I worry the day is coming when the Bastille is stormed.
Joel Send a noteboard - 29/03/2010 11:06:31 AM
you are absolutely right. Obama made Wall Street and the banking industry richer and now he has done the same for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies (stocks also up sharply since Monday's opening bell). Will real cost control happen? Not until the entire country turns into California. The only silver lining for me is that I will likely be tucked in to my permanent dirt nap before the bill finally comes due. You, my friend, won't be so lucky.
It's sad things so often have to come to that, not least because there's usually a lot of collateral damage by people driven past the point of rationality (see Robespierre, Maximillian and Stack, Joe. ) As things stand the whole country remains well on the way toward the same problems CA is having (as with utility deregulation, CA may be a microcosm of the nation as a whole. ) This bill will only accelerate that, since it puts the federal government on the hook for skyrocketing insurance premiums the whole country is now legally obligated to endure. From that perspective the best case scenario may be that since rates will continue to rise well above the rate of inflation, more and more people will decide it's cheaper to pay the "uninsured tax" than premiums only marginally offset by subsidies (IF you qualify. ) We hear talk of how wrong "government control of 1/6 of the economy" is, but no one ever stops to consider what it means that rapidly rising healthcare costs are ALREADY 1/6 of the economy. Put another way, healthcare already costs the nations consumer-taxpayers twice as much as the federal government, and the cost continues rising at an alarming rate.
For me, personally, the best course by far seems to be moving to a country where private health insurance is legal but unmarketable due to federal insurance that covers everyones healthcare as part of taxpayer funded government service. It's perplexing that such places are held up as examples of how wrong government insurance is on the grounds that it works SO well only an idiot would by private insurance. That's a real epic failure (of intellect. ) Granted, I'd rather have a system more like the Brits where non-essential care is only covered by private insurance than one in which taxpayers finance every elective procedure, but if I have to choose between the latter and millions going without critical care, it's a no brainer.
So you're looking forward to being gone in 50 years and I'm trying to leave; wtf happened to this country? Tell me again how we reconcile "Christian family values" with insatiable greed. Understand, I'm not asking for a defense or endorsement of either, just an intellectual exercise in how they can be wed.
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
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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
- 1264 Views
Meh
22/03/2010 09:07:27 AM
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Re: Meh
22/03/2010 01:53:43 PM
- 552 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
- 568 Views
Re: I think the problem highlight what I don't like about this bill
22/03/2010 03:33:31 PM
- 535 Views
Let's be realistic here at least....
22/03/2010 04:16:23 PM
- 557 Views
You must have an interesting definition of "most"
22/03/2010 05:43:38 PM
- 554 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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sadly probably not a damned thing...
24/03/2010 04:20:45 AM
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I worry the day is coming when the Bastille is stormed.
29/03/2010 11:06:31 AM
- 636 Views
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
- 695 Views