[fooler]

Fooler--I don't understand. What is bad about paying $100 for insurance?

I'm not saying we shouldn't fix all of the problems. I'm just wondering why it seems to be such a big deal for some.

Gnalli is correct - that was well over $100,000 that was REQUIRED to be paid before the DR could even receive a licensed to practice again.
There are costs that all must pay before earning a living, even those that many of us would consider well-off to wealthy.

[Beentheredonethat]

Gnalli--I appreciate your response.

I still think it's completely insulting to ask this president to be the first president, ever, to pay for his vacations, and that his wife should cook and clean in the White House. Really? I think it would save a LOT more to get rid of 24/7 Secret Service for all past presidents and their families, but we, as an upstanding country, do not do that sort of thing. I think a president who tends to work 16 hours a day 7 days a week is not out of line to have 17 whole "vacations" in four years.

Again, fixing anything is good, but from what I understand, outrageous lawsuit judgments don't really happen because what makes the news is not always what ends up happening. Judges make adjustments to make things more realistic. Maybe we should go to a more British system where the loser pays all court costs.

I SO disagree with healthcare. We need socialized medicine, just like every other first world nation. You may well think YOU can pay for you healthcare, until something happens. You think you and your family can get together and pay a million dollar bill for a cancer or brain tumor when your healthcare company decides to drop you? Or one of you, I hope not, has a horrible accident and cannot work and loses insurance, and then gets some horrible disease?

Further "strapping" families? We all need healthcare. Again, if nothing else, it costs a LOT more to pay for those "bums" who refuse to get it and use the ER for basic healthcare. We all pay for that. So, if nothing else, it's cheaper to pay for healthcare for everyone than to make people pay their own way, because we all end up footing the bill. I don't care whether you do it because you fell we all have this as a basic right or it's more financially feasible--it all gets to the same end.

[Gnalli]

It is not meant to be insulting. It was meant as a cost cutting measure. I don't know why we should foot the bill for his vacations though, or any president's for that matter.

I think it is pretty insulting that you feel cooking and cleaning is beneath a wife and mother. I didn't say the POTUS should do it-good grief. I said his wife could do it out of love for her family and consideration for the families that have to pay for their extras.

By the way, on the whole catastrophic illness thing-been there, done that. I am not an idiot. I know it is devastating. I also have a deep sense of what is right and wrong. Yes, I want people helped. That means I don't want this one hurt to help that one, and you seem to have no problem with that.

I have good health insurance, because my husband has it thru his job. I also have made the decision, after watching family die of cancer, that if something catasptrophic happens, I don't want heroic measures taken for me. It falls under just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

[fooler]

Believe me. The doctors and hospitals that are whining about their insurance premiums are not trying to lower healthcare costs.

You should talk to a few folks in the medical profession. I personally know multiple DR's, this one included who have provided care for many who are un-or under-insured with out compensation.
And just to prove that "No good deed goes unpunished', one DR was sued twice, by those un-/under insured. For the record, the DR was cleared in both lawsuits. The DR's actions were proper in everyway, but the plantiffs received compensation from the insurance company.

[Beentheredonethat]

Well, as I said, it would cut costs a lot more to get ready of Secret Service for all past presidents, who are a lot less important that the standing one, if cost cutting is your goal.

From what I understand, Michelle Obama and her mother do some cooking for their family. And, how many rooms does the White House have? And visitors? Does it seem at all realistic that the wife of the president can and should do that? Would you imagine that Prince Phillip should be doing some cooking and cleaning of the palace because he loves his family and it cuts costs?

There are better ways. I have a hard time imagining anyone would even THINK of suggesting Barbara Bush put on her apron and cook and clean the White House.

[Go Fish]

I think it is pretty insulting that you feel cooking and cleaning is beneath a wife and mother. I didn't say the POTUS should do it-good grief. I said his wife could do it out of love for her family and consideration for the families that have to pay for their extras.

What...do you think the wife of the President just sits around and knits all day? The first lady has a JOB.

[4Martini]

I think we should raise the SS retirement age to 70. It was never designed to support people living on a gold course in Florida for 3+ decades. It was meant to fund those who could no longer work. If you get to 65 and can't work go on disability. If you want 3 decades of relaxation after working hard- plan and save.
Under the current model it seems like we don't expect people to be self supporting adults until after 26 and they can retire at 62. So people are expected to be subsidized for nearly 2/3 of their life? (Public Schools etc when young and SS when old.) If that is what we want then taxes need to go up.
Personally, I think we need to creep taxes back up a little, raise retirement age, make corporate taxes lower so they are more in line with other countries so we actually get some taxes from multinationals. How is that companies have their entire executive board in CA, yet pay taxes in IRE? Seems like there should be some loopholes that can close there.
I think like a family budget that's in trouble you need to work a bunch of different angles to bring it back into the black. Everyone has to give a little.
I do think our tax laws need to be cleaned up and simplified. It seems ridiculous to me that you can write off the interest on your million dollar home. Perhaps the interest deductible was more important when you couldn't get a 3% mortgage and financing cost was a lot bigger part of the total payment. So we would have to look at this in a broader picture than just today.

[Eclectic Horseman]

You should talk to a few folks in the medical profession. I personally know multiple DR's, this one included who have provided care for many who are un-or under-insured with out compensation.
And just to prove that "No good deed goes unpunished', one DR was sued twice, by those un-/under insured. For the record, the DR was cleared in both lawsuits. The DR's actions were proper in everyway, but the plantiffs received compensation from the insurance company.

Sorry, you must have heard that wrong. If the doctor was "cleared" the plaintiffs would not have won any damages. That's just the way it works. The doctor may have settled the lawsuit out of court--but that means he wasn't "cleared," it means that the case never went to trial. You should talk to a few folks in the legal profession.

BTW, I know multiple folks in the medical and legal professions. All of them are just good people trying to make a living.

[Guilherme]

So, we do NOTHING to reduce military, our biggest expenditure? I disagree the main purpose of our government is seeing for our defense, and what does THAT have to do with being in wars and countries all over the world?

THE MILITARY IS NOT OUR BIGGEST EXPENDITURE. MEDICARE IS!!!!!

And I never said eliminate military. I have said countless times the archaic men on the ground kinds of war are so out of date it's ridiculous. We can be just as safe and maintain OUR safety with a LOT less, and we do not need a trillion dillar embassy with 15,000 employees in Baghdad for that. We have technology and abilities that allow for us to cut back drastically and not send people to die in other countries.

Your ignorance and bigotry is showing. Again.

There is NO need for us to have the biggest military in the world AND fund a whole bunch of others.

Let's bring all of those people and resources to THIS country and use them to rebuild THIS country. At this point, the big baddies just need to push us over the edge with our D- rated infrastructure, not threaten to bomb us.

You're lack of knowledge is so deep it's hard to know where to begin.

So I'll not try. You're like the pigeon in the chess game; sometimes it's just easier to clean up the scat.

G.

[Noms]

You're lack of knowledge is so deep it's hard to know where to begin.

So I'll not try. You're like the pigeon in the chess game; sometimes it's just easier to clean up the scat.

G.

Hehehe, I am surprised people havent figured out that BTDT really has no basis in facts to support any of his/her posts....

[Noms]

OK let me contribute one little sobering bit of reality, take it as you please.

Based on the recent (and over the last 4 years) activity of the Fed with QE3, infusing more money into the $$ supply, and buying more US debt, don't be surprised when in 2 or less years the US experiences the biggest correction in the history of the country. It will make 2008 look like a boom.

We will experience inflation, the likes of which have never been seen in this country.

[minnie]

Too true. Anyone else remember the Jimmy Carter era? This will be worse with our increasimg national debt. Forget ss. It is NOT solvent. Last year ss paid out more than was paid in. the money is not there folks. our government, in its imfinite wisdom, put it in the general fund. Borrowed it, so to speak. The only thing left are ious, includomg iou for the interest the gov is "paying" ss. Which means the gov has to BORROW that money every year. Now what happens when rampant in flation hits......the government makes Bernie Madoff look like a novice.

[Noms]

Too true. Anyone else remember the Jimmy Carter era? This will be worse with our increasimg national debt. Forget ss. It is NOT solvent. Last year ss paid out more than was paid in. the money is not there folks. our government, in its imfinite wisdom, put it in the general fund. Borrowed it, so to speak. The only thing left are ious, includomg iou for the interest the gov is "paying" ss. Which means the gov has to BORROW that money every year. Now what happens when rampant in flation hits......the government makes Bernie Madoff look like a novice.

Yes, yes absolutely right. Bernie Madoff is exactly who I think of when I think of the implosion of the Fed Govt. The Govt is no better than Madoff, one big ponzi scheme that is limping pethetically on it last leg.

[Beentheredonethat]

The Federal Budget stands at roughly $3.5 Trillion, with a deficit of about $1.5 Trillion. In 2011 (the last year with complete numbers) DoD spending was about 19% of total Fed. expenditures.

On top of the DoD budget there is additional "security spending" 17% of total Fed. expenditures (Homeland Security, FBI, part of DoJ, Veterans Affairs, etc.).

Medicare runs about 23% of Fed. expenditures.

Social Security runs about 20% of Fed. expenditures.

Other non-discretionary runs about 16% of Fed. expenditures.

If you shut down the DoD you would not cut the annual deficit even in half.

The hard truth is that if you apply the Willie Sutton Principle to the Federal Budget DoD comes in a weak third in expenditure. Now you know where the government has to go if they are going to seriously cut spending.

How about raising taxes? I've tried to get some numbers that I trust on just how much the Obama plan would raise and I'm not finding any numbers that are viable. The place that really should know, the IRS, does not seem to have put out anything on this. That's a surprise given their data base. If anyone has some good numbers I'd like to review them.

Remember, too, that while we are not at war with anybody a whole bunch of people are at war with US. Do I need to recount the events of the past 15 years or so?

You sleep soundly BECAUSE we have the military and naval capability that we do. De-construct those capabilities and you might want to think about buying one of the prepper bunkers that they show on TV; you'll likely need it.

G.

And don't forget to pick up a Bushmaster or two along with a 1000 rounds of ammo.

Your OWN facts. DoD spending 19% + 17% for other "security spending = 36%. That is WAY more than 20% of SS and 23% medicare. Unless you are cheating, everyone pays INTO SS, so that is not ALL expense.

Your lack of being able to add is astounding, as is Noms inability to.

[Beentheredonethat]

And, the naysayers know it alls, YOU explain how to fix it since you're SO good at calling people names in such mature ways. Guilherme is at least trying, even though the adding thing is a problem.

The finger pointers are starting to look like the right wing nuts saying it's all someone else's problems and the magical fix is to lower taxes! I see LOTS of complaining, but no real solutions from you. WHAT a surprise.

[minnie]

Medicare and medicaid are totally out of xontrol and now we've added Obamacare?! Bwah pi ahaha!!!! And not one single practical measure to reduce costs. Or increase doctors. And the people without insurance that are using emergency rooms will continue to do so because it's cheaper to pay the fine than to buy insurance.

[Beentheredonethat]

JUST in case someone still thinks I'm making this all up, here you go!

"Payroll withholdings include:
Employee portion of Social Security tax
Employee portion of Medicare tax
Federal income tax
State income tax
Court-ordered withholdings
Other withholdings"

http://www.accountingcoach.com/onlin...e/20Xpg03.html

LOOK! SS AND medicare are taken out of your check, so we are PAYING into it. So if medicare costs 23% and SS costs 20%, what is coming in?

Seems like fake Bush math where you forget to count eight years of a fake war on the debt and then leave it to the other guy to put on the bill so not so bright people will think he suddenly jumped the debt!

Now, I can't find figures about how much INCOME the fed brings in every year from SS and medicare, and I know right now we're taking in less than we put out because of an aging population, but when you add that in, it SURE doesn't leave medicare as the biggest expenditure. It's the military!!

Anyone mature enough to apologize for the name calling and lack of facts?

[Beentheredonethat]

Wrong again, Minnie
"To contain growth in health care costs and improve the quality of care, Obama supports the health law’s reforms targeting both how insurance markets operate and how providers are paid and care is delivered. "
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publ....aspx?page=all

Remember, Obama's plan is to reduce $700billion on overcharging by big pharma and such? Ryan's was to reduce $700 billion by making the elderly pay more.

Again, any actual facts, or more childish behavior?

[twotrudoc]

BTDT, please stop. While I am not yet an accountant, only in my junior year, I am knowledgeable enough to see that some link to how basic payroll taxes are accomplished is silly.

Here is the Final Monthly Treasury Statement for FY 2011, you can easily follow along and see how we are doing for FY 2012 Quarters 1,2, and 3.

http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/mts0911.pdf

This is a Financial Report accomplished by the Federal Government with actual costs and spending.

[twotrudoc]

I don't need to highlight that it is in millions, not hundreds, right