JimofPennsylvan
Platinum Member
- Jun 6, 2007
- 861
- 503
- 910
Republicans cut America a break and don't turn the "use of chemical weapons in Syria" matter into a political contest. President Obama is handling it responsibly there is no reason for a public fight over this a congressional resolution is not needed over this matter. The Obama administration has already said its military response over this will be limited, they won't involve us as a party in the Syrian war. They are waiting for an international consensus that the Syrian government used chemical weapons on its people and that the Arab league won't have a problem with the military response and the response will have a multinational dimension so it isn't a situation again where the U.S. is ignoring world opinion and just doing their own will. Many weeks ago the U.S. government committed to support the Syrian Free Army with military weapons which is the unchanged limit of U.S. involvement in this Syrian war! This situation is analogous to when the Reagan administration bombed Libya over the downing of the commercial plane in Lockerbie Scotland and President Reagan didn't have a Congressional resolution approving such action; it was a matter of justice in the Libyan matter for Ghadafi's culpability in that plane bombing and in this Syrian matter justice demands a military response to create a great deterrent to the use of chemical weapons for the permissible use of such weapons even in a defensible war can't be tolerated because it can readily cause way too high (catastrophic) losses of innocent civilian life.
If Republicans want to do something worthwhile they can focus on the ACA (Obamacare) law and not on the stupid, idiotic, lamebrain "how can you dim-wits get into office" de-fund Obamacare initiative! Such de-funding is impossible to do Congress would have to get rid of the Department of Health and Human services to do this which is insanity talk because if you leave three staff in the HHS department Secretary Sebellius is going to use one of those three staff members to implement the ACA. Further, the ACA created a new health insurance entitlement program for Americans buying health insurance in the exchanges and whose income is below four hundred percent of the poverty level this program doesn't need Congress to make a yearly appropriation of funds it is just like the Social Security entitlement program Congress has no funding discretion over it.
However, the ACA is a subject Republicans should be raising holy hell over; the ACA is an historic disaster it is something people will or probably have written books about and universities will be having courses over for generations to come how one single government policy blocked the economic recovery from the worst recession in the last seventy-five years for the American people. The American people don't need studies or committee investigations to come to this conclusion Americans across the nation have heard first person accounts from many many business owners saying I am not hiring I am not increasing my employees wages because of my insurance costs from Obamacare. There is no issue here Obamacare is derailing the economic recovery and not only the jobs it directly is blocking but all the jobs that would be created from the economic activity of these directly affected jobs. Republicans should be pursuing a bi-partisan effort to reduce the cost of health insurance for employers a bi-partisan effort just like their effort on immigration reform. If Republicans offer measured leadership here they should have democrats falling all over themselves to get in-line to support such a deal because any person with basic common sense on political matters should be concluding that the American voter is going to be looking to punish Democrat candidates like you wouldn't believe in the 2014 and 2016 elections over Obamacare's job and wage killing effects! Republicans should be measured here that is asking themselves how do we reduce the cost of health insurance for businesses that is palatable to people that believe all Americans deserve to have real access to a good healthcare system. How about lifting the no yearly claims limit mandate of Obamacare and replacing it with a limit of $200,000/yr and for businesses which have a low or moderate incomes $100,000/year limit and mandate that when insurance beneficiaries hit that limit they can then receive benefits through the medicaid program. How about doing away with the out of pocket limit mandate of Obamacare when beneficiaries reach that limit allow them to get a federal tax credit for seventy-five cents on the dollar for every dollar they spend over this out-of-pocket limit. Insurance providers have identified the free preventive care mandate of Obamacare as part of the reason for why premiums have gone up the way they have; members of Congress should be asking themselves since the ACA has been passed more Americans are and will be seeing their health insurance offer less coverage, that is, higher deductibles and higher co-pays this all begs the question isn't this really a non-sensical system we have free health care screening system but when the system finds serious problems that one really needs health care services over the system is going to make it harder for one to afford such services. Why doesn't Congress do the obviously logical thing and revoke the free preventive care mandate still help the American people in this area by excluding preventive care from the deductable. Congress should keep in mind that even amongst doctors there is clear disagreement over how often some preventive screening tests should be conducted this "cost to the consumer" change would definitely bring more responsibility into the system patients and doctors will more often consider patient's medical history and family health history in determining how often to do such tests and that is a good thing. On a slightly different vein, Congress made a mistake in drafting the ACA legislation they forgot to add a provision providing the U.S. government to pay for the employer portion of the health insurance premiums for them and their staffs when they go into the exchanges; most Americans don't begrudge members of Congress and their staffs this ordinary employment benefit which they had for fifty plus years but they shouldn't ignore the law and just take it they should change the ACA law and reworking the Obamacare mandates as suggested in a new law would give them the opportunity to fix this flaw in the original law!
What really is so disheartening about America's political system is how the media sways public attention undermining the American people's interests. A perfect example is how the media has spun things on the national debt ceiling where they have made lifting the nation's debt ceiling a non-issue they paint this issue as a manufactured issue by the Republicans. Granted federal tax receipts are increasing because of the improved economy and the country has Fannie and Freddie, the government sponsored housing finance agencies, doing well and sending well over $50 billion dollars a year into the treasury and the Federal Reserve bank from its bond buying program also sending tens of billions of dollars back to the Treasury. Nevertheless, the country is adding like $500 billion dollars a year to the national debt because of its budget deficit. To future American generations one can rest assured this is not a manufactured issue, they will rightly see this as generational theft for they will have to pay this debt and the interest on the debt which isn't peanuts the yearly average interest on this debt will likely be around $25 billion. I am sure future Americans would rather this $25 billion a year be spent on their children's education, on road and bridge construction, health care and things like that not interest debt payments. This is an intolerable and utmost serious problem, financing this level of budget deficit is going to increase interest rates across the U.S. economy it will become really noticeable when the Federal Reserve Bank stops with its $85 billion/month bond buying program which is artificially lowering interest rates. House Speaker John Boehner is spot on when he says we should at least be reducing the growth of the national debt in equal amounts to how much we raise the nation's debt ceiling that is the minimum threshold of responsibility! With yearly budget deficits in the ball park of $600 billion per year it is completely irresponsible that Congress when they raise the debt ceiling can't at least reduce the deficit by $50 billion per year over the next ten years and I am not talking about cutting discretionary spending I am talking about cutting entitlement programs the way the Obama Whitehouse has suggested in the past and reducing individual federal tax deductions for the wealthy like Mitt Romney spoke of during his presidential campaign. The Democrats and the media paint this whole issue as the Republicans are going to ruin the full-faith-and-credit of the U.S. and send the Treasury markets into a free fall with this debt ceiling issue; the Republicans have the power to take these catastrophic scenarios off the table. The House Republicans just need to send the Senate Democrats and the Obama Whitehouse a bill that mandates the Federal Reserve open a credit window for the Treasury where the Treasury can borrow money whenever they need to to pay off a Treasury debt instrument when it comes due as long as the Treasury is following the prescribed payout of federal revenue that comes into the Treasury, the prescribed bill paying priority being payment of Social Security and veteran benefits first, Medicare and Medicaid second then military and national security expenses third and then payment on Treasury debt instruments - this Federal Reserve window borrowing by the Treasury would not be subject to the nation's debt ceiling restrictions! If Barack Obama and the Democrats really care about the country they will take this Federal Reserve window path which will take these catastrophic consequences off the table!
During this past week, the country has been remembering the momentous occassion of Dr. King's March on Washington. This event very much deserves the country's attention for it was remarkable in its peacefulness, virtue and transformative nature! But I think duiring this time the country has missed an opportunity to continue its good transformation effects. In these rememberances the speakers say things like we have not yet fulfilled Dr. King's dream for this, that and the other reason and so many Americans aren't receiving economic justice for this, that and the other reason. All true but these statements aren't going to fix these problems. What these speakers needed to be saying is I am member of the group America labels as Democrats or Republicans and this is what is wrong with my group and my group needs to agree to this, that and other common ground issues so the country can move forward and get closer to having Dr. King's dream fulfilled! Until both Democrats, Republicans and Independants recognize that they have to make real compromise America will never solve these Dr. King spotlighted problems!
If Republicans want to do something worthwhile they can focus on the ACA (Obamacare) law and not on the stupid, idiotic, lamebrain "how can you dim-wits get into office" de-fund Obamacare initiative! Such de-funding is impossible to do Congress would have to get rid of the Department of Health and Human services to do this which is insanity talk because if you leave three staff in the HHS department Secretary Sebellius is going to use one of those three staff members to implement the ACA. Further, the ACA created a new health insurance entitlement program for Americans buying health insurance in the exchanges and whose income is below four hundred percent of the poverty level this program doesn't need Congress to make a yearly appropriation of funds it is just like the Social Security entitlement program Congress has no funding discretion over it.
However, the ACA is a subject Republicans should be raising holy hell over; the ACA is an historic disaster it is something people will or probably have written books about and universities will be having courses over for generations to come how one single government policy blocked the economic recovery from the worst recession in the last seventy-five years for the American people. The American people don't need studies or committee investigations to come to this conclusion Americans across the nation have heard first person accounts from many many business owners saying I am not hiring I am not increasing my employees wages because of my insurance costs from Obamacare. There is no issue here Obamacare is derailing the economic recovery and not only the jobs it directly is blocking but all the jobs that would be created from the economic activity of these directly affected jobs. Republicans should be pursuing a bi-partisan effort to reduce the cost of health insurance for employers a bi-partisan effort just like their effort on immigration reform. If Republicans offer measured leadership here they should have democrats falling all over themselves to get in-line to support such a deal because any person with basic common sense on political matters should be concluding that the American voter is going to be looking to punish Democrat candidates like you wouldn't believe in the 2014 and 2016 elections over Obamacare's job and wage killing effects! Republicans should be measured here that is asking themselves how do we reduce the cost of health insurance for businesses that is palatable to people that believe all Americans deserve to have real access to a good healthcare system. How about lifting the no yearly claims limit mandate of Obamacare and replacing it with a limit of $200,000/yr and for businesses which have a low or moderate incomes $100,000/year limit and mandate that when insurance beneficiaries hit that limit they can then receive benefits through the medicaid program. How about doing away with the out of pocket limit mandate of Obamacare when beneficiaries reach that limit allow them to get a federal tax credit for seventy-five cents on the dollar for every dollar they spend over this out-of-pocket limit. Insurance providers have identified the free preventive care mandate of Obamacare as part of the reason for why premiums have gone up the way they have; members of Congress should be asking themselves since the ACA has been passed more Americans are and will be seeing their health insurance offer less coverage, that is, higher deductibles and higher co-pays this all begs the question isn't this really a non-sensical system we have free health care screening system but when the system finds serious problems that one really needs health care services over the system is going to make it harder for one to afford such services. Why doesn't Congress do the obviously logical thing and revoke the free preventive care mandate still help the American people in this area by excluding preventive care from the deductable. Congress should keep in mind that even amongst doctors there is clear disagreement over how often some preventive screening tests should be conducted this "cost to the consumer" change would definitely bring more responsibility into the system patients and doctors will more often consider patient's medical history and family health history in determining how often to do such tests and that is a good thing. On a slightly different vein, Congress made a mistake in drafting the ACA legislation they forgot to add a provision providing the U.S. government to pay for the employer portion of the health insurance premiums for them and their staffs when they go into the exchanges; most Americans don't begrudge members of Congress and their staffs this ordinary employment benefit which they had for fifty plus years but they shouldn't ignore the law and just take it they should change the ACA law and reworking the Obamacare mandates as suggested in a new law would give them the opportunity to fix this flaw in the original law!
What really is so disheartening about America's political system is how the media sways public attention undermining the American people's interests. A perfect example is how the media has spun things on the national debt ceiling where they have made lifting the nation's debt ceiling a non-issue they paint this issue as a manufactured issue by the Republicans. Granted federal tax receipts are increasing because of the improved economy and the country has Fannie and Freddie, the government sponsored housing finance agencies, doing well and sending well over $50 billion dollars a year into the treasury and the Federal Reserve bank from its bond buying program also sending tens of billions of dollars back to the Treasury. Nevertheless, the country is adding like $500 billion dollars a year to the national debt because of its budget deficit. To future American generations one can rest assured this is not a manufactured issue, they will rightly see this as generational theft for they will have to pay this debt and the interest on the debt which isn't peanuts the yearly average interest on this debt will likely be around $25 billion. I am sure future Americans would rather this $25 billion a year be spent on their children's education, on road and bridge construction, health care and things like that not interest debt payments. This is an intolerable and utmost serious problem, financing this level of budget deficit is going to increase interest rates across the U.S. economy it will become really noticeable when the Federal Reserve Bank stops with its $85 billion/month bond buying program which is artificially lowering interest rates. House Speaker John Boehner is spot on when he says we should at least be reducing the growth of the national debt in equal amounts to how much we raise the nation's debt ceiling that is the minimum threshold of responsibility! With yearly budget deficits in the ball park of $600 billion per year it is completely irresponsible that Congress when they raise the debt ceiling can't at least reduce the deficit by $50 billion per year over the next ten years and I am not talking about cutting discretionary spending I am talking about cutting entitlement programs the way the Obama Whitehouse has suggested in the past and reducing individual federal tax deductions for the wealthy like Mitt Romney spoke of during his presidential campaign. The Democrats and the media paint this whole issue as the Republicans are going to ruin the full-faith-and-credit of the U.S. and send the Treasury markets into a free fall with this debt ceiling issue; the Republicans have the power to take these catastrophic scenarios off the table. The House Republicans just need to send the Senate Democrats and the Obama Whitehouse a bill that mandates the Federal Reserve open a credit window for the Treasury where the Treasury can borrow money whenever they need to to pay off a Treasury debt instrument when it comes due as long as the Treasury is following the prescribed payout of federal revenue that comes into the Treasury, the prescribed bill paying priority being payment of Social Security and veteran benefits first, Medicare and Medicaid second then military and national security expenses third and then payment on Treasury debt instruments - this Federal Reserve window borrowing by the Treasury would not be subject to the nation's debt ceiling restrictions! If Barack Obama and the Democrats really care about the country they will take this Federal Reserve window path which will take these catastrophic consequences off the table!
During this past week, the country has been remembering the momentous occassion of Dr. King's March on Washington. This event very much deserves the country's attention for it was remarkable in its peacefulness, virtue and transformative nature! But I think duiring this time the country has missed an opportunity to continue its good transformation effects. In these rememberances the speakers say things like we have not yet fulfilled Dr. King's dream for this, that and the other reason and so many Americans aren't receiving economic justice for this, that and the other reason. All true but these statements aren't going to fix these problems. What these speakers needed to be saying is I am member of the group America labels as Democrats or Republicans and this is what is wrong with my group and my group needs to agree to this, that and other common ground issues so the country can move forward and get closer to having Dr. King's dream fulfilled! Until both Democrats, Republicans and Independants recognize that they have to make real compromise America will never solve these Dr. King spotlighted problems!
