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| 5/24 |
| 2003/11/22-24 [Politics/Domestic/President/Clinton, Politics/Domestic/SocialSecurity] UID:11194 Activity:moderate |
11/22 Any thoughts on the medicare bill on the house? There was lots of
discussion on the energy bill, but little on this one. Good/bad?
\_ The democrats are opposed and republicans in favor: it must be bad.
\_ It has this really curious feature where beneficiaries with very low
bills and very high bills are given lots of coverage, but those
with bills within the median are given much less coverage.
Anyway, both sides can go stick it where the sun don't shine - this
is just more expansion of the entitlement system for immediate
political gain, when they should be taking much more important
(and of course, politically painful) steps to reform the system.
Neither the Congress nor the President have displayed anything
approaching the courage and integrity necessary to make that happen.
--motd liberal
\_ What is a liberal doing bitching about an entitlement system?
You're no liberal. You sound more like a libertarian.
\_ Yup, agree. -- another motd libertarian
\_ I consider myself a liberal because of my opinions on social
issues and the workings of the justice system. I recognize the
need for serious reform of our entitlement system for the
elderly, however. From what I have seen, those than consider
themselves libertarians would like to dismantle the entire
entitlement system, rather than change the way that it
functions. Also, I think corporate welfare (i.e, the ethanol
subsidy which amounts to a direct transfer of taxpayer money
to ADMs executives) is equally in need of reform, but I haven't
heard the same from many libertarians. Not every liberal is
a raving Marxist/ANSWER loony, just like not every
conservative is a jingoistic dittohead. BTW, the Economist
has a very nice graph on what may happen to the budget
deficit in the next 10 years:
http://economist.com/images/20031108/CSF889.gif
--motd liberal
\_ Whoa there, bucko. If you haven't heard that corporate
welfare is bad from libertarians, you haven't heard from
any libertarians.
\_ that's the biggest load of shit on todays motd.
Libertarians blather about this, but when you look
issue by issue, they clearly favor the rights of
corporations over individuals, which will always lead
to corporate welfare. Libertarians are quite possibly
the biggest threat to american society today. if
libertarians continue to destroy the government,
issue by issue, they clearly favor the rights
corporations without any legal or ethical restraint
will rule our lives. [formatd, big time]
\_ Please point to ONE single instance of
libertarians, or even the libertarian party
supporting "the rights of corporations over
individuals". Libertarianism is ALL about the
the rights of individuals. You don't know what
the hell you are talking about. Your irrational
fear of what you clearly know nothing about is
disturbing. -phuqm
\_ read their fucking platform
http://www.lp.org
in particular, see
http://www.lp.org/issues/program/health.html
Yeah, I can't wait till we eliminate the
evil FDA so we're free to take whatever
drugs the pharmas feel like marketing.
\_ Health Care is what i assumed you would say.
I didn't consider opposition to the FDA.
I didn't realize that not being able to buy
drugs that have been legal in Europe for ages
was one of the "rights" of individuals that
you would be concerned with.
For the record, I personally believe a Food
and Drug admin. could play a valuable role
in society. But THE FDA is a net loss even
In terms of "rights" I don't see how any
you just have no standing whatsoever. Exactly
in terms of absolute benefit to society.
In terms of "rights" I don't see how you
will rule our lives. [formatd, big time]
drugs the pharmas feel like marketing.
can make any argument whatsoever. Exactly
WHICH "individual" right do you think is
being threatened by this position? -phuqm
\_ Just because you SAY libertarians favor the rights
of corporations over individuals, doesn't make it
true. Personally, I am not even sure all
libertarians are willing to grant corps legal person
status. At any rate, the libertarians don't
trust government much in the same way your amusing,
ranty little self doesn't trust Big Business.
Big Business is motivated by money. What is
of corporations over individuals, which will always
lead to corporate welfare. Libertarians are
quite possibly the biggest threat to american society
today. if libertarians continue to destroy the
government,
corporations without any legal or ethical restraint
\_ You're not the only one, you should
http://www.freerepublic.com Lots of libertarians.
will rule our lives.
Big Government motivated by? Think about that.
Big Government motivated by? Think about that.
\_ this libertarian thinks it's insane that corps have
legal person status and the rights that go with it.
that was a *huuuuge* mistake we'll be paying for
forever or until changed.
\_ agreed. It was primarily libertarians railing about
this in the motd previously. (e.g. me). It is also
mostly libertarians fighting eminent domain
abuses, where government orgs steal private
entity's property to give it to other (invariably
richer) private entities. -phuqm
\_ You're not the only one, you should
http://www.freerepublic.com Lots of libertarians.
\_ nice graph. looks like we're just repeating the same
numbers as the clinton glory years of economic health.
anyway, it's easy to knock something. how would you
reform the system if you had the power?
\_ Just politicians spending more of the taxpayers money to
buy votes.
\_ Isn't that what all entitlement programs are? |
| 5/24 |
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| www.lp.org -> www.lp.org/ Libertarian elected trustee of Colorado town April 8 After years of helping with other Libertarians political campaigns, Joe Johnson of Frederick, Colorado, has been elected as a trustee in that town. In an April 6 election, he came in first in an eight-way race for three seats on the town board. Read the story California LP hoping to freeze taxes Patrick Aleman discovered the Libertarian Party in California when he was searching for someone to help him fight high taxes in Barstow, a city of 22,000 midway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Nevada. While sending out feelers to taxpayers rights groups in the state, Aleman encountered the California LPs California Tax Freeze - a series of model tax-reduction initiatives co-authored by state LP chairman Aaron Starr and a volunteer attorney with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Read the story Libertarian TV program in New Jersey celebrates 300th show April 6 With the television news media leaning heavily to either pro-Democrat or pro-Bush positions, a third point of view is needed in the studio, Libertarians say. And in New Jersey, cable television viewers have exactly that: Third Point of View is the name of a nonprofit, public access cable show dedicated to the presentation and advancement of libertarian principles. Read the story Russo selected in California LP straw poll April 5 In an abrupt turnaround, California Libertarians recently expressed their preference for Hollywood producer Aaron Russo to be the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 2004. |
| www.lp.org/issues/program/health.html Health Care & Health Costs Twenty years ago, health care was a $42 billon per year industry. Today, health care costs Americans more than $2 billion per day, more than 14 of our Gross Domestic Product. These soaring costs are putting enormous financial pressures on American businesses, forcing thousands of small businesses to reduce or drop benefits for their employees. Moreover, health care costs are an increasing burden to already strained family budgets. At the same time, nearly 35 million Americans lack health insurance. The only health care reforms that are likely to have a significant impact on Americas health care problems are those that draw on the strength of the free market. The Libertarian Party has developed a comprehensive proposal for health care reform that will reduce health care costs, while extending access to care. Our five-point plan is as follows: Establish Medical Savings Accounts . One key to controlling health care costs is strengthening the role of the individual health care consumer. As part of this process, an individual should be exempted from taxes on money deposited in a Medical Savings Account MSA, in the same way that he currently pays no taxes on deposits to an IRA. Money could be withdrawn from an MSA without penalty to pay medical expenses. This would increase consumer responsibility, while increasing access and controlling costs. As a second consumer-based reform, taxes should be restructured to establish equity in the treatment of employer-provided health insurance, individually purchased health insurance, and out-of-pocket medical expenses. This will add a measure of fairness to current tax policies that penalize the self-employed, part-time workers, and employees of small businesses, while subsidizing health care for the most affluent in our society. There should be a thorough examination of the extent to which government policies are responsible for rising health costs and the unavailability of health care services. America can help lower health care costs and expand health care access by taking immediate steps to deregulate the health care industry, including elimination of mandated benefits, repeal of the Certificate-of-Need program, and expansion of the scope of practice for non-physician health professionals. The Food and Drug Administration is clearly an unnecessary burden on the American health care system. There is no evidence that agency offers Americans any real protection, but there is massive evidence that it is causing great harm - driving up health care costs and depriving millions of Americans of the medical care they need. The agency should be abolished and replaced with voluntary certification by a private-sector organization, similar to the way Underwriters Laboratories certifies electrical appliances. |
| www.freerepublic.com -> www.freerepublic.com/ Posted by Shermy On 04/14/2004 3:59:56 PM PDT Al Jazeera April 15, 2004 A deal between Iraqs rebellious Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the US-led occupation authorities is said to be imminent. Abd al-karim al-Anzi, an envoy appointed by Sadr to lead negotiations aimed at averting bloodshed in the holy city of Najaf, said on Wednesday that a deal could be struck in the next 24 hours. I met US officials today and the talks were extremely positive, Anzi said. There was no immediate comment from the occupation authorities, who have threatened to either kill or capture Sadr. Posted by StoneColdGOP On 04/14/2004 3:53:48 PM PDT Claremont Institute 3-29-04 By Victor Davis Hanson In an age where nuance and sensitivity in language are valued more than resoluteness on the battlefield, it is not an easy thing to praise the career of General George S. Despite his spectacular victories in North Africa, Sicily, and Europe, he left a depressing paper trail of grotesqueries about blacks, Jews, Asians, Mexicans, womenand almost anyone outside his WASPish class. Most Americans know more about his two slapping incidents in Sicily than his famous sprint to Bastogne during the dark days of the Battle of the Bulge. Posted by Trueblackman On 04/14/2004 1:53:30 PM PDT with 35 comments Project21 14 April 2004 trueblackman The producers of the Micheal Reagan Show have contacted Project21 concerning our press release on the comments made by Senator Dodd before Senator Robert Byrd cast his 17,000th vote on April 1. I was asked by the national director of Project21 to be part of a interview at 4:30 pm. I plan to also cover Chris Matthewss bigoted comment toward Condi Rice and the fact that Hillary Clinton presented Robert Byrd with a freedom award recently. Posted by playball0 On 04/14/2004 12:52:03 PM PDT with 9 comments Financial Times 4/14/04 Andrew Balls US fiscal deficits could have a serious impact on US and global interest rates and economic growth, the International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said on Wednesday. A chapter from the IMFs World Economic Outlook, which will be released in full next week, says that US fiscal and current account imbalances must be rebalanced and that an orderly rebalancing of global economic imbalances requires fiscal stabilisation in the US as well as efforts to promote demand growth abroad. Posted by B4Ranch On 04/14/2004 12:29:01 PM PDT with 4 comments asheville tribune 4/14/2004 Bill Fishburne. New SEC filings Indicate Stock Listing in Jeopardy The Asheville Tribune and I apparently have been put on a do not contact list following last weeks disclosures regarding possible outsourcing of Veterans Administration medical transcriptions to a company in India. MedQuist, a NASDAQ listed company in New Jersey that is 71 percent owned by the Dutch company Royal Phillips, closed its Asheville office last week and laid off the system administrator who had accused them of outsourcing Veterans Administration medical records overseas. Posted by Dales On 04/14/2004 12:26:56 PM PDT with 61 comments ECB 2004 4/14/04 <p>The best national poll for my money is the Battleground Poll. Produced by a joint effort between Democrat pollster Celinda Lake of Snell, Lake, Perry and Associates, and Republican pollster Ed Goeas of the Tarrance Group, it avoids the partisanship that sometimes can slip into the sampling methods of other polls. The partisanship can come out in the strategic analysis each does for the respective parties, although the spin presented is usually substantive. Posted by Patriot62 On 04/14/2004 12:11:51 PM PDT with 122 comments Drudge Drudge After just two weeks on the air, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, appears to have encountered serious cash-flow problems. The CHICAGO TRIBUNE is developing a story, insiders tell DRUDGE, on how the network was pulled off the air this morning in Chicago and Los Angeles, the networks second- and third-largest markets, because, the owner of both stations said, the network bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million! Posted by SJackson On 04/14/2004 11:40:35 AM PDT with 24 comments CNN April 14, 2004 WASHINGTON CNN - President Bush met Wednesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and praised Sharons proposed withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. The Palestinians object to a provision in the plan, which would allow Israel to retain control of six blocs of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Following is a transcript of statements by Bush and Sharon after their meeting. BUSH: Im pleased to welcome Prime Minister Sharon back to the White House. For more than 50 years, Israel has been a vital ally and a true friend of America. Smith The Bush administration has imposed new sanctions against companies dealing advanced military technology to Iran. The sanctions include Chinese companies that manufacture chemical and biological systems critical for the development of weapons of mass destruction. The newly sanctioned companies include several Chinese Army owned firms, as well as companies in Russia, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, North Korea and Taiwan. A determination has been made that thirteen entities have engaged in activities that require the imposition of measures pursuant to Section 3 of the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, states the sanctions announcement published Wednesday in the Federal Register. Posted by Eurotwit On 04/14/2004 10:41:38 AM PDT with 2 comments AFP Wed, Apr 14, 2004 AFP WASHINGTON AFP - Britain invited an Iranian delegation to visit Iraq news - web sites in a bid to calm the volatile security situation in the south and the United States did not object, a senior State Department official said. The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Washington had not asked London to extend the invitation and referred all questions about the circumstances of the Iranian visit to the British Foreign Office. Posted by Tailgunner Joe On 04/14/2004 10:23:59 AM PDT with 13 comments NewKerala Apr 13, 2004 Security agencies of Nepal and India will launch a joint operation soon to curb Maoist activities on their borders, reports Xinhua. Top level security officials of the two countries met Monday in Raxaul on the Indian side and decided to coordinate their operation against the guerrillas taking advantage of the open border, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported Tuesday quoting a Nepali government official. The meeting was held to foil the suspected joint plan of two guerrilla groups, one each in Nepal and India, the official said on condition of anonymity. Posted by Lando Lincoln On 04/14/2004 9:04:55 AM PDT with 38 comments Chron Watch 14 April 2004 Doc Farmer o We all get hot under the collar sometimes. But sometimes, people say things, and write things, knowing full well they are wrong. Petersburg, Florida, weekly reader The Gabber gotta love the title of that, dontcha? With officials reporting four more Marines killed, the death toll of 87 United States troops in April made it the deadliest month since the military set foot in Iraq news - web sites. The truce in Fallujah was severely shaken by fighting Tuesday and Wednesday morning although Marines underlined their halt to offensive operations, called Friday, was still in effect. This is the email address to Chris Matthews who had insulted every member of the Presidents staff, and the last is referring to Condi Rice as the Presidents Butler. This is the most unprofessional commentator on the news shows of today. Please email him with your comments, as well as his Advertisers, as I am. Posted by Momaw Nadon On 04/14/2004 5:40:59 AM PDT with 29 comments AP Tuesday, April 13, 2004 By JUSTIN POPE BOSTON AP - For years, futurists have dreamed of machines that can read minds, then act on instructions as they are thought. Now, human trials are set to begin on a brain-computer interface involving implants. Posted by kattracks On 04/14/2004 4:03:43 AM PDT with 49 comments Yahoo News 4/14/04 Gleb Bryanski , Reuters NEAR NAJAF, Iraq Reuters - United States forces... |