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Because you are ignorant of the provisions of a negotiated contract or of the operational practices of the police department doesn't mean that what Belesi did was wrong. In fact, it's all perfectly legal and proper and in accordance with a legally binding labor contract. That you "find it hard to believe" is irrelevant. Try reading something other than the Democratic playbook for a change.
And before you start attacking his disability pension do yourself a favor and do a little research so that you don't look like a fool again.
I never said it was illegal, ethical is another story....
Just an update regarding the recount and absentee ballot situation, as we have 3 races that are still up in the air.
Suozzi is currently 237 votes ahead of Mangano for CE out of 245,537 votes cast, Maragos is 576 votes ahead of Weitzman for County Controller out of 230,370 votes cast, and in the 14th LD Belesi is currently 28 votes ahead of Mejias out of 14,340 votes cast. The recount will start on Monday and could last till the 27th. According to the Long Island Press, county wide 12,331 absentee ballots have been mailed out, 7,100 have been returned so far. As far as the approx 5,200 absentee ballots not received yet, they can still be counted as long as they are received by November 10th, and have been postmarked by November 2nd. Approx 450 absentee ballots are thought to be in the 14th LD (though no mention is if that is referring to the ballots received so far or the total ballots they think will be received). The absentee ballot counting will start once the deadline to receive all of the ballots passes on Tuesday.
First off, I understand where you are coming from about the cost of war. It's never pretty, and I wish we never had them. Ronald Reagan fought the cold war and won without ever going to war. Teddy Roosevelt was right..walk softly and carry a big stick.
However, even if we hadn't spent hundreds of billions on the Iraq War, the Obama plan still doesn't make good sense for a variety of reasons:
1. Estimates of the plan are at 1 Trillion over 10 years. That will only go higher over time. Entitlements almost never go away and they get BIGGER. I don't think we can afford to saddle our future generations with this kind of debt.
2. Original estimates of medicaid and medicare were way off. They ended up costing taxpayers 16 times and 30 times more than what they were originally forecasted, respectively. You do the math on what this plan could cost us.
3. You compare us to the rest of the world. We are very very different.
a. You would be shocked at the quality of care in most other countries. It simply is not on par with what we receive here. Yes, we spend more per patient than other countries, but we also have access to facilities, doctors, and technologies that other countries don't have (until they free ride on us..see below). You simply can't add 40 million people to our already strained healthcare system and think the quality won't go down of our care.
b. For the last half century, we have effectively subsidized medical advancements for the rest of the world. The reason they are able to provide universal care in their countries is because we have so often effectively done their research and development for them. US healthcare consumers pay the brunt of R and D costs for new drugs, pioneering research, new medical devices, and other advancements in medical care. If you eventually take the profit incentive away from these companies, they'll find somewhere esle to put their capital (ie. in a non-medical related field). Thus, the rest of the world that freerides off US research and development is effectively shooting itself in the foot when they advocate that model for the US.
4. You often hear politicians cite that healthcare costs under medicare rise slower than for private insurers. That's true. The problem is the reason. Doctor's fees are capped with medicare, so how do they make it up? They pass the cost onto private insurers. Imagine a public option now capping fees. Slowly, the cost will again be passed onto people with private health insurance. Soon, that won't be affordable and they'll have to drop out and join the public plan. The middle class will be squeezed out of private insurance and it will only be available to the very wealthy few (as it is in Europe and other countries with single payer systems).
----
I think people have to dig a bit deeper into the problem here. What is the real cause of the cost crisis we have in healthcare.
1. Medical malpractice--The Democrats conventiently sweep this one under the table because reforming our tort laws would really hurt one of their biggest lobby groups (trial lawyers), but most doctors will admit they practice some sort of defensive medicine because of this. Huge malpractice premiums plus over-doctoring leads to bigger fees. We need to cap damages and have real tort reform.
2. Allow insurance providers to sell across various regions. Foster competition in the insurance industry.
3. Make it easier for individuals to pool their healthcare risk through associations that purchase insurance in groups.
4. Increase flexible spending accounts.
5. Force insurance providers to sell policies on risk-by-risk basis. In other words, why should you have to buy insurance to cover depression if you think that is not a real risk for you? We should be able to tailor plans to our needs.
First off, I understand where you are coming from about the cost of war. It's never pretty, and I wish we never had them. Ronald Reagan fought the cold war and won without ever going to war. Teddy Roosevelt was right..walk softly and carry a big stick.
However, even if we hadn't spent hundreds of billions on the Iraq War, the Obama plan still doesn't make good sense for a variety of reasons:
1. Estimates of the plan are at 1 Trillion over 10 years. That will only go higher over time. Entitlements almost never go away and they get BIGGER. I don't think we can afford to saddle our future generations with this kind of debt.
2. Original estimates of medicaid and medicare were way off. They ended up costing taxpayers 16 times and 30 times more than what they were originally forecasted, respectively. You do the math on what this plan could cost us.
3. You compare us to the rest of the world. We are very very different.
a. You would be shocked at the quality of care in most other countries. It simply is not on par with what we receive here. Yes, we spend more per patient than other countries, but we also have access to facilities, doctors, and technologies that other countries don't have (until they free ride on us..see below). You simply can't add 40 million people to our already strained healthcare system and think the quality won't go down of our care.
b. For the last half century, we have effectively subsidized medical advancements for the rest of the world. The reason they are able to provide universal care in their countries is because we have so often effectively done their research and development for them. US healthcare consumers pay the brunt of R and D costs for new drugs, pioneering research, new medical devices, and other advancements in medical care. If you eventually take the profit incentive away from these companies, they'll find somewhere esle to put their capital (ie. in a non-medical related field). Thus, the rest of the world that freerides off US research and development is effectively shooting itself in the foot when they advocate that model for the US.
4. You often hear politicians cite that healthcare costs under medicare rise slower than for private insurers. That's true. The problem is the reason. Doctor's fees are capped with medicare, so how do they make it up? They pass the cost onto private insurers. Imagine a public option now capping fees. Slowly, the cost will again be passed onto people with private health insurance. Soon, that won't be affordable and they'll have to drop out and join the public plan. The middle class will be squeezed out of private insurance and it will only be available to the very wealthy few (as it is in Europe and other countries with single payer systems).
----
I think people have to dig a bit deeper into the problem here. What is the real cause of the cost crisis we have in healthcare.
1. Medical malpractice--The Democrats conventiently sweep this one under the table because reforming our tort laws would really hurt one of their biggest lobby groups (trial lawyers), but most doctors will admit they practice some sort of defensive medicine because of this. Huge malpractice premiums plus over-doctoring leads to bigger fees. We need to cap damages and have real tort reform.
2. Allow insurance providers to sell across various regions. Foster competition in the insurance industry.
3. Make it easier for individuals to pool their healthcare risk through associations that purchase insurance in groups.
4. Increase flexible spending accounts.
5. Force insurance providers to sell policies on risk-by-risk basis. In other words, why should you have to buy insurance to cover depression if you think that is not a real risk for you? We should be able to tailor plans to our needs.
Trust but verify.
Cost of war = 928 B. COSTOFWAR.COM - The Cost of War
(Hey thats only 9B for Nassau County....chump change for Garden City Im sure.)
How about health care for all instead with a public option?
Classic FYIGM.
Crooks
PS
Teabag America scares me ...let's just give them Texas and Fox news and call it a day already?
PSS
Who would Jesus heal?
Last edited by Crookhaven; 11-04-2009 at 09:50 PM..
AWhy is it too expensive for our country to have health care coverage available to all, which, in various forms, is available in every single other industrialized nation on the globe, and in fact, has been available for decades, YET it is no problem at all to spend trillions on a useless war killing people?
Because Rush and Sean and Glen and Ann say it's not, it must be true. They would never lie...
See that's the beauty of the public "option" for those that want a single payer system. It is structured to start off as an option. But, the public option is not like private insurers. It can dictate fee schedules and cap costs. Costs then get passed to private insurers. Premiums go up. Private insurance becomes too expensive. Only the very rich few get private insurance.
This isn't Rush or Hannity. It's basic Economics 101.
See that's the beauty of the public "option" for those that want a single payer system. It is structured to start off as an option. But, the public option is not like private insurers. It can dictate fee schedules and cap costs. Costs then get passed to private insurers. Premiums go up. Private insurance becomes too expensive. Only the very rich few get private insurance.
This isn't Rush or Hannity. It's basic Economics 101.
The costs of the uninsured are are being passed on to us now.
Thats economics 101.
928 Billion on a dead end war (9B for Nassau alone) as we bleed in the streets at home is a sin.
Again, I ask the religious right of Teabag America....who would Jesus heal?
Youre entitled to your opinion just not to your facts.
Lets not argue, but coming from Garden City, you need to realize that it sure sounds like "let them eat cake" from the cheap seats.
We'll agree to disagree.
Crooks
Last edited by Crookhaven; 11-04-2009 at 10:15 PM..
The costs of the uninsured are are being passed on to us now.
Thats economics 101.
928 Billion on a dead end war (9B for Nassau alone) as we bleed in the streets at home is a sin.
Again, I ask the religious right of Teabag America....who would Jesus heal?
Youre entitled to your opinion just not to your facts.
Lets not argue, but coming from Garden City, you need to realize that it sure sounds like "let them eat cake" from the cheap seats.
We'll agree to disagree.
Crooks
Excellent point not to mention all the people who have insurance, but don't have adequate coverage and/or those who have insurance only to see their claims denied time and time again.
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