Barack Obama is President of the United States of America

[dorothyrd]

In September, the auto makers asked for 25 billion dollars bail out dollars to start making more hybrids and smaller cars. Today they are meeting with Nancy Pelosi to ask for 25 billion more to stay in business. Where does it end, can you even fathom having a billion dollars, much less 25 billion?

I truly feel for the people in financial trouble. One is a friend, a co-worker who I dearly love, but honestly, the last 7 years she and her husband have made financial decisions I would not have. Buying a house way to expensive for their means, buying a 50,000 car, and now both kids in college....credit cards are maxed, and they just went to the bank to see about getting another loan to help them. They cannot sell their house because the markets are down, but I know when they bought the house I was surprised.... it is not something I would have done. I bought a car because I had to, mine was totaled, I have a loan for 10,000 and bought something with good fuel ecomony and not expensive.... We as a nation and as a people need to live within our means.

 

[hiitdogs]

Hi again
The house republicans were mainly responsible for turning down the original because of excessive pork spending.

I am sorry, maybe I am dense but where did the original bill have excessive pork spending? The pork spending was added to the final bill which is when they got the number of Republicans they needed to pass the bill in the House.

McCain didn't first propose the oversight board, the timeline is very well documented. McCain admitted he hadn't even read the proposal at the time he was suspending his campaign. It is a moot point to argue though.

I agree with you that most people make no money in a down economy and if they didn't have money before they won't have it now. The point is though you have to stop the bleeding, meaning you have to stop the excessive amount of foreclosures because it drags everyone else down and triggers even more avoidable foreclosures.

The way you do it is by what is called "loss mitigation". Banks and the people threatened by foreclosure regenotiate the mortgage amount, interest and mortgage payments. Both parties win, the borrower can stay in the house and not ruin their credit, mortgage companies get at least part of their money back. Foreclosed houses sell for quite a bit less than the "market value" (about 10 to 20 % less) but in the process take other home values down.

If I was in charge of the government I would force the lenders to take the loss and refinance those loans so the people can stay in their homes but also put a stipulation on the title/deed that if the market values goes up again and the people eventually sell their house for a profit, they can't bag the profit but have to pay it back to the lender or government up to the amount that was forgiven.

I don't like the bailout either but what was the other choice. To freeze up the whole economy? And everybody lose even more money. In some instances the government has to get involved for the greater good.

 

[Gayle]

I agree, that is why I am asking the questions. What we have is not good, but is it all rainbows and sparkles the other way? No, so what would fix it so it works for us? I hope the right people are looking at this instead of just imposing something that may not work on us. And the otherside of the coin is, don't hem and haw and not do anything just because someone from the other side proposes something, work together.

Hi Dorothy - I've posted this link a couple of times in other threads (I'm probably sounding like a broken record) but I think it's worth watching. It's an episode of Frontline called "Sick around the World".

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

It's a very fair overview of the universal health plans in five other countries - UK, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, and Switzerland. None is perfect, but I think they all are better than ours in at least one respect: NO ONE GOES BANKRUPT DUE TO HEALTH CARE COSTS RELATED TO ILLNESS OR INJURY.

One other thing I noticed is that they all put a much larger emphasis on preventative care, and the costs are less than that of the U.S. "system" (cost calculated as % of GDP).

I'd love to see our country take an approach similar to what Taiwan did...look at what's working well in other countries and incorporate that into our system.

 

[Worknprogress]

Carolla - I think Obama needs to hire you as one of his advisors!!!

 

[hiitdogs]

Another facet of this would be the legal aspect. Many talented doctors, including my husband, have left clinical medicine because of the ever-increasing threat of bullshit lawsuits. The docs who continue to see patients are practicing defensive medicine, which isn't good for anyone, physically or financially.

In addition to a form of national healthcare, I want to see legal protection for both patient and physician.

I don't want to be a know it all but health care in this country has been near and dear to my heart for many years, and I have read a lot about it. Really, medical malpractice lawsuits is only a fraction of what drives up health care cost. In fact, numerous independent studies have been done on this very subject and medical malpractice payouts accounts for 0.55 % to 1 % (depending on the study) of the total health care cost.

In California with the most draconian limits on the rights of patients in medical malpractice, there is a cap of $ 250,000 on non-economic damages. Despite of that the average premium for malpractice insurance is $ 35,000 (obviously higher for high-risk fields like OB/GYN, neurosurgeons, etc), this is more than 8 % higher than in states with no cap. In fact, insurance premiums for doctors increased by 190 % over the 12-year period following the cap implementation and health care cost increased by 343 %.

I think this is a very sue-happy society and there are lawsuits that make me cringe. However, when you look at how many frivilous law suits actually move forward, it is a miniscule amount but of course those law suits get dragged into the media and tort reform proponents have a hayday with it.

It is not easy to file a lawsuit against a doctor or dentist. From my own experience with a dentist who screwed up where 2 experts said it was malpractice I can tell you that it is an uphill battle to even file the lawsuit. In my case, I just gave and I am certainly not someone to easily back off

I think insurance companies are gauging doctors citing the high cost of law suits whereas study after study proves them wrong. Look at the profits insurance companies are making on their policies.

A factor that IS driving up the cost of health care is the cost of drugs, in the US it is 3 to 5 times higher for exactly the same drug than in other countries. Why? Because they can and their marketing budget to advertise prescription drugs to the general public and doctors has to be paid somehow. Not to mention that their advertising works, more and more people getting prescribed more and more drugs.

This is a subject that really gets me riled up, but I am getting off my soapbox now

 

[dorothyrd]

Hi Dorothy - I've posted this link a couple of times in other threads (I'm probably sounding like a broken record) but I think it's worth watching. It's an episode of Frontline called "Sick around the World".

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

It's a very fair overview of the universal health plans in five other countries - UK, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, and Switzerland. None is perfect, but I think they all are better than ours in at least one respect: NO ONE GOES BANKRUPT DUE TO HEALTH CARE COSTS RELATED TO ILLNESS OR INJURY.

One other thing I noticed is that they all put a much larger emphasis on preventative care, and the costs are less than that of the U.S. "system" (cost calculated as % of GDP).

I'd love to see our country take an approach similar to what Taiwan did...look at what's working well in other countries and incorporate that into our system.

Thanks, I will look at it tonight, meanwhile,.....I must work to pay the bills....

 

[hiitdogs]

Carolla - I think Obama needs to hire you as one of his advisors!!!

 

[nancy324]

"The issue I have is taxing the wealthy to give to the poor. As Nancy said, many of the wealthy got that way because of family inheritance. This inheritance has been taxed several times already. Should we raise their taxes so they have to pay once AGAIN? How about those go-getter types like Bill Gates or the founders of Yahoo or Google? They worked their butts off to get everything they have. Should they be taxed more to give to the poor? Why? They already do A LOT for charity. Isn't that better than the government getting the money?"

Carrie, if you have nothing more important to worry about than how Bill Gates is faring, I want to be you!

You should know, however, that when Bill Gates dies there will be NO estate tax on his foundation or any of his charitable bequests. Any wealthy person can decide to avoid the estate tax and give to the charities of his/her choice instead. And the estate tax will not affect Bill Gates or his wife in any event, just the people they decide to leave their money to after they're gone (unless it's a charity).

 

[atremo11]

I am a Republican. I do not agree with many of the Democratic Party's ideals. But what annoys me the most is that people think that now this nation will be "changed" well that will not happen overnight. Yes, Barack Obama is a great orator, but he is not tested as a leader, that he will have to prove. I will, as an American try to support him, but I can not respect him. I have yet to see him salute my flag that so many Americans have fought and will continue to fight for. This nation does not need "change" it needs reform and people need to be held accountable for the things they do. Then and only then will we move forward as a nation. But is not going to take our new president to do this, it is going to take us the people to do it.

 

[chefkate]

I usually stay out of the political threads, but Atremo, very well said.

 

[Jaffas]

"The issue I have is taxing the wealthy to give to the poor. As Nancy said, many of the wealthy got that way because of family inheritance. This inheritance has been taxed several times already. Should we raise their taxes so they have to pay once AGAIN? How about those go-getter types like Bill Gates or the founders of Yahoo or Google? They worked their butts off to get everything they have. Should they be taxed more to give to the poor? Why? They already do A LOT for charity. Isn't that better than the government getting the money?"[/I]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure Bill Gates himself (along with Warren Buffett and many other billionaires) is in favor of the estate tax. He has no problem giving back to his country.

 

[LaughingWater]

It is not easy to file a lawsuit against a doctor or dentist.

Here in Illinois, especially Cook County, it is VERY easy to file a lawsuit against a doctor. Sadly I know from personal experience. There is no mediation whatsoever. And much time, money, and aggravation is spent on the defense of good physicians. DH also works as an expert witness in malpractice cases and sees a lot of crap come across his desk.

Dentists in Illinois have mediation, something the docs here would love.

The cost of unnecessary malpractice suits must be measured carefully. In addition to the obvious costs, you must also consider two things:

1) The economic result of defensive medicine. I know many physicians who feel they must order multiple but often unnecessary tests in order to cover their butts. That adds up.

2) The non-economic result of excellent physicians leaving clinical medicine to find another, less threatening line of work. My husband just did this in the last year (and it broke his heart). Several friends have followed, including 5 of our own doctors. These are talented docs, and patients are missing out. Why? Because we've been down the malpractice road one too many times, and it's just not worth it anymore.

I admit that I'm hardly an objective observer regarding this subject. We are currently involved in 2 cases (which have been going on for 7 years, I believe...I've lost count), and there's a lien on our house. Multiple physicians are named in these suits because in Cook County, if you as a patient don't like your outcome, it's common practice to sue every single name in your chart...regardless of fault. That's how you make the most money. Get this. The patients who are suing these docs actually like my husband! But this is how the malpractice game is played here.

And that's just wrong.



Edited later to end on a lighter note, because this topic is obviously a sore spot for me:

While educating oneself about healthcare in this country is a good thing, reading articles and statistics is merely scratching the surface. It's like spotting the Orion Nebula in your telescope and concluding you've seen the whole Universe. Speaking as someone who is part of both the medical and patient community, who lives with the causes and the effects, there's a whole lot more going on ~ the ripple effect is far beyond what can be measured in terms of numbers.

I dig your interest though! I wish more people would get involved.

 

[nancy324]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure Bill Gates himself (along with Warren Buffett and many other billionaires) is in favor of the estate tax. He has no problem giving back to his country.

Close. Bill Gates' father, who is wealthy in his own right, is strongly in favor of the estate tax, as is Warren Buffet. Bill Gates himself has not weighed in on the issue.

 

[RunninTeach]

Cathy - I certainly did not mean to offend you or any of the other wonderful teachers out there. I wish all teachers were as commited to the job as you are, but unfortuantely not all are. There are some teachers up here who do in fact take on part time work in addition to their teaching during the school year. I did not mean to suggest that anyone do that in order to keep teaching. I just meant that it is an option for some. I very much value good teachers such as yourself.

Angie,

I know what a fair and good-hearted person you are, but whether it was your intention or not, I think your post greatly devalues teachers. In New Jersey, we have some of the highest teacher salaries in the nation, but believe me, we hear many remarks from the public that we don’t deserve our current salaries and benefits or raises. In many other states, I know the salaries for educators are actually quite abysmal. To me, that’s a shame that we don’t place greater value on the profession. There is also the widely held misconception, which you noted, that we must have tons of free time on our hands and can simply take another job, if necessary, since we should have known going into it, that we would never be rich from teaching. In my view, this does not justify the inadequate pay that is a reality for many.

Believe me, I know a good number of colleagues who DO work PT during the school year, but IMO, that is a very unfortunate situation. Frankly, I don’t even know how they do it because I come home many a night positively exhausted. I know my students would suffer for it if I were holding an evening job. My feeling is that teaching should be the sole focus, and no one should HAVE to take a second job during the school year to make ends meet.

I am not looking for kudos for how hard teachers work. Yes, I chose this profession, and I will put in however many hours it takes to do my job well. I just want to dispel the widespread myth that at 3 pm, the job is done and we put our feet up. The fact of the matter is, that quite often, those “cush holidays” offer not a day of relaxation, but an opportunity to get caught up on work. And I also think it’s worth noting that, like many teachers nationwide, a very good chunk of my salary is returned to the system because I purchase books for my classroom, teaching materials, and other items that are not covered by our very meager budget. Last year, the school ran out of tissues in the spring, and it was left up to us to provide. So sometimes teachers are even footing the bill for the most basic of necessities. I’m not so sure the public truly realizes how much blood, sweat, tears, and personal funds go into the job.

So when I hear someone talk about “all their time off,” it strikes a nerve for me. It’s just not an accurate perception of the profession.

 

[ldy_solana]

cathy, big issue here is what little teachers make YET they have to provide basic essentials out of their own salaries and if they can't they have to provide this long essay of why they need something that is essential. that is why i find ppl who abuse the system to get free ride just irks me b/c its money that could go into schools,police officers, and firemen, ppl who TRULY provide for their community and are productive members of society instead of lying around on the couch with a bunch of little kiddies b/c the government will give them more money to do so but have the capability to work. and them not working also puts help with daycare in a budget risk b/c if nobody uses the program then they get no money and that hurts the ppl that really do need respite care so they work without worrying about paying for expensive daycare or leaving their kids with any old uncertified person b/c its "affordable".

pretty much this type of wasteful spending truly hurts not only the taxes of those that work their butts off but truly effective programs that many need and use correctly. and i am sure there is more wasteful spending of tax dollars by government all the way around that isn't seen much but could help curtail some of the economic woes of the nation.

sorry there i go again LOL. ijust keep hearing so many thinking this big miracle tax break is coming! and they are just not realistic on the process. NO president can give you something if it not there to give. but something needs to be done about all these higher prices from utilities to food(which hasn't seem to gone down much at all). i can't complain on gas, its been pleasant to fill the car up for under $30 again lets hope some ideas will help to keep it reasonable while expanding energy options(and creating american jobs to provide resources for expanding energy options)

kassia

 

[beeg123]

Angie,

I know what a fair and good-hearted person you are, but whether it was your intention or not, I think your post greatly devalues teachers. In New Jersey, we have some of the highest teacher salaries in the nation, but believe me, we hear many remarks from the public that we don’t deserve our current salaries and benefits or raises. In many other states, I know the salaries for educators are actually quite abysmal. To me, that’s a shame that we don’t place greater value on the profession. There is also the widely held misconception, which you noted, that we must have tons of free time on our hands and can simply take another job, if necessary, since we should have known going into it, that we would never be rich from teaching. In my view, this does not justify the inadequate pay that is a reality for many.

Believe me, I know a good number of colleagues who DO work PT during the school year, but IMO, that is a very unfortunate situation. Frankly, I don’t even know how they do it because I come home many a night positively exhausted. I know my students would suffer for it if I were holding an evening job. My feeling is that teaching should be the sole focus, and no one should HAVE to take a second job during the school year to make ends meet.

I am not looking for kudos for how hard teachers work. Yes, I chose this profession, and I will put in however many hours it takes to do my job well. I just want to dispel the widespread myth that at 3 pm, the job is done and we put our feet up. The fact of the matter is, that quite often, those “cush holidays” offer not a day of relaxation, but an opportunity to get caught up on work. And I also think it’s worth noting that, like many teachers nationwide, a very good chunk of my salary is returned to the system because I purchase books for my classroom, teaching materials, and other items that are not covered by our very meager budget. Last year, the school ran out of tissues in the spring, and it was left up to us to provide. So sometimes teachers are even footing the bill for the most basic of necessities. I’m not so sure the public truly realizes how much blood, sweat, tears, and personal funds go into the job.

So when I hear someone talk about “all their time off,” it strikes a nerve for me. It’s just not an accurate perception of the profession.

Ditto!! Great post, Cathy!

 

[angie_nrs]

Cathy - Point taken. But, it honestly wasn't my intention to offend or devalue. I can only comment on what "I" see day in and day out. Unfortunatley I do not see you at my kids' school, although I soooo wish I did. But, I see many teachers up here who do have free time. Are they good teachers? Not necessarily. I can tell you that with the homework my kids bring home, I highly doubt many of the teachers up here are spending as much time on their profession as you are.

As an example - BF talked to the math teacher about her daughter who is completely lost in his class. He told her not to worry b/c she was getting a "B". BF said the only reason she was getting that grade was b/c of all the group work being done. When her daughter is left to fend for herself on a test, she fails. He told her not to worry about it since they will be doing the exact same thing next year. BF wondered what about after that? He told her not to worry - that she would graduate. BF asked if it was routine for someone to graduate without being able to balance a check book - and he said YES. He completely skirted around the issue that her kid didn't understand math and instead kept making excuses of why it didn't matter. BTW - that particular teacher does indeed have a personal business on the side as a photographer. So, this is the type teacher I am referring to. I know every profession has bad apples. But this bad apple is my childs teacher.

I also have a friend who is a 3rd grade teacher in another district who has 2 children. A major benefit for her is that she has the same time off that her kids do, so she rarely has to worry about daycare. For her, the time off is a big advantage of the teaching career. This basically is what I meant when I referred to the time off that teachers have. Obviously what each individual chooses to do with that time off varies highly from one teacher to the next and certainly can influence how competent a teacher is.

So even though you did not want kudos for a job well done......kudos! I really wish every teacher was as dedicated as you are. BTW, there are several teachers in our district that are impressive as well. Thankfully most are not bad apples.

My original point was that government breaks shouldn't go to any particular profession, no matter how noble and valuable. Because where would it end? If I had thought that my post would cause any teacher to feel devalued, I never would have posted to begin with. So, any teacher that was offended by my post.....I really am truly sorry.

Angie

 

[LaughingWater]

BF asked if it was routine for someone to graduate without being able to balance a check book - and he said YES.

Holy crap!

Cathy, you're on the front lines. I'd really like to hear from teachers as to how we could improve things for our teachers and kids. What specifically would you add to, delete from, and/or change about the current system?

 

[LauraMax]

I have some thoughts on this. Probably not very popular ones though. In fact, they might even be called.......gasp!.......socialist!

My ex husband, my mom & my cousin (who's also one of my best friends) are teachers. My ex has a great deal--he's been an elementary school PE teacher for almost 20 years. This means no lesson plans, no papers to grade--he just shows up at 8 am, plays w/the kids until 3, then goes home & naps.

My cousin is a special ed teacher. She has to go through continuing ed frequently, many of her off hours are spent w/lesson plans, grading papers, meeting w/parents, etc.

I just wrote all that b/c I didn't want anyone to think I didn't have perspective.

Anyway, the federal govmt contributes very little to public education. There are Abbott programs, where the poorest districts w/the lowest test scores (Newark for example) get a significant amount of fed funding. But most local BOEs get little to no federal funds.

School funding comes from your property taxes. About 55% of your property taxes goes to the schools.

My cousin says the only way to fix public ed is to throw the whole thing up in the air, let it fall, & completely reorganize it. But not very practical, & certainly not a cheap solution.

My personal opinion, & again this probably will not be popular, is that each state have a pool for school funding instead of it being localized. Mostly b/c here in NJ you have wealthy towns that spend $30K per student, & poor towns that spend $2K per student, & some towns in between. I've always thought this is a violation of the 14th amendment (equal opportunity). It's no wonder that children from poor families remain poor since they don't have the same educational opportunity. If all municipalities pooled their property taxes into one fund, & it's then distributed to municipalities by $X per student, every kid would at least get the same education & there would truly be a level playing ground in the US.

I've discussed this w/many people, & I always find it fascinating how the most liberal parent is totally against their money going to help someone else's kid!

Anyway, just some rambling thoughts from someone who's relatively objective, not having any kids.

 

[mackenzie]

Forgiven Stacy . .

Truly if it had been someone like me who supported McCain I would not have posted like that knowing that if I did I would have been hung from a tree around here. However I understand that your excited. I hope he can bring change - but not by "spreading the wealth". And if I were Jewish I would be very nervous. Israel is screwed.

Ok = off my soapbox.

Now on to bigger fish to fry for me . . .like ousting the current superintendent and school board over the new "everyone wins and no one loses" athletic policy.

Take Care and get some sleep -

I'm with you baylian. As I have been teaching my 4 year old daughter - No matter who won, God is still in control.