarely when the Democrats are controlling the White House.