Comments on: Hallelujah and pass me a cold one

By: Dr.R

Dr.R — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:58:28 +0000

Sigh … if only people could leave politics alone for a bit and act like human beings. I don’t always agree with you Jay, but you’re a helluva good writer, I think the paper’s best. And even when we disagree, you make me think. Sadly, that makes some people’s tiny brains hurt so they try to avoid such painful thoughts. Enjoy your weekend and knock back one for me, my friend. I’m firing up the old charcoal monster on Sunday for a tableful of greasy meat. Life is good, at least occasionally, and that’ll have to do.

By: Dave R

Dave R — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:52:44 +0000

Taxpayer @ 9:35 am:

We have a failed system and ALL the studies confirm it.”

Care to point to ALL the studies out there showing we have a failed health care system, Taxpayer?

Ooops! Forgot. You don’t answer any questions posed to you, do you? Especially those that show you as the uninformed lib (redundant, I know) that you are.

Now why don’t you just go out and find someone else’s writings out there to make your point, as you usually do in about 70% of your posts. They won’t be current or on-topic, but you’ll prove nothing other than you can post a old link to another article more than anyone else can on this blog.

Including Jay.

By: lwwmm7

lwwmm7 — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:08:42 +0000

I say we dig up Teddy Roosevelt and clone his DNA and stuff and make him president and let him deal with this situation and like, you know, do stuff.

By: Taxpayer

Taxpayer — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:06:57 +0000

I come and go, Corporal. How’d you like that BSG episode last night.

By: Civilian/Private/Corporal

Civilian/Private/Corporal — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:50:03 +0000

Taxpayer:

Are you up and running this morning? I have something for you.

By: Civilian/Private/Corporal

Civilian/Private/Corporal — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:37:07 +0000

HEADLINE: TEHRAN, Iran – “Iran’s supreme leader rebuffed President Barack Obama’s latest outreach on Saturday, saying Tehran was still waiting to see concrete changes in U.S. policy.

Khamenei holds the last word on major policy decisions, and how Iran ultimately responds to any concrete U.S. effort to engage the country will depend largely on his say.”

P.S. Notice how a religious fanatic (who would slit your throat if he could) has the last word on major policy decisions? And this is not a “religious war” ? But I digress ………….

O.K. ….. to get started this morning how about a hypothetical for you libs. to get your blood going (no pun intended) ……….

You get up one morning in a few weeks or months and my morning “Headline” to you says “U.S. takes out Iranian Nuclear Sites with massive air strikes and cruise missles. Islamic World Enraged”.

What would your comments be to President Obama ?

You go first and then I will give you mine.

By: Taxpayer

Taxpayer — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:35:22 +0000

The most rhetoric opposing change appears to be coming from those with the most money to lose — the profit centers such as drug companies, insurance companies, for profit hospitals, etc. Non-healthcare related businesses and individuals are the ones really on the losing end of the stick. They keep paying more and more while getting less and less, year after year. Change must come. Healthcare is simply unaffordable and now even those that have profited from rising costs are starting to suffer due to rising healthcare cuts by employers, rising unemployment, fewer businesses offering any coverage, individuals going without care except through emergency rooms, etc. We have a failed system and all the studies confirm it.

By: Civilian/Private/Corporal

Civilian/Private/Corporal — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:31:44 +0000

To BDAtlanta:

That’s because of the “knuckleheads” having those babies. They made a poor decision (and got pregnant) and continue to make the same poor decisions regarding care for that child (whether personal care from themselves or otherwise).

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:10:20 +0000

Data seems to be pretty consistent (altho numbers vary) that the US spends as much, or more, per capita on health care, yet the benefits (treatment) are not at all uniform. So on a macro level it appears, with changes, we could keep overall spending constant yet equalize treatment.

But somehow much rhetoric is any structural changes would somehow dramatically increase costs…

One other point – last I looked, countries with some form of universal care do not exempt low to middle income wage earners from health care tax. Nearly everyone pays. That’s going to be a tough sell in the US -

By: Taxpayer

Taxpayer — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:11:46 +0000

Factoring in costs borne by the government, the private sector, and individuals, the United States spends over $1.9 trillion annually on healthcare expenses, more than any other industrialized country. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical School estimate the United States spends 44 percent more per capita than Switzerland, the country with the second highest expenditures, and 134 percent more than the median for member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These costs prompt fears that an increasing number of U.S. businesses will outsource jobs overseas or offshore business operations completely.

The United States spent 16 percent of its GDP in 2007 on health care, higher than any other developed nation. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that number will rise to 25 percent by 2025 without changes to federal law (PDF). At 12 percent, health care is the most expensive benefit paid by U.S. employers, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
– CFR