Archive 2017-2019 Political Thread

Kory · Mar 23, 2017

The obfuscation by the media and officials in the UK following the terrorist attacks is disturbing at the very least. The walking on eggshells needs to STOP. They're too afraid of backlash against a minority, they purposely muddle facts and release little info. He is not "Asian." He is a racial Islamic terrorist. He carried this out in the name of ISIS.

ghost · Mar 23, 2017

Trump and the Republicans better get the replacement for Obamacare right. Middle class and seniors have already had their premiums and deductibles go up under Obamacare. The word on the first edition of Trumpcare was that premiums on older Americans were going to be raised again to keep down costs for the younger. Older middle class people supported Trump and helped him get elected. The last thing he and the Repubs want is for these same older people to say after the new healthcare plan is passed is.. "I wish we could go back to Obamacare"

Kory · Mar 24, 2017

What is the vote "yes" for the new healthcare bill or keep Obamacare ultimatum BS purported by Trump and Ryan? The vote is today, but a portion of House conservatives said they will NOT vote in favor. So what does this leave? And what's the rush? Trump promised a repeal of Obamacare...okay, I'm fine with that. But this bill leaves in place a lot of Obamacare regulations, but removes the funding/subsidy mechanism. So costs skyrocket....

I have an idea....how about they write a bill that DOESN'T favor insurance companies? It's clear who has the lobbying upper hand in this bill...and it isn't for the average American.

Sorry this bill is so bad that not even enough of your own political party won't vote in favor. It's Paul Ryan's fault for drafting a bill beyond horrendous. It's Trump's fault for not having the political will and patience to work on a wholesale repeal. And while a notable number of conservatives aren't backing the bill, the majority of Republicans are, and that's bad.

Matt Grantham · Mar 24, 2017

Kory said:
What is the vote "yes" for the new healthcare bill or keep Obamacare ultimatum BS purported by Trump and Ryan? The vote is today, but a portion of House conservatives said they will NOT vote in favor. So what does this leave? And what's the rush? Trump promised a repeal of Obamacare...okay, I'm fine with that. But this bill leaves in place a lot of Obamacare regulations, but removes the funding/subsidy mechanism. So costs skyrocket....

I have an idea....how about they write a bill that DOESN'T favor insurance companies? It's clear who has the lobbying upper hand in this bill...and it isn't for the average American.

Sorry this bill is so bad that not even enough of your own political party won't vote in favor. It's Paul Ryan's fault for drafting a bill beyond horrendous. It's Trump's fault for not having the political will and patience to work on a wholesale repeal. And while a notable number of conservatives aren't backing the bill, the majority of Republicans are, and that's bad.

Passing this bill might be political suicide for the Republicans, and deservedly so. Apparently it's not far enough right wing for the Koch Brothers though, who are effectively bribing members of Congress to vote against it. I don't know what's more insane, the level of greed and corruption in our politics, or this stupid middle man called insurance.

Matt · Mar 24, 2017

What is obvious is the the majority of Republicans are just as big government loving jerks as democrats are. How many repeal and replace votes were passed by the House the past eight years ? Seven or eight ? They wanted the issue on which to campaign. Now, when they are faced with actually repealing and replacing they turn into the no good POS they are. Primary their money makers!

KoD · Mar 24, 2017

After all Trumps assurances he'll craft the best healthcare bill, he's threatening to abandon the effort entirely if this garbage flawed bill doesn't pass? I didn't expect that from a master deal-maker negotiator.

Something that's so crucial to the citizens of this country, and that represents a gigantic portion of federal spenditure, you'd at least hope our representatives would spend more than a few months perfecting the legislation... Instead we have Republicans trying to push this through ASAP; even before the CBO did its analysis last week. It's like they don't even see this as a crucial element of government that it is, a government thats sole purpose is to defend, protect, provide for the people it represents. All they seem to care about is PR with their constituents (arguable given the aforementioned impact on elderly) and money, money money. I wish people would stand up and flush these political jocks out of government, regardless of if they're Democrat or Republican because they both play the same game with different words.

Kory · Mar 24, 2017

KoD said:
After all Trumps assurances he'll craft the best healthcare bill, he's threatening to abandon the effort entirely if this garbage flawed bill doesn't pass? I didn't expect that from a master deal-maker negotiator.

Something that's so crucial to the citizens of this country, and that represents a gigantic portion of federal spenditure, you'd at least hope our representatives would spend more than a few months perfecting the legislation... Instead we have Republicans trying to push this through ASAP; even before the CBO did its analysis last week. It's like they don't even see this as a crucial element of government that it is, a government thats sole purpose is to defend, protect, provide for the people it represents. All they seem to care about is PR with their constituents (arguable given the aforementioned impact on elderly) and money, money money. I wish people would stand up and flush these political jocks out of government, regardless of if they're Democrat or Republican because they both play the same game with different words.

I disagree with that. The government's purpose is not to provide for its citizens. It's there to strictly protect the life, rights, and property of its citizens. The idea that the government should provide for its citizens is what got us in the Obamacare mess to begin with. Massive premiums and deductibles. If the government is just going to force everybody to buy insurance and then subsidize part or all of it, what is keeping the insurance companies from continually raising premiums and deductibles? That makes literally no sense. And, why should ANYONE be forced to subsidize the insurance of another person is beyond me. It only perpetuates a broken system of money hungry insurance companies. Now, that doesn't mean I think they shouldn't get treatment if they can't afford it. We have safety nets (that also need big time reform).

Obamacare got some things right. Cannot deny folks with preexisting conditions. Allow children to stay on their parents plans longer. But, government propped up monopolies involving HMOs and the FDA, which drives up costs of medications to out of this world prices with stringent regulations that prevent competition, need to go. There should be more pressure by the government to influence insurance companies to make insurance affordable for those who choose to purchase (and not through subsidies). One of the bigger problems is insurance companies picking and choosing which states they want to operate in, leaving some to choose from a couple monopolies. Operate in all states, or none whatsoever.

Arcadia · Mar 24, 2017

I wish someone would hand me a pen. I could write something that makes sense and actually...I dunno...work! And I surely wouldn't need a thousand pages. Repeal Obamacare. Get rid of it. And replace it with the FREE MARKET and give control of healthcare back to the people where it belongs. Open up competition so that insurance companies have to COMPETE for my money. I should be allowed to buy insurance anywhere in the U.S. I want, not just my state. Why is this not common sense? A true and fair market doesn't create monopolies that gives us less choices instead of more. Let me decide what kind of plan I need for my family - not some government bureaucrat dictating what I need. The more the government involves itself the worse it becomes. What the government needs to do is get out of the damn way. Medicaid and AllKids are still needed for those below the poverty line but aside from that...let the people worry about their own. How hard is that? The constant meddling is what got us here - our premiums, copays, and deductibles doubling, then tripling. "I" am not better off under the "Affordable Care Act". Calling it affordable doesn't make it so. But, Trump never said what he would replace it with, which was a bone of contention for me throughout the primary. But his voters never demanded he be specific. Well...now you know what he wanted to replace it with. Another piece of garbage that benefits a few. Who's surprised? I think it's safe to call it. The government isn't interested in what's best for the people. They're interested in what's best for them. We didn't elect these people sit on thrones. We elected them to be our representatives. Who exactly are they representing? The insurance companies? And Trump is a major player in this fiasco. But this doesn't surprise me. Drain the swamp he said. Vote for him they said. This is what he ran on for Pete's sake. And all we get is a turd sandwich. This is not rocket science. It's not. I know our fearless leaders would like to make us think so, but it isn't. It really isn't. But make it complicated - like the freaking tax code. That'll solve it.

Matt Grantham · Mar 24, 2017

Arcadia said:
I wish someone would hand me a pen. I could write something that makes sense and actually...I dunno...work! And I surely wouldn't need a thousand pages. Repeal Obamacare. Get rid of it. And replace it with the FREE MARKET and give control of healthcare back to the people where it belongs. Open up competition so that insurance companies have to COMPETE for my money. I should be allowed to buy insurance anywhere in the U.S. I want, not just my state. Why is this not common sense? A true and fair market doesn't create monopolies that gives us less choices instead of more. Let me decide what kind of plan I need for my family - not some government bureaucrat dictating what I need. The more the government involves itself the worse it becomes. What the government needs to do is get out of the damn way. Medicaid and AllKids are still needed for those below the poverty line but aside from that...let the people worry about their own. How hard is that? The constant meddling is what got us here - our premiums, copays, and deductibles doubling, then tripling. "I" am not better off under the "Affordable Care Act". Calling it affordable doesn't make it so. But, Trump never said what he would replace it with, which was a bone of contention for me throughout the primary. But his voters never demanded he be specific. Well...now you know what he wanted to replace it with. Another piece of garbage that benefits a few. Who's surprised? I think it's safe to call it. The government isn't interested in what's best for the people. They're interested in what's best for them. We didn't elect these people sit on thrones. We elected them to be our representatives. Who exactly are they representing? The insurance companies? And Trump is a major player in this fiasco. But this doesn't surprise me. Drain the swamp he said. Vote for him they said. This is what he ran on for Pete's sake. And all we get is a turd sandwich. This is not rocket science. It's not. I know our fearless leaders would like to make us think so, but it isn't. It really isn't. But make it complicated - like the freaking tax code. That'll solve it.

As you stated, we basically have a rigged market with out of control corruption in DC. It's on both sides of the aisle which is why I consider myself an Independent. In theory an actual truly free market seems great, but why is it that nowhere else in the world (that I know of) has this type of system for health care? If there are successful examples, I'd be open to that idea.

There is also insane price gouging with prescription drugs which goes back to my point about there being a rigged market.

It seems that Medicare works well for our seniors. I have never heard anyone in my family complain about being on Medicare, and the administrative overhead and growth rate of spending are both lower than with private insurers. I think a single payer system would inherently be more efficient than the current hodgepodge system. There are successful examples of single payer systems around the world.

People should not be going bankrupt, cutting their pills in half, or dying because of our failed system.

KoD · Mar 24, 2017

Kory said:
I disagree with that. The government's purpose is not to provide for its citizens. It's there to strictly protect the life, rights, and property of its citizens. The idea that the government should provide for its citizens is what got us in the Obamacare mess to begin with. Massive premiums and deductibles. If the government is just going to force everybody to buy insurance and then subsidize part or all of it, what is keeping the insurance companies from continually raising premiums and deductibles? That makes literally no sense. And, why should ANYONE be forced to subsidize the insurance of another person is beyond me. It only perpetuates a broken system of money hungry insurance companies. Now, that doesn't mean I think they shouldn't get treatment if they can't afford it. We have safety nets (that also need big time reform).

Obamacare got some things right. Cannot deny folks with preexisting conditions. Allow children to stay on their parents plans longer. But, government propped up monopolies involving HMOs and the FDA, which drives up costs of medications to out of this world prices with stringent regulations that prevent competition, need to go. There should be more pressure by the government to influence insurance companies to make insurance affordable for those who choose to purchase (and not through subsidies). One of the bigger problems is insurance companies picking and choosing which states they want to operate in, leaving some to choose from a couple monopolies. Operate in all states, or none whatsoever.

I disagree with your disagreement. By provide I mean provide protection, safeguard indiviual rights and at the very least, basic necessities necessary for survival.

Insurance monopolies were a huge problem long before Obamacare, and it's still an issue that needs to be tackled. There's been improvements and there's been complications. I'm aware that it's way too complicated for me to wrap my head around because the whole system is beyond convoluted. I listen to case managers discuss reimbursement amongst different insurance providers and hospital financial services talk about health system costs/reimbursements. Honestly convoluted is too tame of a word. Our government reps think they can streamline healthcare, improve care and decrease costs? Good luck. That's going to be a decades long work in progress.

ghost · Mar 24, 2017

Matt said:
What is obvious is the the majority of Republicans are just as big government loving jerks as democrats are. How many repeal and replace votes were passed by the House the past eight years ? Seven or eight ? They wanted the issue on which to campaign. Now, when they are faced with actually repealing and replacing they turn into the no good POS they are. Primary their money makers!

People are POS because they don't take the same political stand you do? That's really adolescent

Arcadia · Mar 25, 2017

Matt Grantham said:
As you stated, we basically have a rigged market with out of control corruption in DC. It's on both sides of the aisle which is why I consider myself an Independent. In theory an actual truly free market seems great, but why is it that nowhere else in the world (that I know of) has this type of system for health care? If there are successful examples, I'd be open to that idea.

There is also insane price gouging with prescription drugs which goes back to my point about there being a rigged market.

It seems that Medicare works well for our seniors. I have never heard anyone in my family complain about being on Medicare, and the administrative overhead and growth rate of spending are both lower than with private insurers. I think a single payer system would inherently be more efficient than the current hodgepodge system. There are successful examples of single payer systems around the world.

People should not be going bankrupt, cutting their pills in half, or dying because of our failed system.

I believe more and more doctors are opting not to accept Medicare which, in turn, affects Medicare patients. This is an interesting article that I read by a doctor trying to explain the process of caring for patients who are on Medicare. The patients have no idea what goes on behind the scenes, so I'm sure people on Medicare are happy. But are their doctors? Not so much. This is just another example of government complicating everything it touches to the point that more and more doctors decide it's not worth the hassle. The idea of a single payer sounds really good on paper. But the reality of it screams nightmare. At least to me. I don't trust bureaucrats and politicians to decide my healthcare needs and as the doctor who wrote this article states at the end... "whoever pays the bill makes the rules." This is absolutely true and it is not the answer to the problem. Also, the VA is marred in problems and complications and our veterans are suffering for it. I think the government should fix the problems it already has before it starts to pretend to know how to care for the entire population of the country. As for single payer in other countries, I haven't studied them, but I do believe they have smaller populations and aren't 19 trillion in debt. We should probably start there and see if we are comparing apples to oranges. But I don't want to give the impression that I'm an expert on this topic nor ignorant to it. But I know what hasn't worked and the government has proven to be untrustworthy. I'd rather take my chances on a free market where government's only role is to ensure certain guidelines are met. The rigged system was partially created by the very entity (government) that claims it can solve it. How? The same way it began of course...tax credits. And doesn't it always come down to our tax code? Funny that.

Matt · Mar 25, 2017

ghost said:
People are POS because they don't take the same political stand you do? That's really adolescent

Once again you fail to comprehend. They are POS because they put themselves and their careers above the good of the country. And it is on both sides of the aisle.

Kory · Mar 26, 2017

Paul Ryan has zero leadership. He has had YEARS to plan and draft a GOOD repeal of Obamacare. And I'm hoping this was the watershed moment that gets rid of him as the party leadership in Congress. He is a no good, do nothing louse.

Bama Ravens · Mar 26, 2017

Kory said:
Paul Ryan has zero leadership. He has had YEARS to plan and draft a GOOD repeal of Obamacare. And I'm hoping this was the watershed moment that gets rid of him as the party leadership in Congress. He is a no good, do nothing louse.

I agree, when/if Trump moves again to repeal and replace Obamacare, he needs to look outside of just Congressional Republican leadership for help constructing a plan. I think there are people there with good ideas/plans, but since they aren't in leadership, they don't get much say. Build a coalition of more than just establishment guys who have been there for years.

ghost · Mar 30, 2017

So Trump has refused to throw out the first pitch at the season opener for the Nationals. This is an American tradition that goes back 100 years. I'm guessing his fat, old, not athletic throwing style would make Obama's pitching performance look like Nolan Ryan

Mike S · Mar 30, 2017

ghost said:
So Trump has refused to throw out the first pitch at the season opener for the Nationals. This is an American tradition that goes back 100 years. I'm guessing his fat, old, not athletic throwing style would make Obama's pitching performance look like Nolan Ryan

Fake news

ghost · Mar 30, 2017

Mike S said:
Fake news

He must have a tee time he doesn't want to cancel

KoD · Mar 30, 2017

I wonder why Flynn went public with the immunity request

Kory · Mar 31, 2017

ghost said:
So Trump has refused to throw out the first pitch at the season opener for the Nationals. This is an American tradition that goes back 100 years. I'm guessing his fat, old, not athletic throwing style would make Obama's pitching performance look like Nolan Ryan

How many times are you going to end up with an egg on your face before you stop posting and actually fact check?

It's truly embarrassing. And this is really a non issue. Let's stick to stuff that actually affects Americans....

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