Lisa Benson for May 10, 2010

  1. System
    TheFinalSolution  almost 14 years ago

    ^^^Or maybe Barney Frank,but then Fannie would have to be another guy.

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    MaryWorth Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    senorbullwinkle, this cartoon is correct… but you’d find Bush behind the check out desk with his sleeves rolled up!

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    Libertarian1  almost 14 years ago

    With Kagan as the nominee and certainly to be ratified will she recuse herself on any issue concerning Goldman-Sachs? She has a connection with them and was paid by them.

    Wall Street has deep connections with both parties.

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    TheFinalSolution  almost 14 years ago

    “On Wall and Main streets they call William Jefferson Clinton the “comeback kid,” but it’s not because of some election-day surprise.

    It’s because most everything he did regarding financial services regulation has come back to haunt us.

    If it wasn’t apparent before, the former president’s handiwork became clear last week when President Obama announced sweeping financial services reform. The plan’s efforts to bring fair dealing to the mortgage markets, rules to the derivative marketplace and restraint to big financial firms underscored the missteps of the second Clinton term. ”

    http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bill-clintons-legacy-is-our-financial-disaster

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    Jaedabee Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    “That’s like forcing 30 M new customers to purchase health insurance from those “evil” insurance companies.”

    Oh, that mandate? That’s courtesy of your “Smaller Government” Republicans. It’s in Republican Mitt Romney’s health care, it was in the Republican healthcare alternative to Hillary’s plan, and they managed to get it in this plan – and then still didn’t vote for it.

    The more you know.

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    Libertarian1  almost 14 years ago

    They proposed a bad idea, realized it was a bad idea and then didn’t vote for it. An intelligent person changes their mind when new evidence shows it to be in error. Don’t you ever change your mind?

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    charliekane  almost 14 years ago

    How ‘bout they changed their minds ‘cause they hoped they could hand Obama a legislative defeat?

    And that Bill Clinton article. Looks like Bill was on the premises, but the article seems to say that lotsa other folks was doin’ the dirty work!

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    Jaedabee Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    “They proposed a bad idea, realized it was a bad idea and then didn’t vote for it. An intelligent person changes their mind when new evidence shows it to be in error. Don’t you ever change your mind?”

    They changed their minds? They’ve put the idea forth THREE times now and they’re just now changing their mind? They didn’t change their mind on it with “HillaryCare,” they still use it with “RomneyCare,” and so they propose it a third time with ObamaRomneyCare and now they’re “”changing their mind?”” I still have to have Insurance to drive in VA. How about they “change their mind” on that? But wait, one might say, what if you get into an accident or hit someone else? Well then you have the insurance company’s money pool to pay off the cost so you yourself aren’t bankrupted by a sudden high unexpected cost, right? That could never apply to health at all……
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    Libertarian1  almost 14 years ago

    Jade If you want to think seriously about health care go back to your auto insurance. You still pay for gas, oil, and all repairs under $200 or $500. If you did that with health, your insurance would easily cover catastrophes. But we insist on first dollar coverage.

    There are so many nuances with health that over a short chat line it can’t be resolved.

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    DesultoryPhillipic  almost 14 years ago

    Not to sound like an old Starkist tuna ad but, Sorry Charlie :=D,What that article says is that Bill made three crucial mistakes that opened the door for all the crooks. The chief of which was the repeal of Glass-Steagall. Admittedly the Rep had the pressure on but Greenspan was the one that was wrong on derivatives, but then when has any chairman of the fed had America’s best interests at heart. Bush is not without blame but “ultimately, however, the big bang – the wall torn down between brokers and banks – happened on Clinton’s watch.”

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    GJ_Jehosaphat  almost 14 years ago

    Glad to see the Market “Bounce” back from last weeks fiasco. I am having a hard time believing it was due to a “typo” or “fat finger” OOPs. Too Con-Venient of an excuse.

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    Jaedabee Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    ” You still pay for gas, oil, and all repairs under $200 or $500. If you did that with health, your insurance would easily cover catastrophes. But we insist on first dollar coverage.”

    I pay for food, clothing / skin lotion, minor cuts and scrapes are covered by bandaids which I pay for, and minor illness is covered by OTC medicines which I purchase … . Nyquil’s really good for that, but half the time I don’t know if it’s a placebo. But I also rarely get sick cause I watch what I eat, wash my hands, and exercise.
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    GJ_Jehosaphat  almost 14 years ago

    Re: Auto Insurance vs Health Insurance.

    Good analogy but if I can’t afford buying a car, insurance & maintenance repairs…there’s always Public Transportation (bus, rail, subway, etc).

    What we needed included in Health Care Reform was the Public Option! Subsidizing Insurance Companies will only delay the deterioration of American Health System that Federal $$ can even begin to repair and build new Hospitals, Clinics. Also provide $$$ for students wanting to become doctors, nurses, techs, etc.

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    Libertarian1  almost 14 years ago

    Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser, many Blue Cross non profit- no subsidy losing a fortune. Mayo clinic just dropped out of Medicare in Arizona. The US doesn’t print enough money to cover all our medical costs. 20% of all medical fees are for defensive medicine. Obama was very careful not to include tort reform because he got millions from lawyer groups.

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    Jaedabee Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    Interesting how the CBO put a bill focused solely on tort reform at only saving 65 billion…

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  16. Snowleopard
    GJ_Jehosaphat  almost 14 years ago

    I saw that article about Mayo Clinic dropping out of Medicare. It’s going to be worse with the Northern Baby Boomers retiring & moving to warmer climates.

    From the US Census Bureau:

    Population Profile of the United States

    The proportion of youth should decline as the elderly population increases in all States.

    “In 2020, the West should have the greatest proportion of population under 20 years old (28 percent), compared with the Northeast with the smallest (25 percent). Among the 50 States and the District of Columbia, Utah would have the highest percentage of persons under 20 years old in 2020 (35 percent) and the District of Columbia the lowest (21 percent).

    Most of the projected growth of the elderly population (65 years old and over) is concentrated in the West and South. Eight States - Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Georgia, Utah, Alaska, and California - would see a doubling in their number of elderly. Nonetheless, Florida, which should alone add over 2 million elderly (a near-doubling), would continue to have the highest proportion (19 percent in 1993, 26 percent in 2020). During the period from 2010 to 2020, the aging of the Baby Boom population (persons born between 1946 and 1964) should contribute to rapid increases of the elderly in all States.”

    http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/stproj.html

    Expand Medicare coverage - might as well cause it’s going to happen anyway. Make a larger insurance pool and control costs so Doctors can see Medicare Patients without losing $$$.

    Ignoring Medicare hoping it will fix itself isn’t going to happen. Kinda like ignoring that “pain” and ending up in hospital with something that could have been treated at a doctors office.

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    lonecat  almost 14 years ago

    We need to allow a whole lot of younger immigrants in to keep the numbers balanced – say in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, California….

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    Libertarian1  almost 14 years ago

    Jade They only estimated the costs associated with malpractice insurance and actual payments made in successful malpractice suits. They ignored all the unnecessary procedures ordered to avoid law suits. Lawyers say that they are not unnecessary just good medicine. Strangely we are the only country in the world that practices that good medicine. Everyone else avoids those unnecessary tests. 20% of all medical expenses. Impossible for any outsider to judge what is absolutely needed. How can you measure when i order a procedure that need not be done just so no one will sue me?

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    Jaedabee Premium Member almost 14 years ago

    ^ We also are the only major country left that doesn’t have socialized health care.

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    Libertarian1  almost 14 years ago

    jade Can’t have it both ways. All the countries that have the government pay for health care, a public option, don’t allow unlimited law suits. You can’t pay a physician $120,000/year and have him pay malpractice insurance of $100,000.

    Also all the other countries have loser pays, we don’t. So why not sue, it doesn’t cost a penny if you lose and its like a lottery if you win. Everyone loses except the lawyers.

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    WarBush  almost 14 years ago

    So you are in favor of bad doctors staying in the practice Lib1?

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    Joe Snedaker  almost 14 years ago

    senorbullwinkle

    Wow, just wow. You amaze me!!! I read your post and either they say nothing or I read I hate you, I hate this country or I HATE BUSH!!! About the other day, I stopped comparing Obama to Hitler some time ago! Hitler had about 90% of the country brainwashed, Obama is struggling to keep 40%. Hitler started a war to take over the world. Obama is printing money like a madman to bankrupt our country so it can be taken over by someone else. Also Obama is afraid to start a war, even if it might be necessary. No comparison anymore.

    GJ_Jehosaphat

    Not all of us have public transportation. I have already stated my opinion a while back about auto vs health insurance. Don’t plan on doing it again.

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    Libertarian1  almost 14 years ago

    @So you are in favor of bad doctors staying in the practice Lib1?

    I have a feeling you may be defining “bad doctors” in a peculiar fashion. At some time or other over 50% of physicians get sued. In 70% of cases the physician wins. Are they bad doctors? In addition in many cases the cost of a settlement for nuisance value is less than defense attorney cost. Are they bad physicians?

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    BrianCrook  almost 14 years ago

    Lisa Benson is still trying to blame FannieMae, FreddieMac, & the Democrats for the Great Republican Recession of 2008? You can hurl that mud, but it will not stick. The Republicans ran Congress from 1995-2007. They ran the White House from 2001 to 2009. The economy tanked on their watch.

    As for being in bed with Wall Street, it would be difficult to find any federal politician who is not. Virtually every Republican & Democrat in office is Wall Street’s pal. That is the reason that we bailed out companies without holding their officers more accountable. That’s the reason that Congress has spent more on Wall Street than it has spent making sure that people hurt by the Republican Recession get help.

    We need serious regulation that prevents companies “too big to fail” and that limits the size of bonuses & salaries. The salaries & compensation of c.e.o.s should be tied directly to the salary & benefits of the average employee.

    DesultoryPhillipic (good name: I still remember that song), I agree that repealing Glass-Steagall was a mistake, and it shows how right-leaning our media are that we hear no one proposing the re-instatement of G.-S.

    TinyT, if you compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler because of the popularity of each of them, then, in 2001 & 2002, when Bush-Dick had popularity above 80%, did you compare Bush-Dick to Hitler? I doubt it. My best to your family, especially little Gracie.

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    WarBush  almost 14 years ago

    “I have a feeling you may be defining “bad doctors” in a peculiar fashion. At some time or other over 50% of physicians get sued. In 70% of cases the physician wins. Are they bad doctors? In addition in many cases the cost of a settlement for nuisance value is less than defense attorney cost. Are they bad physicians?”

    There was a study done in Texas where the number of doctors who were sued were repeat offenders i.e. doctors who should not be in the practice because they prescribe X medicine to Y problem instead of X medicine for X problem. In other words bad doctors. Tort reform will not:

    Deter people from suing doctors Will not curb the costs of health care

    Tort reform is basically a way to screw trial lawyers because who do they contribute to the most: Democrats. If they contribute to Republicans you’d be against Tort reform.

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  26. June 27th 2009   wwcd
    BrianCrook  almost 14 years ago

    SenorBullW, I had not seen Chuck Asay’s work before you mentioned it. It’s pretty bad. Thanks for reminding me of how many people take a superficial view of complex matters: horrifying & dismaying.

    WarB, I agree with you, and I’d like to point out that tort reform would cut medical costs a minuscule fraction. Tort reform would do nothing to solve our health-care crisis.

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