kapkomet

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 05:49 PM) Obama's pay Czar casually notes that the bankers may threaten to leave their jobs if they have their pay slashed. Then they realize unemployment actually sucks. And they don't leave. Woot! Yea for no one being able to get jobs!

In reply to BS (since the quote doesn't work). f*** Harry Reid. And McCain too, while you're at it.

QUOTE (Tex @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 06:40 PM) Really? Companies are going to eliminate a popular benefit? Where did you pick up that information? Um, sure, because they are just going to let the government take care of it. Ultimately, it's "cheaper" that way. And, remember: no raises to make up for that lost benefit. Besides, why would they offer a plan that's now going to get the s*** taxed out of it? The government plan won't tax, but almost all of the plans that exist out there today that's being paid will be taxed to the individual, unless you're union or goverment workers.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 12:59 PM) props to the stevie wonder title. Personally, I wanted to change it to "this is a big f***ing deal"... But, this one's pretty good, too.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Mar 23, 2010 -> 06:51 AM) The only way I can see this not working is if a bunch of people choose to pay the fine instead of buying insurance. That's a hell of an assumption though, people aren't numbers. If I didn't have insurance, and I suddenly can afford it, I'm buying insurance, not looking to save a couple hundred dollars. s***, my whole family is healthy now, but do you see me putting that $400 some-odd dollars a month in my pocket? No... That said, yeah, the fees the insurance companies are going to pay will come out of that new pool of profits they'll have - this was their idea since it was their lobbyists that were involved in writing it, not some evil socialist. There's a TON of businesses that are already planning on dropping coverage and just paying the "taxes", er I mean "fine". Which means the curve goes nowhere but up, but I'm sure that 'tis all good cause Barackus the Great, Nancy, and Harry told us so.

QUOTE (vandy125 @ Mar 22, 2010 -> 09:50 PM) Holy cow! 40 cents of each dollar on admin? The company I work for is at 7 cents of every dollar to admin, with 5 cents going to taxes, we shoot for a 0-2 cent profit and pay out 86 cents of every dolllar. Last year, we lost a ton of money and actually paid out something like 93 or 94 cents of every dollar that we took in. Who the heck are these 40 cent companies? And I think the company you work at is closer to norm, but someone has to be a villian when coming up with these "wonderful, the world needs love, sweet love... er health care" and the insurance companies were it. STRAWMAN.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 22, 2010 -> 09:05 PM) Yeah. I was essentially starving for two months, had lost 35 lbs when i wasn't fat before i left, and with my visa coming up i decided to check out. Looking at some jobs, maybe even a salary position (shock!). but we'll see how it goes. Welcome back... I'm sure it's bittersweet to leave a place, but then, there's no place like home, I'd bet, after being gone that long.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 22, 2010 -> 09:13 PM) I think the fact that you think it's a terrible idea to eliminate a $50 billion subsidy to the banks that gets the country absolutely no benefit because the government is evil says a lot. I think that the government isn't going to eliminate s*** in these costs. But you all view it as the savior of all things market related, so wallah, it must be so.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 22, 2010 -> 08:41 PM) So i kept seeing these off-hand comments about student loans, and was like, what happened? I thought the loan thing was dead in the water. Apparently, in the sidecar going through reconciliation, that student loan reform to make the gov't directly give loans to student is in it. If that passes, that's huge! It saves so much money that frankly, I hope they just put right back into loans for students, lots more pell grants, etc. I'm really pleased with this. I'm really pleased right now with the House, I'm going to help my local congressman for 2010. Yay! MORE GOVERNMENT YAY! By the way, and totally not obnoxious () are you back in the states now?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 22, 2010 -> 08:55 PM) Do you honestly believe that insurance companies paying higher costs aren't going to pass them on to consumers? YOU may not be paying the tax directly, but you will pay for it. They believe that everything will be better, cheaper, more coverage, etc. because that's what Obama, Nancy, and Harry told them.

QUOTE (Tex @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 09:55 PM) GOVERNMENT SAVES! Yes, it does, whether we want them to or not. GOVERNMENT SAVES!

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 08:51 PM) Step 1: "Be White and male" Step 2: "Don't be not white and not male." QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 09:01 PM) Nicely played.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 09:50 PM) Yawn. I don't even go anywhere that actually pushes talking points. Thanks for dumbing this down though. HOLY s*** THIS IS THE WORST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO THIS NATION! THE REPUBLIC IS DEAD! FASCISM HERE WE COME! That's better, no? Clearly, I've been doing that.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 06:18 PM) This plan is in essence what the Republicans proposed years ago. They only recently decided they didn't like it. Its kind of surreal to see Romney a couple of weeks back running away from his most significant accomplishment as governor because Romneycare looked an awful lot like Obamacare. McCain losing the general election didn't have much of anything to do with how moderate or far right he was. People at that point were sick of Republicans and he had to bear that cross. They looked at him, they looked at Obama, they decided they wanted Obama, simple as that. No, it really isn't but keep pushing those talking points.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 21, 2010 -> 05:51 PM) Yeah the GOP is going to have a difficult time staying relevant if it doesn't moderate at least a little bit. Why? Then John McCain was the perfect candidate. Yea, that worked. It cracks me up that they are "far right" because they don't want any part of this health care bill that's SOOOOOOOOO compassionate and all.

Just for the point, not that it matters much, but they are still using reconciliation to pass this. Just for lost, the majority of people in this country still don't want this bill. So they use reconciliation to pass it, which at least is not unconstitutional. It's slimey because it's being used for something that is 20% of the American economy, but it's just as slimey as they other side so the side in power gets what they want.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Mar 20, 2010 -> 07:16 PM) I'm not sure if I've said this in this 3000+ post thread yet but people who keep saying "the vast majority of Americans do not want this bill" are either full of s*** or are taking cues from the anti-bill crowd (i.e. any Fox News talking head, Michelle Malkin, those kind of people) who basically make up data. I've been watching polls on it since the argument first started last winter - so in reality it's split almost right down the middle, roughly along party lines, usually something like 46% against 43% in favor, the remaining 11% undecided. The "in favor" numbers were in the 50s until a few months ago when the public option died, and a lot of liberals got disappointed or pissed off because the bill is too weak. Polling data really doesn't matter anyway, when a party has a priority as clear as this one, and they get elected with big majorities like the Democrats have right now, they're going to try to pass it... I don't really have much sympathy for a politician who votes a certain way only because he/she is trying to get re-elected and I don't really think that many other people do either. Why don't you just say me, lf? And your whole post is bulls***.

I also think that they never intended this to be done using the Slaughter rule. I think it was used two-fold - one to show the "nos" in the Dem party that they were "serious" about passing it with or without them and two to get the discussion off of the bill itself and how bad it sucks.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 20, 2010 -> 03:30 PM) Again, the specific lawsuit they were party to was actually more of a specific case than just testing a self-executing rule. That was a case where the actual text of the bill that the House and Senate passed was different when it was signed by the President. Well, I'm glad that this is a moot point now. Since it's going to an "up or down vote" that means Nancy has the votes.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Mar 19, 2010 -> 08:40 PM) They were actually, and the process was deemed constitutional in a court of law. Says who? It's not the same court case.

This is a copy of a lawsuit that's going to be filed about 10 minutes after they Slaughter this. I'm sure it will get attacked because of its source, but whatever. Again, AGAIN, for the reading impaired, it doesn't matter what the house has done in the past. Republican, Democrat, Camels, Bulls***, whatever party has ever been in charge makes no difference. You all want to go back to "past political occurances" of this, and I say again, AGAIN, it doesn't matter. That's not the point. It's pretty interesting to me the defenses you all keep saying. Oh, those obstructionist f***s, they won't vote for my bill! Please - you can't even get enough Democrats to vote for this so you have to shove this up our ass. There's never been a bill that mandates the purchase of a service from an exchange of the federal government, either. But, poor poor people who just need health care. STRAWMAN.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Mar 18, 2010 -> 10:25 AM) Deem and pass is another way to vote on legislation. It represents a vote on the legislation. It's also been around for about 80 years. Between 1994 and 2007, when Republicans held majorities in the house and senate, the Republican speaker of the house used the rule 172 times to pass legislation. Funny, I didn't see you b**** pissing and moaning about it then. If the self-executing rule didn't mean a vote, why is Kucinich's flip to a Yes vote such a big deal? Why is the house and the President spending weeks trying to whip yes votes on the bill? If you don't support the bill, you would vote against the self-executing rule (the deem and pass, or the Slaughter rule - because clearly the current Congresswoman made up the 80 year old rule). Just like if you want to stop a bill in the Senate, you call for cloture. Except the difference is, majority rule applies in a self-executing rule vote as well as in a vote on the actual bill itself. So, yes I support the Self-Executing Rule, because it still requires a vote - its about how the vote is phrased and how quickly the vote is taken. It can be a useful legislative tool when used properly, like in the case of giving the final vote to pass a bill that has been debated for nearly 12 months. And the current Speaker of the House is using it properly, if they even choose that route to pass it. But it's bulls*** you'll claim, because that's what the Fox News talking points that you constantly parrot tell you to say. Okay, again, I don't give a f*** that a ®Repubelican (spelling on purpose) did this. It's not constitutional. And FYI, I don't watch even one minute of TV anymore. So Faux yourself. Re: the filibuster - it cracks me up how this is the "same thing", when CLEARLY it's not. I spelled it out for you, but you all want this to be something it's not so bad you can justify anything. And, the UFO-Kucinich is a "big deal" because they are trying to pass this with real votes so they don't have to be unconstitutional and actually pass a real bill. And ALSO as I've said at least three times now, I may not like that outcome, but at least it's legit.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 11, 2010 -> 09:58 AM) The Google has added bike paths to Google Maps. For those of you who do biking - is this for recreational, ways to bike to work, or what? And, is the clarity really good? Hell, I guess I should click the link, but I wanted people's take and experiences who've ridden bikes or whatever and the practical uses of this. Okay, I looked, and this is cool. I've even got some to add to the database... wow, look at me.

Man, what the f*** can be done without government saving us all?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 17, 2010 -> 08:56 PM) I got the acer. I also got a wireless router and set up a home network. It was actually surprisingly easy. Awesome!