The Official Obama Scorecard Thread

[Jeepster80125 0]

you don't have to apologize to me; I have no problem with reasonable tort reform.most medical malpractice comes from a small percentage of doctors.....if the AMA policed their own a little better med mal would go down a lot. Pain and suffering damages have skyrocketed crazily over the years. Actual compensatory damages are not the problem.

What do you think of capped liability/damages in cases of medical malpractice cases?editI agree that only a tiny amount of doctors engage in malpractice, but surely you can see that doctors are afraid of getting sued, so they perform any test they can or any test the patient wants, and that is absolutely a large part. So tort reform is actually a big part of healthcare reform.edit2http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/07/17/...ning-of-tax-is/end of article: This “rumored” real estate tax is also discussed on page 20 of Michael Tanner’s new study “Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law.” But if you’re really going to try to understand the new health-care legislation, you may want to clip the Kass article to keep with your copy of the Tanner paper, as no one study can guide you through every detail of a 2000-page law. Journalists and HR experts will be kept busy for years tracking down every sub-reference and interaction in the bill.

[CaneBrain 96]

What do you think of capped liability/damages in cases of medical malpractice cases?

As long as they have an exception for cases where ridic compensatory damages are necessary, I dont mind them. If some 6 year old is paralyzed and needs tons of care forever, sorry doctor/hospital.....you should pay what it takes.Now a hard cap on pain and suffering or loss of consortium? Absolutely.

[Jeepster80125 0]

As long as they have an exception for cases where ridic compensatory damages are necessary, I dont mind them. If some 6 year old is paralyzed and needs tons of care forever, sorry doctor/hospital.....you should pay what it takes.Now a hard cap on pain and suffering or loss of consortium? Absolutely.

This is a case where I think the verdict was probably warranted, but I also think this was temporary coverage.http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2010/...lain_stunni.phpInsurance carriers absolutely should be scared to deny a legitimate claim, but doctors shouldn't be afraid of getting sued, and they shouldn't pay $100,000 per year in medmal insurance.More stuff not addressed by the healthcare bill.

[hblask 1]

Some people think that you should never go bankrupt from medical bills. I would imagine that those people would never agree to this. But, it's exactly what would solve a lot of the problems we have. Then, we need to address costs by increasing transparency, removing things like the AMA and other roadblocks to success, remove the monopoly that hospitals have. We need major tort reform (sorry cane), and doctors need to stop practicing defensive medicine. It's insane the way you are treated by some providers.

Yeah, unfortunately, we'd probably have to undo the impediments to competition first, and many of those are at the state level..... what we really need is a Supreme Court that understands the concept of liberty.

[AmScray 354]

end of article: This “rumored” real estate tax is also discussed on page 20 of Michael Tanner’s new study “Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law.”

What is this rumored real estate tax?

[hblask 1]

What is this rumored real estate tax?

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/07/17/...ning-of-tax-is/The print edition of the Washington Post and the online Real Estate home page feature this headline: Debunking rumors of a housing sales taxThe article begins: Rumors are flying that the health-care legislation Congress passed this year will impose a sales tax on all real estate sales.So I’m thinking, OK, more crazy Glenn Beck tea-party stories about mythical Obama tax hikes, and the Post is going to debunk them. Then I keep reading: But the rumors are based only partly on fact. Although there is a new tax, it will not apply to everyone, and existing tax breaks for home sales will remain in place. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which President Obama signed into law March 30, is comprehensive and complex. Section 1402, “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution,” imposes a 3.8 percent tax on profits from the sale of real estate — residential or investment. But the levy is aimed at high-income taxpayers, leaving most people untouched. And it will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2013. Let’s look at the facts of this new law. First, it is not a sales tax, nor does it impose any transfer or recordation tax. It is called a Medicare tax because the money received will be allocated to the Medicare Trust Fund, which is part of the Social Security system. Next, if your adjusted gross income is less than $200,000, you are home free…. How is the tax calculated? Through a complex formula that could be called “the accountants’ protection act.” As a taxpayer, you (or your financial adviser) must determine which is less: the gain you have made on the sale of your house, or the amount by which your income exceeds the appropriate threshold.So let’s recap here. Post contributor Benny Kass promises to “debunk” the “rumors” that “the health-care legislation Congress passed this year will impose a sales tax on all real estate sales.” And he concludes, “In the meantime, don’t believe the rumors.” But in fact the health-care law did include a new tax on real estate profits. It’s not exactly a sales tax, and it won’t apply to most people. But the only real inaccuracy in the “rumors” that he said “are flying” was the word “all.” It’s only a 3.8 percent tax on some real estate sales, no doubt only a minority of sales, though perhaps affecting more readers of the Washington Post Real Estate section than people in less-affluent regions where housing prices didn’t soar and then remain high. Frankly, I’ve seen more effective debunkings.This “rumored” real estate tax is also discussed on page 20 of Michael Tanner’s new study “Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law.” But if you’re really going to try to understand the new health-care legislation, you may want to clip the Kass article to keep with your copy of the Tanner paper, as no one study can guide you through every detail of a 2000-page law. Journalists and HR experts will be kept busy for years tracking down every sub-reference and interaction in the bill.

[Jeepster80125 0]

What is this rumored real estate tax?

page 20:http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11961edithere's the pdf, page 20.http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/BadMedicineWP.pdfSo my wealthy family that does fix n flips, 4-6 houses a year, is screwed. It's hard enough paying the real estate guys to do next to nothing.

[mk 11]

It's time for people to take responsibility.

serious question: do you hate fat people and wish they were dead? i totally do, just curious on your opinion there.edit: i ask because it seems like a bit of a libertarian quandary, in that you probably feel that people should be free to eat themselves sick but then, that doesn't seem like a 'personally responsible' way to live.

[hblask 1]

serious question: do you hate fat people and wish they were dead? i totally do, just curious on your opinion there.edit: i ask because it seems like a bit of a libertarian quandary, in that you probably feel that people should be free to eat themselves sick but then, that doesn't seem like a 'personally responsible' way to live.

You're losing it. Time for your pills.

[mk 11]

You're losing it. Time for your pills.

serious response requested

[hblask 1]

serious response requested

It wasn't a serious question, it was just a thinly-veiled insult to me and to libertarians. So no, I don't give serious answers to trolls.

[Balloon guy 158]

serious question: do you hate fat people and wish they were dead? i totally do, just curious on your opinion there.edit: i ask because it seems like a bit of a libertarian quandary, in that you probably feel that people should be free to eat themselves sick but then, that doesn't seem like a 'personally responsible' way to live.

This is actually the flaw in all those touchy feely "Everything should be allowed as you don't hurt anyone" and "freedom means doing anything with your body without the government telling you what you can and can't do' sayings.Ultimately we live in a society, there are some things people can do, like speed, that can hurt others, but usually don't. And then there are things people can do, like eat extremely unhealthy, that hurts only their immediate family for a while, but will eventually hurt their community. And there are things people can do that only hurts them, like suicide, but since it is rooted in possible medical imbalances, the argument can be made that making it illegal is This is why I am okay saying I am for small government AND for the keeping of drugs illegal, and making prostitution illegal, and for saying I support personal responsibility.

[El Guapo 8]

our freedom of speech is our freedom or deathyou gotta fight the powers that be

[mk 11]

It wasn't a serious question, it was just a thinly-veiled insult to me and to libertarians. So no, I don't give serious answers to trolls.

I mean, obviously I phrased it in a joking manner, but I'm genuinely interested in your reply to the premise, minus the wishing they were dead part, of course. I'm sorry if your dogma is so fragile that you feel any question about said dogma is a 'thinly-veiled insult'. How do you feel about obesity, smoking, etc.? The question seemed to cut you to the core; was it because either it a) put cracks in your dogma or b) offended you as an obese person?

[mk 11]

Sorry, I can't help myself.SELF-BAN STARTING: NOW

[brvheart 1,760]

Sorry, I can't help myself.SELF-BAN STARTING: NOW

Another liberal loses a debate to Balloon Guy! Nice one Buddy!BG 2, Communists 0

[strategy 4]

[dapokerbum 0]

Iraq combat ending? Cutting the troop size to 50,000 on Aug 31. Is this where political ideals outweigh what is really happening or is it really time to cut the cord and just let another dictator rise to power there.

[CaneBrain 96]

Iraq combat ending? Cutting the troop size to 50,000 on Aug 31. Is this where political ideals outweigh what is really happening or is it really time to cut the cord and just let another dictator rise to power there.

If we stay there for 6 more months or 60 more years, eventually we will have to leave and Iran will emerge as the dominant power broker in Iraq. That's why this was such a BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD idea from the start (something Dick Cheney pointed out during the first Gulf War......wat changed assface?).Oh well.

[Balloon guy 158]

If we stay there for 6 more months or 60 more years, eventually we will have to leave and Iran will emerge as the dominant power broker in Iraq. That's why this was such a BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD idea from the start (something Dick Cheney pointed out during the first Gulf War......wat changed assface?).Oh well.

hmmm...what did happen that would change our policy regarding the middle east?????

[CaneBrain 96]

hmmm...what did happen that would change our policy regarding the middle east?????

A group of men, none of them from Iraq, committed an act of terrorism in America. So, we invaded Iraq.Yeah, in that context, the decision looks WAY better.

[AmScray 354]

hmmm...what did happen that would change our policy regarding the middle east?????

And what about Iraq prior to our invading it was pertinent to our newly changed policy in the middle east?History will judge that as one of our gravest mistakes and quite possibly, the very moment when the USA jumped the shark.

[Balloon guy 158]

A group of men, none of them from Iraq, committed an act of terrorism in America. So, we invaded Iraq.Yeah, in that context, the decision looks WAY better.

This is your first fail

[LongLiveYorke 37]

This is your first fail

That's true, several of the 911 terrorists were actually well trained goats.

[Balloon guy 158]

That's true, several of the 911 terrorists were actually well trained goats.

And the CIA has trained men who Stare at Goats....hmmmmmmmmmmmm