Some unpopular questions that need to be asked.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:14 pm

[url=http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2008/09/healthcare_mccain_style.html wrote:Kevin Drum[/url]]If you get health insurance through your employer, as most Americans do, you don't pay taxes on it. Under McCain's plan you would.
......
Except there's some fine print hidden where McCain hopes no one will see it: his tax credit increases each year only by the normal inflation rate. Your premiums are going to increase way faster — probably around 6-8% per year. That means your taxes are going to go up 6-8% per year too.

Let's not even get into the nitty-gritty where his plan doesn't actually pay for healthcare for most people. Average healthcare plan people have today, $12K annum, not taxed if paid by employer. McCain's plan: Tax employer healthcare and then give you $5K from taxes you've already paid to pay for that $12K plan.

-Crissa

tzor · Post by **tzor** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:34 pm

Maj wrote:It's not like Obama's running for the position of head of the Olympic Pantheon; He's running for President.

By Zeus you're right!

(Meanwhile, let's switch over to the former president who has just read Maj's post.)

Mr. Clinton: You mean the White House wasn't Olympus? I wasn't really Zeus after all. I feel so embarrassed. I mean all my fooling around was to maintain that Zeus tradition you know. You know that right Hill?

Mrs. Clinton: (STARE)

Mr. Clinton: And I guess you can stop giving me that Hera look now.

Mrs. Clinton: Sorry, still playing the part.

Maj wrote:I don't mind flip flops when a candidate can say that s/he got more information and tried to make a more informed decision. Obama's not perfect, but he's pulled that trick a couple of times, and I respect him for doing so.

But this is rarely the case, especially for Obama. It is more of a case of conditions changing. The problem is that he is horrid at articulating the reasons for why the changing conditions caused a change in attitude. I really think he blew it, for example, on the switch on the amnesty on the telecoms. This was big around here because that was Senator Dodd's big crusade.

PhoneLobster · Post by **PhoneLobster** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:14 pm

The Republicans, just making sure it's by the book, no really, its not about avoiding responsibility for the worst housing crisis in economic history.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:16 pm

Dodd isn't on the Democratic Presidential ticket.

Why would you keep Obama to Dodd's position?

-Crissa

tzor · Post by **tzor** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:15 am

No I just said that this issue was big where I lived (Long Island) because the local radio station (WSHU in Connecticut) was giving the blow by blow of Chris Dodd's personal crusaide and fillibuster against the amnesty provision.

Second I don't think anyone really understands the problem, because the problem was that they didn't realize that not understanding was the problem! The biggest problem in the mortgage crisis was the invention of the "derivative" which were so complex that no one really understood what in the hell they really were. This financial invention allowed risky debt to be cloaked in an aura of non risk, allowing peple to take in huge profits without knowing how much risk they were getting themselves into.

The other problem (the other shoe that hasn't yet dropped) which is the use of variable rate mortgages to allow people who could not otherwise afford a mortgage to get one was already a proven (THIS DOES NOT WORK) factor which people blatenly ignored. Stay tuned for this part to hit the economy in the next year.

Draco_Argentum · Post by **Draco_Argentum** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:57 am

PhoneLobster wrote:The Republicans, just making sure it's by the book, no really, its not about avoiding responsibility for the worst housing crisis in economic history.

Sounds like a class action lawsuit with the GOP as the defendant in the making. Especially with the race angle to play up.

angelfromanotherpin · Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:01 pm

Crissa wrote:Dodd isn't on the Democratic Presidential ticket.

Why would you keep Obama to Dodd's position?

-Crissa

Because Dodd's position upheld the rule of law and Obama had publicly promised to lend his support to that position? I lost a lot of faith in Obama over that issue. A lot.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 6:12 am

More good reading for tzor. You guys might like it:

http://sideshow.me.uk/annex/JustForTheRecord.htm

-Crissa

ckafrica · Post by **ckafrica** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:57 am

This is fun