DogGone

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Posts by DogGone

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  369

  So are Republicans now openly terrorists?

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  they seem determined to undermine the us democracy and shut the government down hurting employees and veterans.. what a despicable bunch, hope they get their asses kicked for what they are doing..

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  DogGone

  Glander,

  Very classy. We are all guilty, from time to time, of relaying info we find out later wasn't what it was craked up to be.
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  369

  So are Republicans now openly terrorists?

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  they seem determined to undermine the us democracy and shut the government down hurting employees and veterans.. what a despicable bunch, hope they get their asses kicked for what they are doing..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  DogGone

  Simon,

  I really don't think it is as bad as all of that. The Speaker has stated that he will not allow the country to default.... what we witnessed in late 2011 was complete madness. I'm relieved that they chose this, increasing the government's funding, instead of the coming debt ceiling to stake thier ground. To me, that actually shows they DO care about the country.

  That Congress has to increase the debt ceiling is the most bizarre structure I can think of. The Executive has to raise only the taxes Congress authorizes, has to execute the laws Congress enacts (spend money), and can only borrow what the Congress allows. All the other governments I know of legislate the first two and the third naturally follows. A failure to raise the debt ceiling means the President is put in conflict between the Congressional Taxation Power, Spending Power, and Borrowing Power. A constitutional crisis is inevitable in the face of a default. I have read some opinions that should Congress not raise the debt ceiling the President should ignore the debt ceiling and break the Borrowing Power of Congress. This would be unconstitutional and would likely result in impeachment, but is the better of the three to violate.

  http://www.columbialawreview.org/how-to-choose-the-lease-unconstitutional-option/

  I am very pleased the Republicans are choosing this current tactic rather than the nuke they have access to. [I don't agree with what they are trying to do, but if they were truly terrorists they'd try to blow the economy up with the debt ceiling. Of course, to your point, there are some (few?) Republicans who argue for doing exactly that.....]
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  45

  You Can't Ignore Fiscal Responsibilities!!!

  by minimus in

  1. social
  2. current

  there's just so much $$$ that people have.. the obama government continues to ignore simple mathematics, and you can't just keep adding taxes and increase fees and simply believe that everyone with a brain will think it's lovely..

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  DogGone

  Minimus,

  I agree with you, the American fiscal situation is pretty bad. Healthcare is a big part of that (with or without the ACA). It has been worse in the past, though, and I really think it will turn around. Recently some big steps were made to raise revenues and reduce expenses (thanks to the brinkmanship in 2011/2012). I actually think America will get it together in time.

  Now, what is scary for me is where individuals in America have deleveraged themselves over the last 5 years, individuals in Canada have been steadily borrowing more and more.
• 
  369

  So are Republicans now openly terrorists?

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  they seem determined to undermine the us democracy and shut the government down hurting employees and veterans.. what a despicable bunch, hope they get their asses kicked for what they are doing..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DogGone

  Minimus,

  You are correct. So let them vote. Even Republican reps who would vote against a clean CR have stated that if a clean CR was voted on (as received from the Senate) it would pass as enough Republicans would vote for it. This is no secret, they have been refreshingly candid about it.

  The Speaker will not allow a vote on that matter. IF you really want the House of Reps to, well, REPRESENT why not push the Speaker to allow a vote on a clean CR? Would that not demonstrate the will of the duly elected representatives?

  You can't say the House of Reps are doing the peoples bidding when the Speaker will not even allow a vote to demonstrate that. This is nothing more than high stakes politics.
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  45

  You Can't Ignore Fiscal Responsibilities!!!

  by minimus in

  1. social
  2. current

  there's just so much $$$ that people have.. the obama government continues to ignore simple mathematics, and you can't just keep adding taxes and increase fees and simply believe that everyone with a brain will think it's lovely..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  DogGone

  Hoser - well said.
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  45

  You Can't Ignore Fiscal Responsibilities!!!

  by minimus in

  1. social
  2. current

  there's just so much $$$ that people have.. the obama government continues to ignore simple mathematics, and you can't just keep adding taxes and increase fees and simply believe that everyone with a brain will think it's lovely..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  DogGone

  I don't have to wait, Data-Dog. I was raised by a single mom and we had absolutely no disposable income. It was life in a mobile home, eating frozen french fries, and drinking powdered milk. This was the late 80's... not a long time ago. Although I was envious of my friends who went on an actual vacation I was never without healthcare and education. I was able to get a bit of an education and work my way up. Was actually able to take a trip on an airplane when I was in my 20's!

  Now that I'm successful, I'm happy to have my taxes help others who are where I was. In fact, I volunteer to help raise money for charities to further help disadvantaged children.

  You seem to confuse "progressive taxation" with taxing the poor to starvation. It is the opposite.
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  369

  So are Republicans now openly terrorists?

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  they seem determined to undermine the us democracy and shut the government down hurting employees and veterans.. what a despicable bunch, hope they get their asses kicked for what they are doing..

  1. 
  2. 
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  DogGone

  I'd like to know which cluster of ideas is not true (and I'm being sincere, I don't know):

  1. This is a giant government subsidy that we can't afford. Once people get used to this government subsidy in January it will be impossible to roll back as entitlements are hard to undo regardless of the damage to the state.
  2. This is creating a massive additional expense for individuals that can't afford it
  3. This is creating a massive additional expense for businesses that can't afford it

  I'm truly lost. Don't one of these have to be false?

  Or will the system be more expense for the private sectore (#2 and #3) and more expensive for the public sector (#1) than it is currently trending? How is this possible economically speaking? Or is category #2 meant to exclude all those who don't have coverage, hence they don't count as individuals that can't afford the extra expense of coverage?

  I'm speaking on the macro level here....
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  45

  You Can't Ignore Fiscal Responsibilities!!!

  by minimus in

  1. social
  2. current

  there's just so much $$$ that people have.. the obama government continues to ignore simple mathematics, and you can't just keep adding taxes and increase fees and simply believe that everyone with a brain will think it's lovely..

  1. 
  2. 
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  DogGone

  A study out of the U of Viginia disagrees with you, Minimus.

  Consistent with Rawls’s theory of justice, our results showed that progressive taxation was positively associated with the subjective well-being of nations. However, the overall tax rate and government spending were not associated with the subjective well-being of nations. Furthermore, controlling for the wealth of nations and income inequality, we found that respondents living in a nation with more-progressive taxation evaluated their lives as closer to the best possible life and reported having more positive and less negative daily experiences than did respondents living in a nation with less-progressive taxation. Finally, we found that the association between more-progressive taxation and higher levels of subjective well-being was mediated by citizens’ satisfaction with public goods, such as education and public transportation.

  re:http://pss.sagepub.com/content/23/1/86.abstract

  I'm very heavily taxed in Canada, I'm happy as can be with what I get. I'm voting for a municiple government that will keep raising taxes this fall because I'm looking forward to more services and infrastructure.
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  369

  So are Republicans now openly terrorists?

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  they seem determined to undermine the us democracy and shut the government down hurting employees and veterans.. what a despicable bunch, hope they get their asses kicked for what they are doing..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  DogGone

  My turn to have fun with cherry picking stats: (only this time, with the source: http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Surveys/2008/The%202008%20Commonwealth%20Fund%20International%20Health%20Policy%20Survey%20of%20Sicker%20Adults/IHP2008_CMWF__DSQ_for_web%20pdf.pdf )

  On the whole, the system works pretty well and only minor change are needed: CAN 34% UK 36% USA 23%

  Did not fill a prescription for medicine or skipped doses: CAN 16%, UK 8%, USA 39%

  Had a specific medical problem but did not visit a doctor: CAN 9%, UK 4%, USA 34%

  Skipped or did not get a medical test, treatment, or follow-up: CAN 10%, UK 6%, 36%

  In the past 2 years, how often did you feel your time was wasted because your medical care was poorly organized? Often/Sometimes: CAN 29%, UK 20%, USA 35%

  Have you believed a medical mistake was made in your treatment or care in the past 2 years? CAN 14%, UK 10%, USA 16%

  USA Respondents who are currently insured but did NOT have health insurance over the last year: 14%

  Now, there are also some stats which favour the US in that document. My point, of course, is that we can cherry pick these things to make a point, combine it with bogus data, and circulate it like it matters. Those who already agree with our stand will unquestioningly adopt our data and propogate the info. There is no incentive to "test things out".

  People of the forum.... Does this sound familiar?
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  369

  So are Republicans now openly terrorists?

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  they seem determined to undermine the us democracy and shut the government down hurting employees and veterans.. what a despicable bunch, hope they get their asses kicked for what they are doing..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  DogGone

  Glander,

  Does that article reference the source of those statistics? Perhaps, like so much of this debate, they are counting on confirmation bias to avoid scrutiny.... (http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=54884)

  OR

  You can help me find the source of the information from the UN "International Health Organization" er.... maybe WHO? If so, this is very critical data and should definitely inform the discussion. I’d like to know if the stats are inclusive or only include those with health insurance.

  I can tell you that in some places wait times in Canada for specialists are often unacceptable. We have had a national focus on this for a decade and the results are showing. You may find the summary page from this document published by the Canadian Institute for Health Information to be informative: https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/HCIC2012-FullReport-ENweb.pdf

  This article has a comprehensive discussion about wait times broken down by province, by procedure, and by comparison against target: http://www.waittimealliance.ca/media/2012reportcard/WTA2012-reportcard_e.pdf

  To your point, more improvement is needed in Canada. Anecdotally, though, I can tell you that two weeks ago one of my staff needed to see an MRI after a scary episode and was in within a few days. Two days later he was back for another round. However, that is relevant only in my particular corner of our big country.

  Indeed, "Excessive wait times for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies are a major problem in the Canadian healthcare system." ref: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653696/

  That being said, our wait times are equitable regardless of wealth and our visibility into them is growing. Look at this website from Alberta where you can dive down into wait time stats for various procedures by urgency and region: http://waittimes.alberta.ca