lostfan

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 05:33 PM) I wouldn't consider McCain a neoconservative at all. Yeah he's really not. He was actually faking the funk during the election. That's just lazy writing is all.

Not sure where else to put this, but nobody has seen SC Gov. Sanford for the past 4 days.

I used to work at Blockbuster, if I recall, we had 4 registers and a queue, which is probably like how most Blockbuster stores are set up. Unless it's Friday or Saturday night they're not all open at any given time, though. There was a 5th computer off to the side that was used specifically to register new memberships to keep the line moving, there was never cash in the drawer and it was obvious it was separate from the other registers. Every week or so someone would come up to me while I was entering a new customer into the system and they'd ask "Is this register open?" while there was a line. Because I'm not an asshole at work I'd always say no, but I really wanted to say "YES!!! CONGRATULATIONS, YOU FIGURED OUT THE SECRET SHORTCUT! YOU BEAT THE SYSTEM! GOOD JOB DUMBASS!"

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 05:04 PM) The drive-thru kid at McD's asked my gf if her order was for "here" or "to go." A long time ago I got blazed and I specified my order was "to go" at the drive thru and made a big deal out of it. I thought it was f***ing hilarious at the time. Looking back, yeah probably not so much.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 04:39 PM) Ha, I saw you said these same things on Facebook. Yeah I don't remember which one I did first. I think the Facebook status cuz I'm always rambling about s*** I hate all the time. I have a Nigerian friend who told me about how she went to visit Nigeria a few years back, and as her plane was about to land this American woman started getting all anxious and she asked the flight attendant if there were appropriate precautions to make sure the runway is clear of animals like zebras and giraffes.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 03:34 PM) I think that by court ruling our money actually has been determined to be broke, because the blind have no way of knowing what denomination they're holding if everything is the same size. I think the reason they're constantly trying to add color has to do with the difficulty of copying it as well, which would be another type of broke-ness. Euros are in different sizes arent they?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 03:32 PM) Yes, and from another heated debate on this board, people now know I work for Blue Cross -- so it's pretty annoying when people ask me if I have good health coverage. Yes, I'm seriously asked that, a lot. lol. That's like asking a cop if he's ever fired a gun before.

I'm one of those "if it ain't broke" type of people.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 03:23 PM) Look I just wanna make clear I understand some people just get f***ed over and really need help and support. I fully support helping them if they need help in any way. I just feel it should not be easy to receive free support. IMO, there are a lot of people in this country, and mostly in our generation, who would rather do the minimum because they can get away with it and will be helped rather than do extra to get ahead or be on their own. And although it doesn't go with your post I do believe minors should have some sort of funded healthcare. I 100% understand and mostly agree with the conservative idea of "look at yourself first" so I don't disagree with you. I don't interpret that completely literally though and I realize it doesn't always work for everyone, so that's why there should be some sort of safety net. I don't advocate universal healthcare but I think it's time to do something.

My favorite ones: "Can you see without your glasses?" Why the f*** would I wear glasses or contacts every day if I could see without them? "Did you know you have gray hair?" Yeah, it hasn't been there for 12 f***ing years, and I have NEVER looked in a mirror since I was 15 when I allegedly got my first one. Next you're gonna tell me I'm black or something. Any of you guys got any?

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 03:11 PM) I wonder what the percentage of uninsured are who claim they can't afford healthcare have cable and internet in their house/apartment? Like you said, it is often about decisions. The system isn't perfect but there ARE affordable health care options if you look hard enough. We definitely wouldn't have been one of those families. Cable was the first thing to go, then the gas, then the electricity. We only lost our electricity twice that I can recall though and it was just for a couple of days. We kept the phone though but without long-distance, in 2009 you probably really do need the internet so I'd say that's a priority thing. I did have healthcare though, usually. At least enough to get occasional checkups.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 03:09 PM) My father was a broke ass immigrant, who worked 2 to 3 jobs most of our lives and preached education is the way out of our mess. I remember garbage picking to get a bike because we couldn't afford one. My generations success is based on the back breaking effort of my father and my mother. I appreciate hard work, I appreciate those who can and try and are unemployed due to unfortunate circumstances like your father. I have a huge problem with those who can, and don't because of selfishness or laziness. I don't mind helping out those who need a helping hand in the time of need. I have a huge problem helping those who are lazy, and f***ed off and are not a burden on society. Whenever I talk about the need to give people a hand those are the kinds of people I'm talking about, my dad and your dad. It was never an issue of "don't want to" in my family, just sometimes it was an issue of "couldn't." I don't care about freeloaders but I do think some people just have more (or less) luck than others. I used to take pieces of old bikes in alleys and make bikes out of them too, I thought just me and my brother did that

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 03:05 PM) It's actually not expensive depending on your age -- older people 40+ will have a problem. Like before I married my wife, and being that I know because I work for Blue Cross, I had her quit her employer insurance because she was paying more for that than if she just went to Blue Cross herself. She ended up paying 155$ a month for full PPO insurance, and this was just 8 months ago (we got married just last year). The thing is, a lot of people don't realize they can do this -- but they can, it's a simple online questionnaire you fill out, and they email you with a quote -- hers was 155$ a month, she was 28 years old and a non smoker. She was paying more than that through her employer at the time. That just kind of sounds like the exception and not the norm.

My family was broke as s*** and my dad spent long periods of time being unemployed or working s*** jobs until he could get a better one so I have a defense mechanism about that sort of thing.

100 a month for buying your own health insurance? That isn't s***, really.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:58 PM) I somewhat agree -- I think we all agree that the system is broken, but I'm not sure the government is the right fix, that's all I'm saying. They aren't the leader in efficiency and low cost...I know the government usually intends to do things like this, but the opposite always seems to happen. I mean, I'm actually with you on what needs to be done probably more than you think. I just keep seeing a lot of irrelevant arguments thrown out there, and people on the anti-public option side have a tendency to mock unemployed or poor people and say overly simplistic things like "it's their fault they're like that."

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:55 PM) I don't think he's saying that at all -- I do, however think he's saying that he doesn't feel the need to apologize for working hard for his future when at any moment he could have died and never gotten to enjoy that future. But who's making who apologize and for what? That isn't the issue at all. The issue is the current system is inefficient and unavailable to a large segment of the population. It's not a haves vs. have-nots thing.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:46 PM) I definitely agree with your line of thinking there. I'm just a couple years removed in college and they job I have today is a result of my hard work in school to get said job. However, for about 6 months after college I did not have health care b/c I didn't have my job yet. Did I b**** about it or complain? No. I was a little careful not to do stupid s*** for a while but that was my decision. I always could have bought coverage but I didn't. I chose to work part time so I didnt feel I had the money. If I really wanted to buy health insurace I would have gotten another job (or two) to help finance it. And I agree with your last line. I'm not sorry for doing things the right way growing up and I don't feel too sorry for some of my friends who dicked around in HS and came to class high and have still yet to get a college degree. It's their own fault. Are you saying only people who dick around in HS and come to class high are the ones that end up having trouble staying employed? Cuz that's kind of a massive strawman.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:20 PM) If they believe they can turn public opinion with a war against the country that achy has been saying he wanted to wipe off of the map, they will do it. Huh? How would they do that? The rug is kind of pulled out from under them right now.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:15 PM) I don't know Medicare that well, but in the case of VA, it certainly isn't a good example of how government could do health care well. Quality of care has been awful, as we've seen all over the news for some time. It may be cheaper, but it isn't high quality. You mean you don't mind that the doctor doesn't wipe off the colonoscopy machine from the last patient before he puts it in your ass?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:13 PM) No. The easy path in these sorts of discussions is going to the extremes, creating straw men, and screaming bloody murder when no one else was doing so. Its the destruction of any sort of useful conversation, and its the cop-out method. Yes, this. The only one who does that sort of thing is kapkomet but at least he offers no pretenses when he does and it's kind of funny.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:12 PM) Easier to explain it away that way, isn't it? No.

Sigh. The first half of this thread was great. The second half is retarded.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 22, 2009 -> 02:10 PM) Yes, because the streets are littered with dead bodies of the people that insurance companies like Blue Cross refuse to care for... I mean, they couldn't be in a hospital receiving care when on their death beds or anything, because then they'd be in the hospital -- but since they aren't they must be dying on the streets! No, it doesn't work that way, literally or in any other way. Straw man alert.

Those kinds of anecdotal horror stories (on either end) are just worthless noise to me. They add nothing to the discussion.