Posts made by Frederick

@aadam101:

@cteavin:

When she went back to the states she had another issue and went to the doctor under Obamacare. She said the first thing that the doctor's office did was make sure her insurance was all in order and that all the forms were signed before they would consider looking at her.

This is pretty standard and it has nothing to do with ObamaCare.  They likely would have still seen her even if she didn't have insurance or if the insurance wasn't active.  Providers spend a great deal of time and effort (and money) trying to get their money from insurance companies.

Try getting any attention in an emergency room without first filling out insurance forms or having cash or credit on hand.  Providers are extremely greedy.. they have full time staff which account for 30% of healthcare costs that do nothing but make up (fake) bills and shake everyone down for money.  I used to work on many doctor's office computers.  One doctor made headlines when he got caught billing for procedures that were never done, and in other cases having his nursing assistant do procedures (illegally) instead of the doctor.  The nursing assistant eventually set the doctor up to escape being prosecuted himself.  He planted cameras around the office which showed that the doctor would go from patient to patient without changing gloves. 
If the insurance company rejected a claim.. the provider would just submit the same claim again.. and again.. and again. until it was paid.  There is no rule against doing that.

@cteavin:

@Frederick:

@cteavin:

Guns are out of control in the USA.  Especially in the hands of cops who are morons.  Cops are not supposed to use their gun unless someone's life is in immediate danger.  But that concept is totally ignored.

I don't think people's guns should be allowed to leave their house.   People are not responsible enough to weild that much power.   There should be a yearly tax on gun ownership, just like people have to have a license to drive and pay for car insurance and yearly registration fee.  The same should apply to guns.

The 2nd amendment does not give people the right to bear arms EXCEPT in a WELL ORDERED MILITIA.

Oh, here's something you and I actually disagree on.

I used to be anti-gun until the Omar Matis shooting in that FL latino gay bar. Around the same time, two black men took to the street to shoot cops. To kill the two shooters the police set out a robot to snipe them: the police used military-grade equipment to quell a non-military confrontation. That changed my opinion (forever?).

This is hypothetical but I think I would feel better were I able to carry a handgun with me.

Also, our country was founded from a rebellion against the government. Should the need ever arise again and local arm enforcement were manned like the military, then The People should be able to resist. I know what I just wrote is a hugely controversial today and largely a what if – or is it? Catalin wants to break apart from Spain. They've democratically elected to leave. If the government won't allow them to shouldn't The People have the ability to fight against their government?

I've never been to that club in Orlando (Pulse), but I am quite familiar with the area and I know a lot of people who have gone to that club.
That WAS a gay club, however, that massacre was not an attack on gay people.  That area has very few latinos.  It does have a lot of blacks, but they were not there.  The people who go to that club are almost all white males - during NORMAL hours.  That night was special.  They were having an AFTER HOURS Latino Night.. a special event.  Almost all the victims were latino, and quite a few women.  That club was just being used as a VENUE for that Latin night.  Many latinos showed up with their familes and girlfriends, etc.    Omar Mateen WAS bisexual, but his grudge was not against gays, but against the latino community including his latino boyfriend who dumped him.  Most of the victims drove in from far away.  The only local victim I could find was a latin guy that worked at Universal Studios theme park in Orlando.  During normal hours, that club would be filled with white boys - many of whom work at Walt Disney World.  WDW staff is VERY gay.
While on this topic.. the news media twisted that story all to hell.  There are always cops outside that club during operating hours.  A cop noticed Mateen and followed him into the club.  The cops that were inside the club fled when the shooting started.  The swat team surrounded the building.. while Mateen spent over half an hour slaughtering those 50+ people.  I guarantee you that many of the victims were shot by the POLICE.  I don't understand why they didn't cut electricity to the building to make it so the shooter could not see (and they would have night vision), or shoot in some sort of tear gas, or send in dogs, etc.  The police were like the Keystone Kops in that incident, and yet the media made them out to be heroes.  It's amazing that all those people were killed, yet not one cop suffered a significant injury.  Hmm….  It's sort of like firemen who wait for a building to be reduced to ashes before doing anything.

@cteavin:

@spam17:

@Frederick:

@cteavin:

@Frederick:

@cteavin:

++1

You young whippersnappers and your fancy abbreviations. What does ++1 mean? It sounds like you're inviting Frederick and I to be your plus one at a party. (Which might be fun.)

If I remember right.. ++1 is  used in the computer language C++

–---
you keep saying other members here are young whippersnappers.. at 48.. you are probably one of the younger ones!  Some of the members of this site attended Lincoln's inauguration!

@cteavin:

@aadam101:

It won't create competition.  It will be a total nightmare for consumers.  The reason it won't work is because of provider networks.  It takes a lot of time and effort to build these networks.

I live in MA.  If I buy a plan in Idaho then none of my doctors will be contracted with my plan.  I can ask them to contract but that process can take months or even years.  My doctor will need to do that for every patient that comes in with an out of state insurance and I will need to go through this process for all of my doctors.  The amount of administrative overhead  to manage all of this would be enormous (and it's already enormous today).

The doctor will now have to follow the rules of hundreds of insurers and will need to bill them all separately and fight to get paid.  In the end it will be the patient who loses because the insurers won't pay for these non-contracted providers and the patient will get stuck with the bill.  The doctors will never see a dime and will only see patients with certain types of insurance.

That's an interesting point I've never considered or read elsewhere. Is this something you came up with yourself or did you read it someplace?

Ann Coulter reminded me in her article this week that another way to cut healthcare costs is to reform medical malpractice lawsuits/payouts. That would go a long way in simplifying the rules and regulations already in place which might help smooth things out for insurance to be sold across state lines.

Malpractice suits are way out of control, and the awards are excessive.

–----

Aadam works in the healthcare insurance industry - no wonder it is so screwed up.  He also lives in Taxachussetts.

@cteavin:

@Frederick:

Here's an idea for solving the healthcare problem.   Make healthcare completely run by the government.. sort of like the police and fire rescue and sort of like the postal service.  Make it like the veterans hospitals.   
The healthcare industry is a total disaster.  I'm afraid the only way to reign it in is to have it completely regulated.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.

Healthcare could be run as a utility. Were it either run by the government or as a utility the major argument comes from the big-pharma: Without the possibility of high profits, we won't innovate. That kind of blackmail is one of the reasons healthcare sucks in the US.

BTW, that pesky ol' TPP that Trump shot down had a clause in it that would have eliminated the Japanese from fixing the prices of pharmaceuticals and was the principle reason the Japanese people were against it (although the Abe government was for it).

I wasn't being sarcastic.  I'm not sure that is a good idea, but the current healthcare system is so screwed up that something massive needs to be done.  I know that in England, they have socialized medicine.. but that results in things like this happening..  a person has cancer, they can't get an appointment for 6 months.. by the time they get the appointment the cancer is no longer treatable and is terminal.

I am beginning to wonder if Kathy Griffin and Hillary Clinton are the same person…
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/09/28/kathy-griffin-didnt-do-anything-wrong-with-trump-beheading-photo-shoot.html

and on a different note.. WTF happened to Jim Carrey?  He looks like a meth addict!
http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/celebrity/jim-carrey-alleges-extortion-blames-former-girlfriends-mother-and-lawyer-for-her-death/ar-AAsD5v7?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp&ffid=gz

Here's an idea for solving the healthcare problem.  Make healthcare completely run by the government.. sort of like the police and fire rescue and sort of like the postal service.  Make it like the veterans hospitals.   
The healthcare industry is a total disaster.  I'm afraid the only way to reign it in is to have it completely regulated.

@cteavin:

There's not much activity going on in the forums here, so I'm posting a few topics to see if I can't goad you all into some conversation.

m(_ _)m

This is a study published in Scientific American. My feeling is the article must be wrong but the evidence, as they present it, seems solid. Either way, so you agree with it? If the article is too long for you to read, what are your thoughts on the correlation of guns and violence?

Myself, when I lived in Los Angeles I wouldn't allow a gun in my house. These days, were I to still live in the states, I'd want one.

Here's the article.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-guns-do-not-stop-more-crimes-evidence-shows/

Guns are out of control in the USA.  Especially in the hands of cops who are morons.  Cops are not supposed to use their gun unless someone's life is in immediate danger.  But that concept is totally ignored.

I don't think people's guns should be allowed to leave their house.  People are not responsible enough to weild that much power.  There should be a yearly tax on gun ownership, just like people have to have a license to drive and pay for car insurance and yearly registration fee.  The same should apply to guns.

The 2nd amendment does not give people the right to bear arms EXCEPT in a WELL ORDERED MILITIA.

@cteavin:

There's not much discussion here. It's kinda boring, so I'm posting a few topics to see if I can't goad you all into some conversation.

m(_ _)m

What is the argument AGAINST allowing insurance to be sold across state lines? What is the status of your personal health care plan?

Me, I live in Japan. I pay something like 100USD per month for unlimited coverage. As of today, I've used it like once. (I don't get sick.) I get yearly checkups and go to the dentist for a cleaning annually, all free.

Selling across state lines would create competition.  The insurance companies don't want that.
I don't really blame the insurance companies, I blame the healthcare providers that fraudulently gouge the system.  The providers do test that are unnecessary, they do procedures that aren't needed, they bill for procedures they did not do, they over charge, etc.

@cteavin:

What's really shocking is that she appears to be a student at UC Riverside. She could barely speak coherent English and she's at a UC school, not a community college? Wow. That point system is really not working.

Anyway, number one reason why Dreamers need to go, right there. Any remaining sympathy I had for them just left.

I never  thought of this before.. but if someone can't speak coherently, then one must wonder how coherent their thinking processes are. 
It's easy to evaluate someone's mathematical skills, their science skills, etc.  but it is nearly impossible to evaluate one's RATIONAL thinking skills.

This woman should win the "Moonbat of the Year" award.

"Make America Great Again" means genocide?

What confuses me is how this woman has this hat in her hands.  If she had taken my hat away, I would have gotten it back very quickly…

Youtube Video

When Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, and Michelle Obama encouraged children to read with Dr. Seuss books, that was praised.
But when Melania Trump encourages children to read with Dr. Seuss books, that is RACIST!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/29/melania-trump-fires-back-at-librarian-who-rejected-gift-dr-seuss-books-as-racist.html

@raphjd:

NFL players, like most SJWs, are spoiled bitches.

I don't understand how people can find the time to waste watching a football game.  They could spend that time watching porn!

@raphjd:

It's the shitty part of life.

Businesses can change their contracts with you and there's very little you can do about it.

EULAs are the same way.  You have to agree to accept it to install the software.  HOWEVER, you have to install the software in many cases to read it.

Even worse, they put things into their EULAs which are not legal,  while at the same time NOT honoring their side of the agreement. 
Facebook is like a time bomb that will eventually go off.  Intangible tech companies vaporize overnight.  (remember myspace?)

@raphjd:

I've always hated that taxpayers have to build stadiums for wealthy cunts to make more money.

I was so happy when Houston stood up to Bud Adams and the Oilers.

Even worse is when the team gets a massive amount of taxpayer money to build a stadium… and in exchange they sign a contract to stay in that stadium,  But then, after a few years, the team starts bitching that the stadium is obsolete and they need a new one.  Then they decide they want out of their contract entirely so they can move the team completely out of the area.  A contract means noting when a bit of fast cash is waved under the noses of councilmen who have the authority to vacate the contract.

I have some experience with this personally.  About 20 years ago, I got the task of detailing all the steel for a new scoreboard at Tampa Stadium where the Tampa Bay Bucaneers play.  It was massive and state-of-the-art.  They screwed me over by only paying me half of what they agreed to for my work because the deadline to complete the work was missed.  That is also bullshit.. because I finished 5 months before the deadline, but they continued to make changes to the design for months after giving me the job.  I wound up doing that job 3 times because of all their changes.  They should have been charged for revisions, but instead they screwed me.  Anyway, it took a year to build the new scoreboard... but just 10 years later, they again decided they needed a new scoreboard to replace that one!

@cteavin:

I love that episode. Cartman not being into midgets, that still makes me laugh.

Did you watch the NK epiode last week? I fell on the floor laughing.

http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s04e06-cartman-joins-nambla

I missed it!

Southpark is the only program left on Comedy Central that is funny and intelligent.  In fact, my local cable system often shows re-runs of Southpark in place of the programming that Comedy Central churns out.

@aadam101:

Actually you are wrong.  Trump has applied for every government program and tax break available to him for decades.  According to him, this makes him a smart person.  Trump is nothing but a welfare queen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-the-welfare-king/2016/05/23/154310f4-2121-11e6-aa84-42391ba52c91_story.html?utm_term=.708c8dcee253

A tax break is not welfare..  tax breaks are given when the tax payer does something to justify a break on their taxes.. such as giving to charity, or investing in community development,  or hiring handicapped people, etc. 
In other works.. again to make things simple for you..  Trump has not gotten any handouts or subsidies.  All he's gotten is a reduction in the amount of money he has to pay in taxes.  He doesn't qualify for welfare or food stamps and doesn't get them.. nor should he.  The NFL gets government subsidies, but should NOT be getting them.  Those fraudulent subsidies need to end, especially when the NFL players piss on the country, the president, and the country by not having the respect to stand for the national anthem on live TV in front of an audience of millions of people.

@cteavin:

@aadam101:

@cteavin:

Trump is different.  He promised us that he wasn't a politician and he wouldn't behave like one.  For the last nine months all we have seen is him copying everything Obama did.

The black guys peacefully protesting are "son of bitches" but the white Nazis are "fine people"….....tell me again he isn't a racist.....

I don't think that he is a politician. Would a politician Tweet? Does a politician call another countries leader Rocketman? Very little in how Trump has run his presidency has been like a typical politician and he's loudly criticized for it.   
 
I don't understand what you mean by Trump is copying Obama. Trump does seem to be undoing everything Obama did, however.

Trump isn't racist and I'll explain why:

I'm going to assume you're younger than I am. I'm 48. When I came out way back in the mid 80's if and when you saw any news about Gay Pride marches you saw NAMBLA (North American Man-Boy Love Association) under whatever headline the newspapers or TV stations chose. That deliberate association between NAMBLA and LGBT helped further a long-standing stereotype that homosexuals are pedophiles. People feared us because of that. Later, people spat on me because of that, assumed I was molested and therefore gay because of how the media chose to portray us.

When I went to my first pride parade I did see the NAMBLA float, very small and hidden away. No cheers for them, either silence or booing.

You know about what happened in NC because of what the media is showing you. The one loop I kept seeing was a few seconds of white men holding torches saying something like Jews will not replace us. Do you really believe that all of the people attending the protest about the removal of those statues were in that march? I hope this is not what you believe because like those gay pride parades back in the 80's, there were many different kinds of people walking under one umbrella. To walk together does not mean that you fly the same banners, fight the same war. So no, Trump was not a racist in saying there were good people there. What Trump meant and later clarified is that ANTIFA and NAZIs were there an that both need to be blamed.

Trump is almost forced to Tweet to get his points across.  Ages ago, reporters would shout questions to President Reagan and present his responses.  That doesn't happen anymore.  Now fake news hacks sit there and attack Trump, twist his words, and debate him.  Why should the elected president have to debate a "reporter"?    If Trump did not Tweet, little or none of his points would ever be heard.

I forgot about NAMBLA, there was a Southpark episode about NAMBLA (both the man / boy group and the National Associate of Marlon Brando Look-Alikes).  At the end of the episode, the Man / Boy leader asks for understanding and rights for men who want to have sex with little boys.  I bet in 2020, NAMBLA will have their own political PAC supporting Elizabeth Warren or Mark Fuckaburger.

@aadam101:

@cteavin:

@aadam101:

@cteavin:

@aadam101:

@cteavin:

@cteavin:

Trump will never do that.  His own wife spit all over Americans when she worked here illegally.

What are you saying Trump will never do? It's not clear to me from the context.

Trump will never eliminate illegal immigration.

1. He married a woman who spit all over Americans when she worked here illegally.
2. You can't grow the economy if you reduce the population.  Immigrants (legal and illegal) buy things.

Spitting?  really?  You sure do like to throw around absurd, exaggerated piffle, don't you?

Bigger economy doesn't mean better.. so as always, you are wrong.  Trump is IMPROVING the economy. 
Let me break this down into an extreme example that you can understand:

a country of        1,000,000 people with a GNP of $1 trillion has a better economy than
a country of  1,000,000,000 people with a GNP of $2 trillion.

@cteavin:

@aadam101:

Maybe you don't care but Trump does.  He said so himself.  It's obvious he is hiding something…..that's what HE said.

Can you show where he said that? I don't recall him saying that.

I knew way back at the beginning of the 2016 campaign that Trump would never show his tax returns. Why? In making a big deal about Obama's birth certificate candidate Trump, and I quote, said, "I got him [Obama] to show his birth certificate."

That right there said that Trump was playing a power game with the media to get Obama to do something. Trump wasn't going to let anyone bully him into making him show his tax returns. Trump was being an alpha-male and, love him or hate him for it, that play worked, Trump was and is seen as a strong leader walking his own path by his base.

Russia is Trumps Birther controversy: He earned it, but ultimatly it's _fake new_s.

You won't get aadam to reveal his sources.   I can tell you his sources.  Most of them are his own imagination, some are anonymous, some are Rachel Madcow, some are Don Lemon, the rest are assorted moonbats.

By the way.. how is it possible for someone to be elected president of the USA without providing a birth certificate?  Putting aside the debate over the authenticity or legitimacy of Obama's birth certificate, there is NO EXCUSE for him not producing that "birth certificate" until forced to by Donald Trump 1.5 years after being elected.  
FURTHERMORE.. the constitution would be as long as a set of encyclopedias or more if they specified ever detail.  Obviously when it was written, the founding fathers MEANT that to be president, one had to be born in the CONTIGUOUS USA,  and the assumption is that the person would be RAISED in the USA as well.   Not only was Osama not born in the contiguous USA, he was not raised in the USA at all.  He spent the first 13 years of his life being raised in muslim Indonesia.  Of course when Obama did move to the USA, he got mentored by know terrorists… whoopee.
If John McCain was not a complete idiot, he would have focused on this in 2008 and god help us - won the election.  (bite my tongue).