IS IT TRUE February 5, 2014

1. Single payer is done successfully lots of places. That’s what we need. A lot of those places are pretty nice places to live quite frankly. Que the “get out, then” comments.

   • The thing that the righties here are over-looking is that divorcing health insurance from employers will serve to encourage the “entrepreneurual spirit” that they wax poetic over, so often.
     Just because somebody quits a job, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to sit down and live off the government. There were plenty of times that Health Insurance is all that kept me tethered to certain jobs, and I don’t think I’m unusual. It didn’t mean I was going on welfare. It just meant I would have liked a more fulfilling job.

     • With insurance having been part of a “wage package” for the common work force, I wonder. When the employer drops the insurance plan for them, does the cost of that plan be pocket by the employer (@ stock holders), or do they give it to the employee (where it belongs), or somewhere in between?

     • OK I’ve never understood people staying with a job for the health insurance (unless you would be otherwise uninsureable because of a health issue)
       Just anyone can buy health insurance. I have been freelance for 20 years and have bought my own insurance all that time. I make more as a freelancer than my employer was paying me including benefits.
       It’s my opinion that health insurance should NOT be tied to any job. Insurance needs to be more portable than today’s short-term jobs that have little stability.

       • When you have a chronic condition and five kids, health insurance “owns” you. You’ve apparently been pretty lucky.

       • Over 1/3 of the US population has a pre-existing condition.

   • Name the places. Show the stats that support your claim and even the ones that don’t. Your word on a message board means nothing.

     • I think you’re crossing the line, Brandon. It is NOYFB where I worked, and which jobs I liked, and which ones I didn’t. The bottom line is that I worked for 44 years, and managed to get to retire early, at age 60, because I did rather well for myself.
       You are free to air your obnoxious ignorance, but nobody owes you any answers. Get it?

       • Now if the rest of the country had the same attitude about health insurance, a job, retirement income, etc, etc things would be a little more realistic. Nobody owes you or me squat.

       • elkaybee, I thought Brandon was asking Ghost to name the places that have done single payer successfully and are nice places to live.

         • Not the way I get this format, but it’s a mess, so who knows? The answer to that is pretty easy, though. It is pretty much the rest of the civilized world.

       • LKB: I wasn’t replying to you, I was referring to Ghost’s initial comments.. So please get over your self. I couldn’t care less where you worked or for that matter anything about you and your pretentious little life.

   • I’m curious as to how you know “those places” are pretty nice places to live. Have you lived in any of those places or are you making that assertion in an attempt to reinforce your argument for single payer/government controlled healthcare? “Quite frankly”, I believe it’s the latter.

2. The first time in my life I encountered the madness of government intervention it was the 1980s. My Papaw had set aside two very large fields on our farm that could not be grazed upon, could not be planted, and could not be used for any purpose whatsoever. I looked out over the beautiful, tall grass, looked back at our herd of cattle, and did not understand. He explained: the government has this land on a ‘grain reserve’. In exchange for doing absolutely nothing with this land my Papaw would get a check from the Federal Government. Well, can’t we cut the hay? No. Can’t we turn the cattle in there in the fall? No. We can’t do ANYTHING on it.

   My Papaw was a smart man. He was a Republican who did not like Big Gov, but even he was a practical man. I guess he thought if the Feds want to hand money out for stupid reasons, he’d take it and consider it a tax rebate.

   • That’s probably the worst example you could’ve used. Farming has greatly benefited from the existence of the USDA. Once again, you’d prefer the stone age.

     • No Brad’s example is typical and representative of the “don’t work” principle invading the government mindset. He is simply pointing out it existed long before the same mindset as pointed out in the CBO report; its nothing new.

       • That mindset simply doesn’t exist on the whole, but you go ahead and keep repeating the same tired Limbaugh talking points.

         • I see, when a point cannot be refuted, attack. You must think very highly of Mr. Limbaugh to bring his name into the conversation when it wasn’t in the remotest way mentioned.

           Now did I say it existed on the whole? No. I said it is an invading mindset. Please cogitate on the difference. But the simple fact remains; farmers are paid to not do something.

         • Nope, don’t think too highly of a morbidly obese racist drug addicted hypocrite.

         • Typical rhetoric from the left side….ALWAYS resorts to namecalling.

         • So how do you feel about Roseanne Barr?

           JMHO

         • Roseanne Barr is extremely annoying. Why?

         • Just trying to establish a baseline based on your comment, to me they are both egotistical blowhards and share a lot of common traits except of course their political viewpoints.

           JMHO

         • Ghost is such a fool. If only he could see beyond the end of his “messiah’s” talking points. I guess he has never driven through the poor parts of town and seen the people hanging out on the street corners, not working. They do not need to work because they are being paid to not work. They are slaves to the government, slaves to the welfare state. No self respect, no self discipline. no will to make something of themselves. Just do nothing but vote for those who give you money.

         • Brandon, you know nothing about me. I’ve seen lots of those people you’re referring to and I’ve spent plenty of time on the “other side of the tracks.” There are plenty of societal factors at work that make it way more complicated than just explaining that they’re simply lazy.

   • And the road in front of my grandparents home was nothing but a mud filled rut until the WPA came in with mules and graded it properly and covered it with chat.

     You post anecdotes, I post anecdotes, they prove nothing except to prove the tellers pre-concieved notions.

     • Brains: Water and sewer infrastructures as [IiT] today. Heres,an anecdote,those are fun,ya know. I’m on the edge of my seat,so to speak, wondering what the buzz is going to be after….. the POTUS visits the CVIH out there in lesser water land.

       It would be an “spotlight type anecdote” if the Editor and his fellas out there would calculate an decent scientific approximation of how much their locally rationed/restricted water resources the trip to the western horizon actually cost the water supply systems out there,as projected by timing,and location.

       Include the whole media crew,Air force one,prep to go from DC,rideouts,all the entourage,local political, and brought alongs,and the extra local water used per hour while they are on locations regional footprint.

       Nothing sarcastic,or politically defined,just a decent actuality noting the Balance Sustainability* applied to the core of the “changed climate problems” they are experiencing the most actual economic distress as of due to cause,situationals.
       Applied in the best case scientifically researched,and qualified ,real pictures presented ,as observed,or,initiated Per/Climate Change actions,for evolved Clean Water infrastructures in California,and the whole southwest USA and its clean water balances forward.

       Maybe an anecdote,observed by some serious touch point conditionals we all are working to improve forward,as of to date.

       Causes that count. ie: CBO budget battles.

       http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lake-mead-is-shrinking-and-with-it-las-vegas-water-supply/

       Real stuff commerce..817 million,some things you shouldn’t gamble on,I reckon.

       Not everything that can be counted,counts,and,not everything that counts can be counted. (Albert Einstein)

       • Also Brains: Check this out,Tisk,tisk Nevada spends 817 million to sustain growth and commerce,to insure clean water supplies for the whole regions business commerce. Seeks positive projects in sustainable forward water resource balances. (Climate Smart cities projects.)

         You guys in evansville spend a half a billion or to sustain somebody elses clean water supply downstream,for their projected future and living balance for growth and commerce.

         And! Fines are now due compliance,if you don’t.

         An “anecdote” in the projected growth of another region downstream,or yours for the last 50 years historically as applied by the said leadership responsible for sustainable balanced water and sewer systems in your town.

         You! Can actually give a ‘crap” now, however,that gives them [downstream] negative balances to funding to deal with it.as well as you,due the fines, Thus slower infrastructure growth by treatment costing per both regions, affected.

         Now! You’re supposed to not give a “crap” and yet give them a lessing unbalanced solution for positive growth and cleaner environmental balance than they had when you actually could give a “crap” unto the concerns of those whom reside downstream from you.

         Then! In order to rebuild or sustain your crumbling water supply infrastructure with upgraded water and sewer construction your populations service area gets biffed with another half billion, with the total going either way a billion or so for the upgrades for your incoming water as well. So. (“not so climate smart” cities projects.)

         Past!,And Present! Spending and focus,per infrastructure needs,your evansville location.

         psssst….Sustainable…..balance—-> AAAahahaAhah!

       • Every community in the US has a park, bridge, road, water plant, reservoir, hospital, firehouse, school, gym or field built by the WPA.

         The middle school I went to in Southern Illinois was built by the WPA and is still operational, with upgrades and improvements of course.

         Come with me on a road trip in Southern Illinois and I will show you streets built by bricks laid down by hand.

         Maybe my information is wrong but I but I thought Howell school, the Reitz Bowl and Burdette Park were all originally built by the WPA.

         • Do you know who ran the CCC camps. It was the US Army. That is why they were so successful and I doubt anyone today wants that type of supervision for our unemployed young men. In fact the CCC was never officially terminated by the federal government, unlike the WPA. Polls always indicated significant support for the CCC because of the way it was managed. The WPA was a different story and its management was often criticized.

           The WPA was financed mainly by excise taxes that hit the poor and lower middle class the hardest. The South, the poorest region of the US during the depression, got a much lower proportional share of WPA funding because they voted solid Democrat. The West got a disproportional share of WPA funding because the WPA was used by Roosevelt to buy votes, especially for his 1936 race. However, after all this spending, in May of 1939, unemployment was still slightly over 20%.

           “..after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started… And an enormous debt to boot.” Treasury Secretary Henry J. Morgenthau Jr., testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in May 1939.

     • And where did the WPA get the funding to do any roadwork? Aside from borrowing from foreign countries, our government has but one source of revenue and that is to appropriate funds from its’ citizenns, either through taxation or fines. That is not an anedote.

3. During the Great Depression, New Deal policies saw protectionism reach new lows… The Feds actually slaughtered entire herds of livestock and burned or buried their bodied. They also plowed under crops. All while people were struggling, starving in some cases.

   “Prosperity through destruction.” Madness.

   http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_Adjustment_Act

   • FDR was a much much worse President than most are willing to acknowledge.

     • He wasn’t perfect, but he saved capitalism. If everyone would’ve starved we would’ve seen REAL communism via revolution. He instead tried to do what was necessary to keep stability and did a decent job of it. Upsetting the status quo almost got him assassinated by Prescott Bush.

       • No he laid the ground work to discredit capitalism he was no where near pro-capitalism as you suggest. If that were the case and then the Depression would not have lasted as long as it did. There have been many studies over the years showing his policies and meddling did more to hamper the recovery than help.

         Also he was not an honest man and had no issues with lying to further his goals;

         http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/pearl/www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/fdr.html

         I doubt you will research his anti-capitalism stance but if you really are interested here are a few ;

         Robert Higgs (Crisis and Leviathan [New York: Oxford University Press, 1987]

         Against Leviathan [Oakland, Calif.: Independent Institute, 2004]

         Gary Dean Best (Pride, Prejudice, and Politics: Roosevelt versus Recovery, 1933–1938 [New York: Praeger, 1990])

         Richard Vedder and Lowell Gallaway (Out of Work [New York: Holmes and Meier, 1993]

         Gene Smiley (Rethinking the Great Depression [Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2002])

       • Your worldview is seriously flawed. The Great Depression saw a destruction of the savings of the middle and lower classes. Wealth was transferred to the rich while government forced the confiscation of of the people’s gold. His policies were often as bad or worse than those of the Nazis we ended up fighting. His concentration camps of Japanese are one example. The National Recovery Act (NRA) was another, which, rightfully was found to be unconstitutional. He blockaded Japan, preventing them from trading freely and predictably provoked them, and, despite warnings, let them attack our fleet in Pearl Harbor to get us into a war that would further enrich the bankers and industrialists. His policies ensured the Depression became a ‘Great’ one, extending from the time he took office in 1933 til the end of the war. FDR didn’t ‘save’ capitalism. Capitalism survived in spite of FDR’s Keynesian, statist policies. But what we have been left with is anything but a free market capitalism. We have, as a legacy of people like FDR, a centrally planned, regulated, crony form of capitalism.

         • @Brad;

           Exactly.

       • Ghost, you have no clue. Try actually reading some books my man. In my younger days I was a fan of FDR. I studied and read about him. Did research on him for college classes. The more I read and learned, the more I discovered he wasn’t the saint every democrat makes him out to be. His policies failed. He grew the government, he overstepped his legal powers and he still failed. When he couldn’t get his way, he tried to pack the courts. Anything to get his progressive agenda passed. The only thing that saved the country at that time was our entering WW2. That was what allowed our factories to be opened and for production of goods and eventually spurring the economy to return to normal and then ascend to the greatest economy in the world, eventually.

4. Is it true the city has once again failed us in snow removal?
   Is it true Lynch Road is a skating rink but the on ramp to I-164 & I-164 are CLEAN?
   I’d like to know how much extra equipment the city purchased to service newly annexed areas because the County sure kept our roads safe!

5. The City audit is still going on. At the end of the day where does the incompetence lie? Is it with the Controller’s Office who hasn’t had good records since the Reagan administration? Or is it the State Board who doesn’t have a single CPA on the job? I hear that their supervisor doesn’t even have a bachelor’s degree.

   • Mantis,

     I thought you already knew, the bank rec at the end of the year (2012) was plugged, no documentation. I also hear that the State auditors can’t confirm the beginning balances for 2011.
     I find it suspicious that additional time is being provided before the State issues its opinion . . . hummmmm

   • In my opinion, Russell Lloyd and Jenny Collins are unfit for the work they are currently attempting to provide the City and the Utilities. A thorough housecleaning is in order. We need more talented folks than we have now.

6. What do you expect, Russ Lloyd, Jr. was a failure as a Mayor and now as the City Controller.

   • Yes but the family has an expressway named after them so all is well. After all with Evansville politicians that’s all that matters.

   • I can think of nothing that Russ Lloyd did as the mayor that hurt this city. All of the damage and sneaky stuff is a Weinzapel thing. I think Weinzapel left such a can of worms with worms under the can that no one can figure it out. There’s also the possibility that it’s so bad they want to keep it covered up. The homestead exemption theft should be enough to make anyone skeptical of the democrat party. Try to place blame away from Weinzapel but he was the boss, the one in charge, the final say. I think the chasm between the politicians and the citizens is unbridgeable.

     • Well Lloyd could have fixed the sewer system for starters. But you miss the point by a large margin. I was not trying to deflect anyone’s attention from political Weinsapaloza antics. The political history of Evansville sucks hind tit.

     • pov,

       I do agree with you re: Weinzapfel.

       With that backdrop, why would Lloyd not take the high road, and proclaim that the books he inherited are in disarray– and order an investigation ? Instead, he repeatedly makes false statements about ‘everything is in order’ ? That seems like a really stupid play, in my mind; and Lloyd may regret trying to cover up for Weinzapfel.

7. “this writer has never understood an incentive not to work” I have never understood people who feel they have to work. Why does the writer want old people who do not like there jobs but who are forced to stay at those jobs because of insurance to be able to leave those jobs. You do relize every job aint a bed of roses. Also their are a lot of younger people who really want those jobs. Most jobs are hard that is why they have to pay you to do them. In my seventy years I have met very few people who really love there jobs. If you gave most people a choice they would not be doing the job they are working at. For some reason, an the writer seems to be one; certain people think it is a good idea to make people work till they die. While our young people are unemployed.

   • Stoned-reamer: Actually people work so they can survive (food,house,heat) and if possible enjoy some luxury items in life. If they find a job they enjoy, that is a bonus. Work is not about being easy, thats why its called work. People do not get easy jobs because they want them. They have to earn them by putting in the years of service and sweat equity. Todays young generation (for a large part) is way to lazy to take any kind of job that might be outside their comfort zone. They are raised to believe they deserve anything they want and they do not have to be good or put in the hard work. They are becoming what the dems/leftist/progressives want them to be, dependent on others to give them what they think they deserve.

     • Every generation has said the same shit about younger generations. It’s just natural.

       • It’s natural and it’s true. This is an entirely different generation Just look at the increased prison population in the past 40 years. People who work don’t seem to get in as much trouble. Everyone is going to have money and if you’re not born to it you’re going to have to earn. If you can’t figure out how to earn money the old fashion way then maybe you need to learn how to do time. Unions are on the way out, so folks are going to have to negotiate their own work contract.

         • This generation works twice as hard for half the money. You’re just simply wrong. They’re not spoiled brats for wanting a similar lifestyle as their parents for the same amount of work.

         • Oh and you mean do time unless you’re rich and white, right?(see dunce in Texas who killed 4 and gets one day of rehab in a resort)

         • @Ghost;

           Or unless your the Black Panthers intimidating voters and have Obama/DOJ on your side and we get told there is nothing here so just move on.

           Care for some more?

           Do I agree with the ruling about your Texas example. Certainly not. The kid is guilty and the punishment does not by any imagination fit the crime.

           Having said that, singling out the rich and white smacks of the same tactics used by liberals, progressives and communists in this country and ignoring the rest of the legal cases.

           You can find plenty of instances of our legal system being out of whack on the criminal and civil sides of law. Partly due to some judges thinking they have the right legislate from the bench (they don’t) and others due to some attorneys extraordinary skills of twisting the law in such Gordian knots it is exceedingly difficult to unravel.

     • All five of my good Democrat children work at good jobs. They all have educations beyond high school. Three of them are “professionals”. Their Democrat parents reared them to be responsible, successful, DECENT people.
       Prove that ” They (whomever it is you are blathering about) are raised to believe they deserve anything they want and they do not have to be good or put in the hard work.”
       Give names, earnings records, and signed demands for anything they want. The statements of an idiot on a message board doesn’t mean anything.

       • “The statements of an idiot on a message board doesn’t mean anything.”

         Which is why we all ignore your mindless ranting my dear. Now we all know you have your panties in a wad, because you have jumped to the stage of name calling. In liberal methodology that means you have lost the fight and instead od cede the point you start with name calling tactic.

       • You’ve made that abundantly clear.

8. “If you gave most people a choice they would not be doing the job they are working at.”

   This is a great point. I think we need legislation to lay off the troops we currently have holding the guns on these people while doing these jobs they clearly don’t want and had no choice in agreeing to perform. People should be allowed to leave jobs they don’t like. Emancipation! Viva la revolution!

   • Brad, quit the sarcasm and read what he actually posted. You missed the point. Decoupling insurance from employment makes it easier to leave a shit job for one you’d like better or better yet start your own business. It’s not that they’re physically forced at gunpoint but they very well could die if they left.

     • Thank you, ghost. Brad gets carried away with his libertarianism sometimes.

       • He made that statement, not me. All I did was agree and follow his statement to its logical end.

9. Is it true that the children of today are not expected to live as long as their parents? This is the first time in history that the life expectancy has actually dropped.

   Is it true the American Heart Association is returning to Evansville?

10. Any word yet on if the mayor plans on keeping or releasing Chris Cooke yet?

    • Better yet, any word on if Wayne Parke will be removing Phyllip Davis as an officer in his party after last night’s temper tantrum that made Cooke’s post look like a church bulletin?

      • I bet they both get off with a slap on the wrist. Neither Parke nor Winnecke leads by example.

        • I bet nothing is said to me at all. Free speech. This is still America after all.

          • Does Wayne agree with the comments you made yesterday?

          • Phyllip and Wayne answer the question asked by unbelievable. It’s pretty simple. Does Wayne Parke and the Vanderburgh county gop agree with the comments made yesterday by phyllip Davis? Is that how you conduct your business?

          • I am an individual person. I do not speak for the GOP, just like elkaybee does not speak for the Democrats. How can you not separate that?

      • Why would he? Republicans respect others’ Constitutional freedoms. I was exercising my right to free speech.

        • Only Republicans support free speech…. got it.

          • Didn’t say that. You’re drawing conclusions. I think Brad would call that a non sequitur. I will say that only Republicans respect all of the Constitutional freedoms. Democrats pick and choose which ones that they believe are still relevant.

        • So what was Brenda Bergwitz doing?

          • She was in violation of the interest of the party that she chose to be affiliated. Free speech has its limitations. We all know that.

          • The way I see it, you and Wayne are a bigger threat to the Party than Bergwitz.

          • Philip states: “She was in violation of the interest of the Party.”
            Basically, the question is WHO was the Judge of that?? A party of One?-Wayne Parke? Possibly maybe a party of two?- You and him? Was she called on the carpet by a consensus of the what(?),- 5 board members, or the entire table of organization, from precinct committee people on up? What specific by-law of the organization would you point to as being “violated”? Insubordination seems to be the crux of your charge and a message to the lower echelon,–“Keep your Mouth Shut”, and “Do as your told”. I’m not sure if this Woodshed moment represents the entire local GOP Party, or a local GOP gang’s hierarchy demand we have witnessed.

          • I personally do not have a problem with Mrs. Bergwitz. I helped her find her car in a parking lot a couple months back and I went to the 2nd Ammendment Patriots meeting at her invitation.

        • Phyllip….

          You post under your real name so Mr Parke will have no problem with you, Mr Cooke did the mayor a favor I see no reason the mayor would not reward his behavior.

          If you think this is as low as it can go, just wait, we’re a long way from the election and the battle lines are just being drawn up, the occasional volley across the bow (Mr Cooks FB post) to test the waters is needed to determine the enemy’s strength and conviction.

          JMHO

          • Not only that! How about prospective customers locally or any other aspect of business growth as regionally required. As we design systems for carbon footprints in the overall climate change applications, some these unique balances are also achieved with balanced and effective HVAC systems and controls,
            So,some crumby publicity per a branch manager can make or break a contract purchase decision sometimes, believe me it has,and will continue to do so.

            Whereas applied per any plan in your area ,as always. So.

            When one looks at the impressions received by certain wholesale business applications one looks for the same balanced approach of fair business,as applied,

            R.E Michel wholesale HVAC controls branches included and its also great they’re nicely networked on line,in an “abundance” of areas,across the nation,as well. 🙂

        • It has nothing to do with freedom of speech which involves govt censorship. You made comments that were completely out of line and beyond being acceptable not to mention offensive.

          As a republican we believe in personal responsibility. My question to Wayne is does the gop find your comments acceptable and does he support them?

          • +1

      • The thing that most of you can’t understand is that I do not fear any repercussions from my statements. That’s why I’m not a coward that uses the anonymity of the internet to hide behind a pseudonym. Anything that I say on here or on any internet site is the same thing that I would say if I were standing face-to-face with anyone.

        • LOL….

          Using your real name has nothing to do with being a coward, for myself it is business smart to avoid something like this….

          https://www.google.com/#q=phyllip+davis+evansville

          You may not see a problem, I see a glaring hole in your security that anyone could drive a truck through, identity theft is a real and major concern for most computer savvy folks.

          JMHO

          • Business smart? I just hit a sales record for my location last month. In fact, some of my customers come in and thank me for engaging the people on this page.

          • LOL…congratulation!

            We just finished a record year in sales while reducing our operating costs by almost 8% per month and no one thanked me for stating my opinion on the CCO….

            Other than the accolades you got I don’t see the correlation between calling anyone a coward for not using their real name here, you got a ego-boost the rest of us don’t have the need for.

            JMHO

11. An interesting read about how health insurance became tied to employee “wages and benefits”.

    http://ricochet.com/intel/Why-and-how-was-health-insurance-so-tightly-tied-to-employment

12. Brandon M says:

    February 5, 2014 at 11:42 am

    Ghost is such a fool. If only he could see beyond the end of his “messiah’s” talking points. I guess he has never driven through the poor parts of town and seen the people hanging out on the street corners, not working. They do not need to work because they are being paid to not work. They are slaves to the government, slaves to the welfare state. No self respect, no self discipline. no will to make something of themselves. Just do nothing but vote for those who give you money.
    ========================================

    The above is exhibit A of conservatives taking a tiny slice of information, making massive assumptions, and making sweeping generalization about whole groups of people, government programs and policies.

    All of which are extremely misleading, hateful, vindictive and just plain WRONG.

    This kind of crapola and faulty logic has been going on for decades to demogouge and demonize the poor, minorities and government programs to for poltical gain.

    • Faulty Logic, +1.

      Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked.
      – Oliver Holmes

    • Actually, I didn’t take a slice of of information. I used actual life experience. Go spend time working with inner city kids and see what their attitudes are towards learning, morality, work ethic etc…It’s sad to see at that age how they are already being pointed in the wrong direction by their parents (if they have them). Then try talking with the supposed parents. Its not all of them, but it is a good percentage that are on this path. So it is not a sweeping generalization, it is gathered first hand.

      It is not demonizing, it is taking off the blinders and seeing the world for what it is. Not the rainbow and unicorn utopia your kind likes to dream about, because it makes you feel better about yourself.

      Do the poor and downtrodden need assistance…..YES. Do the lazy ones who cheat the system use the net to avoid work deserve help……HELL NO.

      I could care less about political means. Most politicians on both sides are greedy crooks who only care about themselves, so I want them to gain nothing. I want the country to get its rights and freedom restored and the nanny state to disappear.

13. Life Lock is not a fringe benefit.

14. The comments made yesterday by phyllip were in my opinion about as pathetic as pathetic gets. A quick Google search of phyllip yields absolutely nothing that would make him think he’s any better than anyone else.But as usual Wayne Parke has stood by and said nothing. I’m embarrassed in the actions of these people.

    • I don’t know that fella but he seems like pompous jackass with way too big of an ego. That was pretty shitty to try to belittle somebody’s job.

    • I surely wasn’t impressed. I’m not one to do “searches” on people, but he is so taken with himself that I did one on him. It’s kind of sad when somebody wants public recognition that badly.

15. Let’s back up and look at this health insurance thing from 30,000ft.

    A) The fairest easiest thing to do from an acturial POV would be to take our total estimated health care costs and divide that number by the total US population and then send everybody a bill either via taxes and the government or via premiums and the private sector insurance companies.

    B) Now if we run a capitalistic society(as most agree we should) then BY DEFINITION you are going to end up with an income distribution bell curve with those on the right part of the curve doing very well and then there are those that will end up on the left. These are the disabled, the mentally retarted, those with lows skills etc.

    C) OK now so now here is the rub my conservative friends.
    What do we do with those on the left part of the curve that INEVITABLY won’t be able to afford the taxes/premiums???

    Your choices are:

    1) Let them die/suffer
    2) Provide a subsidy from the government (Obamacare)
    3) Give it to them anyway for free(Medicaid or the ER)

    Those are the only choices, period end of sentence.

    If you pick 2and 3 then SOMEWHERE SOMEBODY buearucrat/legislator is going to have to draw a line SOMEWHERE on that income/wealth distribution curve.
    and NO MATTER where you put the line somebody will be disincentivized to not work or whatever you want to call it.

    If you give them a government subsidy then you RWer’s cry foul for “taking from the productive and giving it to freeloaders” etc.

    BTW letting them wait until they’re deathly ill and go to the ER costs a lot more than dealing with the sickness up front and having the hospital or the taxpayers absorb the costs HAS THE SAME EFFECT as a subsidy, since the costs are passed onto the premium payers or the tax payers.

    This problem of drawing the line SOMEWHERE comes up all the time in government policy.

    So RWer’s which is it?

    Die in the streets or provide a subsidy?

    Don’t say the families should step up either because some families won’t be able to financially do that so you’re right back to where we started.

    I would really like to hear from you tight righties on this one because NO MATTER WHICH ONE WE PICK, NO MATTER WHERE WE DRAW THE LINE you guys
    b!tch and moan about it CONSTANTLY.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOFCT62C7YE

    • The line you speak of needs to be three lines to avoid the disincentive to work. This is not difficult but with ACA it does not seem to happen. With income tax tables the government has done a pretty good job as there is NEVER any case where if you make another dollar you don’t get to keep some of it.

      The first two lines would be to establish an income below which things are free. The second would be a line where subsidies reach zero. The third line would be a near linear line that starts at the intersection of the first line and slopes downward to the intersection of the second line. It would be much like the income tax tables put into a graph or it could even be a table. For instance if maximum incentive was $5,000 for a family earning say $15,000 and the the zero incentive point hit at $65,000 the slope of the curve would be such that for each dollar above $15,000 earned the loss of subsidy would be 10 cents.

      That seems like a very easy way to avoid the “I can’t afford to work” argument. You could actually embed this directly into the income tax tables in a seamless way. Now that the SCOTUS has declared this to be a tax, lets just treat it like a tax so there is not always a thorn in people’s sides over being fined for not making a government designated purchase.

      This is not rocket science but it seems we have both a congress and a president who complicate things by failing to do the analysis required and by greasing their campaign donors. I would support a system that accomplished what the President sold it as. I stand by my assertions that we really can have a system that covers everyone, is less expensive that it is now by AT LEAST $2,500 per family, and is sustainable. If the President and his enablers had worked for the American people in 2010 instead of for their donors the CBO report would have been sparkling.

      • I’ve said many times the only way to make our health care system work is to let people die on the steps of the ER, but right wingers aren’t willing to admit that is what they want.

        • I don’t think they want that but there is disagreement between the right and left. I think my proposal has merit and may just bail the ACA out if the authors of it will listen. There are many other things that could reduce costs too but eliminating the disincentive to work is as easy as 9th grade algebra if you are not afraid to gore a few sacred cows.

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