Trump

[Kung Wu]

Quote Originally Posted by Kung Wu View Post

So somewhere between 22% to 55% more efficient then the Euro example? Not bad!

I appreciate your humor, it's really good. Don't ask me about your math this morning, though!

:)

[SB Shock]

Looks like we can put the Russian fake news to rest.

Why the Russia Story Is a Minefield for Democrats and the Media

CHUCK TODD: were there improper contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials?

JAMES CLAPPER: We did not include any evidence in our report, and I say, "our," that's N.S.A., F.B.I. and C.I.A., with my office, the Director of National Intelligence, that had anything, that had any reflection of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians. There was no evidence of that…

CHUCK TODD: I understand that. But does it exist?


JAMES CLAPPER: Not to my knowledge.

This comes from the conservative rag Rollingstones Magazine

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/taibbi-russia-story-is-a-minefield-for-democrats-and-the-media-w471074

[wufan]

I guess they did investigate. @seskrige must be relieved to know that Trump and his team did. Othing wrong!

[ShockingButTrue]

Then why this??

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/09/politics/fbi-investigation-continues-into-odd-computer-link-between-russian-bank-and-trump-organization/index.html

I also think we need a special prosecutor.

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[ShockingButTrue]

Or this

https://nyti.ms/2m6SdjX

Or this

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/fbi-d...ng-source.html

What's next? Unbiased reporting from ABC?

• 
  
• Have any of the sources you listed above ever found out anything about those sexual misconduct allegations from last fall that they so quickly reported? All without any police records? When will the final reports be coming out?

[Kung Wu]

Then why this??

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/09/politics/fbi-investigation-continues-into-odd-computer-link-between-russian-bank-and-trump-organization/index.html

I also think we need a special prosecutor.

Did you actually read the entire article, or just the headline?

[SB Shock]

Or this

https://nyti.ms/2m6SdjX

Or this

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/fbi-d...ng-source.html

You should be happy - the article says they investigated.

[SB Shock]

btw, anybody see what Obama brother tweeted out yesterday?

[shocka khan]

Is Trump trying to bail Brownback out?

http://kansaspublicradio.org/kpr-news/source-governor-brownback-leaving-kansas-rome-will-become-ambassador-un-food-and

Looks like someone else will have to clean up the elephant **** after the parade is over. Kansas will gain, but Italy will lose BIG TIME when this happens.

[CBB_Fan]

The dirty secret is our politicians know the only solution is to go single payer. They are still trying to figure out how to break it to us.

It is not true that single payer is the only solution, but it is a solution.

There are 3 systems I think have been "proven."

Single-Provider: The state (read: the taxpayers) pay for healthcare and all hospitals and care are also run by the state.
Single-Payer: The state pays, but hospitals and service providers can be privately owned
Regulated Market: The state does not pay, but does have some control over pricing

The UK is a Single-Provider country. Each region (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) has their own system and a small private market, for instance the NHS applies only in England. The government owns the hospitals, and private practices are exceedingly rare. Generally this is less efficient than single player or the private market, because it stops the providers themselves from competing.

Canada uses a Single-Payer system called Medicare (not to be confused with ours). It does not cover prescription drugs, home care or long-term care, prescription glasses or dental care, which means most Canadians pay out-of-pocket for these services or rely on private insurance. The bill is paid by taxpayers, but the service is administered mostly by private, for-profit entities.

Switzerland has no free healthcare and their healthcare is not tax funded or paid by employers. Instead, they have a personal mandate and 80 competing insurance companies. Each is required to offer a basic, non-profit plan that accepts anyone that applies regardless of pre-existing conditions. The first $296 of any treatment is paid by the consumer, and an additional 10% of the remainder up to $692 per year. Hospital costs are mandated to $15 per year. The combination of non-profit basic plans and high competition (any Swiss citizen can buy basic or supplemental insurance from any of the 80 companies), along with price listings keep prices low while allowing Switzerland to have the best equipped medical facilities in Europe.

If you can tell, I personally prefer a modified Swiss model (for the US).

The US has a unique, shitty model. Our insurance plans are mostly employer provided, because of a quirk in wage controls in WWII. The government does not tax these benefits as income, which is a massive subsidy. The ACA created an individual mandate and an employer mandate (>50 employees, >30 hours/week). We have a mixture of non-profit, profit, and government owned hospitals. Additionally we have Single Payer programs for those 65+ or with disabilities (Medicare), those making <133% of the poverty line (Medicaid), and Single Provider in the form of the Veteran's Administration.

This cobbled together mixture means we have most of the negative attributes of all the other systems. Our VA suffers from the badly equipped hospitals of the NHS. We spend money like Canada on Medicare and Medicaid without providing for every citizen, and without covering things like dental or optometry. Our private market has created one of the strongest lobbying groups in the world. We spend a ton subsidizing even the majority with employer-provided plans.

Even going to Single Payer won't get rid of all the inefficiencies we've created with our employer-based model. It is very important to note that even in Canada, their is competition that reduces prices. Even if the government is footing the bill, the private providers and supplemental insurance providers compete for the check. We have a ton of anti-competition features that would continue to increase costs, for example the random behind-the-scenes haggling to set the final price we've come to accept as natural.

[jdshock]

Ok, question: Can an illegal alien suspected of an additional crime be picked up and deported without requiring a conviction in a US court?

I meant to answer this sooner, but I kept forgetting.

I've generally heard of convictions relating to immigration law only in the context of legal aliens. Certain crimes make legal aliens "removable." Obviously, those folks would be entitled to a hearing, since the key is whether they were convicted.

Immigration law is a really different beast, though. Even my statement that "undocumented aliens have due process rights" is pretty close to a line and might've been misleading. I should've probably said "in most contexts" or "generally" or something. It is my understanding, but frankly I have only Google'd this specific question, that there are certain situations in which a person could be deported without a hearing.

[Kung Wu]

I meant to answer this sooner, but I kept forgetting.

I've generally heard of convictions relating to immigration law only in the context of legal aliens. Certain crimes make legal aliens "removable." Obviously, those folks would be entitled to a hearing, since the key is whether they were convicted.

Immigration law is a really different beast, though. Even my statement that "undocumented aliens have due process rights" is pretty close to a line and might've been misleading. I should've probably said "in most contexts" or "generally" or something. It is my understanding, but frankly I have only Google'd this specific question, that there are certain situations in which a person could be deported without a hearing.

You must have eaten waffles this morning. :)

[jdshock]

You must have eaten waffles this morning. :)

Lol, I still stand by my initial statement, but I do think re-reading the post made me realize context is always important.

While the initial conversation was about criminal law (and it is my understanding an illegal alien would get due process rights related to criminal law), I came to realize my post may have seemed like an across the board statement.

Plus, waffling is the only way you can avoid ever being wrong.

[1979Shocker]

Trump’s $1.1 Trillion Budget Makes Dramatic Cuts to Federal Government

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-s-1-1-trillion-budget-makes-dramatic-cuts-federal-n734271

[pinstripers]

Trump wants to gut meals on wheels. That is my nana's livelihood in rural Kansas. I hope he feels the weight of the blood on his hands.

Meals on Wheels gets 3 or 4 percent of their funding from the Fed.