The Republican Thread

[KipWellsFan]

http://www.twiceright.com/2010/6/9/obama-w...us-news/by/alex

 

First of all I didn't know Hugo Chavez was one of the most dangerous dictators in the world... That's laughable.

 

And other than running into Chavez at some conference, I don't think Obama has ever actually met with a "dangerous dictator" without preconditions.

 

Other than that I guess you can argue that he should meet the BP CEO, or that Obama's not following the words of his campaign (big surprise). But the two issues aren't really connected.

 

And not that I'll convince anyone in this thread, but I think Obama has performed at a high level in international relations.

Edited June 10, 2010 by KipWellsFan

[Balta1701]

gold

Black gold!

[mr_genius]

Black gold!

 

texas tea

 

 

[Cknolls]

First of all I didn't know Hugo Chavez was one of the most dangerous dictators in the world... That's laughable.

 

And other than running into Chavez at some conference, I don't think Obama has ever actually met with a "dangerous dictator" without preconditions.

 

Other than that I guess you can argue that he should meet the BP CEO, or that Obama's not following the words of his campaign (big surprise). But the two issues aren't really connected.

 

And not that I'll convince anyone in this thread, but I think Obama has performed at a high level in international relations.

 

 

Our President smokes pot?

[Balta1701]

http://www.twiceright.com/2010/6/9/obama-w...us-news/by/alex

The BP execs have been invited to a formal meeting at the White House next week.

[southsider2k5]

The BP execs have been invited to a formal meeting at the White House next week.

 

 

He is so grasping at straws right now.

[Balta1701]

 

He is so grasping at straws right now.

So, you mock him for not talking to them and mock him when he flip flops to do what you want. PICK ONE!

 

Yeah, you're right though.

[southsider2k5]

So, you mock him for not talking to them and mock him when he flip flops to do what you want. PICK ONE!

 

Yeah, you're right though.

 

Just like I said after Katrina, the key to anything this big is organization. Because the federal and state governments are so microdivided, and so protective of their fiefdoms, you have to get them all on the same page at the same time. I know it blows the stereotypes out of the water, but as soon as BP shows they are unable to handle things they need to be pushed aside. I know the feds don't want to step in because Obama doesn't want to get blamed for this, but too damned bad. It is time to do something. Waiting two months in a situation like this is death to much of the Gulf. We pay billions of dollars for these hundreds of agencies, and they still aren't capable of handling the things that they are supposedly in existence for. You want to know why I slam on waste? This is it. If a federal agency can't handle its charter, it is a complete waste of taxpayer money, it needs to be blown up, and it needs to be started over. The EPA and FEMA should be leading the charge in LA right now. There is zero good reason BP should still be leading this.

 

Honestly, anymore, I am convinced the only organization that could really do anything down there is actually the military. It is about the only federal body that is trained properly to respond to epic disaster and tragedy. They are the only agency that understands how vital organization and just doing your job are. They can actually handle scope, scale, and people management. I know it is out of their usual realm of operation, but who cares at this point. It needs to be fixed.

[Balta1701]

Sadly, on this point, I actually have to agree with Kap...there really isn't much that can be done. It's too late now, and it was too late 2 weeks in when people started realizing that BP was flat out lying about the size of the leak. There's a reason why they're playing this one hands off.

 

Even if you'd mobilized an army of people to clean the beaches, every night that you clean them from now on, it's going to come right back the next day. For every bird you clean off, ten thousand die out at sea and never get seen. Now, they still ought to have an army of people mobilized to clean those beaches, but really, the Gulf was lost from the moment that BP started drawing down the drilling mud pressure.

 

Intelligent and correctly done booming would help. But that would require an armada of ships...and not just ships to deploy the boom, ships to collect the oil that gathers at the collection points on each boom. But you know what that would do? That'd take ships away from bringing oil into this country, and you'd likely wind up with a large associated gas prices pike, not just the couple cents that I'm ridiculing Kap about constantly.

[southsider2k5]

http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/100966/

 

HOW’S THAT “SMART DIPLOMACY” WORKING?

 

[London] Mayor Boris Johnson demanded an end to “anti-British rhetoric, buck-passing and name-calling” after days of scathing criticism directed at BP by the President and other US politicians.

 

Former Conservative Party chairman Lord Tebbit branded Mr Obama’s conduct “despicable”. And with the dispute threatening to escalate into a diplomatic row, Mr Johnson also appeared to suggest that David Cameron should step in to defend BP.

 

He spoke as the US onslaught against the firm became a “matter of national concern” — especially given its importance to British pensions, which lost much of their value today as BP shares plunged to a 13-year low.

 

Remember when people said Bush’s cowboy attitude was alienating allies? Meanwhile, Obama’s hate speech is promoting violence against BP: “Windows at the BP Gas Station on Highway 51 at Custer Drive were shot out overnight. Folks who work at the store believe the suspects were expressing anger over BP and how it’s handling the oil spill. . . . Incidents of anger spilling over at locally owned BP gas stations have been reported in several areas.” I’m sure all the commentators who were talking about the violent fascist threat of tea partiers will jump to weigh in on this one . . . .

[Balta1701]

LOL, and yeah, it's Obama's fault that people are mad at BP.

[StrangeSox]

Anyone see Michelle Bachmann whining that Obama/ the feds haven't confiscated and utilized enough private property to clean this mess up?

 

How does someone's brain function like that? Vehemently anti-government, paranoid anti-socialist, but also demands that government seize private property. WTF?

[Balta1701]

Anyone see Michelle Bachmann whining that Obama/ the feds haven't confiscated and utilized enough private property to clean this mess up?

 

How does someone's brain function like that? Vehemently anti-government, paranoid anti-socialist, but also demands that government seize private property. WTF?

Because all that matters is that Obama did it.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Because all that matters is that Obama did it.

 

[Chisoxfn]

Mine's $16,000/year, and that's because I'm in a large group plan, not in the individual market.

f***, thats expensive. Mine is 960 a year and once I switch over and add my wife to the plan it will go to 1400 a year. Holy s***, I never knew insurance could cost that much when you get your benefits through a company/government entity. I know my parents pay a crapload since they are self-employed and don't really get the benefit of group plans and because of there age and no group plans they get ass-raped. s***, Balta, that is just ridiculous. That freaking sucks.

[StrangeSox]

There's a decent amount of info out there on the average health insurance policy costs for a family of four. It's something like $5000 annual average country-wide and as high as $13000 average in NJ. Health insurance is not cheap at all, and it's prohibitively expensive if you don't have your employer subsidizing it.

[kapkomet]

There's a decent amount of info out there on the average health insurance policy costs for a family of four. It's something like $5000 annual average country-wide and as high as $13000 average in NJ. Health insurance is not cheap at all, and it's prohibitively expensive if you don't have your employer subsidizing it.

 

Expensive or not, it's certainly not a "right". But, meh, we've beat the piss out of that poor dead horse.

[mr_genius]

There's a decent amount of info out there on the average health insurance policy costs for a family of four. It's something like $5000 annual average country-wide and as high as $13000 average in NJ. Health insurance is not cheap at all, and it's prohibitively expensive if you don't have your employer subsidizing it.

 

the root cause of the high prices are the absurdly high health care costs in the United States... and these costs keep increasing.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_...11_health_costs

 

Employers to see costs up 9.5% this year. Projected to go up another 9% next year. This will get passed down to employees.

 

[kapkomet]

the root cause of the high prices are the absurdly high health care costs in the United States... and these costs keep increasing.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_...11_health_costs

 

Employers to see costs up 9.5% this year. Projected to go up another 9% next year. This will get passed down to employees.

 

 

Those damn insurance companies! But wait, their plans must be government approved... ohohohohohohohohohohoh nononononononono... where's that cost curve bend gonna happen??!?!?!??!?!?!

 

Wait for it...

 

...

 

...

 

 

...

 

 

...

 

 

...

 

DENIED!

[Balta1701]

Those damn insurance companies! But wait, their plans must be government approved... ohohohohohohohohohohoh nononononononono... where's that cost curve bend gonna happen??!?!?!??!?!?!

So, you're attacking the ability of the ACA to bend the future cost curve based on stats from the years before the ACA is passed?

 

Is that the quality of argument that's been happening while I've been out?

[kapkomet]

So, you're attacking the ability of the ACA to bend the future cost curve based on stats from the years before the ACA is passed?

 

Is that the quality of argument that's been happening while I've been out?

 

In case you wonder, I've worked in the health care industry. Those cost curves are not going to save anyone anything. But keep dreaming the good dream...

[Balta1701]

In case you wonder, I've worked in the health care industry. Those cost curves are not going to save anyone anything. But keep dreaming the good dream...

So...you're admitting that the health care system was unfixable.

[kapkomet]

So...you're admitting that the health care system was unfixable.

 

 

No, I'm admitting that there's a really easy way to change the cost curve but no one wants to see it. The way it was done is a government plan. You know, a "public health care system" without being a "public health care system" and if you look at Europe and Canada, their cost curves haven't come back, either, even with the severe rationing.

[StrangeSox]

What was the easy way?

[Balta1701]

What was the easy way?

Use everyone who is poor to clean up the Gulf coast and then let them die from the fumes.