That Was Then, This Is Now

It isn’t 1970 anymore and moderates and independents are wiser from suffering 15 years of GOP congress control and the past eight of Bushism. No going back to the old race baiting, God, Guns and Gays, at least for the foreseeable future.

Economic destitution wrought by the goopers still trumps faux patriotism wedge plays and hate mongering has permanently turned off NE fiscal conservatives. And young people are having none of the old bullshit. Throw in thoroughly alienated Hispanics from the RW Xenophobes and the gettable vote contracts even more.

The only viable card in the winger deck is spending/deficit concerns that are at least legitimate. But the racial fears, anxiety, and outright hatred are mussing up any message on spending trepidations of the center. Welcome to the GOP entrenched southern base and the blood curdling Rebel Yell serving as political debate for hope and prosperity. You bought it wingnuts, now you own it.

I Call Your Death Panel and Raise a Denial Engine

Sarah says democrats want to establish “Death Panels” to deny health care.

I give Sarah the “Denial Engines” currently being used by private insurers to deny claims when people get sick.

“Denial Engines” exist and are killing people, Government “Death
Panels” do not, nor will they ever. Herein lies a lie versus the truth.
There are many more.

The problem is bound to grow as insurers make use of
sophisticated data tools dubbed “denial engines,” which are touted to
reduce reimbursements by 3 to 10 percent. Bearing brand names like
Ingenix Detection Software and Bloodhound Technologies’ ClaimsGuard,
they search patient records for any signs that claims have strayed
outside company parameters. Weeding out fraud or speeding up processing
is one thing; serving up excuses to deny legitimate coverage is another.

Technology of death.

Hummer live cam

Hummercam

The Cranberries - Zombie

The World of Megan Mcardle

Here is another Mcardle article on how people who don't pay their own medical bills do not add on to the rising cost of healthcare. She uses a graph by AEI to show the level of Veterinary care people pay for their pets is commiserate with the what the country spends on healthcare. both of which rise at same rate.

the graph is a gross total expenditures for pets and people health care and not per capata, or doesn't account for the fact there are more people than in 1984 with steady population growth. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but wouldn't more people also mean more pets and vet visits overall during this time frame and account for the lineal correlation?

anna nalick - breathe (acoustic)

Geihtners New Plan Like Old Plan

Seems to me what Obama/Geithner are going for is short term gain for the quickest way to unfreeze credit which greases the wheels of commerce as it is currently designed. Therefore, It is is more a political plan for recovery than a long term plan for economic reconstruction, and actually lessons the immediate political hazard for Obama. The overwhelming percentage of the public does not care much for long term reform and simply wants the good times to roll again. They may be outraged that people who caused the problem, are getting made whole again, but that will be a shallow concern compared with a higher DOW and a return to easy credit and more jobs.

The problem is, that it is setting the stage for another disaster likely worse than this one down the road, unless the business model is changed as the Krugman’s of the world are rightly demanding. Far be it from me to guess accurately what Obama is thinking, but maybe he figures he can reform an economic engine better and with help from congress, if it is actually running and not dead as now. Krugman wants the changes now, but he is not a politician and doesn’t factor in the reality of politics into the equation as a limiting factor on a presidents elbow room for passing legislation.

I will have hope if this plan is followed up with brisk new regulations and necessary structural changes to our econ model, that is if temporary economic improvement doesn’t once again breed complacency.

A layman’s take