Macron wins

Just to make sure Politics topic have the proper spice to it. I appreciate that you actually address the arguments, and understand that libertarians, no matter how dogmatic or wrong, are not the real enemy. We all have autocratic fascists to worry about.

 

That would be a significant improvement. If you insist on the constraint that poor people should stay on a separate system for their basic health needs (while making sure people with any political capital have no stake in such a system), and need to go through a burocratic purgatory to atone for their crime of being poor. And since the society seem to insist on this system, by all means, let's shore up Medicaid. Now, if there was a way to bring Manchin on board...


(structurally, the same argument can be made on why "school choice" movement is harmful. And because harm in our society accrues as it does, some may call it racist.)

 

Poor people should have good quality health-care system.
But we shouldnt punish more fortunate people who choose supplementary or alternate health care systems or combination.

 

Who's talking about punishing people?

 

Does Lerner mean, "punishment" by making wealthier people help pay for it, possibly? My take: Here, everybody pays - from taxes. Those who are wealthy enough to have supplementary options -- they buy them, if they so choose. I believe nobody's punished. The system is there for everybody. Everyone has to help pay. That's how it works. It's WAY better than "First you get sick. Then you go bankrupt."

To those Americans who decry a tax-funded single payer healthcare system, I ask "then, what do YOU get for your taxes ...that we don't?"

 

Well, the fact that private plans can't cover services covered by OHIP means the wealthy enough can't have their own wholly separate system. Which for me, is a feature not a bug, but it is in fact what some are complain about and could characterize as "punishment". Hogwash, of course, but the PR and lobbying dough American health insurance have (paid by our premiums) can make people believe it.

 

Yes, I agree. Hogwash. Totally. Пропаганда (Ukr. "Propaganda")

 

That was exactly my dear departed sister's argument! She made all the right choices to have excellent health care. Folks that don't have good healthcare are to blame for the problem they have and bailing them out of their self inflicted condition would punish her because she would have to pay for it! Sorry I was incomplete in my previous description.

 

Yes, but Krispy-Kreme thought they could come in and uh - cream off some easy dough. Tim's kicked their butts and they retreated back across the border.

I think Tim Hortons (apostrophe removed by order of the Quebec French Language Police - I kid you not! ) has mediocre and overpriced products and I'm told they are a miserable company to work for. I don't mind the occasional visit to McDonalds for "coffee-and" and they're very well-priced. Two of my adult grandkids worked p/t there for years in their teens (as did their father in the late 80s) and all say McD's treated employees well.

But Tim Hortons showed Krispy-Kreme a lot of fight -and won. And I enjoyed that. I liked it when Target left, too. They might be OK in the US, but the couple of times I was in the Canadian stores - no sweet clue... lame. They lost a billion dollars, dumped their Canadian CEO and accepted the resignation of his US counterpart. Fun day, for me.

 

Thanks Bill. Looks like I made a correct assumption for once. Goes to prove even a broken clock is right, twice a day.

 

I have my preference, but would surely take other paths to the same destination. I'm not Bernie Sanders.

So for them, most voucher systems sold as "school choice" amount to a tax cut. And relieving our rich from the burdens of taxation is so down on my list of priorities I'm not sure it's even there.

No, the issue is that "school choice" is a part of war on the public school (public anything, really; the Right even has it for the Post Office). When you give middle class an opt-out valve, there's less pressure on the state to keep investing in the public system. The resulting failures then justify more "choice", more cuts, and new flight, completing the vicious cycle. Every situation is complex and noisy, but I don't think you can deny some of this happens.

Also, I'm not old enough to know it personally, but I saw statements that "school choice" movement greatly expanded in the wake of public school integration and busing. Which would make a lot of sense; again, correct me if this is wrong.

Many of us would benefit from talking to parents of color. We should also talk to parents of color left behind in public system that's losing best students and most engaged parents, and as inevitable consequence, resources.

Thing is, parents would avail to the best option for their kids. I know I would. I like our little charter schools, and they have very clear geographic reason to exist (this little upscale-ish beach neighbourhood is across the long bridge from the rest of the district and its huge schools). But this makes me uninformed and disinterested in how that school district is run. Coincidentally, the charters are almost-all-white, and the district just happens to be majority Hispanic.

 

I've had an eclectic career. A result of it has been two federal government pensions (military and civil service) and two government-provided health plans (TRICARE and BC/BS).

Exceptional? Not really. It's what most people in social democracies expect and receive as a matter of course. Yet, in the U.S., it is unusual. It means the government is paying me whether or not I work (and more when I take Social Security) and providing me healthcare for a very low cost with almost no out-of-pocket expenses or deductible. Not bad for a welfare kid who has never inherited a dime. The government took care of me when I was a child and is still doing so to this day. I never feel entitled and I always feel grateful.