U.S. Politics - knowing me knowing you, a-haaa

[Lord Mord]

Shryke,

Titles aside, and focusing on equity, it doesn't make any sense that Clapper is still employed at all, let alone that he's heading up, or organizing any government panel.

[SkynJay]

Anyone able to clue me in on what these 'obamacare waivers' are that the guys at work are suddenly bringing up? Quick Google is only getting me sarcastic headlines from right wing sites.

[Fez]

Anyone able to clue me in on what these 'obamacare waivers' are that the guys at work are suddenly bringing up? Quick Google is only getting me sarcastic headlines from right wing sites.

Gonna need a bit more context to make a guess. Are they talking about states, people, etc.?

[Commodore]

Anyone able to clue me in on what these 'obamacare waivers' are that the guys at work are suddenly bringing up? Quick Google is only getting me sarcastic headlines from right wing sites.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/us/a-limit-on-consumer-costs-is-delayed-in-health-care-law.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto&_r=2&pagewanted=all&

So employers and insurance companies get waivers on mandates and premium caps. Meanwhile, the citizen is getting hit with a mandate to purchase insurance from corporations.

This demands a lawsuit to challenge whether the executive can disregard congressional statute in this manner. We are living in a nation of edicts and decrees and waivers. It's eroding the notion of democratic rule of law.

[SkynJay]

Gonna need a bit more context to make a guess. Are they talking about states, people, etc.?

Context from a fox news bot? I just got blindsided by this while on lunch.

Doesn't sound like a delay per C's link. Have no clue what they are gloating about on this one.

[Fez]

http://www.nytimes.c...pagewanted=all

So employers and insurance companies get waivers on mandates and premium caps. Meanwhile, the citizen is getting hit with a mandate to purchase insurance from corporations.

This demands a lawsuit to challenge whether the executive can disregard congressional statute in this manner. We are living in a nation of edicts and decrees and waivers. It's eroding the notion of democratic rule of law.

Its not good, but fortunately we have the power of the free market™ to save us. The insurers are competing on the exchanges, and people will be able to easily see what out-of-pocket costs the various plans offer and can select the one most to their own choosing.

As for whether DOL can delay stuff this, the ACA, like most major laws, gives wide discretion to the relevant agencies on how best to implement things. Even when Congress is somewhat functional it knows that its too slow to respond to changes on the ground in a timely manner, and has always authorized agencies to act on their own. If they go too far afield, Congress can pass something new to rebuke them.

ETA:

SkynJay, well the only actual waivers in the ACA are the Medicaid/Exchange ones that states use to make changes to specific ACA requirements to better implement the law in ways appropriate for their state. And that's too technical a topic to really get partisan dander going

So barring any other context, I don't know what sort of "waivers" right wingers might be talking about. Unless it is Commodre's thing, which isn't any sort of waiver; but is news.

[TrackerNeil]

So employers and insurance companies get waivers on mandates and premium caps. Meanwhile, the citizen is getting hit with a mandate to purchase insurance from corporations.

Since when have you worried about the influence of corporations?

[Commodore]

So barring any other context, I don't know what sort of "waivers" right wingers might be talking about. Unless it is Commodre's thing, which isn't any sort of waiver; but is news.

A delay is a temporary waiver (and who knows how temporary).

The idea is to keep premiums from rising before the 2014 election by allowing out of pocket costs to remain high.

One of the selling points for ObamaCare was its mandates on insurance companies to keep out-of-pocket costs down for consumers. In fact, next to the promise of universal insurance (which turns out to be illusory, too), the cap on out-of-pocket expenses was supposed to be the best part of ObamaCare for consumers. That, of course, just means that insurer risk pools have to cover more of the actual costs of medical care, which means that the costs will get passed along to consumers in the form of higher premiums. And right now, skyrocketing premiums are the Obama administration’s biggest political headache.

Guess which part of ObamaCare just got delayed now?

[Shryke]

Shryke,

Titles aside, and focusing on equity, it doesn't make any sense that Clapper is still employed at all, let alone that he's heading up, or organizing any government panel.

Well, he should certainly be on trial for perjury or however the whole "lying to Congress" thing works. If only to legally sort out the matter one way or the other.

But since no ones doing it, he's still the DNI and so this whole thing would seem to fall well within his wheelhouse.

[Fez]

A delay is a temporary waiver (and who knows how temporary).

The idea is to keep premiums from rising before the 2014 election by allowing out of pocket costs to remain high.

No a delay is a delay, implemented through the regulatory rulemaking process.

A waiver, in the context of the ACA, are the 1115 and 1915 demonstration waivers that states request. Its a term of art.

[The Iceman of the North]

Haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere here, but on Monday a judge rejected the clearly discriminatory NYPD stop & frisk policy.

A federal judge ruled on Monday that the stop-and-frisk tactics of the New York Police Department violated the constitutional rights of minorities in the city, repudiating a major element in the Bloomberg administration’s crime-fighting legacy.

Not surprisingly Bloomberg criticized the ruling making some bogus claim that stop & frisk works based on reduced crime numbers, claiming that the "NY murder rate is at its lowest since the 50'ies". Guess what? The murder rate in Norway in 2012 was also at it's lowest since the early 50'ies without stop & frisk, and I'd assume that if we look at other major US cities you'll find the exact same thing even without Bloomberg's policies.

[Stag Country]

Haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere here, but on Monday a judge rejected the clearly discriminatory NYPD stop & frisk policy.

Not surprisingly Bloomberg criticized the ruling making some bogus claim that stop & frisk works based on reduced crime numbers, claiming that the "NY murder rate is at its lowest since the 50'ies". Guess what? The murder rate in Norway in 2012 was also at it's lowest since the early 50'ies without stop & frisk, and I'd assume that if we look at other major US cities you'll find the exact same thing even without Bloomberg's policies.

The policy itself wasn't discriminatory, it's implementation was. For the life of me I can't see what is particularly novel about the stop & frisk policy. Many police agencies across the country are allowed to stop and frisk individuals provided there is probable cause (and most departments have very specific guidelines detailing what constitutes probably cause). I'm not sure what makes NYC's law such a hotbed issue, other than the obviously flawed means that they are utilizing the policy.

That aside, crime, particularly violent crime, is at record all time lows all across the country. That trend has been gaining momentum since the mid-2000s.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Corey Booker will probably end up the next Senator from NJ. I don't think this is a good thing. http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/08/13/yes_cory_booker_s_victory_will_be_lousy_for_progressives.html

[Stag Country]

Corey Booker will probably end up the next Senator from NJ. I don't think this is a good thing. http://www.slate.com...ogressives.html

Why? He seems moderate enough even if he is an empty suit.

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Why? He seems moderate enough even if he is an empty suit.

I agree with him on some issues and disagree on others, but overall he seems to be much more about publicity stunts, like shoveling driveways and living on food stamps for a week, than actually accomplishing anything substantive.

[Fez]

I agree with him on some issues and disagree on others, but overall he seems to be much more about publicity stunts, like shoveling driveways and living on food stamps for a week, than actually accomplishing anything substantive.

That's fine though. The senate has reached the point where there's four monolithic voting blocks (Democratic Leadership, Republican Leadership, Tea Party crazies, McCain's group), and nothing gets done unless Democrats get a deal with McConnell or McCain. What this means is that there's very little for an individual Democratic senator to do except vote the way leadership tells him/her and screw around on the committees. Grandstanding is the name of the game since there's not much else going on.

[Commodore]

Haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere here, but on Monday a judge rejected the clearly discriminatory NYPD stop & frisk policy.

Not surprisingly Bloomberg criticized the ruling making some bogus claim that stop & frisk works based on reduced crime numbers, claiming that the "NY murder rate is at its lowest since the 50'ies". Guess what? The murder rate in Norway in 2012 was also at it's lowest since the early 50'ies without stop & frisk, and I'd assume that if we look at other major US cities you'll find the exact same thing even without Bloomberg's policies.

I agree the policy is constitutionally dubious, but New Yorkers have been spoiled with two decades of Rudy/Bloomy rule. Many of them have no memory of the time before when murder and muggings plagued the city (the final year of Dinkins rule saw 2400+ murders).

NYC can become Chicago in short order.

[DanteGabriel]

NYC can become Chicago in short order.

The challenge to Stop and Frisk will lead to an outbreak of shitty pizza?

[Stag Country]

I agree with him on some issues and disagree on others, but overall he seems to be much more about publicity stunts, like shoveling driveways and living on food stamps for a week, than actually accomplishing anything substantive.

Can't argue with that, that's about all I know of him as well.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

The challenge to Stop and Frisk will lead to an outbreak of shitty pizza?

Oh snap!