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Vetting McCain’s Health Plan

Tax credits would move people out of group plans and into individual policies where the benefits aren't as good.

By Jane Bryant Quinn | NEWSWEEK
Published Oct 4, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Oct 13, 2008

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  • Posted By: Oplis @ 11/02/2008 11:58:20 AM

    Comment: If Dems do, ...McCain will lose!
    There are more Dems registered than Republicans this time, and if the undecided Democrats vote along party lines, Obama will win. This is why it is so important to get out the vote on the Dem side, we have to get this republican policy out , and get a different policy in place. Whether you believe Obama will be as affective as he says or not, McCain , will not be affective in change policy at all, he will be a Bush clone,....no?....he wants to stay in Iraq, " stay the course",..he wants to keep tax breaks for Corp.s in place including oil companies, plus add additional cuts for the oil industry, he wants to keep the tax rates for wealthy Americans, at present rate, he has no health plan, no education plan, and no solution to the economic crisis. Obama , is just the opposite, he knows that if you broaden your tax base with new jobs , in the form of green jobs, and high tech jobs, because of new training, and put the wealthy back in the tax rate they had under Clinton, and bring the troops home , saving 150 billion per year, all of this combined will improve the economy in the long run, and in the short run, a tax break for the middle class, and the troops out of Iraq.

  • Posted By: Oplis @ 11/01/2008 4:34:54 PM

    Comment: McCain's healthcare plan is just as good as the guy that gives it, full of holes! He wants to stay in the country of Iraq, and continue spending $150,000 ,000,000 .....that's billion okay......and keep in place a 300,000,000 dollar tax cut for big corperations, and the wealthy, and billions of tax cuts for the oil companies, ...buy up the morgages for the families of the housing crisis(which by the way is socialism) and then says he can balance the budget within his first term,...remember....he said yes to the moderators question ,..." can you balance the budget within your first term(Obama said no, because he doesn't suffer from demencia)! He ask Obama, where are you getting the money to do the things you say you're gonna do,..and then calls Obama a socialist, without saying where he , ...is going to get the money to do Bush! .....is he just lying???? You betcha' !!!

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/18/2008 8:24:56 PM

    Comment: THE GREAT BUSH DEPRESSION
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    He perfectly predicted the current meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen next
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything seen in generations
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand how its been broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use quantum mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He was the last to know somthing was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a budget surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that
    Stand up and hold them accountable
    Bush isn't on the ballot this year but his policies are
    Elect Obama Biden 2008






    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/18/2008 8:24:43 PM

    Comment: THE GREAT BUSH DEPRESSION
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    He perfectly predicted the current meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen next
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything seen in generations
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand how its been broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use quantum mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He was the last to know somthing was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a budget surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that
    Stand up and hold them accountable
    Bush isn't on the ballot this year but his policies are
    Elect Obama Biden 2008






    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/18/2008 8:24:32 PM

    Comment: THE GREAT BUSH DEPRESSION
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    He perfectly predicted the current meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen next
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything seen in generations
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand how its been broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use quantum mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He was the last to know somthing was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a budget surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that
    Stand up and hold them accountable
    Bush isn't on the ballot this year but his policies are
    Elect Obama Biden 2008






    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: ADELFAPINEDA @ 10/16/2008 11:10:31 AM

    Comment: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30122043&l=0510b&id=1130236838
    OBAMA PROXIMO PRESIDENTE NORTEAMERICANO. , TRANSFORMACIÓN SOCIAL-CULTURAL. Su gobierno se implementara políticas en los valores: del respeto a la vida, la libertad, la solidaridad, la tolerancia, los derechos humanos. su programa de gobierno EL DESARROLLO, el desarrollo económico, industrial, empresarial- Energético, y el desarrollo aplicado a la reducción de LA POBREZA, Desarrollo Agrario-rural-cultural, entramado de medidas, tecnologías para la sostenibilidad con educación para la sostenibilidad. DESARROLLO CULTURAL, REFORMA IMIGRGATORIA 1ADELFA PINEDA TRANSPARENCIA Y ÉTICA: Por el Desarrollo del País; Dignidad Publica, 1

  • Posted By: trazer222 @ 10/15/2008 11:10:15 PM

    Comment: Obama is a slick talker - but he is not someone who cares about anything except his personal resume. He launched his campaign in a terrorist livingroom - he never apologized to us for his amazingly poor judgment that that man still wants to bomb the United States. Obama has funded $800,000 to arrange for voter fraud. How can I trust his insurance policy will do anything for me - I cannot based on his deceptive character.

  • Posted By: trazer222 @ 10/15/2008 11:07:48 PM

    Comment: Some people have friendly gardners - my parents faithfully mowed their yard for years until they had failint health in their 80s. At that age, they had to opt for gardening help which we were more than happy to arrange for them. These are hard working people - who did a duty of love. Obama's plan wants to raise taxes on them - a son and his widow mom - with not a care about them. Obama is shamefully inadequate.

  • Posted By: trazer222 @ 10/15/2008 11:04:54 PM

    Comment: There are many companies who do not offer health care to all their employees. If they lay you off, you are out of luck. Obama seems to not care about this transitional issues. McCain plan I can count on as it offers me $5000 independent of my company's current health plans. Under Obama he never told me how much I have to pay to get his health plan - frojm what I have researched it would cost me $25,000 a year.

  • Posted By: njcbasketball @ 10/14/2008 2:03:42 PM

    Comment: Healthcare belongs in the private sector. Government should not control this. Every step we take giving government more control of our money and choices is one step closer to socialism. We are the greatest country in the world, so why take steps to be more like other countries. Doctors warn me that if Obama becomes president, we will know who to blame when everyone gets bad health care.

    • Posted By: familydoc @ 10/18/2008 1:11:56 AM

      Comment: I have practiced medicine for 30 years. Whether we like it or not, healthcare is in the public sector. The question is which public sector? The failure of the private sector to organize itself around true risk-sharing of (dare I say it) universal coverage results in many of our fellow-Americans becoming sicker to the point of subsidized care in local hospitals. My countrymen deserve better use of their tax dollars.

  • Posted By: JoanR @ 10/14/2008 12:45:33 PM

    Comment: I like Obama's plan much better. We will "fight" the bad insurance companies and force them to insure pre-existing conditions for less money.Then we will fund a $200 billion health care plan in the midst of a recession while cutting taxes for those who already don't pay any and without adding a cent to the deficit. We can count on the major corporations to create more jobs too, while paying more tax.Thank God we have found this Man

  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/12/2008 8:04:59 PM

    Comment: OBAMA: THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTIONS CANDIDATE!

    NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY HAS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BEEN GIVEN SUCH A FREE PASS BY THE PRESS AND JUST ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE!

    I AM WAITING FOR A BLACK PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO MAKE IT ON HIS OWN MERIT.

    COLIN POWELL COMES TO MIND!

  • Posted By: wendydk @ 10/11/2008 12:23:32 PM

    Comment: John McCain is a good man, who got carried away by ambition, bad people and bad decisions. I think his conscience is bothering him now, and makes him more appealing, and more the man I know him to be.

    Sarah Palin may be smart, but she's not who you think she is. Sarah Palin is a traitor to America and to her party.

    Palins un-American activities
    http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/index.html

    Alaskan Independence Party chairwoman Lynette Clark talks about why she does not identify herself as an American, and about her kindred spirit Sarah Palin.
    http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/10/alaska_secession/index.html

    The pastor who clashed with Palin
    http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/15/bess/index.html

    Troopergate Report Concludes Palin Abused Power. Full 263 Page report here???
    http://download2.legis.state.ak.us/DOWNLOAD.pdf

    Palins Attack On Obamas Patriotism Legitimizes Questions About her Association With Group Founded By America-Hating Secessionist
    http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/palins_attack_on_obamas_patrio.php

    Palin And The Alaska Independence Party
    http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/the_alaska_independence_party.php

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/11/2008 9:37:08 AM

    Comment: v

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/11/2008 9:36:57 AM

    Comment: In a few weeks we will make a choice that will decide our future.
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    Also, he perfectly predicted the current real estate market meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen in the next couple years
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are essentially bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything in the last 80 years.
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand exactly what is broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use complex mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He didnt realize that anything was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that .
    Elect Obama Biden 2008


    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/11/2008 9:36:34 AM

    Comment: In a few weeks we will make a choice that will decide our future.
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    Also, he perfectly predicted the current real estate market meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen in the next couple years
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are essentially bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything in the last 80 years.
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand exactly what is broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use complex mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He didnt realize that anything was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that .
    Elect Obama Biden 2008


    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: Nins @ 10/11/2008 12:10:46 AM

    Comment: The GOP is grasping at straws. They have nothing substantive against Obama, but boy are they good at making up lies. This is the leading Karl Rove tactic for years, and if America falls for this again we should be ashamed of ourselves. Not to mention the obvious fact that this is all a smokescreen to keep the focus off of the fact that Palin and her Alaska associates are in contempt of court for refusing to testify in the Troopergate hearings. After Nixon and Clinton, Americans are to some extent jaded, but really, would you want a VP who refuses to attend hearings in her own defense, and instructs her employees not to testify? That smells like guilt. It surely doesn't give the impression that she has done no wrong and has nothing to hide.

    This year, the GOP offers you an angry old man and a woman who, while personable, is desperately uniformed about national and international issues. Both of them are far right politically. McCain used to be a maverick, but since 2004 he's voted 90% with Bush. McCain's policies are not original or reformist, despite how he's tried to co-opt Obama's popular message of change. Please go to the websites of both of the candidates and read their platforms. Obama's Blueprint for Change has more good ideas than McCain's plan. Compare them yourself. Obama's basic premise is that tax dollars should be spent to make America stronger and to improve the lives and well being of our people. For example, he uses education programs to train a new technology workforce, contributing to energy independence, creating jobs and improving the economy. When you read McCain's plan you will find no over-arching design to get America back on track. Instead you'll find more tax cuts for the wealthy, de-regulation of the health care industry, and a stated intent to overturn Roe v. Wade.

    I'm a Republican. Although I embrace some forward-thinking social values, in the past I've rarely voted Democrat. My thinking was that since Republicans grow robust economies, by voting Republican I'd be endorsing a plan that would grow wealth for our nation, and then we'd be able to afford social programs. It was a good strategy for a couple decades, but I have to say that the tenure of W. Bush has changed my mind. Not only is there nothing fiscally responsible about today's GOP, the insidious alignment of the party with religious intolerance has really turned me off.

    On the other hand, the intelligent luminous thought of Barack Obama has ignited my patriotism. I want a President who puts America first and can get the economy back on track. In my mind, values voting takes a back burner when we are faced with a meltdown of the economy. It is time for a change, a real change. The Republicans have controlled the Presidency for 28 of the past 40 years, but they have fallen down on the job. The Democrats have a stellar candidate this year, and I am voting for Obama.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDofbll86dY&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_922988

  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/09/2008 7:28:29 PM

    Comment: They harassed her until she registered to vote six times!:
    http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3145562&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/

  • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 10/09/2008 1:31:20 PM

    Comment: Barack Obama???s healthcare plan advertisements are misleading and are an outright hoax on the average American family who has to buy a non-employer sponsored healthcare plan.

    Barack Obama supports a bailout of AIG, he should. His proposals on health insurance have made a major contribution to helping to undermine investors confidence in AIG???s future profitability and financial prospects.

    The economic proposals of Obama dealing with healthcare display a naivete about economics of the health insurance industry. This is unusual because his wife is a hospital administrator with a major hospital in Chicago.

    In campaign ads and during his acceptance speech, Barack Obama mentions that his mother had to fight with insurance companies during her terminal illness. Barack vowed to eliminate discrimination by insurers and his recent ads specifically state he will ban pre-existing condition prohibitions on coverage. Obama also says that his proposals will not increase the cost of coverage for the average American family.

    His plan and the statement that it will not increase costs is an outright hoax. Preexisting condition provisions in insurance company health policies are the cornerstone of the entire concept of insurance. Health insurance is not like welfare that you can collect if you need it. The economic principle of health insurance is that healthy people pay into the system and only a few draw out. Over a fourth of people in the United States do not have health insurance and many do not have health insurance simply out of choice. People that are in their twenties and thirties and are healthy and may chose to self insure. They are willing to bet that they will no get sick therefore they do not want to pay any premiums.

    However, if these same people only decide to purchase health insurance when they want to have a baby or a special elective operation or become aware that they have a health condition such as cancer, then the system breaks down. Only sick people will pay into the system and healthy people will opt out because there is no incentive to maintain health insurance. If insurance companies can???t exclude people due to preexisting condition then the rates will become exorbitant for everyone.

    The rationale behind mandatory auto insurance recognizes that many people are willing to take their chances and drive without insurance. Barack Obama proposal to eliminate preexisting coverage exclusions is like someone without auto insurance having an accident and totaling their car and then going down to the insurance office and taking out a comprehensive policy and demanding the insurance pay for an accident that they had the previous week when they were uninsured.

    • Posted By: Nins @ 10/11/2008 12:07:20 AM

      Comment: You seem not to know that AIG is not a health care insurer. Actually, you don't seem to know much about anything you are writing about.

      85% of health care plans in America include pre-existing conditions, because 85% of people have group plans that include all pre-existing conditions. Approximately 15% of Americans self-pay for individual plans, and these are the people who get socked with pre-existing conditions clauses. Considering the fact that self-pay people pay about twice as much for their policies as group plan people do, this is rankly unfair discrimination and price fixing on the part of the insurance companies.

    • Posted By: Nins @ 10/10/2008 11:59:25 PM

      Comment: Dear mccainsupporter, you know that this blog that you keep posting and re-posting is full of lies and mis-information, but you keep repeating it anyway. Shame on you.

  • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 10/09/2008 1:30:28 PM

    Comment: Barack Obama???s plan will be shifting all of these costs off the government back onto people who have private insurance which will have the direct effect of jacking the insurance costs up at least one hundred percent for everyone who has insurance. The current twenty-five percent of people who are uninsured will stay uninsured but just sign up for insurance when they are sick or need to go to the hospital. They will drop their coverage once their illness is over. The only people who will maintain insurance are those who work for large companies and have no choice but to opt in during open season once a year. Even some employees may choose to opt out until they want to have an elective operation or they become aware of a preexisting condition that Barack Obama is adamant will have no meaning once his proposals are implemented.

    Maybe Barack Obama can extend his plan to car insurance. No one has to buy comprehensive insurance until after they have an accident and then they get to take out an amended policy and make the insurance company pay to fix their own car. If the principle works for health insurance it must work for car insurance.

    Michele Obama the wife of Barack Obama works for a hospital and it is amazing that Barack Obama would run ads complaining about insurance company refusals to insure based on preexisting condition.

    Barack???s plan demonstrates Baracks lack of understanding of simple economics and insurance practices and is a hoax on the average American trying to pay for affordable insurance.

    • Posted By: Nins @ 10/11/2008 12:10:12 AM

      Comment: You seem not to know that AIG is not a health care insurer. Actually, you don't seem to know much about anything you are writing about.

      85% of health care plans in America include pre-existing conditions, because 85% of people have group plans that include all pre-existing conditions. Approximately 15% of Americans self-pay for individual plans, and these are the people who get socked with pre-existing conditions clauses. Considering the fact that self-pay people pay about twice as much for their policies as group plan people do, this is rankly unfair discrimination and price fixing on the part of the insurance companies. To force the insurers to stop discriminating would NOT bankrupt the system, although maybe some CEOs would have to go without those spa vacations. Boo hoo.

  • Posted By: newsweek is garbage @ 10/09/2008 6:13:24 AM

    Comment: Larry Sinclair accuses Barack Obama of homosexual acts and drug use in video posted on YouTube


    WASHINGTON ??? The electrifying presidential campaign of Barack Obama faces a new challenge ??? a Minnesota man who claims he took cocaine in 1999 with the then-Illinois legislator and participated in homosexual acts with him.

    When his story was ignored by the news media, Larry Sinclair made his case last month in a YouTube video, which has now been viewed more than a quarter-million times. And when it was still ignored by the media, Sinclair filed a suit in Minnesota District Court, alleging threats and intimidation by Obama's staff.

    Sinclair, who says he is willing to submit to a polygraph test to validate his claims, will now get his chance ??? thanks to a website offering $10,000 for the right to record it and $100,000 to Sinclair if he passes.

    "My motivation for making this public is my desire for a presidential candidate to be honest," Sinclair told WND by telephone. "I didn't want the sex thing to come out. But I think it is important for the candidate to be honest about his drug use as late as 1999."

    (Story continues below)


    Sinclair, who lives in Duluth and describes himself as "gay," claims he "personally engaged in sexual activity and personally used illegal drugs in November 1999" with the man who is now the leading Democratic presidential candidate. He claims the activity took place in the back of Sinclair's limousine and occurred again, later, in his hotel. Sinclair also says he personally no longer uses drugs.

    In his lawsuit, filed last week, he charges his civil rights have been violated by Obama and the Democratic Party. Named as defendants in the case are the presidential candidate, David Axelrod of AKP Message and Media in Chicago and the Democratic National Committee.

    Sinclair charges Obama smoked crack cocaine in the limo while Sinclair snorted powdered cocaine provided by the legislator. He says the two met in an upscale Chicago lounge before leaving in Sinclair's limousine where the drug use and sex took place for the first time.

    Sinclair says he is a registered Democrat but has never voted for any candidate. He is 46 and claims to be physically disabled.

    He says he was not physically impaired in 1999 when the alleged incidents with Obama took place.

    Calls placed to the Obama campaign were not returned.

    See Larry Sinclair's allegations:

    Page 1

    • Posted By: Nins @ 10/11/2008 12:02:58 AM

      Comment: Dear Newsweek is garbage, I am sure that you know that Larry Sinclair is a convicted felon who has spent most of the past 20 years behind bars. He crimes include grand theft, extortion, check fraud and slander. Additionally, he is a known drug addict. How could you possibly see this man as credible witness against anyone, especially when he was milking FoxNews for money in return for slandering Obama?

      Give it a rest.

  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/08/2008 11:59:16 PM

    Comment: "Not all Democrats agree with Mr. Frank that such policies are off-limits to criticism. Last week Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama said in a statement: 'Like a lot of my Democratic colleagues I was too slow to appreciate the recklessness of Fannie and Freddie. I defended their efforts to encourage affordable homeownership, when in retrospect, I should have heeded the concerns raised by their regulator in 2004. Frankly, I wish my Democratic colleagues would admit when it comes to Fannie and Freddie, we were wrong.'

    "Mr. Davis is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus."

    'Rank snobbery'

    Camille Paglia, who supports Sen. Barack Obama, has nothing but scorn for the way the media has treated Sarah Palin.

    "The mountain of rubbish poured out about Palin over the past month would rival Everest. What a disgrace for our jabbering army of liberal journalists and commentators, too many of whom behaved like snippy jackasses," Miss Paglia writes at www.salon.com.

    "The bourgeois conventionalism and rank snobbery of these alleged humanitarians stank up the place. As for Palin's brutally edited interviews with Charlie Gibson and that viper, Katie Couric, don't we all know that the best bits ended up on the cutting-room floor? Something has gone seriously wrong with Democratic ideology, which seems to have become a candied set of holier-than-thou bromides attached like tutti-frutti to a quivering green Jell-O mold of adolescent sentimentality."

    • Posted By: Floridave @ 10/09/2008 1:08:39 PM

      Comment: If Obama turns out to be a queer, does Alec Baldwin have to leave America? How does that work exactly?

  • Posted By: researchman @ 10/08/2008 11:34:41 PM

    Comment: Go to the candidates' records on the independent watchdog websites...then make a post here. If you say something, base it in facts, or you are nothing but uninformed. The only people taking a cold shower will be the voters who discover who their candidate is after it is too late ,and after they've been taxed to death and lost their jobs. Educate yourself now, so you are not surprised at the outcome. Was that last post a discussion? I missed it.

  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/08/2008 11:34:21 PM

    Comment: "Not all Democrats agree with Mr. Frank that such policies are off-limits to criticism. Last week Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama said in a statement: 'Like a lot of my Democratic colleagues I was too slow to appreciate the recklessness of Fannie and Freddie. I defended their efforts to encourage affordable homeownership, when in retrospect, I should have heeded the concerns raised by their regulator in 2004. Frankly, I wish my Democratic colleagues would admit when it comes to Fannie and Freddie, we were wrong.'

    "Mr. Davis is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus."

    'Rank snobbery'

    Camille Paglia, who supports Sen. Barack Obama, has nothing but scorn for the way the media has treated Sarah Palin.

    "The mountain of rubbish poured out about Palin over the past month would rival Everest. What a disgrace for our jabbering army of liberal journalists and commentators, too many of whom behaved like snippy jackasses," Miss Paglia writes at www.salon.com.

    "The bourgeois conventionalism and rank snobbery of these alleged humanitarians stank up the place. As for Palin's brutally edited interviews with Charlie Gibson and that viper, Katie Couric, don't we all know that the best bits ended up on the cutting-room floor? Something has gone seriously wrong with Democratic ideology, which seems to have become a candied set of holier-than-thou bromides attached like tutti-frutti to a quivering green Jell-O mold of adolescent sentimentality."

  • Posted By: researchman @ 10/08/2008 10:55:40 PM

    Comment: If you think health care is expensive now...imagine when it is free. Look at the tax rates in socialized nations. Is anyone opening their eyes? I am a physician and I can assure you that socializing medicine and health care will do nothing but reduce the quality of care, breed apathy among doctors, and bankrupt the small group practices and solo docs out there trying to survive on reduced reimbursements already. If you like the care that you receive now from your personal doctor, imagine how you will be treated when the physician is on a salary like a state employee. What government program hasn't increased the cost to society, being burdened by over complex rules and offices? It is naive to think that socialized programs won't increase our deficit...look at California and its socialist policies. A tax on health benefits is not a deal breaker if the benefit is generous. Speaking in generalities like HUGE or BIG tax increases does not inform anyone. Go to the watchdog websites and see how Obama's plans will increase our deficit. I encourage you to read, read the watchdog sites. Don't buy the socialist policies like you buy a car on TV. Get through the bias and find the truth. Ask your doctor what he thinks. Neither plan is perfect...but socialized medicine and insurance with penalities for small business...does nothing but hurt all of us.

  • Posted By: whoiamnow @ 10/08/2008 10:36:04 PM

    Comment: Beauty and the Beast unleashed their inner pit bulls and are attacking Obama with their same old tricks- character assassination, lies and distortion. But Joe Six Pack isn't fooled.

    This is a quote from foxnews.com:

    "The analysis also concluded that in the latest period, nearly 100 percent of the McCain's ads were negative, compared to 34 percent of Obama's ads."

    McCain has nothing good to say about himself. How pathetic.

  • Posted By: AKCheese @ 10/08/2008 6:53:02 PM

    Comment: So those of us who opted to take lower paying governement jobs, in significant part due to the benefits package that came with them now will have that equation fudementally altered due to John McCains tax on health benefits. How is he going to calculate how many pounds of flesh to extract from me for the benefits I earned as a military retiree and disabled veteran? Anyone with any kind of decent health plan really needs to pay attention to this because it is going to be a HUGE tax increase for you.

  • Posted By: rtradew @ 10/08/2008 6:46:20 PM

    Comment: Quinn's highly biased, anti-McCain polemic leaves out the major benefit of his reform: reducing moral hazard. As young people move into Health Savings Accounts and control their own spending in order to get paid interest on their accumulated savings, we will solve the crisis of inflated health costs. Oh, yes, and ask your employer for a raise, about $9,000 for an average employee.



    Obama

  • Posted By: quasqueton @ 10/08/2008 2:56:11 PM

    Comment: By the way, is "vetting" a real word?

  • Posted By: quasqueton @ 10/08/2008 2:52:18 PM

    Comment: To "injustopost". I really find most younger people (I am 54), not all that bright. The public schools have consistently been "dumbing down". (No child left behind, everyone has to graduate, etc.)

  • Posted By: Dobsoncw @ 10/08/2008 1:29:21 PM

    Comment: Both plans by the candidates will fail. Obama and McCain haven't solved the root cause for high insurance costs to consumers. Malpractice insurance is the cost driver for medical industry. The only way to lower the Malpractice insurance is to reduce awards and punitive damages for injuries caused by doctors. I understand they should be held liability, but for how much? Does getting hot coffee spilled on your lap mean you should millions in awards and damages? The answer is no.

    Obama's plan will fail because he doesn't understand the tax system and how the collection of taxes works. He plans to raise the qualified dividend rate of 15% back to the ordinary rate of 35% for high income tax payers to pay for his plan. But what he doesn't understand companies are run by the high income taxpayers. Companies aren't required by law to pay dividends. A great example is Microsoft. Until Bush lowered the dividend rate Microsoft never issued a dividend. The IRS collected millions upon millions from shareholders of Microsoft that they would have never collected. Bush just spent the money poorly in IRAQ.

    As the article points out, McCain plan isn't any better. I would really like to see a detailed calculation of a person's 1040 prior to McCain's plan and one with the plan McCain is purposing. The price index for inflation can be changed by Congress at anytime the price index doesn't match the actual inflation. So this is as much as a concern as Congress wants a healthcare plan to work. What I don't like about the credit is the taxpayers must pay their health insurance up front and wait a year to receive their money back from the government.

  • Posted By: danrupp @ 10/08/2008 8:23:15 AM

    Comment: I know that the health care in Canada is different than here, and a lot of people would like something liek that in
    the US. But it isn't going to happen, Insurance companies are going to continue to cost us more-our co pays
    will not be going down, and we will stil need to get pre approved for certain procedures. As for Katrina victims, mother nature is letting you know that you shouldn't rebuild in certain areas. It will happen again-IT WILL!
    Global warming, and obesity are causing more problems for people than ever before. Children with high blood pressure? how we going to cover that??? Adults wanting their incredibly expensive meds for free! Yes!!! For everyone!!! All those meds that are keeping our parents and grandparents alive are costing millions! The new
    President of our United States will do nothing for our helath care costs. Its the same old, same old...
    They walk and talk thetalk-but thats it. My insurance covers less than it did 15 yrs ago-and costs more out of pocket. It wont change. I know too many people with out Dental ins, and the small comanies that are non union
    that they are insured by are offereing lessand less. But they don't have the money to go anywhere else-andthey are uneducated-but who cares??? Certainly not you-you just want all your medical bills paid-right? Someone will have to pay for all these wonderful changes in healthcare reform that our two candidates are raving about.
    Remember that-nothing , nothing, will cost us nothing in the long run. We will all pay in the end for these
    horrible mistakes our leaders and legislaters are making.

  • Posted By: Concerned Canadian @ 10/07/2008 5:39:47 PM

    Comment: WHO IS BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA ?

    -HE GETS UPSET WHEN SOMEONE USES HIS MIDDLE NAME ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE IS CLOSE FRIENDS WITH BILL AYERS..A TERRORIST. ...ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE WILL RAISE YOUR TAXES FOR HIS SOCIAL PROGRAMS COSTING BILLIONS ...ASK HIM WHY?
    -HE PRETENDS HE IS A CHRISTIAN WHEN REALLY HE IS A MUSLIM .. ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE SAYS USA TROOPS ARE AIR RAIDING AND KILLING CIVILIANS IN AFGHANISTAN.. ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE STAYS IN A CHURCH FROM HELL FOR 20 LONG YEARS & TRIED TO AVOID THIS . ..ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE BOUGHT HIS MANSION THROUGH A SHADY DEAL WITH A CONVICT TONY REZKO ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE CUTS FUNDING FOR THE TROOPS IN IRAQ ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE DOES NOT EXPLAIN HIS PLAN FOR THE USA ECONOMY . ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE HAS NO SOLUTIONS FOR FIXING THE USA ECONOMY ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE NEVER WON A DEBATE VERSUS HILLARY CLINTON .. ..ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE AIDED ACORN TO GET MORTGAGE MONEY IN THE MILLIONS THAT DEFAULTED ...ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE HAS A FRIEND IN THE PLO AND EVEN ACCEPTED CAMPAIGN MONEY FROM HIM ...ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE GOT THE MOST MONEY FROM FANNY MAE & FREDDIE MAC OTHER THAN DODD ..ASK HIM WHY?
    -HE HAS A WIFE WHO IS NOT PROUD OF THE UNITED STATES ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE USED THE RACE CARD VERSUS HILLARY & BILL CLINTON IN THE PRIMARIES ...ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE SAYS HE DOESN'T KNOW UNTIL HE'S EXPOSE & THEN FORCED TO EXPLAIN ..ASK HIM WHY?
    -HE SAYS THE MIDWEST BLUE COLLAR FOLKS CLUTCH THEIR BIBLES & GUNS ...ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE DOES NOT HAVE THE CHARACTER TO BE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF..HE LIES ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE SAYS HE WILL WIN THE ELECTION WHEN ITS STILL 30 DAYS AWAY ....ASK HIM WHY ?
    -HE THINKS HE CAN MAKE PEACE WITH USA ENEMIES WITH NO PRECONDITIONS ....ASK HIM WHY ?

    WHO IS BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA ?

    • Posted By: jarcher1 @ 10/08/2008 10:58:28 PM

      Comment: Who is Barack Hussein Obama? He's the guy that's going to send John "Mavrick" McCain to the showers on Nov 4th.

  • Posted By: Evnev8 @ 10/07/2008 3:58:06 PM

    Comment: Floridave...this is the same flawed right wing argument I hear over and over.

    I work for a living, 60+ hours a week (Yeah..I'm REAL lazy). I am on salary. I am single. Right now my health insurance plan is paid for. John McCain's plan will tax my health benefits through out the year (and my health benefit covers more then the average 20% that most others do) and give send someone (my employer? an outside insurance company because I am younger and can probably "survive" on a cheaper plan) a check for $2,500 at the end of the year.

    In the end I have less money in my pocket every month for something that was not an issue before. With less money in my pocket, I spend less. The less I consume, the less growth our little capitalist society sees and the less profit employer's like mine earn. The less profit they earn, the less likely it is their employee's pay will keep up with inflation or the less likely it will be that they hire new people. You elitist snobs should keep that in the forefront of your small minds. Capitalism is driven by CONSUMERISM. If people aren't buying, money is not being made.

    So stop acting like everyone complaining about McCain's plain is a "lazy liberal"

  • Posted By: Concerned Canadian @ 10/07/2008 12:05:24 PM

    Comment: Jane Bryant Quinn...you don't look healthy !!

    Your Muslim friend was the only one in the Senate that went against a Bill that would protect an infant born alive at abortion...the only one out of both Dems and GOP's....the guy is a ***.

    Jane...you are unpatriotic , stupid , and in the words of fair and balanced.." a pinhead left-wing nut job !! "

  • Posted By: C. MacLean @ 10/07/2008 9:39:10 AM

    Comment: As a registered nurse for 29 years, including 5 years working for an HMO, I feel compelled to point out the obvious: McCain's plan helps insurance companies get richer. Period.

    It does NOT help people with insurance get cheaper insurance, and it does not help people with no insurance afford any insurance.

    It is instructive to note that the American Nurse's Association has endorsed Barack Obama for president. Both the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association's websites are silent on their endorsements.

    Nurses know what the rest of the health care system either doesn't know or doesn't want to discuss - that McCain's plan may or may not assist employers, will certainly benefit the insurance companies, but will NOT help patients get or keep affordable health insurance.

    And without a means to cover even basic health care, Americans will continue to get sicker and poorer.

    Under the old fee-for-service system, we proved doctors were lousy businessmen.
    Under the present managed care system, we proved businessmen were lousy doctors.

    When we make the mistake of linking profits to health care, no one gets healthy, and only the insurance companies, the drug companies, the medical device companies, and the surgeons get profits.

    Unfortunately, Obama's plan continues the failed tactic of linking employment to health insurance, but at least he makes a better attempt to cover more people with basic services - it is a start.

    But if we truly are concerned with people's health, instead of business's profits, we need national health coverage for each and every American. The sooner the better.

    • Posted By: Floridave @ 10/07/2008 10:13:38 AM

      Comment: Thank you for your little burst of socialism, comrade. I appreciate your hard work as a nurse, but I really don't understand how changing bedpans and taking temperatures qualifies you as an expert on the insurance industry. Yes, it's a for profit industry. I doubt you worked for free, either. You can espouse the greatness of socialized medicine, but go talk to patients, or perhaps the victims, of it's practice. Want to wait in line for a year to have eye surgery? Be my guest. Canada awaits.

      We are capitalists here. If you want to eat you have to work, unless of course you are a democrat. Democrats just sit on their government issued couches watching subsidized cable television until free food arrives at their door. Then they complain about the long walk from the living room.

      The American Nurses Association is supporting Obama? Big surprise there. Nurses are primarily women that entered their chosen profession to hopefully achieve the ultimate nurse dream of marrying a doctor. I am guessing that you did not reach the brass ring because surely your physician husband, if you had one, would be leading you down the "right" road: Towards McCain.

      Our system needs tuning, not replacing. You would think a nurse of all people would recognize the importance of not throwing the baby out with the bath water.

      • Posted By: lingram @ 10/07/2008 10:41:07 AM

        Comment: I am not a nurse but I am a licensed life and health agent and the nurse is correct. McCain's plan will not help anyone especially those of us who have our health insurance paid by the company we work for.
        $2500 a year might cover the cost of a healthy 20 year old. It will by no means cover the cost of anyone over 40 and if you have a pre existing condition, you can forget it. And by the way, if the government is going to tax our health benefit and the government is going to pay the premiums directly to the insurer, how is that not government involvement? McCain would also like to make insurance available across states-that requires government involvement. You better look again at Obama's plan. It is not perfect but it is not totally government controlled. Oh by the way jerk, my daughter is a nurse and she married to a sign maker. My best friend is a nurse and she is married to a salesman. As a matter of fact there are very nurses that would want to be married to a doctor!! You go vote for McCain and the rest of us wil vote for Obama.

        • Posted By: Floridave @ 10/07/2008 11:13:43 AM

          Comment: Obviously you have been on the democrat- good time- everything for free- train for too long. You say that McCain's plan won't help anyone because $2500 won't be a 100% free ride. Doesn't $2500 help? Is it not a step in the right direction? Stop thinking that a helping hand that still requires a little effort from you is a bad thing. Take some personal responsibility. You are a perfect example of what I said in the above post: Democrats want a completely free ride.
          And of course the $5000 would go directly to the insurer... that's where it was intended to go. Either way it's a subsidy... that alone should make a lefty like yourself happy. But you can't just send $5000 checks all over America and expect them to end up where they were intended to go. I know it's not exactly the type of socialism the left prefers, but it will definitely help.
          Also, I am sorry your daughter and best friend did not achieve the ultimate nurse dream. Obviously, there are not enough doctors to go around for EVERY nurse. But you should be proud that they tried. Hopefully a fair number of doctors at least had a good time.

          • Posted By: injustonepost @ 10/07/2008 5:20:16 PM

            Comment: I personally respect and am thankfull for all of the socialist programs such as street and road maintainance, grabage collection, police and fire departments, public school systems, tax breaks, incentives and loop holes for my business, government grants to help fund non profits and not for profit businesses so I don't have to foot the bill without help from my fellow tax payers And the list goes on and on. Your words are hollow and shallow and lack the distinct knowledge required to make a rational decision. You are and do support corporate welfare/socialism and rail against the utility of the economics or maybe it is that you do not understand that concept. I am a conservative but I am not so blind as to see that without socialist programs to help the citizenry Corporate America can not survive. Just as Corporate America can not survive without government help also. Down the road in the next year or two or maybe linger there are going to be a lot more people in this country with a lot more hurt and as a result of that there will be more programs passed into law to help them. No matter who is president! And right now my candidate McCain is blowing it big time with trying to scare the voters and his VP pick and I am pissed. Sometimes I am just bewildered by some conservatives who do not seek to make things better from the ground up when in the end it will only help us business owners survive. My employees are happier because I treat them with respect and dignity. They produce more and are happier doing so. When they benefit I benefit. that is not coservatism or leberalism that is just common sense. Get a clue, clueless in Florida!

            • Posted By: Floridave @ 10/08/2008 8:19:16 AM

              Comment: You are one confused socialist. Socialism isn't what you do with tax money.... of course you have to have schools and road repair. What socialism is, and what Hussein has promised.... is redistribution of wealth. Obviously our tax codes are already set up for redistribution to some extent. It's bad enough that only 5% of Americans carry over half the expenses of this country.... but Hussein wants to make it worse.
              I appreciate that you consider yourself a conservative, but it's not about what you feel, it's what you do. If you vote for Hussein, you aren't a conservative, you are a supporter of socialism. I am not a McCain backer, either. I voted for Romney. I agree that Palin is a bad pick, but the worst thing you can say about her is inexperience, even though she has a better government background than Hussein. At least she isn't a Biden.... a guy the DNC couldn't give away in former presidential elections. But I really don't trust a guy with 3 years of senate experience, not to mention other shadiness, to run this country. I won't be taken in by smooth talk. Smooth talk gets people to buy cars they don't want (and mortgages they don't want), and smooth talk can get you laid or pregnant, but it won't trick me into voting for a guy who's most impressive asset is a fine education that he really has yet to utilize. Give him time. What is the hurry? He's young and has a LOT of election cycles ahead of him.
              Don't let him fool you... you really seem too thoughtful and sensible for that.
              Whatever you decide, good luck to you. And may God bless America.

              • Posted By: injustonepost @ 10/08/2008 10:05:35 AM

                Comment: I find myself arguing for someone who does not specifically see things exactly the way I do but this is where I find myself.

                I hired a young person about 5 years ago to fill a position that was being vacated by someone who was asked to leave because of his extreme ideas on how to manage a certain area of our operations. I hired this person because he was very experienced and was highly recommended. I did not find out until it had cost my business a large some of money and caused some key personel to leave the company that he was not all that was sold to me. To make a long story short . I know I took a chance on this young inexperienced person to run this department but at the time and the other candidates for the job where not as inovative, educated and bright as her. Her style of management was to include everyone in her department in the day to day operations of it and always spoke in the sense of "We" as was different to the person who was let go who always spoke in the sense of "I". She explains everything and always has goals and steps on how to accomplish things that need to be done. Needless to say this person has turned that department around and it is now one of the better performing departments in my business.

                Young people, for the most part are smarter than we are, think things through and for the usually make better well researched decisions. There is a lot to be said about experience but it will not be the deciding factor in any decisions that I make from here on out. Especially when it comes to my business or my vote. When all you have is experience in making bad decisions at what cost does it make it worth it to base your decision on only one aspect. Mr McCain has to show me in the last 4 weeks why he is the better candidate and as of right now he has prgressively executed just the opposite. And I Am Pissed!

                Making The Utility of The Economics work is what it is all about that is just common sense.

                • Posted By: Floridave @ 10/08/2008 2:33:02 PM

                  Comment: I appreciate your thinking in spite of my disagreement. That chance you took by hiring someone could have cost you royally, but even if it been a horrible mistake you could have always gotten rid of her. That's a lot harder to do with a president.
                  What I really respect is your entrepreneurialism. I have always admired the guts and risk required to do what you do. I have taken a few chances with investments that have paid back nicely, but I have been an employee in one way or another for most of my life. I've never made that big commitment and I really have a lot of respect for those of you that take that chance. A lot of my income comes from self employment, but I have never had to hire anyone except for the occasional subcontractor.
                  Best wishes to you for a profitable future... no matter what happens in the economy or what buffoon is leading it.

                  • Posted By: injustonepost @ 10/08/2008 5:41:35 PM

                    Comment:
                    I run it a little different in that a contract is drafted with a perspective employee's input and it runs for 5 years. There is a clause in the contract that protects both my business and the employees. It is a simple and to the point contract with everything spelled out with what is expected from both the employee and the employer. We also draft an out for both parties in the contract if one or the other does not live up to the specifications of the agreed upon contract or one or the other feels they would like to move on. There are incentives for the employee to perform up to the agreement and requirements of it which the employee forfeits if they are to resign before the duration of the contract. There are also restitutions made by me if I believe the situation will not work and that I would like to terminate the contract before its duration. I have been able to secure very high quality workers and production with this type of agreement and this is offered to almost everyone who comes to work for me. Well except for part time help who are usually college students who are hired for summer work but for permanent part time employees it is a option for them. For reasons I am sure you would understand. Commitment is the key to any successfull endeavor and loyalty is an absolute on both parties part. I can not say this is a 100% successfull human resourses model but it has served my business well. I will say that times are not as good as they have been in the past but we reamian in the black and hope for a better future. May we all be blessed with a better future and a more accommodating world for that to be a reality.

                    • Posted By: Floridave @ 10/08/2008 8:12:18 PM

                      Comment: I just went over my portfolio. Criminy. Are you hiring?

  • Posted By: wordfreak014 @ 10/07/2008 9:00:46 AM

    Comment: bosco: as someone who is representing a medium- sized business, you really need to clean up your grammar and your spelling. How can anyone take your point seriously? Besides, you should be incorporated, which would lessen your peronal tax burden.
    As far as McCain's plan goes: I would be outta luck. I have rheumatoid arthritis, which would be considered a pre-existing condition, and, therefore, uninsurable. The plan is weak and frightening to those of us who work for a living, pay for health insurance, yet would be on long waiting lists without the care necessary for day-to-day life. How on earth would I be able to pay for my meds and doctor's visits? Do I wait and pray a miracle happens? McCain's plan is irresponsible and reckless. Talk about un-American. He himself would not be eligible for insurance!

  • Posted By: wordfreak014 @ 10/07/2008 9:00:29 AM

    Comment: bosco: as someone who is representing a medium- sized business, you really need to clean up your grammar and your spelling. How can anyone take your point seriously? Besides, you should be incorporated, which would lessen your peronal tax burden.
    As far as McCain's plan goes: I would be outta luck. I have rheumatoid arthritis, which would be considered a pre-existing condition, and, therefore, uninsurable. The plan is weak and frightening to those of us who work for a living, pay for health insurance, yet would be on long waiting lists without the care necessary for day-to-day life. How on earth would I be able to pay for my meds and doctor's visits? Do I wait and pray a miracle happens? McCain's plan is irresponsible and reckless. Talk about un-American. He himself would not be eligible for insurance!

  • Posted By: wordfreak @ 10/07/2008 8:54:16 AM

    Comment: Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: wordfreak @ 10/07/2008 8:53:00 AM

    Comment: Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: bosco123 @ 10/07/2008 12:52:23 AM

    Comment: are far astaxes let me spell it out to you people who wnna tax the rich

    I am the rich I own a small to medium size company. barracks promise to me ,if you are a small business I will lower your capitol gains tax. I must educate you Barrack I DON'T PAY A CAPITOL GAINS TAX YOU DUMBASS.I PAY INCOME TAX . THERFORE SINCE MY COMPANY GROSSES WELL OVER 250,000 I GET A INCOME TAX OF OVER 63%

    Now I have a little secret for all you happy people who expect your welfare check every year,you will sign it over to me.

    Here is what is going to happen.

    I produce a widget for 50 cents plus tax of lets say 15 cents and I sell it for a dollar,now under Barrack's plan he is raising my tax to 45 cents so I am forced to raise my price from a dollar plus 35 cents to cover that tax plus another 20 cents for cost of living for a grand total for 1.65 once again you so called middle class taxpayers just got hosed for alot of extra cash.

    now If we cut the supply side taxes two things happen The middleclass could by a hell of alot cheaper and I t would be much easier for me to expand and hire and pay alot better Now on the other side of that coin I will not lose money either I will have to cut jobs or reduce wages and charge more. That is how it works. I am not greedy nor are 99% of any size businesses. Thats what they mean when you here them say "Nothing personal its just Business




    • Posted By: Evnev8 @ 10/07/2008 4:25:45 PM

      Comment: But Bosco, If you raise your prices too much, and no one buys your widgets, you'll go out of business or lower your prices. On the flip side, if people have less money, they will buy fewer widgets. If they have more money, they will buy more widgets. It could be that, *gasp*, capitalism is driven by consumerism and NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND?!?

      And what happens when the evil Barack Obama gives you a tax break and incentives for being a small business and creating jobs in America as opposed to exporting them over seas for cheaper labor. Will ya have ta raise yer taxes then? Ya betcha ya won't! *wink*

  • Posted By: bosco123 @ 10/07/2008 12:16:52 AM

    Comment: When are we ever going to learn our lessons?

    listening from dingbats like MSM (fox included) republicans and the democrats .For a bunch of so called experts , they are only good at one thing.and that is polorizing us.

    Think about it,.with McCain they have taught us MORE OF THE SAME

    With Obama they want us to believe CHANGE ..... yea right

    all they are doing is absolutely driving us straight to the ground.

    Got news for all of you people. there is no differance.

    I am a proud true conservative Unfortunetly I have not been represented in over 30 years. You see a true conservative believes in the right to pursue my own path (I think that was written in some important paper a long time ago ,that was suppose to be important in this country)

    Somewhere along the way the so called Great Experiment got lost.

    Now I see us heading straight towards socialism and for what? My guess someone decided that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL turned into a ITS NOT FAIR, i HAVE A RIGHT FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM, IM UNDERPRIVELEGED I DEMAND THE RIGHT FOR A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION. I DEMAND THE RIGHT FOR HEALTHCARE. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH WE ARE BECOMING A GIMME STATE. When in fact we are not entitled. to anything ...even being born if someone choosesthat option.

    but the MSM and our government brainwash us into believing that we are no longer capable of taking care of our selves.

    There game is discusting,divide us then label us,dems and repubs come up with some dumbass principlesand, cause us to fight amongst each other . which in turn keeps those idiotts in power.
    regardless of any consequence.

    last week we had to pay an extra 700,000,000,000 . Precisely because we are a gimme state. Well the housing brought us down to our knees, nope cant play that one any more . now they are going to the next game, Health Insurance which will once again,someday, will blow up.

    I got a conservative Idea that hasn't been tried in a long time.

    get the hell out of our lives and in return we will give you 20% of our money for roads and military. Then we could afford to buy our own things that we believe are important..

    I know this self reliance seems old fassion, but it is the only thing that we are entitled to.





  • Posted By: Cantabrigian @ 10/06/2008 7:59:02 PM

    Comment: Barney Frank (Democratic) has been in Congress since 1981, and is the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee.

    THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ALSO HAS THE MAJORITY IN Washington:

    [Congress] D=230, R=205

    [Senate] D=55, R=45

    So, can someone please tell me how the Democrats and NObama can feed the public the untruth that this economic fiscal disaster is the fault of the Republicans?

    Fannie and Freddie created a secondary market for over $1 trillion in subprime mortagages, allowing private lenders to make high-risk loans and then immediately sell them to a third party whose risk profile was diminished by government gaurantees. Thos two entities then cooked their books and avoided further government oversight through political maneuvering in Congress and consumers ran amok shopping!

    This is not rocket scientist stuff. . . nor Einstein theory. . . BUT - look who is left to pay the bill. . .

    • Posted By: bwlear @ 10/07/2008 5:39:33 PM

      Comment: Nice try. !2 years of Republican leadership is not equal to 2 years of a majority. look in the mirror if you want somebody to blame. You voted for Bush twice and now, like the rest of your party, you are trying to run from that decision. It took far longer then 2 years to get this country in this kind of shape. When Bush took office after a Democratic President, there was a surplus. There is no denying that fact. Now your childrens children are in debt.
      Go back to trying to smear Sen Obama, at least then you can say what you really think and not have to justify it with FACTS. Or better yet, why dont you and all of your right-wing nutjob friends protest by not voting and moving to Arizona and/or Alaska, where you can be represented by Sen McCain and Gov Palin. It's a win/win for everyone.

  • Posted By: Cantabrigian @ 10/06/2008 7:46:52 PM

    Comment: THE LACK OF INTEREST IN KNOWING JUST WHO NOBAMA IS IS STUNNING!

    MEDICAL DISCLOSURE:

    Senator John McCain has granted access to more than 2,500 pages of medical records, in 1999 and 2008, and a recent report, including all medications from a team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic who has been treating him for years.

    NObama released in May, a one-page letter from his primary care doctor, who he had not seen in 18 months.


  • Posted By: Krohn @ 10/06/2008 5:55:07 PM

    Comment: The Antichrist!:
    When George Soros failed to obtain the election of his candidate, John Kerry, in 2004, he brooded for a while, even said he might get out of politics altogether, but he just couldn???t stop himself. He has stated publicly that he wishes to burst the ???bubble of American supremacy,??? because he says our preeminence in the world is a detriment to global ???equilibrium.??? So far, he has failed, but he keeps on trying.

    And Mr. Soros has made no secret either of the fact that he sees the shortest way to effect political shake-ups, what he terms ???regime changes,??? is through very difficult economic conditions.

    America has not yet felt the full force of Soros style economic shock treatment. But others have.

    Soros made his first billion in 1992 by shorting the British pound with leveraged billions in financial bets, and became known as the man who broke the Bank of England. He broke it on the backs of hard-working British citizens who immediately saw their homes severely devalued and their life savings cut drastically in comparative worth almost overnight.

    When the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 threatened to spread globally, George Soros was right in the thick of it. Soros was accused by the Malaysian Prime Minister of causing the collapse with his monetary machinations, and he was branded in Thailand as an ???economic war criminal??? who ???sucks the blood from the people.??? Right in the middle of this crisis, Soros dashed off his book, The Crisis of Global Capitalism, which demanded a ???third way??? toward economic stability.

    Wake up, America, before it is too late!!!!

  • Posted By: jojo_2008 @ 10/06/2008 5:50:43 PM

    Comment: I am a 30 year old healthy female (no history of illness more serious than bronchitis), and my individual health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois is $3,300 per year--80% of that is paid for by my employer. That means I already pay $660 per year for my own coverage. (And my coverage is NOT good, does not include any dental, and does not include maternity benefits.) If my employer stops paying for my premiums, and I get this tax credit instead, I will be paying an additional $140 per year under McCain's plan (3300-2500=800, 800-660=140).

    People, listen: this idea to switch to individual plans is TERRIBLE! And to describe Obama's health plan as universal health care is NOT accurate, it is NOT socialism (unfortunately...because I would prefer that.)

    Health care will still be privatized, it will just be that more people have insurance so they can access health care, rather than getting sick, getting stuck with huge bills, and declaring bankruptcy. Over a million people declare bankruptcy every year because of medical bills. Check out AARP if you don't believe me.

  • Posted By: Floridave @ 10/06/2008 3:20:42 PM

    Comment: Obama's health plan will work since he plans on taxing every one of us to the point where we will all be eligible for Medicaid.