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shizzyfinn

shizzyfinn is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Obama will eventually have to tax middle class

Response to post #5: Maybe you're right, Don, that a shift to single-payer can only happen if the current economic woes continue. But doesn't just about every indicator suggest that we're going to be living in Woe City for the foreseeable future? Until the last few years, when asked about switching to single-payer, mainstream politicians often fell back on "it's not politically possible," which is code for "my rich supporters aren't interested." But now you hear GM pointing out that health care adds $1,000 of cost to each car, which means that the current system is chafing even the investor class. So change can't be too far behind. And the ball is already rolling legislatively. H.R. 676 would create a single-payer system of guaranteed healthcare for all, and already has 93 co-sponsors in the House. It would speed things up if a politician with Obama-type charisma and momentum has the courage to tell his financiers, "listen, we're doing this, and we're doing it now." It would also help if We The Sheeple sacked up and started demanding that our elected officials give us what we want. But even in the absence of that leadership and that responsible citizenship, I think we'll get to single-payer eventually. The waste inherent in the current system is so substantial (roughly 5% of GDP), and the stories so pervasive and sad (40 million uninsured, and bankrupt grandmas everywhere), that we'll have to address it eventually.
— December 2, 2008 11:34 a.m.

Obama will eventually have to tax middle class

It's killing me that none of y'all pundits are talking about a move to a single-payer health system as one step toward economic recovery. Talk about your low-hanging fruit. Currently, our country spends about 15% of GDP on health care, whereas other industrialized nations use single-payer, which costs them closer to 10%. So we switch to single-payer, and boom, all of a sudden we've got 5% more GDP to play around with. That equates to more than $500 billion a year, amigos - big money. This purely economic gain doesn't even take into account other pluses: we will have no more uninsured Americans; broader access to preventative medicine will reduce aggregate bills even further; U.S. employers will no longer be on the hook for coverage; medical bankruptcies will cease striking hundreds of thousands of Americans per year. In truth, the move to single coverage is a no-brainer - it'll make all Americans better off, indirectly if not directly. And polls show that a clear majority of Americans, including a clear majority of doctors, are in favor of major health care reform. For decades, though, a small group of folks with deep pockets have succeeded in preventing change. But today's political climate seems like one in which we could actually get this change done. For me, it'll be the big test of Barack Obama. If he can push through true single-payer, he really is the mack. If he can't, he's a mere mortal. If he doesn't even try, he's a phony.
— November 26, 2008 12:23 p.m.

Irredeemable Bond

true about the opening jam from White and Keys, that was sick, along with the visuals it came with. bullets coming out the gun and floating slowly through the air and whatnot. how does it go, "another blinger with an itchy triggerfinger for her majesty" i believe. also Quantum of Solace is indeed the super weakest Bond title in history. i don't even think they explain it in the movie. at least in A View To A Kill someone says "wow what a view" and someone else says "to a kill!" that was pretty weak writing, but at least they tried. also the opening song by duran duran was titled A View To A Kill. i don't think even Jack White and Alicia Keys could do much with Quantum of Solace, that don't rhyme with sh**. i have no problem with lack of Q. Desmond Llewelyn (1914-1999) as Q was the one constant across the first 15 or so Bonds, and he nailed the role so perfectly that he simply cannot be replaced. they would probably cast Shia Lebouf anyway, in a cynical box office play for the teenybopper and lame single woman demographics. better with no Q. as far who was the best actor Bond, i will venture into those waters, offering up the oft-cited nominee Connery for the infrequently cited reason that he uttered all the pimpest lines of the series... Tatiana: The mechanism is... Oh James, James... Will you make love to me all the time in England? Bond: Day and night. Go on about the mechanism. Helga: I've got you now. Bond: Well, enjoy yourself. Bond: It looks like a woman's gun. Largo: Do you know a lot about guns, Mr. Bond? Bond: No. I know a little about women. Domino: How did you know my name? Bond: It says it on the bracelet on your ankle. Domino: Well, what sharp little eyes you've got. Bond: Wait 'til you get to my teeth.
— November 24, 2008 8:59 p.m.

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