Comments on: Breaking: Right-wing Economist Does Not Understand Difficult Concept of “Insurance.”

By: WaltTrombone

WaltTrombone — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:14:52 +0000

As long as health insurance is provided by companies with shareholders, their emphasis will always be cutting costs to maximize dividends. Cutting costs can be translated as paying out as few claims as possible.

By: IanJ

IanJ — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:26:35 +0000

@Mistress Cynica: Obviously I read too much scifi as a kid.

By: Jamie Sommers

Jamie Sommers — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:57:16 +0000

@Prommie: I thought of a giant fort that looked like a tank that would shoot people who dared to come near and disturbed the thinking going on inside. A heavily armed fortress of solitude if you will. Made me really want to work for a think tank as a kid. I'd still like to go there ... as long as there is internet access.

By: Prommie

Prommie — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:18:50 +0000

@Mistress Cynica: I also thought of a big tank, like a water tank, but filled with people thinking, brows furrowed.

By: Mistress Cynica

Mistress Cynica — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:48:48 +0000

@IanJ: See, I pictured the thinkers sitting around in a big tank of water while they thought. When you consider that most of them look like Kling, it wasn't a pretty picture.

By: IanJ

IanJ — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:26:14 +0000

When I was a kid, the term “think-tank” troubled me to no end. I pictured an enormous, tank-sized robot sitting down and contemplating its knuckles.

By: Serolf Divad

Serolf Divad — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:24:24 +0000

@ManchuCandidate: My view of Right-wing think tanks is that they're much more "tank" than "think." So much of the "research" that emanates from them is just laughably disingenuous justifications of failed policy.

By: ManchuCandidate

ManchuCandidate — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:14:31 +0000

Besides CATO is well known to be one of the biggest corporate whore “tink” tanks anyway. Not well respected by libertarians that I’ve read.

By: ManchuCandidate

ManchuCandidate — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:02:52 +0000

As one of the few Stinquers who actually lives in a place with Socializm Medicizm Healthcare, I think I can speak somewhat about this.

Overhead (aka executive wages and administrative costs) for Canada City HC as a % of the total cost (1999). Less than 8%.

Overhead (aka executive wages and administrative costs) for US America patchwork private HC as a % of the total cost (1999). Around 24%.

From Canada City Propaganda sheet…
http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/EB-e/prb0461-e.pdf

Single payer means Walmart style Cost REDUCTIONs (ie: beating up suppliers to get a better price) on equipment and drugs.

In this case a monopoly means good things for the owners (taxpayers) and not the service providers (HC insurance and drugcos.)

But what the hell do I know?

By: SanFranLefty

SanFranLefty — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:02:39 +0000

You didn’t get the memo?
Insurance = Socialism.