I don’t know quite what to say other than that Bruce Labay and David Ladwig are extremely stupid individuals. And they seem to be part of a much larger tribe of monstrously stupid people.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
The first link is broken.
Thx. Should be fixed.
I couldn’t get the Bruce LaBay link to work, but I agree with you about the stupid people I read about in Ladwig’s article. I’m continually astounded by how uninformed people are here in Indiana. They vote these idiots into office on the state level and they are doing all kinds of nasty things and people talk about how it’s “government.” The GOP has worked hard to trash education in this state. So many watch Fox News and believe this stuff. They will not check it to see if it’s true. I can see there is tremendous amounts of good news and there is too much focus on the Tea Party. They are the bad kids that get the attention.
I can’t live here and deal with it anymore and my solution is not to talk to family or people around here and to focus on positives in politics and government, to promote it any way I can and to work for solutions.
I’ve been offline a couple of days. When the DL deal happened there was a conservative site that said McConnell got ObamaCare money for KY, then I read that it was infrastructure for dams and that POTUS put it in. That means he got a little jobs bill. So did POTUS throw McConnell an anvil for the primaries or will McConnell be able to boast he brought jobs and a good project to KY?
Alison Grimes is a couple of points ahead of him in the polls now. In IN Tea Party Mourdoch lost Lugar’s GOP Senate seat with a rape comment. They can’t keep their mouths shut. So if the Tea Party got in, I would think they could certainly screw it up. And McConnell is losing popularity. KY Dem Gov Bashear seems popular. It looks very possibly red to blue.
The stupid? I think actually ObamaCare is the best chance for Tea Party types to realize they’ve been lied to. Health is a concern for everyone. when their kid or wife of husband is helped by it then it gets to them on a level that no news channel can. Maybe not an instant about face, but a chance for erosion of resistance.
I feel your pain. Things are no different next door to you here in Ohio. It is simply impossible to talk to anyone, family or otherwise. But if we want to effect any change, we have no choice but to engage where it is most productive. Right now, we are fighting to make sure that the Medicaid expansion gets on the ballot here. Our GOP Governor, John Kasich, is trying to get it implemented through a special committee, but the GOP is poised to throw roadblocks in his path at every turn. And there will no doubt be litigation if he moves ahead with his proposed course of action. If we can get it on the ballot, that will be a good backstop in case Kasich fails at his efforts. We have a good slate of statewide candidates and are concentrating on turning Ohio back to blue in those positions. It is disheartening to be surrounded by so much conscious ignorance and misinformation. It is one big bubble of confirmation bias, and it requires a heavy lift to make any headway on it.
In many of the same ways that the GOP has wrecked Indiana, they have done the same things here in Ohio. And I think a lot of things are ripe for change here. We are going to do everything we can to make sure the probabilities are as high as they can be come next November, and beyond. Hopefully, those of you in Indiana can have some success, too.
I would love to be more involved in politics, but I’ve had to deal with health. it’s a big deal for me to get out to the library or grocery store once or twice a week. I do what I can with my computer, my congressmembers hear from me regularly, and I firmly believe that with all of us working together in whatever we can we will make huge changes.
In my county, in the local election a year or so ago there were 4 dems total running for any positions. None for mayor or any major positions. The party is totally demoralized and almost invisible here.
If we had a Democrat step out and lead the state I think the GOP would be surprised. I wish John Gregg would run for Senate against Coats. I think he has good name recognition with Democrats even though he lost to Pence for Gov. Democrats are really getting furious at Pence and the Tea Party. Pence is such an ass.
I love my family in my heart, but I feel so much better now that I decided to take a vacation from them or from anyone that talks Tea Party. When the time is right I will talk to them again. In the meantime, the peace is healing.
I appreciate your news about Ohio. I’ve been doing some reading about FDR’s years and the same issues were alive then as now. I do believe we will prevail and I’m ready to do battle in whatever way I can.
Let me know if there is anything I can do to support your ballot measure. Anything I can tweet to alert people? Website? Petition to sign, volunteers needed? I will let others know. I love that you are doing that.
#Together
We have the same struggles here locally to even get Democrats on the ballot. There has not been a Democrat in a local office in over 20 years. This is GOP country from top to bottom. I understand the demoralization that is felt by many Democrats. All I can tell you is that you have to keep on pushing. We are slowly making inroads here in our area. Our profile has been raised significantly over the last couple of years, mainly because there is a very dedicated, albeit small, group of grassroots Democrats who simply will not take no for an answer. We keep a profile in the community and a presence at all local activities. We have simply determined that we will not be cowed and driven back into the shadows by fear and intimidation. And what we have found is that there are a decent number of people who have gained a bit of courage to “come out of the closet” with their politics and join us, even if is just socially.
I cannot tell you how many times someone has told me, “I didn’t even know there were any Democrats in this county”. And when they find out that there are, they realize they can come out once in a while and hang out with us and feel comfortable and just share feelings and thoughts in this Tea Party crazy environment. It is a very cathartic experience.
I am sympathetic to your health situation, and we have had many others here who are in the same boat. And what I tell them is that there are always important things that need to be done which fall within everyone’s abilities and circumstances. There is phone banking, spending a couple hours a week manning the phone in the local Democratic Headquarters or simply lending your presence at monthly meetings. Not everyone can serve on committees and spend endless hours every week neck deep in local politics. I have work constraints myself, but I still am fortunate enough to have time to serve on the Executive Committee and Membership Committee.
When you’re a volunteer, any amount of time you can give is appreciated. Everything is important, there are no efforts that will not be welcomed. So try and find a niche that you feel comfortable with, whether it’s on a local or a state level, and just give it a try. There is a lot you can do from the comfort of your home. And most definitely try and hook up with your local Democratic Party. It might seem like they are a moribund and beaten group, but if you can find even one person with whom you can find common cause, it makes things infinitely easier to deal with.
Please do not lose hope. The Democratic message and philosophy is simply infinitely more beneficial for the future of this country than the Tea Party hate and rage that you and I both live in every day. I encourage you to hang in there and try to find some small way in which you can make a contribution to this effort.
Thank you for your encouraging words, Mike. I can’t even find out who is the local Democratic party leader for this county. No web presence at all, but I will contact the Indiana party and see if I can find out.
I know there are Democrats here because I do talk to them. My work would be mostly online or calling when it works out. It’s all important.
I was serious about helping you. I’m very into Twitter and would send a shout out about any initiatives or call for support you have.
ThisMagicalEarth @MagicalEarth
#Together
I dunno. When they purchase a Bronze plan and find that none of their claims are being paid because they haven’t reached an extraordinary deductible, they are apt to consider it a scam to line the pockets of the insurance companies … which it is.
Maybe, but I expect Bronze plans will be quite attractive to younger people who don’t expect to get sick, but want to cap their total expense in order to limit exposure just in case. Total annual expense in these plans runs around 5K-7K, which is the price of a couple of days in intensive care.
To be clear I meant maximum out-of-pocket runs 5-7K
I agree but I think many will be surprised if they have an actual hospital experience. They are probably used to their parents workplace plans.
I won’t be satisfied until we have Medicaid for All, except maybe the 1%, but Medicaid for 99% doesn’t ring right. Not saying something isn’t better than nothing, but let’s not pretend that the ACA is Heaven.
I am on a walker at age 65 because I fell 10 years ago, no insurance and my legs just healed as they were. I was in a job in a process of being created, limited-term, no benefits. I couldn’t get insurance because I was treated for high blood pressure which was totally controlled by medication. That was considered a pre-existing condition. A person who has had no insurance would not talk the way you are at all. If a person purchases a bronze plan they can read what is offered in that plan. they will know there are deductibles. I’ve had emergency outpatient surgeries that were $20,000 – $30,000. Trashing the ACA for the reasons you give is incredible to me and very unrealistic.
17 million children can no longer be denied care because of a pre-existing condition. Jan 1, the adults join in that benefit.
I was going to get you some links to people reporting the hugh costs that accidents and emergency surgeries cost their young adult sons and daughters, but you can do the work and find it. They were talking about how great it was that ACA was going to cover them. Moms are telling their kids to sign up.
If you think you can get your desire through congress then go for it. I’m thrilled that others will have the opportunity that I didn’t have to be able to get health care. ACA is a great program. Medicare and Bush’s drug plan had a troubled beginning. ACA will do fine. When windows comes out buggy no one calls Bill Gates a failure. ObamaCare will be fine and has already done great things for the American people.
Hear, hear! I’ve been fortunate enough to have had health coverage pretty much all my adult life, and even though it’s been tough paying for it at times, and even though it’s never been the gold-plated kind Voice seems to consider necessary, I’ve always been damned grateful to have what I could get. You can’t even get in the door of some providers without it. The death of pre-existing conditions denial alone makes the ACA well worth it.
Oh, and I got back a rebate from my insurer this year for not meeting their obligations under the required care/overhead ratio. They’d actually gotten by under the ACA ratio, but Massachusetts’ is 5 percent tougher, so I got that check.
Many people call Bill Gates’ products software failures.
I’m 64 years old and have been on a bronze plan for years here in Massachusetts. Yes, the high deductible is a pain, but the coverage still offers benefits:
In February I get to go on Medicare, which hopefully will reduce my costs even further.
I have a question about the ACA plans. Mostly because the guides seem not to use precise and/or consistent definitions of deductible versus out-of-pocket costs and coinsurance versus co-pay. Co-pay seems not to be applicable to Bronze plans.
In your Bronze plan is there an annual deductible similar to what exists for Medicare Part B? (And hospital stays for Part A) iirc the current Medicare Part B deductible is $140 – the amount a beneficiary pays before Medicare with an 80/20% co-insurance rate kicks in for the year. Sort of front end loading whereas the Bronze Plan seems to be more complex and variable among different insurers. Appreciate that in the aggregate these plans are 60/40% coinsurance rate and have a maximum annual out-of-pocket amount of $6,300, but it’s unclear to me when payments by the insurer for services kick in. How does your plan work?
My out-of-pocket limit is $5,000 annually, resetting every January 1st. My co-pay is $25 per doctor visit. I make a decent living, so the co-pays aren’t a problem; and as I noted above, my providers are happy to do a payment plan. In every situation when I’ve needed it there’s been no pushback at all, just willingness to settle on an amount that works for both of us. That’s with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; there are a number of other insurers in the exchange in Massachusetts and I don’t know how their plans vary.
I get a statement from HPHC periodically showing what claims have been made on it, at what gross rate; what their allowed amount is; what if any deductible has been applied; what if any remaining amount due is; what they pay of that; and what if anything remains due from me to the provider.
I just pulled out a statement from March of this year, covering the period of my surgery, when most of my deductible was still unused. Some sample info:
Pre-op visit/x-rays with the surgeon: Provider charge, $784; allowed amount, $450.08; HPHC paid, $318.17; deductible applied, $106.91; co-payment at time of visit, $25.00; my responsibility, $131.91.
Bottom line on the hip replacement, amount allowed after HPHC whittled everything down: $51,547.09. Amount due from me: $4,793.89. Relief from debilitating pain without bankrupting me: priceless.
Thanks. That makes it a bit clearer. Well, not really. I get that the $25 co-pay is a flat charge per office visit and that it counts towards what is due from you for each bill. But it appears that the co-pay doesn’t count in the annual deductible tally. So, annual out-of-pocket is somewhat more than the deductible.
Interesting that your bronze plan appears to be more similar to the national silver plan with a 30% out-of-pocket co-insurance obligation and not 40%. Or maybe that’s an artifact of your particular medical procedure this year.
The state controls the minimums to be provided at each tier of the health plans; insurers can tinker with the details and their rates but can’t go outside of fairly narrow confines in terms of value for premium dollar.
This is the website for the Massachusetts system:
https:/www.mahealthconnector.org
Since it’s been up and running for several years, it’s had time to work out the kind of kinks that are besetting ObamaCare’s rolloout.
People have been told that their health care will be taken of, not that they won’t be screwed as bad. A Gold or Platinum plan is much more like employer insurance which is most people’s idea of insurance.
BTW, back when I was a pup, coverage was 100% not 80% and the deductible was around $50 like car insurance. It really did cover all your needs. When my daughter was born it cost me $11 for a diaper packet they implied was free at the last minute. Today, I hear it’s more like $1000 to $2000 with insurance and $10K up without. If that’s lowered to $5K that’s an improvement but not Heaven on Earth.
In looking up Ladwig’s article at WaPo I saw this one on Scalia. WaPo says
“….Antonin Scalia isn’t like most Americans because most Americans don’t live in little bubbles surrounded by viewpoints we agree with….”
The thing is that the people you are talking about are exactly like Scalia. Fox News says not to look at liberal sites, they don’t check to see if the information they are getting is true and the live in rural areas where their neighbors and churches reflect their beliefs. It’s absolutely bizarre talking to them and I don’t do it anymore.
Most Americans are not like Antonin Scalia
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/10/18/most-americans-are-not-like-antonin-sc
alia/
Ladwig sounds like he’s from the Green Lantern school, with a dose of Rambo. The Labay story has that one helpful quote from the GOP young gun: “Texas is not America.” Well, there you go.
As to his supplementary statement, that Texas has not elected a Dem to statewide office since 1994, just wait, f***er, that smug smile will be gone permanently by the time you get to middle age.
I’ll believe that when I see it.
It’s possible that they will take everyone with a ‘Z’ at the end of their name off the voting roles.
Texas’ voter suppression and gerrymanding efforts are just about that crude. This will be one of the States that the Justice Department will have the best chance with in court. They’re not too clever down there.
Within a decade or two, the wave of Texas citizens from immigrant families will be too high. Continuing with vicious voter suppression will just drive these citizens to the ballot box to vote out the racists and opportunists who prevented their families and friends from voting and having a more decent life. Like previous expressions of Jim Crow, this will be defeated.
Somehow I doubt it, at least if by immigrants you mean Latinos. I was recently forced to examine one reason the voting among Latinos in Texas is lower when a relative of mine was killed. I’d rather not discuss the circumstances because very strange and potentially ominous things started occurring to my relatives down there. But suffice to say that despite the victim being friends with the police chief, the police eventually let it go.
In south Texas, people see the corruption and think “what good will my vote do?” and they mock voting because they only see it as a waste of time. This has nothing to do with democrats or republicans.
Possibly, they also look at the corruption in Mexico and say, “Why would it be different here?” I know my Italian ancestors didn’t feel the same about the Bill of Rights that I do. They just thought government was something to stay away from and that was good thinking in the old country.
And I think your experience is the likely outcome in Texas and elsewhere. MNPundit had their own experiences, but I’ll bet that as some of those immigrant communities in Texas grow more multiple generations of legal citizens, they will become more educated about U.S. governance and laws, and we’ll get organizers in there to get them to use their power at the ballot box.
Right!
Wonder if he knew that during the shutdown the govt wasn’t issueing any drilling permits.
There’s a map that does a decent job of identifying where the tribe lives:
(note that what the diarist says is yellow – the teahadist districts – appears as white)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/17/1248179/-There-are-three-U-S-parties-now-with-maps
One of the most notable features is Labay’s lovely state. Not one Repub from that state voted to end the shutdown and raise the debt limit. Aside from the few Dem districts, it is a sea of Teahadists.
That with the fact that Texas is the 2nd largest state in terms of districts is astonishing in my opinion. Oh, I know Texas has more than a fair share of stupid, but not one moderate Repub district?
Compare that with Illinois (another high CD count state) where only 1 CD went teahadist. It is the outer most ring of Metra connected suburbs – classic “white flight” territory. Even downstate reps all voted to restore operation and raise the debt ceiling. Illinois’ bluish tint seems to help them keep the crazy under a little more control.
Randy Hultgren is so far Right that he is in another galaxy. Hopefully, a more moderate primary challenger will appear. Unfortunately, most of the moderates there are Democrats.
Interesting question: Does Obama like, or has he ever liked Led Zeppelin?
I guess you do not know about this;
President Obama Pays Tribute to Led Zeppelin at Kennedy Center Honors
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/president-obama-led-zeppelin-tribute/
I do, but I mean, it’s not like he made the choices did he? So is he rocking out to Stairway to Heaven? It didn’t look like it. It looked like he was thinking about his golf swing.
What’s your point?