Hehe, I wouldn't want that either! Fact is that many college professors go through copious amounts of schooling/debt for little monetary payout. I am on this path right now, but it is the draw of teaching, constant learning, research, and overall intelligence advancement that many (including me) want.

Yes, but read the whole story. The Dems' health plan has the support of about 47% IIRC. However, only about 34% think the Repos can come up with a better plan. I don't fully support the Dems' health plan either. I like the idea of the public health insurance option and that's about it. I'm opposed to any subsidy for lower-income people to purchase private insurance, unless it's just a temporary measure before the public health plan is operational.

*****ing and moaning....

USPS and tollbooths are quite a bit different....

Very observant of you. At least I prefaced my remarks with the type of post that was put up. You must have missed it.

You have obviously avoided all pointed questions regarding your position on USPS..........in favor of meaningless ad hominem posts.

Others will notice your capabilites.

I think it needs to be pointed out that the "health care crisis" is one of payment; not services. In my experience, doctors and hospitals take care of ALL patients w/o regard to the ability to pay. I have also heard anecdotal reports from doctors that bears this out. I think there have also been reports from some who claim that services were withheld because of inability to pay.
I wonder where the truth lies. Where do you get unbiased facts on this?
Are we risking major tampering with a system that already delivers excellent care, but is expensive because of the deadbeats?

Emergency care is performed regardless of ability to pay. Often, any medically necessary exam or procedure is performed regardless of money as well - those things are taken care of after the fact. However in non-urgent situations (meaning non-necessary) such as weight loss surgery or something like that, they will wait for it to clear first. If you don't have insurance and you get caught in an emergency situation, usually the hospital will cut your bills and allow you to be on a payment plan.

A guy I met once ended up shooting himself in the head somehow (by accident) and his bills came out to over 400k with no insurance. The hospital cut it to 140k and he is basically on an extremely low interest mortgage. Sure, not the best situation to be in but he was glad to be alive. I was also drunk so maybe these numbers aren't right...they are close though.

The postal rate for one ounce in 1975 was 10 cents, raised to 13 cents in Dec. of that year.

Those figures adjusted for inflation to 2008 would be 40 cents and 51 cents respectively.

http://www.akdart.com/postrate.html

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

I'm sure that UPS and FedEx do some things better. But like I said, they take the carriage trade leaving the dregs to the USPS. And the USPS was the pioneer. Still do pretty good IMHO. Knock on wood, never had a lost piece of mail that I know of.

I afraid you're probably right on all of this (certainly on your own experiences). I keep reading that high speed rail will be nicer and faster than flying for semi short hops - 500 miles or less. The Mag-Lev sounds cool but you sorta have to wonder about the inevitable derailing, and at 2 to 3 hundred mph. :eek: And the cost will be huge not too mention the eminent domain seizing of property which one imagines would be necessary for at least some of it.

I have yet to visit any doctor or hospital in this country where the staff didn't want to know how I'm going to pay for the services I'm seeking. I'd imagine without my insurance card or at least a credit check and promise to pay I wouldn't get very far. Yes, ER care is administered even without the patient's ability to pay, but as far as I know, if the patient can't afford it only the minimum ER care is given, just enough to stabilize the patient, and then the hospital will try to get him or her outta there ASAP. And the patient will likely be saddled with bills for a very long time to come.

I've heard stories of patients dying while waiting for their insurance company to approve a liver transplant or people without adequate coverage dying from cancer. The types of medical services given without consideration for the patient's ability to pay are usually those to address acute situations like cardiac arrest or bleeding from a gunshot wound, but not situations where the patient is slowly approaching death, such as in the case of cancer or while needing an organ transplant.

Some things are just too expensive to be given out to everyone. I'm thinking organ transplants are usually going to be in that category. Especially when organs are hard to come by.

I don't see anyone arguing against penalizing fraud. What is counterproductive is expecting absolute fairness in all aspects because that just isn't possible. You can't please everyone. If you have a list of 200 things you want to see changed, it is not realistic to expect all 200 things to go your way. It's even a little bit crazy to hate what you have but not change it because the change isn't perfect.



I would like to see everyone receive the same high quality care. But, if the armed forces' health care, my health care, your health care, most Americans' health care all improve by a factor of ten, then I'll grudgingly accept Congress exempting itself for something better. I won't like it, and I'll vote 'em out if I can, but I'm not going to throw away good gains for most because I don't like what a few got.






You call it uppity. They happened to feel they weren't being properly treated for the hours they put in and the demands of the job. I'd walk in their shoes before I judged the work and complaints thereof, but it's not really the point. The government definitely gave that section of the population the shaft. A big fat one.

I know what an EO is. It doesn't circumvent Congress as it is an executive power. The will of the people was that he be President, with the powers of the Presidency. I'd like to see proof he's exercised this power more than Bush. IMO, he is at least one EO short - getting rid of the stupid don't ask don't tell.


I am quite surprised you don't think health care is in crisis in this country. Just because it's not imminent catastrophic failure doesn't mean it's fine. People have been hollering about Social Security for years. And you know what? They're right. There is a serious problem with SS. And yet SS is not in danger of imminent catastrophic failure.
Health care is a clusterf**k.

Let me get this straight. You are saying that because it hasn't been fixed, there's nothing wrong? Nobody's fixed SS yet. I guess it must be fine then. That doesn't make a lot of sense. The bill has in it provisions for fixing things that need to be fixed, so problems not addressed before are being addressed now.
There is no such thing as irreversible law.

The government wouldn't run healthcare, it would provide a public funding option. Public insurance. And the government already 'runs' health care, just not on the same scale. Medicare, Medicaid, and government employee health care are already government 'run'.

As for the last time I filled out a one page 1040, it's been about 5 years. Since then the only jobs I have been able to get are 1099 jobs so that my employer does not have to provide worker's comp or be insured for it. Nor have my employers (since technically I employ myself) covered any health insurance. I've worked for small businesses, the supposed backbone of the economy, and they can't afford either worker's comp or health care.

The doctor I heard on the radio today was talking about pacemakers for 90 year old. He said," the first time some government official tells me I cannot install a pacemaker in an otherwise viable 90 yo, is the day I quit practicing medicine."
He wasn't talking emergency care; he was talking quality of life. And he was insistent that he, and his partners, and hospital administer care w/o regard to payment--that comes later.

I think we need to be REAL careful on this point. Building a straw man of denied care is not conducive to good discussion.

Sure if the pay is too low we would see a doctor shortage. If the
nationalized Navy had wages too low they would also face a shortage
and/or have to lower their admission standards.