The Democrats ran on a platform that the Republicans were too friendly to special interests. Vote for us and clean up Washington. Surprise both parties are equally dirty.
In only 6 months Obama has already paid off big labor- auto bailout and the Trial Lawyers. Tort reform off the table. Please those of you who have been screaming about evil corporations tell me why this is in any way better?
If a corporation influences Congress and gets special breaks they will make higher profits and their stock will go up. Everyone in this country who owns stock will benefit.
If labor gets these unfair break, and since only 8% of all American workers in private industry belong to unions, 92% of us are harmed because we will pay more for products. If the trial lawyers get the breaks 99% of us are harmed because all judgments are passed on down as premiums and fees.
It might be worthwhile checking out all the UAW folk that got their health care and retirement thrown down the tubes under the bankruptcy, while the CEOs are still making out fine. Yeah, right, them dang unions just walk out with all the money.
Hillary Clinton just came back from a whirlwind tour of 7 countries in Africa, preaching good governance.
“True economic progress in Africa…also depends on responsible governments that reject corruption, enforce the rule of law and deliver results for their people. This is not just about good governance, this is about good business,”
Good shooting! They are all corrupt. That’s one sort of good thing about a parliamentary system is that smaller parties can get a foot hold, a little representation and then grow. Now the big two choke everything else down (resistance id futile, you will be assimilated) and then they put the squeeze on everybody for the cash. Jefferson and a ‘little’ cash in the freezer anyone?
I’m not a big fan of unions.. I believe they once were very useful but they seem to have outlived their usefulness (My opinion here) The union system jacks up prices and causes as many problem as it fixes..
This is a great ‘toon. About 5 words, a $, and the drawing. Well done.
GNW
When you say “…If a corporation influences Congress and gets special breaks they will make higher profits and their stock will go up. Everyone in this country who owns stock will benefit. ….”
The first company that comes to my mind is Enron.
Malpractice insurance rates paid by physicians have indeed stabilized in California, Texas etc since before P&S caps but that is just pennies of the overall expense.
It has been estimated that up to 20% of every single health dollar expenditure, that is tests that are ordered for you and paid by you are unnecessary. We order them not because we think we need them to help you but so if any lawyer ever sees what we did he will not be able to sue us.
Let me put you in charge and see what the problem truly is. 1000 people come to the emergency room having fallen down and hit their heads. In the experience of millions of patients we know that 1/1000 will develop a subdural hematoma. (BTW, these are made up numbers to show an example). It costs $1500 to get a MRI to rule out that hematoma. Would you as financial adviser to Obama recommend that each of the 1000 get the MRI? If you say it is good medicine and that one person should not be allowed to suffer and everyone should get it don’t you ever again complain about the cost of medicine in this country. For much of the civilized world there is no available MRI so that problem is solved but here in the US we have the worst of possible worlds both availability, convenience and fear. Remember if you don’t get the MRI and the patient dies the lawyers collect $5M.
Now consider what you have just spent unnecessarily. That happens tens of thousands of times every day.
I’ll share this tidbit from my great state of California …
when HMOs became commonplace in CA, their lobby convinced the legislature to pass a law that mandated binding arbitration and prevented lawsuits filed by HMO patients
after a few years, the law was repealed partly because the HMOs used it as a carte blanche approval to refuse to authorize procedures that were standard treatments and refused to allow referrals to specialists when needed, causing patients’ illnesses to be much worse by the time a referral was authorized
I’m not at all convinced that so-called tort reform wouldn’t have the same results
do you actually read the posts before you respond, GNW? You ignore other posters’ points or questions and segue back to your own.
The HMO/binding arbitration/no lawsuits allowed law resulted in a debacle that couldn’t be defended by either party.
No electoral system is corruption proof, but that first-past-the-post system used in the US (and in Britain, as well), combined with other election practices that tend to disenfranchise certain sections of the population on the one hand and increase campaign spending on the other, certainly do tend to make legislators, judges, and the executive more and more susceptible to the power of the greenback dollar. And given the worship of Mammon and his representatives that is the country’s real religion (don’t be offended ; we’re almost as bad here in Europe or in some instances worse - look at Berlusconi’s Italy), there’s almost no countervailing power to speak of….
GNWachs almost 15 years ago
The Democrats ran on a platform that the Republicans were too friendly to special interests. Vote for us and clean up Washington. Surprise both parties are equally dirty.
In only 6 months Obama has already paid off big labor- auto bailout and the Trial Lawyers. Tort reform off the table. Please those of you who have been screaming about evil corporations tell me why this is in any way better?
If a corporation influences Congress and gets special breaks they will make higher profits and their stock will go up. Everyone in this country who owns stock will benefit.
If labor gets these unfair break, and since only 8% of all American workers in private industry belong to unions, 92% of us are harmed because we will pay more for products. If the trial lawyers get the breaks 99% of us are harmed because all judgments are passed on down as premiums and fees.
Dtroutma almost 15 years ago
It might be worthwhile checking out all the UAW folk that got their health care and retirement thrown down the tubes under the bankruptcy, while the CEOs are still making out fine. Yeah, right, them dang unions just walk out with all the money.
OmqR-IV.0 almost 15 years ago
Hillary Clinton just came back from a whirlwind tour of 7 countries in Africa, preaching good governance.
“True economic progress in Africa…also depends on responsible governments that reject corruption, enforce the rule of law and deliver results for their people. This is not just about good governance, this is about good business,”
H. Clinton, Nairobi, Kenya. 5th August, 2009Ah, that told us then.
ynnek58 almost 15 years ago
Good shooting! They are all corrupt. That’s one sort of good thing about a parliamentary system is that smaller parties can get a foot hold, a little representation and then grow. Now the big two choke everything else down (resistance id futile, you will be assimilated) and then they put the squeeze on everybody for the cash. Jefferson and a ‘little’ cash in the freezer anyone?
WestTex13 almost 15 years ago
I’m not a big fan of unions.. I believe they once were very useful but they seem to have outlived their usefulness (My opinion here) The union system jacks up prices and causes as many problem as it fixes..
jmworacle almost 15 years ago
See my comments on ” State of The Union”………………….
Simon_Jester almost 15 years ago
In NO state where tort reform passed have insurance rates dropped.
Instead they’ve gone up. This whole ‘it’s all the trial lawyers fault’ mantra is B S.
teaguemj almost 15 years ago
Well, Shakespeare said: First we must kill all the lawyers…
I like what GNWachs says today.
and about Hill…. I think that whirlwind tour is like so many things in Washington- not needed.
ChukLitl Premium Member almost 15 years ago
That’s definitely a pre-existing condition that’s not going to be covered in any new plan either.
Kylop almost 15 years ago
This is a great ‘toon. About 5 words, a $, and the drawing. Well done.
GNW When you say “…If a corporation influences Congress and gets special breaks they will make higher profits and their stock will go up. Everyone in this country who owns stock will benefit. ….” The first company that comes to my mind is Enron.
GNWachs almost 15 years ago
@SimonJester:
Malpractice insurance rates paid by physicians have indeed stabilized in California, Texas etc since before P&S caps but that is just pennies of the overall expense.
It has been estimated that up to 20% of every single health dollar expenditure, that is tests that are ordered for you and paid by you are unnecessary. We order them not because we think we need them to help you but so if any lawyer ever sees what we did he will not be able to sue us.
Let me put you in charge and see what the problem truly is. 1000 people come to the emergency room having fallen down and hit their heads. In the experience of millions of patients we know that 1/1000 will develop a subdural hematoma. (BTW, these are made up numbers to show an example). It costs $1500 to get a MRI to rule out that hematoma. Would you as financial adviser to Obama recommend that each of the 1000 get the MRI? If you say it is good medicine and that one person should not be allowed to suffer and everyone should get it don’t you ever again complain about the cost of medicine in this country. For much of the civilized world there is no available MRI so that problem is solved but here in the US we have the worst of possible worlds both availability, convenience and fear. Remember if you don’t get the MRI and the patient dies the lawyers collect $5M. Now consider what you have just spent unnecessarily. That happens tens of thousands of times every day.
GNWachs almost 15 years ago
Saltpera4: Watch this and understand this is what we are going to get if you have your way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2jijuj1ysw&feature=channel_page
believecommonsense almost 15 years ago
I’ll share this tidbit from my great state of California … when HMOs became commonplace in CA, their lobby convinced the legislature to pass a law that mandated binding arbitration and prevented lawsuits filed by HMO patients
after a few years, the law was repealed partly because the HMOs used it as a carte blanche approval to refuse to authorize procedures that were standard treatments and refused to allow referrals to specialists when needed, causing patients’ illnesses to be much worse by the time a referral was authorized
I’m not at all convinced that so-called tort reform wouldn’t have the same results
GNWachs almost 15 years ago
It is so much better to have the lawyers take 33 cents of every dollar from legal action. And you don’t think that is passed on down to you?
believecommonsense almost 15 years ago
do you actually read the posts before you respond, GNW? You ignore other posters’ points or questions and segue back to your own. The HMO/binding arbitration/no lawsuits allowed law resulted in a debacle that couldn’t be defended by either party.
secondson almost 15 years ago
Hey, why does New Jersey have the most toxic waste dumps and California have the most lawyers?
Because New Jersey got to choose first.
meowdam almost 15 years ago
I really hate that pre existing condition loophole , part of life is accumulating pre existing conditions , what the hell is covered ?
mhenriday almost 15 years ago
No electoral system is corruption proof, but that first-past-the-post system used in the US (and in Britain, as well), combined with other election practices that tend to disenfranchise certain sections of the population on the one hand and increase campaign spending on the other, certainly do tend to make legislators, judges, and the executive more and more susceptible to the power of the greenback dollar. And given the worship of Mammon and his representatives that is the country’s real religion (don’t be offended ; we’re almost as bad here in Europe or in some instances worse - look at Berlusconi’s Italy), there’s almost no countervailing power to speak of….
Henri