Hilary plan vs. Obama plan

[M-technik-3]

No need to shovel the fault on fast food companies. Look at any restaurant. Most will serve fat food: french frieds, deep fried stuff, grease dripping hamburgers. The problem is not the restaurants. It is the people who eat all that junk and don't exercise at all. So basically, the problem comes from the lack of nutritional education, and lazyness. Better spend $1 changing people's (bad) habits, than $100 on bypass surgeries.

I am okay with a thick and juicy hamburger w/fries from times to times. Not twice a day.

Not their fault what are they gonna do turn you away saying you had your one a day limit?

[Hallen]

And the bombshells appear: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/profile.html, http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07...testimony.html

I'm not surprised, which depresses me.

First off, this guy was MarCom (public relations). As a MarCom guy, he isn't really privy to any decisions regarding coverage, premiums, processes or practices within the insurance industry. Therefore, he's just about the same as any Joe on the street when it comes to his opinion on insurance practices. He really isn't an "insider".

However, he does make some good points. There is some need to change laws regarding insurance companies and stricter enforcement of existing laws needs to happen.

One good point is below :

"The average family doesn't understand how Wall Street's dictates determine whether they will be offered coverage, whether they can keep it, and how much they'll be charged for it. But, in fact, Wall Street plays a powerful role"

This is true of every single publicly traded company though. It's always about "shareholder value" not about what is right, practical, productive or even in the company's long term interests. I am a free market guy, but corporate America's slavish attention to the short term price of its stock is counter productive in the extreme. We need to find a way to reduce that kind of behaviour. It would help all of us be more prosperous in the long run.

[kishg]

And the bombshells appear: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/profile.html, http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07...testimony.html

I'm not surprised, which depresses me.

get used to it..

[kronus]

And the bombshells appear: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/profile.html, http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07...testimony.html

I'm not surprised, which depresses me.

[Massive Lee]

You can blame that one on the fast food companies.

No need to shovel the fault on fast food companies. Look at any restaurant. Most will serve fat food: french frieds, deep fried stuff, grease dripping hamburgers. The problem is not the restaurants. It is the people who eat all that junk and don't exercise at all. So basically, the problem comes from the lack of nutritional education, and lazyness. Better spend $1 changing people's (bad) habits, than $100 on bypass surgeries.

I am okay with a thick and juicy hamburger w/fries from times to times. Not twice a day.

[Hallen]

Those charts, especially the ones done by WHO, are not worth the electrons used to display them on the screen. The fact is that those statistics are like comparing apples to oranges when you look country to country. Those stats have all been pretty well debunked.

For example, the US considers a viable fetus to be any baby that takes even one breath on their own even if they have no brain. All other countries don't count that baby as viable and therefore it doesn't go against the infant mortality stats when it dies. Some countries don't consider a fetus to be viable for days after its birth. And that's just one example of how those stats differ.

Malpractice insurance is a huge problem. Doctors often pay $250,000 per year in premiums. NY actually sets the malpractice insurance rates that can be charged and they had to raise the rates a few years ago because the insurance companies were going broke. If you don't think that has a huge effect on what you pay for medical care, then you need to look again. It probably costs you double what you would pay without malpractice costs (which are more than just the insurance. Lots of extra tests are done, etc, to cover the doctor's butt just so they don't get sued on the off chance something really was wrong.).

Tort reform is a huge must when it comes to fixing the health care costs. But that isn't something that Washington is willing to touch right now. They just want to tax the snot out of us, dictate what we can eat, drink and do in our lives, and insure that we are all contributing to the collective good. Welcome to the Borg.

[Ral]

^^ because this has nothing to do with average cultural lifestyles, and everything to do with our inflated health care costs, doesn't it? It doesn't take into account money spent on those mooching off the system (illegals), or malpractice (which in itself might be a small percentage, but the risk of a suit changes the way medicine is practiced, i.e. lots of extra tests and second opinions simply to cover their ass and spread liability.)

Serious question, but what went into that chart? Does it include unnecessary care like plastic surgery? What is defined by "healthcare" for this chart? Where did they get the data for life expectancy? Just trying to put that graph into some perspective.

America, so far as I know, is the only culture to incorporate the hamburger, fries, soda, and automobile into its cultural mindset.

[kronus]

[z31maniac]

I don't buy that for a second. I'm really tired of people blaming outside influences for their own poor decision making.

The hippies don't understand that just like we have all been brainwashed to eat McDonald's, they have been brainwashed into believing that the Democrats will fix all of our problems!

[mrsleeve]

i'm really tired of people blaming outside influences for their own poor decision making. ..

+ 1

[Joey Link]

You do, as well. Your subconscious has a funny way of not letting you know when it's at work, and advertising agencies make their money by exploiting that fact.

I don't buy that for a second. I'm really tired of people blaming outside influences for their own poor decision making.

I don't know, I've seen you eat a lot of T-Bell 'Fourthmeal' ;)

Of course! But only because of the reasons I've listed above. I eat Pita Pit much more often though, and I've never seen them advertise...

[CorvallisBMW]

You have to be kidding. If I didn't know better I'd swear you were a troll. Advertising does not equal mind control. People eat fast food because it's cheap, fast, and tastes good. You really base your purchases on advertising?

I don't know, I've seen you eat a lot of T-Bell 'Fourthmeal' ;)

[kronus]

You have to be kidding. If I didn't know better I'd swear you were a troll. Advertising does not equal mind control. People eat fast food because it's cheap, fast, and tastes good. You really base your purchases on advertising?

You do, as well. Your subconscious has a funny way of not letting you know when it's at work, and advertising agencies make their money by exploiting that fact.

[Joey Link]

How the fuck do you think the system works? Advertising makes an impression on EVERYONE, not just mindless fat zombies. Everybody in this country has eaten fast food at least one time in their lives and its because of advertising.

You have to be kidding. If I didn't know better I'd swear you were a troll. Advertising does not equal mind control. People eat fast food because it's cheap, fast, and tastes good. You really base your purchases on advertising?

Oh the humanity! Those poor people! Evil corporations brainwashing our population!

Really man? How old are you? It might make an impression on some, but everyone I know is perfectly capable of thinking for themselves.

You're always talking about wanting the government to protect and babysit you, maybe we should start a 'Hire a babysitter for h0lmes' fund so you shut up. I'll donate the first $5.

How the fuck do you think the system works? Advertising makes an impression on EVERYONE, not just mindless fat zombies. Everybody in this country has eaten fast food at least one time in their lives and its because of advertising.