American Politics 16

[TerraPrime]

To continue...

Re: Shryke, Horza, et al

I don't get the defense of ACORN.

Yes, it was under constant attack by the right.

Yes, it was made out to be a boogie man by the anti-Obama crowd.

Yes, it has done good work in the past.

How does any of that excuse the behavior that was caught on tape?

There are other corrupted outfits that defraud the government? No shit, Sherlock, it's called Halliburton. I wish some creative leftist would come up with a scheme to catch those bastards doing wrong*, in as sensational a way as the right wing people have with ACORN.

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would expect an organization that was caught on tape for defrauding the government to go on receiving federal money. It sucks that one of our guys is taken down, but the right did no more than gave ACORN the rope to hang itself. If you run an organization that helps people access federal money, it is your duty to ensure that you abide by the laws. Dereliction in that duty should be punished, not neglected.

*In this, the ACORN case is a microcosm of the larger world, where petty white collar crimes are severely under-investigated and under-prosecuted compared to other crimes, like carrying marijuana with intent to sell. You're much more likely to get caught stealing cars than you'd be for stealing from people's investment account. Similarly, if you defraud the government in small ways, like ACORN's ill-trained employees suggest, you are more like to get caught than if you do it large scale like Halliburton or Blackwater.

[TrackerNeil]

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would expect an organization that was caught on tape for defrauding the government to go on receiving federal money. It sucks that one of our guys is taken down, but the right did no more than gave ACORN the rope to hang itself. If you run an organization that helps people access federal money, it is your duty to ensure that you abide by the laws. Dereliction in that duty should be punished, not neglected.

Agreed. I guess I'm just angry that so often in this nation we focus so intently on the minnow that the Great White Shark swims along unmolested.

[Week]

Iraq for Sale wasn't enough to cut funding to Halliburton and Blackwater apparently..not sure what would be then.

[TerraPrime]

Agreed. I guess I'm just angry that so often in this nation we focus so intently on the minnow that the Great White Shark swims along unmolested.

Iraq for Sale wasn't enough to cut funding to Halliburton and Blackwater apparently..not sure what would be then.

Yes, on both counts. I'm greatly disturbed that we hear so little of the consequences for the intentional/accidental bung-ups by these contractors. Millions of dollars vanished into black holes, never to be seen, and no Senate bill to stop them from obtaining more contracts. There is no parity here.

Still, wrong is wrong. A bitter pill to swallow (for me at least).

[Horza]

Yes, on both counts. I'm greatly disturbed that we hear so little of the consequences for the intentional/accidental bung-ups by these contractors. Millions of dollars vanished into black holes, never to be seen, and no Senate bill to stop them from obtaining more contracts. There is no parity here.

Still, wrong is wrong. A bitter pill to swallow (for me at least).

Seriously, should we stop funding the Post Office because its employees occaisionally do things like this?

I'm just baffled that you're in favour of punishing an entire organisation because two temps appear to have behaved illegally. Storms, teacups, mountains, molehills and burning houses with one flea are zooming around my head right now.

[Annelise]

At any rate, while I agree with the main point of the article, which is that this yet another example on why we need regulation on insurance, I am a bit flabbergasted by this statement:

"...companies whose sole purpose should be to provide Americans with access to care when they need it most."

Oh, what a truism that is. Mom just called and told me the 3 day review of the doctor's appeal after insurance rejected that test just became 7-10 days. Apparently her oncologist blew a gasket upon hearing this and is trying to get them on the phone.

So yeah, insurance companies care enough not only to tell you to fuck yourself, but to take their sweet time doing it when you have a potentially fatal disease. The test in question costs $5000 by the way. Now that's affordable healthcare, right there. Jesus, no wonder people with insurance still go bankrupt.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

Agreed. I guess I'm just angry that so often in this nation we focus so intently on the minnow that the Great White Shark swims along unmolested

This is the entire story of the American justice system.

[TrackerNeil]

Oh, what a truism that is. Mom just called and told me the 3 day review of the doctor's appeal after insurance rejected that test just became 7-10 days. Apparently her oncologist blew a gasket upon hearing this and is trying to get them on the phone.

So yeah, insurance companies care enough not only to tell you to fuck yourself, but to take their sweet time doing it when you have a potentially fatal disease. The test in question costs $5000 by the way. Now that's affordable healthcare, right there. Jesus, no wonder people with insurance still go bankrupt.

Annelise, it sounds like a nightmare for you and your mom.

You know, we wouldn't be having this reform hoo-ha if the insurance companies hadn't made it their business to screw over their policyholders for a buck. So the fuckers who run CIGNA and AETNA and wherever else have only themselves to blame for this situation.

[DanteGabriel]

This is why I feel our insurance companies provide the best services to the people who need it least. Chest a little checkup? No problem. Oh cancer? Let me look into your records and get back to you.

A story from my friend, an ER doc:

One of my co-worker's fiance had a bad bicycle accident. He has Blue Shield insurance. He had a bad head injury and ended up in the ICU at SFGH for 4 days. Blue Shield is only authorizing 1 ICU day because apparently his ICU stay wasn't preauthorized 5 days beforehand. My co-worker, who is an ED doc has just reached the expletive steaming mad phase.

Seriously - Gosh, I think I'll have a bad car accident 5 days from now, let me preauthorize the exact length of my hospital stay with my health insurance first so they don't deny the claim?

[Xray the Enforcer]

Do NOT get me started on the pre-authorization bullshit thing. Fuckity fuck -- back in July when the doctors thought I had a close-to-rupturing aneurysm (a ruptured cerebral aneurysm can be fatal), I had to fight the fucking insurance company tooth and nail to get "pre-authorization" of an emergency MRI. Because nothing says "wait a few days" like "emergency." It was a nightmare. I was sent home with the instructions "if you get a bad headache, go to the nearest ER as fast as you can." :thumbsdown: It took 2 days to get that MRI OK'd.

ETA: sorry for that OT rant. Clearly, I just needed to get that out of my system. You can admire the results of my "emergency MRI" in my avatar. ;)

[Shryke]

Do NOT get me started on the pre-authorization bullshit thing. Fuckity fuck -- back in July when the doctors thought I had a close-to-rupturing aneurysm (a ruptured cerebral aneurysm can be fatal), I had to fight the fucking insurance company tooth and nail to get "pre-authorization" of an emergency MRI. Because nothing says "wait a few days" like "emergency." It was a nightmare. I was sent home with the instructions "if you get a bad headache, go to the nearest ER as fast as you can." :thumbsdown: It took 2 days to get that MRI OK'd.

ETA: sorry for that OT rant. Clearly, I just needed to get that out of my system. You can admire the results of my "emergency MRI" in my avatar. ;)

:sick:

Jesus. You'd be lucky to make it to the phone with a cerebral aneurysm. I lost a friend to one of those and it was pretty much instant.

[TrackerNeil]

Do NOT get me started on the pre-authorization bullshit thing. Fuckity fuck -- back in July when the doctors thought I had a close-to-rupturing aneurysm (a ruptured cerebral aneurysm can be fatal), I had to fight the fucking insurance company tooth and nail to get "pre-authorization" of an emergency MRI. Because nothing says "wait a few days" like "emergency." It was a nightmare. I was sent home with the instructions "if you get a bad headache, go to the nearest ER as fast as you can." :thumbsdown: It took 2 days to get that MRI OK'd.

Holy cow...that's scary. Your health insurance company put you directly in harm's way so they could maybe save a buck.

Who says the private industry doesn't ration care? Who says that bureaucrats don't stand between your and your doctor?

[The Progressive]

One of the loudest rightwing talking points, if not the central thrust of their ignorant opposition to healthcare reform, has been utterly crushed by a survey of 2,130 U.S. doctors, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine:

When given a three-way choice among private plans that use tax credits or subsidies to help the poor buy private insurance; a new public health insurance plan such as Medicare; or a mix of the two; 63 percent of doctors supported a mix, 27 percent said they only wanted private options, and just 10 percent said they exclusively wanted public options.

The survey of 2,130 U.S. doctors, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, also found that more 55 percent, regardless of their medical specialty, would favor expanding Medicare so it covered people aged 55 and older.

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Healthc...E58D67120090914

Of course, it is entirely possible that the majority of American doctors are secretly pro-deathpanel socialists.

[Xray the Enforcer]

:sick:

Jesus. You'd be lucky to make it to the phone with a cerebral aneurysm. I lost a friend to one of those and it was pretty much instant.

Exactly. You can understand just how freaked out Mr. X and I were those two days. Worse, a friend had one of his friends drop dead of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm a week before I had my own cranial disaster, so it was very fresh in my mind.

ETA: I'm really sorry to hear about your friend, Shryke. That sucks. :(

[Shryke]

Seriously, should we stop funding the Post Office because its employees occaisionally do things like this?

I'm just baffled that you're in favour of punishing an entire organisation because two temps appear to have behaved illegally. Storms, teacups, mountains, molehills and burning houses with one flea are zooming around my head right now.

It's also disingenuous to pretend this is because of THIS incident and not the culmination of a 1.5+ year smear campaign against the organization for daring to get poor people to vote.

[Sariel]

It's also disingenuous to pretend this is because of THIS incident and not the culmination of a 1.5+ year smear campaign against the organization for daring to get poor people to vote.

Or that Glen Beck was instrumental

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

Perhaps this needs its own thread but can someone explain to me why Americans are outlawed from owning gold boullion? Is this the same in other countries?

[Annelise]

Gawd, those stories are awful.

I was thinking there has to be a way to put them to some sort of use. It's small, but for anyone so inclined, you can share their story in the optional comments section and voice their support for healthcare reform here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hcs...CFRkNDQodchIjiw

Be advised that after you sign the letter, it will take you to the donation screen (naturally). I believe it still submits the letter regardless, however. If you don't support Obama's plan, you can still write your Rep + Senators with your story and whatever you'd like to see done. Just looking for a way to channel frustration into activism. Makes me feel better. :)

[Frog Eater]

Perhaps this needs its own thread but can someone explain to me why Americans are outlawed from owning gold boullion? Is this the same in other countries?

Americans are not outlawed from owning gold bullion.

In the early 30's, America went off the gold standard, and a gold "call-in" was ordered, meaning gold certificates, silver certificates and gold coin was exchanged through the banking system for fiat money, or money not backed by gold or silver.

In the early 70's, Americans could buy gold coins again, as well as Gold Bullion.

I do not know about the rest of the world, but this I did know.

[Annelise]

It's amazing to me how little traction the public option seemed to get in Congress. I know it's not technically dead yet, but all signs seem to point that way.

I've heard chatter about a trigger being included for a public option (I believe Sen. Snowe said that's something she would consider as a compromise) but I don't know how .. useful that is. I guess it depends what the trigger/s are, specifically, and what it would enact.