4 things I think the new congress should work on
 

First. I think it's a good move to vote on repealing the healthcare law in the house and senate. Puts politicians on record for the 2012 elections with so many senators coming up for vote then.

Second. Cut spending, I was watching Oreilly and he asked that we try 25% cuts in everything over 3 years, little over 8% each year, I think each department of the government would have to work to cut waste and get to that with out too much grief.

Third. Close the border. Over 13,000 murders related to the drug trade just last year, close the border and the drug trade goes away, the murders stop, you can't be against that.

Fourth. The wars, stop them, pull out completely, stop the nation building BullShit. We can't afford it.

Just buy cutting waste in the government and stopping the wars, it would help our economy by putting a smaller burden on taxpayers, that in turn will create jobs. As far as the health care law, it does little to reduce the cost of healthcare, anything thats put together in the future should be about reducing the cost for those that pay. Not supplying for those that don't. The health care industry has turned into an giant drug dealer, 20 years ago, people didn't see the doctor as much, they were not on as many drugs. And they didn't have as many tests done to them.

hey man, look.

cutting spending and repealing healthcare is an oxymoron. just look at the countries budget, you spend as much on HC as you do military, and HC is growing

it's unclear with even the CBO if it will with the unconstitutionality of being forced to buy health insurance and with the extra taxes coming from the average user at risk to fund the law and over 200 unions and companies getting waivers from the new law. They don't have the funding.

To put it simply, insure 30 million new people and save money?

And how the fuck do you expect the USA to fuel itself without the fuel in Iraq and Afghanistan?

find a clean/alternitive fuel source, leave the middle east, stop illegal immigration, leave Africa, Taiwan and south America, let Europe defend themselves, invest in 'real' education

Tooo many people get too rich off of all that. so it wont happen.

It's utterly clear that "obamacare" saves the country money. It's ONLY a right wing talking point that it does not. You have to step outside your bubble to see it. I'm trying to help.

problem is it seems people take their politics spoon-fed down there. The 'everyone has to buy insurance' exists cause the public option was removed. So instead of 'everyone is covered', it's 'everyone has to be covered, or, since there is no public option, 'everyone is forced to buy insurance'.

what is happening, is your bureaucracy is fighting for its life in what is wasteful spending. What "universal healthcare' is, in a nutshell, is the accounting for the fact that you guys pay for everyones healthcare anyway, why not base the entire system on that fact in the first place.

repealing this bill and putting back in the 'best parts' is your politicians wasting time in what is now a countdown. spreading misinformation doesn't help

what misinformation is being spread, oh wise one?

Ummm, continue to buy it on the open market??

:1orglaugh funny guy.

Are you being sarcastic there? It's far from "clear" that forcing people to buy insurance will save anyone $$$... :2 cents:

wondering where you have been, how was the holiday?

The US is sitting on the biggest oil reserve in the world, it's politics thats keeping us from drilling for it

the AARP was a big backer of the new healthcare law, they got a waiver to stay out of it
please debate that
The teachers union in NY was a big backer, they got a waiver
please debate that
over 200 companies have received waivers to get out of the healthcare law
please debate that

So the USA doesn't buy oil, it just what loads it up in tankers in Iraq and absconds with it?

They still pay us though right? I mean they haven't invaded Alberta to pilfer oil from their largest oil supplier, right? Can you check your window please to verify? :thumbsup

How is closing the border going to stop drug violence? You think the cartels will just sit around and do nothing because suddenly there are no paved roads leading into the United States? They already run tunnels, submarines, off road trips, fly in drugs, and who knows what else. They operate their whole business based on illegal activities... making one more activity (that multiple nations depend on) illegal will not stop them.

All border closing would do is kill commerce and jack up prices on every product you can imagine across the country.

what misinformation is being spread. here's your big chance to enlighten us.

I learned something new today. The United States is getting oil from Afghanistan. That's pretty sweet!

what misinformation?
CBO said it would save money based on new income from increased taxes from people that would pay into healthcare that aren't right now, federal courts are starting to say thats unconstitutional. Over 200 companies and unions are getting waivers to stay out of the new plan, that is cutting funding for it. Basically, your math doesn't add up

The fuel in Afghanistan? I'm not sure if you realize this, but the combined oil output of Afghanistan since 2003 is 0 barrels a day. Just how many of those 0 do you think make it to the USA? Do they travel in an empty tanker? :(

Oh, I was hoping NASA came up with a way to make fuel out of poppy seeds. NASA always comes up with that crazy shit, like pens that can write upside down!

with our technology, if we wanted to end illegal activities across the border, we could, or are you for the 13,000 murders last year, maybe don't think we have the technology to stop a Mexican submarine? Last time you flew, you had to take off your shoes right?

I know, I saw on Foxnews that Karl Rove was saying that AARP and Unions are getting special favors from Obamacare. It was a countdown to see it posted here. Only took minutes. Anywho, I will take a wait and see.

I'll also wait and see when I go to jail or get a fine for not being able to afford health insurance, yet having massive health care bills. I'll rattle my tin cup on the bars eventually.

Sorry i do not know when the pipeline will be complete. I am not the CIA.

Did you expect them to show up there with a bunch a semi trucks and ship it out over the desert in one haul?

Let me guess they are still there to capture Bin Laden.

Take off my shoes?

LOL.

Federal agencies are sneaking bombs in through airports to test security. Bombs. They blow up. You think taking off shoes is going to stop a condom filled with cocaine in my gut?

Mexico itself had 22,000 cartel related deaths over the past three years. You're telling me that there have been 13,000 cartel related murders in the United States just last year? Where are you reading this?

And even if true, no, I do not support closing that border. It will stop nothing and cause pain for much more than 13,000 people. Watch our economy collapse then. This is like arguing that banning all guns is suddenly going to make the bad guys stop killing people.

This has been in the news for a couple months, they are just putting more focus on it right now because of the healthcare repeal vote

I have a backup if thats ever needed for me, the VA hospital. That and my daughter is going to go to medical school, have a doctor in the family. I'm not saying that healthcare reform is not needed, but I believe that it should be done differently, looking at the root cause of the increase in cost and lower it some how. Nothing in the new law does anything to lower it, just cap it's increases.
When the government runs things, it gets more expensive. The new privately ran prisons in the US work on less money and are better for the prisoners than that of the government ran prisons.

Fuck that.... We need to start more wars around the world so that we can supply the weapons.

That would create jobs in America!

Where can I send that copy of hooked on phonics? I never said in the US.

Our ecomony is not going to collapse because of closing the border, we would stay open for trade, just close up the illegal activies.

Most criminals that have guns, aren't suppose to have them, if you take away guns from the people that have them legally, then you're left with ones that shouldn't. Not very smart.

Dummy...closing the border does shit!

Obama is already doing that. He is expanding Bush's unconstitutional wars. :thumbsup

I think we have illegally bombed a sovereign nation with drones over 120 times last year.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/w...5/obama_drones


:Oh crap

I have free governemnt healthcare, y'all can go fuck yourselves!

Classic.

We would stay open for trade, just close up the illegal activities.

Wow. Amazing that ICE hasn't thought of such a genius concept.

Here are four things that many individual members of Congress (new and otherwise) will work on, whether they should do so or not:

1) Placating the demands of the lobbyists, fundraisers, fixers and bag men who helped get them into office in the first place.

2) Finding ways to call the earmarks that they want to exist something other than "earmarks."

3) Using their station in society to avoid paying for just about everything that us mere mortals have to shell out our hard-earned money for, day to day.

4) Setting up publicly funded "fact finding" missions in nations that also just happen to offer outstanding golfing.

Other Congressional priorities will include deflecting blame for anything negative that happens, demonizing members of the opposing party, writing unconstitutional legislation, naming post offices after dead people and designating new "awareness" weeks.

That last one I heartily endorse. It is about damn time we got an "Adult Entertainment Entrepreneur Awareness Week." I can't wait for the logo creation contest!

Vendzilla if the borders were closed and the US was filled with only Americans, where would you guys get any talent?

Let's face it, Americans aren't really good at anything. Your baseball teams are full of Cubans and Japanese, hockey teams are full of Europeans and Canadians.

Your kids are idiots in schools, idiots in wars, idiots all around. The women have no respect for themselves and there is no such thing as a normal family in the US anymore even though everywhere else in the world that isn't a problem.

Your biggest brains are all people from other countries. So please, go ahead and watch how quickly your country crumbles without the talent that the rest of the world puts into it. The only thing the rest of the world needs from the US is money, without that no one would be going there and the place would dry up and crumble pretty quick.

And cut spending? It's so easy to say that if you want to save more money, just spend less. But where do you cut the money from? It's obvious what needs to be done, you just saying 'cut spending' is the same as someone with no money trying to buy something that costs $100, you can't tell the person 'just buy it'. They can't. They don't have the money. You guys have nothing to cut from. You already have no health care.

And the wars I agree with you on #1 thing that needs to be done is bring those people home safe and sound.

@ Saying 'Our ecomony is not going to collapse because of closing the border, we would stay open for trade, just close up the illegal activies.'

Right because right now the border is open to illegal activities. So easy to say something when you don't think it through, isn't it?

That's quite the leap you're making and it's based on faulty information.

Let's start with looking at some underlying data. Below is a listing of health care spending per capita by country:

So there you have it. Your "private" system is costing much more than any public system. Your total healthcare spending per capita is double the weighted average!

So let me ask you how you think goverment run healthcare is more expensive?

what misinformation indeed.

Name something in the US thats ran by the government that cost less because of it

Basic economics explains this. :thumbsup

GDP:

they will just have to come here legally, or are you just for the murders and illegal drugs?
that would get better without all the illegal aliens we are educating
if you had to start living on less you could
Anyone in the US can go to the emergency ward
IM for keeping trade, legal trade

One of these every 500 ft would stop a lot

http://www.fnherstal.com/index.php?id=658

The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP or TAPI) is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank.[1][2][3] The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. The abbreviation comes from the first letters of those countries. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road. The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the project's revenue.

Due to increasing instability, the project has essentially stalled; construction of the Turkmen part was supposed to start in 2006, but the overall feasibility is questionable since the southern part of the Afghan section runs through territory which continues to be under de facto Taliban control.

No need to thank me for educating you.

Uhh what?

So if you have a larger GDP you need to spend more on health care? I don't follow your logic here.

Perhaps you meant to break down GDP per capita? That's what we're talking about here, is total spending per person.

Care to explain your "basic economics" a little further?

Where did i say it was not stalled? and where did i say they are shipping oil?

If they had it secured they would be pulling out. Did i say pull out? I said quite the opposite.

good for you, you educated me on 2 point i already knew.

Spending per person does not me each person spent that. Your logic breaks down there. And yes through inflation and the limited availability of a product (health care) makes it more expensive when there is more money in the system. If there is less money in the system it would cost less.

We see inflation where the money goes first, the banks, wall street, military industrial complex, and health care.

Bush started the fire and Obama threw on the gasoline
Same with the economy

with that said I do admit that the US does spend more % per GDP 14%ish to the other countries 9%ish, again due to inflationary problems.

No of course it doesn't mean each person spent that. It does however mean that's how much was spent on each person. So in the US you're spending twice as much as we are in Canada on each person, while only making on average $1500 or so more.

The fact is the private insurance layer in the US simply adds costs overall while not covering as many people.

Now I recognize that while when taken as a whole, US healthcare does not rank very high but despite that some of the best helathcare is available in the US. That is to say, if you have money and you get cancer, well fuck yeah you want to go to the Mayo Clinic. However, if you're a regular joe working 9-5 in the US that's probably not a real option for you. So for maybe 5% of the population the US has the absolute best healthcare in the World. Unfortunately, for everybody else it's mostly below average and in some cases dismal.

I'm an advocate of a two-tier system. Offer fundamentally sound public healthcare and allow for private healthcare by choice.

Another way to start slashing money out of the "wasted" portion of your Health Care spending would be to make some fundamental changes to your Tort laws. That's a topic for an entirely different thread though.

It appears to be foreign investors that are interested in building a pipeline...not the U.S. and that the natural gas will be sent to India...not to the U.S. The U.S. has an abundance of natural gas as well as oil. We prefer to buy and use up the oil resources from other countries and preserve our oil reserves for ourselves when the world supply dries up.

I agree, the system as it is now is totally fucked. I think we should outlaw insurance all together. But thats never going to happen.

Anyone know if this chart is accurate?

http://reason.com/assets/mc/jtaylor/VeroCosts.jpg

Goes with this article.
http://reason.com/archives/2010/11/0...educe-health-c

So you for taking away insurance from sick kids. Ok I have you on record for killing children.