Politics

[skins]

The whole idea that certain employers are required to contribute to employees insurance is stupid.

Why? Wouldn't employer contributions to the overall cost of insurance give incentive for people to sign up and buy coverage? Unless you're arguing employer contributions shouldn't be necessary because of the cost of insurance should be far less, but unfortunately I'm not sure we're ever going to be close to enacting any plan to lower overall cost.

 

[ZackM]

The whole idea that certain employers are required to contribute to employees insurance is stupid.

Why? Wouldn't employer contributions to the overall cost of insurance give incentive for people to sign up and buy coverage? Unless you're arguing employer contributions shouldn't be necessary because of the cost of insurance should be far less, but unfortunately I'm not sure we're ever going to be close to enacting any plan to lower overall cost.

The idea that health insurance is tied to employment at all is stupid.

 

[aiw]

Blame it on the employers 70 years ago who thought it would save them money. Only way to change now is single payer for everyone plus supplemental for those who want to pay.

 

[rhfarmer]

The whole idea that certain employers are required to contribute to employees insurance is stupid.

Why? Wouldn't employer contributions to the overall cost of insurance give incentive for people to sign up and buy coverage? Unless you're arguing employer contributions shouldn't be necessary because of the cost of insurance should be far less, but unfortunately I'm not sure we're ever going to be close to enacting any plan to lower overall cost.

The idea that health insurance is tied to employment at all is stupid.

What Zack said. Number one, the only way to collectively lower rates of health insurance is to have the entire country have health insurance. Breaking people into smaller segments, either as government employees, employees of large corporations, small corporations, etc, only serves to keep costs high by lessoning people's bargaining power. I can understand from an employee perspective that it could seem like it saves you money, but what would really save you money would be getting paid a fair wage while having the entire country be in the health insurance pool.

Employees have been trading away wage growth for a discount on health insurance, basically. And then, frequently they stay in a job that sucks for them for fear of losing their health insurance.

 

[rhfarmer]

Blame it on the employers 70 years ago who thought it would save them money. Only way to change now is single payer for everyone plus supplemental for those who want to pay.

yep

 

[bdotling]

Blame it on the employers 70 years ago who thought it would save them money. Only way to change now is single payer for everyone plus supplemental for those who want to pay.

yep

also on the tax code since these employer contributions are tax deductible. took off after that

 

[rhfarmer]

Blame it on the employers 70 years ago who thought it would save them money. Only way to change now is single payer for everyone plus supplemental for those who want to pay.

yep

also on the tax code since these employer contributions are tax deductible. took off after that

wages are tax deductible too.

 

[rhfarmer]

I mean, it IS cheaper for a business to pay part of health insurance as a benefit rather than paying the same benefit in wages since employers have to pay payroll taxes at roughly 11% of the cost of gross wages (In NC at least). But offering a completely tax deductible expense for health insurance is bad for employees and both state and federal governments which lose money because of it. Employee loses wages which he could use to get insurance or buy rims; governments lose the tax revenue from the employer paying the wages.

 

[aiw]

I didn't listen, but maybe one of you can tell me if the punchline is really what Schumer says here.

 

[deepdarkblue]

Don't act as though you're not aware of the burgeoning grizzly bear problem in public schools. And since we're going to shave school funding down to nothing anyway, it's going to be critical for those students to defend themselves from the marauding bears in the hallways. Added bonus - imagine how many fresh, hot school meals can be attained from a single dead bear. It's a win-win, really.

 

[ZackM]

I watched a handful of the questions...You'd think even the simplest questions were "gotcha" questions. She's entirely clueless.

 

[dkst0426]

I watched a handful of the questions...You'd think even the simplest questions were "gotcha" questions. She's entirely clueless.

You're being kind in simply calling her "clueless," Zack.

It was astounding to me that she was either (a) so unprepared for this that she responded with the asinine grizzly bear shit to Senator Murphy of all people, given where he's from and what he did last summer re. guns, or (b) so brazen that she would actually try to get away with such a dickish answer.

Then again, not as astounding as her responses re. Title IX protections and IDEA accountability.

Look, if you want to take your kids out of public schools, that's entirely up to you. Just don't take funding away from those who choose to remain. And to those calling for pure state and local control of schools, would they be willing to refund every single federal penny their districts get back to DC? Or are they going to be content to bitch and moan about free/reduced lunches, reading and math intervention, and other such programs that would be virtually impossible to maintain without federal funds?

 

[rhfarmer]

dkst, these people do not care at all.

 

[dkst0426]

 

[skins]

I think he meant immaterial as in spiritual, meaning climate change is in God's hands. Very reasonable 21st century opinion.

 

[deepdarkblue]

Trump did such a masterful job of choosing the most horrific Cabinet picks imaginable. Congress will be so distracted by the true abominations that they won't even notice the just really awful candidates.

 

[rhfarmer]

Someone else ca do the math, but this has to be the richest (potential) cabinet ever, right?

 

[dkst0426]

Someone else ca do the math, but this has to be the richest (potential) cabinet ever, right?

If all are confirmed, yes.

Donald Trump's Cabinet richest in U.S. history, historians say

How rich? CBS News estimates seven of Trump’s picks are worth a combined $11 billion.

Betsy DeVos, nominated for secretary of education, comes from a family worth more than $5 billion; Linda McMahon, picked for small business administrator, has family wealth worth $1.2 billion; And Vincent Viola, the choice for Army secretary, is worth $1.77 billion.

Draining the swamp to fill it with some pure golden............candidates.

 

[rhfarmer]

Pretty sure this is what DeVos meant with her concerns about guns in schools:

Grizzly Bear
An old man who dates woman considerabley younger than him. Usually wealthy, they often attract models and gold diggers. The male equivalant of a cougar.

 

[rhfarmer]

Also, this is the best thing ever: