If Republicans can't agree on an Obamacare replacement, what are the odds they'll agree on significant changes to Social Security? You can promise all kinds of things in the abstract when you're in the opposition. It's very different when you're voting on real legislation with real consequences for real voters.
I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the Circus while it was in town.
ReplyDeleteSystems that have evolved over many years, will exist in a certain state because it usually represents the optimal system given the existence of competing and opposing forces. While one can easily point out flaws which exist in every system, trying to change these flaws, without causing Greater negative repercussions, is often impossible for systems that that have evolved over time.
ReplyDeleteright on 2:21.
ReplyDeletewell, I think a lot of folks believe and want to push for social Darwinism let people fight for scraps that the apex predators leave out for the rest of us. or worse chaos theory...use a wrecking ball and then let those remaining pick up the pieces...who cares if you have no idea of what better type systems to replace the old ones
ReplyDeleteI remain worried. Very worried. Trump is a ticking disaster.
ReplyDeleteWhile we're not completely out of the woods yet, the collapse of Trumpcare is certainly a good sign. This will make it harder to pass their budget and tax reform. My fear is that they'll use cuts to SS or SSI as a "pay for" to compensate for the huge military spending increases and tax cuts.
ReplyDeleteNeither plan addresses the root causes of the ever increasing costs of healthcare in the U.S. where 1 in 5 dollars is going to healthcare, this simply isn't sustainable. The democrats didn't do much better when they held the house, senate and White House. He is a danger to the nation, just hope it catches up with him sooner rather than later.
ReplyDelete9:35 AM:
ReplyDeleteI think we are headed to a single payer system like Medicare for all. We currently spend more of our GDP on healthcare than any other advanced country in the world and our health outcomes are no better than theirs.
At some point, logic will overcome the dogma of the Libertarian-Republicans that the marketplace is the answer to everything. The market works well in most areas but not so well in healthcare.
12:44, I see a transition to a single payer as a long and drawn out operation. Unwinding the entire healthcare insurance network, tens of thousands of employees of those companies, the entire billing and coding network, even the training programs for billing and coding would be a huge undertaking. Most offices now have as many non-medical employees as medical employees to handle that workload. I just cant see that all going away easily. There is profit in the insurance companies, and that is going to be hard to get that given up. The 40s were our chance, we blew it, making the transition now will be very very difficult. I know I am not smart enough to figure it out or even remotely sum up the problems. I am hopeful, but it is a small hope.
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