Speaking of cramdowns; Why would anyone want to cram this kind of system down our throats? Underfunded, understaffed, underpaid employees and Physicians. Long waits, rationing through delays and bureaucratic shuffling which serves to frustrate the patient into giving up on getting medical attention.
Obama says that you can keep your current insurance if you prefer it to his plan but talk radio has been referring to page 16 of the plan where Insurance companies are prohibited from writing new policies. That sounds like a deathknell for the private insurers who survive the mass exodus of business switching over the Government plan.
I realize that we have no utopia here in the US but why would anyone think that the current bunch in DC will be able to craft a better system by August of this year or any year? As Hillary said, one would have to suspend credulity to believe that. Unfortunately, too many already have.
People get the leaders they deserve.
I inadvertently stepped on Whit's post. My apologies.
ReplyDeleteI quit watching 25% of the way through. What Bullshit.
ReplyDeleteLet these three wiseguys walk into a Memphis Emergency Room with a little numbness in his wrist from a skateboarding accident. Same result, less polity.
Broken clavicle? MRI, prescription for a couple days pain pills, and "see your doctor." If you have a doctor he'll tell you to see bone doctor, and offer to give you a referral.
This is JUVENILE HORSESHIT. This is making light of a Serious situation.
This makes me madder'n a motherfucker. Again, in most cases the only difference between Canadian Healthcare, and U.S. Healthcare is ALL CANADIANS HAVE HEALTHCARE.
I'm dissappointed in both of you.
F... Canada. They only exist because the of U.S.
ReplyDeleteI hope Michael Moore moves there. They deserve each other.
We should make states out of the Yukon, BC, ALB, and maybe Sask. and let the rest float over to France. F... them.
Apparently you bailed on the video before his interview with the Canadian woman whose mother lost two legs because of delays in treatment.
ReplyDeletePeople die by the tens of thousands in the U.S. Every Year due to no treatment, Whit. Get your head out of your ass.
ReplyDeleteOkay, maybe this one from CATO is mature enough for you.
ReplyDeleteClick on this podcast.
July 16, 2009: "The Canadian Health Care Experience" featuring Sally Pipes
Here's a June 2009 CATO paper:
ReplyDeleteMassachusetts Miracle or Massachusetts Miserable: What the Failure of the "Massachusetts Model" Tells Us about Health Care Reform
# Although the state has reduced the number of residents without health insurance, 200,000 people remain uninsured. Moreover, the increase in the number of insured is primarily due to the state's generous subsidies, not the celebrated individual mandate.
# Health care costs continue to rise much faster than the national average. Since 2006, total state health care spending has increased by 28 percent. Insurance premiums have increased by 8–10 percent per year, nearly double the national average.
# New regulations and bureaucracy are limiting consumer choice and adding to health care costs.
# Program costs have skyrocketed. Despite tax increases, the program faces huge deficits. The state is considering caps on insurance premiums, cuts in reimbursements to providers, and even the possibility of a "global budget" on health care spending—with its attendant rationing.
# A shortage of providers, combined with increased demand, is increasing waiting times to see a physician
Same old shit. I listened to it, Whit, out of respect for you. However, I don't need Sally Pipes, or any other fat-assed "conservative" lobbyist to tell me how the world really works.
ReplyDeleteYou don't want the "Canadian" experiance? Spend more money. Oh, wait, we already do. Twice as much. We will continue doing that. And, we'll continue having much better care.
But, YOU'VE GOTTA UNDERSTAND, tens of thousands of AMERICANS go through the same thing her mother went through, EVERY YEAR!
You CAN'T get a Colonoscopy in America IF YOU'RE POOR. You will get one at the same time She got one. When You're Bleeding.
You, and the **** Institute are being disingenuous. You shout about the shortcomings of the underfunded Canadian System, but you never look closely at ours. You never refer to "France," or Sweden, or Germany, or Norway.
You are (you, not Cato) too wrapped up in your fear of paying a little more to notice that you're paying a huge amount, at present, and getting NO results for your investment.
Requiring all Americans to have real Health Insurance, and helping out those who can't pay the whole freight DOES NOT mean that we will be like Canada. It means that Millions of Americans will live like AMERICANS.
Well, of course health care costs have increased in Massachusetts. They Have provided Health Care to 500,000 people that didn't have it before.
ReplyDeleteThe fact remains that Massachusetts has the Best Health Care in the Country, and it's Available to Everyone.
Do they need more Doctors to treat the extra Half a Million patients? Of course. Will they get them. Of course; The State has about the Highest Standard of Living of any state in the Union.
Jerry Taylor of cato has been going on tv and lying about the costs of ethanol for years. They are a dreadful bunch of crooks, and I can't believe you would take anything they have to say, seriously.
Ms Pipes was denied a colonoscopy based on her age. She was surely on Medicare. Will Obama care be any better? I really doubt it.
ReplyDeleteMs Pipes' mother was denied the colonoscopy.
ReplyDeletefree heathcare...you pay for it hoss
ReplyDeleteMillions of Americans can't get a Colonoscopy. That IS the point.
ReplyDeleteBUT, they Will Get A Lot of Very Expensive Treatment (Which You Will Pay For) when it's too late to save them.
You people are so afraid that it might cost you a nickel that you're overlooking the fact that you're Paying a Quarter.
To base something as important as the healthcare debate on something as ancedotal as, "A Doctor somewhere Screwed Up," is Ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteWell, the fact is, Obama "screwed the pooch" on this one, and you guys will probably get what you want. But, it's Not going to make you happier; And, it's Not going to make you "wealthier;" and, your life is going to be "poorer for it."
ReplyDeleteAnd, you'll lose more elections in the future as a result of it.
We need more doctors.
ReplyDeleteWe need more doctors.
We need more doctors.
We should have a medical school in Boise.
That's what pisses me off.
We could, but we don't.
Then we could send some of our young folks to medical school, right here.
We need more doctors.
Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteyou pay for it
ReplyDeleteWe could pull folks like Rufus, out of Doyle's, into the new hospitals, helping along best they can, like my aunts used to do, as Grey Ladies, voluntarily.
ReplyDeleteWe need more doctors, and not a bullet train from LA to Vegas.
I've been reading this book about Walt Whitman and the days and days he spent in the hospitals around Washington, D.C. during the civil war.
ReplyDeleteHe, really, put his time in.
It was miserable, but, he was there.
The endlessness of it, but, Walt was there, our poet.
Walt seemed to have a truly magnificent presence, and that alone seemed to pull a few away from death.
They didn't know what the hell they were doing, those doctors then.
These days, with science, we actually know something.
We need more doctors, more medical schools.
Spend your tax money on that, then it will be better spent.
First off, Bob, You don't have a Clue what I do.
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how many "druggies" I've worked with that really were simply unable to get "Treatment" for the Pain that wracked their bodies 24 hrs/day, and were refused treatment everywhere they went, and were unable to keep a job due to their debilitating illnesses/injuries.
You overlook the fact that I retired from the insurance industry after years of observing it (and, providing a little coverage along the way.)
Don't tell ME to "Get out of Doyle's Room." I might just have to tell you to Go Fuck Yourself.
And, Fuck Walt Whitman. While he "visited" hospitals, and you farmed, I Fought the Fucking War.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, My Ancestors fought every fucking war this country has ever had. So don't tell me about some old queer "visiting" hospitals.
You have no idea how many "druggies" I've worked with that really were simply unable to get "Treatment" for the Pain that wracked their bodies 24 hrs/day
ReplyDeleteThen, Rufus, I take my statements back, and hope you will accept my apology.
I mean that.
That wasn't the idea I had gotten reading your writings, but if I was wrong, I was wrong, and apologize.
Now playing on WXRG-FM, 105.9, Pascagoula...
ReplyDeleteWe're Havin' a Heat Wave...
In fact, in, at least, two wars (Indian Wars, and Civil War) we were on Both Sides. How ya like Them apples?
ReplyDelete:)
Apologies accepted, Bob. I'm just a little "Raw" right now.
Just couldn't get along with nobody.
ReplyDeleteI love you, Rufus.
ReplyDeleteYou are the last guy on earth I want to argue with.
I saw my brother go through medical school.
My sis is in the medical profession too.
It isn't easy, there are tragedies all over the landscape.
The best thought I can come up with, is we need more docs, more hospitals, more medical people.
I'd happily pay more taxes for that.
In fact, in, at least, two wars (Indian Wars, and Civil War) we were on Both Sides. How ya like Them apples?
ReplyDelete:)
heh, well I can understand that outlook.
I must have been about 14 years old when my mother told me her family back in Tennessee had a family of slaves.
(Before that, they go all the way back to Virginia, before the Constitution)
They got wiped out, in the Civil War, tried farming in Kansas, went broke, moved to Bellingham, Washington, where her family was poor as church mice, then she married dad.
Life is strange.
heh, now I've got a dispute brewing with the local County Commissioners, after all this time, I can see that coming.
ReplyDeleteLife is strange.
I'll have to fight that battle by my lonesome.
I'd like to have someone argue me out of my postition.
ReplyDeleteMy position, which I will stand firm with, until someone agues me out of it, is that--
"we need more doctors, nurses and clinics"
and we should pay tax money to do so.
Argue me out of that.
Here is a Malbec, about $20 that you should enjoy:
ReplyDeleteBodega Renacer Malbec Mendoza Punto Final Reserva 2004
That might get me out of my mood, but do have have that at Albertson's?
ReplyDeleteWe need more Doctors, Bob. But, all the Doctors in the World doesn't do any good if they won't treat you.
ReplyDeleteThose that are Sick, and Poor, need Treatment.
You have no postions na-bobal, you have feelings.
ReplyDeleteThat sway in the wind.
Through the caverns of your mind.
Boobie is a moron!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe could compare his intellect to that of a rock, but that would disparage rocks.
ReplyDeleteService and sacrifice, words that are outside his lexicon.
ReplyDeleteOr his worldly experience.
Team USA edges Panama in Gold Cup quarterfinals!
ReplyDeletePHILADELPHIA — Running out of players and energy, the U.S. men's soccer team labored to a 2-1 extra-time win against Panama in the Gold Cup quarterfinals Saturday.
The precise attack that drove the USA to the Confederations Cup final last month with a different set of players was not in evidence on this rare men's national team visit to Philadelphia. The USA led handily on all the offensive stats — possession, shots, corner kicks — but struggled to get good chances against a Panamanian team given a lot of leeway to get physical with U.S. attackers.
We outnumber the Panamanians by over 100 to 1, but could barely squeeze out a victory.
Must be tough little dudes, those Panamanians.
House Panel to Investigate Canceled CIA Program.
ReplyDeleteBy Paul Kane and Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The House intelligence committee announced yesterday it will investigate the CIA's handling of its secret al-Qaeda assassination program, including whether Vice President Richard B. Cheney improperly intervened to stop the agency from telling Congress about the initiative.
The probe will examine the nature of the now-canceled program -- described by intelligence officials as a series of planned attempts to use assassins to kill or capture senior terrorists --
but it will mostly focus on whether the agency improperly withheld information from lawmakers, committee members said.
The US has to face that powerhouse of a country next round desert rat. Then we will see if the US can get beyond a powerhouse of American democracies, Honduras.
ReplyDeleteIn the first game of the quarterfinal doubleheader, a pro-Honduran crowd cheered as their team beat Canada 1-0 on a penalty kick disputed by participants from both sides in the postgame press conference. Honduras next faces the USA in a rematch of a group-stage game in which Ching and Santino Quaranta scored late for a 2-0 win.
Ching and Santino Quaranta, those are players on the US team,
Not that you could tell from their names. You'd think that the US could find some real Americans to play for their team. A Smith or a Jones.
Great nickname you chose for bobal, desert rat, he is a real boobie.
... at least three other Republican senators — Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, Mel Martinez of Florida and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine — said they intended to vote for her after the confirmation hearings this week.
ReplyDeleteGiven Judge Sotomayor’s solid Democratic support, the new Republican backing eliminated any threat of a filibuster and indicated that she would get strong confirmation approval.
“Judge Sotomayor is knowledgeable of the law, would be a fair and impartial judge and seems to have a good understanding of the limited role the judiciary plays in our democracy,” Mr. Martinez said.
Mr. Martinez, a Cuban-American, also said, “Judge Sotomayor’s rise to the Supreme Court is testimony to the fact that the American dream continues to be attainable.”
I think that Ching and Quaranta are as much real American names as Mel Martinez is, Panama.
Amazing.
ReplyDeleteDoes not take much to amaze the boobie
ReplyDeleteTHE terrorist bombings in Jakarta are a savage blow against Indonesian democracy and society that demonstrate the ferocious resilience of Islamist extremism as a motivating ideology, and the terrorist groups that give life to it.
ReplyDeleteNo country has done more, or better, than Indonesia in fighting Islamist terrorism. There have been hundreds of arrests, dozens of transparent trials that have educated a sceptical Indonesian public about the intentions and capabilities of the Islamist groups. Hundreds of people have gone to jail long-term. A society-wide consensus has been forged against terrorism. The biggest and most influential Islamic groups all condemn terrorism without qualification.
Indonesia has not done all this to please Washington, still less to please Australia. The nation has taken this stand because it reflects Indonesia's values and interests and identity.
Indonesia is not a permissive environment for terrorism.
Yet seven years after the Bali bombings, Islamist terrorists can still blow up a five-star hotel, the JW Marriott which they bombed five years ago.
By Greg Sheridan.
It is harder to shock a rock, than it is to amaze a boobie.
ReplyDeleteHi folks--It just isn't worth it anymore, listening to Rat day after day.
ReplyDeleteKIndly take me off the board of directors.
The nasty mouths win at last.
It just isn't worth it.
It finally becomes a waste of time.
And, my wife keeps telling me, get a life!
I want to say, I have really appreicated the work you and Whit have put in.
Deuce, you have a real artistic talent.
I've tried to contribute in my own way.
But, I can't stand it any more.
The very best to both of you gentlemen.
And I think there might be life after death!
Remember those good quotes from Katherine Anne Porter!
With Mat, I won't be back.
Your friend,
Bob Peterson
Good bye.
1. "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have."
ReplyDelete2. "Never go outside the expertise of your people."
3. "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty."
4. "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. You can kill them with this."
5. "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage."
6. "A good tactic is one your people enjoy."
7. "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time...."
8. "Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose."
9. "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself."
10. "The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign."
11. "If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside... every positive has its negative."
12. "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative."
13. Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.
"Rules for Radicals".
Man o man, desert rat, that Saul Alinsky capsualized what some of us have known since being children at our daddy's knee.
But yeah, the techniques sure work.
Well, the Elephant Bar was an interesting experiment. It had its high points, it had its low points. Guess it is now time to climg aboard the Mayflower once more & sail back to the Belmont Club.
ReplyDeleteSign Bob out on a three day pass, Deuce.
ReplyDeleteHe'll be back.
A sock-puppet mole has emerged from deep cover.
ReplyDeleteSail on Sailor
ReplyDeleteShow 'em some respect, Panama.
ReplyDeleteThis is the Sail on Sailor, that is deserving our departing sock puppets.
And then, like the Whispering Wind, they were gone
ReplyDeleteNo where in the US, quite like Monument Valley.
ReplyDeleteIt can be hot as Hades, there, come summertime.
But it's not always summertime.
Keep on the sunnyside.
Sail On Sailor...
ReplyDeleteIn which Panama Ed reveals himself at 3:57...
Clairvoient you, lineman.
ReplyDeleteBack to the beach, for me.
'Til next time
Hasta la vista!
So you want Sail on Sailor? I'll give you Sail on Sailor .
ReplyDeleteMatthew Sweet & Darius Rucker
Rock on, viktor!
ReplyDeletePara los amigos que habla Espanol
ReplyDeleteBobby Figueroa canta fantastico!
Worth hittin' the replay button
ReplyDeleteNavegar en Marinero.
for Panama Ed
ReplyDeleteyou are bad, bad boy
Rock on, Viktor!
You too, Rat!
Navegar en Marinero.
ReplyDeleteFeaturing Hugo Chavez on keyboard at about 3:52...
Check him out.
A two song play list
ReplyDeleteAll night long
Lovin' it!
George is a fixture here in Phoenix, viktor, every New Years Eve.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll go, this year.
Maybe not.
Looked more like Che que Hugo, a me, lineman.
ReplyDeleteWell, lets expand that playlist.
ReplyDeleteI drink alone.
Old time Rock and Roll
ReplyDeleteWarren Zevon, at his best.
ReplyDeleteHow was he to know, she was with the Russians, too?
We already have a form of socialized health care in the United States... Medicaid and Medicare. They both are subjects of fraud and are bad enough to show that we do not need government health care expanded any further. Furthermore, who the heck would want the same government that brought us FEMA to take care of health care? Obama is creating a nationwide Katrina situation with ObamaCare... also, this is just in... the country is broke!
ReplyDeleteWake Up, Barmates...
ReplyDeleteZZ Top - La Grange
The only difference between Healthcare in Hawaii and Canada is that one is First Rate, and Canada is Canada.
ReplyDeleteFrom what Rufus keeps saying, Mississippi must be the shits.
Glad we still have some federalism left.
Don't you believe those of us reporting good health care are telling the truth, Rufus?
ReplyDeleteMy experience has been faultless except for one old hag nurse just in from the mainland.
Damned near killed me.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIntense Debate
ReplyDeleteSupports comment threading in Blogger.
---
They had a neat system with threading in Honolulu until they didn't.
Too Many comments about Pinko Patsy Mink.
Why Girls Don't Fart
Medicare is going broke, but Obamacare would be Nirvana.
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with that statement?
Maybe the folks that started medicare weren't Commies, so couldn't execute a socialist takeover as efficiently as these Commies will.
I just played with Intense debates, doug. Might be too complicated for the clientele. Would it require everyone to join, reload profiles and avatar?
ReplyDeleteI like it better than bloggers primitive comment system but can the patrons handle it?
ReplyDelete