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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.

You got it. If you want a rather amazing study of what is happening to the population, and its effects on the economy, read "Birthquake," by Diane Macunovich. It isn't an easy read---lots of jargon and stats---but her research is from my perspective unimpeachable. More of the unemployment picture has to do with demographics than with the actual performance of the economy, both good and bad.