That is just shooting ourselves in the foot. It simply won't work. When your local police station gets closed, you will regret it.

Outlawing any type of lobbying is a great idea. When Obama changed his lobbying rules, I lost alot of faith in him.

You have legal recourse...and should use it. If he was tired...home to bed...not on your time, and he needs a really good spanking.

Funny...I wasn't ever in it for the money... glad, because I don't have any. But I have lots of good feelings about the folks I've helped. [I buried the rest]  . Not really. A simple 'thank you' goes a long, long way. 

Fantasies are fun, Craig...this is more like a delusional nightmare.  If health care weren't broken in this country, I'd have access to the things necessary to fix my illness, but the way things are, I just have to live with my delusions and other illnesses, self diagnose myself with the help of Google, and use things I find in the health food store and the farm supply store to deal with what ails me.

If I had just one drop of litigious blood I would have. I just wanted to focus on getting better which I did with exercise and watching what I do. The moron had me 6 weeks from surgery.

I graduated from Sackler Med School...Univ. of Tel-Aviv. I only served in the IDF, learned Hebrew first (all the teaching was in Hebrew)...Yom Kippur War and all the 'non war' actions. Got a scholarship...otherwise I'd be doing something productive.

Lotsa the Docs you mentioned serve in poverty areas, and are grateful to be able to do so. I wish folks could walk a few miles in other folks' shoes...I'd make a fortune treating Athlete's foot.

Back in 1973...on my Archie trip to the UK and Europe....there was a 20 storey office building in London....entirely empty other than a 'janitor'....brand spanking, it was ....but it was also more financially beneficial to its owners to remain empty....rather than tenant it.

The economic system has been screwed for quite a long time....and is entirely no fault of any one individual, certainly NOT the USA's most recently elected President.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is quite simply delusional.

Bulldozing new housing is just plain, fucking stupid, and more evidence of society's values up shit creek.

As for welfare 'leeches' ... the alternative is more crime and thus arguably more cost to the 'tax payer', than the welfare itself.

Solution is:- execute the inept, incapable, disfunctional, and poor.

That'll fix it....

Damn you Paul. Now I got a black van following me around.

In a perfect world it seems stupid but this ain't no perfect world. It is just a matter of time before the run down, unmaintained homes get demolished. Do it now and turn the land back into farmland. Grow hemp (not marijuana, thats just stupid) and give the US something to manufacture. Or rebuild as necessary.

Of course me being in Construction, you will have decide what my motivation is.. Muaaaahaaaaaaaahaaaahaaaaaaa.

I don't see much of a downside to it.

About 5 years ago Cisco Systems built a massive complex in my neighboring town. It is unbelieveably huge. Were talking 100 acres of brick and steel. It sits empty, except for a few security vehicles. I don't mind because I have my own little race track to go play at.  It is so much fun. I love Cisco for it.

It's all Jafo's fault. Careful analysis has shown this.

Now the black vans and helicopters are hovering, and he's off in Oz, cackling.

All NT cares about is his damn motorcycle.  The reason? It's black. He blends in with the vans and makes his escape. 

Nope, My STi.

Jafo will never be allowed in the US now.

let's not and say you did.

I pretty sure this is a tongue in cheek but there is a valid point hidden under this rock. if you are not productive (making money) your value to society is limited and you are taking up funds that could be spent on other "things" (whatever that might be). we stiff our youth and elderly because they do not contribute and that is a shame.

want to fix the health care system, nationalize all of the hospitals, turn them over to Kaiser and tell Kaiser to do what they do best. my last dcotor visit was $396US (we have insurance) I was charged for and "office" visit and a "preventive" visit. I went in for "preventive" visit but also got charged for stepping into the examination room. Personally I think the hospitals and insurance companies are in bed with each other to keep health care costs high. who gets the shaft, the doctors and the patients.

Seth, thanks for sharing.

Dunno about that.....from the look of it I'm the only one here who actually likes your Prez.

Of course.....this time last year....

Nuvva story entirely....

As far as health care is concerned, it is immensely complicated issue but one thing is clear to me.  I find it impossible to believe that the government can run ANYTHING in a cost effective and productive way.  It is just not conceivable to me, ergo the Post Office and Amtrak, never mind something as immense as the national health care industry.  I also find no evidence of a state run health care system in the world that provides timely services and has not viirtually bankrupted the country.

Kissing up now won't help.

*sigh. doc thinks Jafo would have had a good time here. 

Absolutely correct. Medicare, Medicaid are a mess. No means testing, fraud, unmodified "Entitlement"....sorry, the whole thing has to be redone:

Multipayer, competition, means testing, gradually decreasing entitlement with age. Sorry, but if you wish to get a handle on price that's the way.

Most folks want a balance: Quality and price. I've yet to see anyone in D.C. talk about that.

What we're going to end up with is far less than we deserve, and it's the system which has to change: From top to bottom. I want to know who is making the money. I want to know who and what is driving the inflation. There should be figures which prove that.

I am behind him for the most part. He just needs to stop his "please like me" tour and grow some nuts. He beats around the BUSH way too much. Tell it like it is for a change.

Ah, you want the truth?  Politicians never like to confuse issues with truth and facts.  Makes then accountable.  Remember the 3.5 to 5 million jobs in the first two years?  That is now 600,000 by this fall and those will be "created or saved".  Of course no one in any branch of the government or in the private sector as a way to measure "saved" jobs!  We are minus 1.6 million this year so far, but whatever the number come this fall, it will be a victory as the "saved" jobs will make up the shortfall.  So much for truth.

I have been out of work since Novemeber. The job market is tough but things are turning around a bit around here. Fortunately I never lived on credit so I have been able to make ends meet. I am well aware of the manipulation of statistics and it is disgusting. I put into the system for 35 ( been working since I was 8) years yet I took as little as I had to from the system as it is a pride issue with me. Some others that have put absolutely nothing into the sytem, NOTHING, continue to bleed the system and it has to end.

My condo complex used to be a very professional, well upkept neighborhood. Now it is on it's way to a slum. I calculate we spend well over a million dollars a year for my neighbors to hang out on the steps smoking butts all day. They drive nice cars, always have new shoes on, get free healthcare,and booze it up 24/7. It's not supposed to be this way.

I am going to move out of the country and surrender my green card. Then come back as an immigrant and live it up on your dime.

I am not worried about anyone taking work from me as they DO NOT WORK. They have a baby and they are all set.

I'm really upset about having to agree with Ken. I think I almost always do, but I'm sick of it. Say something I can disagree with, already!   

Why don't you report it? When I run up against it in my practices, I get rid of the patient, and report what I've discovered. Seems to me you could do that as well. It's your responsibility.

HERE 

Glad to hear that.  Please note however, that the 834Billion stimulus package only spent about 25billion so far (remeber all the shovel ready projects that would happen right away? Hmmmmm).  It would be great if we could just bank the unspent funds and let the economy do its thing.  But it was never about that, it was just a matter of using economic fear(remember the Bush people accused of using fear?) to get the spending agenda through.  Just one fellow's opinion.

Aaah , that's the problem. There is nothing to report and I have tried. They simply know how to abuse the system and it is the only thing they know how to do. It is their job to find the loopholes and exploit them. They snuck into the country to have a baby and now they are our problem? I am a caring person and welcome hard working people as my neighbor,but I would be the first to say ship these useless wastes of space back home.  

Last year I had quadrupal hernia surgery. During recovery, something went wrong and I was in a crapload of pain. I went to the hospital that did the surgery. I had excellent health insurance. I had to wait in incredible pain for over an hour because some illegal immigrant drug addict had smoked too much crack and his lungs were hurting. He had no insurance, no address, and the nurses doubted he even gave a real name. I got to sit in pain and watch him get treatment before me. I have never been so angry.