TomAiello

Hey, I've got an idea. Let's pass a law that every single American is required to purchase their products, or face a monetary fine! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Perhaps I should move to Georgia and run for President then. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'd fund it with dollars currently appropriated to Medicare and Medicaid, and have the states administer the plans (as they currently do with Medicaid). Alternately, you could allow the federal government to administer the plan directly, but I think it makes more sense for the states to do so, because the cost of care currently varies so widely from state to state. I'd let each state determine that for themselves. If it was a federal plan, I'd say you ought to put the deductible around $3000. If you wanted to provide healthcare for all (and still create an incentive system to drive costs down), you could easily fund the health savings accounts of each citizen every year at some dollar amount, allowing them to keep the excess at the end of the year. Yes. It is incredibly lame. Keeping the excess is a fundamental part of encouraging consumers to buy wisely. If they can't keep the extra, why try to save it? Here is an editorial written by someone who has implemented (and is currently using) a plan along these lines within a business. It has some good information about how to really do this. He uses a $3000 deductible and funds each HSA to $1800 every year, if memory serves. Got to go. More later. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ok. Why don't you provide the explanation, and give me that reality check. Why is a term that stereotypes one ethnicity any less offensive than similar terms that stereotype others? Please educate me. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

How, exactly? Can you answer it for me? I'm not sure how that's relevant to my question, asked of you. Can you explain how that's related, bearing in mind that I am neither Jeff Foxworthy nor Comedy Central? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ok. Sure. Which is better, the free Camaro or the $200k Ferrari? If everyone picks the Camaro, does that prove it's better? Sure I do. Here is a plan that would address that issue, while also lowering overall medical costs. Have you read it yet? Would you care to discuss it? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

No. Not really. I'm just curious why "redneck," which is a pejorative term applied solely to individuals of a specific ethnic derivation, is any less racially offensive than other, similar terms, applied to people of different ethnicities. Can you explain why you think "redneck" is any less racially motivated (and racially offensive) than "wop," "kike" or "nigger"? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

??? If you subsidize one insurance company (the government run one) to the tune of a trillion bucks, so they can give stuff away for free, how's that "competition"? Which is better, the free Yugo or the $200k Ferrari? If everyone picks the Yugo, that proves it's better? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Do you view the term "redneck" as a racial epithet? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Obviously all of them, right? Take away anything people have that can be used to hurt another person, and there will never again be anyone hurt in the world. Simple solution, isn't it? The sooner we're all safely locked in padded rooms, the better! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ron, you have to read Bill's post. He's trying to set up a strawman. Everyone else was discussing real issues, such as the expired AWB. Bill tried to switch the discussion to be about "take your guns away" and "ban as many firearms as he can get away with." Bill is hoping that someone takes his bait, because then he will have switched the debate to his terms, away from the actual terms it's being held on in the real political arena. Then he can make witty comments about how it's not "as many as he can get away with" or it's not "taking your guns away" (i.e. outright confiscation). By actually discussing the real issue (re-instatement of the expired AWB and Obama's position on it), you're totally failing to fall into Bill's clever intellectual trap. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Are "us guys" the Republicans or the Libertarians? Actually, I'm more interested in safeguarding the rights of the individual citizens than appealing to "society." Enslaving forty percent of society so the rest can be waited on would be a pretty popular position with the 60% who benefit, but that doesn't make it appealing to me. I'm not convinced that I want the Republicans to reform and re-emerge. I'd prefer a clear statist/anti-statist dynamic in the parties, and for that I'd like the Libertarian Party to take over the GOP's place in the two party system. This could also be achieved by reforming the GOP into a truly pro-individual freedom party, but I have my doubts as to the possibility of that happening. Why? Personally, I kind of like people who have ideals and stick to them. It makes it easier to predict how they're going to behave once they're in office. People who just change to suit the political winds are likely to continue doing so once in office. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

He's gone back and forth on that issue. Remember that he was the Libertarian Party's candidate for President in 1988. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That's a much better analogy. And a good summary of the question. I think a further thought question is: "would the sheriff have ever known about the violation, if not for the special circumstances?" Does that matter? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

A better analogy would be: "Municipalities may require seatbelts be worn, but may not use traffic stops to issue seatbelt tickets." It's still not a great analogy, because we're talking about people who've actually engaged in self defense, but I understand your point. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Wow. Just wow. In the face of that, I got nuthin'. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I wish the only president ever to come from Georgia had been Zell Miller, instead of Jimmy Carter. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Some other states have just pre-empted local legislation, by prohibiting localities from enacting gun control rules of their own. Do you like that solution better? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Really? They've never called me at all. Have you asked them to stop? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude, relax. I thought Speedracer's post was funny, not a PA. Sure, it was a bit of a slam on a group (of which I am a member). But (to misquote Jimmy Buffett) if you can't laugh at yourself a little, you're going to go insane. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I made financial contributions to his campaign. I continue to financially support his PAC. I will continue to donate to his campaigns as long as he's willing to run them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Who exactly is "we" that brought it up, and "no one" who listened? Didn't like it then. Don't like it now. The driver changes, but the bus just keeps plowing ahead down the road to oblivion. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Obama backs continuing Patriot Act provisions. Hooray! A third term for Bush! Obama--all the things you hated about Bush, but in a friendlier, more polished package. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I was working from _your_ linked definition of "uni-care" (that still sounds like a mythical beast similar to a horse, but with a horn, to me). You asked for my definition of injustice, not that of a judge. Good question. I don't think you should be. Again, I'm just working from your linked definition of "uni-care." The "country" doesn't have any rights. Rights inhere in individuals, not groups. I'm not buying the "it's all fake spending anyway, so who cares how much we spend" argument. Sorry. Sell that somewhere else. It's in the name of the citizens of the United States of America. That's me, last time I checked. Yes. I'd oppose slavery, even though that wouldn't cost me a dime. I'd oppose censorship of political speech, and that wouldn't cost me a dime. I'd oppose rounding up and killing jews, even though that wouldn't cost me a dime. BTW, when you say this, I'm inferring that you thought it would be an injustice strictly because of teh cost, how else would it be an injustice from your perspective? You hate to see all people get healthcare? How is taht an injustice? That would be like me being pissed because my neighbor just bought a new Corvette; where's teh injustice? You're flip-flopping, you just wrote... No, I'm addressing your point, even though I just explained why it isn't terribly relevant. That's why I began my sentence with the word "regardless." No. Here is a detailed plan for real healthcare reform. A very similar proposal was put forward by a guy named John McCain about this time last year. Just plugging your ears and chanting "you have no ideas" doesn't mean that there really aren't any out there. It means that you're not willing to listen to them. Bullshit. Read Friedman's proposal. That's pretty close to what McCain proposed last year. How can you say that's not a proposal for reform? It would (a) reduce costs, (b) guarantee catastrophic coverage to all Americans, and (c) create incentives to keep costs down, instead of driving them up. It's a better proposal for reform. Claiming that it's not a proposal at all is a big fat lie, and you know that as well as I do. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Are any of them concealing 4 foot long swords in their pants? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com