The Polarizing of America: Rep. Michele Bachmann wins Iowa Straw Poll

by darthfader 172 Replies latest social current

• 

  Pistoff

  Sam Whisky:

  Yet you, who has more now than they would in three lifetimes, believes Democracy is nonsense. Americans have become lazy and we have become victims of our own laziness, that's what's happened to America George.

  Completely false; American labor is the most productive in the world.

  Maybe what you mean is that Americans won't work for slave labor wages, like the ones in China, or that we can't afford to work for the wages that are paid to illegal immigrants off the books.

  What is your answer? Reduce American wages to third world levels? Allow China, with no environmental laws or worker protections, to continue to flood our country with defective and toxic products?

  Wake up. The corporations of America, by and large, have exported OUR machines and jobs out from under us, and are selling the products we used to make back to us. And it was GW Bush who gave tax credits to corporations for doing it.

  I assume you are Republican; unless you are a millionaire, you are voting against your self interest

  Only when we can no longer afford to buy those products will they see how short sighted their move was.
• 

  designs

  Yes, Blue Cross was crying losing money but they have made record profits and increased their dividends during the past two years.

  We aren't lazy we're just stuck, nobody will take us because of pecs.

  Congrats to your brother, I hope some State or Federal plan will allow him to have Med. Ins. for his employees in the future.

  We know how Bachmann feels about these types of plans but as a Congresswoman and if she gets the Presidency she will have the finest medical insurance in the country...on our dime.
• 

  Borgia

  do not engage in sexual activity with sperm donors

  Interesting Sam you are saying this. It's a peculiar stance for 4 reasons:

  1) not every sexual contact needs to be by default a penis in vigina thing. There are a host of other things lovers can do without the sperm running for it's life to an egg thing.

  2) there are a host of cheap vertility control options out there that can be obtained without burdening the healthcare system. People don't get pregnant by accident but by either ignorance or shame.

  3) your statement seems to be advocating lesbian sex since you decry sex with a sperm donor which biologically should mean: men.

  4) personal liberty, welfare and happiness should entail the choices with regards to engaging in sex. This is none of the business of either politicians, the governement, the tax collector or insurance companies, etc.

  In a free market place, an insurance company might even reimburse the costs for vertility control because it may safe on other issues, like hospitalisation, etc. I would say, that's something the market is very capable of regulating that themselves.

  Cheers

  Borgia
• 

  darthfader

  My wife and I are self employed, we have 3 enployees, we cannot qualify for a group policy as we need a total of 5 (not counting ourselves) members. There are "groups" we could join, but they all seemed to offer really convoluted policies that had disturbing exceptions. I dont think it should matter if you are a large corporation or a self employed person, the pricing should be the same. t more

  Insurance should only be able to charge a person a bit more as they get older until they reach retirement age where the rate falls to a nominal level for retirees.
  Insurance should have classifications for only the basic risks, smokers vs non-smokers, obese vs non obese. They should offer to pay completely to assist you to get out of these higher risk categories.
  Employers should not be in the health care selection business, Health insurance should be purchased the same way we purchase automobile insurance -- better competition, published rates, the ability to compare policies between companies.
  PECs should not be a way to deny a person coverage, they have to cover you, maybe with a 30-90 day exception. And a PEC cant be considered if you currently have insurance.

  Just my thoughts...
• 

  SixofNine

  Darth: "My wife and I are self employed, we have 3 enployees, we cannot qualify for a group policy as we need a total of 5 (not counting ourselves) members. There are "groups" we could join, but they all seemed to offer really convoluted policies that had disturbing exceptions. I dont think it should matter if you are a large corporation or a self employed person, the pricing should be the same. "

  Keep your eye on what is happening in your state wrt small business insurance. The changes from HCR are starting to happen and you may find your options opening soon. For instance, Texas, of all places, has just opened a small business insurance pool for 2-50 employee sized companies. We also have individual PEC insurance that rivals the cost of non-PEC policies. This in a state that ranks dead last in the nation in terms of citizens covered by insurance. Thanks Obamacare.

  The nice thing about all insurance policies after HCR is that they either already, or will be, much simpler to read and understand. There will be no "disturbing exceptions" and there will only be two or three pricing vs deductible options ... as opposed to the confusing array of options you've been presented with in the past.
• 

  NewChapter

  Darth, I think Obama's plan addresses a lot of that. But there is no 30-90 day exception---You could lose your life savings in 30 days. there are still issues with employer sponsered plans that I don't fully understand yet, but they are still going with that as being the preferable way. If I could be self-employed, I believe that maybe one day in the future I could work again. It's very exciting for me. The thing I DO know is I probably will never work traditionally again. I could never pound out 40 hours a week and then some. But if I could get health care coverage and work according to my limitations, that makes me very happy.

  I believe Obama's plan will hold. I know it's suffered a few small setbacks, but it has won many battles too. I know people don't like it, but those people haven't really come up with a viable option to replace it.

  The main issue, the mandate, is necessary. We can't tell private companies that they must accept the risk if healthy people don't get into the pool. If health insurance is such a losing business, why do they stay in it? As long as they get everything their way, it's all good. Obama tried to respect that.
• 

  SixofNine

  We aren't lazy we're just stuck, nobody will take us because of pecs.

  Designs, be sure to check out what I mentioned to NC. I hate that it involves this; but if you can possibly go bare for six months, then it's very likely that you can get very good insurance (relative to what you are getting now, anyway) for somewhere in the $200-450.00 range (depending on your age). Not cheap enough, but much less than the previous open market.

  It varies some from state to state, but I'm guessing the price structure is at least similar in all states.
• 

  Pistoff

  The paradox of medicine in the US is that it is quite advanced scientifically, we have new hospitals and buildings, and very soon it will be affordable only by the super rich.

  In my state, the CEO of United Health Group makes............95 to 100 million dollars per year.

  ONE man.

  So tell me what is broken about health care?
• 

  designs

  Thanks Six, I could go without Ins. for six months but the wife could not and uncovered meds would be over $4000.00 per month. I have a couple of years to go before I can get Medicare.
• 

  NewChapter

  Designs---

  go to needymeds.com and see what kind of help you can get to cover those meds for 6 months. I've been talking to Bristol Meyer and they have a pretty good program. If you can get by for those 6 months, better days may be ahead.

  NC