Open Thread Wednesday

Read up on mutual insurance, the original form of "insurance company" where the policyholders have ownership rights. If all the government does is supply funding capital, set them up (preferably let someone knowledgeable in the business do it), then back off and keep their mitts out of health care, then it is a great idea that could work pretty well.

I can see why the Heritage Foundation would support this, and "rich people" is not an answer. This would be coverage owned by people, not people owned by their coverage, and very much not what the wannabe king wanted. The Dems could spin it for an election, but history would record it as a defeat of Obama.

why would you think government would supply capital, then back-off and keep their mitts off? These would end up being "quasi-government" entities like Fannie and Freddie. If they go under, and government has su[pplied the capital, guess who then owns and runs it?

Pardon the pun RIGHT….LOL…. I think that they are starting to finally realize there battle is going to be UPHILL both ways!!!!

Can anyone say the PUBLIC option is dieing a SLOW death???

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti...

Believe it or not this is coming from the Washington COMPOST!!!

This was great movie, I LOVE Bette Davis Movies. The ending was Sweet.

Just as an fyi on this open thread Weds..There was a poll recently at facebook that asked if you voted for obama and still stand by your vote or if you didn't vote for him and stand by your vote, or if you voted for him but wouldn't again etc..

Well TWO THIRDS of the people said that they did NOT vote for obama and STILL wouldn't. This was out of about 10K votes at that time, about 4 days ago. If all of these people DIDN'T vote for him then HOW did he get elected? Or do I need to ask that question?

Well it may be legal but is it fiscally responsible???

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090819/ap_on_re_us/u...

I suppose it's a testament to my taste in film that the two movies I'm looking forward to the most are Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Stallone's The Expendables.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/17/first-real-fo...

I. Can't. Wait!

Maybe they were spending too much time on Facebook..?

Perfect example of exactly where the battle is in this fight. In my opinion it comes down one simple question, who do they fear more, Obama and Emanuel or their constituents?

It could be the old danger in the ad game. I think it was Schlitz beer that came up with the ad of two talking beer steins. The ad was so popular, sales went through the roof. Then most new customers decided they really didn't like it that much, and the company nearly went bankrupt.

A marketing campaign can be too successful. Might that be happening now with the President?

Terrific movie about the dog eat dog business of show. Fine acting, fine script and a very fine caddish elitist George Sanders . One to see over and over again.

Forbes on-line has a fine essay today asserting that Obama's best chance of re-election requires the defeat of every one of his proposals. So, the "unintended consequence" question of the day — is it better or worse in fact if the public option is defeated?

If republicans aren't willing to expose and destroy the entire boondoggle of Obamacare, take its pieces apart, dissect them in the sun, and flog his slippery socialist hide with them from now until next November, all the while offering up a market-based, patient-empowering plan of their own, then what's the point? And they're not willing to do this. They'll flinch at the prospect of "killing healthcare reform for a generation" and not showing their "commitment to a bipartisan solution." They'll cower under the threat of NY Times headlines and Sunday talk show inquisitions. They'll sign on to socialism-lite.

The only strategy that ever carries the day against the Left is unapologetic conservatism clearly and relentlessly expressed. But this is way too much for the modern Republican.

All About Eve did come out in 1950 and it won a bunch of Oscars. I love George Sanders's line about the Marilyn Monroe character, "She's a graduate of the Copa Cabana School of Dramatic Arts."

"If all the government does is supply funding capital, set them up…" sorry kadaka, these guys are diabolical, they don't think like you do. This is nothing more than a camel nose (not toe) under the tent…

Our Founder Fathers never intended Freedom and Civilization to be inherent to Blacks.
Blacks are the only racial group that have no any trace of Civilization, no ruins no vestiges, nothing! From this we must conclude that blacks are sub humans closer to beasts and farthest from Humans.
Blacks commit 90% of rapes and murder in the world.
God put murder and rape in blacks DNA. And then God separated them in Africa. In Africa rape and murder are admired signs of manhood.
What makes you think Blacks are not the same rapists and murderers now?

Why?
a.- It’s written in their DNA
Should I marry a Black
a.- Only if you want to pass his criminal sub human genes to your children.
Any proof of this?
a.- God separated Blacks to Africa, away from Us and also God marked them with their color Black which means bad.
I heard this in a secret meeting of the AMA.
The UN also have a secret report by European scientists which confirm the above. It was immediately hidden not to offend blacks.

second that, just recieved my "pocket Constitution"…it goes with me EVERYWHERE now.

Actualy his pay grade should be minimum wage
/judged by his performance since he stopped working for ACORN

They make great small gifts too. I, and several friends – an enemy or two, have been doing an open thread type conversation via email for years now. We all were supposed to get together for dinner one time, so every one could finally meet each other in person. I passed out pocket constitutions so there would be no more excuses for not knowing it.

I can tell you where it WON'T be airing….

I'm with you on Schlitz. I'm convinced that it was discarded industrial lubricant…..

N. Korean diplomats to meet with New Mexico Gov. Richardson Wed.: report+
The North Korean side sought out Richardson for the latest encounter, opening a new front in informal talks the country has sought in recent days, the paper said.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9A638BO0...
/unlawful ?
/treason ?

Latin leftists fear a Honduras coup domino effect
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Manuel Zelaya's chances of getting restored to the Honduran presidency become more distant with each passing week. Across Latin America, his allies and foes alike see a precedent being set.
It's a glimmer of hope for the region's conservative elite, which has watched with dismay over the past decade as a wave of leftist presidents has risen to power, promising to topple the establishment and give greater power to the poor.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM...
/Woohooo Good News

Obama unaccustomed to having his lies challenged
President Barack Obama is one of the most spoiled politicians ever to capture the imagination of a nation. He has enjoyed what author and newsman Bernard Goldberg has described as "a slobbering love affair" with the American media
http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2009/aug/18...
/soooo true

I don't know why I reply to stupidity but here goes:

"Race is a social construct, not a scientific classification," Robert S. Schwartz, M.D. wrote (in "Race Is a Poor Measure," New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 344, No. 18, May 3, 2001). "Any attempt to establish lines of division among biological populations is both arbitrary and subjective." The Human Genome Project determined that 99.9% of the human genetic complement is the same in everyone, regardless of race. This means that the DNA of any two people will differ in one out of every thousand nucleotides, the building blocks of individual genes. With more than 3 billion nucleotides in the human genome, about 3 million nucleotides will differ among individuals. While statistically small, this does allow for some variation. "Admittedly," wrote Dr. Sally Satel, "race is a rough marker. A black American may have dark skin – but his or her genes may well be a complex mix of ancestors from west Africa, Europe and Asia. No serious scientist, in fact, believes that genetically pure populations exist. Yet an imprecise clue is better than no clue at all." ("A question of colour" in The Guardian, 9 May 2002) But these differences between people are relatively insignificant: skin pigment, eye shape, and hair texture. The physical "stereotypes" of race, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza wrote in The History and Geography of Human Genes, "reflect superficial differences."

http://www.catchpenny.org/race.html

"It were doubtless to be wished, that the power of prohibiting the importation of slaves had not been postponed until the year 1808, or rather that it had been suffered to have immediate operation. But it is not difficult to account, either for this restriction on the general government, or for the manner in which the whole clause is expressed. It ought to be considered as a great point gained in favor of humanity, that a period of twenty years may terminate forever, within these States, a traffic which has so long and so loudly upbraided the barbarism of modern policy; that within that period, it will receive a considerable discouragement from the federal government, and may be totally abolished, by a concurrence of the few States which continue the unnatural traffic, in the prohibitory example which has been given by so great a majority of the Union. Happy would it be for the unfortunate Africans, if an equal prospect lay before them of being redeemed from the oppressions of their European brethren!"
– James Madison, Federalist Paper No. 42

google has other uses than searching for your next Klan rally.

A great day for Earth period!

See how easy it was to prove him wrong
Thanks

The line is: Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night." ____The line came from airplane travel.

Margo Channing's soliliquy about being a woman while she and Karen are stranded in the car is one of the best in movie history.

Bette Davis was Some Dame!

……"Mark would have him crying like a little girl in 5 minutes. "
LOL
I would like Rush and Obama to debate
And Ann Coulter and Madam Pelosi
Hahahaha

That’s Where the Money Is
When famed bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he said: “Because that’s where the money is.”
For the same reason, it is as predictable as the sunrise that medical care for the elderly will be cut back under a government-controlled medical system. Because that’s where the money is.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTBmOTNmZjYz...
/Seniors Beware !

if that's true how come you don't have gold teeth and stand by the mailbox every month?

Jack Bauer and any crazed Democrat.

Oh, I have my diabolical moments as well. The Dems know we have them trapped in the blind alley they ran into and are willing to negotiate to save their scrawny necks. The Congressional Republicans want to milk it for whatever they can, then smile at the Dems and the voters and say "See, we can be bipartisan and get things done, unlike…." Keep the pressure on, and we could get a sweet deal that truly helps the "real" uninsured above Medicaid who can't get coverage or can't afford it out-of-pocket even with an annual "tax credit," using capitalistic principles with minimal if any ongoing taxpayer money needed.

And as part of the concessions we voters will "extort" from the liberals, they will Read The Damn Bill. As things look now, whatever comes will be the most studied and commented on legislation we the people will have seen in decades.

I agree the "system" needs tweaking, but I don't trust this Congress to "tweak"…any compromise will be spun as a Dem victory no matter what. Obama wants a 'bill signing ceremony" NO MATTER WHAT! He's got a caucus worried spitless about their political survival…the lefties need universal coverage, nothing less…I say if your opponent is digging their own grave, get out of the way and let'em dig their way to China

Washington Compost? I say, you don´t by any chance happen to be an aficionado of the Mark Levin show?

For those who don't know, Amtrak is the last provider of commuter rail service in most (all?) of the country. Often used by long distance commuters, like from the Poconos to NYC or Delaware to DC (former Sen. Biden's daily trek). The alternative is not planes but buses, there are several companies for daily commuters for the big markets, but rail has distinct advantages.

Their major problems are unions and governmental interference, to my knowledge they are forced to run unprofitable lines throughout the country simply to have rail service available for occasional travelers although Greyhound and perhaps other options are normally available. If left to themselves, they could be smaller and profitable sticking to the daily commuting markets, where they have a virtual monopoly on reasonably cheap transportation that avoids crowded highways and related delays.

Thus Amtrak provides lessons on how to not set up the co-ops, lesson one being to keep governmental control out. Like with a good military command structure, the head may provide the mission, but its the ones closest to the action who should decide the execution.

This is not tweaking, but recognizing a lack of insurance can be met by the same way insurance got founded in the first place. Government need only get involved because they are already mixed up in insurance, and this is planned as not-for-profit so private investors are naturally scarce.

Sure, the Dems will spin this as a victory, that is the concession we will allow. But this started with liberal demands for socialized medicine for all, and now we are down to filling in a gap. While we got them trapped in the alley we can get a lot out of them. If they want to claim it was a victory because we left them their underwear thus their dignity was intact, fine. The voters will make their own judgments regardless. And snicker a lot.

Agreed. As a Texan I've driven the I-95 corridor and it sucks. New Jersey is basically a slow moving, two way parking lot. It's pretty nice after N.Y.C until Boston.

Not to be a total hypocrite I utilized the rail system in Europe almost exclusively, because it's cheap. Rome to Naples, then Rome to Paris in various legs, all by various levels of train. TGV is really nice, expensive but nice. Italy's trains generally suck. the Amsterdam to London (via the Chunnel, weird) is nice but expensive, lot's of business class. I rented a car once, to go to Normandy and they rip your head off to drive yourself, however driving in France was blast, everybody hauls azz and the roundy rounds are a hoot!

These Dems are in a very unique pickle…the real lefties need single payer, which is DOA, the centrists need something that looks like reform, hence the new offensive against the insurance companies. The proletariate is rejecting any government intrusiuon how ever it's crafted, so the result is a stalemate amongst the democrats that the GOP doesn't want to get tarred with. Since next year is an election year I think we should flush this Congress and come back in the new Congress with the people holding the clout, the trump card. I'm no healthcare expert despite making a living in the field for years in the 90's. I watched Hillarycare essentially take down an Administration. I want to see 'em do it to themselves again, but this time have the rank and file American show these *public servants* that we are watching them and very closely. That will result in a rersponsible fair bill everyone (but the hard left commies) can be happy with.

Policyholder owned companies have been around a long time, e.g. mutual life insurance companies. I don't trust politicians enough to do the right thing. I agree, we do have to find a method to keep "group" insurance viable to avoid "making pre-existing" conditions uninsurable. The groups have to be both large enough and diverse enough to permit acceptable spread of risk. Companies need to be able to operate across state lines. One possibility is to assign individuals to large employer groups on a random basis, and to permit small employers to be added to existing large employer groups. I would like to see easy to read language, individual cost components broken out so buyers can more easily shop. My main point, though, is to keep government involvement to two things 1) Regulatory (making companies comply with the laws 2) if necessary, limit government to subsidizing the very poor's premium payments.

Do you presume to love with that black heart? Its the Left (your buddies) that hates blacks and anyone else that does not meet with their standards (which are p*ss poor)

You are a liar.

THANK YOU for posting that! Cant believe these atavistic throwbacks (and I do mean THROWBACKS – throw them back into the pit!) want to perpetuate lies. Guess their lives are so empty and meaningless (and whos fault is that? NOT MINE) they can only dredge up lies of the past. They have no future.

EEE-GADS!!! Schlitz………….

The beer that should have made the world want to nuke Milwaukee………

Deep, dark family secret: A photo exists, of myself, holding a Schlitz can at a family reunion picnic at age 5 or 6. All copies will be found and destroyed. (Thanks, Dad…..) One copy left. My sister has it and is using it for extortion purposes. With my last dying breath, I………..

OK, open thread and all.

Some of the democrats are moderate and I'm cool with that. We can agree on some things and agree to disagree on other things.

Some are obvious socialists. Waxman is crazy socialist.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26251.h...

edit first link didn't work…..

I live here in fly over county, so it isn't my fight, but people please, please get this arse out of congress and get Ari David in.

Yes and they are much worse than "Bud Mud"……I say we fire up the old Schlitz brewery but in Iran. In 5 months the entire country would be gripping porcelain with white knuckles……

I guess Sharon you spend too much time eating to see that the African Americans want the crap Obama is serving, I don't. I am not wrong to point out they know not what Obama is really doing.

Oh look. A moby.

Get this illiterate idiot out of here.

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