Is President Obama Our Savior?

[Willy13]

While a lofty goal I doubt he can get National Health Care, there is simply no way to pay for it. Assuming you wanted to cover every American as well as Medicare it would cost between 3.5 and 4 trillion dollars a year.

To make the program affordable it would have to cost less than 400 billion a year. Which means if your covering everyone you'd cover them about a 1/8 to 1/10 as good as Medicare.

As it stands now you are right. It is simply too expensive and that is the problem. There is so much unnecessary spending in health care. What some Docs pay for malpractice insurance alone is outrageous. As for patients, get rid of all these greedy insurance companies looking for excuses to deny them coverage and make one big non profit company that exists to serve patients and not shareholders and executives. From what I read about single payer systems, that could cut lots of the unnecessary expense. I also think healthcare workers and institutions should have tax exempt status since they provide a vital community service. They could pass those savings on to patients. Expensive hospital equipment could be bought using government grants. I for one would rather have my tax dollars go to several $2 million MRI machines than one $1.2 billion stealth bomber. I think we could have a nice health care system in this nation if we could just get the greed and corruption out of the equation and get our priorities straight.

[Kansas1960]

And then we can use the money saved from the difference in the MRI machines and the stealth bommer to pay for health care for the relased prisioner from Gitmo and to have funerals paid for by the government when these killers come to your city and blow up the market places, schools and shopping malls. If only America was nicer to these people they would quit killing us. (That is like saying if only you were nicer to your abusive husband he would quit smacking you). I am so sick of the way people are so gah gah over the Messiah Obama and the media promoting him becasue he is a liberal democrate that happens to be black. Are you not seeing that he is using the media...and you will also see your rights eroded. Drink the koolaid...I didn't vote for him so I have no mark on my forehead.
Peace

[blankslate]

I understand your passion, but I think you're getting to the point of being insulting rather than just giving your opinion in a healthy manner.

My father is a WWII veteran who served in Germany and China. He joined the Army as the son of an Italian immigrant widow and berated by his fellow soldiers as a "Dirty Dago." Yet he was proud of his voluntary enlistment and proud to serve the USA. He lived through the Great Depression living in the slums under street level with roaches covering his body as he tried to sleep. He knows how terrible things can get and he also knows the value of our freedoms and opportunities as he eventually became VP of a bank.

In my father's words based on his experiences and history "A good President is one who can work with his congress and get things accomplished regardless of his political party."

He is inspired by Obama, not because he is black but because he is a man who actually cares enough to make things better for the majority of the country, not a handful of the wealthy. My Father only looks at Jesus Christ as the Messiah, everyone else is just a human and prone to mistakes as well as success.

I honestly don't know of anyone who voted for Obama who sees him as the almighty saviour. I DO see people who look at him with pride because they see him as someone who represents their needs, hopes and dreams.

[Kansas1960]

It is only insulting to someone who has drank the koolaid. Do you see what people have said about W. for the last 8 years? I am not a big W. fan because he did not live up the the conservative principles of his party. The media is so pro Obama it makes me laugh. Why would I want to "give him a chance" when the path he wants to take us is Socialism. I don't want to give it a try. This is why I hope he "fails" in turning us into socialist Europe. I do not think everything he is about is bad. He is a wonderful leader and inspires many people, but I want capitalism as our form of economy, not socialism...look at Iceland.

[blankslate]

Your opinions are strong and they are yours to do as you like.

But don't accuse me of "drinking kool aid" because you know nothing about me other than I come from a patriotic father as I stated in my post above.

I have a background in politics and a folder of recommendations all from GOP Senators and Bush Sr. I respected them as humans but did not agree with their politics. I voted for Bill Clinton. I don't drink any "kool aid" I go by my observations and not what others tell me I should think. I vote very carefully, researching every proposition and politician on that ballot. I know who has a their hands in the pockets of "special interest" that is not in the interest of the people they serve. I do not care about political party lines because I share believes on both sides. I actually was torn on McCain. I liked the man he was 8 years ago but he became desperate in his final hours to appeal to the conservatives and made a horrible choice for his running mate. Had he been able to choose Lieberman, things might have gone differently.

Conservative values are a fine thing to have but they do not work for the country as a whole. Neither does blind hatred or ignorance of those who have a different opinion or background. That is not what this country is about or the values it was founded on.

[Kansas1960]

Don't take it personal, my comments were generally for the mass media that is mesmerized by Obama. My father was in WW2 8 days after D-Day he was in France and there throughout the war. I also lost 2 uncles in WW2. I am patriotic and not blindly hating. I just know I do not want Socialism here and I belive Obama wants this. I am mostly a libertarian but much closer to Republican than Democrat. We will survive as a nation after this social experiment is over. I will benefit since I will be retired and the young people who voted for Obama will take care of my bills. I am mostly in it for the future of our country.


Edit: I am finished with this topic. I don't want to be known as the guy that only posts about politics. I am still learning the BK thing and will post more on topics about BK when I have more knowledge. Sorry to anyone who was annoyed by my posts. No offense to anyone with different opinions since we all have much more in common than differences with politics.

[Willy13]

Edit: I am finished with this topic. I don't want to be known as the guy that only posts about politics. I am still learning the BK thing and will post more on topics about BK when I have more knowledge. Sorry to anyone who was annoyed by my posts. No offense to anyone with different opinions since we all have much more in common than differences with politics.

No offense at all. This is just good old healthy debating in my opinion. When two people argue even though they may be opposing each other completely and going nowhere, it may put enough ideas on the table to where maybe a third person may see something and get that miracle brain storm out of it. Let's just hope we have those kind of people in our government.

[JRScott]

As it stands now you are right. It is simply too expensive and that is the problem. There is so much unnecessary spending in health care. What some Docs pay for malpractice insurance alone is outrageous. As for patients, get rid of all these greedy insurance companies looking for excuses to deny them coverage and make one big non profit company that exists to serve patients and not shareholders and executives. From what I read about single payer systems, that could cut lots of the unnecessary expense. I also think healthcare workers and institutions should have tax exempt status since they provide a vital community service. They could pass those savings on to patients. Expensive hospital equipment could be bought using government grants. I for one would rather have my tax dollars go to several $2 million MRI machines than one $1.2 billion stealth bomber. I think we could have a nice health care system in this nation if we could just get the greed and corruption out of the equation and get our priorities straight.

See that's the problem though.

To control health care costs you need to do two things.

1. Limit the amount of malpractice awards. Maximum award equal to 20x the victim's annual income. While a mistake that leads to the full disability or death of individual is saddening, this award would replace their income in perpetual assuming proper investment. If you're 50% disabled by the error then you get half that amount max etc.

For example on someone that made 30k a year. 20x that is 600k. Assuming its invested and you make at least 5% off the investments you would make 30k every year without touching the principle.

This gets rid of many of the multimillion dollar suits, though obviously if you make sufficiently high enough it could still be a multimillion dollar suit.

2. Impose a windfall tax on Pharmaceutical Companies. Most people think big oil makes huge profits but they don't, big oil makes about 8% profit a year, on the other hand the drug companies make 24% profit a year.....

[hopejones]

Now that he is officially our President, do you think Obama is our savior from the heavens?

I certainly hope he is. Our country's economy really needs some saving right now. God works in mysterious ways you know. I don't want to live in a 3rd world country, but if things don't get any better then.....I hate to think about what the "then" will be.

[Willy13]

2. Impose a windfall tax on Pharmaceutical Companies. Most people think big oil makes huge profits but they don't, big oil makes about 8% profit a year, on the other hand the drug companies make 24% profit a year.....

Only problem with that is they will just pass on the expense of extra taxes onto their customers. I honestly don't know why we tax businesses since it is we who pay those taxes in the end. The same goes for malpractice awards. It's the patients who ultimately pick up the bill for those when the Doc's raise there prices after the insurance companies increase their premiums for the money they lose when they have to pay out.

Your very right on your other point though, the whole lawsuit business as a whole needs to be dealth with because the ones who mostly benefit from it are lawyers.

[simon2020]

Obama Wins Today


Obama got his Stimulus plan.

House Passes Stimulus Plan

Now, if only the money would "trickle" down to all of us who really need to money/help asap.

Do you think this plan (if passed by the Senate) will help Americans get on the right track to prosperity again?

[truckerswife]

No. I am not saying he wont do a good job though. I hope he does. However, I think a lot of people are confused on how much power one man has. He can suggest things but they still have to go through a process. As far as those that are Bush bashers, I don't think that's fair. I don't think he was a perfect president but I realize there are a lot of things that go on that the public never knows about, and probably doesn't want to. Now, I know that this is going to sound crazy but I couldn't vote for Obama. For one, I don't like the fact that everyone refers to him as "the Savior". Then, and I know this sounds awful but I'm being honest, I can't get over the names. Obama(Osama) Husane and Bi(n)(la)den. I'm sorry. I just feel like that was to odd. To each their own, though.

[MomIcantFindmy]

See that's the problem though.

To control health care costs you need to do two things.

1. Limit the amount of malpractice awards. Maximum award equal to 20x the victim's annual income. While a mistake that leads to the full disability or death of individual is saddening, this award would replace their income in perpetual assuming proper investment. If you're 50% disabled by the error then you get half that amount max etc.

For example on someone that made 30k a year. 20x that is 600k. Assuming its invested and you make at least 5% off the investments you would make 30k every year without touching the principle.

This gets rid of many of the multimillion dollar suits, though obviously if you make sufficiently high enough it could still be a multimillion dollar suit.

2. Impose a windfall tax on Pharmaceutical Companies. Most people think big oil makes huge profits but they don't, big oil makes about 8% profit a year, on the other hand the drug companies make 24% profit a year.....

One of the problems with limiting malpractice award in relation to income is that many people who are injured in malpractice are not employed. Children who are injured by improper drug dosages come to mind. When I was 14 a doctor injured me severely by his stupid mistake and it led to the loss of a lung!!! Even the other doctors could not believe what he had done. My surgeon walked into the hospital room and excused the incompetent doctor out of the room as he was taking over. Would one really think my settlement should be 20x my income?....that would be zero to suffer for the next 70 years.

I know a bit about healthcare costs and we have seen a dramatic rise since the 1980's which can be directly linked to the profits of hospitals, drug companies and insurance companies. Prior to 1980 hospitals were generally non-profit or not-for-profit. Reagan changed that to allow hospitals to garner a profit thereby opening market and free choice which would result in (he predicted) lower costs.
We learn the same rule over and over again....if we allow the free market to run unchecked we are trampled by the greed of corporate leaders.

[simon2020]

And this is why we are in a mess - 2 WORDS - WALL STREET

Obama rocks!

He just tell it the way it is.

Wall Street Executives are shameful!!

18-20 billion dollars in bonuses and what to the American people get??? That's right, we keep pouring our tax dollars into their bank vaults while they keep increasing our credit card interest rates, cut our credit lines, foreclose our homes, take our cars and laugh all the way to the bank -- ummm I meant laugh all the way to spending MORE OF OUR HARD EARNED MONEY!!

This is not the time to give out bonuses.

[simon2020]

Super Bowl Time!


Well, at least our President is honest in who he will support for the Super Bowl. Just hopes his team wins so he can win the Stimulus package too and get this economy moving again.

Steelers and Obama