Something rather remarkable happened on last Tuesday's Morning Joe. Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York pointed out that the health insurance industry has no clothes, and Joe Scarborough, after first trying to spin it some gossamer threads, broke down and said, By God, you're right, this emperor is a naked money-making machine!
VIDEO:
Well, he didn't use those exact words, but Joe did seem to finally get that America has granted insurance companies the right to create bottlenecks in the financing of healthcare in order to extract profits out of the suffering of ordinary people--without providing any actual healthcare whatsoever.
"Why are we paying profits for insurance companies?" Weiner asked Scarborough. "Why are we paying overhead for insurance companies? Why," he asked, bringing it all home, "are we paying for their TV commercials?"
What is an insurance company? They don't do a single check-up. They don't do a single exam, they don't perform an operation. Medicare has a 4 percent overhead rate. The real question is why do we have a private plan?
h/t k.callahan
26 comments:
Those objecting to the public option aren't aware that it would coexist with private insur cos.
For the morons shouting about "government takeover of health care" it needs to be explained that the public option would be just that, optional.
Democrats give the voting public much too much credit for basic knowledge.
The voters screaming about "govt takeover" and "socialism" need to have these terms explained, i.e., roads, schools, medicare, veterans health care, police services, social security etc.
Democratic congresspersons seem unable to comprehend that anyone (their constituents and would-be constituents) need this sort of basic education.
The republicans understand the art of talking to the stupid in soundbites, but the dems assume the voters to be far smarter and better educated than they are. Dems need to think 10 year old mentality. Then perhaps they will be able to communicate.
My Files,
First of all, there's nothing in my post saying anything negative about America. Nothing.
Second, my commenting policy is explained on the front of my blog.
If you stick to those simple, polite guidelines, none of your comments will be deleted.
My Files,
Since you didn't address your comment to A SPECIFIC PERSON, I assume you were directing it to the blog owner, me.
Normally, people address the person they are responding to.
You seem a bit testy.
What I said to you in my reply was hardly a tongue lashing.
Why are you so angry?
Speaking the truth eventually will divide those who can comprehend, and do prefer to behave rationally, from the panties-in-a-twist wingers. Thanks, Shaw.
Here we are again, my friends. My Files comes to my blog with a chip on his shoulder, then insults one of my commenters.
He'll now turn this around and make himself the victim of his own boorish behavior.
He's a typical conservative commenter.
He's here to make trouble, then he'll slink back to his or some other blog and blame me for his rude and childish behavior.
My Files,
No one was rude to you.
You, sir, need to learn some manners.
My Files: "I came here in good faith..."
Time to check your faith...
Shaw, I have a huge problem with the insurance companies. I don't agree that health care should be a "profit" business. I have actually been looking a lot into this Swiss plan. Although after reading a few articles, the cost is going up there too.
You responded to a comment of mine somewhere (I think at TAO's) and mentioned that regulations wouldn't work because of the special interest groups. This is the same government with the same motives and yet you want to give them total control. I don't understand that argument.
With the public option who exactly paying for that? I'm assuming us, through higher taxes? Again, what stops the government from catering to special interest groups within the public option?
I must admit, the longer I look at health care, the more questions I have. I try and look at different health care plans through out the world and see problems with them. I think we need to take a best aspects of all of them and come up with a unique answer. I think that we really need to take our time and come up with the RIGHT solution. It is too important to rush through and find the problems once we are already in the middle of the system.
Shaw: The Health Care debate has gotten out of hand, to say the least, eh? I think the only thing EVERYONE agrees on is that there IS a problem. I would like to see an option where the private sector and the government work together. Maybe add a plan that covers those who are chronically uninsured who don’t qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. Also I’d like to see tort reform. I would also like to be able to purchase insurance across state lines. I think it stinks that we can’t take our insurance with us from job to job. Why is THAT? The pre-existing condition clauses have to be revamped. Even high risk drivers like chronic DUI drivers can get insured for crying out loud! Also there needs to be something done about insurance companies that gouge policy holders. For example: where I work we got a “teaser rate” last year when we signed up with our insurance carrier. This year we got a 40% rate increase BUT we had NO major claims. That is basically robbery, as far as I’m concerned. There are regulations on insurance companies that need to be removed, but others that should be implemented. I don’t think chucking our entire system is in order but tweaking it certainly is.
MyFiles,
Did you draw the short straw today inregards to the daily drawing on the DD2 social network drawing of who gets fed to the Liberals?
By the way, great imitation of BPB your other partner in crime...
Nothing like believing you are changing the world one blog at a time.
By the way, I believe what John C said was not slanderous but rather just some healthy human advice...
By the way, congratulations on making E-9 in less than 20 years!
Thought for today ...
"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought that they avoid ..."
Soren Kierkegaard
The facist rantings of the anti Obama crowd get more hysterical every day. Not since Mussolini staged rallies in Italy before WWII has there been such venom and hatred spewed for no other reason than blind adherence to a philosphy of hate.
These people hang on every word that comes out of the mouths of the merchants of hate, Beck and Limbaugh. They don't even know they are being used by "Larouchies" to spread their despicable words across America.
Wake up you mindless, deluded fools. The enemies are your own closed minds and those that exploit them.
Cross posted at Oracular Opinion. I couldn't find the new and exciting bash Shaw and Truth blog that all the "in" righties are raging about.
A conservative blogger, "My Files," came to my blog this morning. He left a comment beneath the first comment by "Thayer Nutz." But the comment wasn't addressed to anyone in particular, so I answered it, believing it was addressed to me.
Here is MF's FIRST comment:
Wow, how long did that take you to think up? Probably longer than it took Nobama to screw America. Just stay on that fence, we will stand up for your rights for you.
Tell you what. Ill keep blaming Obama for all the things I BELIEVE him responsible for. You can keep writing about what's wrong with America. You can simply not read them or not reply to them. Hows that?
My reply is at 8:13 am in the above comments, beneath the spot where MF left his remark that he subsequently deleted.
Here is what "My Files" deleted:
Do you have a reading comprehension problem? Or is your understanding of my post a bit confusing to you?
Whatever, I will make it plain and simple to you..
I WAS RESPONDING TO THE POST WRITTEN BY Thayer Nutz ... And I was NOT addressing YOU.
But thank you for the Tongue Lashing!
Posted by My Files to Progressive Eruptions at August 24, 2009 9:17 AM
I responded to that comment which can be found in the comments above at the time stamp 9:26.
And then another blogger, Ruth, came to my site and left a remark in comments above at time stamp 9:48, and addressed it no one in particular.
"My Files" assumed Ruth was talking to him, and he replied:
What big dummy came up with that quote Ruth?
Or did you think that one up all by your silly little self?
People please remember to be careful when you give a computer to a dummy
MF then addressed another comment to me personally:
I'm not "slinking back" to anywhere Ms. Shaw, You poster Ruth WAS rude ot me calling me a "panties-in-a-twist winger"
Did you think that I was not going to reply to that?
Why didn't YOU delete that? Why didn't YOU call that "RUDE"?
I didn't want to believe what I have read about you but I guess what they have been saying about you all over the blog is true.
I came here in good faith and answered a post by Thayer Nutz and YOU jumped all over me and threaten to delete my comment, did you not?
So go ahead and delete it, delete them all, who gives a crap? I certainaly don't.
And NOW, I'll "slink back" TO WHEREVER I CHOOSE TO.And as for you.. You, Madam, need to learn some manners.
Posted by My Files to Progressive Eruptions at August 24, 2009 10:59 AM
continued below:
And the last two comments "My Files" deleted:
My Files has left a new comment on your post "A PUBLIC OPTION":
Boy, you sure have a unique point of view. No sorry to contradict you but I didn't "come here to make trouble" as you stated..
And I'm not "slinking back" to anywhere Ms. Shaw, Your poster “Ruth” (the one who plays it safe with NO blog) WAS rude to me calling me a "panties-in-a-twist winger"
Did you think that I was not going to reply to that?
Why didn't YOU delete that? Why didn't YOU call that "RUDE"?
I didn't want to believe what I have read about you but I guess what they have been saying about you all over the blog is true.
I came here in good faith and answered a post by Thayer Nutz and YOU jumped all over me and threaten to delete my comment, did you not?
So go ahead and delete it, delete them all, who gives a crap? I certainly don't.
I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce:
And NOW, I'll "slink back" TO WHEREVER I CHOOSE TO. And as for you.. You, Madam, need to learn some manners. And I’ll make you a deal, I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.
And the last of his comments that he deleted:
My Files has left a new comment on your post "A PUBLIC OPTION":
Shaw you are a HYPOCRITE from the word go!
To talk all the time about insulting your commenter an yet you allow that ASSHOLE JohnC who hides behind a computer to insult ME.
The both of you can go directly to Hell and don't collect $100. when you pass GO!
Like YOU always say, these assholes are too cowardly to say things like that to my face, but do so here in your disgusting hole.
Posted by My Files to Progressive Eruptions at August 24, 2009 2:04 PM
The man obviously hates America Shaw. There can be no other reason he would act in a manner befitting Hugo Chavez more than a real America loving American. He speaks drivel. Denies it's drivality. Then censors it through deletion. But just as Chavez can't erase all the tapes of his deluded rants, so My Files and his henchmen and women can't hide from all of theirs.
Thank The Good Lord we have you on the team fighting for American Values Shaw. God Bless You.
Notice how "MY FILES' becomes increasingly angry, paranoid, and how he finally misrepresents his perceived wrongs, which then allows him to become the victim of his own misrepresentations and sloppy reading of what was ACTUALLY typed in the comments.
He then, as I so very accurately predicted he would, turned his bad manners and inability to comprehend what was actually typed in the comments into a wrongly perceived injustice to himself and license to demean and insult people further!
This progression into phony indignation and self-pity never ceases to amaze me in these sorts of commenters.
When they are called out on their aggressive, chip-on-the shoulder attitude, they respond to it by blaming others for their crass behavior.
Ruth, may have been responding to my BLOG POST about the Public Option and not to MY FILES, since she didn't directly address MY FILES. But MY FILES immediately decided he was being wronged and vilified by the used of the term "panties in a twist wingers."
MY FILES also characterized my simple statements about my policy for commenting as a "tongue lashing." A deliberate misrepresentation of a simple declarative sentice in order to yet again make him out to be a victim.
He even pushed the misrepresentation further in a subsequent comment saying I "jumped all over" him and that I threatened to delete his remarks.
Those two claims are BALD FACED LIES and can be refuted by what I actually typed:
My Files,
First of all, there's nothing in my post saying anything negative about America. Nothing.
Second, my commenting policy is explained on the front of my blog.
If you stick to those simple, polite guidelines, none of your comments will be deleted.
This type of drive-by angry, blogging, intended to make the commenter into a victim, is practiced on a regular basis with quite a few angry conservative bloggers.
His final wrath is saved for the commenter "JohnC" because of this very mild, very nonthreatening remark:
JohnC said...
My Files: "I came here in good faith..."
Time to check your faith...
August 24, 2009 1:13 PM
That caused MY FILES head to explode and attack JohnC with by calling him an a**hole.
And there you have it. A guy with a huge chip on his shoulder came here, acted like an adolescent, then blamed everyone else for his bad behavior and foul mouth.
A lot of these people need some deep therapy to discover why they consistently act this way.
I've commented atlength here on this subject because MY FILES is a classic example of how these dishonest people operate.
Cross posted at Oracular Opinion. I couldn't find the new and exciting bash Shaw and Truth blog that all the "in" righties are raging about.
Truth: It appears it has disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. Although I was being blamed for its creation.
That's too bad Pamela. I've been in one of my old nasty moods since yesterday. They probably saw my first salvo against the nabobs of namecalling and decided they couldn't handle the Truth 101...
just an observation, shaw, but it seems you've stopped mr. my files from playing the conservatives' favorite role, "Innocent Wounded Victim."
don't waste your time with those children, they don't want serious discussion, they justs want to make everyone feel sorry for them.
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