U.S. Politics

[Badger]

I don't know anything about hunt individual insurance before

We know.

[AlioTheFool]

The premiums on both my wife's and my company-offered insurance plans skyrocketed under the ACA. I was against the ACA before it became law because I knew it would happen.

That said, a full repeal would do irreparable harm to the healthcare system in the US now. A repeal-and-replace isn't a good (or popular) option either.

But the ACA needs reform. Anyone who doesn't believe that is cheering too loudly for the left.

I've never been into the idea of single-payer. We need a system that applies basic coverage (including cancer treatment, pregnancy, and prescription drugs) to every single US citizen. Then insurance providers can layer options on top. Everyone is covered for the most important needs, and additional insurance then becomes a "luxury" choice (and goes back to being an incentive to attract quality employees).

[Johnny English]

This is a really interesting article.

http://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2017/07/north-dakota-norway-prisons-experiment/

[Fenwyr]

McCain with the deciding vote.  Repeal should finally be dead.  I could taste the turtle's delicious tears.

Now hopefully these overpaid fuckwits will work together and fix the exchanges.

Heller kissed his job goodbye tonight.

[AlioTheFool]

Repeal is dead, but while everyone is loudly celebrating a "win" I'm sure there are GOP members, led by McConnell and Ryan, plotting yet another bill.

There's no way this fight is over. And they'll just be more underhanded with it going forward. They'll table it for now, but what happens if McCain can no longer serve and is replaced with a more "in line" rep? Pence is still the tie-breaker.

[bojanglesman]

Repeal is dead, but while everyone is loudly celebrating a "win" I'm sure there are GOP members, led by McConnell and Ryan, plotting yet another bill.

There's no way this fight is over. And they'll just be more underhanded with it going forward. They'll table it for now, but what happens if McCain can no longer serve and is replaced with a more "in line" rep? Pence is still the tie-breaker.

The bigger concern is not Republicans passing something soon.  The ACA won't survive without continued support financially.  Trump will just let that lapse and speed the failure.  What happens after it becomes necessary for both sides to do something........that's anyone's guess.

[Fenwyr]

Repeal is dead, but while everyone is loudly celebrating a "win" I'm sure there are GOP members, led by McConnell and Ryan, plotting yet another bill.

There's no way this fight is over. And they'll just be more underhanded with it going forward. They'll table it for now, but what happens if McCain can no longer serve and is replaced with a more "in line" rep? Pence is still the tie-breaker.

They have too much actual work to do in the fall.  I could certainly be wrong, but I believe repeal is tabled until 2018.  At that point, repeal without replace leading up to the mid terms could cost them both houses.

[AlioTheFool]

The bigger concern is not Republicans passing something soon.  The ACA won't survive without continued support financially.  Trump will just let that lapse and speed the failure.  What happens after it becomes necessary for both sides to do something........that's anyone's guess.

Right. Trump already cryptically tweeted about it "failing on its own." That's why I think this celebration by the left is ridiculous today. It may be "safe" for the moment, but it just kicks the can down the line to be worse later.

They have too much actual work to do in the fall.  I could certainly be wrong, but I believe repeal is tabled until 2018.  At that point, repeal without replace leading up to the mid terms could cost them both houses.

Yeah, McConnell has already said they'll move on to other issues post-recess. But this isn't over. And I wouldn't be shocked if they start sliding in amendments on bills to strangle the ACA slowly.

[Fenwyr]

Right. Trump already cryptically tweeted about it "failing on its own." That's why I think this celebration by the left is ridiculous today. It may be "safe" for the moment, but it just kicks the can down the line to be worse later.

Yeah, McConnell has already said they'll move on to other issues post-recess. But this isn't over. And I wouldn't be shocked if they start sliding in amendments on bills to strangle the ACA slowly.

I don't see celebration on the left.  The ACA is law.  Are you happy when you swat away a fly from your potato salad?  Of course, but you don't celebrate.

The worst president in history will attack subsidies next, becauses he's a freaking dick and he can.  He'll do it out of spite, not because he has any clue what day it is.

[AlioTheFool]

I don't see celebration on the left.  The ACA is law.  Are you happy when you swat away a fly from your potato salad?  Of course, but you don't celebrate.

The worst president in history will attack subsidies next, becauses he's a freaking dick and he can.  He'll do it out of spite, not because he has any clue what day it is.

There's been a lot of celebrating and back-patting over this "victory" and yet here we are, a few days later, and the right is again looking for ways to repeal the ACA.

There are only 2 outcomes at this point: 1) Democrats hold off repeal efforts long enough (and that will involve McCain surviving through mid-terms) or 2) the GOP will keep ramming legislation through until something sticks.

[Miamipuck]

Yeah one shitty legislation got saved because the one replacing it is even shittier. Wow that's the state of Legislation we're accustomed to. excrement why do what's right by the people that voted you in when you can be a freaking thief in the night.

[Badger]

I don't see celebration on the left.  The ACA is law.  Are you happy when you swat away a fly from your potato salad?  Of course, but you don't celebrate.

Trump told me there were thousands of Muslims celebrating in the streets.

[AlioTheFool]

I'm glad to see the US put sanctions on Venezuela, but what's happening there is a stark warning to us here.

After an "election" where the ruling party claims the people gave them virtually unlimited powers, they arrested opposition leaders in the middle of the night.

Their apprehension comes a day after the United States slapped sanctions on unpopular leftist Maduro for a new legislative superbody, the constituent assembly, which was elected on Sunday in a vote boycotted by the opposition. The new assembly will have powers to rewrite the constitution and supersede other institutions, including the opposition-dominated congress. Both men had been urging protests against the vote, which they charged was rigged and a naked power grab by Maduro to avoid free and fair elections that he would lose.

Families: Venezuela seizes opposition leaders Lopez, Ledezma from homes

The current President would like to jail his previous opponent. He has also been investigating the limits of the pardoning process. Those alone are solidly tactics of dictatorial regimes, much less the constant attacks on the media, and the Congressional push for further gerrymandering (though I saw that a federal court ordered North Carolina to reconfigure districts away from their gerrymandered definitions, which is a huge win for democracy).

This is why I've been so active on social media about the current state of our government. I don't care if you're red or blue. We can argue over things like whether healthcare should be a right. What we shouldn't argue over is whether a President should be able to pardon himself for working with foreign intelligence to win an election. Or whether it's okay for said President to undermine the free press--whether he likes the stories coming out or not.

As Americans, we love to think "never here." Complacency is dangerous.

[bojanglesman]

I'm glad to see the US put sanctions on Venezuela, but what's happening there is a stark warning to us here.

After an "election" where the ruling party claims the people gave them virtually unlimited powers, they arrested opposition leaders in the middle of the night.

The current President would like to jail his previous opponent. He has also been investigating the limits of the pardoning process. Those alone are solidly tactics of dictatorial regimes, much less the constant attacks on the media, and the Congressional push for further gerrymandering (though I saw that a federal court ordered North Carolina to reconfigure districts away from their gerrymandered definitions, which is a huge win for democracy).

This is why I've been so active on social media about the current state of our government. I don't care if you're red or blue. We can argue over things like whether healthcare should be a right. What we shouldn't argue over is whether a President should be able to pardon himself for working with foreign intelligence to win an election. Or whether it's okay for said President to undermine the free press--whether he likes the stories coming out or not.

As Americans, we love to think "never here." Complacency is dangerous.

I have no problem with starting an investigation on Clinton.  That should happen whether she's his previous opponent or not.  I don't think he should be able to pardon himself in any way, if that is indeed true.

[AlioTheFool]

I have no problem with starting an investigation on Clinton.  That should happen whether she's his previous opponent or not.  I don't think he should be able to pardon himself in any way, if that is indeed true.

It's not the idea that there should be an investigation that's a problem; it's the idea that he's only pursuing it out of revenge. Dictators prosecute their defeated opponents. On its own, investigating Clinton isn't a reason for concern, it's when you factor it in with everything else that it looks suspicious at best.