thanksgiving as we age and times change.... chat & forums.

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clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 5 (view)

thanksgiving as we age and times change.... Posted: 11/27/2009 10:07:06 AM
There are plenty of big friend and family gatherings at Thanksgiving still. My kids still come home from across the country, now with significant others in tow. we had a large gathering at my brothers with extended family and some new neighbors that needed a place to share the holidays. And as far as football is concerned, I always remember watching the Dallas play on this day. It is my favorite holiday, not the pressure of giftgiving, just good friends, family and food. Some traditions have changed but we are still eating the same menu that my mom prepared 40 years ago.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 129 (view)

Sin Tax to help fund Healthcare costs? Posted: 11/5/2009 12:13:34 PM
The more insurance companies there are to choose from the lower premiums will be. Unfortunately you are wrong. Insurance companies do contract pricing with hospitals, etc. Their strength in negotiations comes from the number of members they can offer. So if Humana has a 45% share in a market and Aetna has a 15%, Humana can strike a better deal. Lots of insurance companies with few members, not a lot of power. Of course this doesn't mean that these deals will be passed on to the consumer, where you are really screwed is if you are paying cash. They you pay 2-3X the amount an insurance company pays for the same procedure. Makes total sense.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 68 (view)

Did the President LIE on September 9, 2009 ... in his speech to Congress? Posted: 11/3/2009 11:07:08 AM
I believe its hr 3400 just type that into google search I just did and the first thing that jumped out at me was that it states that the plan is only for legal citizens of the US. But doesn't say how they will prove that they are legal. So based upon what I have read in the forums - They Lie! The Republicans have no enforcement plan therefore they plan on giving healthcare to illegal aliens. Secondly John Boehner doesn't even seem aware of this plan. Just this week I heard him say that the republicans have 7 or 8 ideas on healthcare but never mentioned hr 3400.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 131 (view)

Rep. Alan Grayson - Republicans are Enemies of America Posted: 11/3/2009 10:48:54 AM
You are assuming that the most vulnerable are the very poor. The most vulnerable may be the working class whose employers do not offer health insurance, or it is so expensive they would have to turn over a huge percentage of their paycheck for the coverage. Or how about those that need to buy private insurance but have pre-existing conditions and get it. They might be considered our most vulnerable these days. Grayson deals in hyperbole as do many on the right like Michelle Bachman. None of them are doing anything to help civil discourse in this country or tackle real issues. The sound bite for the ultra partisan crowd is what they specialize in.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 11 (view)

Join the army at 40 Posted: 11/3/2009 10:41:43 AM
There was recently a story in the news about a man around your age in Wisconsin (?) that joined the army in order to get health insurance for his wife with cancer. I am pretty sure he was laid off and he needed coverage to save her life. He did a lot of physical training to get himself ready but they took him, no problem.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 27 (view)

Is It Time to Secede Yet? Posted: 11/2/2009 3:48:04 PM
OMG, you are right! The report shows that of the 32 states (and the District of Columbia) that are "winners" -- receiving more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes -- 76% are Red States that voted for George Bush in 2000. Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States. If you no longer want to be one country, maybe we need to keep our taxes dollars for ourselves.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 107 (view)

Rep. Alan Grayson - Republicans are Enemies of America Posted: 11/1/2009 12:01:14 PM
This “healthcare reform” seems to have as its goal the further destruction of the economy, the degrading of the healthcare system, and further control over the most intimate decisions Americans and their physicians make regarding their lives. If passed, in some cases, they will be told to go home and die. Healthcare is eating up 16% of our GDP now and growing at a tremendous rate. At least 6% higher than any other developed nation. How is that not the fast track to the destruction of our economy? Americans and their doctors are not now in control of their most intimate decisions, your managed care makes many of those decisions and 25% of your doctor's overhead goes to dealing with insurance. As far as being told to go home and die, if you are uninsured and not poor enough for medicaid or old enough for medicare that is the situation Americans are in right now. We all now that you've got yours and don't want it messed with. I've got mine too, but I know I am only a job away from losing that. I also think that everyone should have access to reasonably affordable healthcare.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 63 (view)

H1N1 has mutated. We're screwed now! Posted: 10/30/2009 5:26:46 AM
All I can say is the level of paranoia on this thread is hard to believe. Also the lack of scientific education in both the US and Canada. There is a "risk-benefit" ratio with everything and the protection against complications and deaths, especially for high risk groups, far outweighs the risks. People are making judgements based upon anecdotal evidence and "pseudo-science".

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 41 (view)

obama declares national emergency Posted: 10/28/2009 12:42:51 PM
Cook County Illinois the shot is avialable but only for minorities. Sounds like death pannels to me Source, please? ACook County Health Department officials said they got their initial 20,000 doses of vaccine late last week. Six thousand doses were allocated to hospitals in suburban Cook County and about 5,000 doses to public schools in Palatine, the first district designated for student vaccinations. Other doses have been reserved for health care workers at the county Health Department. No vaccine is currently available for public clinics, a county spokesman said. Officials were "cautiously optimistic" the department will get more vaccine early next week that will allow for public clinics to begin soon in suburban Cook County.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 26 (view)

obama declares national emergency Posted: 10/27/2009 1:32:34 PM
How many people die from the Flu every year? Isn't that number in the thousands? How many have died from H1N1 in America? Seems to me like overkill calling it a National Emergency...its cool though takes attention away from Unemployment rate and it Helps Obama scare people into UHC. The normal flu kills over 30,000 people per year, and the H1N1 is expected to infect 3 times more people than the usual flu. The implication of this is that even if this flu is “nothing special” it will kill over 90,000. Put in perspective, prostate cancer killed 27,000 men and breast cancer killed 41,000 women in 2008. A “normal” potency H1N1 virus could then kill more than both of these combined. I can imagine the screaming you would do if the worse happens and we were unprepared. This is one of the many situations in which the anti-government people would complain either way.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 10 (view)

My 4 year old son has imaginary friends... Posted: 10/26/2009 12:43:19 PM
I agree with everyone else here. Imaginary friends are healthy and normal. If you want to know more about them, I highly recommend "The Philosophical Baby" by Alice Gropnik at the University of California Berkeley. She says that " children from many cultures and backgrounds have imaginary friends and they are very resistant to adult influence. Older and only children were more likely to have imaginary companions than younger siblings but outgoing children surprisingly were also more likely than shy ones. Children who watch a lot of TV are also less likely. Imaginary companions seem to be more characteristic of children in general than of especially gifted or disturbed children." Do you feel better now?

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 2 (view)

Rush Was Punked: “Obama Thesis” Hoax Posted: 10/25/2009 7:26:18 AM
I listened to the clip when Rush realized that he had no source and it could be a hoax. He repeatedly said and "Obama wrote" and then went on to say there was no source but it just "felt right". That makes is legitimate Iguess. If sounds like something he might have written (at least in your own mind) there must be something to it.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 10 (view)

obama declares national emergency Posted: 10/24/2009 12:56:42 PM
Sorry for the "you people" comment, just a preemptive strike. I have been around the forums long enough to know what is coming.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 8 (view)

obama declares national emergency Posted: 10/24/2009 12:36:25 PM
Well H1N1 season has started, seasonal hasn't. The National Emergency has nothing to do with Obama care (nice try though, no one can say you people aren't persistent) but does give Health and Human Services chief Kathleen Sebelius the authority to bypass some federal rules and allow more off site treatment centers at schools or community centers. Some hospitals will even set up tents in ER parking lot in an attempt to segregate flu sufferers from other sick patients. Hospitals can modify others rules like the amount of info you have to give in order to speed treatment. ( I smell a conspiracy here -to allow flu treatment of illegals ! I am sure many of you will want to jump on this one)

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 272 (view)

My body,My choice! Posted: 10/23/2009 10:14:35 AM
Choosing not to vaccinate is a growing trend as more and more research has shown that Thimersol in the vaccines are causing Autism and might be the cause of ADHD as well. I don't think the data is supporting your point of view. In a large population-based study published online today, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute report that after adjusting for a number of factors, typically developing children and children with autism have similar levels of mercury in their blood streams. Mercury is a heavy metal found in other studies to adversely affect the developing nervous system. The study looked at a wide variety of sources of mercury in the participants' environments, including fish consumption, personal-care products (such as nasal sprays or earwax removal products, which may contain mercury) and the types of vaccinations they received. The study also examined whether children who have dental fillings made of the silver-colored mercury-based amalgam and who grind their teeth or chew gum had higher blood-mercury levels. In fact, those children who both chew gum and have amalgams did have higher blood-mercury levels. But the consumption of fish — such as tuna and other ocean fish and freshwater fish — was far and away the biggest and most significant predictor of blood-mercury levels. Data on most possible sources of mercury — fish consumption and dental amalgams — were collected by interviews with the study subjects' parents. Information on vaccines was obtained from the child's vaccination and medical records. A few children had recently had a vaccine containing mercury, and their blood-mercury levels were not elevated. Of the 452 participants included in the research, 249 were diagnosed with autism, 143 were developing typically and 60 had other developmental delays, such as Down syndrome. At the outset, the children with autism appeared to have significantly lower blood-mercury levels than the typically developing children. But children with autism tend to be picky eaters and, in this study, ate less fish. When adjusted for their lower levels of fish consumption, their blood-mercury concentrations were roughly the same as those of children with typical development and very similar to those found in a nationally representative sample of 1- to 5-year-old children Maybe you should let your children get vaccinated to protect themselves and others and stop serving them fish, if mercury is your big concern. Some diseases such as measles and whooping cough are making a come back due to families that refuse to vaccinate.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 239 (view)

My body,My choice! Posted: 10/21/2009 10:33:41 AM
Interesting Fact you have brought up. Now... this new "N1H1 Nasal Mist" involves an actual LIVE VIRUS. So after taking that, what would your suggestions be for working with patients while you have just injested a LIVE VIRUS? I'm sure your aware that anyone taking that will be contagious for more than 24 hours. You are right. And that is why most medical facilities are waiting for the H1N1 injection rather than the mist for healthcare workers.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 48 (view)

Sin Tax to help fund Healthcare costs? Posted: 10/20/2009 5:05:10 PM
Self reliant people don't need the nanny state to take care of them, they take care of themselves Have you ever been sick? Would you prefer that those without excellent employer based health insurance or already in a government program just curl up in the corner and die? Is that their responsibility as an American? As far as the constitutional argument is concerned, are we now like the Amish, if it didn't exist in the 1700's we don't need it? Of course the constitution doesn't mention health care, there wasn't any at that time! A few, very few doctors whose main treatment was bloodletting, not too effective. Should we get rid of public education, the interstate highway system, public libraries, fire departments, national parks? Take care of yourselves or die trying?

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 224 (view)

My body,My choice! Posted: 10/20/2009 10:29:12 AM
I think the concern is larger than sick pay or even the possible shortage of medical staff. Health care workers come into contact with people whose immune systems are already compromised. You are contagious 24 hours before you feel sick with influenza. They are doing the right thing by requiring all healthcare workers to get immunized. You don't like it, as many here have said, quit.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 412 (view)

President Obama Wins The Nobel Peace Prize! Posted: 10/20/2009 6:26:22 AM
Strangely the Nobel Prize is still making questionable headlines after all this time. And then you go on to cite the Miami University of Ohio student paper? That is your media source for the big ongoing controversy? That was on the Opinion page, you'll be happy to know that the front page story was about the new bus that takes students all the way to Walmart. I know we all google search to find a source to support us, I hope the high school newspapers don't start jumping on this hot story next.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 148 (view)

And the endoctrinization begins......... Posted: 10/16/2009 10:16:54 AM
The conservatives of the time were monarchists. The Founding Fathers were revolutionaries. I don't think you can really put today's labels on them in an accurate way. A constitutional government at that time was a very radical idea. If they were the conservatives who in god's name were the liberals of the time, followers of King George? Please, get real with your history.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 56 (view)

Guns a right but healthcare a privelage? Posted: 10/13/2009 11:18:31 AM
Do I trust the system? Not really, but I have to look at personal experience. My ex has VA care, not necessarily his choice of doctors but he has good care. Sees a specialist when he needs to. Overall happy with government medicine. I handled the medicare for both of my parents. They had excellent care with the physicians they chose with government medicine. I have private health insurance through my employer. I have spent periods of time without health insurance during times of unemployment due to the cost of COBRA. Even though I have excellent insurance now, I still have to fight to get things covered. They find any excuse to delay payment. I have had them refuse to cover reading an MRI because the only radiologist group at their preferred hospital in not "in network". My doctor has had to change prescriptions on a cheap generic because they refused to authorize. Her group has one nurse dedicated to calling insurance companies every day to try to get procedures and medications covered and paid for. So to your question, do I trust the government system, not so much. Do I trust the for profit health insurance industry? Not at all.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 86 (view)

And the endoctrinization begins......... Posted: 10/10/2009 6:42:32 AM
You think we would be under a new rule fairly quickly at this point in time? Please! Based upon what? Who do you think has the power to invade and take over the United States at this point in time? I love the way people just throw this hyperbole out there as if it were fact. There are certainly other powers emerging in the world. Nations evolve for good or bad. We have wasted a lot of our moral authority and power over the years. Perhaps a new approach of cooperation while still our nation's interests at the forefront might get us farther than the constant bully pulpit and military threat of the past. There is a limit to our power to make the rest of the world conform to our wishes. We should have learned that in Vietnam.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 77 (view)

President Obama Wins The Nobel Peace Prize! Posted: 10/10/2009 6:28:48 AM
Obama himself and his staff was shocked that he received this prize. It wasn't as if this is something he was lobbying for. "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace. But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes." I don't know how you fault him for receiving this prize. I think it has just placed additional burden and expectations on him.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 68 (view)

Obama disapproval on health care up to 52 percent Posted: 10/9/2009 9:29:09 AM
I think we all have some real stake in the outcome, whether we are in the "medical" business or not. That emotional perspective that you refer to is a very real and justifiable fear on the part of many of being denied healthcare or going broke trying to pay for it. Having spent the majority of my career in pharma, I understand where you are coming from as far as your stake in a medical device. I think everyone in the industry knows change is coming one way or another. The present system is unsustainable.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 25 (view)

Conservative Bible Project...reforming that socialist Jesus. Posted: 10/6/2009 8:10:28 AM
I see this is another partisan bash party. I think we can all agree that the Bible being a series of books from different writers often contradicts itself. I have a tendency to put more emphasis on the New Testament, specifically the gospels. Which each have a different emphasis also since they were written for different audiences. A few things stand out though - the Sermon on the Mount. John 8:7, Let he that is without sin, cast the first stone. Matthew 7:1, Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. And then of course, the two greatest commandments - Love your God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself. To my poor progressive mind these are radical statements.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 6 (view)

Conservative Bible Project...reforming that socialist Jesus. Posted: 10/5/2009 4:51:22 PM
Are they going to remove the gospels?

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 146 (view)

President Obama wants to extend school hours for our kids Posted: 10/5/2009 10:58:15 AM
There are some areas with year round school just as you described it. You are right, it can be an issue with child care during the breaks but when a community switches its school year everything usually adapts to the new system. One upside for parents has been the ability to take family vacations outside of the usual "summer" months. Less crowded, often less expensive. Friends that I know that are teachers have the option of being paid on a year round basis instead of just the school year. Less money per pay, but every two weeks still money coming in. My one friend runs a camp during the summer and just banks that money as savings.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 94 (view)

President Obama wants to extend school hours for our kids Posted: 10/1/2009 11:01:54 AM
Why do I have this feeling that this idea would have had broader acceptance if it hadn't come from Obama's office? It is something that has been discussed for a long time in the education world. Our school year is based upon an agrarian schedule which we no longer have.It would not be the end of vacations, just not as long as entire summer. More time in school wouldn't necessarily mean more sitting and listen but perhaps allowing more time for exploration and active learning, some of the things that we have let go by the wayside due to the emphasis on the "test". We test our kids to death. And we are still falling behind the rest of the world, especially in math and science. What we do know however, is the importance of the early years though, 0-3. It has been proven that the richer the language environment a child has in those early years the higher his IQ and academic success. And a young child will not learn via the TV, that is half of our problem. For every hour of TV there is a 20% reduction in adult language and conversation with children. Take a look at some of the efforts to change the environment for the very young like the Harlem Children's Zone, in particular Baby College where they teach parents how to provide the learning environment for their kids. You don't have to have a college degree but you do have to talk to your kids and interact with them, not sit them in front of the idiot box. Those kids go to school with a language deficit which will effect their reading ability and they will never get caught up. Many of them will become those "trouble makers". It really is a much more complex problem that bad schools or lazy teachers.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 11 (view)

Random fact thought or idea!!... Posted: 9/26/2009 6:45:30 AM
I am wondering why I am spending time on the forums when I should be off already to the farmer's market.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 25 (view)

Opponent of Gov't. Health Care Receives It Himself Posted: 9/25/2009 3:47:01 PM
So what do we do with the people with pre-existing conditions? I don't understand how the profit motive will work with healthcare. You have to refuse or jettison the sick, you can't make money on them. Nor will there ever be any competition for these people, I don't care if you allow people to cross state lines to buy insurance. A company whose goal is profit will not take those that are going to cost them money.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 21 (view)

Opponent of Gov't. Health Care Receives It Himself Posted: 9/25/2009 3:00:02 PM
What drags down our numbers and makes us #37 is the people that don't have access to good healthcare or healthcare period. I bet if you could factor out those people and only look at the Americans with the great insurance plans we would be much higher. Unfortunately that is fewer people every day and those that have it, want to make sure they keep what they got regardless of those with next to nothing. They don't seem to recognize that it is unsustainable and we are all a job away from being uninsured. (Unless of course you are a congressman, then you are good for life).

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 14 (view)

Opponent of Gov't. Health Care Receives It Himself Posted: 9/25/2009 9:26:42 AM
That is my question, do they continue to receive government healthcare benefits after they are out of office? I haven't had time to research in great depth. My initial searches indicate that if they were in congress for at least 6 years, they will receive the health benefits for life. If anyone can confirm, then I do have a huge issue with it. They would never have to face issue of paying full cost of COBRA and then losing insurance after 18 months like the rest of Americans that receive their benefits from their employer.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 20 (view)

End of Clunkers has Predictable Result Posted: 9/23/2009 5:32:10 AM
That is exactly what the Tea Party Movement is all about -" I heard a rumor and maybe Obama is going to shove it down our throats! Pssst! Pass It On" Newspapers shouldn't report it when major manufacturers call people back to work? I think reporting the business news is what that section of the paper does. Today's business section reported that GM is adding 3rd shifts to 3 of its plants and 2,400 productions workers will be recalled. This is due to consolidation of other plants earlier this year. This isn't propaganda reporting just facts. They report the good and the bad in the business world.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 15 (view)

Can I collect unemployment if I get fired due to do poor job rformance? Posted: 9/23/2009 5:17:35 AM
It really depends on whether the company will fight it. I have fired people before and given them the option to resign first. Sometimes they would hesitate to resign for fear of not being able to collect unemployment but we would never fight it. If someone is doing a bad job, you just want them gone. I see you are in sales, is it your numbers, your attitude or your work ethic gone wrong? Or all three?

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 118 (view)

What is happening with ACORN? Posted: 9/22/2009 10:19:00 AM
Then your voting place did not follow Ohio law. I had to show ID. Here is requirements from the State of Ohio website: Election Day Voting * A current and valid photo identification (i.e. Ohio driver’s license, state ID card, government ID). Photo identification must show name and address (does not need to be current address for driver’s license or state id card); or * A military identification that shows the voter’s name. (Does not need to show address); or * A copy of a current utility bill (including cell phone bill), bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document that shows the voter’s name and current address (including from a public college or university). Note: Ohio law provides you cannot use as proof of identification a notice that the board of elections mailed to you. Voters who do not provide one of these documents will still be able to vote by provisional ballot. Questions?

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 15 (view)

End of Clunkers has Predictable Result Posted: 9/22/2009 8:37:35 AM
Did I say everything was rosy? Nope just said a ray of sunshine here and there. If I were a steel mill or auto worker I would take work anyway it comes. They brought a thousand people back to work to run a second shift at the GM plant in Lordstown this month. Arcelor Mittal, the steel company, fired up a blast furnace that has been idle for months this week and is planning a second in October. They aren't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts for unemployed workers, they are doing it because they have orders for steel. You can check your sources, I am not making this up. Why do I get the feeling that some would like things to go from bad to worse just to prove that they were right?

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 8 (view)

Goldman Sachs Posted: 9/22/2009 7:23:17 AM
I think your numbers are meaningless without a breakdown of who has the money. In the United States, wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2004, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.3% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.3%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). In terms of financial wealth (total net worth minus the value of one's home), the top 1% of households had an even greater share: 42.2%. Table 1 and Figure 1 present further details drawn from the careful work of economist Edward N. Wolff at New York University (2007).

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 55 (view)

Socialized Medicine Posted: 9/22/2009 5:30:30 AM
I live in a city in Ohio without a huge illegal population. I'm not saying that there aren't any but not a big factor. The headlines in the paper today "Most of us had health insurance in 2008 according to Census Bureau - 79%" OK, then I looked at the breakdown, Under 18 - 90.8% (government program) 18-64 - 70% 65+ - 98.5% (government program) So I guess the kids and old people are doing OK, just the adults that are scr*wed. Those are the ones with pre-existing or lost their jobs or their employer doesn't offer affordable care.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 12 (view)

End of Clunkers has Predictable Result Posted: 9/22/2009 5:22:36 AM
Cash for Clunkers or not, the banks have really tightened up the lending process. It is not easy to qualify for a loan and I didn't see anything about this program that indicated that there were different lending standards than a regular car loan. Of course unemployment can always come into play but people that got car loans were qualified for the loans and should be able to make the payments. The government didn't underwrite these loans. And isn't it amazing that after a rocky start, the dealerships are getting paid! I remember a lot of predictions by the constant naysayers that that wasn't going to happen. I live in an area where the economy is greatly effected by the auto industry. Workers are being called back to GM, this morning's paper said one of the steel mills is starting up again after a very long shut down. Things certainly aren't good, but there is a ray of sunshine here and there.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 47 (view)

Why I threw the shoe Posted: 9/21/2009 3:15:20 PM
I am no fan of Bush or the Iraq war, but no, I don't think it is ok to committ assault on a US president. I was amazed at how blase everyone seemed to be. Life was not good under Saddam, especially if you were not part of his sect. Life has been even worse in the past few years, we were not prepared for anything after defeating the Iraqi army. But assault at a press conference? No, not acceptable.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 6 (view)

Outside of the south, 80% of all americans disapprove of GOP Posted: 9/21/2009 2:21:32 PM
Daily Kos, is a liberal site, but I don't think it totally invalidates the poll. The country is becoming less white and in order to grow the Republican party has to expand from its base. It seems very reluctant to do so. Sarah Palin said she represented small town America, the "real America" but that isn't who we are anymore. They could go back to the big tent, less doctrinaire without losing the message of conservative thought. I don't see it happening with the current leadership. I am definitely a liberal but have voted for George Voinivich of Ohio for senate. He is fiscally converservative but not a nut case. He thinks the Jim DeMints of the world are ruining the party.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 44 (view)

Taxing junk food!!! Posted: 9/19/2009 12:01:01 PM
I don't think it is that simple. The poorer you are the more likely it is that you are obese. Both cost and availability come into play. I heard recently that there is not one regular grocery store in the city of Detroit (not the burbs). Yet there is a fast food joint on every corner and many people are dependent upon small mom and pop or convenience stores for their food. Lots of empty calories readily available cheap.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 40 (view)

Socialized Medicine Posted: 9/17/2009 1:18:11 PM
I brought it up because opponents of UHC keep finding anecdotal evidence from countries with socialized medicine and trying to expand it as proof that the rest of the developed countries have horrific medical care. You are right the "Status Quo" is unsustainable. If the concern however is for efficiency, compare the administrative costs of medicare to corporate health insurance. What is it 3% vs. 30%? Don't nail me on the numbers in case I am off by a few percentage points, I know there is a huge difference. Japan has maintained many different payers (over 3,000) but has only one set of rules so its admin is much lower. I don't think the medical field has a problem with the higher standard of saving lives but as long as health insurance companies are publicly held corporations their first allegiance has to be to their stockholders for profit, that is capitalism. That is why is makes sense for them to try to limit care to the sick and rescind policies if at all possible.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 38 (view)

Socialized Medicine Posted: 9/17/2009 12:33:12 PM
How much worse could socialized medicine be? It's time to stop talking about make believe death panels, and talk about the real ones. Six of California's biggest insurance companies have rejected more than one in five claims the past seven years -- according to data the insurance giants, Blue Cross, PacifiCare, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, Cigna, and Aetna report to the state Department of Managed Care. Researchers from the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee analyzed data reported by the insurers to the California Department of Managed Care. From 2002 through June 30, 2009, the six insurers rejected 45.7 million claims -- 22 percent of all claims. For the first half of 2009, as the national debate over healthcare reform was escalating, the rejection rates are even more striking. Claims denial rates by leading California insurers, first six months of 2009: • PacifiCare -- 39.6 percent • Cigna -- 32.7 percent • HealthNet -- 30 percent • Kaiser Permanente -- 28.3 percent • Blue Cross -- 27.9 percent • Aetna -- 6.4 percent Do you remember a few years back when Kaiser had to stop its policy of paying a bonus to customer service reps for spending the least amount of time on the phone with customers and limiting the amount of doctor's appointments for them?

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 5 (view)

What's the deal with all the doctors??? Posted: 9/17/2009 11:01:15 AM
Some people are just like that. I have a step daughter half my age that is always at the doctor's office, specialists galore. I will have the regular check ups, most recommended screenings (mammograms, etc) but usually wait and see on most issues. I have never been to the ER (thank god) she is a regular visitor. Just her mindset I guess.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 34 (view)

Drugs..medications, Posted: 9/17/2009 5:59:56 AM
There is a risk benefit ratio with any drug. You will not put anything into your body that doesn't have some effect wanted or unwanted. I love it when people say they only put "natural" things into their body. Arsenic is as natural as it gets, doesn't mean it is good for you. You absolutely want to keep from taking anything unnecessary. But drugs can and do save lives daily, even the warfarin or coumadin, that truly is rat posoin. It inhibits the body's clotting ability, in the proper amounts a rat will bleed to death, at the therapeutic level in a human it will prevent life threatening blood clots from forming.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 27 (view)

Socialized Medicine Posted: 9/16/2009 6:42:21 PM
I followed your link. Here is the rest of the article - Canada, a country of 33.6 million people, has ordered 50.4 million doses of vaccine and plans to begin immunizations in November. If Canada doesn't need all its order, it will leave some vaccines available for other countries, Butler-Jones said. Government officials aim to first distribute H1N1 vaccine to pregnant women, people living in remote communities, people with chronic health conditions and health-care workers. Doesn't sound like a government that is unprepared to me. Actually that is the kind of medical service I am looking for. Thanks for sharing it.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 88 (view)

Goverment trust Posted: 9/15/2009 4:11:43 PM
Maybe what is most important here is the fact that Obama only got 43% of the white vote, 55% white voters chose McCain and Palin. Old white voters are the most likely to oppose Obama. They are most afraid of losing something under his administration.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 16 (view)

Socialized Medicine Posted: 9/15/2009 2:14:30 PM
Medicaid is for the poor. Our "most vulnerable" could also be defined as the sick. We have no protection for them. And yes, I realize that emergency room care is available to all whether they can pay or not, I just have never known anyone that could show up in the ER and get their chemo.

clearlykat

Joined: 7/31/2008

Msg: 31 (view)

Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America' Posted: 9/14/2009 4:27:25 PM
I was trying to be nice and not call creationists ignorant.

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