This goes all the way back to the repealing of the Glass-Steagall Act by Senator Graham and company... people has really short memories. Wall Street can now invest, merge or do similar business with insurance companies who are some of the top contributors to the the GOP. The ACA invites too much competition into the market and takes some of the power away from the executives and boardrooms who decide on whoever gets care and who doesn't. The GOP also believes that if you can't afford healthcare you should ask for charity or simply just die if you can't afford to take care of yourself when you're really sick.
American Politics
- Thread starter Raoul
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This goes all the way back to the repealing of the Glass-Steagall Act by Senator Graham and company... people has really short memories. Wall Street can now invest, merge or do similar business with insurance companies who are some of the top contributors to the the GOP. The ACA invites too much competition into the market and takes some of the power away from the executives and boardrooms who decide on whoever gets care and who doesn't. The GOP also believes that if you can't afford healthcare you should ask for charity or simply just die if you can't afford to take care of yourself when you're really sick.
Well there are many parties, they just can't get anyone elected. The two houses came about as a way to ensure that the more populated states could not totally dominate the congress. The senate with it's two members for every state balances against the house where the more populated a state is the more representatives it has.
Just as in theory the three branches of the government provide a system of checks and balances against the others.
So a shooting incident is currently underway at the Capitol.
More people in the system focusing on preventative care eventually brings the overall cost of healthcare down. Healthcare isn't only about seeing a doctor when you're sick. If you can go for checkups often or preventative screenings all covered by your insurance, it's a win-win for both parties.
..or as Romney put it....'we have ambulances to take people from their apartments to hospital'
What happens when the hospital you arrive at realize you don't have insurance?
they still treat you but give you a bill you cant pay..then you go bankrupt.
Only an idiot would let an ambulance take them to hospital. That will cost you thousands of dollars. You get a taxi to an emergency care facility if you are still breathing and able to dial a number.
That's a fecked up system. Are Americans really happy with that? I can't for the life of me think a normal, sane person is happy with that.
They think it won't happen to them and that socialism will destroy them.
I'm being charged $100 just for going in to see my doctor for her to tell me the results of my physical. She could have told me over the phone but called me in to tell me to my face that everything was fine.
I hope Wayne LaPierre is there.
Cheers. I guess it makes some sense, except for the possibility of gerrymandering.
It seems like the system worships money. Are people important to the lawmakers anymore?
For many of us who grew up in this system, the idea of one house with 64 parties, no clear majority party, and constant coalitions is also rather absurd.
People are very important to the elected officials on "the Tuesday after the first Monday in November," i.e. election day.
Yeah I could imagine as much. The problem as I see it with a two party system is that it always ends up being "us against them" instead of politicians actually trying to solve societies shortcomings, at least that's the way it appears here in Denmark.
Imagine though if the Tea Party was just that, a minor grouping with no major influence over the moderate Repubs.
I've never understood why redistricting isn't the responsibilty of a neutral body. When you look at some of the distric boundaries it's quite ridiculous how artificial they are.
Well first off the house and senate are not the ones who draw the district lines. Secondly of course gerrymandering could occur no matter how many parties are involved. EAch state draws its own district lines, usually who is in charge of that depends on who controls the legislative branches in each state. So in a state with a Democratic majority in their state legislature, the Democrats would control the committee redrawing the lines and of course the opposite would be true in a state where the Republicans are in charge of the legislature.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_are_congressional_district_boundaries_determined
It would make more sense if such a body could actually be found. I am not sure anymore you could actually find any group of people to put together who would be completely neutral.
Probably what you need is some sort of computer program that contains only population and geographic data no information on any other demographic data points and have it somehow draw out districts that are as close some sort of basic geographic shape as possible.
What is amazing is the shape some districts take to insure that the incumbent is protected. In California, the districts map looks like a jigsaw puzzle. We used to have one district that incorporated part of Merced County, went into the Sierras (where virtually no one lived) and down a river bed to include a part of the city of Fresno (60 miles and 2 counties south).
Two election cycles ago, a local long-term Democratic Congressman, Jim Costa, almost lost to a rookie Republican. By the time 2012 rolled around, the boundaries had been changed to insure that Costa couldn't lose.
Districts in California are drawn by a bipartisan group(5 democrats, 5 republicans, 4 neither). In 2012, there were races with two incumbents running against each other because they had been put into one district. I think there were two democrats in this situation but I can't remember which district.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California's_30th_congressional_district
Sherman v Berman, I remember reading about that.
Sherman v Berman, I remember reading about that.
Wait, they charge you for calling an ambulance? Because that sounds all kinds of wrong.
Expensive? When my mother died (2007) I was the executor of her estate. She died at home but the ambulance company and medical facility billed us over $12,000 for the privilege of performing "necessary" medical services on a corpse.
Saw this on the comments field in the Guardian news story about the car-chase and shoot-out. Made me chuckle:
It annoys me when they say free healthcare. It isn't free.
And you still find a multi-party system scarier than your current country's system?!
Well you can't really make a succinct impersonation of the start-up joke if you include the full description of how such a system might be organised and funded.
Freedom isn't free.
I'm going to find out if I can vote in the Republican primaries without registering as a Republican. Cruz really is great guy. To see the 'moderate' republicans trying not to choke on their own vomit is highly entertaining.
To see the 'moderate' republicans trying not to choke on their own vomit is highly entertaining.Not in New Jersey you pay $1 a month until they send you a letter saying you don't have to pay, may take years but eventually they don't want your dollar anymore because costs more for them to process the payment.
Where is that? You call an ambulance if is an emergency which they are run by local firefighters and they will charge the insurance a few hundred dollars but if that person doesn't have insurance they will not charge a dime, you guys must be living in a big city or don't live in US at all.
She didn't had medicare? My wife's grand mother died here then her dad and mom and we didn't get any bill.
The GOP never wins if taxes go up.
Here's a local story.
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012...old-charge-3000-for-ambulance-ride-next-door/
Here's one from San Diego
http://www.californiahealthline.org...ce-costs-to-increase-under-new-san-diego-deal
I emailed him once and nicely called him a cnut. He responded and took it quite well.
Two houses is a good system in all fairness.
why am I not surprised by this revelation?- Status