US politics circa 2011

So you are channeling Paul Krugman these days?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/op...gman.html?_r=1
It is customary to include a link when you copy someone else. I thought you knew how to make links. Originally Posted by pjorourke

I forgot that all your thoughts are orginial and not some regurgitated GOP talking points.
... Originally Posted by WTF

And you, WTF, aren't vomiting left-wing George Soros funded talking points?

And you, WTF, aren't vomiting left-wing George Soros funded talking points? Originally Posted by DFW5Traveler

I do not read Soros but I do like to at least put all the points on the table and not leave out Peter to pay Paul.

We already have universial health care. If you do not understand that basic fact then it is hard to have a discussion on health care.



Do you suggest we tell Doctors to not treat people if they do not have the means to pay? Wher do you stand on the issue? Repeal with no plan in place? That is what the GOP idiots have proposed.

[quote=WTF;953768]I do not read Soros but I do like to at least put all the points on the table and not leave out Peter to pay Paul.

You don't have to read soros to get his talking points. The media is bought and paid for by his money.

We already have universial health care. If you do not understand that basic fact then it is hard to have a discussion on health care.



We do, it's called Medicare and Medicaid with some charitable hospitals like St Jude and Childrens. There would be even more if there weren't stupid laws blocking more charity.

Do you suggest we tell Doctors to not treat people if they do not have the means to pay? Wher do you stand on the issue? Repeal with no plan in place? That is what the GOP idiots have proposed.

Hmmm, so when I was unemployed and went to the doc without any insurance, he didn't really treat me? Wow, you have some immagination![/quote].

The Texas situation is very interesting. And the Republicans couldn't have gotten their supermajority at a better time. Now they're either going to have to make draconian cuts that are going to have very real adverse effects on the dumbshits that voted them into office, or just admit that they've been lying all along about not raising taxes.

Right now, the proposed budget (HB 1), will effectively end Medicaid in Texas if most predictions are correct. Already half of Texas docs won't take Mediaid. And now the numbskulls are going to cut reimbursement rates by another 10%. (And that's not even to mention that it doesn't include funding for population growth or for increased costs or utilization rates.)

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-ta...sweeping-cuts/

I hope all the poor who are forced to go to ER's for their medical care go to the ER's of for profit hospitals. But then again, many for profits hospitals will probably just close their ER's to avoid that problem. So the legislature will just past the buck to the Counties, and to non-profit hospitals who will in turn pass the buck on the the insurance companies (who will pass the buck on to those of us who pay premiums). And of course Texas will end up with even more people uninsured, despite already leading the nation in that category.

And the cuts to public education are staggering. $9.8 billion or 14% in cuts. One estimate I saw indicated that there would be 100,000 layoffs in education if the budget was cut $5M. So I guess we're looking at 200,000 off if the current numbers hold.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/?p=8964

Of course the urban rich don't care, but the rich Republicans in rural areas are going to be appalled at this because there are no private schools to send their kids to. Not to mention the batshit crazy poor who vote for Republicans. Texas education is already in a funding crisis since Texas has the lowest tax rates of any State and the lowest per capita spending of any State. (And of course the results to go with it: 47th out of 50 States in SAT scores, for example.)

But these education and health care cuts I think can cost the Republicans their majority here. Texas isn't a real rich State and the Republicans can't win unless poor people vote for them. And I just can't see that they will stand for this. I think it will be the event that finally gets the run of the mill Republican voter to wake up and smell the coffee. But if not, they'll live in the sort of society that they deserve.

[quote=DFW5Traveler;953845]

Do you suggest we tell Doctors to not treat people if they do not have the means to pay? Wher do you stand on the issue? Repeal with no plan in place? That is what the GOP idiots have proposed.

Hmmm, so when I was unemployed and went to the doc without any insurance, he didn't really treat me? Wow, you have some immagination![/quote]. Originally Posted by WTF

I don't know what he did but if you went to the ER and had no money they treated you. That is universal. It is expensive and we need to try and do something that fixes that problem. The problem of poor people using the most expensive form of care.

It is like having a car and never changing oil because it cost to much yet having no problem paying for a new engine after it blows up because you were to cheap to change the oil, it is called preventive maintenance

We already have universial health care. If you do not understand that basic fact then it is hard to have a discussion on health care. Originally Posted by WTF

DG will be glad to hear that -- guess there is no need for Obamacare.

Do you suggest we tell Doctors to not treat people if they do not have the means to pay? Wher do you stand on the issue? Repeal with no plan in place? That is what the GOP idiots have proposed.

Do we tell barbers not to cut somebody's hair if they don't have money? What right do we have to tell doctors to do anything? Did they become slaves of society and I missed the memo?

I don't know what he did but if you went to the ER and had no money they treated you. That is universal. It is expensive and we need to try and do something that fixes that problem. The problem of poor people using the most expensive form of care.

It is like having a car and never changing oil because it cost to much yet having no problem paying for a new engine after it blows up because you were to cheap to change the oil, it is called preventive maintenance
Originally Posted by WTF

You do understand the concept of marginal cost of production right? The incremental cost of treating a patient in the ER is nowhere's near the average cost.

You do understand the concept of marginal cost of production right? The incremental cost of treating a patient in the ER is nowhere's near the average cost. Originally Posted by pjorourke

That is why it is beyond stupid to have the kind of system we had. 17% of GDP with no end in site.

. Originally Posted by pjorourke

Do we tell barbers not to cut somebody's hair if they don't have money? What right do we have to tell doctors to do anything? Did they become slaves of society and I missed the memo? Originally Posted by pjorourke

We tell people what they can and can't do all the time
Not sure how you missed that memo.

Hell we invade counties that do not submit to our whims.....at a much greater cost.

There is no fucking way that giving unlimited on demand healthcare to everyone will cut costs.

There is no fucking way that giving unlimited on demand healthcare to everyone will cut costs. Originally Posted by pjorourke

Agreed and that is what we were doing. Did you not know how fuc'd up the system was?

Both parties should of been working together to solve this problem.

Our debt crisis will solve it for them.

Agreed and that is what we were doing. Originally Posted by WTF

No its not.

The fact that we give free emergency care currently doesn't mean we should use that as rationale to increase the amount of free care given...

the dumbshits that voted them into office, or just admit that they've been lying all along about not raising taxes. Originally Posted by TexTushHog

For the better part of two years I listened to campaign promises of "Yes we can" and "Hope"—completely intangible qualities for a formal governmental policy. As such, it was a campaign full of lies and deceit. “Dumb shits” voted him and other “dumb shits” into office. It’s now two years after the election—full of more lies and deceit—and nothing has improved. And I do not hear any Democrats apologizing!

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said on Tuesday that the government should require individuals to buy health insurance and cited the Preamble to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence’s “pursuit of happiness” language and the 14th Amendment as the sources of Congress’ authority to enact such a mandate.
“I think people should be required to get health insurance. We require people to get insurance for their automobile....

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/rep-...piness-and-14t

@ atlcomedy
+1

My point too. Congress is full of effete idiots who condescendingly believe they are smarter than the citizens they represent. Your idiot is unable to see the difference between car insurance and health insurance.