Sad day for America

China is proof that free markets don't require freedom. Either you're kidding, or you have no idea what a brutal dictatorship Communist China really is.

In no ways have they already done that, and even when they become the largest economy, in about 10-20 years, the average Chinese will be much less affluent than the average American. Also despite the US having only 1/5 as many people, we're still the third largest nation in the world, our population isn't shrinking (thanks to immigrants), we have 15-17 of the best 20 universities, and it's easier to raise capital for new businesses here than about anywhere else.

Some of those cuts were planned by -- the GW Bush administration, just as many of the cuts implemented during the Clinton administration originated with the GHW Bush administration and then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney. But it's silly to have a military that, as the Economist editorialized, is too big for anything but empire building but not big enough to accomplish that goal.

I guess you missed all the reports about how bad the Bradley actually was -- it looks like a tank to the enemy, but its armor is too light to protect against heavy weapons while its gun is too small to inflict damage against heavily protected targets. Fortunately we haven't had to fight competent regular armies or enemies who are heavily protected. The switch to Hummers was to let us deploy forces much faster (it took months to ship ground forces to the Middle East for the Gulf War) and be more mobile in our attacks. But tell me, how would Bradleys or even real tanks help us in Afghanistan or Iraq?

Why did you switch to Medicare Advantage when you said you had private coverage that was both better and cheaper than regular Medicare? As you know, Medicare Advantage isn't really a private plan because tax money pays for it, and it's not cheaper but actually costs $100 more a month per participant than regular Medicare costs.

Do you mean Germany or Italy? ;)

Medicare Advantage is heavily subsidized by taxpayers. Which makes you a low-down commie. Hey Mike (or is it really Vladimir?), why don't you offer a grant to a hospital to build a "Mike Hunter" wing with all that money you're rolling in? They'll take care of you. Then decent working people won't have to listen you whining about how hard it is to pay your commie health care dues - despite all your riches.

--Vic

What in the world makes you think my B.C. Medicare Advantage Plan, that gives me MORE coverage than Medicare for less money than Medicare, is screwing me? My monthly premium was free for six years then went to $8 for five years, now it is $18 and will mostly likely go up as the federal plan is implemented.

Medicare only pays 80%. My M.A.P pays 100% and offers me things like an exercise program, dental care and eye glasses, which are not covered by Medicare, except after Eye surgery

You are obviously confused if that is that you believe

Ya right

He's just a wacko with a motor mouth. China's economy has much central control on manufacturing and currency. To whiners the grass is always greener. Even in a hell hole like commie China. Reminds me of Lee Harvey Oswald going to his beloved USSR and being a loser there too, then come crawling back to the U.S.A.

--Vic

You might have pointed our that the top ten hospitals the world are right here in the US, but we can be sure that will change if the Supreme Court does not overtone that new so called healthcare bill

You wasted a paragraph talking to a liar. It's more profitable talking to your dog. The dog will smile and wag its tail.

--Vic

Don't talk stupid both the hummer and the Bradley Fighting Vehicles were in service at the same time to transport troops.

Actually I did pay half of the cost of a Cancer Center at a hospital and I have endowed two Engineering chair at my University as well. ;)

Or Michel Moore and Sean Penn, two millionaire air heads, that like Dictators. If they lived in Cuba or Argentina they would be digging ditches

Oh geez, are there actually Tea-Partiers that now think that the Supreme Court has any say in the Health Care bill? Do they know that gullible is spelled with four Ls?

The amount of waste and fraud in the Medicare Advantage plans offered by for-profit insurance companies is incredible. What's bad is the few good ones, offered by non-profit HMOs that are not gaming the system, will also lose out from the cuts. Don't cry for companies like Humana, ask a doctor about them and you'll touch a nerve.

It's the far-right wackos that were responsible for this huge loss for the Republicans. Now they're whining about how they'll defeat those Democrats in the swing districts in November. Big deal. Some Democrats will lose, as always happens in mid-term elections for the party in power. No Republican is going to campaign on taking away the payment to help close the doughnut hole, or to allow the insurance companies to start dumping patients that are sick. Nearly every voter has experienced the health care system either first hand or through friends and relatives that have no insurance or crappy insurance. There is no groundswell of anger over the health care plan outside the world of few naive tea party idiots that are destroying the Republican party.

Gawd it was amusing to see that buffoon Darrell Issa being ripped a new one by Debra Wasserman-Schultz, with him trying to goad her into calling him a bald face liar.

"Conservative pundit, columnist, and speech writer for President Bush, David Frum says the Republicans have no one to blame but themselves for what he called their ?most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s.? Mr. Frum posted an article Monday morning laying out the reasons the Republican strategy of ?no cooperation? has amounted to a Waterloo for the GOP rather than Obama.

In his article Frum points out that it was the Right Wing talking heads that painted the Republicans into a proverbial corner. With Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck describing the Democrats as Nazi?s who want to kill your grandmother, how can you negotiate with someone like that. He also said the Republican hopes for regaining seats in the upcoming elections in November may be over-optimistic. ?once people start receiving the goodies from the health care bill? it?s going to be pretty hard to run against that. And even if the Republicans do pull off another 1994 landslide, repealing the bill will be impossible. How do you tell seniors we?re going to put the hole back in the donut? How can you tell the 25 year old we?re going to take your health insurance away? You?re not says Mr. Frum.

As devastating as David Frum?s comments about the Republican?s strategy during this debate is, this correspondent believes the negative tone and tolerance for and encouragement of the TEA Party protestors will be even more difficult for the GOP to overcome this November. All week reports of TEA Party protesters yelling racial epitaphs at black legislators and even spitting on one were all over the news stations. And one Republican actually yelled ?baby killer? at representative Stupac when he stood up to announce he would oppose the motion to re-commit forwarded by the Republicans.

History has shown us that candidates for office that exude an angry and negative tone don?t do well in elections. And if the Republicans believe they can win in November on a ?repeal the health care bill? platform, I?m afraid their hopes for regaining the majority will fall the way of their effort to kill the health care bill."

I put my application in to be on one. I'm starting with newsgroup posters. Plenty to choose there.

O for crying out loud you crybabies. This thread is GONE!!!

You laugh?? In a subtle way the death panels will be a part of obamacare.

Watch your backside.

That has nothing to do with the fact that death panels were not mentioned in the bills. Republicans brought them up to discredit the bill.

Nonetheless, what makes you think the US is different than other countries? Insurance companies already decide what procedures they will pay for and whom their patients on a particular plan may see. And people without health coverage don't less care. And when they visit an emergency department, they don't get primary care.

Unless there is unlimited coverage, people won't get unlimited care.

Jeff