Comments on: Don’t worry, be happy…?

By: A.B. Arkawy

A.B. Arkawy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:18:03 +0000

Unfortuntely, you’re right, Consti. Sen. Baucus ( D-Montana), the guy in charge of the watered down bill is one of the biggest beneficiaries of health insurance/pharma largess. I’ve long said if pols in both parties weren’t so heavily indebted to the insurance industry and their lobbyists– not to mention the “Cadillac coverage” afforded all members of Congress ( and Fed. employees)– we would have had substantive rerform long ago. Alas, the public continues to get the shaft. The biggest winner of the so-called reform bill? Yep,the insurance companies. If the new mandates pass ( and you can bet that part of the bill will remain intact, while options –what options?– vanish)they’re getting 30 million + new “customers” to drain.

By: Consti

Consti — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:47:33 +0000

The drug companies contribute to BOTH parties people! Currently they are lobbying hard for the Dems, 2 years ago it was the Repub’s. Neither side is without fault since they both take the dirty money. I have never heard of a politician that wouldn’t take money. look at charlie wrangle or any of the others that had to return Reizeko’s money. They are all crooks so deal with it.

By: Laura Bramble

Laura Bramble — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:31:43 +0000

I’m sorry, GP’s comment was so long, I thought it was an article… it was actually quite good as one and made some valid points.

As to Brunette Babe, both she and J Byron actually share the same frustrations and need to lash out. J, maybe you can better understand how you sound to those liberals and moderates out there. We have the same reaction to you.

In democracy of any sort, we need consensus for things to move forward. We cannot have consensus among our people if we keep shouting at each other, but not listening. BB has some valid points, GP has some valid points, and maybe conservatives such as JB do too, if they stopped screaming and calling names long enough for non-conservatives to hear them. Just because someone does not agree with you does not make them the enemy, nor does it mean they believe in the exact opposite. Most people land somewhere in the middle and in this kind of environment, there voices are being drowned out and their indecision is being ignored. As the majority, THEY are the opinion that holds the most weight in a democracy.

By: Laura Bramble

Laura Bramble — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:21:31 +0000

I read the article by GP and I don’t remember seeing the name of Obama mentioned once. I don’t remeber him glorifying the establishment. I didn’t read any rants against the “evil” pharmaceutical companies. If anything he mentioned both tort reform and individual responsibility as solutions in his article, both buzzwords of the conservatives use all the time. You are looking for demons and boogeymen even inplaces where it is not there.

Please read and respond to what is actually written, especially before you call it tripe. You have the opportunity to post your opinions in a separate post. It comes across as if you only wish to find an excuse to be nasty and insult someone, and distracts from the point you wish to make. You also make enemies of those who share some of the same views as you, if you would put the sword down long enough to listen. We wonder why consensus is dead within our government- it is dead in us. But what is happening here is just a sign of the times, I’m afraid…

By: J Byron Swain

J Byron Swain — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:36:43 +0000

I must stop reading all this liberal tripe! How am I not to respond once confronted.
First of all the author claims to be a ball-buster of the establishment, wake up, you are the establishment.

I find it amusing, your rants against the evil pharmicutical and insurance companies, while bravely defending the “establishment” and it’s amazing leader.

Just how many new drugs has the establishment created? How well are citizens without insurance treated by your establishment? I know people who have died waiting for govenment decisions for social security benefits.

Oh I get it, the evil companies are profit motivated. Just admit it, they make great money and most don’t, let’s get em. Well I got some unexpected news for you, you’re govenment wants more money too. Not for yachts, but just ask Pelosi, they get their yachts and private jets, but for control. It’s every bit the drug of wealth, but they don’t create anything, except huge controlling machines.

The giant sucking sound you hear is not Reaganomics, (which created the greatest, longest prosperity forALL), it’s you individual rights going out the window. First the smokers, then the obese, then the depressed, then the nations private companies, then a long list of others needing government control, finally you, the very ones who made the machine.

Steal a sleeping pill (you don’t want to enrich an evil drug company) and stop worrying, sadly you’re winning.

By: George Peterson

George Peterson — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:32:10 +0000

I have been following, with a great deal of interest, the debate on health care reform. Particularly the part about how the reform will be paid for.
The consumer pays for everything, in this country, either through taxes or through consumption. Businesses do not pay taxes, they act as tax collectors and pass the taxes they collect on to the consumer. The same holds true for license fees, and permit fees etc. Those in the health care profession do not pay malpractice insurance or malpractice settlements. The consumer pays. Wealthy people do not pay taxes at the rate that the tax code implies. They use financial instruments such as tax-free bonds and various kinds of trust to either avoid or postpone paying taxes. A real life example, GE is not paying for the dredging of the Hudson River. The consumer is. No mater how they package it, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck it is most likely a duck and the consumer pays.
By their own admission, Government does not have a very good track record when it comes to running anything. Just read your local newspaper. It is full of examples i.e. Amtrak, the Post Office. The list is almost endless.
By the governments own figures one sixth of the population is without any form of health insurance. To cover all of these people, at the same level of service enjoyed by those presently covered, the total medical cost to this nation will need to increase by 20 percent. The only other solution is to reduce the level of service. To pay part of the cost by increasing efficiency and reducing fraud is unrealistic giving the track record government has continued to demonstrate in the past.
I am no better then anyone else. I do not have all of the answers but I do have a couple suggestions. First we need tort reform. Second we need to hold people responsible for making unhealthy decisions. People who are obese, people who use drugs and people who smoke, to name a few, should be made to pay more for their health care.
By the way everyone in this country has health care insurance today. Anyone who is sick can go to an emergency room and by law the hospital must treat them and the consumer pays.