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Ezra Klein has an interesting interview up with Joe Trippi, longtime Democratic operative that served as chief strategist for Doug Jones' campaign:

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The day before the Washington Post story came out, we were behind by 1 point, 46 to 45. And the day before the election, we were ahead in our own survey by 2 points. We ended up winning by 1.8. So as far as we're concerned, all those other polls that were all over the place, showing 11-point and 8-point margins, we feel we were always on top of the pulse of what was happening, and it was a dead heat the day before the allegations came out. [...]

The thing I still wonder about was when Trump went in on Friday, in Pensacola. Man, thank you for not going in Sunday. Because Friday night, Moore went ahead 4 points again; Saturday, it was 3 points; Sunday, it was 2 points. We're sitting there Monday night, going, "Can it keep drifting?" But Monday night, we were up by 2.

But the key to thinking about it, from our point of view, was, "Wait a minute. Four points? That's it? In Alabama?” Trump won by 28 points here 13 months ago! And all he’d do is move Roy Moore from 44 to 48, and we're still at 45, or maybe we drift down to 44. So that's it?

 

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56 minutes ago, OldGimletEye said:

I’ve always said waitresses and waiters have been livin’ high on the hog for too long.

It’s about time somebody, said “enough”, and cracked down on plutocrat waiters and waitresses and gave their money to needy restaurant owners.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/12/21/the-trump-administration-wants-to-let-employers-control-workers-tips-an-interview-with-heidi-shierholz/

 

 

 

I think it’s fair to debate whether or not the practice of tipping is a good thing, but this is just atrocious. These entities use tipping as a means to drive down their worker’s wages, and now they want to steal them? That’s some hardcore BS.

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2 hours ago, Durckad said:

Please don't quote me on this but one of the reasons hospitals overcharge so much on services and materials is because insurance companies fight them on every single charge. So, in order to maximize their ability to make money on their services, they charge astronomical prices on everything and itemize all the bills thus making the insurance companies question and fight every single line on the bill. It's basically a giant game between the insurers, providers, and manufacturers and no matter who wins, the customer gets fucked.

So yeah, while staff salaries may be AN issue WRT medical costs, I don't think it is THE issue.

My understanding is that the hospital charges a fortune for absolutely everything. Each insurance company then agrees to pay some of those things, and not others, whilst all paying for different things.

My understanding has it that the insurance company will generally la up for about 10% of the billed amount, with the rest just being written off.

Uninsured people just get the whole bill sent, usually at a flat discount for being uninsured.

 

The system is entirely insane

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3 hours ago, Durckad said:

Please don't quote me on this but one of the reasons hospitals overcharge so much on services and materials is because insurance companies fight them on every single charge. So, in order to maximize their ability to make money on their services, they charge astronomical prices on everything and itemize all the bills thus making the insurance companies question and fight every single line on the bill. It's basically a giant game between the insurers, providers, and manufacturers and no matter who wins, the customer gets fucked.

So yeah, while staff salaries may be AN issue WRT medical costs, I don't think it is THE issue.

One of the reasons though insurance companies fight so hard is to keep costs lower for their consumers. Which is partly why we should all be in one pool, or at least a few pools, than our current situation.

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The inside story of Doug Jones’s win in Alabama
A top Doug Jones staffer explains the Alabama win.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/26/16810116/doug-jones-alabama-polls-roy-moore


GOP Representative Supports ‘Purge’ of FBI, Justice Department

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/gop-representative-supports-purge-of-fbi.html


Do It Yourself
Trump’s quiet attack on the regulatory state is another part of his broader class war.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/12/trump_s_quiet_attack_on_the_regulatory_state_is_another_part_of_his_broader.html

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3 hours ago, OldGimletEye said:

I’ve always said waitresses and waiters have been livin’ high on the hog for too long.

It’s about time somebody, said “enough”, and cracked down on plutocrat waiters and waitresses and gave their money to needy restaurant owners.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/12/21/the-trump-administration-wants-to-let-employers-control-workers-tips-an-interview-with-heidi-shierholz/

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

I think it’s fair to debate whether or not the practice of tipping is a good thing, but this is just atrocious. These entities use tipping as a means to drive down their worker’s wages, and now they want to steal them? That’s some hardcore BS.

This is sickening.  Tips should be for the person who did the work, period.  This just sux.

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2 hours ago, Triskele said:

I think that there's some truth to this.  One of the rules of thumb in billing is that private insurance companies pay hospitals/offices more but fight harder over the claim in the first place.  Medicare usually doesn't pay as much but fights the claim far less.

To complicate matters even more though there's the whole issue of hospital mergers where certain big hospital systems/chains are able to push back enormously against the insurers since they are going to see such a big portion of the available payments.  It's like almost every point in the healthcare system has a higher price incentive.  

Then there's the single payer system which seems to be a popular notion some with segments of voters.

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58 minutes ago, Triskele said:

Indeed, but one interesting thing to note is that single-payer only means that the government takes over as the funding source of all health care eliminating private insurance.  It doesn't in and of itself necessarily mean that hospitals can still charge crazy amounts though presumably a move to single-payer would include imposing price controls.  But it's possible that a nation like the US could implement single-payer with much higher reimbursements than say the UK.  

That would create a rather large government bureaucracy. 

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the tipping thing hits close to home for me. as a 20+ year veteran of the restaurant industry this is something very serious.  

on one side you can say employers will pocket tips. yes,  that will happen in some places. those places won't have employees for long.  even exploited migrants in the restaurant industry will bail on these places for other jobs.  the industry is that transient,  mercenary and ruthless.  regardless of your legal status restaurant jobs are easy to get. that is proven by the demographics of restaurant workers. 

the other side of it suggests tips being shared among other workers. I have never known a server to write the menu,  cook the food,  do the dishes and serve the food. but they collect the tip. my own cooks and stewards are paid a lot. they make $23 and $21 per hour. and even at such rates they are out earned a full 100% by servers.  bringing a closer bit of equality to the scenario would be great. 

on a personal level I think tipping is stupid. wages being buoyed by a guest who already paid for the goods and services seems bizarre.  but it is the system place we work with.  I can't see a reason one group makes out like bandits on the hard work of their peers.

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1 minute ago, MercurialCannibal said:

the tipping thing hits close to home for me. as a 20+ year veteran of the restaurant industry this is something very serious.  

on one side you can say employers will pocket tips. yes,  that will happen in some places. those places won't have employees for long.  even exploited migrants in the restaurant industry will bail on these places for other jobs.  the industry is that transient,  mercenary and ruthless.  regardless of your legal status restaurant jobs are easy to get. that is proven by the demographics of restaurant workers. 

the other side of it suggests tips being shared among other workers. I have never known a server to write the menu,  cook the food,  do the dishes and serve the food. but they collect the tip. my own cooks and stewards are paid a lot. they make $23 and $21 per hour. and even at such rates they are out earned a full 100% by servers.  bringing a closer bit of equality to the scenario would be great. 

on a personal level I think tipping is stupid. wages being buoyed by a guest who already paid for the goods and services seems bizarre.  but it is the system place we work with.  I can't see a reason one group makes out like bandits on the hard work of their peera.

If they've given good service  to customers, why should they not be rewarded with tips? 

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41 minutes ago, GAROVORKIN said:

If they've given good service  to customers, why should they not be rewarded with tips? 

Do you tip cooks very often though? I think he's pointing to the disparity in tips between waitstaff and kitchen workers.

I make sure to tip well when im out, but I dont really care for the practice on the principle that it gives employers a pass for what should be their responsibility (compensation).

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A opinion piece from an ordinary sort on the right that speaks directly to the debates we have here about compromise and tolerance on a personal level.   Sadly, the majority of comments only reinforce the authors point...something I suspect will be true here as well. 

 

https://www.opslens.com/2017/10/14/blind-loyalty-why-civil-discourse-is-dead/?utm_source=Keywee&utm_medium=facebook&kwp_0=640746&kwp_4=2281527&kwp_1=957242

 

What hope has peace when even civil discourse, let alone genuine compromise, is all but impossible?

 

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I went to grab a quick bite of sushi for lunch today.  I lost count of the number of times I was asked how I was doing and how the food was.  By the server and what appeared to be two different managers.  I just wanted to tell them to fuck off and let me eat.  Sometimes I really dread going out to eat because I know most of the time will be spent having my conversation or eating interrupted by someone asking if everything is ok or if I need anything else.  There are usually only two things I want from a server - don't let my water glass get empty and leave me the fuck alone while I'm eating and talking or reading a book.  

Anyway this wasn't the point I meant to discuss.  When I read the article about tips, my reflexive thought was how terrible it would be to take tips from hard workers.  Then my food was served and I thought how my sushi meal was only enjoyable because someone was back there mixing the right ingredients, rolling the right way, making perfect cuts to fish, and so on.  And that person probably didn't even make a living wage, while my server would probably make at least $40 that hour I was there based on the number of tables she had at the time.  It sort of seemed a little less fair.  When I was a teen and in college, I loved waitressing jobs because it was easy quick money.  I could get hired, train for a night, and then a day later earn several hundred dollars for a couple hours work.  I never got rich off it, but I was definitely making more money than the hourly staff behind the scenes and I'd have cash in hand quicker than they would.  Still, maybe this policy might serve to slowly do away with tipping culture all together.  I'd be a fan of that.  

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37 minutes ago, Sword of Doom said:

Good praxis. 
 

Just trying to imagine how a statue hands could be 'surgically' removed.  Was the statue under anesthesia for this procedure?  Did a licensed medical professional perform the surgery?  

Seriously, the attempts at humanizing a statue creating to memorialize slavers is a reason why these statues need to be vandalized.  "Surgically" chop off all the confederate hands!

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50 minutes ago, TrueMetis said:

All the people complaining about damaging "history" with the destruction of this statue. Wonder if they would have complained about the destruction of the Stalin monument during the 1953 revolution in Hungary.

Or the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Iraq.

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It’s still vandalism though, and of a century-old piece of art at that. I would prefer that these statues and flags were removed by proper democratic decisions instead and kept in a museum, sort of the way Auschwitz is preserved to the world. 

I really don’t like the Lost Cause narrative and the idea that the civil war wasn’t about slavery - it was - but I’m not sure vandalism is the best way to sway opinion on this topic. 

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