[Wondergirl]

Well, our library homeless guy refused to even collect his SS. We had to convince him to go to the ER before his foot fell off from cellulitis. And he didn't have a cellphone or a Wii or even an XBox.

I had clients receiving food stamps or public aid who were living hand to mouth. My treat when I made home visits was a glass of water.

[speechlesstx]

Carol, I never said there weren't poor among us and I have specifically argued for a government safety net for them. But I don't believe in expanding that net to nanny people that could and should be taking care of themselves. What's wrong with that?

[Wondergirl]

So, how do you sort out the truly needy from the greedies?

[speechlesstx]

So, do you think we shouldn't try?

[Wondergirl]

Huh? I asked how.

[tomder55]

It isn't braggin how many people have signed up for food stamps like the Obots do. It's putting in policies so the people can become self sufficient .
Even Clintoon got that.

[talaniman]

Create jobs, and you have less poor people. Otherwise people have to go looking for what they can get, and moving around this country costs money. Have kids, it costs even more. Have a house, no job?

Who has time for "job creators" BS! Or "patient centered health insurance"!! Waiting for that jobs bill out of the house. Can't wait until those governors that refuse to obey the law wake up to reality.

[tomder55]

Waiting for that jobs bill out of the house

A "jobs bill" for what it's worth was just passed. Of course it is your definition of what a jobs bill is. I say end the threat of the Obama tax increase that's scheduled to kick in at the end of the year... reform the tax code to flatten it ;repeal the Obamacare tax ,and elect Romney ,then you'll see the private sector create jobs by the thousands.

Can't wait until those governors that refuse to obey the law wake up to reality.

They are obeying the law according to the 7-2 decision on the Medicaid mandate. They are the wise ones ,and the governors who are implementing it will have a rude awakening when the Federal money gets yanked and the states are left holding the bag.

Btw ;that Medicaid decision is more far reaching in it's implication than most people realize. Wait until you see the Federalism challenges on Federal revenue sharing on issues like education ,highway funding ,etc. That is one part of the decision the court got right. Tax revenues are supposed to be apportioned based on population ,and not on some quid pro quo that Congress divines. This decision puts the nail in the coffin on that practice.

[speechlesstx]

Huh? I asked how.

And I asked if we should try or not.

[talaniman]

Of course we should try and separate the needy from the greedy. But we also have to accept the fact that long term poverty, and lack of opportunity have also led to people hustling any way they can to have something they don't. It's a buyer beware market in most cases, and various degrees of illegal in others, but it has existed for a long time, in many countries.

Many in the sub economy have fallen through the cracks and suffer without knowing, because the hustle is ALL they know. If you never been that poor in America, you would never know. I respectfully submit that its beneath the notice of the main stream, except when there is a sensational headline to report.

[speechlesstx]

Tal, all I had to eat in my place once was a box of pancake mix and somehow, some grenadine.

I took the liberty of grabbing a few pics in my neighborhood as I drove home from the store yesterday. The first two are 2 blocks from my house. The 3rd is across the street. I'm not insensitive to the struggles of others, I've been there - and they're my neighbors...

[speechlesstx]

By the way, someone tell me how anyone can wade through 13,000 pages of health care code? And they aren't done yet.

Instead of making health care more efficient, let's complicate the hell out of it, whaddya say?

[talaniman]

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

http://housedocs.house.gov/rules/hr4...2_reported.pdf

Its only 2300 pages.

[speechlesstx]

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

http://housedocs.house.gov/rules/hr4...2_reported.pdf

Its only 2300 pages.

I made no comment of the bill, I said 13,000 pages of CODE, i.e. regulations - the bureaucratic offspring of the bill which we will have to live under.

[NeedKarma]

How long is the code/regulations for a large HMO?

[excon]

I said 13,000 pages of CODE, i.e. regulations - the bureaucratic offspring of the bill which we will have to live under.

Hello again, Steve:

I regret to inform you that our health care system is quite complicated.. It ain't going to get fixed with a few short words. The LENGTH of it shouldn't bother you, unless you have a short attention span.

excon

[speechlesstx]

How long is the code/regulations for a large HMO?

I don't know and HMOs don't make the laws.

[talaniman]

What else do reps, and senators have to do?? It's their job to read and write legislation, laws, and codes.

Whaaaa, I have to do that too? If they quite cheesin' for the cameras, they should have been done 2 years ago, the lazy b@stards!

[speechlesstx]

Hello again, Steve:

I regret to inform you that our health care system is quite complicated.. It ain't going to get fixed with a few short words. The LENGTH of it shouldn't bother you, unless you have a short attention span.

Excon

Dude, my wife is a medical coder, I know it's complicated. Why then would we want to complicate the hell out of it even more?

And by the way, you should be happy to know that to deal with the cuts in compensation, health care facilities will just treat us like cattle.

We’ll have 32 million potential customers who will come in, get treatment and pay,’ said Alan Miller, chief executive of University Health Services, a King of Prussia, Pa. company that runs 24 acute-care hospitals around the counter. ‘Previously, they got good treatment and said, “We can’t pay,”’ he said. Mr. Miller waved off the cuts, saying, ‘we will make it up in volume.’”

Yessirree, another good liberal solution that instead of making things better for all just lowers the quality for everyone (unless you're a Democrat congressman who voted for this mess I'm sure ). I can't wait until I quit being a human patient and become "volume."

[NeedKarma]

I don't know and HMOs don't make the laws.

Don't you enter into a contract with them?

If you don't know then how can you complain that the government's version is big?