Iamon lyme: The law doesn't make them do it though does it.

"It's not just McDonalds that can be forced to pay someone for spilling coffee on themselves. Doctors and hospitals are also forced to pay out more than they should have to, and so the cost of health care naturally rises to cover those costs."

That is just one of the factors, an easy one to use to distract you from the rest of the ways health care providers and others in the health care business inflate prices.

"it's the fault of lawmakers who have steadfastly refused to fix this problem."

Why... who's interests are affected if tort reform is made?

"and your government knows better than the banking industry how they should be doing business."

lol... we've had to bail out the banks here. Our government owns substantial shares in a number of UK based banks.
.......... The reason, stupidity by the banks, fraud resulting in billions of refunds to business and private customers.

Why... regulations keeping the 'merchant' and 'high street' sides of the businesses separate were dropped as the banks said they didn't need them. Seemingly common sense principles and morals have no part of modern 'merchant' banking.

"You are proving my point. The key statement in your reply was "The UK contracted out to a private company...""

Am I...... That private companies are more efficient.... except when they are liars??

"Competition forces businesses to offer better deals than someone else, and what better way to drum up business than to charge less for the same thing?"

The UK is a registered corporate entity. I (as is every UK citizen) am a share holder in such as stated on my Birth Certificate... I think the same applies to US citizens.

My name as registered on my birth certificate is crown copyrighted, not to be used as identification and as such, a legal fiction. All acts and statutes passed as 'legal' laws are by consent in the UK. If we do not consent, they cannot enforce.

To show you do not consent is a process in some cases. But even the police cannot enforce consent in many cases.

"My point was that anyone who understands how lowering a profit per item can translate into more overall profit in a business should also be able to understand how lowering taxes can have the effect of generating more taxable income."

I understand the principle easily. But in reality we do not have a taxation system where it could be said to be true. While blatant fraud and evasion happens, your point is pointless. Not because taxes are high, but because they just like to not pay tax period.