kallend 2,175 #1 July 27, 2017 From WaPo: The United States has been the envy of the world because certain norms have been accepted. After hard-fought elections, the losing side concedes and the winning side leaves the loser in peace to fight another day. Leaders are expected to speak truthfully to their citizens. They respect the essential nonpartisan nature of law enforcement and the military and key civic organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America. They show respect, too, for the political opposition. To list those basic expectations is to understand how low Mr. Trump is bringing his office. Just in the past few days, he urged Navy men and women to call Congress on behalf of his political goals and turned the National Scout Jamboree into an unseemly political rally, calling the nation’s politics a “cesspool” and a “sewer” and disparaging his predecessor and the media. Routinely he trades in untruths, even after they have been exposed and disproved. He has launched an unprecedented rhetorical assault on the independence of the Justice Department, the FBI and the special counsel’s office — and now he is again threatening his defeated 2016 opponent. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-is-not-okay/2017/07/25/2dc65866-7148-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.d7f526714ca6... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil1111 1,193 #2 July 28, 2017 Now would be a good time for democrat leaders to step up. John McCain showed what leadership was all about this morning. When he voted down the "skinny bill". Democrats could approach McCain and other republican leaders and start a dialog to fix the ACA. To decrease costs and increase coverage. To come forth with positive ideas. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gowlerk 2,283 #3 July 28, 2017 QuoteDemocrats could approach McCain and other republican leaders and start a dialog to fix the ACA. To decrease costs and increase coverage. To come forth with positive ideas. That's going to be a very tough sell. They only two ways to improve it is to expand it's reach. Which in simple English terms means more government funding of a major social program. Or finding a way to reduce the profit margins in the system. If Americans want that they will need to elect more people who also want that. But they don't appear to be wanting to do that.Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,175 #4 July 28, 2017 gowlerkQuoteDemocrats could approach McCain and other republican leaders and start a dialog to fix the ACA. To decrease costs and increase coverage. To come forth with positive ideas. That's going to be a very tough sell. They only two ways to improve it is to expand it's reach. Which in simple English terms means more government funding of a major social program. Or finding a way to reduce the profit margins in the system. If Americans want that they will need to elect more people who also want that. But they don't appear to be wanting to do that. A full 35% of Americans have IQ less than 94. Which by coincidence, is the same as the % of Americans who approve of Trump.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stumpy 284 #5 July 28, 2017 kallend***QuoteDemocrats could approach McCain and other republican leaders and start a dialog to fix the ACA. To decrease costs and increase coverage. To come forth with positive ideas. That's going to be a very tough sell. They only two ways to improve it is to expand it's reach. Which in simple English terms means more government funding of a major social program. Or finding a way to reduce the profit margins in the system. If Americans want that they will need to elect more people who also want that. But they don't appear to be wanting to do that. A full 35% of Americans have IQ less than 94. Which by coincidence, is the same as the % of Americans who approve of Trump. Judging by the language and critical thinking of Trump fans, including some of the posters on this site, I suspect that Venn diagram looks quite like a circle.Never try to eat more than you can lift Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeorgiaDon 385 #6 July 28, 2017 gowlerkQuoteDemocrats could approach McCain and other republican leaders and start a dialog to fix the ACA. To decrease costs and increase coverage. To come forth with positive ideas. That's going to be a very tough sell. They only two ways to improve it is to expand it's reach. Which in simple English terms means more government funding of a major social program. Or finding a way to reduce the profit margins in the system. If Americans want that they will need to elect more people who also want that. But they don't appear to be wanting to do that.In the short term much could be accomplished if Congress and the White House would simply commit to abiding by the law. Much of the instability in the market, leading to large premium increases and providers leaving the market, is driven by uncertainty about whether the individual mandate will be enforced and uncertainty about whether providers will be reimbursed for the subsidies they have to give to lower-income subscribers. Much of what is described as Obamacare failures is really due to Republican efforts to undermine the economic basis of the law. Don_____________________________________ Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996) “Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gowlerk 2,283 #7 July 28, 2017 QuoteMuch of what is described as Obamacare failures is really due to Republican efforts to undermine the economic basis of the law. Very true. Unfortunately a large part of the party, including the administration, is likely to continue undermining it. Americans will send some kind of message one way or another about this in Nov. 2018. Unless Trump manages to start a "Great Patriotic War" as a distraction first.Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites