It's not as simple as "doing what the majority opposes is bad government. "
Joel Send a noteboard - 23/03/2010 06:42:04 AM
Most polls have shown that a majority of the people in the country are opposed to this reform. Passing the bill when the majority of people do not want it is just bad government and it makes me a bit sick to my stomach.
Personally speaking, I don't care very much about it passing other than the part I just mentioned...I don't know how it's going to effect things, so I'm ok with waiting to see what happens. It could be a positive in the long run, it could be a negative, there's no way to tell right now. The real proof will be if health care improves, costs go down, and this all happens without creating massive amounts of budget deficit (yeah, they claim that it will save money, but the government is pretty good at making up BS figures, so I take any projections they make about cost with a grain of salt the size of Ireland).
Personally speaking, I don't care very much about it passing other than the part I just mentioned...I don't know how it's going to effect things, so I'm ok with waiting to see what happens. It could be a positive in the long run, it could be a negative, there's no way to tell right now. The real proof will be if health care improves, costs go down, and this all happens without creating massive amounts of budget deficit (yeah, they claim that it will save money, but the government is pretty good at making up BS figures, so I take any projections they make about cost with a grain of salt the size of Ireland).
And it really depends on whom you ask, and how. Much of the opposition to THIS particular reform is from people who think it does too LITTLE (cost control efforts were essentially an afterthought from the past few months, and thus only present in the reconciliation bill headed to the Senate later this week. )
But there's a reason why we have elected representatives rather than just referenda on everything. Many past government decisions that lacked majority support at the time were still right. Abolition, womens suffrage and desegregation didn't magically cease to be immoral after decades because they suddenly had majority support for the first time. There are ample counterexamples, too; US entry to WWII had strong majority opposition right up until 7 December, 1941, and prohibition was so popular it became a Constitutional Amendment--that had to be repealed by ANOTHER Amendment twenty years later. That's why we let the man on the street pick the (theoretically) experienced and intelligent lawmakers rather than simply letting the men on the street make all the laws.
This particular bill is, sadly, just corporate welfare to the least needy industry I can imagine. They're already munching on a sizable and growing chunk of US GDP, and forcing everyone in the country to give them more money isn't going to fix that, not even if much of that money comes from federal subsidies paid with higher taxes. They're attacking the wrong end of the problem, trying to patch a hole by simply throwing more stuff into it rather than actually covering it. Without cost controls all the government subsidies and personal mandates in the world are a spur to costs, not a remedy.
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Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
No posts on the bill passing?
22/03/2010 08:22:27 AM
- 1250 Views
Meh
22/03/2010 09:07:27 AM
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Re: Meh
22/03/2010 01:53:43 PM
- 536 Views
I know what you mean. I love hearing that the "majority" are against this.
22/03/2010 01:57:15 PM
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surveys are crap anyways.
22/03/2010 01:59:39 PM
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That's ignorance speaking.
22/03/2010 02:02:46 PM
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well yah. Sorry, I wasn't meaning to say surveys as a whole are nonsense
22/03/2010 02:09:42 PM
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A question?
23/03/2010 01:11:07 AM
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I accept that there are situations where leaders must go against popular opinion
23/03/2010 02:53:00 AM
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on the other hand *edited stupid spelling error*
23/03/2010 03:09:47 AM
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Ahahahahahahahaha
23/03/2010 12:57:17 PM
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why? *NM*
23/03/2010 03:37:00 PM
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Because "populous" is not a noun in English. *NM*
23/03/2010 03:42:16 PM
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This.
23/03/2010 03:46:25 PM
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It's not as simple as "doing what the majority opposes is bad government. "
23/03/2010 06:42:04 AM
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I think with the saturation coverage it has been getting people are just worn out *NM*
22/03/2010 01:27:59 PM
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Re: No posts on the bill passing?
22/03/2010 01:39:14 PM
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I chose to read about it first at the NYT, then the WSJ, then the Economist.
22/03/2010 01:43:07 PM
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Re: I chose to read about it first at the NYT, then the WSJ, then the Economist.
22/03/2010 02:01:07 PM
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I liked former Republican Senate majority leader Bill Frist's comments.
22/03/2010 02:06:41 PM
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Re: I liked former Republican Senate majority leader Bill Frist's comments.
22/03/2010 02:12:16 PM
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I am worried. The official reports show that it will actually erase some debt. But . . .
22/03/2010 01:39:26 PM
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I think reform had to start now.
22/03/2010 02:27:11 PM
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That's a good column.
22/03/2010 02:44:56 PM
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Yea, he's going to be adding to it all day, trying to explain the various facets of the bill.
22/03/2010 03:05:03 PM
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I think the problem highlight what I don't like about this bill
22/03/2010 03:20:54 PM
- 554 Views
Re: I think the problem highlight what I don't like about this bill
22/03/2010 03:33:31 PM
- 522 Views
Let's be realistic here at least....
22/03/2010 04:16:23 PM
- 540 Views
You must have an interesting definition of "most"
22/03/2010 05:43:38 PM
- 539 Views
My definition of most is obviously quite defective.
22/03/2010 08:05:22 PM
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As long as you define "most" as "some time" you're just fine with it as it stands *NM*
22/03/2010 08:15:03 PM
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I'd say "most" people would agree with my definition of "most" in my original post....
23/03/2010 05:16:59 AM
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I hope your house is built on fimrer foundations then your reasoning
22/03/2010 04:25:49 PM
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You should worry about cost control (AKA the only real reason for healthcare reform to begin. )
23/03/2010 07:02:24 AM
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bingo
24/03/2010 03:45:48 AM
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Next question: WTF do we do about it?
24/03/2010 04:00:39 AM
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It is a good start
22/03/2010 03:01:08 PM
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I really like what GRR Martin wrote in his blog.
23/03/2010 09:55:11 AM
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I would say it is rather weak point
23/03/2010 01:12:43 PM
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You realize that most countries with socialized healthcare have private healthcare, too.
24/03/2010 04:16:28 AM
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