HATE is a strong word.

[baileyuph]

What keeps this site alive, it is a business?  Common sense is .....other business buying a spot here to sell upholstery supplies and related equipment. 

Therefore, if a line isn't drawn, this site will understandably go away.  It takes money to keep it going.  What is gained to not understand what is available and how it can go away?

Doyle 

[sofadoc]

I've never really understood why some people get so passionate about their religious and political views. But then, maybe it's because I've never really had any hardships in my life. It's easy for me to sit in my comfortable home and eat from an ample pantry, and go to bed without even checking to make sure the front door is locked.

I posted a lighthearted post about living in Mayberry in the 50's. As Virginia pointed out, the 50's weren't good for everyone. Mainly, they were just good for the white guys.

But what I've never been able to grasp. If you're a Democrat........ALL Republicans are not only wrong........but they're evil too! And vice-versa. If you're a Baptist, all other denominations are going to hell. And they feel the same way about you.

The real answer is probably somewhere in-between all these extreme point of views. 

I'm thinking about hating Gene though, because he said that Barney Fife wasn't funny. Where'd you go to school Gene? Saddam Hussein Senior High?  :D 

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Yup, I should have said and neglected to say that I absolutely believe that we need both parties working TOGETHER for our system to work correctly.  Left unchecked, the Dems would give too much away and left unchecked the "R's" are going to only pad the pockets of the wealthy while the poor get poorer.  Therefore they need to work together for the betterment of everyone.  The problem is that many of the "R's" in Washington right now as well as many of the candidates have made it clear that they do not intend to work together, going for another stalemate which probably translates to another shutdown which is not good for the Country or any of us.

I hope I made it clear in my earlier post that I don't think that all voting Republicans are evil, they just listen to too many sound bites.  I'm sure that some Dems do that as well.  I don't listen to many commercials, especially political ones as they are ALL horrible.  I do lots of reading especially voting records of the incumbents and go from there.

Virginia

[sofadoc]

I don't listen to many commercials, especially political ones as they are ALL horrible.

It was a better time before the Ad Men that sell soap and cereal started doing the political commercials.

We have a race going on in Texas where one candidate accuses the other of voting to "let rapists go free". The pro-rape candidate counters by saying that his opponent has voted against education every time.

Of course, all Texas candidates claim to have a strong stance on border patrol. But they do it tactfully so as not to offend the HUGE number of voting Hispanics in the state.

And how many times have we seen a political ad where they show a split-screen of the 2 candidates. One guy has a contemptible seedy PO'ed look on his face, while the other has an angelic smile, and a radiant glow above his head.

Why do they resort to these sleazy tactics? Because they work (at least that's what the ad men tell them).

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

The ads just make my skin get that creepy feeling and I want to run and grab my billfold firmly.  UGH!

On a side note, kind of funny.  Bob had agreed to volunteer for the Dem running for Governor.  I think he would be a good fit but doesn't stand a chance against all the money being poured into the State (that should still be illegal).  The volunteer that called Bob said he would come over Saturday afternoon and show him how to do it from home.  Bob retired on a disability because of an on the job injury that didn't heal well and if he doesn't keep his leg elevated, it balloons up to twice its normal size or more.  The dude told Bob he would be by in the afternoon, probably mid-afternoon.  Well, he was a no-call, no-show which did NOT amuse me in the least. 

About 8:45 pm, our front doorbell rang (Sew & Sew is the side door with it's own unique doorbell).  Bob flipped the porch light on and it was a gentleman.  Before the guy had a chance to say anything, Bob told him it was just too late.  The guy asked if Bob was sure and Bob made some remark about the afternoon being long over with.  Somehow (don't remember exactly as I wasn't paying that close of attention), Bob said something about Democrats.  The guy responded back with something about Nebraska being a Republican state. 

Suddenly, I knew this was a customer for me.  I had called this guy's wife on Thursday to let her know that she could bring her patio chairs over whenever it was convenience (since it has gotten cold enough that they are probably not going to be hanging out in the patio area until Spring).  I had not heard back from her which was ok as I'm not going to recover them for several weeks.  I'd never met her husband but I just knew that it was her Bob.  I pretty much sprinted to the door (before things could get heated) and looked at him, stuck out my hand and said "I'm Virginia and you just have to be Bob.  If you have the patio chairs with you it's not too late."  So he sauntered off to his truck and brought in the chair seats for me.  We all had a good laugh about it.  He apologized for not letting me know he was coming.  I kept telling him not a big deal.  Hubby Bob kept apologizing for his part though he had not really said anything to apologize for.  Still very funny but could easily have gone South if either of the Bob's had felt like antagonizing the other.  Whew!!

Virginia

[Rich]

The real answer is probably somewhere in-between all these extreme point of views.

One word-Pride.
Rich

[kodydog]

...many of the candidates have made it clear that they do not intend to work together, going for another stalemate which probably translates to another shutdown which is not good for the Country or any of us.
Virginia

I believe the threat to shut down the government is a good thing. The framers of the constitution gave congress the power of the purse to keep the executive branch in check. All spending has to go through congress and if the president is doing things that are wrong or illegal, congress can shut him down by not giving him the funding. Will this congress do that? I doubt they have the backbone.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

...many of the candidates have made it clear that they do not intend to work together, going for another stalemate which probably translates to another shutdown which is not good for the Country or any of us.
Virginia

I believe the threat to shut down the government is a good thing. The framers of the constitution gave congress the power of the purse to keep the executive branch in check. All spending has to go through congress and if the president is doing things that are wrong or illegal, congress can shut him down by not giving him the funding. Will this congress do that? I doubt they have the backbone.

I'm assuming you are referring to Obamacare.   The premise of ACA is much needed.  Our current ACA was actually modeled after a Republican think tank effort.   None of us have much of an idea of everything in the ACA due to its voluminous size and I take some offense to that.  I do think that a one-payer system is what the country needs and we definitely need protection for folks with pre-existing conditions.  Everytime someone walks into ER or is admitted to a hospital without insurance, all of us with insurance are in effect paying his/her bill as they tag those uninsured folks into our charges.   Not to mention that women who deliver babies without having had the benefit or prenatal care tend to deliver underweight babies who require more doctor care.  I know from working ER that folks without insurance use the ER as a doctor's office.  It would be cheaper all around if we had a one-payer system.  I doubt it will ever happen though because insurance companies make too much money off illness/insurance policies.

As to whether Obamacare is illegal or wrong, I can't answer that.  I think that everyone should have insurance (even those that are here illegally).  Those folks are some of the people using ER as a doctor's office running up our hospitalization costs.   The parts of Obamacare that can be challenged have been.  I hope that it is a dead horse that no longer gets beaten.  We have way bigger problems to deal with IMO.

I still take issue with shutting the government down.  All we are doing is giving Government employees additional vacation days as they are paid after the fact for shut down days so in effect it costs the government big bucks and doesn't really change anything.

Gotta get to work.  Had a nice lazy morning.

Virginia

[kodydog]

Here's the funny thing about Obama Care. People were screaming and hollering about how evil and greedy the insurance companies were. So in his infinite wisdom Obama passed a law that requires all citizens to buy their product. The insurance companies are now fatter and happier than ever. Wouldn't it have made a lot more since to fix the problems rather than reform the entire system? People are still using emergency rooms for medical care because the government forces hospitals to except them. It's the government that got us into the mess not the hospitals or insurance companies. Abolishing frivolous lawsuits would drop the cost of insurance charged to doctors and ease the burden in our courts. A loser pays system could be a start.

My wife has a per-existing condition. Two years ago she got a job with the state and signed on to their insurance program. A fantastic deal. Now she want's to come back and join me in my business. So she checked out Obama Care. Yes the insurance companies do have to take people with per-existing conditions but they can charge what they feel is necessary to make up for there losses. What once cost us $500 a month for self employed insurance would now cost us over $1000 a month. Basically shes stuck in her state job. It almost seams that's right where the government wants us. Dependent on them.

I support freedom of choice, as long as that choice harms no one else. It's the American way. If a healthy collage student, strapped with tuition's wants to opt out shouldn't they be allowed without paying penalties?

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I support freedom of choice, as long as that choice harms no one else. It's the American way. If a healthy collage student, strapped with tuition's wants to opt out shouldn't they be allowed without paying penalties?

If we could fix the system it would be great but it appears that the big insurance guys have their hands in the back pockets of most all of our elected representatives in Washington so nothing will get fixed.    I'm reluctant to say that the loser pays court costs because that will encourage (more) big insurance companies to lie, cheat and steal to win lawsuits filed against them.  It's already a very hard system to use correctly (lawsuits, etc).  Two years ago, I was attacked by an 85 pound dog while I was walking on lunch hour.  I was on the other side of the street, dog got out of a fenced yard that had a hole in the fence -- owner knew dog was getting out and did nothing to fix it.   My left leg got damaged fairly badly -- I looked down and saw blood and tissue running down my leg.  I was smart enough not to leave the scene until the County Sheriff's Office made a report and took pictures.  For what it's worth, the dog bit the Deputy too.  Anyway, Bob picked me up, we went to ER, they cleaned the wounds out, took more pictures, had Animal Control file a report and gave me a script for antibiotics.  Leg got horribly infected within 48 hours.  My PCP wanted to admit me to the hospital it was that infected.  She gave me 24 hours for the infection to subside or she said she would have to admit me so that I wouldn't lose my leg.  Crazy.  Took 3 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of the infection.  I immediately got this huge wad of scar tissue where she latched onto my leg.  I didn't sleep for weeks as I was having nightmares of getting bit by that dog and other dogs, flashbacks while at work, etc.  So, I was in physical therapy and saw a therapist for months.  I wouldn't walk outside for over a year.  I now walk outside with Bob but absolutely won't walk by myself.  Anyway, dog owner's had home owner's insurance on their dog (that makes you wonder a bit too).   Insurance company said from the get go that they were responsible for my bills however how it worked was that we were responsible for all of my co-pays, deductibles, out of pocket items, etc.  By the time we were ready to talk settlement, we had paid close to $2,000 out of pocket to doctors, er, etc and another $1,500+ in lost wages.  I could afford to pay all that up front but if I had been working minimum wage with 3 or 4 kids and no husband, I would have had no choice but to settle early -- that's what the insurance companies bank on.

I also have a pre-existing condition (fused back) and we've not looked into any other insurance but it's been a bit of a relief to know that ACA is there should anything happen to our insurance.  Hopefully I'll never have to research that.

As far as opting out because you are "healthy".  We don't let people opt out of having insurance on their cars because they might hit someone else and be at fault.  So what happens to this healthy college student if he trips going down his basement steps (renting and doesn't have rental insurance), breaks his leg bad enough to need surgery and is hospitalized for a week, needs months of physical therapy?  Now, we have the same ole same ole of racking up hundreds of thousands of medical bills that he will never be able to pay.  Honestly, instead of all the insurance brokers and all that other crap, give everyone the same insurance that Bob and I got from working for the Government.  If your employer was paying your premiums, they would reimburse the government.  Even if you are young, you never know what is going to happen -- just look at that 29 year old who just died from an aggressive brain tumor.  You should have insurance.  Otherwise, something happens and you are now screwed for life with all of those medical bills.  Or I guess the hospitals could refuse them service and we could let them bleed to death or die writhing in pain outside of the hospital doors.  That's my problem with people not having insurance.  The unexpected happens to enough people that they either are saddled for the rest of their life or if denied service ... the unthinkable to me.

I don't claim to have the correct answer but I honestly believe that single payer would take care of most of your points.  Your wife would have great insurance and your premiums wouldn't double in price.

Virginia

[Mojo]

My parents both would get PO'ed if I said I hated someone. They much preferred the word
" Dislike ". They felt hate was a very negative motion and one that should not be used.

Of course I also got this same lecture from the Priest and Nun's at school. :)

I have alot of people I do not care for but I do not hate them. I just avoid them at all costs.

Talking about going back in time I am pretty sure God meant for me to be living in the late 1800's.
I still cherish the discussions I had with my Dad, grandparents, Aunt's and Uncles about life back in the early 1900's up through the 50's.

Somewhere along the line we lost that ability to accept and be polite to others and to think of their
feelings before speaking. I always like to say " The more I know about people.....The more I love my dogs. ".

Chris

[Darren Henry]

God meant for me to be living in the late 1800's.

Around the turn of the century, as technology was taking over control of our brains and hands, my family and friends all joked about me being a "'90's kind of guy"----1890's !!! I should check e-bay for a "fix-er-upper" Delorian and rent the back to the future VHS for instructions on tricking it out. :D