Puterbac News Network and Political Discussion Thread

[Professor Tiger]

Too bad the priests in charge didn't believe in purging potential enemies. Big mistake.

They did. He slipped through the cracks.

It's the other way around. Only a few priests slipped through the cracks in Stalin's net.

[Professor Tiger]

In other news, Shinseki resigned from the VA. It's remarkable that a former 4 star general, and who therefore presumably has outstanding leadership skills, could preside over such an unmitigated disaster that the VA has become.

[Jungle Rat]

Hitler was fine until he went after the Jews. Hedge should be thankful. He wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for him

[Professor Tiger]

The government is doing such a bang up job administering health care through the VA that it makes me want to put them in charge of more and more of the health care industry. Today it's vets dying because of institutionalized neglect. Tomorrow it will be all of us.

[hedge]

That pleases me...

[Professor Tiger]

First, Shinseki resigns. Now Jay Carney is leaving.

I always felt sorry for Jay. He had one of the hardest jobs in Washington . It would have been even harder if he had worked for a Republican administration, and the press wasn't nearly so sycophantic.

[Johnette's Daddy]

First, Shinseki resigns. Now Jay Carney is leaving.

I always felt sorry for Jay. He had one of the hardest jobs in Washington . It would have been even harder if he had worked for a Republican administration, and the press wasn't nearly so sycophantic.

Like how the NY Times' Judith Miller drank the Bush administration's WMD Kool-Aid, then outed an undercover CIA officer as part of a hit on the administration's enemies?

[bluetick]

The government is doing such a bang up job administering health care through the VA that it makes me want to put them in charge of more and more of the health care industry. Today it's vets dying because of institutionalized neglect. Tomorrow it will be all of us.

lol

ObamaCare Enriches Health Insurance Giants - Forbes

S & P Healthcare Index Increased 43% in Value in 2013 - Wall Street Journal

The private healthcare sector is witnessing strong performances amid healthy capital investments, including M & A activity, and healthcare executives expect their revenues to continue to increase significantly in 2014. (from Bloomberg Financial)

If you die unattended on a gurney, prof, know that you gave your life so that Blue Cross could upgrade me to an all-inclusive resort in St. Croix.

[Professor Tiger]

And if I die unattended with chest pains in a VA hospital waiting room, I'll be thankful that senior VA officials got bonuses for providing such outstanding care.

And when the ultimate goal of Obamacare - single payer - is finally achieved, executives at BCBS, Humana, Kaiser Permanente will all be out of work. Their perks and bonuses will go to HHS managers for providing VA-like care to us schlubs.

[AlabamAlum]

Actually, the execs at BCBS (et al) will end up running Obamacare. The new boss will strongly resemble the old boss.

[Professor Tiger]

Maybe. But they will be wearing cheap, ill-fitting suits, work in offices with poor lighting, linoleum floors, 10 year old computers, and driving Ford Taurus's to their split-level homes. GS 12's don't make that much money.

[AlabamAlum]

With the death bonuses they will.

[Professor Tiger]

Their performance bonuses will cover the cost of a long weekend at Gulf Shores. They will be excited about that.

Don't worry, AA. You will be retired by then. But you can tell your grandchildren about your glory days at a former company once known as HealthSouth.

[Johnette's Daddy]

Maybe. But they will be wearing cheap, ill-fitting suits, work in offices with poor lighting, linoleum floors, 10 year old computers, and driving Ford Taurus's to their split-level homes. GS 12's don't make that much money.

I spit iced tea on my laptop reading this. A friend is a producer for the NCIS TV franchise and my running gag with him is that every NCIS agent I met wore J.C. Penney/Robert Hall suits, $5.00 haircuts and drove Ford Tauruses. And the women all looked more like Don Rickles than the super models they have playing them on TV.

In reality, single-payer Obamacare would/will look a lot like Medicare, which after almost 50 years of Republican attacks is probably the most successful health care delivery system in history. Everyone (doctors, patients, politicians) whine and complain about it, but it does what it was designed to do and a Medicare crash would likely do more harm than the 2007-08 economic meltdown.

[AlabamAlum]

Their performance bonuses will cover the cost of a long weekend at Gulf Shores. They will be excited about that.

Don't worry, AA. You will be retired by then. But you can tell your grandchildren about your glory days at a former company once known as HealthSouth.

I never worked at HealthSouth. And I'm already retired. For the most part, anyway. I have a consulting firm and I'm adjunct faculty at UAB. Otherwise, I'm out. Anyway, I don't think they'll be government employees. The G-men will contract that out to BCBS and company. Like they do with big chunks of Medicare/ Medicaid now.

[Professor Tiger]

You're retired? Congratulations.

I've got 2.5 more years to go until I can trade in my Taurus.

[10ac]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ ... print.html

We don't negotiate with terrorists! Oops....

[hedge]

"I never worked at HealthSouth. And I'm already retired. For the most part, anyway. I have a consulting firm and I'm adjunct faculty at UAB"

Do you have much contact with doctors?

[Jungle Rat]

Fox News is cracking me up today. STFU.

[bluetick]

This is worse than 10 Benghazis. Apparently we just traded for Benedict Arnold, while giving up 5 bin ladens in the process. Send money to the RNC commiserate with your level of outrage...$50 if you're pissed, $500 if you can't see straight.