The butt stops here!

[Mikebits]

The butt stops here. Where are the priorities people? With an economy nearing the big flush, that is the US banks going down the drain and the big three automakers following as a chaser. Conflict in the Mid-East, and an oil crisis ready to erupt like the world has never known.

What is the American public concerned with? Well it seems the big question of the day is: “does the president elect still smoke cigarettes?”
Holy smokes! The soon to be president has a pack of problems to fill his carton. Geez, let the man have a smoke...

https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081207/pl_nm/us_usa_obama_smoking_3

 

[dknguyen]

Wouldn't you rate health to be more important than the economy?

 

[Leftyretro]

The butt stops here. Where are the priorities people? With an economy nearing the big flush, that is the US banks going down the drain and the big three automakers following as a chaser. Conflict in the Mid-East, and an oil crisis ready to erupt like the world has never known.

What is the American public concerned with? Well it seems the big question of the day is: “does the president elect still smoke cigarettes?”
Holy smokes! The soon to be president has a pack of problems to fill his carton. Geez, let the man have a smoke...

https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081207/pl_nm/us_usa_obama_smoking_3

Heck, I don't care if he smokes pot, if it helps him turn things around for the rest of us. Somehow I don't think goverment is very effective at fixing economical cycles, probaly turn around quicker if they didn't do anything.

 

[Mikebits]

Wouldn't you rate health to be more important than the economy?

I don't know what you pay for health coverage, but here in the US, insurance rates keep going up. If the economy stays as is, the point of health will be moot.

I just hope someone can afford to burn my sorry, broke, sick, corpse...

 

[saturn1bguy]

I just hope someone can afford to burn my sorry, broke, sick, corpse...

Nah, we'll just toss you in a tree...

 

[Mikebits]

Nah, we'll just toss you in a tree...

As long as my dead self has a nice view. I am thinking a meadow would be nice.

Most important. No self pretentious would be pseudo intellectuals to mess up my view

 

[saturn1bguy]

As long as my dead self has a nice view. I am thinking a meadow would be nice. Most important. No self pretentious would be pseudo intellectuals to mess up my view.

LOL

Meadows are nice but it's gotta be at the beach for me. Corona Del Mar SB, at the top, that way my dead self can see if the USS Minnow ever comes back...

Yep, no stuff-shirts messin' up the view, please!

 

[Mikebits]

I always had you pegged as a Ginger man...

Most peeps are saying. Who is Ginger.

 

[saturn1bguy]

I always had you pegged as a Ginger man...

Yep!

- Corey

 

[Mikebits]

How about putting your burnt crusty self on the first stage of the SAT rocket so you get a good birds eye view coming down?

 

[saturn1bguy]

How about putting your burnt crusty self on the first stage of the SAT rocket so you get a good birds eye view coming down?

That won't work. My dead self is in a tree overlooking the Newport Harbor entrance to see if the Minnow's coming back, sheesh!

 

[Mikebits]

That won't work. My dead self is in a tree overlooking the Newport Harbor entrance to see if the Minnow's coming back, sheesh!

Okay, here's the thing. You will be in no position to demand anything. You just better hope that you led a good life and your loved ones put you in that harbor...

Otherwise, we might just be looking at tin cans in a stinky alley outside the local dive bar...

 

[ericgibbs]

Okay, here's the thing. You will be in no position to demand anything. You just better hope that you led a good life and your loved ones put you in that harbor...

Otherwise, we might just be looking at tin cans in a stinky alley outside the local dive bar...

hi Mike,
I suspect that the 'States' is going the same way as 'Great Britain' went in the 1950/60's, that is, in terminal decline into a second rate country.

Despite what Govt's and Banks keep telling us that, Expansion, Growth etc' are essential for survival, what has happened to the World economy proves otherwise.

There is no way the planet can keep providing the resources that we are using.
IIRC the 'States' is using resources at 7 times the rate at which the Planet can replace them.

The same is with the money market, its just a very big bubble which has now burst.
I saw a TV documentary a few days ago about the American enconomy, its running close to $70 trillion dollars of debt!.
Your children and grandchildren are going to be left with legacy of debt of many thousands of dollars per head.

I sincerely hope the new American administration can find a way to solve this problem.

The fact that China has now become a major player in the World markets, that will drive the economies of the 'Developed' countries further into the red.

 

[jpanhalt]

hi Mike,
I suspect that the 'States' is going the same way as 'Great Britain' went in the 1950/60's, that is, in terminal decline into a second rate country.

Yes, and we have just elected a socialist government to help it along, like Great Britain did.

The fact that China has now become a major player in the World markets, that will drive the economies of the 'Developed' countries further into the red.

China's success affects only a very small proportion of its population. Communism and Fascism meet at the extreme. Most Americans and British would not tolerate the conditions imposed on the general Chinese population.

John

 

[HarveyH42]

Heck, I don't care if he smokes pot, if it helps him turn things around for the rest of us. Somehow I don't think goverment is very effective at fixing economical cycles, probaly turn around quicker if they didn't do anything.

Wasn't really thrilled with any of the candidates, the better ones just didn't have the cash. So Obama had the kind of 'friends', who could buy him the presidency. I don't thing his smoking is going to be the worst thing he does. Guess we know how serious he is on health issues...

Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State? After all the bad things the Obama campaign had to say about her experience and abilities? Pretty much sums up that politics is just selling lies to the people. What issues will he concede to being just 'politics' while campaigning. Got a hunch it was pretty much every word, and we can only hope his financing friends don't rob us blind over the next 4 years.

 

[Hero999]

I don't know what you pay for health coverage, but here in the US, insurance rates keep going up. If the economy stays as is, the point of health will be moot.

I just hope someone can afford to burn my sorry, broke, sick, corpse...

£0.

dknguyen comes from Canada which also has universal health care but it's not as comprehensive as our system so you still have to pay for lots of things.

 

[3v0]

Health care is an interesting animal. When public it does not generate money for research, and services can be hard to get. If it is private some can not afford it.

I may have said this earlier.

As private health care exists in the US there is one too many sectors taking a bite from the health care dollar. That would be the health insurance companies.

My solution is to only allow health car providers to sell health insurance. The manpower they now spend dealing with insurance companies could be leveraged to do the actual inhouse insurance work.

It is not a cut and dried thing and it would take some degree of regulation. Some way to keep the insurance part of health care from making money.

 

[jpanhalt]

As private health care exists in the US there is one too many sectors taking a bite from the health care dollar. That would be the health insurance companies.

Or two too many. The other is the government.

My solution is to only allow health car providers to sell health insurance. The manpower they now spend dealing with insurance companies could be leveraged to do the actual inhouse insurance work.

That is something like an HMO. The problem is that healthcare providers in general and HMOs specifically become industrialized. That is, managed by the very same people managing insurance companies.

From an idealistic perspective, what attracts individuals to medicine is often at odds with what attracts individuals to business. Unfortunately, no one knows how one can practice medicine without staying in business. Some places have done pretty good at solving that basic conundrum, like the Mayo Clinic.

It is not a cut and dried thing and it would take some degree of regulation. Some way to keep the insurance part of health care from making money.

You have to make money, or you can't live. Regulation adds to costs without much quantifiable benefit. Competition generally leads to a better, more efficient, and less costly outcome.

John

 

[HarveyH42]

Our system is mostly motivated by greed, very little to do with health or care. Researchers won't grant money, for which they are willing to make any claims to keep the money flowing. Hospitals and doctors won't the kind of lifestyle popularized on TV and movies. But the greediest of them all, are the insurance companies and lawyers. Insurers get a paycheck from the consumers and doctors. It's unfortunate for someone to go into the hospital and die, do to a mistake the doctor made. But how much should the doctors pay in a lawsuit? If the patient hadn't went to the hospital, would likely have died. Or a doctor decides to amputate a badly damaged limb, but a specialist across town might have saved it... I figure most do the best they can, but aren't perfect, or always have the best solutions.

Lawyers sue for most anything, usually just filing the case is good enough to get a settlement. The insurance company raises malpractice rates, to cover loses in settlements and judgments. Doctors raise their rates to pay the required insurance they have to have to practice. And, insurers raise the health care rates to cover the high doctor care costs (which they created). Need to break this cycle. There needs to be a line drawn on what people can sue for, and some reasonable limits set on awards.

A lot of people hit the emergency room for ever bump or bruise, cough or sneeze, ache or pain, usually receiving a large bill, and treatment they could have done for their selves. Also exposing themselves to whatever funky bugs crawling around the waiting area... Maybe more education on health and first aid, would help. Some sort of incentive to not abuse the system. Set a threshold per year, those who excede pay more, those who fall below get a discount, those who never use get a refund. Who doesn't hate paying for something they don't need or use?

 

[jpanhalt]

Some sort of incentive to not abuse the system. Set a threshold per year, those who excede pay more, those who fall below get a discount, those who never use get a refund.

That won't and hasn't worked. It is a huge misconception to think that those who abuse the system are affected by co-pays or any other type of cost-based disincentive. The system abusers simply don't pay and know they will get the same care regardless. What such approaches do is to add to the administrative costs even more.

In Cleveland, for example, a metro hospital is located close to one of the athletic arenas. People have been known to call 911 and get an ambulance to take them and a "sick" child to the ER. The parents then go to a game, while the ER babysits the "sick" child. It's all "free," after all. That is, except the tickets to the game that the parents seem to have money for.

John