Harrison is Hilariously Stupid

[Riffer X]

Originally Posted by nickers

Um dude...dont fuck with My medicare and medicaid...I cant afford the cost of living as it is as a disabled person...thats just crimminal

I think the reforms are more relegated to going after major fraud and issues such as ICU deathbed type expenses. I saw this episode awhile back on 60 Minutes and just did a quick search, but I haven't verified the links. Biggest expense is deathbed seniors who are being kept alive for small, extended periods of time at huge expense. Main problem is family members who won't pull the plug (so to speak) because they know Medicare will pick up the tab. It's like $60 billion a year.

Example would be granting a cancer drug that would keep a person alive maybe another few days at like $30,000. It's a moral issue that comes down to family making the easy call to keep their loved one alive because they know Medicare picks up the tab. Many times it is family members who are not even that close, so it soothes their conscience to think they are actually benefiting the senior. I have been there where a couple of years ago I had to make the decision to let my dad go from Sepsis up at the Cleveland Clinic. They could have kept him alive for a few more days but there was no point---except to placate my conscience perhaps.

There is also massive fraud that goes on in the millions per instance, and I believe the below link has examples. As far as Medicaid goes, that shit needs a complete overhaul. It is incompetently run and managed in most states and there is no uniformity country wide. Kasich has mandated overhauling Ohio's, and good gawd does it need it.

In summation Nick, I think when you hear of cutbacks and reforms in both Medicare and Medicaid, they are not going after people like yourself or others in need, they are going after the responsible parties/issues that are really the problem with the aforementioned budgets.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minu...2IRf_CZaOi9tm5

Medicaid proposal by Gov. John Kasich would transform system in Ohio | cleveland.com

[nickers]

Originally Posted by Riffer X

I think the reforms are more relegated to going after major fraud and issues such as ICU deathbed type expenses. I saw this episode awhile back on 60 Minutes and just did a quick search, but I haven't verified the links. Biggest expense is deathbed seniors who are being kept alive for small, extended periods of time at huge expense. Main problem is family members who won't pull the plug (so to speak) because they know Medicare will pick up the tab. It's like $60 billion a year.

Example would be granting a cancer drug that would keep a person alive maybe another few days at like $30,000. It's a moral issue that comes down to family making the easy call to keep their loved one alive because they know Medicare picks up the tab. Many times it is family members who are not even that close, so it soothes their conscience to think they are actually benefiting the senior. I have been there where a couple of years ago I had to make the decision to let my dad go from Sepsis up at the Cleveland Clinic. They could have kept him alive for a few more days but there was no point---except to placate my conscience perhaps.

There is also massive fraud that goes on in the millions per instance, and I believe the below link has examples. As far as Medicaid goes, that shit needs a complete overhaul. It is incompetently run and managed in most states and there is no uniformity country wide. Kasich has mandated overhauling Ohio's, and good gawd does it need it.

In summation Nick, I think when you hear of cutbacks and reforms in both Medicare and Medicaid, they are not going after people like yourself or others in need, they are going after the responsible parties/issues that are really the problem with the aforementioned budgets.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minu...2IRf_CZaOi9tm5

Medicaid proposal by Gov. John Kasich would transform system in Ohio | cleveland.com

Thanks for the links Riff!

[Brown Warrior]

Excellent post, Riff. I wrote/co-produced an annual special by the ACS called "Profiles in Survival" for four years back in the day. A big discussion in and around the medical community is "death with dignity," in a world that now sees death as a medical or scientific failure of some kind.

Clinging to a life of confusion and suffering for another month or even six is not a technological triumph. It's ghoulish, in fact. I actually am fully supportive of elective euthanasia for any reason. Forget any notions of what is or isn't a "sin," because we don't know if there is a God, if he can talk, if he is a she or an orb of light or nothing at all... and least of all, what this higher power thinks is naughty or nice. He/she/it isn't talking for some reason, at least not where there are corroborative witnesses.

Best to just do the right thing... and death with dignity is the right thing.

[Vegasdogg]

Originally Posted by Brown Warrior

To say the rich are getting richer while the middle class disappears and the poor get poorer is an understatement.

I want the rich to get richer. I want to get richer. I have no problem with people making shit loads of money and not giving it to the government. I find it very, very dubious to blame the rich for the plot fo the poor when the problem is so intertwined with government and private business.

Cities die off while others rise up. It is the way of the world and always have been. I get worried when gas prices rise based on some bet with hedge funds and speculators have over 'futures' when in fact supply and demand has not changed one bit. The rich get richer and more of my money goes into my tank. Do I get pissed? No, because that is how the system works. We all know that is how the system works.

But yes there have been some very questionable and criminal actions from Wall Street that have so far been left unchecked and never prosecuted -- now THAT pisses me off.

But the rich are supposed to get richer. What I think is wrong is for people to just GIVE money to the poor via the government. You tax the rich one dollar, and the government ends up blowing 1/2 that dollar on waste and corruption. So no I do not think raising taxes as some kind of 'punitive damage' to the super rich is the answer to fixing the poor.

We are more well off now than ever before. That is a hard fact to dispute to be honest. Fixing the problems of the poor has been puzzle and a riddle since the dawn of time. It is just that some think entitlements is the way to go, and some just don't trust the government. I don't trust ANY of those rotten, dirty, philosophical hypocrites in Congress with one dime of my money. Government is the problem, not the solution.

[Brown Warrior]

That's not precisely the point, Veg. The rich are getting richer while everybody else gets poorer. The gap is widening. The percentage of wealth held by a tiny fraction of our population is literally exploding and any sense that this is good for the whole is now more of a laugh line. Nobody thinks that anymore. Giant companies are laying off employees while giving eight figure bonuses to execs and sitting on warchests with billions of dollars.

What you're saying is that you distrust politicians but trust the extremely wealthy, the barons of industry. I personally think that's masochistic. For the most part, people who accumulate massive amounts of wealth and power are horrible people, brutal, greedy, heartless sociopaths. It shows up again and again.

The recent scandals were all about making money for a few while burning down the retirement dreams of literally millions of "ordinary" people. Sure, it's convoluted, about removing the walls between mortgage loans and investments, derivatives gone wild, and selling a product to your customer and then betting on its failure. But in the end, it's a rich man's game and the poor are destined to lose before it even begins.

It's a lords and serfs program, basically. That's where we're headed, back to pre-Depression, when photos of extreme poverty horrified New York City and enacted meaningful social change.

We're judged by how we care for our least fortunate. Period. Not by how we protect the rich.

[Vegasdogg]

I'm not saying I trust the rich. Nor do I think we should let the poor wallow in misery. I'm stating that taxing the rich is not the answer. Neither is providing benefits to people - for free - who are not US citizens. Neither is spending trillions on a war to "spread democracy."

The rich do what the rich do, they look for ways to get richer. To blame them for the plight of the poor makes as much sense as blaming the shark for eating other fish. It's what they do naturally.

The government is the problem. Derivatves are bad. The government than thought it would be a good idea to bail the companies out. Moral hazard! If I'm to pass blame I start with the government.

Name me one program or agency they've created that is successful and self-sufficient. The government does nothing but suck the life out of everything. And now they want to dive into healthcare? Really?

[Brown Warrior]

You know what? We kinda-sorta agree. Wall Street IS the government and vice-versa. They're the same people, moving freely between the private sector and decision making and "watch dog" roles in the government. It's almost perverse.

And just to make sure it continues to thrive, we found a way for giant companies to spend billions promoting their candidates while not even agreeing to regulate "derivatives." It's laughable.

We do tax the rich. We tax everybody. The point is that the tax code has evolved over the past 35 years or so to benefit the rich, an inch at a time an now it's a mile. The question is about how much to tax the rich, given your national financial situation. I didn't sense that the rich were suffering in the 1990s (nobody was), so perhaps that's the level we can all live with?

Agreed on the "spreading Democracy" bullshit. The money being raked in by giant companies over THAT scam is absurd, too. But I guess that's one job poor people can get, as long as they don't mind the 120 degree heat with a chance of large explosions.

[Riffer X]

I'm sure you guys have noticed over the years on both boards that I pretty much stay out of the political discussion arena. I am probably not the best American from the perspective that I could give two shits about politics for the most part, but that doesn't mean I am clueless, it just means I don't keep up on it. It's kinda like not studying for a sociology exam. Doesn't mean I don't know the material, just means I haven't studied up on the potential test questions.

I guess I am a republican now after being a dem when I was younger and wanted to save the world, but honestly, could any of this shit be more idiotic? Partisan bullshit still dominates this country in the year 2011 and money will always rule supreme with those in power. The voting system is an absolute joke in this country, especially with this mail in crap. I'm tired of seeing places like Cleveland completely and thoroughly mismanaged by a bunch of shithead liars and cheats. Race is such a predominant issue in this country and is determining so many issues in the political spectrum it is ridiculous.

I still have basic and core values of looking out for those less fortunate, but it gets harder everyday. It is easy for someone like Shep to sit out there in Westlake Village and proclaim to all the way things should be, but for those of us who have lived it I'm not so sure it is that easy. That is not a slam Shep, I just think you haven't lived in the real world for awhile since the success of your book. We change based on our surroundings and the way we have recently lived---environment plays a major role in our outlooks, it's just the way it is.

I respect guys like Shep and Veg who are passionate and keep up on what makes this country go around or not, but I pretty much stick to what makes me go around. I have seen quite a bit in my life and lived it pretty diversely---I think I touched on it a little before in the lockout crap from way back---but suffice to say I don't really have any answers.

What I have come to realize in my 42 and a half years is that so many people are just plain morons, and that includes those in the political arena, those in high level corporate management and those who basically vote---oh, and football fans. We have given minorities more and more power because we pay them to have more children, which in turn vote purely democratic or minority. Honestly, you could line up Anthony Sowell for city council in some other city against a white guy in a mixed district and he would win. That's how fucked up things are. Then you have guys like Dimora and Russo who absolutely butt raped Cleveland. Seriously, Russo got 20 some years and he even took a plea!! Are you kidding me? How can anybody that crooked get away with that for so long?

Our schools are so bad now it is pathetic. We had ten times better education in the 1800's, and that all spills over into the standardized testing that goes on where the bar continues to be lowered for minorities---in the workforce too. How we are letting these Mexicans fuck up our country I have no freaking idea, but it continues to go on. Call me Archibald Bunker when it comes to the Spanish language being shoved up our asses daily but the real topper is these Mexicanos running around proclaiming national pride while they bend our asses over.

I am not against Corporations making coin, but not at the expense of our jobs. I am knee deep in outsourcing to India where I work, I actually facilitate and train them on some processes etc. It's a double edged sword, because we have many a moron working for us who don't pull their weight. It's hard to justify sometimes, but there are people here deserving of those jobs who need them. The minority thing in the work force is a huge bane on overall productivity because of the entitlement attitude. If things get rough for them, all of a sudden they get a headache and FLMA to protect them.

Taking care of the poor would be so much easier if it was actually the case and not complete bullshit. I believe we are perceived on how we treat our less fortunate as a society, but I am telling you, this slave thing will never let us be what we truly can be. I was a union guy, but there is always corruption that screws it up in so many levels. It actually reminds me of the old communistic idea where it is a good theory in principle, but sometimes doesn't work in the long run because of the inevitable corruption.

I love when people talk about voting and making a difference. The bottom line is, that guy who you are voting for who may have great ideals and really want to make a difference is not going to make it with his current agenda, it is impossible in this political climate. Politics corrupt everybody, you can't get anywhere without concessions and backing (money too). The political arena is one of the most revolting out there besides the high level Wall Street/corporate executive crap. Will somebody, anybody, please explain to me how the fuck corp execs make the money they do? Pretty please? I mean, I have sat in small meetings with CFO's and company presidents but I failed to be wowed by anything whatsoever when it came to them as decision makers.

You want to make your millions independently I have no issue with that (if done somewhat the right way), but if you are going to do it in a corp setting while those under you do all the work I call bullshit. These people base their decisions on everything relegated to the bottom line, yet their salaries supersede most of the miniscule decisions they make. Money is saved in corps by business analysts well versed in Lean Six Sigma who make on average 60 g's, yet they are saving their companies millions upon millions that execs take all the credit for. The politics that goes on within each individual corp is insane, there are people who barely know how to wipe their ass getting credit for the work of people that know their shit making nothing.

Our infrastructure is going to be the next thing. I was pretty much an Iraq/Afghanni War backer but can we please get the hell out of there? Back in the day we used to make money and stimulate the economy from wars, but this is killing us big time!! We need a business man to take over in this country who has morality and his shit together. It is time to start looking out for ourselves while we selectively help others. I served as a Cav scout but never in war, however, I get it. It is one thing to show our supremacy and assert our authority, but not at the expense of our troops. We are in the year 2011 for goodness sake and still getting our people killed for a whole lot of nothing.

We can't evolve our own country politically and educationally, yet are trying to do it with third world religious freaks. Most of our country doesn't even remember what our forefathers did. WWII was unbelievable, we bombed the Japs because the ignorant bastards in charge over there had a God complex and wouldn't concede. Those were good people who fought to death but their empirical leadership didn't give two shits about them. Every life we lose means something to me, because I just don't see the need at this point. We have elite fighting forces like the SEALS to manage our necessary missions, we don't need guys getting killed on stupid patrols just like they did in Nam and Korea. WWII, Dday etc and the Pacific Theater put an end to future slaughters, but now we just do it on a smaller scale for a bunch of nothing.

I did the loan officer thing right before and during the collapse, it was my foray into the white collar world after my hip replacement ruined my union road construction foreman ship. I learned a shitload, and I also saw the bank greed and incompetency that took this whole thing down and fucked over a whole lot of people. I could write a book on what caused the mortgage collapse, but let's just say it was from banking underwriters doing anything to approve a loan, and huge in that was the over inflation of property values to meet the Loan to Value margins. All the other stuff is fluff, that is what made it happen.

The people in this country get dumber by the day as we continue to populate. I just don't see how any of this is good going forward. End of rant.

[Brown Warrior]

Good stuff, Riff. But give me this: I actually AM in that .5 percent, or maybe 1 percent, or something like that... and I'm raising my hand to accept the taxes of the 1990s. I'm willing.

Honest to god truth, I agree with that French doctor in "Sicko": How much do you really need? I have more than I ever dreamt of and literally want nothing more. In fact, I have no problem with downscaling to a cool South Pasadena Craftsman bungalow that's half the size of this behemoth...in fact, I look forward to it.

I honestly don't trust most super rich people whose defining advantage is their lust for money and power. They tend to be massive tools.

[Vegasdogg]

That's some great writing RifferX.

[Brown Warrior]

It feels like the polarization in this country is easing as we realize we're all getting ass fucked by a bunch of evil billionaires who literally own our government and don't give the tiniest shit how the rest of the nation gets by.