Perhaps if this was not the same Washington Post that cheerleaded the Iraq War, propped up Dick Cheney’s abuse of power, fired Dan Froomkin for the sin of not being a neocon, and published the latest rantings of the clearly out of depth Sarah Palin, they would have more credibility in their latest op-ed opposing the House’s health care reform legislation.
Lest you think this is solely an editorial problem, the WaPo’s reporting side has fallen down on the job as well.
“paying 30 percent in administrative costs for private health insurance is better than paying 3 percent for medicare”-WAPO
I’d like to believe that if this debate were cast solely in terms of how it hurts our global competitiveness we’d see, even media whores like WAPO, getting on board. But…probably not gonna happen.
Having nationalized health care helps both Japan’s and Germany’s global competitiveness.
Right winger’s sold US out a long time ago.
Yes, by all means let’s duplicate Japan.
ANd Germany too!
Japan has a longer life expectancy than US.
Japan has a lower infant mortality than US.
Japan achieves superior health outcomes at lower cost than US.
And “SaveFarris” wants to change the conversation to the Japanese economy?
As compared to what? US still being stuck in the Republican 2007 Great Recession? The fact that Japan manufactures all the best toys (and cars and electronics…)? The fact that Japan has faster Internet access and faster trains?
Yeah, let’s duplicate Japan.
I wasn’t the one that tied health care to “global competitiveness”. That was … You!
Germany duplicates many of the advantages that Japan does.
And we’re behind both countries in all of those things.
So sure, let’s duplicate Germany.
Right winger “SaveFarris” doesn’t do comparative statistics or else they would know that both Japan and Germany beat US on myriad metrics.
What do we have? Republican Debt going back to Hollywood entertainer Ronald Reagan. You know, the guy who though ketchup in a tube counted as a vegetable for children’s meals.
One of the reasons that both Germany and Japan have superior manufacturing is that their auto companies aren’t burdened with health care costs the way our American companies are.
Instead, both Germany and Japan work as countries to alleviate those costs.
Here, the right wingers sold US out.
Right wingers have NO loyalty to America, they’re just gouging what they can and skipping out for Dubai or the Cayman Islands at their first opportunity.
And Japan’s rail system has more to do with the population density (10X the US) than whether or not theY have public health insurance.
Germany and Japan domestic manufacturers aren’t also burdended with CAFE standard and onerous labor contracts. They also aren’t serving the markets that WANT larger, safer vehicles like your typical US consumer.
And the reason folks are doing business in Dubai/Cayman Island is because the have friendlier business climates. If the US didn’t have the 3rd highest corporate tax rate, maybe business wouldn’t be so quick to leave…
And Japan’s rail system has more to do with the population density (10X the US) than whether or not they have public health insurance.
Despite the fact they have like 1/8th the land mass spread out over a shit load of islands, but yeah, that’s the reason it’s so crowded, farris.
81% of the population lives on Honshu alone and 97% live on the 4 largest islands. It doesn’t matter that there’s a gazillion items if nobody lives there.
Items == islands. Stupid iPhone auto correct…
I wasn’t the one that tied health care to “global competitiveness”. That was … You!
Correct. And as long as we do, you … LOSE!
Right winger “SaveFarris” illustrates how right wingers just make stuff up when they’re losing an argument.
“Germany and Japan domestic manufacturers aren’t also burdended with CAFE standard and onerous labor contracts.”
Both countries have been producing autos with higher gas mileage for 40 years so they’ve been beating CAFE standards.
And have you ever read a Japanese or German labor contract?
Both countries laborers don’t have to start by trying to bargain for basic health care, that’s supplemented by the government so both German and Japanese laborers start out ahead.
Both countries also often pay better wages, provide safer working environments, and frequently have better labor/management relations.
And the reason folks are doing business in Dubai/Cayman Island is because the have friendlier business climates.
Why do you hate America, Farris?
It doesn’t matter that there’s a gazillion [islands] if nobody lives there.
Not the point. But thanks for playing.
The “reason folks are doing business in Dubai/Cayman Island” is because they are treasonous bastards that shouldn’t be allowed to do business in the US.
Right wingers want borders to keep out foreigners, I want borders to keep out predatory corporations that have no loyalty to the US.
And don’t float crap about tax rates, most large corporations don’t pay their taxes for myriad reasons, either because those corporations are driving trucks through loopholes or they’re evading them by having a post office box in the Cayman Islands or Dubai.
And if companies want to leave, fine, let’s not allow them to do business inside the US and certainly not with the US government, those tax dollars should stay in the US.
Why don’t right wingers want to protect America?
Answer: Right wingers have been selling US out for so long they think it’s their right to do so.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090716/pl_mcclatchy/3272692
Poll: Americans split on health care as Obama’s approval sinks
—As unemployment continues to rise, Americans who say the country’ s on the wrong track jumped to 54 percent, a 12-point rise and the highest since Obama took office.
—-The number of Americans who approve of the way Obama is doing his job also dropped, to 57 percent, a 7-point decline from early June and the lowest of his presidency that McClatchy-Ipsos has recorded.
—-His biggest loss of support was among independents, whose approval decreased from 58 percent to 50 percent. However, he also lost ground among Democrats, down 5 points, and Republicans, down 3 points.
—-Notably, the total of Americans who “strongly” approve of Obama’s job performance dropped 11 points in a month, to 29 percent, his lowest ever. Conversely, 22 percent said they strongly disapprove, up 6 points and the highest of his six months in office.
Just who are these 29%-ers who keep popping up in all these surveys???
And if anyone knows of any US President whose support among the American population, Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike, has fallen this precipitously this fast, please let me know.
No wonder the rush. No wonder the Cheney decision to not brief Congress on an idea not implemented has become the Democratic diversionary tactic of the week.
Shorter Dennis: *Jingling keys*
I don’t know what you mean, Duros, and I don’t know why the “Shorter” thing got to be so popular here, but poll after poll is showing this guy’s polularity going down like a lead balloon. For a guy that’s the biggest celebrity in the world, I’d say that’s quite remarkable, wouldn’t you? And if you think both he and Democrats in general aren’t concerned about it or don’t think it matters to the initiatives he wants to cram through, you are mistaken.
D.O.A.
Centrist Dem Leader: Has Committee Votes To Block Health Bill
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., a leader of fiscally conservative House Democrats, said Wednesday a House plan to overhaul the U.S. health-care system is losing support and will be stuck in committee without changes.
“Last time I checked, it takes seven Democrats to stop a bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee,” Ross told reporters after a House vote. “We had seven against it last Friday; we have 10 today…..“
Read the whole thing
Yawn, indeed. Heh.
Doesn’t surprise me a bit that Obama’s numbers are down. Still a long way to go till we get to George Bush territory, of course.
Meanwhile Dennis and the rest of the hope-he-fails crowd are doing their best to see that nobody’s confidence in the economy returns.
Remind me, Dennis, what were some of the names you folks called us when we criticized the leadership of a president that you liked in a time of crisis?
I didn’t call one single person a traitor, WIlbur. Not on any blog, either. And I was called that numerous times, but they were of the Jaim-Strowbridge-Newsie variety, so I didn’t pay them much attention.
Did anyone call you one personally? If you were, I hope you didn’t pay much attention to it.
And holding Obama accountable for what he said campaigning and what he said when he rammed through the stimulus package, and remarking on his eroding poll numbers is not hoping he fails. We’ve had two good days in a row in the stock market, so hopefully that continues. I probably just jinxed it though.
Socialists!
http://www.thestate.com/nationalpolitics/story/866884.html
I wonder what Pedro’s reaction to THAT is gonna be.
Clearly, The Washington Post is a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party. Are you serious?
The Washington Post has been carrying water for Republicans for decades and really outdid itself with it’s support of the Republican’s Iraq War Lie instead of the investigation that ended up being done by actual investigative newspapers.
I still love the Post, it has some great journalists and still breaks important stories, but the Washington Post absolutely pushes Republican propaganda.
‘but poll after poll is showing this guy’s polularity going down like a lead balloon’
As opposed to Bush’s soaring popularity for his 8 year tenure of disaster?
I don’t recall that fact bothering the Right, or Bush for that matter, but suddenly Obama should just pull a Palin and resign, because Conservatives are outraged he hasn’t waved his Harry Potter wand and fixed everything in 6 months that took nearly a decade to destroy.
“… Conservatives are outraged he hasn’t waved his Harry Potter wand and fixed everything in 6 months that took [Republicans] nearly a decade to destroy.”
Republicans have been working for over 30 years to tear apart our country and drown it in a bathtub and are have been spending the last six months sabotaging every effort to repair the Republican 2007 Great Recession.
Even Harry Potter has several more movies to go before everything is safe again….