blurpy

all right all right, it is pretty sick. score a major coup for KomradeKaskadeKlimber. honestly, that used to be a nonsense word, but has apparently, err, taken on a new meaning. so, now it is time to importune the gods of this little universe, requesting a name change to something a little less offensive. dear gods, please help me...

finally, something the kaskadeklimber can understand. now we're talking.

For many closed dark spaces, even a low-wattage appliance bulb is of sufficient brilliance. well, i'm happy it worked, even for you.

In the UK there are private analogues to NHS, and many people purchase private insurance to supplement what they pay for through their taxes. One of the major benefits of universal coverage, if we can figure out how to do it, is the economic stimulus that will result when people are no longer tied to jobs simply for the healthcare benefits. It will also become a boon for small businesses and new businesses. Having been involved with two technology startups I can attest to the millstone that healthcare worries create. Not only is it very hard to afford coverage for employees, it is very hard to attract people in the first place. They may not be too concerned about less pay, or potential disruptions in pay, but few can afford to be without health coverage or with reduced health coverage, especially if they have families. So, in addition, to the social benefits there are real economic benefits to solving this problem. btw, mattp, i applaud your persistence with the knuckleheads. they are clearly uninterested or incapable of sustained, rational conversation. there are those of us out here, though, who read your comments and find them illuminating.

Stated as you did, it's not. Mattp's expressed desire for a government monopolized system has caused me to brush you with his contaminated paint. and you expressed a desire for US to ditch the allies in europe you red fuck. why don't go and suck putin's cock. the reality is you are just a stupid fuckwad and your mom boning high school football team. a classic example, that syphilis and pregnancy don't mix. You remind me of that little creature that sits on Jaba The Hut's lap in the movie Star Wars. ...and you remind everyone else of Jabba the Hutt...

Yes, the gov't needs to bus lardasses up to the Mt. Si trailhead every weekend, and force them up and down the hill with an R.Lee Ermey style "motivational speaker" on their heels. all right smartypants, who is going to pay for the fuel, the drivers, the 'motivational speaker' and the wear and tear from hauling all those fat bums around? my tax dollars? are you kidding? I've got you pegged, friend, you're a commie, pinko, socialist douchebag aren't you! I knew it all along. You Obamalama lover. You're just a sheep in wolf's clothing. go sell your commie, pinko schemes somewhere else, buddy, like Cuba or something. Why don't you smoke Fidel's cigar while you're there.

ok, now we're getting somewhere. the obesity epidemic across the country (illustrated in CA in this case) is burdensome to the healthcare system, and the uninsured (again, in one area, but probably can be extrapolated) are part of a trend that some suggest will overwhelm the healthcare system (at least in those areas) in a matter of years. keep 'em coming....

can you explain what the cost of malpractice insurance is, and what part that plays in the overall economy? I doubt he'll respond. It has been well established that the Republican hype about malpractice lawsuits being the root cause of all that is wrong or even much of what is wrong with our medical system is overbloated hype and pandering to folks who are not interested in facts, figures, or real discussion. I never said that. I cited it as ONE factor, albeit a significant one in the higher costs of medical care. And it's not just malpractice insurance or lawsuits (settlements). The FEAR of lawsuit drives health care providers to go way overboard in providing extra services and care - often unneeded to AVOID lawsuits. Keep the machine plugged in, pump in those expensive drugs - you would not want to be sued, after all. Never mind that Uncle John was an obese fuck whose arteries were clogged by a few thousand pounds of ingested lard over his lifetime, if he dies, it's the doctor's fault, damn it! Speaking of which, unhealthy people raise our costs, as do an aging population - a less and less healthy, aging population. Then there's the freeloaders who don't buy insurance, and suck off the teat of big government, visit emergency rooms, call the ambulance because they're "lonely", excessively use an overburdened system. I know people who work in the health care industry and hear all the stories. Anyways, I'm sick of your bullshit, MattP. Time for you to go on ignore for a while - you're a waste of time. All right then, so malpractice (or the fear of a suit) is a significant factor. How significant? You should be able to express that in terms of the percentage of dollars spent on healthcare, or a percentage of GDP or somesuch. Perhaps you have some evidence the GAO or the CBO didn't have? That was 2004, so perhaps new evidence has come to light. These other items you cite may well be factors too - unhealthy population, uninsured 'freeloaders', aging people. Can you establish just how common and significant they are, and how much of a drain they represent? And, if true, don't they demonstrate that there is a problem in the healthcare arena that we as a society ought to address?

I'll bet those other countries don't have such high malpractice insurance and rapacious lawyers. Reform indeed! perhaps you have a point. according to factcheck.org, bush didn't when he made a similar claim back in 2004: FactCheck.org can you explain what the cost of malpractice insurance is, and what part that plays in the overall economy?

sounds like 'voodoo economics' to me. big deal.

Great summary. These are hard questions that require pragmatism and thoughtfulness to address. Reducing them to slogans helps no one. I like the government telling me what to do / not do, or how to spend my money as little as the next guy, meaning, I don't always like the constraints placed upon me by living in a society. But you cannot have the one without the other, and humans are fallible, so we continue trying to figure it out. A little 'I don't know' goes a long way...

It is curious, and a bit frightening, that some voters become so attached to a personality or fixated on a single issue that they are unable to step back and see the forest. In perusing reader comments at the nytimes, I see similar sentiments expressed, though they seem to be a minority of comments. I wonder how many will actually vote the way they talk now. They sound so categorical, like there is no more deciding to do. I guess we'll see. Maybe its the interwebs talking....

hey, moise, you gotta quit abusing the fruit of your own loins this way. swampwhore? c'mon, it isn't miriam's fault. you forced her!

Someone said here recently that these guys were all dead. So what is this, a hoax or life after death? Linky

Here we go. I assume you're talking about the old guy and not Obama, who was in what, 2nd grade when that was going on? This is more of the right-wingers vacant attempts to conduct the usual character assination. Damn. When we have so many serious issues to put on the table and debate it's pathetic that this kinda crap comes up every election cycle. And no, I'm not confident in the ability of Americans to filter this stuff and critically analyze the issues. Look who was voted in for two terms. Gotta laugh at how you simultaneously mockingly refer to McCain as the "old guy" and then whine like a little girl about "character assassination" w/r/t your candidate. Typical libturd hypocrisy. ummm, i think he was talking about the mr ayers, not mccain..... would this qualify as a typical right-wing knee-jerk?