Our 2 brilliant Senators

[Retroit]

Ah yes, remember the good ol' days of 2005 when your boy Bush wanted to put Social Security in the capable hands of Wall Street? Too bad that never happened.

If I recall correctly, he wanted to put it into the hands of individuals. Where would you have wanted your money to be: in the stock market which has risen 50% in the past year or in the Social Security "Fund" [[laugh) which has over $50,000,000,000,000 in unfunded obligations?

[ccbatson]

I could not have said that better myself Retroit...thank you.

[Retroit]

I didn't realize you beat me to it!

You have to be pretty quick to beat ccbatson!

Multiple Tildes to you!

[elganned]

I provided the link to substantiate the fact that the government pays for 60% of health care spending, not for any other "intention". If I used an article that supported my point of view, you probably would have claimed that that figure is not correct. Can't do that now, can you?

The figure is not it quesion. However, it doesn't appear to mean what you seem to think it means. Did you read the article, or just pick up the number? I ask that because you evidently didn't grasp the explanation of how and why the government is picking up 60% of the tab. The authors don't support your position at all.

As for denying the number, I would have read the report first, then vetted it for inaccuracies. If they were present, then I'd have said the figure was not correct.

Unlike some, I'm not in the habit of rejecting data out of hand just because it might contradict a view I already hold. I leave that for the conservative pundits.

[elganned]

You have to be pretty quick to beat ccbatson!

Yeah, he's the fastest drive-by poster in the West.

[elganned]

Because it does impact you. If your employer wasn't spending so much on health insurance, they could pay you more.

Just a quick comment here; I don't have the time right now to reply at length.

If my employer gave me a raise, that would be subject to income tax. If they pay my health insurance, it's not subject to income tax. So my "enlightened self-interest" tells me it is to my benefit to leave the system as it is.

This is, of course, ultimately unsustainable--it's the Tragedy of the Commons. But more on all that later.

[ccbatson]

Under health care reform...it WILL be subject to taxes Elganned...oops.

[elganned]

What's happening in the Congress and Senate is not health reform.
It's "let's jerk off the public to make them feel like we're doing something meaningful".

If Obama had any stones, he'd shrug like Atlas and say, "Fine. You guys aren't interested in reform, so forget the whole thing." And in ten years when the country is totally bankrupt he could come back and say, "I told you so."

It would be a fine Objectivist moment for him.

[ccbatson]

That would be a wonderful thing for him to do, I agree [[did I just say that?) with you Elganned.