patrick.net

Homeboy says

Tell me why you don't think there should be minimum standards for health insurance.

I don't think the government knows what's better for me than I do.

I think people should have choices. Democrats seem very anti-choice.

Why do Democrats hate freedom?

zzyzzx says

I don't think the government knows what's better for me than I do.

I think people should have choices. Democrats seem very anti-choice.

Why do Democrats hate freedom?

So then you were happy with double-digit annual health insurance premium increases, millions who couldn't get health insurance, and illness being the number one cause of bankruptcy?

Homeboy says

zzyzzx says

I don't think the government knows what's better for me than I do.

I think people should have choices. Democrats seem very anti-choice.

Why do Democrats hate freedom?

So then you were happy with double-digit annual health insurance premium increases, millions who couldn't get health insurance, and illness being the number one cause of bankruptcy?

Caused by fat, lazy, unhealthy people on entitlements put in place by fiscal liberals

In russia there's a saying, "a cat thought too and ended up in a soup." Why would anyone ever believe any politician? Better yet, why would someone identify with them?

It's "money laundering or fuck you," America!

WOW! The UNtrustworthy are certainly in control of what information is apparent to the people!

Say hey! This was in the Wall Street Journal on March 30, 1999. Note "... how much it will buy."

Holy cow/interesting/compelling ...!

And where is it up to date??? Right here ... see the first chart shown in this thread.
Recent Dow day is Tuesday, November 5, 2013 __ Level is 99.6

WOW! It is hideous that this is hidden! Is there any such "Homes, Inflation Adjusted"? Yes! This was in the New York Times on August 27, 2006:

And up to date (by me) is here:
http://patrick.net/?p=1219038&c=999083#comment-999083

WOW! The UNtrustworthy are certainly in control of what information is apparent to the people!

And http://patrick.net/?p=1230886

Homeboy says

Typical right wing obstructionist bullshit. Do they offer any alternative plan
for reforming healthcare? No.

Dude - reforming our healthcare system simply was not the most urgent thing facing our country. Expecially during the height of the "Great Recession" when we had so many other important things Obama and Congress should have been focusing on.......like the economy and jobs.

Our healthcare system has flaws and needs some reform, but before Obamacare 85% of Americans had health insurance and 87% were satisfied or very satisfied with the coverage. In a country of 300+ million people, I think these numbers aren't too bad. Certainly not worth throwing the entire system on its head like we are currently seeing now.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/123149/cost-is-foremost-healthcare-issue-for-americans.aspx

You *should* know darn well that there was not a chance in hell that Obamacare would have passed even the Democrat controlled Congress if Obama was honest in telling us about the increased costs.

APOCALYPSEFUCK is Comptroller says

Cash Sales = Money Laundering Transactions

Well, that explains the high prices in Florida. Buying houses has always been a way to launder drug money in Florida. It's the blowshine state.

This is exactly why in France it is not possible - or so I was told on my recent trip there - to purchase a house "all cash".

If you're bored this afternoon, look at all the non-mortgaged transactions in your county, print them out and send them to police and bank regulators with a recommendation to investigate.

And then what? They spread your printed docs out on the floor in the shape of a pentagram and have a big gay buttsex orgy?

tatupu70 says

Reality says

tatupu70 says

Reality says

The wealth and power of a pretty young thing

Who is talking about power? I'm talking about wealth.

What is wealth but the power to get someone else to do things that you'd like done for you? The pretty young thing has plenty "asset."

lol--OK pretty girls aside. If the world works like you say it does, wouldn't it be reflected in the measurable wealth?

Why? How do you measure the power of a pretty girl, or that of a bureaucrat? How much is Obama's executive power worth in monetary terms? It's not possible to measure. It certainly is worth quite a lot to Michele's classmate from Princeton!

Because the measurable wealth inequality behaves exactly how I would predict based on the tax rates at the time.

And that would be quite irrelevant in a society where money can not buy everything . . . in most societies money can not buy everything. That makes your numerical measure worthless because it is incomplete and the ratio is not fixed for different people and different circumstances.

ThreeBays says

Reality says

That's the crux of cost-transferring. Hospitals can get away with it because most hospitals are geographical monopolies thanks to local zoning and licensing requirement.

Cost transfer is an excuse. It's price gouging. It needs to be stopped by regulation.

Of course when the hospital says it costs $10,000 for a birth and Medicare pays "only" $3,000 then the hospital will cry foul and transfer $20,000 to the private buyer. The crux is that it really costs only $1,000 to provide the service.

Exactly like I said in the quote above, the hospitals can do that because they are geographical monopolies in most places, thanks to government regulation and licensing requirement before anyone can open a hospital nowadays.

Homeboy says

the republican fixation on "Obama lied"

It's understandable: they have endured "Bbbbbooooosh lied!" being thrown at them at every turn in every discussion (no matter the topic) for the last 10 years so now they want dems to get a taste of the same medicine.

errc says

If you're bored this afternoon, look at all the non-mortgaged transactions in your county, print them out and send them to police and bank regulators with a recommendation to investigate.

And then what? They spread your printed docs out on the floor in the shape of a pentagram and have a big gay buttsex orgy?

No need for homophobic slurs while bashing our permabulls. I mean, do it if you want, it's free speech, but it's tacky.

Obama's lies are so bad - how bad are they? Well, last I heard Kenya was saying that Obama was born in America. That's how bad his lies are.

debyne says

Caused by fat, lazy, unhealthy people on entitlements put in place by fiscal liberals

Oh, o.k. - that's a perfectly reasonable position to take.

Straw Man says

It's understandable: they have endured "Bbbbbooooosh lied!" being thrown at them at every turn in every discussion (no matter the topic) for the last 10 years so now they want dems to get a taste of the same medicine.

Yes, inventing false ties to Al Qaeda and using forged documents to claim that Iraq had nuclear weapons in order to justify an armed invasion is EXACTLY the same as trying to reform healthcare.

define minimum standard for someone who is a ssocal2 says

Dude - reforming our healthcare system simply was not the most urgent thing facing our country. Expecially during the height of the "Great Recession" when we had so many other important things Obama and Congress should have been focusing on.......like the economy and jobs.

and for good reason they both should be looking into growing jobs and our industries ...
long term unemployment is at historic levels. But Obama is too busy chasing his legacy.

Call it Crazy says

Sooo... telling bold faced lies to try and "sell" your reformed healthcare law is acceptable in your eyes, right..

I didn't say it was acceptable. I said it's hardly comparable to using forged documents to falsely justify a war.

By the way, the expression is BALD faced lie, not bold faced lie.

Call it Crazy says

And the tens of thousands who are losing the plans they WANTED due to these lies is acceptable too, right??

Of course it's acceptable. Nobody is losing their health insurance. They simply have to go onto their state exchange and select a plan, which will be a BETTER plan than what they had before. Insurance companies changed their plans all the time before ACA, why is this suddenly armageddon? The plans you are referring to, that have been discontinued, were discontinued because they did not provide essential minimum coverage. In other words, they were crap.

Call it Crazy says

So, in your mind, Obama telling that outright lie over and over again is acceptable, right??

Asked and answered.

The not filing tax returns will be enough to sink marichol.

It's a sad world where people can't save money and use cash to buy things like cars. Today it seems only criminals (or extremely wealthy, perhaps the same) have enough cash to buy higher end items so anyone who might have honestly earned or saved large sums of money is viewed suspiciously because it would be so rare as to suspend belief.

Forty years ago many people bought cars without financing their purchases. Today the economy is such that it is not possible for just about anyone.

Today you don't see law abiding people plunking down $50k in cash or personal check for a new car, rather they borrow and that is considered a good thing and not at all suspicious. Borrowing makes you good, having cash, a suspected criminal.

Cash shouldn't be what is suspicious but rather criminal activity that they can't seem to stop unless they stop cash!

Reality says

50% youth unemployment rate is exactly what the Keynesian extend-and-pretend scheme advocated by your ilk has produced!

Wow--so many mistakes here, I don't know where to begin. First, extend and pretend is not Keynesian. Second, the unemployement is ultimately due to wealth disparity. Third, my ilk (whoever they are) don't advocate extend and pretend schemes.

Reality says

Why? How do you measure the power of a pretty girl, or that of a bureaucrat?

Power is only useful if it generates measurable wealth. So, at some point, it should be measurable.

Reality says

How much is Obama's executive power worth in monetary terms? It's not possible to measure. It certainly is worth quite a lot to Michele's classmate from Princeton!

It's worth a lot. And his wealth has increased substantially since he became a senator. In 3 years, it will start increasing substantially more.

Reality says

And that would be quite irrelevant in a society where money can not buy everything . . . in most societies money can not buy everything. That makes your numerical measure worthless because it is incomplete and the ratio is not fixed for different people and different circumstances.

I see. If it's not perfect, then it's useless? Funny how the correlation appears to be pretty strong--when wealth disparity (by available measures) gets too high, you start seeing bubbles and busts. Again--the data is out there. If it was worthless, then it would be painfully obvious.

Obozo the clown denies a lot of things. He promised to fight free trade, end NSA and spying. The only thing he did is make Romneycare go nationwide. No banker is in jail, he signs free trade deals faster than the Shrub and has expanded on NSA. That he is lying hypocrite is not in question. But the opposition is a bunch of loons who try and shut down the govt and make us default on our debt-something we will never be able to recover from. Sigh-is it too much to ask for a politician who cares a little bit about the country?

LOL The desperation of the right wing extremists and world nut daily has to prop up a washed up noise-making idiot who was best known for doing voices for cartoon charactors, to broadcast their 'outrage'.

What's next, a Weekend At Bernie's 5 remake starring Ronald Reagan?

zzyzzx says

I don't think the government knows what's better for me than I do.

I think people should have choices.

True. If people find a cheapo health insurance policy that gives them piece of mind, even though it doesn't actually cover them, it should be their right to do so. At least there is someone on the other side of the trasnaction, who was also free to rip them off. Kind of a ying yang balanced situation.

Just like if someone wants to buy a house with 3% down paymenty and a balloon in 5 years, that they totally can't afford, it should be their right to do that.

Likewise on the ohter side of that transaction, if the person selling the mortgage can find a way to package it and sell it to others, so that all the people free to choose win (it's a win/win/win at least for now), then they should be free to do that.

In fact really if you think about it, all forms of crime against oneself or others should be up to us. We should be free to choose.

lostand confused says

Sigh-is it too much to ask for a politician who cares a little bit about the country?

Do you want the long answer or the short answer ?

THe short answer is yes. Yes, that is too much to ask.

The changing story
http://www.youtube.com/embed/G4nxAPj8f3c#t=49

You didn't build that!

Reality says

This is precisely how bad debts should be solved: through liquidation, so the rest of the society doesn't have to carry on servicing the old bad debt. The government bailouts that your ilk advocate transfers old bad private sector debts to the taxpayers, so they are never liquidated but have to be carried on the backs of the working labor through high taxation. The result is prolonged high unemployment, as what the potential employer is willing to pay can not match what the potential employee is willing to accept after the tax bite is taken out.

Exactly.

Homeboy says

So then you were happy with double-digit annual health insurance premium increases, millions who couldn't get health insurance, and illness being the number one cause of bankruptcy

Conservative view is, don't choose to get sick if you can't afford to pay for it.

Unless you are on Medicare of course.

SiO2 says

Homeboy says

So then you were happy with double-digit annual health insurance premium increases, millions who couldn't get health insurance, and illness being the number one cause of bankruptcy

Conservative view is, don't choose to get sick if you can't afford to pay for it.

Unless you are on Medicare of course.

Not quite. Conservative view is that just because you don't have the money to pay for it, doesn't give you the right to steal it from someone else.

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=o6N

orange is energy, up 120% since 2000
green is healthcare up 60%
red is rents, up 50%

bringing up the rear is wages, up ~45%.

this is why we're broke.

Back out the $1T/yr national security state spending:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/FDEFX

and things would be colossally fucked now.

If you adjust wages by quintile (e.g. tossing out the top 20%) things would be even worse, since people who rent have been triply fucked this decade and last, and renters are concentrated in the lower income quintiles.

Still, it's open season on renters. Politics in this country is really weird, when the plutocrats and theocrats coalition together as they have been doing since the 1980s.

Are they really using slave labor?

This sounds horrible, I know Patrick is an investor and I thought about buying some too, mostly because SODA seemed so legitimate.

A more comprehensive video of if you like your plan...
http://www.youtube.com/embed/qpa-5JdCnmo

Somebody thinks that redundantcy is a virtue.

He also thinks that the sky is falling, it's just doing it so slow that it's unnoticeable.

Yyyyaaaaawwwwwnnnnnnn........when are you leaving the building?

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Hoss and L'il Joe want to know more about the long form birth certificate and Benghazi amongst other things.

Good grief - the anti-Israel crowd must be running out of things to bitch about. Is this for real or an Onion piece?

Love the caveat in the link:

"While I cannot independently verify that this is the situation in the Soda Stream plant"

Meanwhile, 100X more Muslims and Arabs have been killed or made refugees (by fellow Muslims) in the last 2 years in Syria than were killed or displaced in the last 60 years of Arab/Israeli wars.