tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post109795575161523120..comments2024-03-19T01:48:39.709+00:00Comments on Power and Control: Socialism has died - it has not gone to heaven v2.0M. Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-1098517225509757932004-10-23T07:40:00.000+00:002004-10-23T07:40:00.000+00:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-1098517182753162592004-10-23T07:39:00.000+00:002004-10-23T07:39:00.000+00:00Health care. I think socializing it any further th...Health care. I think socializing it any further than it already is would be a disaster.<br /><br />For practical purposes no one in America is denied health care. No one.<br /><br />If you can't pay they put it on your tab. You may go broke but you will not die.<br /><br />As I have stated more than once. Before government got involved in health care the cost of health care was rising an astounding 5% a year. Now that the government is involved it is rising a more moderate 10% a year.<br /><br />Government hasn't helped. It has made things worse.By a factor of two. What is needed is medical savings accounts. You pay for the first $2K per year and then insurance kicks in.<br /><br />This is probably the best way to drive down costs.<br /><br />The co pay that is done now helps. However if the consumer got to keep or invest whatever wasn't spent it would help drive down costs by giving an incentive. It would also encourage people to live healthier. They get to keep more $$$$.<br /><br />I believe Bush got a pilot plan through this year.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-1098512540193692552004-10-23T06:22:00.000+00:002004-10-23T06:22:00.000+00:00I think there needs to be a social safety net at t...I think there needs to be a social safety net at this level of our economy. It causes some freeloading but it also allows the entreprenurial poor to take risks to move up the economic ladder.<br /><br />In my Libertarian days I was more doctrinaire about it but I guess I'm mellowing in my old age.<br /><br />As one of my more liberal but aware friends pointed out: a social safety net prevents revolutions. We just need to make it a small part of the economy. Not the whole thing. It must be purpose designed.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-1098508605272872912004-10-23T05:16:00.000+00:002004-10-23T05:16:00.000+00:00this is tom from the comment section of Sgtstryker...this is tom from the comment section of Sgtstryker. I just don't feel like opening up another account somewhere this late at night.<br /><br />What we agree on is that, yes, the current coalitions are up for some major realignment. I also agree that Socialism - which I define more narrowly than you - is dead. But there are still poor people and there will always be some major political party trying to get their votes and the people who feel for them. I argued at digital warfighter that the Democrats have been picking up the arguments of fiscal conservatism and might stick with it seeing as the Republicans just can't control themselves. But there is one other huge social issue that is not going away: health care. I think sometime soon there is going to be some major health care reform that more or less garantees health care to all Americans. Why? Because the current system is failing so miserably at insuring enough people. It probably won't be the single-payer stuff that the lefties want, but it will be something you probably won't like. I even heard Frist mention a "consumer driven" system that garantees health care to everyone. Whatever. People want their health care and while they're busy thinking about terrorism now, they'll turn again to domestic issues soon and both the Republcans and the Democrats will be looking to take care of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-1098131868474842612004-10-18T20:37:00.000+00:002004-10-18T20:37:00.000+00:00I agree with your assessment of the current politi...I agree with your assessment of the current political landscape. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the left to publicly discuss their problem.<br /><br />I did want to ask you what, if anything, leads you to believe the the Republican party will split. We have had the same two political parties for 150 years.<br /><br />In addition, I was curious about your thoughts about the impact of foreign policy. Neo-cons (who in my opinion are extremely mis-represented by the press, no liberal I talk to even knows what the hell it means), are currently aligned, convienently, w/ the social conservatives, but I am not convinced there agenda is necessarily a conservative one. Beign basically a libertarian on the scale you describe, I don't have a problem w/ them (better than the alternatives), however, I have read many disparaging comments about neo-cons made by libertarians. Further, the current foreign policy of the left is, in my opinion, incompatible w/ the center you describe, in fact, the foreign-policy and domestic policy is incompatible - did I just answer my question about the Republicans splitting? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8282587.post-1098037793041591692004-10-17T18:29:00.000+00:002004-10-17T18:29:00.000+00:00I hope you are correct. I fear that not enough peo...I hope you are correct. I fear that not enough people in America can conceive of the impact of bad decisions beyond the next 6 months. With this kind of thinking, we get 'feel' good policies that favor socialists. Simply enough of us have not had our nose rubbed in the impact of 70 years of socialism lite in the US. When the unsustainable debt we owe ourselves for entitlements really comes due, perhaps a major shift will occur.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com