Jump to content

Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)


Simon

Recommended Posts

Anyone who thinks that Castro wasn't that bad or that Cuba is a great country, should spend more time hanging out with Cubans.  I know a few.  They tend to be great people, but they also live unnecessarily hard lives as a result of the Cuban regime.  They often live without the rights and necessities that even our poorest people take for granted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's true.  But it's also true that Cuban are healthier and live longer than Americans, while paying nothing out of pocket for healthcare and paying 1/4 as much per capita as the U.S.  In a tiny Third World country that has spent most of its existence under embargo.  Cuban refugees in Florida aren't stupid, their beef was with the authoritarian regime, not the Cuban healthcare system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have connections who have been to Cuba and who are from Cuba; so, I have a lot of first hand accounts of what life on the inside is like.  Cubans who live and work in the tourist friendly areas have it pretty good, but Cubans who live in areas outside of the tourist zones not so much.  They struggle for basic survival, they live in constant fear of the secret police, and they lack even the most basic of human rights.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Anaximander said:

I have connections who have been to Cuba and who are from Cuba; so, I have a lot of first hand accounts of what life on the inside is like.  Cubans who live and work in the tourist friendly areas have it pretty good, but Cubans who live in areas outside of the tourist zones not so much.  They struggle for basic survival, they live in constant fear of the secret police, and they lack even the most basic of human rights.

 

No one's defending the Cuban regime or their human rights record.  It's just sad that American health care is worse than that of a Third World dictatorship.  They don't have to ration insulin in Cuba.  They don't have to declare bankruptcy after an ambulance ride in Cuba.  They aren't denied care for preexisting conditions in Cuba.  Maybe there's a serious Republican plan to improve the American health care system that I haven't seen?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the biggest drivers in medical costs in our country is an unfriendly regulatory environment that causes doctors and hospitals to spend way to much time, energy, and money jumping through bureaucratic hoops.  I have worked in the hospital environment before, and I am currently trying to get back in.  Most of the actual effects of our regulations is turning the medical profession into a fear based environment where a lot of resources go into self-protective choices.

 

Reforming the bureaucracy associated with the medical profession to the minimum necessary would go a long ways toward improving services and reducing costs.

 

Another driver in medical costs is the availability of insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare.  All of these options increase costs to medical providers by increasing the amount of paper work that is needed to do medicine.  In addition, they also function as invisible moneys that have a real affect on the supply and demand curves even though they are effectively fake money.  This pushes the value of medical services to the point that they cannot be obtained without outside resources like insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare.  You want to decrease the cost of medical services you have to decrease the effects of invisible money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Old Man said:

Bloomberg makes everyone look good comparatively.  Warren did very well again, and Sanders and Biden seem to have avoided gaffes at least.

 

I would say this is Steyer's best debate so far, not that that that's saying much.

Warren didn't get the licks in as much as last time, but she stood her ground and yes, did well.

LOTS of folks went after Sanders, but while he gained no ground, he weathered them well. I think a few times the booing crowds surprised him, but then  I have theories about that crowd ;)

(I AM Worried SC will not go as well for Bernie as  I Hoped, but we'll see)

 

Biden actually had a few moments were I felt for him. He's clearly getting TICKED... and given the cruddy job the moderators did, I can't blame him. (One of his gun death stats had me going wth? )

I said last time Pete came across as a petty to Amy. Well, he's coming across as kind of petty to everyone... for all his talk of not alienating folks it seems almost as if he's doing that to everyone else.

Klobachur was.. uhm unremarkable?

Bloomberg was better prepared, and many in the audience clearly favored him. That said, his elitism shines through. The idea that NYC solutions will work anywhere... oh but wait, someo f those solutions sucked but nevermind that... and the "I have the resources" Line 

maybe i'm too sensitive to a megabillionaire trying to buy the election but it sure seemed like a declaration of "my money will handle EVERYTHING"

 

Maybe it's the contrariness in me, but the more Bloomberg talked, the more I wanted to vote for Bernie and Liz.

 

THe moderators did a terrible job IMO

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...