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February 07, 2019 05:45 AM UTC

Thursday Open Thread

  • 18 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“Conflict cannot survive without your participation.”

–Wayne Dyer

Comments

18 thoughts on “Thursday Open Thread

      1. Same with my drummer. He is even older than me..👴

        Luckily, I enjoy good health and, while a few structural mishaps have left me with some chronic pain, I am surrounded by folks my age who suffer from enormous pain and disfiguration at the hands of "Arthur" as my stepmom puts it. He (I never challenged her on the inherent sexism there) is an unwelcome intruder who brings nothing but pain and frustration.

        As you say…if you don't know "Arthur"…count yourself fortunate indeed.

        1. Diabetes and accompanying neuropathy beset me, and Arthur hangs out with my wife.  But I can put up with that.  What scares me to numbness is alzheimers.

        2. Oh, Arthur Itis?

          I met that SOB at 16, after a month-long bout with two different strains of strep. My knees, shoulder and one of my wrists hate this cold, damp weather.

  1. I don't stay up late at night, so I get the highlights in the morning from the New York Times.  Here's a chuckle from Seth Meyers

    President Trump’s childhood home in Forest Hills, Queens, is on the market. Seth Meyers talked about what he might expect to find there — and what he would not want to see.

    “President Trump’s childhood home in Queens, N.Y., is currently on sale for almost $3 million. And it still has all the original teeth marks on the lead-painted window sills!” — SETH MEYERS

    “According to The Wall Street Journal, one of the bedrooms features a sign pointing to the spot where he was likely conceived. It’s sort of a map, for any time travelers looking to save the world.” — SETH MEYERS

  2. WOTD from Vox: "Is employer-sponsored insurance really a good deal for workers?"

    VOX is doing some of the best journalism around when it comes to in-depth, intelligent analysis of important issues like, Medicare for All, Outrageous Emergency Room Bills, Renewable Energy. 

    To discuss the solution to health insurance, you need to be honest about what options are on the table:

    Nothing (Republican plan), Obamacare (Heritage Foundation plan), MFA – Single Payer, and some version of MFA – Keeping Employer benefits. 

    The linked article points out 50% get healthcare through employer benefits, and they freak out as soon as MFA – Single Payer is defined, which makes that solution impractical. It is useful as a marker, something to move the Overton Window.

    On the other hand, Employer health care benefits are deteriorating. A large number of the underinsured actually have insurance through their employer. I'm confident that a robust MFA – Keeping Employer Benefits, would steadily progress to MFA – Single Payer. 

    Public occupations like teaching might not have the highest wages, but they typically come with benefits and "some" degree of job security. A big part of teacher strikes is the rising cost of health care benefits. Mama says she is paying $1,500 per year (I'd bet that her employer pays another $10,000). I think her plan is far better than most… at least in her HIPs. Actual health coverage and costs is another question.

    1. What most people might not realize is that the rise of employer-provided healthcare since the '70's through private insurance companies is a major factor in the highly inflationary medical price spiral.  The huge expansion of the marketplace combined with the demand for "discounted" care distorted the market raising the cost to those with little or no bargaining power (small companies or individuals paying list price).  Also, the hidden cost of suppressed wages as employer health benefit costs spiraled ever higher.

      I'm even starting to see the same effect with my veterinarian.  They offer pet insurance as their prices have ballooned in just the past 5 years.

      Had we chosen to implement Medicare for All in the '60's as part of the Great Society with government setting the prices, while we might not have an MRI on every street corner like we do now, at least we would have not seen 17% of our GDP getting soaked up by insurance and hospital executives.

  3. Where’s Michael Bennet on the Green New Deal? Several presidential candidates are already on board. But, as I’ve always contended, he’s a Corporatist and a Coward and is nowhere to be found on issues most affecting Colorado and it’s citizens. 

    1. Senator Bennet is probably sticking with the science rather than going with far left wing demagogic hysteria. The Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, CO, with another office in Boulder, is one of the leading alternative energy think tanks in the US and has a strong international following (www.rmi.org).

      A few years ago, RMI predicted that the US in 2050 would still get 25% of its energy from natural gas. Coal and oil would be phased out as significant sources of energy. RMI is continually going with what is possible and pragmatic; and updating their predictions. Ms. AOC, another prominent pusher of the Green New Deal, and those presidential candidates that you reference, could learn from RMI.

      1. Honestly, the Green New Deal's way less harsh than the science is telling us we need. According to the IPCC report, a report put out by scientists who are experts in the field,

        The truth is, none of that matters. Whether Tesla makes 1 million electric cars or 10 million will make no difference ultimately. We have to stop putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere now. Not in 2030 or 2045. Today. Doing so will cause enormous economic hardship and pain. Entire industries will be wiped out, leading to the loss of hundreds of millions of jobs.

        This is way more extreme than the Green New Deal is. If you're sticking with the science, you should advocate for far more than the Green New Deal.

      1. Doesn't mean we should treat him any differently. He needs to get as much of a call to resign and get pushed out of office by any means reasonable in much the same way the rest should be. This is a problem and it needs to be dealt with.

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