leh-nerd skin-erd Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 34 minutes ago, section122 said: I don't hate Trump. I think it is embarrassing that our president engages in twitter beefs with people, doesn't know simple geography, etc and I think we can do better. He isn't this evil dictator that people want to make him out to be. He is however a troll (in the internet sense of the word) and I will admit that at times it makes me chuckle. However I don't think that is a role our leader should be playing. As for Health Insurance I appreciate your views. I work directly every day with benefits in my role as an HR Director and just simply see things a bit differently. I have watched premiums sky rocket while adding deductibles to plans that didn't have them with worse coverage. Insurance companies were forced to offer coverage to everyone and pretended that it caused a tremendous burden for them financially. Meanwhile Excellus made 99.5 million profit in 2016, 182.3 in 2017, and 150 million in 2018. That is a non-profit company making 432 million dollars in profits in 2 years. Their CEO received a 23% raise from 2.3 million a year to 2.9. As I work in a smallish company (about 115 employees) I also see the cost to the employer. Minimum wage hikes are going to push a lot of businesses out as they struggle to maintain competitiveness while labor costs skyrocket. If employers weren't on the hook for premiums they would become more sustainable and profitable. I posted in a separate thread about why Medicare is so expensive. Part of that is due to the population served and the risk associated with them. The other part is that the govt is forbidden from negotiating medication prices. I have family living abroad with socialized medicine and they have no issues with wait times, providers, etc. All the boogeyman talking points being pushed are exaggerated. Funny thing is we currently have to go where our insurance says we can go so we already have issues with providers (in network vs out of network), we have to wait sometimes months for specialists as it is, and most PCPs don't accept walk in appointments anymore. The talking points are current issues! Thanks for the reply. Fair answer on Trump, tweets and so on. I used to feel that way, but recognize when his adversaries seem intent on driving him to an early grave, or to prison, or branded a traitor...the “Presidential” way means you become a glorified punching bag. The election process began with he’s racist...sexist....assaults women....islamaphobe...war monger...tax evader...Russian agent and so in. It seems politics today is kill or be killed, maybe the old days are gone. Most assuredly he is a world class ball buster. On that we agree. As for Medicare and health insurance, I’ll try to track down your other post, but honestly you made my point better than I did. Medicare started in 1965. Over the past six decades, govt founded a program, established the rules for the program, hired people to work on behalf of the program, and planned coverage/premium/benefits. The govt IS the health insurance company. The fact that it serves an aging population isn’t a surprise, it’s the customer base they serve. The fact that costs increase isn’t a surprise, the fact that folks are living longer isn’t a surprise either. It’s all entirely predictable. The problem with Medicare is that it isn’t funded properly, the premiums are wrong, expenses too high and nobody’s head will roll for the mismanagement. As for elimination of the private health insurance market, what about the hundreds of thousands of people summarily dispatched when Medicare for all goes live? Sure, the CEO is out of work, but he’ll probably be ok. What about everyone else? What about the cottage industries that serve those companies? Let’s be honest, the costs associated with those people doesn’t go away, the Medicare office doesn’t just port in the files, it’s a massive undertaking that expands bureaucracy exponentially. As for socialized medicine and foreign countries, I don’t want to be disingenuous. I don’t really care what they do In Finland, so I couldn’t tell you if it’s great or not, or at what cost the greatness comes. I do know that most of my Canadian family members who had serious medical issues travelled to NY for treatment. In one case, it prolonged the life of my uncle by a decade or so as he would have died awaiting surgery in Canada based on his assessment, I don’t really understand the CEO pay argument. I mean, I do, but it seems silly. The average lifer who works for a fed or state government retires with a pension and health care worth millions over their lifetime. The average US Senator fares even better, yet no one clamors for the billions in benefits paid to retirees to level out the playing field. What does that cost the average American in taxation over a lifetime? Also, many CEOs and execs from other industries are worth millions or billions, why aren’t we debating the takeover of Amazon, Microsoft or Apple and putting those robber barrons in the street? They hire people too, where is their skin in the health insurance game? When all is said and done, Medicare as run by the govt faces a massive shortfall. I read the Hospital trust fund starts going backward in about 6 years. Those entrusted with management have had 55 years to solve the problem, and yet, here we are. Appreciate the tone of the reply. I hope Bernie is boxed out and goes away, though I know there’s always a crazy socialist in the wings. 57 minutes ago, Nanker said: Yes. And I responded by outlining exactly why “Medicare for all” is a bull#### red herring. I welcome people to enjoy Medicare coverages. The premiums alone would bankrupt many families with children. Dealing with pre-existing conditions, portability, and drug costs could all be addressed by the government and insurers. But the bureaucrats have their heads up their collective asses, and that includes the POTUS. They want control. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 AP says they can't declare a winner in Iowa, due to irregularities and the close margin between Bernie & Pete. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leh-nerd skin-erd Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Just now, GG said: AP says they can't declare a winner in Iowa, due to irregularities and the close margin between Bernie & Pete. I think they are all winners, and everyone can feel good about that. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaoulDuke79 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 The left was so preoccupied with trying to impeach Trump the last 3 years they actually forgot how to execute normal tasks associated with their job. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keukasmallies Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Aren R. LeBrun @proustmalone Replying to @TomPerez The Iowa Democrats trying to steal the caucuses from Bernie in broad daylight, getting caught, getting caught again, getting caught again, getting caught again, getting caught again, failing to steal them, and then trying to redo it so they can steal them again. _______________________ Where is Debbie Wasserman Schultz when they need her? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanNC Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 13 minutes ago, RaoulDuke79 said: The left was so preoccupied with trying to impeach Trump the last 3 years they actually forgot how to execute normal tasks associated with their job. True, and the Trump preoccupation also made them forget to address the other thorn in their side Bernie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaoulDuke79 Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 1 minute ago, BillsFanNC said: True, and the Trump preoccupation also made them forget to address the other thorn in their side Bernie. If he starts gaining too much momentum, he may develop another case of cardiac arrest, brought on by the Clinton foundation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Rutgers prof: Iowa caucuses are a ‘sickening display’ of ‘whiteness.’ ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 (edited) . . Edited February 7, 2020 by B-Man 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RochesterRob Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 23 minutes ago, B-Man said: . . That Hillary pic reminds me of the character Baltar from the original Battlestar Galactica as he sat in his high chair scheming against the Colonial Fleet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 20 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said: The very nature of Democrats and their philosophy makes it almost impossible for them to have any competence. Their shirking of individual accountability just lends itself to their incompetence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Yesterday’s Gone: Iowa Was Waterloo for Democrats. In a fiasco for the ages, the blue party faceplants in Iowa. “After a vote in Iowa that reeked of third-world treachery — from monolithic TV propaganda against the challenger to rumors of foreign intrusion to, finally, a ‘botched’ vote count that felt as legitimate as a Supreme Soviet election — the Democrats have become the reactionaries they once replaced.” Consider, grasshopper: Maybe they always were the reactionaries. . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Cue to Bernie Bro freak out: 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComradeKayAdams Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 15 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said: Cue to Bernie Bro freak out: As much as I would like to begin ordering my Molotov cocktail supplies for the July convention in Milwaukee, the reality is that this thing is over. Bernie won. He started winning weeks ago when both Warren and Hillary unfairly attacked him. He unofficially won it when Biden faceplanted in Iowa. And his win will be obvious to everyone - even the MSNBC, CNN, NY Times, and Washington Post crowd - the morning after Super Tuesday. There are no more remaining viable neoliberal establishment machinations to be carried out, unless they are okay with taking away from Sanders what will have been rightfully earned by the time of the convention (and thereby instantly ensuring four more years of Trump). Warren and Klobuchar will be finished off in New Hampshire, Buttigieg by South Carolina, and Biden by Super Tuesday. By the time Bloomberg tries to enter the race, it will be too late. Bernie is going to win a voter majority in all but 2-3 states in the South by early March. The Clinton-Obama era of neoliberal warmongers has failed the country (especially the working class) and is thankfully almost over. We can play games for a few more weeks, but after that, it's time for the "moderate" Democrats to accept defeat and embrace a progressive FDR New Deal-style agenda. If not? Well, then make you're not near me at the convention this summer. KAY DON'T PLAY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, KayAdams said: . We can play games for a few more weeks, but after that, it's time for the "moderate" Democrats to accept defeat and embrace a progressive FDR New Deal-style agenda. If not? Well, then make you're not near me at the convention this summer. KAY DON'T PLAY. You've got the right decade, but the wrong hemisphere. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedge Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Posting for the first 13 seconds of the video. ? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prickly Pete Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Hedge said: Posting for the first 13 seconds of the video. ? Perfect. They still believe they can baffle people with bull**** while things fall apart around them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedge Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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