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He tells it like a normal person, not someone raised to be politically correct 100% of the time.

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My wife is much younger than me and pays $1,555 a month for Obamacare, about 20% of our income.

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
Quoting somebody:

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My wife is much younger than me and pays $1,555 a month for Obamacare, about 20% of our income.

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Originally posted by simontoad:
where does that sit on the wealth scale in the States Mousethief? I'm assuming that's household income.

N.B. I have no idea whether that's relevant to the ACA debate

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Originally posted by simontoad:
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I reckon, given its history, the army will act like the Egyptian Army did if it looks like the islamists are taking over. Islamists are bad for business, and the Pakistani elite love a bit of business.

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Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
Or just making up figures off the top of his head.

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Originally posted by Pangolin Guerre:

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Originally posted by simontoad:
[QUOTE]
I reckon, given its history, the army will act like the Egyptian Army did if it looks like the islamists are taking over. Islamists are bad for business, and the Pakistani elite love a bit of business.

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I have to disagree with that. The chief contrast between the Egyptian and Pakistani cases is that the Egyptian military is resolutely opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, whereas the Pakistani military, and especially the Inter-Services Intelligence, are riddled with sympathisers of various Islamist groups, if not being surreptitiously Islamist themselves. Pakistan has regional security issues (which have no analogy in the Egyptian case) in which Islamist organisations or lone wolves could prove to be very useful.

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Originally posted by Golden Key:
I think the scariest person in that article is the very last one--19 yr. old man; half African-American and half Japanese; he thinks T is pro-diversity, that the Confederate flag isn't racist, and that "Antifa is the KKK, just without the history".

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
How can someone with such views have those views, let alone come to understand the truth? Reading those profiles I was struck with how blind some can be if it does not fit with their narrative. I know that is well attested to, but this is on a whole new scale to me.

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Originally posted by mousethief:

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
Quoting somebody:

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My wife is much younger than me and pays $1,555 a month for Obamacare, about 20% of our income.

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If that's 20% of their gross income they make $93,000. If it's their net income and we guess income tax and FICA at 35%, they make $145,000. How do you have a job making that kind of money and not have health insurance?

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Originally posted by LutheranChik:
I have been in a real depression since November. I had a suspicion that Tangerine Tyrant woukd win the election -- just based on my observations of fellow citizens here in flyover country -- but the election results still hit hard, especially because of the Russian meddling and the gaming of the Electoral College.

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Originally posted by LutheranChik:
I have been in a real depression since November.

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Originally posted by LutheranChik:
I had a suspicion that Tangerine Tyrant woukd win the election -- just based on my observations of fellow citizens here in flyover country -- but the election results still hit hard, especially because of the Russian meddling and the gaming of the Electoral College.

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Originally posted by LutheranChik:
Apart from the general fear that we're well on our way to a fascist dictatorship...I think what I resent most of all is the anxiety and, yes, hatred that this whole shitshow has elicited in me. I can't go for a country drive to admire the wildlife without wondering ehen the Administration's gutting of environmental regulations is going to kill everything off. When I take MOOCs online -- my hobby -- I wonder when the Internet will become inaccessible, or censored. I can't watch television news. I am afraid for our grandkids, especially because They're female in an increasingly misogynist societym. I find myself plotting exit strategies over the border if everything turns to complete shit here, and wondering if any other country would even consider letting in two old ladies in less than wonderful health. I am always angry and anxious. And then I get angry because I know that this is the fascist m.o., and I'm falling for it, like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football, over and over again.I confess that I don't know how to process all this sadness and anger and fear.

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From the Land of the Native American Brave and the Home of the Buy-One-Get-One-Free

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Originally posted by simontoad:

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Originally posted by Pangolin Guerre:

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Originally posted by simontoad:
[QUOTE]
I reckon, given its history, the army will act like the Egyptian Army did if it looks like the islamists are taking over. Islamists are bad for business, and the Pakistani elite love a bit of business.

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I have to disagree with that. The chief contrast between the Egyptian and Pakistani cases is that the Egyptian military is resolutely opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, whereas the Pakistani military, and especially the Inter-Services Intelligence, are riddled with sympathisers of various Islamist groups, if not being surreptitiously Islamist themselves. Pakistan has regional security issues (which have no analogy in the Egyptian case) in which Islamist organisations or lone wolves could prove to be very useful.

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I take your point, viz. the residence of our favourite terrorist in the middle of an army town for some years. Certainly there are people in the Pakistani army who are sympathetic to Islamists, and more who are happy to receive complimentary cash from them. But I think when push comes to shove, an army with a long history of taking over when its interests are threatened will choose to take over when its interests are threatened.

I don't think you're saying that Egypt doesn't have security issues with Islamists, huh. I guess its difficulty protecting Copts and tourists isn't analagous to Pakistan, but the Sinai was a bit of a hot-spot last time I looked.

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Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
The somebody says "our income" and not "her income". From the article, he's a retired vet and auto worker - maybe he gets $40K or so when you add up his pension and social security, which would give his wife a $50K or so job. Or maybe she's self-employed, or something.

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Originally posted by Ohher:
And I so wish the at the NYT or WaPo would round up the Electors and interrogate them. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??!!

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Sorry to hear of the deep pain LutheranChik and Other.

I do not want to cause any more, but I can I ask about the quote above? Bear in mind I'm from across the Pacific and have limited knowledge of your electoral ways.

What could / should they have done? Are they not beholden to the state's vote? I'd have I missed something? I heard they can bypass the popular candidate if they are a tyrant or otherwise not suitable...I guess that is where you were thinking they should've said No? Or something else?

Thanks.

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Originally posted by mousethief:

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Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
The somebody says "our income" and not "her income". From the article, he's a retired vet and auto worker - maybe he gets $40K or so when you add up his pension and social security, which would give his wife a $50K or so job. Or maybe she's self-employed, or something.

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Yeah, as noted above. This is why we need single-payer, not to bitch about Obamacare.

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
What is single-payer and how would it help? Does the rate go up the more you earn, so splitting the wages makes the combined sum less?

e.g. on $90k pay $1000 a month.
on $45k pay $300 a month (not $500)

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Originally posted by chris stiles:

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
What is single-payer and how would it help? Does the rate go up the more you earn, so splitting the wages makes the combined sum less?

e.g. on $90k pay $1000 a month.
on $45k pay $300 a month (not $500)

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Single payer is where the government pays for health care costs (they are the single payer) but (in the American instance) provision of health care is done privately.

It would be funded via some form of progressive taxation.

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Here’s a very brief primer on the five basic forms of health insurance:

• Socialist: The government owns the hospitals and directly employs the doctors. Britain’s NHS is the best known example. In the United States, VA healthcare works on this model.
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• Single-payer: Doctors and hospitals are mostly private entities, but are paid exclusively by the government. Canada is single-payer, with each province acting as the sole source of payment to doctors and hospitals. In the US, Medicaid and traditional Medicare are single-payer.
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• Multi-payer: Same as single-payer, but doctors and hospitals are paid by multiple sources: the government, regulated sickness funds, regulated insurers, etc. There’s a continuum in multi-payer systems, from those that are almost single payer (France) to those where other payers play larger roles (Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc.). This is the most common form of universal health care, and its advantage over single-payer is that it offers a little more flexibility in coverage. In the US, Medicare Advantage is basically multi-payer.
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• Subsidized private: People are required to be covered by private insurance, but the government provides subsidies to make coverage affordable. Switzerland uses this system. In the US, this is the Obamacare model.
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• Private: In the rich world, this is used only in the United States. Employer health care in America is essentially entirely private, although government is involved indirectly via the tax code, which allows employees to receive health coverage free of taxes.

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Originally posted by simontoad:
Do you Canuks have no-fault statutory insurance schemes for road accident and workplace injury No Prophet?

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Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
Thanks for the single payer explanations, and subsequent posts. Appreciated.

Is the *socialist* VA veterans? Or the state?

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Originally posted by John Holding:

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Originally posted by simontoad:
Do you Canuks have no-fault statutory insurance schemes for road accident and workplace injury No Prophet?

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There is no Canadian standard (and, btw, no one in Canada likes or uses the word "canuk"). Both these are regulated by the province, and their regimes vary considerably.

John

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Originally posted by John Holding:
No one in Canada likes or uses the word "canuk"). [/QB]

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English Canadians use "Canuck" as an affectionate or merely descriptive term for their nationality. It is not considered derogatory in Canada.

If familiar with the term, most citizens of other nations, including the United States, also use it affectionately, though there are individuals who may use it as derogatory term.

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Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
And the Fartletter-in-Chief has pardoned the despicable Joe Arpaio after all. Another notorious criminal free to walk the streets. Just be careful what neighborhoods you wander into, Joe, especially now.

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Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
And the Fartletter-in-Chief has pardoned the despicable Joe Arpaio after all. Another notorious criminal free to walk the streets. Just be careful what neighborhoods you wander into, Joe, especially now.

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Arpaio and Trump are two racist turds swirling around each other in a toilet bowl. Time for a nation-wide one-day Latino general strike. Forget the impending government shutdown, shut the whole fucking country down now.

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"You come with me to room 1013 over at the hospital, I'll show you America. Terminal, crazy and mean." -- Tony Kushner, "Angels in America"