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"For the Rank and File" I hate those words.

Yeah, I guess my father in law overconsumed his share of cancer treatments. Selfish bastard.

Because everyone knows we all have the ability to comparison shop when we're in the ER. And if it means people live longer, live healthier, commit less resources to healthcare, and don't live in fear of medical bankruptcy, maybe we should be like France. Or Canada, Japan, or Switzerland...

God forbid we have doctors wanting to enter practice because they want to heal people. The AMA has assured a shortage of doctors educated in the US by limiting educational resources. We import an awful lot of (great) doctors from countries whose medical lobby is not quite so strong - look up...

I don't think any of us do. But the amount of actual abuse from the consumer end is pretty limited (or so I was told bya former district attorney who prosecuted Medicaid fraud). What is more salient is that a family of four living on a working wage depends on their employer's ability to pay...

I recall images on TV in NYC of people lined up around the block the day before bankruptcy reform took place. I also recall the difficulty of gettingmy first credit card, the extensive interview for my first car loan, and once getting refused for a loan because my credit union thought it would...

Not everyone is selfish and heartless. Some people willingly sacrifice so others can survive. Others simply don't give a squirt about anyone other than themselves. I know both types.

Imagine how difficult it is from someone with no insurance at all. A single group protecting themselves at the expense of others doesn't have much of a high ground on which to stand.

I'm speaking from the experience of three recent town hall meetings (two of which were held by local congressmen). To a person, the ones screaming were senior citizens. And they were screaming loudly. The most common refrain was literally "Leave my Medicare alone!". I seriously doubt that...

They don't need to - the AARP does. It is ironic that the most vocal opponents of health care reform are those on Medicare. I guess if they get theirs it really shouldn't matter if anyone else is cared for. Its the same Social Security model.

Unfortunately, many other feels the same way that he does: that he deserves to be paid more, that he shouldn't have to pay his debts, that "the system" will provide him. Unfortunately, as we all know, there is no "system". Its my money, your money, and that of our grandchildren. I'm already...

Jeez, I can't imagine why someone would do that...

Umm, no they are not. You advocated fraud. I advocated keeping my income low enough that I was not in group which is/will be taxed at a higher rate. I did not advocate hiding assets off shore. I did not advocate the theft of services. And I certainly did not advocate impersonating anther...

"The people that will earn that $250 have not been born yet." Two generations of Americans will enjoy a lifestyle and financial benefits that neither their forefathers nor their children will enjoy. That so few people see this as reprehensible, selfish, and morally abhorrent is more a...

I think a salient point was specifically that Hobo explicitly advocates outright lying and cheating to avoid paying for medical services he consumes. He also uses the childish reference to "the system", just like many refer to the "the government" - the money funding his free medical care comes...

Both the healthcare profession and education are enjoying a wonderful bubble. Those in any sort of business know that staffing costs typically represent the single largest cost of business. In the case of education and healthcare, we've dramatic increases in compensation over the past couple...

Somehow I find it difficult to work up any sympathy for no 2010 COLA. I haven't gotten a raise in two years, and if I did it would only be 3%. Last year, the federal COLA was 5.8% when most of the country was losing jobs and cutting salaries. We're experiencing it on a local level too, where...

"Not true randyman. See my post above where I propose a reduction to current employee's plans." Let me rephrase that - in my state, every proposal by the public employee unions advocates preserving all current benefits while cutting those to "unborn" workers. And as far as breaking a promise...

"Honor the existing promises to current employees retirement as long as we're willing to do whatever it takes with taxes and truly fund the pension systems to support that. But remember if there has been significant hiring in the last decade, or so, it'll take many years before the system really...

In further example of the problem with this funding scheme: I live in a very heavily taxed region (typical SFR property taxes are $9k per year, two thirds of which fund the 127 separate school districts in thw county region serving a total of 476,000 students with a student to teacher ration of...

"Either that or the public needs to dip into their collective pockets and pay higher taxes to fund the current level of pension benefits. But the current situation where benefits promised exceed funding levels isn't going to work out. Something has to change. " You mean the public who doesn't...

"exposure to HAZMAT and ionizing radiation... maybe it's more appropriate to compare veterans' longevity to police and firefighters after all. " My greatest hazard was lack of sleep. The 152 mRem I got in 8 years had a negligible effect on my health.

"No, 7 minute abs! You can't get a workout in 6 minutes!"

Or you could get real workout that has real world applicability and is still pretty quick - Crossfit.

Don't you know that its all the fault of the greedy banks? When friends of mine ask - less so now than in months past - where all the money went that supposedly evaporated from the housing market, I tend to reply that the original borrowers spent it. While banks and brokers and hedge funds...