The trees are getting bare and the yards are getting full of leaves. I am hoping a kid will come along and rake my yard. There sure are a lot of leaves out there. I thought about getting out there with the leaf blower, and then thought again. The leaves always go every place but where you don’t want them to go.
The election is over, but it isn’t really. Is 2013 going to turn Virginia into hanging chad Florida?
Who has winterized their plants and house? My winterizing consisted of getting the winter pansies put in. Nothing cheers me up like winter pansies. Well…rosemary Christmas trees come pretty close.
@Moon-howler
Planned result? What a totally nasty thing to say.
The website is getting better each day. The supervisors of what are incompetent? According to whom?
“Millions have lost jobs, money, and insurance.” Don’t be a drama queen. That is simply an unprovable, prejudicial, erroneous statement.
The system is designed to have high prices on healthy people, higher than before, to pay for the subsidies.
The website is not working. Period.
Where have you been to have not seen the millions that have lost their jobs or hours due to the ACA, their policies to ACA, and their money to higher premiums and deductibles.
@Rick Bentley
http://weaselzippers.us/2013/11/15/white-house-concedes-premiums-for-health-plans-on-obamacare-exchange-are-more-expensive-than-previous-plans-even-with-subsidies/
Read the highlighted part.
People are finding that rates and deductibles have skyrocketed. And this is on policies that are supposedly equal to the old ones….or the policies that are supposed to surpass their old ones have huge fees.
They lied.
@Cargo
Clearly you have had your head in some right wing we hate the pres article. yes, the website is up. Not working totally but its working. Millions? Oh PUH-leez
That is unprovable and incorrect.
As a person who has never been uninsured for even one day, I have resented for years the people who walk on their bills and who end up making my rates jump up every year. I am also talking about a lot of years.
It enrages me that you would defend some kid who is using his or her money to drink beer every night of the week and yet its perfectly ok for my policy to pick up the slack for those who don’t have adequate health coverage.
My eyes were first opened when I had my first child and took a look at what I was being charged for basic supplies. I questioned it and got told the truth.
Please, spare me the whining over the 20 somethings. They are the ones who are going to go out and bust themselves up doing something stupid also.
The insurance companies are gouging. No one intentionally lied.
The entire purpose of this is to start bringing down the run away health costs.
@Rick Bentley
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/11/04/49-state-analysis-obamacare-to-increase-individual-market-premiums-by-avg-of-41-subsidies-flow-to-elderly/
Clearly true.
@Moon-howler
What are you talking about?
The press has released that a) over 1 million people have had insurance cancelled. Subsequent policies are more expensive. b) About a million have had their hours cut or jobs cut due to ACA
The president stated UNEQUIVOCALLY, as did other Democrats did, that we would lower premiums while increase access across the board. He even stated that premiums would come down by as much as 2500 bucks. And now reports have come out that the administration KNEW that what they said was not true. That’s called lying. Well, unless its a Democrat speaking, apparently.
The system is designed to force everyone into insurance and raise the premiums on healthy people to provide subsidies.
The insurance companies are following the law. Their increases are due to the way the ACA is designed.
Face it….they lied to you.
1. The law says nothing about charges.
2. Did it occur to you that some deliberately changed the policy so they could divest themselves of those policies?
3. I believe you said a million jobs had been lost. Where are the unemployment claims?
4. My ears heard that many people would find relief and get more bang for their buck. I also heard that it would not all show at once. They would need to tweak it.
5. Many people will get subsidies to help with costs.
6. Healthy people need to be insured also. That’s how insurance works. Some people use it once year, then they don’t the next. That part is an understood.
7. Young people aren’t necessarily healthy.
8. Speaking of lies, I have heard a lot of lies about the ACA told on this blog, especially as it related to the developers of the website.
1) The law forces you to get new insurance. The new insurance costs more.
2) Did it occur to you that they changed the policy due to regulations. Or the need to increase a premium due to inflation? Policies won’t stay stagnant. Furthermore, the insurance companies are in bed with the Administration. The whole thing is set up…the companies make more money. The socialists get their gov’t control over the health care. The companies don’t oppose it.
It is designed to raise premiums for the majority.
3) “Millions have lost jobs, money, and insurance.” Combined. Over a million people have lost insurance. 77% of all jobs are now part time according to BLS. The U6 rate is amazingly high. People have had their jobs cut to keep employers from being penalized.
4) The narrative is that it will help. The blanket statement was that it would help EVERYONE. And they stated that knowing it was a fraudulent statement.
5) Subsidies don’t necessarily cover the increases. And since so many are opposed to covering those without insurance…why are subsidies ok? Its your tax money either way.
6) Healthy people can be insured any number of ways. Now they are being forced into programs that they don’t feel is appropriate.
7) Nope…but its the way to bet.
8) Which lies were those? The developers were incompetents whose supervising politicians were blind and willfully ignorant of the warnings being told to them by the various developers.
Let’s say it is a terrible failure. Which I don’t believe is accurate. The question still remains, how best to go forward?
The SW Florida Eagle Cam is up and running. Harriet laid an egg at 4:39 this afternoon. Maybe another in a day or two??
http://www.ustream.tv/SouthwestFloridaEagleCam?utm_source=crowd-live-backend&utm_medium=visit-channel&utm_campaign=notifications
1. All the new policies do not cost more. Several people on here have reported that the new policies cost less. Some do. Some don’t.
2. Don’t name call. No one is a socialist. You can do better than that. My policy went up every year I had it. That’s the reality. First there is inflation then there is having to pick up the slack for some slacker who thought he or she didn’t need insurance. It raises everyone’s rates when people walk on their bills.
3. I simply do not believe that 77% of all jobs are part time.
4. You have made fraudulent statements on here if we are using that as a standard. In fact, I don’t recall the word “everyone” ever being used.
5. frankly, its been my money all these years…when people walk on their bills. I would rather not have it so random. I can’t speak to the subsidies. Its difficult to do in this area because of the high salaries. Additionally, many people in this area have insurance through their work. I haven’t heard of anyone getting their hours cut back.
6. Healthy people…that’s really an artificial expression. Right now I am a healthy person. I can get up, trip over the dog and suddenly become unhealthy. If “healthy” people don’t want insurance I have no problem letting them sign a statement that if they don’t have the money, up front, to treat their illness or injury then they get left in the street to die or suffer. Have at it.
Who bails them out now? If they make themselves except, then no problem. I don’t think they should be allowed to opt out with their kids though…just themselves.
7. I am sorry. I think that statement is irresponsible. Do you want to bet with your kid’s life? Didn’t think so. Young people are not necessarily healthy. They get sick, they have accidents, life sometimes has unpleasant surprises. That’s probably the last time I am going to say that. Its a stupid argument.
8. The developers were incompetent? That is a lie. Michelle’s girlfriend got the contract? That is a lie.
50 different companies who had to make 151 different components talk to each other. Think you could do that, Cargo?
Always a conspiracy theory. Actually the teams working on the fix are highly qualified and are putting in incredibly long hours and long weeks. Don’t criticize them for something you couldn’t do yourself.
People have lost jobs. Bull Crap. The employer mandate is delayed until 2015. Why would a company lay off an employee today?
Fox had a big splash over Bonnie Doon ice cream that they had to close because of Obamacare – but once the facts where out they kinda put that one down quietly. They had less than 50 employees, so no impact, and they could have stayed in business for another 18 months before any impact.
Is 30 hours the right measure? What is a full time employee?
Has the number of part time employees increased – Yes it has been increasing – in fact, it is increasing on a global basis and there have been concerns going back over time. See here back in 1991 – http://www.bls.gov/OPUB/MLR/1991/03/art2full.pdf Nothing new here. What has proliferated over the past 12 years is the use of ‘Independent Contractors’ instead of employees – adding to the statistics, avoiding taxes and shifting costs.
The right wing just keeps grinding it out. I can’t imagine what would happen if everything had gone perfectly. What excuses would they have?
Everyone is healthy until the next car accident, building fire or cancer diagnosis – and it is too late to get insurance at that point.
Exactly.
I think I am going to scream if I hear one more thing about “healthy” people. Talk about not grasping the concept of how insurance works.
Well damn! I don’t need insurance. I haven’t had a wreck. Damn! I don’t need insurance. My house hasn’t caught fire. Let’s cancel all the policies!
Like everything else, until you need it it’s another persons problem. Government after natural disasters. Look at FMLA. That was going to crush business…. I’m involved in benefits and believe me FMLA is a real non partisan activity for a liberal democrat sponsored destroyer of business. You wouldn’t believe the bitching about ACA as they gleefully fill out FMLA forms and ask how many days of paid leave they’ll get.
Small business’s are dying because of “Walmarting”. You can’t beat their prices for shoddy items, filthy stores and lousy customer service. No wonder we need more health care.
Totally irrational, but do anyone else’s feet stick to the ground in their parking lots and store floors?
I hate Mondays 🙁
3) I’ll be more specific. 77% of new hiring, per the BLS, is part time. Not existing jobs.
4) You have made fraudulent statements on here if we are using that as a standard. In fact, I don’t recall the word “everyone” ever being used. Why is it that you hold critics accountable for every individual syllable….but you don’t hold those making the political statements accountable?
“We are going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500.
http://youtu.be/_o65vMUk5so
The site itself misleads you. http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2013/10/23/cbs-uncovers-serious-incredibly-misleading-obamacare-website-price-qu
Purely anecdotal: My family has friends whose father had fine insurance. Covered his heart disease for years. Prices were reasonable. Now…..costs shot up. Red tape galore. He has to go back to work to be able to pay for his Obamacare.
That’s “EVERYBODY.” It was supposed to help everyone..not just some people.
And I understand how insurance works. But the “healthy people,” previously, could pick they type of insurance or not pick one at all. That was their CHOICE. Aren’t you pro-choice? Now, they are being farmed for their premiums to ensure that the companies get their cut so that they don’t protest Obamacare rules.
7) Its also the way the insurance companies bet. On AVERAGE, younger people are healthier. Who said anything about not getting insurance? The companies want younger, healthier people…its more profitable.
8) http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/
Took three days. The only thing that you need .gov for is if you need a subsidy.
Are you saying that the contractors WEREN’T incompetent? They had THREE years. It FAILED. Completely. And their political supervisors either were too blind to see it or to politically motivated to push it out than to save everyone the headache, amend the bill, and delay it until it worked. EVERY warning about the ACA is coming true.
You complain about the insurance companies profit, but you insist that everyone be covered AND that they all have “comprehensive,” more expensive plans. The ACA is pure crony capitalism.
@Pat.Herve
Yep…it was delayed…..AFTER people started losing jobs.
Well, it’s not too late to get insurance after the fact now. Pre-existing is covered.
If uncontrained, the right wing would move time backwards to where health insurance was only for the healthy, regulation of meat is out of government purview (some people want beer, not champagne), and child labor laws were repealed. All the way back to 1910. And then maybe we could move further back than that.
To them it would presumably be a real sign of progress if we could build an America where the wealthy were hoarding precious minerals.
It’s wild to me that we live in this nation with trillions of dollars floating around, wealth being created all around us, and people on the right want so badly to prevent any of that money from being used in any way for common good; wild that they are so devoted to a trickle-down theory of life. That their perspectyive is that limited and that they hold on to their archaic perspective so tightly, so convinced that their “values” are the only real game in town.
And that they cannot admit that in point of fact it was their politicians and their values that got us into our current debt-addled, wasteful state in this world.
Right-wingers, chill out. Take a sedative. Watch and learn. The world is not necessarily going to hell in a handbasket. It’s just changing, in ways that you do not necessarily understand – and in fact may not be capable of understanding.
Jesus Christ must be rolling over in his grave, when right-wing voters invoke his name.
That line never gets a laugh. But as a great comedian once noted, wouldn’t it be funny if Christ or Moses came back to life and walked the Earth, and reacted to what was going on in their name? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-J4O-6hANU
Rick,
Do you have anything reasonable to say or are you just here to insult people? People like you are why people like me decide that trying to compromise is a waste of time. Your lies and attacks push people away. Well, except for the Democrat apologists…… for them….civil behavior means not attacking democrats.
And THAT comment wasn’t insulting? Ahem.
Other than about God, I don’t think Rick has really been insulting. Perhaps I missed something. Saying people who have faith are stupid might be how you feel but its probably one of those things you should keep to yourself. I think snake handling is pretty stupid but its not real polite fror me to say so. I don’t think we have snake handlers here so I am going to risk it.
I’m trying to get everyone to see the light. While expressing my own anger.
What I’m trying to do is not to insult everyone. Just to insult people whose opinions are already inflexible. Usually with humor. Supposedly this is the purpose of humor, the reason that it evolved as a part of ingrained human behavior; it acts as a social sanction against inflexible behavior.
Perhaps I am heavy handed. Insulting. Abrasive (mos def). But at any rate, I represent no one but myself. You should not take my personality as an indicator that you shouldn’t compromise with less didactic people.
I thought he was referring to people who use God for other than religious purposes. Like politics or something. Or to justify attacks.
George Zimmerman was arrested on domestic violence charges Monday after pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend, smashing a glass-topped table and pushing her out of her Seminole County home, deputies said.
Mr. Bentley — I have a long memory and quick recall. It literally kept me alive on numerous occasions in my former line of work. I recall a couple of years ago on this very blog a statement by you to the effect that you thoroughly enjoyed mocking others because of their religious faith. Your admission sounded to me much like bragging about a mean-spirited avocation. I would posit that you being you is hardly an excuse for denigrating any other person’s faith, no matter what it is.
Horrible new from Richmond Dispatch
State Sen. Creig Deeds in critical condition after having been stabbed.
His son dead from gunshot wound.
@Moon-howler
No..it wasn’t insulting.
It was a prediction.
I complained about someone that was insulting some of your commenters and readers.
“…where health insurance was only for the healthy, regulation of meat is out of government purview (some people want beer, not champagne), and child labor laws were repealed. All the way back to 1910. And then maybe we could move further back than that.”
Basically saying that Republicans and conservatives want child labor, bad meat, etc. He constantly insults religious faith under “humor.”
And instead of saying something about everyone being civil…you attacked me about being insulting.
Well done. You fulfilled my prediction about the definition of civility.
Yes Wolverine, I do enjoy poking fun at religious belief. I’m probably a little nastier about it than I might have been, but for details of my childhood.
And that is completely consistent with what I said above about offending people with inflexible opinions. I’m not going to claim that there aren’t people in all religions who have their act together, moreso than me. But people who are offended by jokes or by someone else’s perspective – sometimes to the point of wanting to kill a cartoonist and so forth – probably are getting more bad than good from their beliefs.
Were you religiously tortured as a child?
I am so happy that my parents pretty much led the horse (me) to water but didn’t force me to drink any more than I wanted.
I’ll spare you the details. But I did see a man who did what he wanted to do in life, and felt what he wanted to feel, and usually justified it with quotes from the Bible.
Ugh. We had one of those in Charlottesville. Not sure if anyone ever stopped him. I shut his nose in my car visor once. He liked teenage girls.
I am sorry you had to go through unpleasantries…either distantly or up close and personal.
It wasn’t that kind of thing, but anyway enough about that.
I think it’s more important to question than be complacent or forcing it in someone.
“On” someone. Yikes!
Interesting article on what the insurance companies are really up to:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendell-potter/the-real-reasons-insurers_b_4296212.html