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while I in no way predict this will happen, it is still not beyond all possibility that if Bush gets his 60-vote majority, a "new" Medicare reform could come up in 2005 in which they say, "Oops! We underestimated the Medicare deficit. We need further [market] reforms!" and BAM! pass them.

Just saying, it's a possibility.

I am in agreement with you. The weight of the cost and the changing demographics in our country will push us to a market-driven system. If you look at the current job situation in our country, one of the biggest contributors to the heavy layoffs is the very high cost of medical and dental benefits for the workers. I work for one of the biggest conglomerates in the world and I can tell you that a lot of high-skilled people were let go and some are now back as contractors. They are getting good pay but are now having to find alternatives for health care because the employer can't carry the load by themselves. I believe that a real phenomena of the jobs recovery will be a high-skilled, mercenary workforce who because of today's technology don't necessarily have to move every time they get a contract job. So much can be done remotely, and many project, on-site tasks (that can't be farmed to India) will require people from here. The key is how will these people be able to insure themselves and their families? I think we will see a privatized system come into fruition sooner rather than later.

The world is changing so fast and the radical democrats are without clue as to a plan to deal with it. They are career politicians who don't understand the concept of balance sheets and profit and loss. The media is as ignorant as they are. Put Bush, Cheney, Snow, et. al and their experience in real business up against the Kennedy, Daschle, Peloso, Hillary mindset and it really is the adults against the children. I have a lot of optimism long-term.

or think further ahead, assume a Bush win in 2004, medicare bill got passed, and in 08, assume the worst, the hildebeast got the nod in the WH, and bamm, medicare, social security ran out of money, big deficits, and what will the dems WH do then..sure, the beast can blame the bill signed now, but my golly, they have to do something, how about the beast calling for cutbacks in medicare, means testings, mkt reform, and raising social security benefits age - oh wow, now would that be fun to see a dems to undo all those great society bs...