Lost Rights James Bovard

Hawkins Ave.,Lk. Ronkonkoma 1961

Danny, the Obama plan will not PROMOTE competition it will stifle and kill it. Better, more affordable health care requires free-market reforms: the freedom to purchase health plans across state lines; tax reforms like "large" health savings accounts; making health insurance portable, controlled by the individual rather than government or an employer; making medical licenses portable, and more. President Obama is right when he says that the U.S. health care system needs reform. Although this country provides the finest care in the world, our health care system has serious problems. It costs too much. Too many people lack health insurance. And quality can be uneven. But a government takeover of the health care system, as proposed by the president and some in Congress, would be a step in the wrong direction. Instead, we should pursue a uniquely American solution, one that builds on free markets, competition and choice. Let individuals control their health care dollars, and free them to choose from a wide variety of health plans and providers. Move away from a health care system dominated by employer-provided health insurance. Health insurance should be personal and portable, controlled by individuals themselves rather than government or an employer. Employment-based insurance hides much of the true cost of health care to consumers, thereby encouraging over-consumption. It also limits consumer choice, since employers get final say over what type of insurance a worker will receive. It means people who don’t receive insurance through work are put at a significant and costly disadvantage. And, of course, it means that if you lose your job, you are likely to end up uninsured as well. Changing from employer to individual insurance requires changing the tax treatment of health insurance. The current system excludes the value of employer-provided insurance from a worker’s taxable income. However, a worker purchasing health insurance on their own must do so with after-tax dollars. This provides a significant tilt towards employer-provided insurance, which should be reversed. Workers should receive a standard deduction, a tax credit, or, better still, large Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for the purchase of health insurance, regardless of whether they receive it through their job or purchase it on their own. We need to increase competition among both insurers and health providers. People should be allowed to purchase health insurance across state lines. One study estimated that that adjustment alone could cover 17 million uninsured Americans without costing taxpayers a dime. We also need to rethink medical licensing laws to encourage greater competition among providers. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, midwives, and other non-physician practitioners should have far greater ability to treat patients. Doctors and other health professionals should be able to take their licenses from state to state. We should also be encouraging innovations in delivery such as medical clinics in retail outlets. Congress should give Medicare enrollees a voucher, let them choose any health plan on the market, and let them keep the savings if they choose an economical plan. Medicare could even give larger vouchers to the poor and sick to ensure they could afford coverage. The expansion of “health status insurance” would protect many of those with preexisting conditions. States may also wish to experiment with high risk pools to ensure coverage for those with high cost medical conditions. http://healthcare. cato.org/ (16 hrs ago | post #658)

Ronkonkoma, NY

No you wouldn't. there is not a significant enough change in model design in 5 years time to tell the difference. I could post a picture of the front of my home from 2005 and 2009 with my cars in the driveway and I know for a fact that you wouldn't be able to tell the differenceThere was a Bohack's on the corner of Hawkins and Division Road? Because that's the view in the picture. The shot is taken from the corner of Division and Hawkins looking north to Portion. The dry cleaner sign on the right is where Slater Drugs is today. Where the car you're talking about is, there is a professional building with Sachem Eye care and right next to the photographer, on the left, today stands a Dairy Barn (Tuesday | post #4)

I don't listen to country music. I have a love of Facts over fiction. New York has ALWAYS been a melting pot, from the days it was called New Amsterdam. As I said, you are grasping at straws, now you're stretching on the tips of your toes for them............ (Wednesday Nov 25 | post #197)

Bu((s#1t more like 11 million. (Wednesday Nov 25 | post #639)

You are just grasping at straws now. First of all, headlining and selling out MSG is ABSOLUTELY a significant feather in any star's cap. NY'ers are jaded and only pay to see the best and brightest stars at MSG. Her management team is NOT going to look for publicity from Kanye West when their strategy from DAY ONE has been to propel her good girl image. The point I have made countless times Roger, is that even if you are correct and MTV, and Kanye West, and Beyonce staged the debacle, Swift was NOT a willing participant, but simply a MARK. My answer to you about SNL was in post #178 I mistakenly began my last sentence with MTV when I meant SNL. As for SNL, It would be silly for her NOT to capitalize on what happened at the VMA but that doesn't mean she was in on it. Let it go Rog, just let it go.............. (Tuesday Nov 24 | post #186)

I'm sorry was there a question or a significant point to this? She DOESN'T and didn't need the publicity. Which is all irrelevant to my original contention that she was NOT in on any alleged "set up" (Tuesday Nov 24 | post #182)

Maybe we should send her to Mexico.... (Sunday Nov 22 | post #623)

And my contention has been from the beginning that Swift WASN'T in on it. NOTHING you have said offers any kind of proof that she was. Personally I don't really care about Swift or West, but I've read and seen enough about BOTH of them to know that even if MTV staged it with Beyonce and West - Swift was NOT in on it. Is it really so hard to believe that West Beyonce and MTV set Swift up and then softened it all with the red dress and the cameo with Beyonce? As for MTV it would be simply ignorant NOT to capitalize on the incident, that doesn't mean she was in on it. (Sunday Nov 22 | post #178)

This has to be the most irrelevant thread I've ever seen on Topix. Ponderous, give up, Roger is NEVER going to admit he is wrong. he's convinced that MTV decides what is relevant in the music business, which hasn't been true since about 1994 (Saturday Nov 21 | post #175)

Obozo......er Obama Polarizes Nation

learned a new word today? apparently only the spelling, maybe now you'd like to find a place to use it correctly since, in this case, you failed miserably........ (Saturday Nov 21 | post #154)

Slappy Sanchez is a .....

Right, and resurrecting a thread dead for two weeks to insult another Topix poster is the height of being a winner and all around stand-up guy..... If ignorance is bliss you must be in heaven... (Monday Nov 16 | post #172)

Rangers talk back

And the Nets played in Nassau Mausoleum. Soon they'll play in Brooklyn.... (Friday Nov 13 | post #5318)

Right you are. I stand corrected. I was certainly thinking of Carrie Underwood with the AI reference, and was most certainly wrong. Regardless, When someone sells out MSG in ONE MINUTE then she doesn't need Kanye West to boost her career. On February 6, 2009, tickets went on sale for the May 22 date at Los Angeles’ Staples Center and sold out in two minutes. Tickets for several dates and venues, including Madison Square Garden, went on sale the following week and sold out in one minute. http://tristatehom epage.com/content/ fulltext/?cid=5616 2 (Wednesday Nov 11 | post #147)