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Old 02-12-2015, 07:38 PM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
1,291 posts, read 1,512,729 times
Reputation: 747

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Quote:
Originally Posted by vvega View Post
Sorry about your situation. I know costs of medical services are crazy. I just don't understand why liberals oppose
1. Stopping enforcing hospitals to provide illegal immigrants "free" healthcare. A significant chunk of those $70,000 is recovering costs of caring for people who are not even supposed to be here.
2. Tort reform, especially making losers pay in medical litigations. This would stop irresponsible lawsuits and defensive medicine.
The $70,000 figure is more related to medication, home hospice, and equipment such as wheelchairs and diapers, not hospital visits. MS patients are usually only recommended to go to the hospital during a serious acute infection, such as sudden blindness, so that a steroid shot can be administered. Also, if the federal government, or state would pay for those who legitimately need care, the hospitals wouldn't need to overcompensate.

While tort reform is nice and well, it doesn't begin to explain the reason why tests such as MRIs are much higher here than they are elsewhere. Medicaid reimburses small rates, and they should consider raising their reimbursement rates, but a private system has every reason to also buy extremely expensive "top of the line" equipment and pass along the cost to those who are in a life or death situation.

I can say I oppose a primarily private system because a persons health directly affects the ability to take care of themselves. The government has every interest in the world to keep its people in healthy condition, as a healthier society is going to be a more productive one.
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Old 02-12-2015, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Lafayette, IN
838 posts, read 978,981 times
Reputation: 392
Quote:
Originally Posted by rogead View Post
Congratulations teabaggers,

You've succeeded in helping to add 214 billionaires to that exclusive club. All you need to do now is to keep up the pressure on all of that working class scum.


The World's Billionaires - Forbes.com
And to think, the richest 500 people (not 5000 or 50000) have a combined wealth greater than the poorest 60% of the entire planets population (roughly 4 billion people). When a conservative tries to justify this, I question their ability to think in an ethical manner (and, though an atheist, I really question their supposed Christianity).
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Old 02-12-2015, 11:11 PM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
1,291 posts, read 1,512,729 times
Reputation: 747
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ever Adrift View Post
And to think, the richest 500 people (not 5000 or 50000) have a combined wealth greater than the poorest 60% of the entire planets population (roughly 4 billion people). When a conservative tries to justify this, I question their ability to think in an ethical manner (and, though an atheist, I really question their supposed Christianity).
So far from this thread, the justification has been that they're being employed by those billionaires. I'm not sure how that is justification, that they're poor but they can think their lucky stars for those billionaires that employ them, but that's their justification. At least I think I'm understanding it correctly ....
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Old 02-12-2015, 11:31 PM
 
Location: Lafayette, IN
838 posts, read 978,981 times
Reputation: 392
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mwahfromtheheart View Post
So far from this thread, the justification has been that they're being employed by those billionaires. I'm not sure how that is justification, that they're poor but they can think their lucky stars for those billionaires that employ them, but that's their justification. At least I think I'm understanding it correctly ....
Nothing to understand; this level of global inequity has not legitimate basis outside of unrealistic Western political ideologies based in nativist, xenophobic and theological thought. It's terrifying, it's sad and it represents the moral degradation of the West - it isn't our acceptance of **** like me that degrades us morally, it's our failure to recognize how good we have it and to dedicate part of our country's primary goals towards ensuring that those who have nothing elsewhere in the world can lead better lives in the future, or at least their children can. I find it astonishing that the Christian Conservatives in particular bristle at such an idea while little ol' atheist me actually cares about lives that go beyond our borders. You know, the US was governed by many native American tribes before Christian prosletyzing helped aid the accidental 'disease genocide' that eradicated up to an estimated 90% of the population in the Americans within 20 years of Columbus landing on Hispaniola - a religion whose found preached poverty, tolerance and love yet whose current adherents worship wealth, hate difference and love nothing but themselves. Most of humanity lives in suffering most here will never understand, comprehend - and yet some sit in judgement and want to complain about how bad we have it. Well, move to Somalia if you hate government, move to the DRC or CAR. Go to Laos if you want to be alone. See what your conservative principles lead to when actually enacted in full - genocide, state failure, infrastructure collapse and the regression of society into tribal-type organization.
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Old 02-13-2015, 12:00 AM
 
Location: Tip of the Sphere. Just the tip.
4,540 posts, read 2,742,668 times
Reputation: 5277
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ever Adrift View Post
Nothing to understand; this level of global inequity has not legitimate basis outside of unrealistic Western political ideologies based in nativist, xenophobic and theological thought. It's terrifying, it's sad and it represents the moral degradation of the West - it isn't our acceptance of **** like me that degrades us morally, it's our failure to recognize how good we have it and to dedicate part of our country's primary goals towards ensuring that those who have nothing elsewhere in the world can lead better lives in the future, or at least their children can. I find it astonishing that the Christian Conservatives in particular bristle at such an idea while little ol' atheist me actually cares about lives that go beyond our borders. You know, the US was governed by many native American tribes before Christian prosletyzing helped aid the accidental 'disease genocide' that eradicated up to an estimated 90% of the population in the Americans within 20 years of Columbus landing on Hispaniola - a religion whose found preached poverty, tolerance and love yet whose current adherents worship wealth, hate difference and love nothing but themselves. Most of humanity lives in suffering most here will never understand, comprehend - and yet some sit in judgement and want to complain about how bad we have it. Well, move to Somalia if you hate government, move to the DRC or CAR. Go to Laos if you want to be alone. See what your conservative principles lead to when actually enacted in full - genocide, state failure, infrastructure collapse and the regression of society into tribal-type organization.
Hear! Hear!

Yeah, I don't put any stock in Christianity anymore- but I've read the bible unlike most Christians I know. And if there was any substance at all to the teachings of Jesus, I honestly think modern American Christians embody exactly what he spoke against.

As I recall, he taught tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, charity... and he had NOTHING positive to say about the rich.

By contrast American Christians espouse xenophobia, hate, stinginess... and practically worship rich people.

It's disgusting.
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Old 02-13-2015, 12:14 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, IN
838 posts, read 978,981 times
Reputation: 392
Quote:
Originally Posted by turkey-head View Post
Hear! Hear!

Yeah, I don't put any stock in Christianity anymore- but I've read the bible unlike most Christians I know. And if there was any substance at all to the teachings of Jesus, I honestly think modern American Christians embody exactly what he spoke against.

As I recall, he taught tolerance, acceptance, forgiveness, charity... and he had NOTHING positive to say about the rich.

By contrast American Christians espouse xenophobia, hate, stinginess... and practically worship rich people.

It's disgusting.
Normally I'd add my own long-winded rant, but damn - when you boil it down, you capture my sentiments exactly. American Conservatism is immoral and even worse, it is predicated on convincing those who have received the least state-provided education, the least state-provided assistance to vote against their interests and in favor of the wealthy. Load a bunch of ignorant, uneducated people, speak of Christ and the GOP's divine connection and voila, you win Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina...

Perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but the point remains - American Conservatives tend to justify their views on an insanely nuanced and piecemeal interpretation of Biblical passages most of which are in the Old Testament while simultaneously refusing to adopt the rules provided in other passages of those same books because they don't equate to the life that southerners are used to. Sure, Leviticus says kill gay people. It also says that if you sleep in the bed of your wife while she menstruates you are unclean and must go into exile so every married, straight man in the US better pack their bags and head out abroad! It also damns anyone who wears clothing made from more than one fabric so you conservative sports fans who wear those jersey's made from a polyblend should be put to death just like gay guys such as myself! And of course, Leviticus - the source of most Christian denounciations of gays - also has a whole section dedicated to to how to properly acquire, treat, beat and kill slaves! The book of the Bible that condemns my relationship with my male fiance also advocates for slavery.

Clearly, there is a lack of critical thinking in terms of the US education system's goals...
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Old 02-13-2015, 12:16 AM
 
Location: mainland but born oahu
6,657 posts, read 7,705,348 times
Reputation: 3136
You can thank all the new billionares not on hardwark or ambition but on an easy tax burden.

9 Things The Rich Don't Want You To Know About Taxes
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Old 02-13-2015, 12:59 AM
 
Location: Pasadena, CA
9,828 posts, read 9,361,359 times
Reputation: 6288
Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and Austria have 286 billionaires total. Their combined population is 345 million.

The United States has 492 billionaires in a population of 320 million.

Guess where wage and wealth inequality is greater. Guess which of the two has a higher QOL.
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Old 02-13-2015, 01:42 AM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
1,291 posts, read 1,512,729 times
Reputation: 747
Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden have a higher QoL index than the US.

For the record, we have a lower health care index than Mexico, and a lower safety rating than Sri Lanka and Cambodia ...
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Old 02-13-2015, 10:53 AM
 
3,792 posts, read 2,367,177 times
Reputation: 768
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ever Adrift View Post
And to think, the richest 500 people (not 5000 or 50000) have a combined wealth greater than the poorest 60% of the entire planets population (roughly 4 billion people). When a conservative tries to justify this, I question their ability to think in an ethical manner (and, though an atheist, I really question their supposed Christianity).
We need to pay those fine folks that have no money wages for being productive. And the world will be richer for the effort.
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