Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Steve's barking some of my best friends are not politicians

I've met several politicians and most seemed like nice and intelligent people.
I have nothing against an assembly person who wants to fund the local senior citizens center and the daycare center down the block. I have nothing against the senator or congressman who fights for money for public transportation systems so that those who needed it the most can afford it. I just wounder why do these same people that I'm saying nice things about when you put a microphone in front of them sound like an idiots?
Is it because they need an extraordinary amount of money to run for office and they have to dumb down to the dummies to get their dough, maybe but they turn off.
Can one state that politicians are an abused minority?
I see on the boob tube some congress people talk about letters that they get from their constituents complaining that they are losing their health care because their insurance company stated they don't meet the standards for the affordable healthcare act. If the congress person was honest he (or she) would state that the constituent was lucky, the lowest tier on Obamacare is lame and probably not worth the money so one can only imagine a plan that doesn't meet those standards.
There are over 330 million Americans with ancestry from all over the world, I'll bet that our founding fathers couldn't fathom that.


Monday, October 28, 2013

Steve's barking Americans want freedom of choice, maybe?

The urban myth states that we Americans want freedom of choice, that's why we don't want to change the way we receive our health care. The truth be told we don't want to change the way we get our health care is just the opposite, we have a hard time making decisions. There are two big arguments for the way health care is delivered in America. The first is we don't want the government to tell us to were we can get our health care from even it it means we have choices. The other just as popular we are satisfied that our employer tells us what insurance company to take and we don't want change that. Now taken as a whole I kinda get the impression that most of us don't like change even if it means no freedom of choice and of cause we make excuses.

If we like Coke and we have hundreds (well maybe not hundreds) of similar brands would will be willing to go for a cheaper brand? Some of us will at of necessity will but most coke drinkers will not. Is this out of brand loyalty or because we don't like change?
We have advertising to help us change our minds on things like the cars we buy among other things.

I guess those who are complaining about the wait they have to get on the health exchange aren't husbands who go shopping with their wives.


Sunday, October 27, 2013

Steve's barking statistically speaking

How is the study of political science similar to the study of economics?
They both depend highly on statistics.
The problem with too much dependency on statistics are conflicting statistics.
Last week on the boob tube a boober stated that when Social Security when it was conceived life expectancy was only 65 and now it's 78. something. This was stated for the need to curb the entitlement know as Social Security. The true statistic is that life expectancy since 1938 for people hitting the age of 65 is only 4 years not the 13 years as this boob implied.
In this present day of watching and listening to baseball statics are becoming more and more important.
How many times do you hear a pundit state a certain pitcher is on a roll, he had a 1.9 ERA and he be hard to beat in the playoffs. The more important statistic might be how did this pitcher do in April when it's almost as cold as Oct when he can't be as limber.

*boober = (made up word) some one who uses misinformation to prove a point. May be smart and is trying to get over on persons that he feels aren't very bright , boobs (Ted Cruz?).
A not to bright person (boob) who proves it over and over again by stating misguided facts.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Steve's barking better a single payee then payer for American Health Insurance

Heath care in the United States stinks. The Affordable Health Care Act at best will take care of one of the woes, lifting at best 10 percent of the problem (coverage of most of the Americans with some form of health care). It doesn't address the cost of health care that states shell out which is around 30% of their budgets.
No were in America's health care is the failure to replace doctors that are leaving the health care profession with the cost of training new doctors so there will be less of a shortage of doctors. Our businesses are at disadvantage that America is one of the few counties that have it's employers pay for health insurance.
( Unless there is a dollar for dollar tax break it's a big disadvantage).
Hospitals are closing all over the country, if there is a pandemic were in real trouble.
The argument that America's health care system is the top because people come here to be treated, doesn't hold much water when you consider that  more* American citizen leave the US for health care then come here for medical reasons.
Now we come to how the crux of my blog today, how to improve the American health care system, weather to have a single payer or a single payee?
The difference is taxes collected should go to a government run program or money collected should be given to the citizens to buy their own health insurance .Medicare gets a cheaper rate from hospitals and doctors then private insurances do. My problem with government setting the prices after the screw up that congress has been going through and the crazies in our government bureaucracies I'm very afraid of what can happen to our health care system My other fear is I don't want some crazed elected or government official telling the females of my life if they can have birth control and if they can have an abortion. I don't want any elected or government official to tell my doctor how to handle end of life question.
A single payee option would be all citizens of the United States would be get a voucher for private health insurance which would be more expensive then the single payer option but the people would have a choice, and those who do want women's health issues on their issuance can find one that does and those that don't can chose one that doesn't. The standard would be the health insurance that government employees get now.
If you are a citizen and don't pick a health insurance you'll get it by random lottery.

I believe that a dedicated tax of 5% of income including capital gains (reducing what goes into the general funds by that 5%) should cover the cost of insurance plus the cost of training new doctors and even giving grants to hospitals to stay open. It may even be possible to cut the tax rates for general purposes.
States and Cities would have more money, because they no longer have to pay health care cost  for now and into the future. ( The health care time bomb will be defused).

* Indonesia, Panama, Thailand and India have hospitals dedicated to Americans and Canadians and Europeons for medical purposes. Those who go there are called medical ( or some times called health care)
tourist.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Steve's barking at Stalinst Americans

Ok, what the f*** are Stalinist Americans? Let me start over , who the f*** are Stalinist Americans?
To answer that question let's start out with those blokes who complain about that woman or man who they claim was buy candy and soda ( beer, cigarettes) with food stamps. Let's do away with food stamps because there are people who misuse the system. That statement goes along with Stalin's statement better nine innocents be jailed then one guilty be free.
Who else can be called Stalinist? How about those people who keep say a big lie over and over again till the lie becomes excepted as the truth, kinda like those anti Affordable Healthcare Act people.
Would you believe that I heard on the boob some capitalist sound like Stalinist. How may you ask can a capitalist be a Stalinist? Well if they say the same lie over and over again they too can be a Stalinist. If you want to do away with most rules because a few rules are wrong and stupid, then you too can be a Stalinist.
If you bully your way to get what you want (like some Tea Party favorites) politically then you too can be considered a Stalinist.

Steve's barking at Woolie Bullies

In America we now have a war on bullying of youths against other youths, unfortunately we don't have this same anger of adult bullying. We do frown upon the bullying that's called sexual harassment, but what about the person who sits next to you and makes your life a living hell. Or what about the boss who's constantly berating you. What about in school were a few adult teachers bully a few of their students. When was the last time one heard of adult bullying yet it happens all the time?

In American politics there's bullying all the time, the Tea Party just recently tried to bully the country to do things that the majority in the upper house felt was wrong. Then blamed everyone else for not bargaining in good faith.

What about those bullies on television who have (masochistic) people come to their shows and berate them and their viewers love it.

Question of the day; How do we stop our children from bullying when the adults all around them are bullying?

Friday, October 18, 2013

Steve's barking, US budget deficit going down----bad

I've been reading some bad news US budget deficit is being reduced in the time of the great sequester.
Any time a budget is reduced on the back of people, that's not good. I can not rejoice, the budget deficit is going down the budget deficit is going down, were spending less and the the private sector isn't picking up the slack and there's less money in the economy.Now I don't know what economist thing that's a good thing. Maybe the economist who doesn't put his money in a bank, for banks run the same kind of deficit spending that the government does only they can't print (?) money the way the Federal Bank can.
Now in case a person reading this doesn't understand how I can compare the US deficit to a bank, think of it this way, the bank borrows my money as a depositor and lend it out with interest hoping there aren't too many defaults, the government (lends?) out money to people such as farmers, the poor in the form of food stamps and housing subsidies. ( Some of you who read this may not comprehend, for this is an abstract idea). The government can make up this money in the form of higher taxes and or inflation.

Question: Did the great sequester hurting the housing market and perhaps the banks?
Question: Was borrowing from credit cards going up due to the sequester
Question: Are delinquecies in paying on time cable and telephone bills going up due to the sequester?
Question: How are car sales, especially in areas with high government worker and in areas with companies that have government contracts?