OT - when politics gets personal

On Feb 24, 10:29*pm, "Mark Bowen" wrote:
"Tom Littleton" wrote in message

...







wrote in message
.. .
What makes _you_ think that? *And no, Medicare is not a single payer
system.

because the power of negotiation will remove some of the bloated costs
built in, for starters. With the current system, a ton of breakdowns into
various insured groups almost ensures a lack of transparent price
structures. And, given human nature invites vast overpricing and profit
taking.

That said, I'm with Jeff in saying that healthcare ought to be treated as
a societal benefit, or as he put it, a right of citizenship, not a
for-profit business.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tom

I think our state and federal governments should sell the nation’s highways,
roads, and streets to for-profit organizations. That way we all pay to
travel to and from work, the grocery store, day care, your favorite bar, the
dentist, anywhere and anytime you or I might drive. Just think of the profit
potential. I mean, why should we pay highway usage or fuel taxes for our
government to maintain our roadways, when private organizations could
obviously provide better maintenance, construction, and means of usage. I
mean it is not as if use of the nation’s roadways is a constitutionally
protected right, right? Kelo vs. New London (I believe this is the case
name) determined that the public transfer of one private entities property
to another private entity for the purpose of economic development trumps the
rights of the individual. Hell, I say the government should exercise its
right of eminent domain over all U.S. citizens and transfer all private
property from private individuals to other private individual, *who can
*claim* that they will put the property to better economic purposes, which
thereby serves the public interest better. What makes travel to anywhere,
anymore important than one's health.

Hell, once we transer the nation's roadways to the for-profit companies and
make travel on the nation's roadways so expensive that we cannot affort to
drive to *and from work, get our groceries, pick up little Cindy Lou Hoo
from daycare, travel to your doctor's office, or the hospital to have
another child delivered, healthcare reform will appear insignificant in
comparison.

Op

An even better plan than it appears at first glance. Not because it
makes the cost of health care reform appear insignificant by
comparison, but because it moots the issue. Who cares what health
care costs if no one can get to it? Which, if you think about it, is
pretty much the situation tens of millions of Americans are already
in. Spread the pain a bit and everybody's happy!

giles

On Feb 23, 6:09*pm, jh wrote:

Knowing full well that this is pointless,

Amateur exercises in sophistry always are.

Nothing in the plan seems to actually address
cost of coverage - it does seem to play musical chairs with who is
going to actually pay for it.

Never mind the chairs. Look at the bottom line. It will be paid for
by the same people who pay for everything. The same people who have
always paid for everything and always will.......me.

g.

On Feb 24, 12:44*pm, Wayne Knight wrote:
On Feb 23, 11:19*pm, Giles wrote:

No, those are all "costs."

They are not all "costs", while they may be a use of cash which some
mistakenly consider "costs". Some of what he mentions are capital and
operating investments, as well as inventory which will be used to
support the business and maintain its capability. Capitals assets are
expensed over some time period which is supposed to approximate their
servicable life so their costs of use are some portion of the actual
cost of the equipment whereas the inventory investments are typically
expensed when the sale occurs.

Wayne
Accountants are us
.

Art is something for which I have always had a vastly greater
appreciation than my understanding of it could ever justify. Making
money spent appear to be something other than a cost rekindles my
delight in the true magic of art.

giles

On Feb 24, 1:12*pm, "Bill McKee" wrote:

...ways to lower costs. *Number one is increase the supply of
doctors....

Hm.....

So, the number of doctors in America has been falling precipitously in
recent decades.....and nobody told me?

g.
always the last to know.

On Feb 23, 7:50*pm, MajorOz wrote:
...and, if 60 senators can't pass something, why do folks blame the
other 40...?

cheers

oz

Experience suggests that you expect that question to be taken
seriously, and THAT, much more than content, is what makes if
funny.

g.

Nice post Wayne. When I read of the healthcare "reform" that came out
of the Senate, my thought is usually "the Republicans couldn't have
written a worse bill if they tried!" Complete corporate giveaway with
no real reform. Unfortunately we DO need reform but I doubt the
current crop of politicians has ANY ability to even come close to real
reform. Now the SCOTUS has decided corporations are people with
inalienable rights, so we're in a death spiral right now. IMO a real
voter revolt against the two parties is the only thing that will solve
it. Are we capable of that? I don't know.

Jon.

On Feb 24, 6:22*pm, wrote:
On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:51:19 -0800 (PST), Wayne Knight
wrote:

On Feb 23, 8:06*pm, wrote:

Tell you what - email Wayne Knight (unless he's lurking and pops up) and ask him
how many dead bodies, of those who died because they didn't have 16K upfront, he must step over each day.

I think I'm going to be sorry I lurked and popped up.

HOLY ****!! *It's Beetlejuice the Accountant! *Say "health care ripoff" three
times and WOOOSH!, you appear!



Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go repossess some pacemakers and
offer complementary shovels so those who won't pay me 16K upfront for
their potentially life saving treatment can start to help their family
save on their burial costs. The IRS allows me to include on my annual
990 filling as a community benefit further justifying my 501c3 status.

Burial costs...? *I thought y'all just bulldozed 'em into pits or something...
HEY! *I have an idea to save on fuel costs...it seems in about 2 years, we're
gonna be up to our short-hairs in shovel-ready ex-lawyers...we can just divert
some from the liquid precipitation removal system installation department and
send them over to your way...why, shoot, in no time at all, every exec at the
hospital ought to be able to buy that 5th Ferrari...yeah, yeah, yeah, I know,
who really NEEDS a 5th Ferrari? *What can I tell you, give it to one of your
maids or something...maybe your gardener's assistant can use it to store
compost...

HTH,
R

Idiot.

g.

On Feb 25, 7:26*pm, Jonathan Cook wrote:
Nice post Wayne. When I read of the healthcare "reform" that came out
of the Senate, my thought is usually "the Republicans couldn't have
written a worse bill if they tried!"

One is tempted to say "You've got to be joking!" One is not given to
caving easily to temptation.

Complete corporate giveaway with
no real reform.

Surprise!

Unfortunately we DO need reform

No. Reform might have been a good idea a century ago, but it's WAY
too late for that now.

but I doubt the
current crop of politicians has ANY ability to even come close to real
reform.

Well, that's pretty much a natural outcome of the current electorate's
lack of ability to recognize, let alone confront, reality, ainna?

Now the SCOTUS has decided corporations are people with
inalienable rights,

Now?! You think this is some sort of recent innovation? Have you
ever even SEEN the inside of an institution of learning.....at
whatever level?

so we're in a death spiral right now.

Nope. We reached the bottom of that before you were born. You've got
a lot of catching up to do.

IMO a real
voter revolt against the two parties is the only thing that will solve
it.



Are we capable of that?

Well, with you leading the way.....

I don't know.

Ah! A grain of truth.

Jon.

Guessed that.

giles
go ahead.....reread what you wrote......tell us if you think you
actually said something or other.

On Feb 23, 10:36*pm, jh wrote:
well, at least he is dependable

I'd suggest that maybe you stick to trying to determine the std dev of
incompatable components and let it go at that.

jh

Sniff.....sniff.....hm.....

maybe.

g.
who sometimes suspects that he is being toyed with.

"Giles" wrote in message
...
On Feb 24, 1:12 pm, "Bill McKee" wrote:

...ways to lower costs. Number one is increase the supply of
doctors....

Hm.....

So, the number of doctors in America has been falling precipitously in
recent decades.....and nobody told me?

g.
always the last to know.


Reply:
Population growth and very controlled numbers of prospective doctors
admitted to med school. And if you can not make enough money to justify the
$200k+ to get through doctor school, there will be even less doctors per
person in the country.