Tom Brokaw ("Gun Owner") on Guns

[James Riley]

If you can not read your own writing and see what you wrote, that is sad, teaching you "opinion" rather than "fact", that was our public school systems job, not mine, perhaps re-read what you wrote and it will come to you....

You lack critical and analytical thinking and reading skills if you can't discern opinion on an internet discussion board. I re-read what I wrote, challenged you, and you failed to come through.

Here, let me show you what I said again and you can show me how you don't see opinion but only a statement of fact. When you are done, go ahead and show me how the post I was responding to was not "fact" by your weak and incorrect definiton:

"I guess that makes my point: Not all Dems are gun control freaks. Bush had the White House, the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Supreme Court, a 95% approval rating, a yellow ribbon on every SUV in America, a press pass, and world sympathy; Yet he couldn't do S but break the world. Hell, you can check me if I'm wrong, but more gun control occurred on his watch than Obama's. Just saying that party ownership doesn't mean everything.

(The only reason the insurance companies were left in the money sucking loop on Obama Care (thus ruining it) is to placate those beholden to money. Now they complain it doesn't work and wonder why.)"

Now, applying your mistaken understanding of what constitutes fact and opinion, this is your statement of "fact": "That interview was worthless. Brokaw is as phony a journalist you can find." Any fool can see that was a statement of opinion, as was mine. You stand corrected.

 

[1976]

I sat in on a seminar put on by retired sergeant major Kyle Lamb at the NRA convention based of his book Leadership in the shadows a couple years ago, he had talked about his former boss Gen McChrystal, he mentioned how great of a leader and professional he was, and also how McChrystal firmly believes that gun ownership is only for those of means,in other words the European model. Basically a high dollar double and a prized bolt gun in the safe down at the police station, except for people like McChrystal and Brokaw, the can have their weapons at home caused there privileged. Lamb mentioned they had a few discussions over their completely different views on firearm ownership in the civilian world. The problem with many people is they have never been around firearms, whenever you have a good debate with those that believe that some of these weapons need to be banned and they own a BAR or a remington wood master and go deer hunting with a pocket full of mags I always invite them to the range to become acquainted with these so called evil black guns and some good old russian imports and to put a cherry on top a few WWII weapons, and for some reason they can't wipe the grin of there face and want to go shooting again, I love that. Education is a wonderful thing.

 

[BigHornRam]

Hey Tom,

A whack job Muslim just mowed down a bunch of people with a truck. I'm a truck owner. It's time for people to come together and say enough.

 

[MTGomer]

Ain't no problem too big, that can't be solved with increased Muslim immigration and tighter controls on guns.

 

[James Riley]

Ain't no problem too big, that can't be solved with increased Muslim immigration and tighter controls on guns.

And trucks.

 

[Nemont]

off topic

(The only reason the insurance companies were left in the money sucking loop on Obama Care (thus ruining it) is to placate those beholden to money. Now they complain it doesn't work and wonder why.)

I think you are misremembering how the law came about and who was bought off and by whom. I am curious why you believe the insurance companies are money suckers when they have been losing millions in the ACA marketplace. Hundreds of millions in fact. Where do you suppose that money has went? The ACA doesn't work for a number of reasons and the insurance companies are about 8th down the list.

The list of problems is kind of in this order:
1. The do nothing congress that fiddles while Rome Burns
2. The president who never made the case for why the ACA was vital to get passed
3. The American people who demand everything right now
4. The risk corridors which were never funded and paid
5. The sky rocketing cost of Rx's
6. Penalty is far less than the premium if you decide you don't want to buy insurance
7. The premium tax credits which makes people consume more health care than they would otherwise
8. Insurance companies and their pound of flesh the attempt to take (it is interesting that the loss ratio rules cap what insurance companies can make off their business but doesn't cap any other part of the system: Hospitals, Docs, Rx's etc etc, yet you believe it is the insurance companies where the problem lies.

Nemont

 

[Ben Lamb]

Nemont for Congress.

 

[JoseCuervo]

off topic




I think you are misremembering how the law came about and who was bought off and by whom. I am curious why you believe the insurance companies are money suckers when they have been losing millions in the ACA marketplace. Hundreds of millions in fact. Where do you suppose that money has went? The ACA doesn't work for a number of reasons and the insurance companies are about 8th down the list.

The list of problems is kind of in this order:
1. The do nothing congress that fiddles while Rome Burns
2. The president who never made the case for why the ACA was vital to get passed
3. The American people who demand everything right now
4. The risk corridors which were never funded and paid
5. The sky rocketing cost of Rx's
6. Penalty is far less than the premium if you decide you don't want to buy insurance
7. The premium tax credits which makes people consume more health care than they would otherwise
8. Insurance companies and their pound of flesh the attempt to take (it is interesting that the loss ratio rules cap what insurance companies can make off their business but doesn't cap any other part of the system: Hospitals, Docs, Rx's etc etc, yet you believe it is the insurance companies where the problem lies.

Nemont

Who, with "2-firing brain cells" did not think we needed to reform the way we provide health care?


In 2009, even Paul Ryan was advocating for healthcare reform:

Creating Affordable and Accessible Health Insurance Options
Our health care system should be easier to navigate and provide integrated care in a more equitable manner. A vibrant
market for health insurance that is consistent and fair will allow all Americans access to health coverage. The Patient’s
Choice Act of 2009 would encourage states to establish rational and reasonable consumer protections, including the
following:
• Creates State Health Insurance Exchanges to give Americans a one‐stop marketplace to compare different
health insurance policies and select the one that meets their unique needs
• Gives Americans the same standard health benefits as Members of Congress, so all Americans have a wide range
of choices
• Protects the most vulnerable Americans to ensure that no individual would be turned down by a participating
Exchange insurers based on age or health

(From Paul Ryan's website http://paulryan.house.gov/ )


Those are all straight out of what got passed.

 

[Nemont]

Ummm.....I said he never made the case and stayed on message about the need to reform. I never said we didn't need to reform the health care financing system.

President Obama left it to the opposition to hang the "Obamacare" label on it as a negative term. He never defended the law loudly and often since it's passage.

So that is far different than the "two firing brain cells" and it is a failure on his part to be head cheerleader for what he believed to be his signature accomplishment. Now the chickens are coming home to roost for the Jan. 1 2017 renewal with rate increases that over 100% for some plans.

So reform was required, I never said otherwise. The politicians once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Nemont

 

[noharleyyet]

As per usual Trey Guevara makes a cameo apology insult post for Barack Narcissus's policy failure.

 

[Bowhunter60]

As per usual Trey Guevara makes a cameo apology insult post for Barack Narcissus's policy failure.

NoHarley, Did you mean, "Che Guevara"? Either way, tequila guy has, like to many Americans fallen prey to the need for government to provide for all our needs. Good Lord, how far has this country fallen! Instead of sucking it up and driving forward with what you have. Instead far too many not just want, but EXPECT the government to level the playing field. Here's a lesson; Life isn't fair, but it's not the Government's job to make it so.

 

[noharleyyet]

Jose will appreciate 'Trey'....trust me. ; )

 

[MTGomer]

When I was a kid my parents had 'real jobs' so I had health insurance. When I grew up, I got a 'real job' so I still have health insurance.
Seems that if more people strived to do something with themselves the need for uncle Sam hand holding would decrease.

 

[James Riley]

off topic




I think you are misremembering how the law came about and who was bought off and by whom. I am curious why you believe the insurance companies are money suckers when they have been losing millions in the ACA marketplace. Hundreds of millions in fact. Where do you suppose that money has went? The ACA doesn't work for a number of reasons and the insurance companies are about 8th down the list.

The list of problems is kind of in this order:
1. The do nothing congress that fiddles while Rome Burns
2. The president who never made the case for why the ACA was vital to get passed
3. The American people who demand everything right now
4. The risk corridors which were never funded and paid
5. The sky rocketing cost of Rx's
6. Penalty is far less than the premium if you decide you don't want to buy insurance
7. The premium tax credits which makes people consume more health care than they would otherwise
8. Insurance companies and their pound of flesh the attempt to take (it is interesting that the loss ratio rules cap what insurance companies can make off their business but doesn't cap any other part of the system: Hospitals, Docs, Rx's etc etc, yet you believe it is the insurance companies where the problem lies.

Nemont

I won't argue the other items on your list, just the insurance. Your other items are probably true too, and even in the order you put them. But Clinton made a run at universal single payer and failed, primarily because of the insurance lobby. That left Obama with a half-assed alternative effort to eventually get there (single payer) by getting a foot in the door with a bone to the private sector free market (insurance).

Every time I drive by a sky-scraper with glass windows knowing each floor has a hundred cubicles and in each cubicle is an insurance employee doing God-knows-what for well over $40,000.00 per year, I just hear this giant sucking sound between the patient and the doctor. And, since premiums are not based on risk + profit but, rather, the dividend return on investments in the stock market for Insurance company shareholders, I know it's all BS. Their profits are based on *general* stock market performance and not risk + profit.

Universal single payer is the way to go but Obama saw what happens to anyone who tries that S. What was he left with? Letting the market screw everyone like it had been doing? While little guys like me did not have purchasing power, while we subsidized the guy who worked for a corporation that paid his insurance while he got to deduct that from his income? I didn't get to deduct if from my income. I had to pay premiums from my income.

Obama Care has been a boon for small business and self employed people like me. The major problem is people are too stupid and lazy to shop around every year and pick the right plan. They are used to having it taken care of by employers or someone else.

I could be wrong. I don't have a big picture view of this. Just a personal sense of it and my anecdotal experience. Doctors and providers should be filthy stinking rich and paid for by tax dollars while the insurance companies should be doing something else, like selling buggy whips.

 

[Nemont]

That is interesting but also incorrect. Explain why the one segment of our population guaranteed socialized medicine, Medicare eligible, also need Medicare supplement and advantage plans purchased from the evil insurance companies?

Was it just the insurance lobby who derailed Hillary? You sure are selective in your remembering who also was at the trough and opposed to Clintons reform but hey I have great idea let's just get rid of the insurance industry all together and have no mechanism to underwrite and transfer risk.

I am all for reform let's first get rid of employer sponsored plan and the regressive tax that exist in the way contributions are tax free. That alone would push people into making better choice in consuming their health care.

Can you explain how just getting rid of insurers removes the medical inflation we experience. Our government now pays about 52% of all claims and that will grow. There is zero incentive in any government program to lower costs.

Nemont

 

[Bowhunter60]

that is interesting but also incorrect. Explain why the one segment of our population guaranteed socialized medicine, medicare eligible, also need medicare supplement and advantage plans purchased from the evil insurance companies?

Was it just the insurance lobby who derailed hillary? You sure are selective in your remembering who also was at the trough and opposed to clintons reform but hey i have great idea let's just get rid of the insurance industry all together and have no mechanism to underwrite and transfer risk.

I am all for reform let's first get rid of employer sponsored plan and the regressive tax that exist in the way contributions are tax free. That alone would push people into making better choice in consuming their health care.

Can you explain how just getting rid of insurers removes the medical inflation we experience. Our government now pays about 52% of all claims and that will grow. There is zero incentive in any government program to lower costs.

Nemont

amen brother!

 

[MTGomer]

Universal single payer is the way to go .

Is it?
What is the VA? How well is it working?
Is there any other program under any agency that is ran correctly? It shouldn't be hard to name atleast one.
Is there anything the parasite sector does better than the private sector? They used to be good at fighting wars, but even that gets subbed these days.

Everytime government gets involved, cost increases, quality decreases. I work with 4 agencies almost daily. Good people work there, for the most part. But they are crippled with bureacucracy, red tape, unaccountability etc.. Those things are tolerable to an extent on a BOR construction project. Not tolerable when a loved one needs healthcare and needs it right now.

 

[James Riley]

Explain why the one segment of our population guaranteed socialized medicine, Medicare eligible, also need Medicare supplement and advantage plans purchased from the evil insurance companies?

Was it just the insurance lobby who derailed Hillary? You sure are selective in your remembering who also was at the trough and opposed to Clintons reform but hey I have great idea let's just get rid of the insurance industry all together and have no mechanism to underwrite and transfer risk.

I am all for reform let's first get rid of employer sponsored plan and the regressive tax that exist in the way contributions are tax free. That alone would push people into making better choice in consuming their health care.

Can you explain how just getting rid of insurers removes the medical inflation we experience. Our government now pays about 52% of all claims and that will grow. There is zero incentive in any government program to lower costs.

Nemont

1. Because we don't have USP.

2. Who else? You don't say.

3. The risk is underwritten by us and transferred to us.

4. You say you are for reform but, while Rs had the White House, the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, a press pass, a 95% approval rating etc. they didn't do S. They never offered anything. All they did was say no. You play that S long enough when something needs to be done and guess what: Something gets done and then whine, whine, whine.

5. As to your last point, see my response to MTGomer, below.

 

[James Riley]

Is it?
What is the VA? How well is it working?
Is there any other program under any agency that is ran correctly? It shouldn't be hard to name atleast one.
Is there anything the parasite sector does better than the private sector? They used to be good at fighting wars, but even that gets subbed these days.

Everytime government gets involved, cost increases, quality decreases. I work with 4 agencies almost daily. Good people work there, for the most part. But they are crippled with bureacucracy, red tape, unaccountability etc.. Those things are tolerable to an extent on a BOR construction project. Not tolerable when a loved one needs healthcare and needs it right now.

Yes, it is. And it is not hard to name many. You just stepped in it when you said they used to be good at fighting wars but even that gets subbed these days. How's those wars been going for you?

Interstate Highways, BLM, USFS, postal service before it got partially privatized, etc. I could go on. Where do you think so much R&D comes from that the private sector then martials into their own benefit? Public education and grants, that's where. To the extent they F up it is often due to underfunding by the very politicians who want those services performed by the corporations who own them (the politicians). Ever heard of REA? Who condemns private property so the private sector can make money selling services to the public that require public airwaves and rights of way, etc.?

You can't champion the private sector on one hand, and then want to keep public land public on the other hand. The private sector would do such a great job providing hunting opportunities to the public at low cost, right?

National Defense always gets a pass. Even when it involves BS like Iraq. Apparently that is more important that taking care of Americans. Let's help the private sector make a killing abroad and help nation build while screwing our fellow Americans at home because, well, they are lazy, no-good Americans, right?

 

[Nemont]

James Riley

I typed out a long reply but in light of Big Fin's post I am tapping out of the political discussions. Enjoy the rest of your summer.


Nemont