The Swiss Menace

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sounds interesting. What is most important, IMO, is getting everyone covered without any exclusions for any reason.

As long as there are no premium subsidies (which can only be funded by forced taxation of a discontented population) or any caps on premiums (which would be like enslaving insurance executives, what would Abe Lincoln say?).

Employer mandates are the only alternative I can think of.

It's not ok to extort taxpayers and it isn't ok to extort employers, either.

The unions historically were the ones that brought us employer sponsored health insurance. For those of us who have employer insurance - you can thank the unions for that, but since they don't have strength they once had in this country and the Right Wingers like to vilify the unions, employee mandates for insurance will have to come from big bad guvmint.

[Ban Hammer 14,268]

geez what a knife #######

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Sounds interesting. What is most important, IMO, is getting everyone covered without any exclusions for any reason.

As long as there are no premium subsidies (which can only be funded by forced taxation of a discontented population) or any caps on premiums (which would be like enslaving insurance executives, what would Abe Lincoln say?).

Employer mandates are the only alternative I can think of.

It's not ok to extort taxpayers and it isn't ok to extort employers, either.

The unions historically were the ones that brought us employer sponsored health insurance. For those of us who have employer insurance - you can thank the unions for that, but since they don't have strength they once had in this country and the Right Wingers like to vilify the unions, employee mandates for insurance will have to come from big bad guvmint.

And for the mess the healthcare delivery system is in now. The employer model needs to be scrapped, or at the very least, taxed as income.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sounds interesting. What is most important, IMO, is getting everyone covered without any exclusions for any reason.

As long as there are no premium subsidies (which can only be funded by forced taxation of a discontented population) or any caps on premiums (which would be like enslaving insurance executives, what would Abe Lincoln say?).

Employer mandates are the only alternative I can think of.

It's not ok to extort taxpayers and it isn't ok to extort employers, either.

The unions historically were the ones that brought us employer sponsored health insurance. For those of us who have employer insurance - you can thank the unions for that, but since they don't have strength they once had in this country and the Right Wingers like to vilify the unions, employee mandates for insurance will have to come from big bad guvmint.

And for the mess the healthcare delivery system is in now. The employer model needs to be scrapped, or at the very least, taxed as income.

You blame the unions? Splendid.

[lgg 2]

Do people often tell him he has a nice #####?

Just wondering.

Paul Krugman cracks me up.

I think there are only a handful of people that take him seriously anymore.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Sounds interesting. What is most important, IMO, is getting everyone covered without any exclusions for any reason.

As long as there are no premium subsidies (which can only be funded by forced taxation of a discontented population) or any caps on premiums (which would be like enslaving insurance executives, what would Abe Lincoln say?).

Employer mandates are the only alternative I can think of.

It's not ok to extort taxpayers and it isn't ok to extort employers, either.

The unions historically were the ones that brought us employer sponsored health insurance. For those of us who have employer insurance - you can thank the unions for that, but since they don't have strength they once had in this country and the Right Wingers like to vilify the unions, employee mandates for insurance will have to come from big bad guvmint.

And for the mess the healthcare delivery system is in now. The employer model needs to be scrapped, or at the very least, taxed as income.

You blame the unions? Splendid.

Of course, and all too often, so do the members themselves. Go out and talk to a few trade union members, and see what they have to say.

ETA: And I mean the ones out there still working, not the one sitting next to you at the DNC callbank.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sounds interesting. What is most important, IMO, is getting everyone covered without any exclusions for any reason.

As long as there are no premium subsidies (which can only be funded by forced taxation of a discontented population) or any caps on premiums (which would be like enslaving insurance executives, what would Abe Lincoln say?).

Employer mandates are the only alternative I can think of.

It's not ok to extort taxpayers and it isn't ok to extort employers, either.

The unions historically were the ones that brought us employer sponsored health insurance. For those of us who have employer insurance - you can thank the unions for that, but since they don't have strength they once had in this country and the Right Wingers like to vilify the unions, employee mandates for insurance will have to come from big bad guvmint.

And for the mess the healthcare delivery system is in now. The employer model needs to be scrapped, or at the very least, taxed as income.

You blame the unions? Splendid.

Of course, and all too often, so do the members themselves. Go out and talk to a few trade union members, and see what they have to say.

ETA: And I mean the ones out there still working, not the one sitting next to you at the DNC callbank.

Bill - I've worked for 3 different unions in my lifetime (UFCW, Teamsters, Cartoonists Union) and under each of them, I had the best health insurance coverage I've ever had. I never heard any one of my co-workers complain about their health care under the union.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Sounds interesting. What is most important, IMO, is getting everyone covered without any exclusions for any reason.

As long as there are no premium subsidies (which can only be funded by forced taxation of a discontented population) or any caps on premiums (which would be like enslaving insurance executives, what would Abe Lincoln say?).

Employer mandates are the only alternative I can think of.

It's not ok to extort taxpayers and it isn't ok to extort employers, either.

The unions historically were the ones that brought us employer sponsored health insurance. For those of us who have employer insurance - you can thank the unions for that, but since they don't have strength they once had in this country and the Right Wingers like to vilify the unions, employee mandates for insurance will have to come from big bad guvmint.

And for the mess the healthcare delivery system is in now. The employer model needs to be scrapped, or at the very least, taxed as income.

You blame the unions? Splendid.

Of course, and all too often, so do the members themselves. Go out and talk to a few trade union members, and see what they have to say.

ETA: And I mean the ones out there still working, not the one sitting next to you at the DNC callbank.

Bill - I've worked for 3 different unions in my lifetime (UFCW, Teamsters, Cartoonists Union) and under each of them, I had the best health insurance coverage I've ever had. I never heard any one of my co-workers complain about their health care under the union.

That's why I said trade union members, folks that work when the work is there, and ###### all day when it's not.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sounds interesting. What is most important, IMO, is getting everyone covered without any exclusions for any reason.

As long as there are no premium subsidies (which can only be funded by forced taxation of a discontented population) or any caps on premiums (which would be like enslaving insurance executives, what would Abe Lincoln say?).

Employer mandates are the only alternative I can think of.

It's not ok to extort taxpayers and it isn't ok to extort employers, either.

The unions historically were the ones that brought us employer sponsored health insurance. For those of us who have employer insurance - you can thank the unions for that, but since they don't have strength they once had in this country and the Right Wingers like to vilify the unions, employee mandates for insurance will have to come from big bad guvmint.

And for the mess the healthcare delivery system is in now. The employer model needs to be scrapped, or at the very least, taxed as income.

You blame the unions? Splendid.

Of course, and all too often, so do the members themselves. Go out and talk to a few trade union members, and see what they have to say.

ETA: And I mean the ones out there still working, not the one sitting next to you at the DNC callbank.

Bill - I've worked for 3 different unions in my lifetime (UFCW, Teamsters, Cartoonists Union) and under each of them, I had the best health insurance coverage I've ever had. I never heard any one of my co-workers complain about their health care under the union.

That's why I said trade union members, folks that work when the work is there, and ###### all day when it's not.

Have you ever belonged to a union, Bill?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Have you ever belonged to a union, Bill?

Have you ever swung a hammer, Steve?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Have you ever belonged to a union, Bill?

Have you ever swung a hammer, Steve?

Come on, Bill. Every time I ask you a question you do this? Just answer my question, please.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Have you ever belonged to a union, Bill?

Have you ever swung a hammer, Steve?

Come on, Bill. Every time I ask you a question you do this? Just answer my question, please.

I learn from you, Steve-san.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Have you ever belonged to a union, Bill?

Have you ever swung a hammer, Steve?

Come on, Bill. Every time I ask you a question you do this? Just answer my question, please.

I learn from you, Steve-san.

Good grief, Bill. It's not an entrapment. But it's apparent that you either have never worked under a union, or least not within the last couple of decades.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Have you ever belonged to a union, Bill?

Have you ever swung a hammer, Steve?

Come on, Bill. Every time I ask you a question you do this? Just answer my question, please.

I learn from you, Steve-san.

Good grief, Bill. It's not an entrapment. But it's apparent that you either have never worked under a union, or least not within the last couple of decades.

You have found out my little secret. Please do not tell the others.

But remember, your secret is always safe with me.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Have you ever belonged to a union, Bill?

Have you ever swung a hammer, Steve?

Come on, Bill. Every time I ask you a question you do this? Just answer my question, please.

I learn from you, Steve-san.

Good grief, Bill. It's not an entrapment. But it's apparent that you either have never worked under a union, or least not within the last couple of decades.

You have found out my little secret. Please do not tell the others.

But remember, your secret is always safe with me.

Although you may not agree with the concept of unions and that is your rightful opinion, don't mistake that for actually experiencing working under a union.

That said, I don't think unions are the answer to our health care issues, but they deserve credit for why many workers in this country have employee sponsored health care. I have someone very close to me who recently found out he has a congenital heart defect and he has no health insurance. How can I not be affected by my personal experiences when it comes to such issues? There are way too many Americans who simply cannot afford adequate health care and we either shrug our shoulders and say to them, "That's how the cookie crumbles," or we include them into our insurance pool since technically they are (through emergency services). Just like the person I know with the heart defect. If his heart starts racing and he is short of breath, all he can do is dial 911. That cost will be factored into our premiums. The status quo is pure insanity.