I think that's a good option. When I'm not on active military status, usually on duty 6-10 months per year, I can buy Tricare Reserve Select at ~$50/month for single coverage. If I had dependents the cost would be in the low $200/m. My dental plan costs about $12/m and my life insurance is $25/m for $400K. The medical plan is a very good plan that beats out practically all open market plans. While it would be nice to have free healthcare every day, and I do when on active duty order, it may not be feasible in this country.
US Politics
- Thread starter Nick 0208 Ldn
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I think that's a good option. When I'm not on active military status, usually on duty 6-10 months per year, I can buy Tricare Reserve Select at ~$50/month for single coverage. If I had dependents the cost would be in the low $200/m. My dental plan costs about $12/m and my life insurance is $25/m for $400K. The medical plan is a very good plan that beats out practically all open market plans. While it would be nice to have free healthcare every day, and I do when on active duty order, it may not be feasible in this country.
Well maybe but if you don't try to change that's the only way to guarantee nothing will.
Shows where we are as a country when lunacy like this will barely move the needle...
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/co...ct-appears-to-score-win-on-capitol-gun-rights
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/co...ct-appears-to-score-win-on-capitol-gun-rights
I agree with targeting Pelosi. I don't agree with linking it to M4A.
I agree that if there ended up being a GOP speaker it would make news. But I've seen how much media spin plays a role. If the spin is that AOC lost Dems the House majority, the Democratic voters will believe that.
One of the mistakes I made, in the few weeks in February I thought Bernie would win, was to think of Trump's rise in the GOP, hated by every other candidate, and hated by most conservative media, and how that had no impact on his numbers at all, and thinking the same would be true for Bernie. When GOP voters were told Trump is a racist sexist who cannot win the general, they got angry at the media. When Dem voters were told the same about Bernie, they believed it, especially the last part. From that graph - it may not be a coincidence that in the primary, Bernie overperformed among independent voters.
So I think media framing is very powerful to most Dem primary voters (though not the younger ones). And I *know* that they will frame this as unsympathetically to AOC as possible - minimal mention of M4A, a lot of mention of idiotic idealism.
Maybe it will get enough young people angry. I don't know, but I doubt it.
So AOC apparently abstained first and then voted for Pelosi. Even worse than giving a straight yes vote. What total nonsense.
Just another career politician. They're all the same once they get in. She'll still talk progressive while voting centre.
It's the toxoplasmosis you get by being in that party, pissing off both the left and the centre with one weird trick.
Agreed. M4A is the wrong thing to leverage currently against Pelosi. I'm not American so can't say what is best for them to fight for now but the M4A fight has to be pushed back until the next election cycle.
Did any progressive abstain or vote against Pelosi?
Unable to sleep last night I came across this knob head called Jesse Kelly on Twitter and convinced myself that the character of Jonah Ryan in Veep had been based on him
Interviewer: "what sets you apart from all the other candidates"
Jesse Kelly: "I'm six foot eight... I'm clearly a foot taller than all the other candidates in this race"
He's also got a proper cranky Youtube show called "I'm Right" which couldn't be a more Jonah Ryan name for a show if it tried
I also cannot read 'it's simple man code' in anything but Jonah's voice.
Given that each of his videos seems to get about 300 watches, and that there probably a thousand Jonah Ryan's out there in Trump Land, it's pretty unlikely - but it made me laugh in my sleep deprived state.
Interviewer: "what sets you apart from all the other candidates"
Jesse Kelly: "I'm six foot eight... I'm clearly a foot taller than all the other candidates in this race"
He's also got a proper cranky Youtube show called "I'm Right" which couldn't be a more Jonah Ryan name for a show if it tried
I also cannot read 'it's simple man code' in anything but Jonah's voice.
Given that each of his videos seems to get about 300 watches, and that there probably a thousand Jonah Ryan's out there in Trump Land, it's pretty unlikely - but it made me laugh in my sleep deprived state.
Man code? What a fecking plonker.
So if a man tells another man that he plans to set a bomb off in a crowded public space, the 2nd man is apparently forbidden by this "man code" from informing the police about this. Yeah, right.
Jimmy Dore is a clown, who backed Tulsi Gabbard.
Show me where she as voted center.
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Show you where who voted center?
Dore is a comedian so the clown thing is a given. Now go to the video at the point I mentioned, watch AOC. Its embarrassing for her isn't it?
Why is she angry with him for trying to force a vote which is what she is on video saying she was going to do and how does anything else matter in a discussion about the hypocrisy of progressives saying they will do anything in their power to get a vote and then tamely voting for Pelosi as speaker rather than demanding a vote on MFA for their support?
He is right on this and I think you know it.
Business leaders weigh cutting off funds to Republicans involved in electoral objections
Good news if enough people get on board.
Good news if enough people get on board.
Loeffler has conceded.
I think after yesterday she want's absolutely nothing to do wit politics anymore.
Quality.
I have a question for the Americans here. Why do a lot of Americans consider universal healthcare as socialist or communist?
It’s a weird one. I think polls show a majority of Americans are for UH if the question is worded to avoid the specific buzzwords the right (and lots of dems) uses. Basically they majority of politicians have been bought by insurance companies to prevent UH. To do this they claim all sorts of things to confuse the voting public. If you walked up to most of Trumps Americans and asked “do you think you should have access to free or affordable healthcare” I bet you almost all of them would say yes.
It has a lot to do with the federalist system which largely decentralizes governance to states, as well America's fundamental perceptions of the extent to which government should be involved in the people's matters in lieu of capitalist free markets. This has over time created a fairly consistent undercurrent of suspicion about the role of government alongside the misguided idea that markets will always ensure innovation and lower costs for services better than the government can. When you add the power and influence of corporations and their ability to influence politicians through lobbying and campaign contributions, and the fact that at least 40% of Americans get their information from sources that are critical of the role of government - you get an issue that is very easy to vilify and demagogue, thus its very convenient for Rs and some Dems to easily dismiss universal healthcare as socialist.
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Thank you very much Red and Raul. It's one thing that confuses me because most of the EU and the UK and Canada has universal health care. Canada and Germany are federal countries too.
But it is technically a socialist concept from my limited understanding. The problem then being that these people are convinced that all socialism is bad when there no singular "all good" form of governance, which aligns with Raoul's post.
My answer is that too many people are too thick and selfish to realise that it's a good thing for them.
First, we all have to understand the levels of propaganda the US was submitted to during the cold war and the way that propaganda has morphed after 88-92. Anything remotely collectivist or communal oriented has been labeled evil and communist and "rugged individualism" has been exalted in such a way that teenagers from 1980 to 2020 are taught that "it's a free country, you can do what you want". Social responsibility was not taught in many schools and history books in the US have long emphasized the Horatio Alger myth of individuals rising to become billionaires and how free speech means "I can say what I want, whenever I want, wherever I want."
Not only that but since Goldwater or at least Reagan, there has been a strong current that posits that Nazis were left-wing because "Duh, the word socialist is even in their name." Since Goldwater lost, the far-right has been forming and organizing their institutions to push their propaganda (Federalist Society in law, think tanks like Heritage, AEI, lobbyist organizations from the far-right religious like moral majority and other prayer groups, etc).
So you combine the rabid anti-communist propaganda, with a selective, cherry-picked version of history being taught, and a toddler's view of what "freedom of speech" and more means, you get people that are 40-60 that actually believe any form of social responsibility will automatically lead to all the worst totalitarian evils of Mao and Stalin and Hitler.
It also doesn't help that the anti-intellectualism that historian Richard Hofstadter wrote about in fecking 1964 is still pervasive among large segments of the population. It's why they demonize education so much because they think that learning about any social science from academics or scientists is "Lib brainwashing".
It doesn't help that the US has some pretty nefarious billionaires (Trump, Kochs, Mercers, and many more whose names are not well known) that have been manipulating this situation for personal gain. It's funny because the right-wing always has some billionaire boogeyman (first it was Soros, now it is Bill Gates) that they blame for everything without even looking at the damage of all the right-wing wealth interests.
From what I have seen, there are a few reasons for this:
1) an Universal Healthcare will necessarily mean higher taxes. While for some people that would be okay (future taxes < current taxes + current insurance), for the others this inequality is not valid and they will be worse off. Most of Dem politicians haven’t been very honest about it and always deflected the question made on taxes (Warren specifically; Bernie was a bit more honest though).
2) Some people actually like the insurance they have, and feel that they will be worse off if healthcare is gonna be done from the state.
3) Fear-mongering from the GOP and the right-wing media. Screaming communism is a very powerful way to get your way in the US. People (rightfully so) are scared of communism. Unfortunately though, it is very easy to brainwash them into believing that some concepts are part of communism despite it not being the case.
4) Deficit and the debt in the US is out of control and a ticking bomb. Increasing the debt is not very wise regardless of the political views you hold. It is very likely that a Medicare for all is gonna increase the debt (that is why Manchin who is fiscally conservative says that ‘we are struggling with Medicare for some, how we can have Medicare for all?’).
5) Some Americans truly believe that the government is not there to babysit you and save you. The government there is to protect you from invasion (that is why true conservatives are big into defense sector) and provide some basic infrastructure (roads, police). The remaining is up to you, if you do well, kudos to you and that is great, if you die in the street, it is sad but if is your problem.
Saying that, the majority of them still would like to see some type of Medicare for all (though I guess it is not specified what versions of it).
Honestly good for them. Almost all politicians should be harassed publicly.
California has had a democratic supermajority legislature for decades and a democratic governor for the past 10 years. This is the Democrats. This is who they are.
Just came across this. This was an actual Advert run by the Loeffller/Perdue Campaign.
America really is something else
America really is something else
I see that Dominion (voting machines company) is suing Sidney Powell for $1.3B.
Expect more suits to follow.
I’m glad as the people peddling lies have to be made pay for those lies.
Or, in other news, lies have consequences.
Expect more suits to follow.
I’m glad as the people peddling lies have to be made pay for those lies.
Or, in other news, lies have consequences.
Yep, the modern idea of universal healthcare (or socialized healthcare) definitely grew out of left-wing/socialist agitation. As did many other things. A country isn't socialist just because they have those things, but they wouldn't have them if not for socialism.
They said they wouldn't rule out a lawsuit of Trump. I assume they're just waiting out his presidential period.
Giuliani is definitely getting sued.
I wouldn’t be surprised if The Simpsons already did this.Just came across this. This was an actual Advert run by the Loeffller/Perdue Campaign.
America really is something else
To have huuuuge lawsuits on Trump, and Don Jr and Giuliani would be great. They’d go broke fighting those.
It's surprising about Russia being communist still according to a lot of Americans. They are as much communists as Josh Hawley.
I don't think there is any communist country now. Those ex communist countries are right wing dictatorships now.
I met a Canadian who complains about those socialists and then in the same breath complain about inadequate healthcare in Canada ( how long he has to wait etc) and how he had to pay back his student loan ( he thinks he should have had subsidised education) and support Trump because he is against socialists.
I don't think there is any communist country now. Those ex communist countries are right wing dictatorships now.
I met a Canadian who complains about those socialists and then in the same breath complain about inadequate healthcare in Canada ( how long he has to wait etc) and how he had to pay back his student loan ( he thinks he should have had subsidised education) and support Trump because he is against socialists.
I have never heard anyone complaining about the contribution to the NHS.
But I also think there should be a private system like in the UK where you can pay and get instant treatment if you really want it.
You are right. Governments don't ask the people when they want to invade or bomb other countries. In this they should just implement it.
The good of the many outweighs the good of the few.
Im suprised it took this long. Donald and co spouted lies on daily basis it's amazing nobody ever thought of making easy buck suing them.
He's the president so slim chance to sue him but his cronies arent immune to lawsuit.