OBAMA/TRUMPCARE MEGATHREAD

[NorthSideSox72]

With the power that some of these positions have, like head of the EPA which essentially makes up laws on its own, they do need some oversight.

EPA isn't a cabinet level post though. Also, what the EPA can do is limited by legislated rules and laws as boundaries, and further by legal wranglings if they act in a way that is perceived to be outside those laws (see the lawsuit now pending about certain CO2 regulations). The EPA doesn't make its own laws - it sets guidelines and rules within the confines of their legislated authorities.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm fine with Senate confirmation, but I don't think the minority should be allowed to prevent an up or down vote because of cloture.

That's a good start. But I still believe the executive should be able to act more like one, in terms of how his/her departments are filled out, and running the agencies (within the confines of legislated authority).

 

[StrangeSox]

EPA isn't a cabinet level post though. Also, what the EPA can do is limited by legislated rules and laws as boundaries, and further by legal wranglings if they act in a way that is perceived to be outside those laws (see the lawsuit now pending about certain CO2 regulations). The EPA doesn't make its own laws - it sets guidelines and rules within the confines of their legislated authorities.

I wondered about that too, but apparently it is! There's Cabinet and Cabinet-Level, and both require Senate confirmation. A new EPA director was confirmed this year.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_McCarthy

 

 

[StrangeSox]

That's a good start. But I still believe the executive should be able to act more like one, in terms of how his/her departments are filled out, and running the agencies (within the confines of legislated authority).

If we were starting from scratch, I'd prefer a parliamentary democracy over a presidential one. Majorities get to govern, and because they can implement their policies, can actually be held directly accountable for the outcomes. As it is here, the President is the public face of the federal government and the major focus of news coverage and election campaigns while a majority of those in the House go completely unnoticed. When there's a governmental split, both sides can point at the other as the problem. We do sometimes get a more direct accountability, e.g. the 2008 wave that led to Obamacare that led to the 2010 backlash.

[Soxbadger]

If we are starting over lets just go to an American Idol system where people can vote directly.

 

I can make uninformed knee jerk decisions just as well as someone in Washington!

[NorthSideSox72]

I wondered about that too, but apparently it is! There's Cabinet and Cabinet-Level, and both require Senate confirmation. A new EPA director was confirmed this year.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_McCarthy

Interesting - so there are cabinet positions that need confirmation, but also further "cabinet level" positions? Even goofier than I thought.

 

[StrangeSox]

If we are starting over lets just go to an American Idol system where people can vote directly.

 

I can make uninformed knee jerk decisions just as well as someone in Washington!

direct democracy on a local level is good but I don't see why a parliamentary system should be compared to American Idol?

[StrangeSox]

Interesting - so there are cabinet positions that need confirmation, but also further "cabinet level" positions? Even goofier than I thought.

 

Some departments are defined as cabinet level by law (Sec. of State, Defense, etc.) and are in the list of succession and others get 'elevated' by a President to Cabinet-level. I don't know why exactly, though.

[Cknolls]

CBS News ran the numbers for a 48-year-old in Charlotte, N.C., ineligible for subsidies. According to HealthCare.gov, she would pay $231 a month, but the actual plan on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina’s website costs $360, more than 50 percent higher. The difference: Blue Cross and Blue Shield requests your birthday before providing more accurate estimates.

 

The numbers for older Americans are even more striking. A 62-year-old in Charlotte looking for the same basic plan would get a price estimate on the government website of $394. The actual price is $634.

 

 

 

Whats a few hundred dollars a month between friends. LMAO. Dishonesty is an understatement for what was portrayed by these buffoons.

[StrangeSox]

This appears to be the story you're referencing:

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505269_162-576...e-off-the-mark/

 

More s***ty website problems.

 

edit: it seems like this "estimate without providing any details" is just sort of a dumb, s***ty band-aid they tried to implement because people couldn't actually create accounts and provide details.

Edited October 24, 2013 by StrangeSox

[NorthSideSox72]

I said this before, the "actual cost" is irrelevant here. And I agree it is stupid to provide an estimate without knowing basic details. No estimates are useful until you have the demographic information you need, so why show it?

 

[Jenksismyhero]

OK, so it's Hannity and I get the "ick" factor, but just pretend its some liberal talking to Rachel Maddow and the "what the f***?" response should be the exact same:

 

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/201...ars_salary.html

 

On the top of Thursday's broadcast of his radio show, Sean Hannity revealed Erling Davis, the Obamacare operator he called early in his Monday show, got fired. Hannity quizzed her on how well the law is being received by applicants and she revealed no one liked it. Hannity had Davis on his show today and revealed he will give her a year's salary of $26,000 and help her find a new job.

 

SEAN HANNITY: Something happened between the time we made that call to you, and now, what happened?

 

ERLING DAVIS: They fired me from my job.

 

HANNITY: Because of the phone call, the information that you gave us?

 

DAVIS: Yes sir.

 

HANNITY: Tell us what happened.

 

DAVIS: Okay, the day I received the call from the radio station, I had to go pick up my best friend that night, and then someone was like, ”someone was looking for you.” But, I don’t know who that person is. So I was like, well I’m going to come back in the morning, because I had to go back to work. So the next day I came back and they had, like, two people escort me upstairs to H.R. And then it was three head people and me, we sat down, and I’m like, “why am I up here?” I figured, okay, they wanna talk about the phone call – the incident.

 

Then the lady sitting behind the desk; I don’t know what their name is, but the lady that was sitting behind the desk, I guess called up another head lady on her cell phone, so the lady was talking, and I couldn’t really understand what she was saying because she had me on speakerphone. I remember her saying, “We can’t have this type of stuff going on here, so we have to release you.” But they had locked the doors and everything; I guess they didn’t want anybody to come in there.

So when she told me they had to release me, that’s when I put my name tag – my badge – on the desk, and something was going wrong with my cell phone, so that’s when I tried to call my ride to come pick me up, but the lady next to me was just, like, being rude. She had, like, an attitude.

 

HANNITY: Now, did they give you… You were hired… How long had you been working with this company?

 

DAVIS: I started September 23.

 

HANNITY: Okay, so it’s a fairly new job for you. Did they—I assume they put you through some training, right?

 

DAVIS: Yes sir, they did.

 

HANNITY: And did they ever tell you that you’re not allowed to take a call from a radio show? Your job was to answer phones.

 

DAVIS: I did not hear anything about that. There were so many of us in a big group, you can only talk so loud.

 

HANNITY: Right, and one of the things that struck me. I was really impressed, and I said that to you on Monday. You are patient, you are kind, you answered all our questions. You were totally honest. Wasn’t that what you were hired to do?

 

DAVIS: Yeah, I’m just out here tryin’ to help everybody. And I know, like, some people have been making bad comments about me. Some people have been making good comments about me. But, some people are like, “Oh, you knew you shouldn’t have said that!” And I’m just like, okay… I kinda felt bad about it. My gosh, I got fired.

 

HANNITY: And what was the specific reason? When they sat you down, did they give you a specific reason?

 

DAVIS: They said that no contact with the media. No type of media whatsoever. We’re not allowed to do that at that company.

 

HANNITY: Meaning, in other words, they didn’t tell you before you were hired, they didn’t tell you during your training, but then they told you after the fact that you aren’t allowed to be on the media if somebody called in. It’s not your fault I called.

[StrangeSox]

to bad the girl didn't have a strong union behind her to fight against bulls*** like this.

Edited October 24, 2013 by StrangeSox

[southsider2k5]

What kind of an idiot thinks it is OK to talk to the media about their company?

[Balta1701]

What kind of an idiot thinks it is OK to talk to the media about their company?

The average Hannity viewer?

[Jake]

I wouldn't have fired her, I don't think, but you shouldn't be telling members of the media (while at your job, for Christ's sake) that you don't think people like your employer's product

[southsider2k5]

I wouldn't have fired her, I don't think, but you shouldn't be telling members of the media (while at your job, for Christ's sake) that you don't think people like your employer's product

 

Every company I have ever worked for had a media policy that stated pretty clearly only people specifically allowed to talk to the media, are allowed to talk to the media. Everyone else is to tell them to contact those people. It is always a fireable offense.

[NorthSideSox72]

What kind of an idiot thinks it is OK to talk to the media about their company?

Yeah, that pretty much goes without saying. Being fired for this, especially when you are so new, should be expected.

 

[Jenksismyhero]

Every company I have ever worked for had a media policy that stated pretty clearly only people specifically allowed to talk to the media, are allowed to talk to the media. Everyone else is to tell them to contact those people. It is always a fireable offense.

 

She had been on the job for a matter of weeks, she was paid like $26k so it's not like she's the brightest person in the department , and she claims that she was never told anything about talking with the media (a claim I believe given she's a call center employee).

[southsider2k5]

She had been on the job for a matter of weeks, she was paid like $26k so it's not like she's the brightest person in the department , and she claims that she was never told anything about talking with the media (a claim I believe given she's a call center employee).

 

That is first or second day on the job kind of stuff.

[Jenksismyhero]

I've never worked for a large organization, so perhaps they cover that kind of stuff. To me it's clear someone in the admn made a call to get rid of the person that was talking bad about the program.

[southsider2k5]

I've never worked for a large organization, so perhaps they cover that kind of stuff. To me it's clear someone in the admn made a call to get rid of the person that was talking bad about the program.

 

Grab your firms HR guide, I would almost bet you it is in there.

[Jenksismyhero]

Ha, my employer has no written policies on anything. Literally nothing.

[southsider2k5]

Ha, my employer has no written policies on anything. Literally nothing.

 

Well that explains a lot. Trust me when I say it is a normal thing.

[NorthSideSox72]

Any large firm, especially if they are doing government contract work, will have a policy that heavily restricts social media and press/PR statements. Usually, very few people are allowed to say anything beyond their name, job title and who they work for.