The Los Angeles Times runs a story by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar about the role of government in the American healthcare system.  Healthcare promises to be one of the top issues as we head into the 2008 election, and there is currently a stalemate between Republicans and Democrats regarding how far the government should go in helping the uninsured. 

Though many Americans may not realize it, government is already the dominant player in healthcare, with federal and state expenditures accounting for 47% of the projected $2.3 trillion the nation will spend this year. Indeed, many private insurers follow the lead of the biggest government program, Medicare, in setting coverage policies.

Even if nothing changes, government will pick up more than half the nation's healthcare tab by 2017. Universal coverage proposals from the leading Democratic presidential candidates would advance that tipping point to 2011, according to a recent analysis by the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The debate is now centered around whether or not the government's role should be expanded to cover most Americans, or if we can find a balance that preserves private insurance for most American workers and their families.

Hamil Harris pens a story in today's Washington Post about church groups and nonprofits preparing holiday packages for the troops. 

Distant war zones never seem so far away yet so close as they do at Christmastime.

Many families have children, siblings, parents or spouses who are serving their country. And thanks to those connections, dozens of church groups, schools and nonprofit organizations in the region have mailed Christmas cheer to military personnel in Afghanistan, Iraq and other far-flung places.

In order to find out how you can help the troops this holiday season, and in the months beyond, please visit here.

The Wall Street Journal, in an op-ed appearing in today's edition, say that as "they careen toward the end of their first year in charge, Congressional leaders seem capable of nothing but futile gestures."  The Journal goes onto state that the leadership has been ineffective at completing most of their major objectives for the yera, but considering their agenda, this is beneficial to the nation.