Joy and Austin 24

[viii]

16 hours ago, Playagirl said:

In Canada we only vote for our local candidate, that's it. No propositions, no Senate, no Prime Minister, nothing. I find it hard though, because if I really hate my local candidate but like the party he represents, what do I do? Vote for someone I can't stomach in the hopes that his party will win? And I hate that we have to vote strategically instead of voting how we want. 

I agree with this so much. I really liked our Conservative MP, but wanted to vote Liberal because I wanted them to win. It's so tough having to really strategize your vote and sometimes sacrificing your local vote for the bigger picture. 

[Glasgowghirl]

18 hours ago, Playagirl said:

Wow, American elections seem complicated with everyone/thing you have to vote for on the ballot. In Canada we only vote for our local candidate, that's it. No propositions, no Senate, no Prime Minister, nothing. I find it hard though, because if I really hate my local candidate but like the party he represents, what do I do? Vote for someone I can't stomach in the hopes that his party will win? And I hate that we have to vote strategically instead of voting how we want. This year's provincial election was a case in point. I hate Doug Ford (Conservative) so didn't want him to get elected. My other choices were Liberal or NDP. I ended up voting for a party I didn't want just to make sure Ford didn't get in (I went with the candidate I thought had a better chance of winning even though he's not from the party I did want). All for nothing though since Ford got in and has been causing chaos ever since.

I did something similar last year I voted Labour, I normally vote SNP but since SNP can't win the UK election. I thought Jeremy Corbyn was a better choice for PM, first labour leader I've liked in a long time.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

4 hours ago, Rachel333 said:

Well yeah, I'd think it was obvious there was a huge age difference if there was over 50 years between the last veteran dying and the last widow dying! I still find it a really fascinating thing to think about. One of my favorite facts is that President John Tyler, who was born in 1790 and served as the 10th US president from 1841-1845, has two living grandsons!

(And by "wasn't as long ago as people think" I mean in the sense of human connections. Obviously the actual number of years isn't a matter of perception.)

I just absolutely love the stories of "human wormholes."

https://boingboing.net/2016/06/15/the-fascinating-and-ego-killin.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/02/07/146534518/rasputin-was-my-neighbor-and-other-true-tales-of-time-travel

I love those too. One of my favorites is that Queen Victoria’s life overlapped at the beginning with George III (who was born in 1738) and at the end with the Queen Mother (who died in 2002).

[Beermeet]

7 hours ago, SassyPants said:

They won't because the big money that buys elections (and now apparently foreign governments) will not allow it. The system has to change first. The big money has to be removed. Corporations are NOT people. Look at what happened to Bernie Sanders in the last election, and by the DNC!

I know!  Bernie could've won and that clearly could not happen in the upper echelons.  Anytime a 3rd party gets close, it gets thwarted. And the 3rd party never rats them out. It's fishy. Because many Americans want this but we are forced to vote for 1 of 2.

[SassyPants]

7 minutes ago, Beermeet said:

I know!  Bernie could've won and that clearly could not happen in the upper echelons.  Anytime a 3rd party gets close, it gets thwarted. And the 3rd party never rats them out. It's fishy. Because many Americans want this but we are forced to vote for 1 of 2.

Let's put the Russians aside for a moment, Bernie would have wiped the floors with Trump.

[byzant]

18 hours ago, Nodaknorskie said:

This is the scariest election of my life.  I have a pre existing condition so rely on Obamacare for insurance which may I say I pay the full premium for.  If the Dems do not win the House or the Senate my insurance is gone.  Mitch McConell has said so, 14 states and the Trump administration are suing the government to make it so and AARP says my insurance could be as high as 25 thousand a month...yep a month.  If both houses go red I am dead.  It is a very scary time.

what the hell 25 grand a month. That's insane how could anyone afford That? The nhs has many issues but I wouldn't give it up for the world, I suddenly realised how privileged I am to never have to think about the cost of hospital/ specialist treatment. Literally months of inpatient ed treatment free, the cost of the extensive care icu etc following a relative brain injury for years totally free including specialist rehab. It would literally never occur that anyone would put off seeking treatment due to cost. I will be keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you. 

[MoonFace]

Do other countries impose term limits?    We certainly need term limits in the US but I know that politicians will never allow that to happen. 

I also think each candidate should release their tax returns each time they run.   SO many of them go in to office as paupers and come out millionaires.   Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 

 

[Glasgowghirl]

2 hours ago, MoonFace said:

Do other countries impose term limits?    We certainly need term limits in the US but I know that politicians will never allow that to happen. 

I also think each candidate should release their tax returns each time they run.   SO many of them go in to office as paupers and come out millionaires.   Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 

 

The UK now have fixed five year parliament's but no limit on how long a PM can serve. Thatcher was PM for 11 years and Blair 10. Scotland have fixed 4 year terms but again no rule on how long a First Minister can serve, not that we have had much issue with FM's being in charge to long in the first two years of the Parliament we had three First Minister's Donald Dewar died in 2000, then Henry McLeish had to step down over an office expenses scandal, Jack McConnell replaced him in 2001. 

Given half a chance Trump, if he won a second term would try to change the rules and win a third term.

[Someone Out There]

22 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

I have a doozie of a pre-existing condition (cancer) along with a host of other, mostly less-deadly pre-existing conditions (morphea - which is localized scleroderma; bum knees; headaches of undetermined origin...).

However - I'm afraid that AARP thing is likely scaremongering. They're notorious for that sort of exaggeration.

All that to say:  If Obama had done the RIGHT thing and abolished health insurance companies, then instituted free health care for all - this country would be a much better place to live. Instead, he sold out to the insurance companies, which are still getting richer and still charging exorbitant premiums that many people just can't afford. 

 

What needs to happen is either a) A better public health care system is put in place in the whole of the USA, or b) better regulations around the health insurance companies as per the Swiss model (though that isn't cheap either, but it is still cheaper than the USA and provides a better overall service).

For that matter, I wonder how much would be saved in costs if the health providers only had to deal with one authority who then dealt with the insurers.  This would mean that there wouldn't need to be so many people in a health provider just to deal with the insurance companies and potentially efficiencies could be gained this way.  My understanding is that part of the significant costs in the USA is the fact that GP's offices and hospitals need to pay so many staff to deal with the insurers.

[Lizzybet]

On 10/27/2018 at 11:48 AM, AprilQuilt said:

ooh, is this American for 'cold sore'? That's what I'd have called it. The things I learn on FJ.

AKA herpes simplex, yes.

I get one every few years, same spot as Joy, usually when I’m otherwise run down.

Maybe that’s why they started being called ‘fever blisters’?

I HATE it!

 

[CreationMuseumSeasonPass]

My super evangelical, super conservative and registered Republican uncle was ready to vote Bernie. He was all in if Bernie had gotten the nomination. It still guts me how it all turned out.

[Captain Obvious]

13 hours ago, MoonFace said:

Do other countries impose term limits?    We certainly need term limits in the US but I know that politicians will never allow that to happen. 

In Australia, we need MINIMUM term limits, although to be honest I'm quite glad that the current one will be out in his arse in a few months time. 

[JesSky03]

2 hours ago, Someone Out There said:

What needs to happen is either a) A better public health care system is put in place in the whole of the USA, or b) better regulations around the health insurance companies as per the Swiss model (though that isn't cheap either, but it is still cheaper than the USA and provides a better overall service).

For that matter, I wonder how much would be saved in costs if the health providers only had to deal with one authority who then dealt with the insurers.  This would mean that there wouldn't need to be so many people in a health provider just to deal with the insurance companies and potentially efficiencies could be gained this way.  My understanding is that part of the significant costs in the USA is the fact that GP's offices and hospitals need to pay so many staff to deal with the insurers.

A ton. A ton of money would be saved if we weren't battling insurance companies on the daily. I hate saying that because I am one of those people who works in a billing office of a hospital (and I don't want to see any of my co-workers lose their jobs) but it is insane the amount of time and energy that is spent just fucking around with all the rules the insurance companies impose on us. I don't know how I feel about a single payer system being adopted for everyone in the US...Medicare often isn't any better than regular commercial insurances...often its worse. The system would need a complete overhaul and if the transition to ICD-10 is any indicator of how that will go, it would be decades before any new system is implemented. 

[laPapessaGiovanna]

2 hours ago, JesSky03 said:

A ton. A ton of money would be saved if we weren't battling insurance companies on the daily. I hate saying that because I am one of those people who works in a billing office of a hospital (and I don't want to see any of my co-workers lose their jobs) but it is insane the amount of time and energy that is spent just fucking around with all the rules the insurance companies impose on us. I don't know how I feel about a single payer system being adopted for everyone in the US...Medicare often isn't any better than regular commercial insurances...often its worse. The system would need a complete overhaul and if the transition to ICD-10 is any indicator of how that will go, it would be decades before any new system is implemented. 

That's a big problem. I remember when you said somewhere in a thread what your job is and I had to look it up in detail because that position doesn't exist here. Administrative personnel is very lean in our NHS compared to the US system and is often made up by former nurses that can't continue with their previous job temporarily (ie cos pregnant) or permanently (cos injuries and consequent disabilities). Every region has a list of prices for every treatment and that's it. If you get a referral to go through the NHS the state pays for you (often, but not always, there's a small co-pay), if, for whatever reason, you don't go through the NHS you pay out of pocket the same price the NHS would pay for that treatment, that means a fair price, not an absurdly inflated one.

Anyway should the US transition to a more efficient system administrative position would necessarily be reduced. And it would take a HUGE political effort and farsightedness to tackle the problem of all the people that would be laid off. I can't see such a transition end well in a political climate so polarized.

[samurai_sarah]

56 minutes ago, laPapessaGiovanna said:

That's a big problem. I remember when you said somewhere in a thread what your job is and I had to look it up in detail because that position doesn't exist here. Administrative personnel is very lean in our NHS compared to the US system and is often made up by former nurses that can't continue with their previous job temporarily (ie cos pregnant) or permanently (cos injuries and consequent disabilities). Every region has a list of prices for every treatment and that's it. If you get a referral to go through the NHS the state pays for you (often, but not always, there's a small co-pay), if, for whatever reason, you don't go through the NHS you pay out of pocket the same price the NHS would pay for that treatment, that means a fair price, not an absurdly inflated one.

Anyway should the US transition to a more efficient system administrative position would necessarily be reduced. And it would take a HUGE political effort and farsightedness to tackle the problem of all the people that would be laid off. I can't see such a transition end well in a political climate so polarized.

I agree with you and just want to add. It'd end up in an absolute shambles. Systems like the NHS worked, because there was nothing beforehand, apart from just having to pay in cash. Trying to restructure now would be a huge headache. That doesn't mean it shouldn't happen for everyone's sake. It means that would take longer and the transitional period would be rough.

I'm all in favour of nationalised health-care, but think that the best way to go about it would be in stages. An abrupt change would leave people out of jobs, people not knowing what they're entitled to, who's going to pay and so on. Far from saying that this is what you suggest, I am trying to come up with a pragmatic solution to a serious issue.

 

[AliceInFundyland]

I’d like to insert a nice anecdote.

Yesterday my struggling and dysfunctional little nonprofit (that supports health care in a way I can’t explain) received a $5000 donation from a woman that we thought was a mistake. Why? Because we also know she’s a retired health care worker with a larger than $5000 deductible. But, no, she was all in.

That was very heartening. Most of our donors are fine folk, but do not fit that profile.

[libgirl2]

16 hours ago, Glasgowghirl said:

The UK now have fixed five year parliament's but no limit on how long a PM can serve. Thatcher was PM for 11 years and Blair 10. Scotland have fixed 4 year terms but again no rule on how long a First Minister can serve, not that we have had much issue with FM's being in charge to long in the first two years of the Parliament we had three First Minister's Donald Dewar died in 2000, then Henry McLeish had to step down over an office expenses scandal, Jack McConnell replaced him in 2001. 

Given half a chance Trump, if he won a second term would try to change the rules and win a third term.

I"m sure he would. He is trying to change the Constitution already. 

[heysmilinstrange]

Sanders was lucky that the RNC never saw him as a threat to win the election. If he had actually been subject to opposition research the way most serious candidates are, I really doubt he would have won overwhelmingly the way people seem to think.

[KeshetParparNesicha]

8 hours ago, CreationMuseumSeasonPass said:

My super evangelical, super conservative and registered Republican uncle was ready to vote Bernie. He was all in if Bernie had gotten the nomination. It still guts me how it all turned out.

Same here (although I am Orthodox Jewish, not evangelical, and no longer registered Republican). I would have voted Bernie in a heartbeat, and most of my super-conservative family would have done the same.

[Satan'sFortress]

I truly do not understand how super conservatives or evangelicals could ever have supported Bernie.  Or how anyone who supported Bernie initially could have voted for Trump.  I understand that many people don't like HRC, but there is still no logic in the "if not Bernie, then Trump scenario."  To me, that is like saying "I really want mint chocolate chip ice cream, but if mint chocolate chip ice cream gets taken off the menu, I will bypass the chocolate chip ice cream and opt for the Circus Peanuts wrapped in raw liver." I'm serious---there was much more political alignment between Bernie and HRC---someone please explain---and beyond "I just didn't like HRC."

[SapphireSlytherin]

9 minutes ago, Satan'sFortress said:

someone please explain---and beyond "I just didn't like HRC."

That's the ONLY argument I've heard. Period.

SO MANY people despise HRC, to the point they'd vote for Trump rather than casting a (wasted) third-party vote. They were so ADAMANTLY against HRC, for whatever reason.

The Democratic Party shot itself in the foot when they put HRC on the ticket instead of Bernie. 

[ViolaSebastian]

16 minutes ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

That's the ONLY argument I've heard. Period.

SO MANY people despise HRC, to the point they'd vote for Trump rather than casting a (wasted) third-party vote. They were so ADAMANTLY against HRC, for whatever reason.

The Democratic Party shot itself in the foot when they put HRC on the ticket instead of Bernie. 

I keep seeing that she’s contemplating another run in 2020. No way Jose do I want her on the ticket. I can’t do another four years of Trump because HRC wants to be president. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

39 minutes ago, Satan'sFortress said:

someone please explain---and beyond "I just didn't like HRC."

People voted for both Trump and Bernie because they were desperate for change.  It’s like the 1930s, when everything was such a mess that people were like, “Let’s try something new! Fascism? Communism? Hmmm.”

[KeshetParparNesicha]

Bernie represented (at least stylistically) an upending of crony capitalism, as did Trump during his campaign.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

30 minutes ago, ViolaSebastian said:

I keep seeing that she’s contemplating another run in 2020. No way Jose do I want her on the ticket. I can’t do another four years of Trump because HRC wants to be president. 

I'm with you, but buckle up.  She will never put what is good for the country over her all encompassing narcissism and will continue to run until she can't anymore.

I desperately want to be proven wrong on this.