Red Dirt Talk - Part 3, the Positions (2)
By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on July 2, 2008 at 8:00 PM in Barack Obama, Economy, Fusion, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, Immigration Reform, NASA, Nuclear Power, Supreme Court, space policy
Previously in this series: “Red Dirt Talk - Part 1, the Setup” and Red Dirt Talk - Part 2, the Positions.”
Health Policy
Obama
Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All
Lower Costs by Modernizing The U.S. Health Care System
See Economic policy and advisors, above.
This one’s been gone over so many times that everyone on the planet probably knows it by heart. Fact is, in May of 2007, HRC put out her plan, complete with all the lessons learned from the 1994 debacle (which I must remind everyone again - was torpedoed by Democrats). HRC’s plan very cleverly included a roadmap to single-payer, the ultimate goal. Exactly one week later, just enough time to plagiarize and re-brand, BHO came out with his copycat plan. Except BHO’s plan dispensed with the single-payer option and places the mandatory membership subscriptions firmly in the hands of the private insurance companies - who is this guy working for again?
McCain
Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance
Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage
Making Insurance More Portable
Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families
Cares For The Traditionally Uninsurable
Will Work With States To Establish A Guaranteed Access Plan
Bromides from the (R) side of the aisle. It’s glaringly obvious that McCain doesn’t give a rat’s ass about health care except in the context of preventing any public poaching of private party property (alliteration anyone?).
Energy Policy
Obama
Next in the examination chamber is Energy Policy, below are the BHO talking points
Reduce Carbon Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
Invest in a Clean Energy Future
Support Next Generation Biofuels
Set America on Path to Oil Independence
Improve Energy Efficiency 50 Percent by 2030
Restore U.S. Leadership on Climate Change
More valueless drivel on a large scale. First, the chances of us reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2050 are vanishingly small (except for the small possibility mentioned below). Even if we did, by 2050 China and India will be producing 2 to 3 times our present CEs. This is not a US problem it is a global problem and must be addressed in that context. BHO utterly fails to address this.
Second, biofuels is a counter-productive deadend as is already becoming painfully apparent: fill your tank, starve a neighbor. BHOs reliance on pop solutions to real problems is emblematic of his incompetence.
Another personal rant: We need to bite the bullet - it’s time to dump petroleum. Take the $150 billion BHO proposes to enable the unsupportable biofuels economy and put it into nailing down hydrogen fuel cell technology. Find better, cheaper ways to crack seawater into its constituent parts. Hydrogen for clean burning fuel, oxygen gets liberated into the atmosphere and BTW we stop pumping thousands of tons of carbon into the sky. I could go on…
McCain
From his Lexington Project:
Expanding Domestic Oil Exploration and Use Domestic Supplies
Clean Car Challenge
Full Commercial Development Of Plug-In Hybrid And Fully Electric Automobiles Supports Flex fuel and Ethanol
Goes Green, Will Commit $2 Billion Annually To Advancing Clean Coal Technologies
Construct 45 New Nuclear Power Plants By 2030 With The Ultimate Goal Of Eventually Constructing 100 New Plants
Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D
Will Encourage The Market For Alternative, Low Carbon Fuels Such As Wind, Hydro And Solar Power
Cap-And-Trade System That Would Set Limits On Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Surprisingly, this looks to be a well thought out program combining accepted concepts such as Cap and Trade and Clean Coal initiatives. I like the tax credit idea and the emphasis on low carbon power. Not so much the expanded domestic oil stuff (can you say ANWAR?) but I want to talk for a moment about nuclear power.
It seems to be an article of faith in the leftie community that nuclear=bad. We need to stop engaging in knee-jerk responses to this. Yes, older nuclear designs were primitive and overly complex, some were even inherently dangerous, Chernobyl is the poster child for that. Yes, there is a problem with disposing of nuclear waste - but not an insoluble one. Yes, fission reactors are really only a way-station on the road to fusion. All stipulated. But. Let’s look at nuclear power with our critical thinking caps on, this is the Red Dirt Talk after all…
Nuclear Myth #1: All those nuclear power plants are creating more and more radioactivity all the time.
No, Johnny, only a very few nuclear reactors actually create new fissile material - fast breeder reactors, and even then they create the plutonium from uranium as it transforms to lead (this transforming takes a very, very long time). Mostly what reactors do is just transfer radioactivity from one place to another (see Nuclear Myth # 2 for more on this) Bad point here, fast breeder reactors are what you want to build when you want to make weapons-grade radioactives. Extended point: there is radioactive material all over the planet with a high concentration in Africa (remember the Niger Yellowcake?). There is even some speculation that high radioactivity levels in Africa are responsible for mutations that led to the development of Homo Sapiens.
Nuclear Myth # 2: That nasty nuclear waste will just sit around forever making everything glow in the dark.
Well, yes and no… if you pick a remote place that is geologically stable (say Yucca Mountain) and sequester the waste in sealed glass containers and then store them several thousand feet underground in salt formations, you will get the glow in the dark scenario, but if you think critically about it there is a handy solution - take a deep breath here, assumptions are about to be challenged: go out into the middle of the ocean and build a floating launch facility, put your nuclear waste in a rocket and shoot it into the Sun. The Sun will know what to do with it. Yes, we’ve actually been sending nuclear materials into space for years. No, it’s not inherently more dangerous than burying it in salt mines. Yes, rockets used to be famously unreliable and would blow up at the drop of a hat. No, that’s no longer the case… did I mention that the launch takes place in the middle of the ocean?
Nuclear Myth # 3: All nuclear plants are unsafe.
They used to be exactly that, especially idiot designs like the open graphite reactors the USSR dotted all over the landscape. The fact is that many countries have relied on nuclear power for a substantial portion of their energy needs for decades (see France). They have developed new, simpler, inherently safe-by-design nuclear reactors, Pebble Bed reactors for instance. We in the US get about 14 percent of our energy from nuclear reactors. They’re here, they’re staying, they’re getting safer all the time - get over it.
Nonetheless, there is a salient point here: fission is inherently dangerous by virtue of the fact that you have to gather relatively large amounts of radioactive material together in order to make it work at all.
So what’s the solution? Glad you asked: fusion. This holy grail of energy production has been pursued by every capable agency on the planet for over fifty years. Why doesn’t it work? Actually it does, the latest Tokamak reactor produces about 102% energy output from energy input - not very impressive. What is even more unimpressive (more unimpressive?) is the paucity of R+D spending on fusion research. In the decade of the ’90s the total R+D investment by all the IEA members (the US, EU and Japan) totaled US $8.9 billion - total - for, essentially, all the countries of the world - combined - for ten years. Plainly we’re not serious yet about energy independence, when we are, we’ll know it because we’ll be putting in about $100 billion per year into R+D and pilot production and ramping up to bringing fusion online to the grid.
Why should you be happy about this? Here’s the interesting thing about fusion: if it breaks, it turns off; if you make a mistake, it turns off; if the bad guys get in and blow something up, it turns off. No muss, no fuss, no lingering evil cloud, no China Syndrome, no cancer down the line - no radioactivity.
It. Just. Turns. Off.
Did I mention that Exxon made US $40 Billion in profits… this year?
Immigration
Obama
Create Secure Borders
Improve Our Immigration System
Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally
Bring People Out of the Shadows
Work with Mexico
Once again, BHO doesn’t have strong positions on this, though I must say that cracking down on employers who hire illegals would go a long way to solving the problem outright.
McCain
Secure borders
Welcomes immigrants and guest workers
This is a McCain signature issue, he’s been highly visible out front on this and has garnered the respect of Hispanics in Mexico as well as the US.
Space Program
Obama
Zero, zip, nada on his website, however his previous position (stated multiple times) was idiotic Go here for a deeper look at this)
Essentially BHO’s opinion is that the Constellation program (our next generation space vehicle system) should take a break for, oh, say about 5 years so that he can funnel NASA funding into - education (paging Bill Ayers). Seriously, he’s gonna bring the US$240 billion/year space industry to a grinding halt for 5 years… and then just flip the switch on ‘em and crank it up again!?!
McCain
Strong supporter of NASA, the space industry, exploration, science, truth, justice and the American way - on this one anyway.
Supreme Court
Obama
Nothing on website, vaguely supports Roe v Wade and claims that: “We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that’s the criteria by which I’m going to be selecting my judges.”
Apparently, BHO - the constitutional scholar, is off eating waffles somewhere.
McCain
Strict Constructionist
Supported Alito and Roberts
Well, he’s a Republican. What you see is what you get here.
From my blog, The Heraclitan Fire.
Given the current deficit yep- cut the Space Programme and make it truly Private Sector. Even Virgin Airlines are launching a space programme and if the subsidies were not not there the satellites would still be going up.
Who gives a shite what you think. You can’t even VOTE for your empty suit fake plastic jesus.
You area a snore.
The only space program Obama has is between his substantive ears.
Right. One of the top law schools in the country always hires airheads to teach constitutional law.
Speaking of the constitution. Why didn`t he know this little fact.
More lack of international knowledge:
One might expect a Constitutional law expert to understand the historical record of the Nuremberg trials, especially if using them as an example in his speeches. Unfortunately, Barack Obama showed his lack of preparation yet again in Pennsylvania as he praised the Boumediene decision by the Supreme Court last week. Obama claimed that it represented a return to American values as represented by the Nuremberg trials — which actually didn’t allow habeas corpus through American civil courts at all:
Obama a former senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, cited “that principle of habeas corpus, that a state can’t just hold you for any reason without charging you and without giving you any kind of due process — that’s the essence of who we are. I mean, you remember during the Nuremberg trials, part of what made us different was even after these Nazis had performed atrocities that no one had ever seen before, we still gave them a day in court and that taught the entire world about who we are but also the basic principles of rule of law. Now the Supreme Court upheld that principle yesterday.”
(Though Obama was clearly referring to the principle of giving criminals a day in court, it’s worth pointing out the distinction here, that the Nuremberg trials did not give Nazi war criminals access to U.S. courts, but to a special international military tribunal created by the U.S., USSR, France and the U.K. Though Nuremberg currently is considered a model for international law, it’s not as if Rudolph Hess had access to challenge his detention in U.S. federal court.)
You are really overly literal. Obama wasn’t talking about access to US courts, but to due process in courts. Gitmo prisoners didn’t have any substantial due process.
Gee, you don`t suppose that`s because they are not
Who is they? You have an unclear referent.
You have an unclear reasoning process, as evidenced by the fact that you “believe” Obama.
believe always likes to make these “who are they” comments, its like her thing…maybe that’s what she’s famous for down at Obamacentral,Chicago, ILL. Who are they? Believe, how do you think they are? Are they the ones we’ve been waiting for?
It would be interesting to hear from several of his former students to see how much they learned from him…
I am sure that he was a wonderful lecturer…
was there any substance in his lectures that you could actually use?
with all those friends on the faculty, being a “lecturer” …no big.
I can draw on board a white board too.
His version of the Constitution is BLT.
as far as airheads…that is EXACTLY what they did.
Are still here? you have no respect here. How is your Asian Prime Minister coming along?
Is there any blogs in the UK you can post on? It is kind of irritating when someone from outside the US posts on political things in the US
I read this about poor UKdems blogs, poor bloke, no good blogs in the UK
Political blog coverage in the UK lags well behind that in the US, two of the web’s newest online publishers have claimed.
UK blogs have failed to replicate the success of powerful and influential US political sites like Wonkette and Politico because of the lack of a ‘developed’ online community this side of the Atlantic, Lloyd Shepherd and Andrew Levy, co-founders of Messy Media, told Journalism.co.uk.
I guess when the bloke has no good blogs in his country he has to come to our blogs and blab.
Well, there are more important thing in life than American Idol…
Here us an eye opener. The world problems are brewing. Who is paying attention?
http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=573
please excuse my typos
Privatize the space program! Are you sure you aren’t a libertarian Republican? Jeez. Even Ron Paul supports the space program. Never mind.
Obama hired Clinton’s top health care policy advisor and this, along with his interest in getting very strong support from Clinton and from Elizabeth Edwards, will lead him to make his plan more like Clinton’s.
Meanwhile, McCain wants employers to get rid of health coverage so we can all buy our own health insurance!
You can’t possibly be that stupid. Do you think Oblahma is going to give you free health insurance? Hmmmm?
That’s not his proposal, so no, I don’t think that.
And that wasn’t Clinton’s proposal either, not for people in my income range.
However, a lot of folks will get coverage when you expand Medicare, as should occur.
And I think all SHOULD get it, just like every other industrialized country in the world. And those countries have greater levels of satisfaction in their health systems and also much better health outcomes (morbidity and mortality).
Uh, so what is the problem with buying your own health insurance? Are you skerred? Or are you too lazy and you want the government to do it for you.
Huh? Most people can’t afford to buy their own insurance. In the rest of the industrialized world people don’t do that and they have a much better system, one which people like more and where people are much healthier and people live longer.
Oh sweetie, you are so ignorant just like your Barry.
You specifically said We will all have to buy our own health insurance.
Then you backtracked and admitted it wasn’t going to be free under Barry’s plan.
Now you are back to saying most people can’t afford to buy their own. So who exactly is going to pay for their insurance since you said it wasn’t free?
You are completely ignorant to think you’re going to get free or cheap health insurance via the government. Someone pays, just as long as it’s not you, right? Lazy POS.
I wrote that under McCain’s plan we would all be responsible for our health insurance. Why?
McCain has a plan to phase out employer-paid health insurance. He also wants to reduce Medicare and Medicaid.
This shifts coverage to individuals, which he has explicitly said he wants to do.
I never said that Obama would provide “free health insurance” because under his plan, health care would paid by individuals, by employers, and by the government. However, more would be covered by subsidies and mandates.
Now, you seem to dislike government picking up health care costs. I don’t. It’s done all through the world with superior health outcomes than we have. And it would be affordable if we weren’t paying for this stupid war.
Who the Fuck do you think the government is you imbecile.
Yep. I’m fine with paying taxes so that people get health coverage. I’d rather not pay taxes for a stupid war.
How about you?
“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
You think the government is the answer to all life’s problems. How sad. Just because one doesn’t have health insurance we should run and cry to the government?
If you think gov health care is so friggin great, why do all those Canadians come here for superior health care?
You get what you pay for, Einstein and again, IT WON’T BE FREE UNDER BARRY’S PLAN OR EVEN HILLARY’S PLAN so get over it.
So typical of a bot to lie. Good thing I looked it up on Mac’s site. I admit, the health insurance issue isn’t one of my voting priorities. ‘believe’ is a liar. Here is McCain on health care:
Straight Talk on
Health System Reform
A “Call to Action”
John McCain believes we can and must provide access to health care for every American. He has proposed a comprehensive vision for achieving that. For too long, our nation’s leaders have talked about reforming health care. Now is the time to act.
Americans Are Worried About Health Care Costs. The problems with health care are well known: it is too expensive and 47 million people living in the United States lack health insurance.
John McCain’s Vision for Health Care Reform
John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable
John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people’s needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.
John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit - effectively cash - of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.
John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.
John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.
A Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients
John McCain’s Plan Cares For The Traditionally Uninsurable. John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage and those with pre-existing conditions have the most difficulty on the individual market, and we need to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need.
John McCain Will Work With States To Establish A Guaranteed Access Plan. As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow - a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP - that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage. One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.
John McCain Will Promote Proper Incentives. John McCain will work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure this approach is funded adequately and has the right incentives to reduce costs such as disease management, individual case management, and health and wellness programs.
A Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care Costs
John McCain Proposes A Number Of Initiatives That Can Lower Health Care Costs. If we act today, we can lower health care costs for families through common-sense initiatives. Within a decade, health spending will comprise twenty percent of our economy. This is taking an increasing toll on America’s families and small businesses. Even Senators Clinton and Obama recognize the pressure skyrocketing health costs place on small business when they exempt small businesses from their employer mandate plans.
CHEAPER DRUGS: Lowering Drug Prices. John McCain will look to bring greater competition to our drug markets through safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs.
CHRONIC DISEASE: Providing Quality, Cheaper Care For Chronic Disease. Chronic conditions account for three-quarters of the nation’s annual health care bill. By emphasizing prevention, early intervention, healthy habits, new treatment models, new public health infrastructure and the use of information technology, we can reduce health care costs. We should dedicate more federal research to caring and curing chronic disease.
COORDINATED CARE: Promoting Coordinated Care. Coordinated care - with providers collaborating to produce the best health care - offers better outcomes at lower cost. We should pay a single bill for high-quality disease care which will make every single provider accountable and responsive to the patients’ needs.
GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE: Expanding Access To Health Care. Families place a high value on quickly getting simple care. Government should promote greater access through walk-in clinics in retail outlets.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Greater Use Of Information Technology To Reduce Costs. We should promote the rapid deployment of 21st century information systems and technology that allows doctors to practice across state lines.
MEDICAID AND MEDICARE: Reforming The Payment System To Cut Costs. We must reform the payment systems in Medicaid and Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination. Medicaid and Medicare should not pay for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.
SMOKING: Promoting The Availability Of Smoking Cessation Programs. Most smokers would love to quit but find it hard to do so. Working with business and insurance companies to promote availability, we can improve lives and reduce chronic disease through smoking cessation programs.
STATE FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs. States should have the flexibility to experiment with alternative forms of access, coordinated payments per episode covered under Medicaid, use of private insurance in Medicaid, alternative insurance policies and different licensing schemes for providers.
TORT REFORM: Passing Medical Liability Reform. We must pass medical liability reform that eliminates lawsuits directed at doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols. Every patient should have access to legal remedies in cases of bad medical practice but that should not be an invitation to endless, frivolous lawsuits.
TRANSPARENCY: Bringing Transparency To Health Care Costs. We must make public more information on treatment options and doctor records, and require transparency regarding medical outcomes, quality of care, costs and prices. We must also facilitate the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes.
Confronting the Long-Term Challenge
John McCain Will Develop A Strategy For Meeting The Challenge Of A Population Needing Greater Long-Term Care. There have been a variety of state-based experiments such as Cash and Counseling or The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that are pioneering approaches for delivering care to people in a home setting. Seniors are given a monthly stipend which they can use to hire workers and purchase care-related services and goods. They can get help managing their care by designating representatives, such as relatives or friends, to help make decisions. It also offers counseling and bookkeeping services to assist consumers in handling their programmatic responsibilities.
Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing Conditions
MYTH: Some Claim That Under John McCain’s Plan, Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Would Be Denied Insurance.
FACT: John McCain Supported The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act In 1996 That Took The Important Step Of Providing Some Protection Against Exclusion Of Pre-Existing Conditions.
FACT: Nothing In John McCain’s Plan Changes The Fact That If You Are Employed And Insured You Will Build Protection Against The Cost Of Any Pre-Existing Condition.
FACT: As President, John McCain Would Work With Governors To Find The Solutions Necessary To Ensure Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Are Able To Easily Access Care.
Combating Autism in America
John McCain is very concerned about the rising incidence of autism among America’s children and has continually supported research into its causes and treatment. Click here to learn more.
That’s not the full plan. And you have to read the health care briefing papers the McCain campaign prepared and used to brief health policy folks.
blahblahblahblaha.
Link or lie.
P.S.
Why do you keep saying “folks”
That you Barry?
Where can I read them? Please link.
And given my income and coverage now, I would think that I’ll be paying taxes for others to get coverage while still getting money from my employer (under Obama’s plan). That’s perfectly cool with me. I consider it to be a shared responsibility to provide health care and see health care as a right.
You evidently think that only some should get health care coverage. Most Americans and most Democrats disagree with you.
You evidently think that the government should pay for your health insurance and it’s a birth right. What next for your lazy arse? You want free housing too? Oh wait..
Yes, I do think health care is a right and a shared responsibility. It’s like that in the entire industrialized world and they have superior health outcomes.
You sure don’t sound like a Democrat with your views. I mean, really, every Democrat since Harry Truman has pursued an expansion of health care.
I’ve traveled to many countries and I have to say not one single country outside of the US has more McDonalds than we do per capita, or more junk food. People here rarely exercise either. I’ve walked up the hills with 80 year olds in Jimena de la Frontera, Spain. Try getting a computer addicted gamer with 40 BMI kid to do that. We are an OBESE nation that is where your problem lays. Stop looking at the government to fix your personal problems. Take responsibility for yourself. Me me me me. Wow, suxs to be you.
And I am a Dem, thank you very much. Just not a BOT.
This is why I sometimes question if Obama ever was a food stamp kid like he claimed. The government medical program for low-income people is very inefficient and the quality of care is not good.
Did you see that video of the poor woman lying in the waiting room, dying, and the staff people just ignored her and let it happen? That happened in a county hospital. The quality of our county hospitals is horrible. Even poor uninsured people try to drive an extra mile bleeding to get to the emergency room of a private hospital. Expanding that type of system is not a good idea.
America has some of the best doctors. That’s why rich people from other countries come here for serious medical problems. If the government takes over the medical system, many bright minds will choose to enter other fields. This has happened in many of the countries with government run medical systems.
believe, don’t hold your breath for Obama’s health care. Any program not including mandatory participation will not work and I’m sure he knows it and has never had any intention of implementing it anyway. So you can remain secure in your millions and will not be forced to pay anything for the poor who can’t afford health care for themselves or their families.
This is the second comment I have seen where you refered to your wealth. My mama always told me it is very bad manners to discuss money. I guess your mama didn’t tell you that? Anyway, here is a link explaining the phoney health care program Obama is claiming will help the poor and sick in this country. If you don’t like links, ask your maid or butler to pull it up for you.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/obama-does-harry-and-louise-again/
Which country with the better system of health treatments and outcomes did Ted Kennedy go to for his brain tumor operation?
If you look at health data for populations, the morbidity and mortality rates for the US are midrange, below virtually every industrialized country.
And, of course Ted Kennedy can get the best care available in the US. He is wealthy. That has nothing to do with health outcomes across nations.
Bullshit! I know someone in NC that went to Ted’s same dr for surgery after brain cancer. This family is far FAR from wealthy. You talk out of your ass.
They scary part is they want to run our country.
And that has nothing to do with health outcomes across nations either.
Huh?
Believe,
I am sorry you cant make us believe we are older and wiser than you but keep posting and you might learn’
we have all been though that phase where everybody older does not know shit.
The British that can afford it are now opting out of NHS and paying for their own private insurance because the level of care under NHS has deteriorated badly.
Well, NHS is not a good system. However that’s hardly the only model for comprehensive, universal health care in the world. The Dutch, Belgian, German and Norweigen systems are more to my liking.
You know how much the German’s pay? My husband is from Berlin and he paid approx 15% of his gross income per month for the health insurance in Germany.
Do you know how long they have to wait and the amount of paperwork they have to go through to get approval for basic procedures?
and you have to book a bed in the delivery room at least 12 months in advance.
Actually very little is wrong with the NHS - now in its 60th year. How long have you had free at the point of use universal health care? Oh you do not.
We spend less per capita on healthcare than the US and have better health outcomes. For serious or major operations there are no waiting lists. For non serious operations there are waiting lists of no more than 3 months. There are no endless forms and everyone has 24 hour access to a GP - free.
There are charges (for prescriptions and dental treatment), but the poorest and pensioners do not pay them. There is a flourishing (and much cheaper than the US) private health care system.
That is not what I have heard…
timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article4252092.ece
guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/04/nhs.health2
dailymail.co.uk/health/article-544112/Lung-patients-condemned-death-NHS-withdraws-expensive-drugs.html
metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=127814&in_page_id=34
That’s just a sample of some of the stories out there.
Please keep posting, you might learn something our pay is not good but you can get a job outside of school. and not have to have the guilt you voted and promoted Obama.
Believe you just shot your arguement in the foot. Hurray you need medical attention pronto!
what you say? Your not as wealthy as Kennedy? You are told that you will have to choose which finger you want?
My point is the medical care for Kennedy should be the same for the illegal immagrant I saaw being told by the doctor he could not stay after they patched him up.
Money should not determine the quality of care.
Quit bleeding all over the thread.
Put Obamas Healthcare plan in one hand and a pile of shit in the other and see which grows first. Obamas Healthcare plan is a ruse, a farce, we here in Illinois are still waiting for Obamas last healthcare plan. Where is it Obama ? YOU want me to jump for joy over your healthcare plan when the first plan was BS?
And I don’t buy my own insurance now. My employer pays most of the cost for it and I chip in a bit. I’m very lucky that I have that deal; a lot of people don’t, particularly people who have chronic illnesses or a history of cancer.
My god are you ignorant. You honestly don’t think you’re paying for it 100%? Hahahaha! Sweetie, human resources is making you pick up the cost alright, they are just giving you less pay.
Actually, I took that into account when I negotiated my salary package. When I compared it to other jobs for my education and experience, I figured out how to make the numbers work for me. So, well, I have great coverage and a fine salary, too.
How about you?
I’m under 30 and retired. Sold my minority shareholder stock 2 years ago in a large manufacturing company that I was VP and Secretary of.
I have great coverage and have started my own charitable trust, however we don’t give to lazy people like you.
I work more than full-time and have health insurance. And most people who DON’T have health insurance also work full-time.
Sure you do, sweetie.
What, were you 4 when Hillary fought for single payer? Don’t you understand that she had the COURAGE to almost martyr her career for the cause that you have no historical insight about.
Some of us are mentally ill and can’t afford it because of pre-existing conditions.
Believe, where did you go? Does OB’s plan have nothing to say about the mentally ill?
Well, believe, I was almost convinced you really feel their pain. So silly of me. I hope your “package” is secure enough to survive if Obama becomes president.
Bella… lol…I pretend to work. They pretend to pay me.
Hehehehe… that you Obama?
Clinton’s plan was not to expand Medicare; that’s what Obama wants to do. She wanted to make the healthcare that Congress enjoys available to all Americans. People could choose their own plans or keep the ones they were happy with.
You can argue from now until Obama’s defeat in November, but the bottom line is that no matter what pretty promises Obama makes or puts on his website, he is a liar and a flip-flopper, so we don’t really have any idea what he would do if elected — except put a lot of people like Rezko and Ayers in charge of our government.
Mrs. Obama is making money from the Health care system — so much that Mr.&Mrs. Obama can buy a Mansion.
Obama has NO (zero) interest in universal health care — he would lose his gravy train express.
Obama is a fraud — he is in the Green (money) class and he wants more of the green stuff — he could care less about any of the issues listed in this article. I doubt he spends any time at all trying to understand the problems — he’ll merely copy from someone else.
He is not creative and he is not a deep thinker. All Obama thinks about is Obama — he is by, for and about Obama (or whatever his real name is).