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[zero shift]

Russia previous to communism was nothing short of a clusterfuck. They are the one nation that always seems to get the short end of the stick. They got fucked before, during and after communism. I have a hard time of thinking of a time when they weren't getting bent over the table and reamed.

IIRC isn't Russia today still lagging during its Soviet Era in terms of quality of life?

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Yes it is.

Danke.

I feel like I should be surprised at that fact, but I'm not.

IIRC isn't Russia today still lagging during its Soviet Era in terms of quality of life?

I wanna say yes. At least the wealth disparity got even (read far) worse after the fall iirc.

 

[jamesinclair]

What a weird question to ask coming from you. I've always saw you as one of the more fiscally liberal guys on this board. Quite the change of heart now the bill is coming towards you.

I agree that the wealthy should pay more of their fair share to at least cover societal necessities like health care. But in the absence of rich paying for health insurance, surely you'd be able to understand that the healthy paying for the sick is a much better option than making the sick pay for everything, especially since the healthy could easily become the sick the next day.

I do not feel comfortable paying $180 a month to a for-profit company (insurance) so that a for-profit company (hospital) can prescribe me grossly overpriced medicine sold by for-profit companies (pharma) so that other for-profit companies (credit card) are able to collect my bill payments if I become sick.

If hospitals were actually not for profit, with fixed compensation at higher levels, and insurance was the same, then Id be more willing to fork over the cash.

As the plan is now, the cheapest option is a scam. Its grand-theft. Its a tax hike where the tax is going straight to some executive compensation package and a romney portfolio.

Unless I become catastrophically ill, the plan is useless to me.

I dont make much money. Why am I being forced to subsidize the rich....again?



And Qazaq, none of those people did those things for me. They did them for themselves.

 

[Black Mamba]

I do not feel comfortable paying $180 a month to a for-profit company (insurance) so that a for-profit company (hospital) can prescribe me grossly overpriced medicine sold by for-profit companies (pharma) so that other for-profit companies (credit card) are able to collect my bill payments if I become sick.

If hospitals were actually not for profit, with fixed compensation at higher levels, and insurance was the same, then Id be more willing to fork over the cash.

As the plan is now, the cheapest option is a scam. Its grand-theft. Its a tax hike where the tax is going straight to some executive compensation package and a romney portfolio.

Unless I become catastrophically ill, the plan is useless to me.

I dont make much money. Why am I being forced to subsidize the rich....again?



And Qazaq, none of those people did those things for me. They did them for themselves.

Blue Shield of California is a not for profit company.

Without knowing how much you earn or zip code or age, I can't tell how much a silver plan would cost.

Also, the tax penalty is more than $90 for you since it's 1% of your income and you obviously earn over $20k otherwise your cheapest option wouldn't be $155.

 

[B-Dubs]

IIRC isn't Russia today still lagging during its Soviet Era in terms of quality of life?

I wouldn't be shocked by this in the slightest. Like I said, the Russian people are constantly getting reamed, all throughout history.

 

[jamesinclair]

Blue Shield of California is a not for profit company.

Without knowing how much you earn or zip code or age, I can't tell how much a silver plan would cost.

Also, the tax penalty is more than $90 for you since it's 1% of your income and you obviously earn over $20k otherwise your cheapest option wouldn't be $155.

PM

not for profit doesnt mean the wages and benefits arent enormous

 

[zero shift]

not for profit company.

I rarely believe this when a company says so.

 

[Black Mamba]

PM

not for profit doesnt mean the wages and benefits arent enormous

You sure you're not pregnant?

It would cost you $229 for a silver plan or so from blue shied, a PPO. The website is down so it might be a bit different.

$2k deductible medical, $250 drugs (generic not subject at $19) $45/65 copays without deductible, OOP max $6350, free preventative care.

I get it that at your income level and age. You're not being subsidized enough (I won't post your info, btw) and depending on your other bills (debt, etc) it might be too much for you to pay it right now.

But I wouldn't touch the bronze plan. The silver plan would be the way to go if you did purchase it.

You could also get catastrophic, but that would be pretty expensive considering what you get. If you forego insurance, hopefully it's just for a short time. You're in that awful twilight zone area, unfortunately.

I rarely believe this when a company says so.

https://www.blueshieldca.com/employer/knowledge-center/features/perspectives/not-for-profit.sp

 

[Black Mamba]

More proof the GOP is becoming cartoonishly evil by the day


Background Checks for people trying to get the uninsured insured? yes.

background checks for gun buyers? No.

GJ Texas.

 

[leroidys]

Russia previous to communism was nothing short of a clusterfuck. They are the one nation that always seems to get the short end of the stick. They got fucked before, during and after communism. I have a hard time of thinking of a time when they weren't getting bent over the table and reamed.

And plenty of people in Russia today think of the era of Stalin as "The Good Old Days".

 

[Karakand]

What do you mean when you say "intellectually captive"? If it's what I think it means, I think the modern American public is probably the most intellectually captive population in human history (maybe save one other). Imperial Russia did not have a mass media nearly of the scale as the US.

I mean that they were exposed to few ideas and were unable to do anything about it because of the pervasiveness of illiteracy (and their material conditions). Choosing to be ignorant (as Americans are wont to) is not the same thing.

Its amusing to me how people try to vastly exaggerate how "well off" Russia was prior to switching to Communism. Not that I support Leninism or Stalinism, but people act that Russia was pretty much at the level Austria-Hungary was in development. The Soviet Union is amazingly underplayed.

The degree of state violence is also conveniently disregarded.

I rarely believe this when a company says so.

It's helpful to remember that just because something is not run for profit doesn't mean it doesn't have to accumulate profit to perpetuate itself.

 

[Boom Boom Pow]

I do not feel comfortable paying $180 a month to a for-profit company (insurance) so that a for-profit company (hospital) can prescribe me grossly overpriced medicine sold by for-profit companies (pharma) so that other for-profit companies (credit card) are able to collect my bill payments if I become sick.

If hospitals were actually not for profit, with fixed compensation at higher levels, and insurance was the same, then Id be more willing to fork over the cash.

As the plan is now, the cheapest option is a scam. Its grand-theft. Its a tax hike where the tax is going straight to some executive compensation package and a romney portfolio.

Unless I become catastrophically ill, the plan is useless to me.

I dont make much money. Why am I being forced to subsidize the rich....again?



And Qazaq, none of those people did those things for me. They did them for themselves.

i dont understand. if hospitals aren't for profit, how can they invest in training new med students, new equipments, new techniques, new upgrades, new rooms, and more staff?

 

[Sirpopopop]

I imagine there is more naivety amongst youth with respect to foreign diplomacy, foreign cultures, and the standing of the US in certain parts of the world e.g. "Why didn't Obama just tell them to do exactly what he says or else?"

Check out the Snowden thread.

The fucking redditization of the "youth" really pisses me off. They only care about two issues:

"DRONES DRONES DRONES FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM."

Yeah, it's an important issue. It's not the only fucking issue.

Fuck the "youth" for not thinking about immigration, environment, credible foreign policy, energy, economics, civil rights, etc.

(yeah, I know that article isn't exactly focused on those two issues alone, but I feel that in talking with most younger folks, the only thing they are focusing on are the above two topics. In turn those two topics color their views on... everything.)

 

[StopMakingSense]

i dont understand. if hospitals aren't for profit, how can they invest in training new med students, new equipments, new techniques, new upgrades, new rooms, and more staff?

That not what non-profit means...

 

[effzee]

So I have been out of the loop on this whole Bashir-Palin fiasco but through my twitter feed this morning I learned that he has resigned. Or that he was fired but they are saying he left.

Either way why was he forced out? Why is Palin never held responsibly for the BS she spews? But Bashir has to leave for a comment?

And then even weirder on the trending topic, I see all this Micheal Jackson related stuff. WTF did I miss out on? What happened between Bashir and MJ?

 

[RustyNails]

Bashir did a very scummy interview with MJ for ABC a while ago. It really painted MJ in a negative light. It was a sensationalist cut and paste job. Compare Bashir's interview with MJ to Oprah's interview with MJ. World's apart.

 

[codhand]

market's down, things must really be getting better.

 

[GhaleonEB]

And Qazaq, none of those people did those things for me. They did them for themselves.

It's been a long while since I saw a point sail so cleanly over someone's head like this.

 

[RustyNails]

i dont understand. if hospitals aren't for profit, how can they invest in training new med students, new equipments, new techniques, new upgrades, new rooms, and more staff?

Through redistribution of wealth.

 

[Jooney]

More proof the GOP is becoming cartoonishly evil by the day


Background Checks for people trying to get the uninsured insured? yes.

background checks for gun buyers? No.

GJ Texas.

So Texas wants to make it harder for uninsured people to purchase insurance on the private market.

Love the rationale stated in the article and comments that it is to stop felons from getting those cushy navigator jobs. So shamelessly transparent.

 

[empty vessel]

i dont understand. if hospitals aren't for profit, how can they invest in training new med students, new equipments, new techniques, new upgrades, new rooms, and more staff?

They simply make more revenue than they have expenses. Nonprofit does not mean revenue must match expenses. It means revenue cannot be paid to shareholders. A nonprofit has no shareholders. A nonprofit can invest its excess revenue. It can use it to modernize equipment, to expand, or it can pay its employees higher wages.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewi...icans-lives-have-gotten-better-with-obamacare

Tea party challenge incoming in...?

 

[Sibylus]

Kerry lobbies Netanyahu to give interim nuclear deal with Iran some breathing room (Anne Gearan, William Booth, WashPo)

“While there certainly is a disagreement over tactics, as we all know, the Israelis had supported an effort to have a comprehensive agreement,” a State Department official traveling with Kerry said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview Kerry’s discussions.

“We felt a first step was the only viable path forward. We are now negotiating comprehensive steps. So this is what he is hopeful to speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team about,” the official said.

The United States also wants Netanyahu to signal to pro-Israel lawmakers in the United States that he is willing to give the talks a chance. That may be unrealistic, because the congressional drive for more sanctions on Iran could strengthen Israel’s hand in demanding a strong deal. Netanyahu also does not have complete control over powerful pro-Israel activist groups in the United States, which sometimes take a harder line than the Israeli government on security matters.

I doubt even Kerry can shake Netanyahu from peak belligerency (the larger circumstances might), but I suppose the upside here is that negotiations came together in the first place without Israel's express approval, and can conceivably proceed without it. They probably should, going by the "mouse and cookies" school of international diplomacy.

 

[Wilsongt]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewi...icans-lives-have-gotten-better-with-obamacare

Tea party challenge incoming in...?

Well, he just lost his seat

 

[Boom Boom Pow]

They simply make more revenue than they have expenses. Nonprofit does not mean revenue must match expenses. It means revenue cannot be paid to shareholders. A nonprofit has no shareholders. A nonprofit can invest its excess revenue. It can use it to modernize equipment, to expand, or it can pay its employees higher wages.

all businesses are started by someone. that person then becomes an owner. so the only way there can be no "shareholders" is if such business was started by the government.

 

[empty vessel]

all businesses are started by someone. that person then becomes an owner. so the only way there can be no "shareholders" is if such business was started by the government.

Nope. (Except in the sense that all incorporated entities are governmental entities.)

I mean that they were exposed to few ideas and were unable to do anything about it because of the pervasiveness of illiteracy (and their material conditions). Choosing to be ignorant (as Americans are wont to) is not the same thing.

I think I misunderstood the idea you were trying to get across. While Americans are certainly more literate, they are also more indoctrinated by more powerful forces, which presents an entirely different dilemma. Also, I don't know that I would call indoctrination from birth a choice to be ignorant. I mean, don't get me wrong, I get easily frustrated with the American public, but I think if we take a dispassionate and empirical view of the matter, people are products of their influences, and the ruling class's influence in the US is unmatched probably in all of human history, so Americans never really stood a chance. Of course, that doesn't mean we give up.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

Kerry lobbies Netanyahu to give interim nuclear deal with Iran some breathing room (Anne Gearan, William Booth, WashPo)


I doubt even Kerry can shake Netanyahu from peak belligerency (the larger circumstances might), but I suppose the upside here is that negotiations came together in the first place without Israel's express approval, and can conceivably proceed without it. They probably should, going by the "mouse and cookies" school of international diplomacy.

We should just ignore Netanyahu and do what is good for US and not Israel.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

all businesses are started by someone. that person then becomes an owner. so the only way there can be no "shareholders" is if such business was started by the government.

All corporations are started by the government. That's what a corporation ks, a separate legal entity distinct from a person that has legal protections afforded by the government.

There are very little sole proprietorships and none of them are insurance companies. And even then why can't someone reinvest profits instead of giving money to shareholders?

 

[jamesinclair]

All corporations are started by the government. That's what a corporation ks, a separate legal entity distinct from a person that has legal protections afforded by the government.

There are very little sole proprietorships and none of them are insurance companies. And even then why can't someone reinvest profits instead of giving money to shareholders?

By definition profit is what's left over after you spent on reinvestment and ridiculous compensation packages

 

[Aaron Strife]

Jerry Brown's approval rating is 58%! Bad news for Rob Schneider:

Gov. Jerry Brown's path to re-election appears to have few roadblocks, a pair of new polls shows - his small-name challengers are barely registering with voters, who see plenty of problems for the state but are content not to pin them on the governor.

Despite California's high unemployment and poverty rates, 58 percent of registered voters approve of how Brown is doing his job - the highest mark of the 75-year-old Democrat's third term, according to a nonpartisan Field Poll released Thursday. His highest-ever Field mark was a 69 percent approval notch in March 1976, during his first term.

Brown's approval rating is 49 percent among likely voters, according to a survey released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California - which is consistent with that poll's estimation of him over the past year.

Neither yardstick shows any of Brown's announced or expected Republican challengers - former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly of Twin Peaks (San Bernardino County) or former U.S. Treasury Department official Neel Kashkari - getting more than 16 percent of the vote against him in the June primary.

Let's all celebrate with a California cheeseburger

In the heart of the country we see the terror of taxn'spend socialism wreaking havoc on other blue states like Minnesota:

Minnesota's rebounding economy has brought the state a $1.08 billion surplus for the remainder of the two year budget cycle, according to a new state economic forecast.
That's good news for state leaders, who had pinned their hopes on the state steadily pulling itself out of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression.

But certainly a state like Wisconsin run by business-friendly, fiscal conservative Republicans would be doing even better, oh wait Scott Walker's latest budget proposal creates a $725 million deficit and their unemployment rate is much higher (4.8% for MN compared to 6.5% for WI), herpa derpa ferpenshtein.

 

[Wilsongt]

Aw. Shep is so cute. :3

Spoiler

I'd go fanboy if I saw Joe Mananiello, too. So hawt.

Shep Smith Turns into Awestruck Fanboy During Chat with Star of HBO’s True Blood

Longtime Shepard Smith viewers know that he just can’t get enough of the HBO show True Blood, and during an interview he did Wednesday with Joe Manganiello, one of the stars of the show, Smith appeared to transform into a teenage fanboy in the halls of Comic-Con as opposed to an anchor on a major cable news network.

The interview did delve into the serious, with Manganiello talking about struggles in his own life he’s had to overcome, but really, Shep was there for the V. Not the V you’re thinking of, “V” is shorthand for what is literally just vampire blood on the show.

Smith basically went through whole plotlines on the show, chatting with Manganiello about his character, who’s a werewolf and there’s something about eating a “pack master” and someone named Sookie… I don’t watch the show, so I could barely follow this.

I knew it had to be one of the male costars before even reading the article. Shep is so obvious. :3

 

[zero shift]

The degree of state violence is also conveniently disregarded.

...in Russia. Eveywhere else never shuts up about it (rightfully so).

 

[Black Mamba]

They simply make more revenue than they have expenses. Nonprofit does not mean revenue must match expenses. It means revenue cannot be paid to shareholders. A nonprofit has no shareholders. A nonprofit can invest its excess revenue. It can use it to modernize equipment, to expand, or it can pay its employees higher wages.

It can also return the money to the customers like in the insurance field which Blue Shield has done.

 

[WayneMorse]

So, jobs numbers come out tomorrow.

I'm expecting more depressing data, more stagnant wages and unemployment.

 

[Atlagev]

Aw. Shep is so cute. :3

Spoiler

I'd go fanboy if I saw Joe Mananiello, too. So hawt.

Shep Smith Turns into Awestruck Fanboy During Chat with Star of HBO’s True Blood



I knew it had to be one of the male costars before even reading the article. Shep is so obvious. :3

If I had to start a cable news network of my own, Shep, Anderson Cooper, and Rachel Maddow would be the first 3 people I hired. I love them all, although some of Coop's stories are a little...odd lately, although I think that's the fault CNN's weird direction they've been going in.

Also, Shep *better* get a cameo on next season's True Blood. They gave one to Lawrence O'Donnell, for christ's sakes. Shep as a good ol' Southern boy would make so much more sense, plus, as is evident, he loves the show so much.

 

[Black Mamba]

So, jobs numbers come out tomorrow.

I'm expecting more depressing data, more stagnant wages and unemployment.

I think the job numbers will be good, though UE might go up if more people entered the labor market (a good thing).

The U.S. economy grew faster than initially estimated in the third quarter as businesses aggressively accumulated stock, but underlying domestic demand remained sluggish. Gross domestic product grew at a 3.6 percent annual rate instead of the 2.8 percent pace reported earlier, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.

In other news, Pelosi may be taking a UE Benefits stand

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said Democrats would not support a budget deal that does not extend emergency unemployment benefits, which are set to lapse on Dec. 28 for about 1.3 million people.

“Yes indeed, we are making a very clear statement that we cannot, cannot support a budget agreement that does not include unemployment insurance in the budget or as a sidebar in order to move it all along,” she said at a hearing she held on unemployment benefits. “It would undermine who we are as a country.”

Please hold this line, Pelosi. Let the GOP shut down the gov't if it doesn't extend UE Benefits. This will go over even better for them than Obamacare, shutdown.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

God, I hope so.

 

[PhoenixDark]

I heard Ryan say extending UE benefits would cost too much. Hilariously, an extension would cost around what the GOP wasted by shutting down the government: 24-26b.

 

[WayneMorse]

Oh shit, I forgot about UE benefits.

If the Dems go on the offensive they can win this, the majority of the American public supports UE benefits.

Or maybe go even farther and try to get a $10 minimum wage out of it too, but that might be too much.

And let's hope that the Patty Murray-Paul Ryan budget talks collapse so that we wont be stuck with a shitty deal.

 

[User 250141]

The fucking redditization of the "youth" really pisses me off. They only care about two issues:

"DRONES DRONES DRONES FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM."

Yeah, it's an important issue. It's not the only fucking issue.

Fuck the "youth" for not thinking about immigration, environment, credible foreign policy, energy, economics, civil rights, etc.

Yeah, it's ridiculous. "Drones" should be about the least relevant issue to young people facing massive youth unemployment, an uncertain environmental future, poor race relations, etc.

We are a generation utterly divorced from reason.

 

[JesseEwiak]

Yeah, it's ridiculous. "Drones" should be about the least relevant issue to young people facing massive youth unemployment, an uncertain environmental future, poor race relations, etc.

We are a generation utterly divorced from reason.

Eh, I think we're in a bit of a bubble. Yes, among educated, childless, middle-to-upper-middle class white kids in urban areas, drones and the NSA looking at my porn downloading habits are a big deal. Outside of that, 18-25 year olds are worried about their jobs, their kids, and so on.

 

[User 250141]

Yes, among educated, childless, middle-to-upper-middle class white kids in urban areas, drones and the NSA looking at my porn downloading habits are a big deal.

dat empathy gap

Spoiler

I shouldn't be so critical. I probably would have felt the same way when I was 18, too.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Check out the Snowden thread.

The fucking redditization of the "youth" really pisses me off. They only care about two issues:

"DRONES DRONES DRONES FREEDOM FREEDOM FREEDOM."

Yeah, it's an important issue. It's not the only fucking issue.

Fuck the "youth" for not thinking about immigration, environment, credible foreign policy, energy, economics, civil rights, etc.

(yeah, I know that article isn't exactly focused on those two issues alone, but I feel that in talking with most younger folks, the only thing they are focusing on are the above two topics. In turn those two topics color their views on... everything.)

I don't think it's fair to dictate what others should be concerned most about. Of course people should be concerned about their government systematically assassinating people, including two Americans, overseas. Not just targets, but family and medics who come close to the bodies. I don't see how any decent person could greenlight double tap strikes, and I actually support the general idea of taking out certain people with drones.

At the end of the day it should not be surprising that the youth has moved on, after 5 years of high unemployment and general disappointment. I have no sympathy for young people who blame Obama for 100% of things, as if republican obstruction played no part, but I also think it's fair for people to generally believe Obama is someone who talks a good game but doesn't deliver. That's their personal view, I'm not going to knock them for it. And to be honest it's close to where I am. I'm not going to re-litigate the past, I'm in the minority on Obama here. Personally I think the last 5 years has validated nearly everything Hillary argued in 2007/2008.

 

[WayneMorse]

Mandela's death is so depressing, he was one of the last great world leaders. Who do we have left alive to look up to?

 

[Black Mamba]

Mandela's death is so depressing, he was one of the last great world leaders. Who do we have left alive to look up to?

Hologram Reagan

 

[B-Dubs]

Mandela's death is so depressing, he was one of the last great world leaders. Who do we have left alive to look up to?

The Onion had a similar sentiment.

Nelson Mandela Becomes First Politician To Be Missed

 

[Black Mamba]

Latest Republicans Are Evil Thread For Your Enjoyment!

 

[ClassyPenguin]

Eh, I think we're in a bit of a bubble. Yes, among educated, childless, middle-to-upper-middle class white kids in urban areas, drones and the NSA looking at my porn downloading habits are a big deal. Outside of that, 18-25 year olds are worried about their jobs, their kids, and so on.

So the average gaffer, basically. Explains why this thread is a bastion of reason in some regards.

Awesome Mandela quotes

 

[Owzers]

Kind of crazy watching conservatives talk nicely about how Mandela was a man of peace while hating on Obama for the past week because he doesn't want to nuke Iran.

 

[Wilsongt]

Latest Republicans Are Evil Thread For Your Enjoyment!

You're a day late. =P Cartoon beat you to it.