UT alum

Nice dodge to the question. Am I to assume there’s no problem with him meeting with white nationalist groups?

I’m curious. Did Steve King catch any grief on here for his comments and affiliations? That all happened before I came along.

Took a court to make them. I’ve never said profits are evil.

My business' tax bite has nothing to do with my decision to provide health insurance for my employees. It has to do with retention of quality employees and minimizing turnover. The big companies don't pass more of their profits on in the form of much of anything. Wages are just now starting to rise because the labor market is tight, not because the corporations got a tax cut. Much of the money that they're getting back is going into stock repurchases, which drives up the stock price and helps those golden parachutes go from 18kt to 24kt. Why do you all believe that big business is some sort of benevolent uncle? They are focused on quarterly returns for their shareholders. Period. If that means shutting the GM plant in Ohio, tough do do employees, good business decision shareholders.

What does that mean?

Look, Stevenash brought up commodities. It’s just odd to me how some people don’t want the government involved in their lives until they do. Just like tea partiers shouting don’t touch my Medicare.

The private companies are operating like a cartel with endless dollars being thrown their way. Why can’t Medicare negotiate drug prices? That is anti-competitive. I don’t want to pay taxes for insurance. I want universal access to healthcare. How does a cost of 18% of GDP with unsustainable increases look like the market is resolving the issue?

Healthcare is not a commodity, though the red state farmers who voted Trump seem not to mind government support prices for their commodities.

Could be their tariff policies. Two of the three products you mentioned are American made.

I’d pay more for a coke if my healthcare costs were 40%+ lower.

Did you not see what I said about tort reform? And tell me what sense it makes that Medicare is prohibited from negotiating drug prices? How the heck is that competitive?

The non citizen I noted got coverage. You think he was the only one? Why do many of our non-wealthy citizens go to Mexico or overseas for procedures? Ever hear of the phrase “medical tourism”? Paying 18% of GDP with annual cost increases of 8% or so is unsustainable.

Not the dude from Pennsylvania. Then again, he wasn’ wealthy. Offering my opinion on how the system could be improved is not downgrading America. How else can you justify a company selling the same part overseas for 1/10 the cost it charged here besides lack of competition? Competition is great. Our healthcare system demonstrates what happens in a”free” market without competition. Excessive cost with lower overall health outcomes.

Congress, all of ‘em, aren’t into competition when it comes to healthcare. I read a most enlightening article in the WSJ several years ago about a man in Pennsylvania who needed a hip replacement and had no insurance. The best cash deal he could get in the US was $90,000+. Of that amount, $10,000 was the cost of the actual replacement part, manufactured by a company in Ohio. The man began to look elsewhere and found out he could get the same procedure done in Belgium, including transportation, meals and lodging through the rehab period for less than $20,000. One major cost saving: the same part by the same manufacturer cost $1,000. The Belgian government bid out x number of parts estimated to be used in a year, and the cheapest bid won. In 2014 Belgium’s cost of healthcare as a percentage of GDP was 10.4%. We are over 18%. It seems the single payer system in Belgium is more competitive and less costly than our so-called private healthcare system. And don’t blame lawsuits. Most states have enacted tort reform statutes that strictly limit the liability of healthcare providers. Congress refuses to give Medicare the right to similarly bargain for the best deal. Competition in the private healthcare market? Don’t make me laugh.

So, that’s reason enough for the President of the United States to mock his service?

Yep. That’ll give a lot of insight into how the Supreme Court will rule in abortion cases. I predict it will wind up there.

No. Heroes go above and beyond. Why do you think they give medals for exemplary bravery and personal sacrifice? All members of the military deserve our thanks and respect for their service. My son did 20 years in the Navy.

She shafted Bernie using Party procedural rules that have since been changed. No more super delegates.

And, Obamacare would have had a better chance if all states had participated in exchanges and the individual mandate had been left in place. Insurance is based on the law of large numbers. The larger the pool of participants, the more broadly and cheaply the costs are spread.

Yemen vs Benghazi. Buck stops at top, so yeah, Carter gets the rap. McCain was a war hero whether you cared for him or not. I didn’t particularly care for his politics, but I respected his service.

I think my 2007 remarks were in response to comments about stuff that happened in 2005. That was in an historical context, not just “your guy lied too”.

Bash the past all you want. It’s who’s President now that’s relevant. So what about his healthcare promises? Or, “I like people who weren’t captured”. Or, not saying jack about the Kashoggi murdrer? Not a word about the botched Yemeni raid? I can keep going with more facts that’ll have you muttering, if not stuttering. You can’t see the present when you’re lost in the past.

Think the State Department will help? I sure hope so.

Trade deficit increases $100 billion since Trump took office. Highest deficit in history. Budget deficit set to hit almost $1 trillion this year. Square that with his promises.

I’m with you on this one Englebert. Once they’ve paid their debt, convicted felons should have all rights restored, unless the felony involved defrauding the election process or the crime involved use of a firearm.