Madine

Reply to A Stupid War: Come Clean & Aim To Make Amends in Politics JoeUser Forums

There has been an open invitation for other countries to come and help. France for instance has politely refused.

Reply to Bush Wobbly on Training Wheels in Politics JoeUser Forums

Right track/wrong direction is a much broader scope than the Presidency. While it is an indicator for the election, the litmus test that generally requires a majority is job approval. Why do people think Bush is a strong leader even if they think Iraq was a mistake? I don't think it has anything to do with bullhorns and aircraft carriers. I think President Bush really is a strong, decisive leader who does what he thinks is right. Now, as any l

Reply to Single Payer Linked to Socialized Medicine in Health & Medicine JoeUser Forums

Regardless of what % of the population is insured, the availibity of medical services depends on per insured capita spending as well as how efficiently that spending is utilized. A patient's bill of rights sounds like a good idea, but it doesn't address the issue of cost savings.

Reply to Left & Right Interpretations of the Constitution’s Preamble? in Politics JoeUser Forums

No matter what your intentions are, if you move people from places like New York and New Jersey to places like Wyoming and South Dakota, the population distribution will be more uniform. Egalitarian in creating a more level playing field This begs the question, what constitutes a level pla

Reply to Single Payer Linked to Socialized Medicine in Health & Medicine JoeUser Forums

I'm not talking about premiums, I'm talking about the actual medical bill, as in paying the doctor/hospital/pharmacy. If I pay a flat fee (premium) regardless of what my actual medical bill is, I don't have an incentive to seek cost savings. Instead the interest of cost savings is pursued by insurance companies or the government, which sometimes is at odds with the interest of the patient. This generally means that the patient is at the merc

Reply to Left & Right Interpretations of the Constitution’s Preamble? in Politics JoeUser Forums

I'm not trying to link the preamble with the communist manifesto. You stated (among other things) two ideas and labeled them as liberal. They were 1. The population should be redistributed to be more uniform 2. The economy should be more egalitarian Whether or not they have anything to do with the US constitution is irrelevent to my point. My point is that because these two ideas are central points in the Communist Manife

Reply to Left & Right Interpretations of the Constitution’s Preamble? in Politics JoeUser Forums

I think I was misunderstood. I means that I thought the ideals steven described would be better described as libertarian and communist ideals. I didn't mean that liberals were communists or vice versa or conservatives were libertarians or vice versa. As for “domestic tranquility” the conservative readily embraces regulat

Reply to Left & Right Interpretations of the Constitution’s Preamble? in Politics JoeUser Forums

I think the "conservative" views would be better described as "libertarian" and the "liberal" ideals as "communist".

Reply to Single Payer Linked to Socialized Medicine in Health & Medicine JoeUser Forums

In Canada the wait times are much worse than the US. The way to control costs is to put the decision making power in the hands of patients. If a 3rd party is footing the bill, there is no incentive for patients to seek savings.

Reply to Minnesota and My Love in Current Events JoeUser Forums

[i]In July the average high temperature climbs to the upper 70s in northern Minnesota and the lower 80s in the south. It can still be chilly along the shores of Lake Superior.[/i] Link I would probably die in Arizona. I thought southern Missouri was too hot.

Reply to Left & Right & Patriotism in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

we on the left point out corruption and inept actions in American policy, does that mean we hate her? No, it doesn't. The question is though, is America primarily a force for justice or injustice? It's largely a question of perception.

Reply to Minnesota and My Love in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Minnesota is awesome.

Reply to No Child Left Behind is a Crock of #$%^ in Current Events JoeUser Forums

The teachers and vice principal at my sons school said they struggled with the 5th grade math test Maybe this should be a wake up call? 5th grade would definitely be pre-Algebra. I would expect things like complex multipication/division, fractions, decimals, negative numbers. Those things would seem rea

Reply to Left & Right & Patriotism in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

Have you ever been to New Zealand? An industrialised, extremely clean country with one of the healthiest natural environments in the world. New Zealand has about 1/2 the population of New York City.

Reply to Widening the Wage Gap in Politics JoeUser Forums

This sounds like a good argument for reducing the size of the federal government.

Reply to Truth Hurts in Politics JoeUser Forums

Economics is the single most important reason anyone volunteers for any job.

Reply to Kerry victory in November in Politics JoeUser Forums

give the winner of the popular vote 150 "bonus" electoral votes, If you're gonna do that, just scrap the EC altogether. Another thing is, there are some scenarios where both candidates get 269, which would send the vote to the House.

Reply to Conservative Targets in Politics JoeUser Forums

What do you mean then by "hindered by individual costs of health insurance plaguing most of the private sector." ? Yes, it's true that people who utilize medical services without paying for them are shouldered by people who do pay for medical services.

Reply to Beware of Four More Years in Politics JoeUser Forums

Most contraceptives don't prevent the spread of AIDS. Kerry says he favors pre-emption as long as it passes the global test. Other than John Edwards' haircut, what are the enormous costs of legal preperations? Contingency fees mean that when lawyers win, they need to rake in enough money to pay for the cases they lost. Why do Democrats act as though it is outrageous to deploy reserve units in a time of war? You didn't hear Re

Reply to Debate aftermath in Politics JoeUser Forums

Bush could win without Ohio if he gets both Wisconsin and Iowa and holds all his 2000 states except New Hampshire. I don't expect that to happen though.

Reply to Blind Worship in Politics JoeUser Forums

The problem with drugs and the free market is one of leverage. Typically, the market regulates costs because excessive prices either result in fewer customers or undercutting by competition. When the consequences of not purchasing medicine are ill health or death, the consumer has almost no leverage against the company. In general, I support free markets, but in the case of drugs, I would favor restricting end-consumer advertising and allowin

Reply to Picking between 2 sets of losers.. in Politics JoeUser Forums

What is sad is that both campaigns have tried to make this election about the "other guy". I think the Democrats really hosed themselves with their choices in the primary. If they had picked Gephardt or Liberman, they'd probably be winning now.

Reply to Conservative Targets in Politics JoeUser Forums

A reduction on COPORATE lawsuits sounds fine to me. Generally though when I hear about a lawsuit, a corporation is the target, not the one filing suit. Will is not concerned with stats that may show that a well-fed army of government employees enhances a thriving economy by greater middle class consumption that is not h

Reply to Economist Poll: Most Economists Prefer Kerry Economic Plan in Politics JoeUser Forums

Academia supports a Democrat, what a shocker. I wonder what would happen if they polled 100 business owners.

Reply to Does my vote count in Politics JoeUser Forums

The proposal I like is what Maine and Nebraska do, which is give each congressional district one electoral vote, and 2 to the state at large.