Random Thoughts Thread

[oldshurst442]

In WWII, the military separated brothers as a matter of course after the 5 Sullivan siblings all perished when their ship was sunk by a Japanese torpedo.

 

My wife's father and 4 of his siblings all served in WWII. A 6th tried to join but was denied because 5 were already in..., or it was the fact he was married & had a child by '43.

 

A few weeks ago my town did an honorary street naming recognizing their contribution. A nice factor- it was put up right down the street from the family homestead where they grew up (which is also right next door to my house). Regretfully, all these duty bound men have passed and did not get to see the unveiling, tho there was a teeming crowd of children, grandchildren and other family members present, as the 5 brothers had 4 more siblings. It was a very nice gesture.

 

RIP, and eternal thanks to the Miller Boys ~

JRM : 1915-1999

BJM : 1916-1970

LSM : 1920-1996

IBM : 1921-2001

TTM : 1923-2014

+1 On this story.

I cant upvote...Ill upvote tomorrow.

 

My dad and his 3 brothers all served in The Canadian Army and fought over seas. My dad being the youngest of the boys.

The oldest....well, I dont know what my uncle did during WW2, and my dad never mentioned anything and I didnt get a chance to talk to him as he died at the age of 65...and I was 6 years old when I lost him.

 

The next two were in tank battalions. The second oldest when he came back from the war moved to Vancouver, he also died at the age of 65 and I only met him twice. So I dont know his story either as my dad did not talk about that brother either.

Next up is my Uncle Tassos. 2 years older than my dad.  He was the gunner in a MK IV Churchill. He was in France when his tank crew got decimated. The tank hit a land mine...my uncle was lucky to live...some minor burns to his body...his crew...all dead...and that was it for him. His duty as a soldier came to and end. I dont remember the year nor the location...and I dont have my dad nor him alive anymore to ask these questions...that is what I hate the most about losing loved ones...the stories they leave behind them...I wish I paid more attention to the war stories. I still got plenty of information in my head though.

 

My dad....he was 17years old in December 1944. He was in England training and getting ready to fight at that time. At the end of January 1945...he was in France. By that time....I believe....the war was not in France. They were marching onwards towards Germany. Collecting any German POWS they saw on the way. My dad told me there was some resistance from some German soldiers, but he did not see any action on his march towards Germany.  Maybe...he shot a German soldier in a dark alley...he heard footsteps, he said "Achtung"...there was no answer, my dad shot in the darkness, he heard no more footsteps...The war in Europe ended in May of 1945 and his time during the war ended as fast as it started for him.  He did stay in the occupation of Germany 1 year and he was in Wilhelmshaven, I believe this is the port-city where the Allies were separating amongst themselves several German war ships....he witnessed the German cruiser Prinz Eugen being awarded to the US Navy.  Yup...Prinz Eugen...of Bismarck fame.  The sinking of the Hood...Prinz Eugen.

[Stew]

No cigarettes since 10 least night.  Normally I would be around 8 in by now, but none so far, shew his isn't going to be easy lol.

[cp-the-nerd]

You quitting?? That's awesome! You can do it, man. Just gotta get over the nicotine hump and you'll be free. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Incoming folks from MT, please go easy with the negative voting.  Don't downvote someone just because you don't like the messenger.

[oldshurst442]

LOL...

 

A grown man is having a childish tantrum complaining to mommy.

 

Drew, with all due respect...Id check El Kabong's downvoted reputation and see who keeps on down voting him...you would see that most of his downvotes...I presume....are of the whiny man-child that loves to....whine...

 

You have a special member in this man-child...

 

PS: I have, for the most part stopped down voting him, and If Im to believe his PM to me...you have upvoted 95% of my downvotes to him anyway...and he still has managed to collect 107 downvotes...Im assuming...that the problem lies not with the messenger himself, but with the message he wants to convey...making him a crappy Messenger to begin with...but...him whining to you about it wont change the fact that he is a less than honest poster...

 

My dad always told me...

 

Its the squeaky wheel that always gets the grease, in the meantime, the other three wheels eventually fall off...

 

 

 

EDIT: remember Drew, he has mentioned Im on his ignored list...Im willing to bet Ill get a downvote in this post...by him...ignoring the message you have just conveyed...and if that much is true...oh the bloody irony...and, wheels that dont complain falling off syndrome...

Edited July 17, 2015 by oldshurst442

[Stew]

You quitting?? That's awesome! You can do it, man. Just gotta get over the nicotine hump and you'll be free. 

In a 12 week program using the nicotine patch.  21 mg for 4 weeks, 14 for 4, then 7 for 4.  It helps some, but i still feel the urge for a smoke lol.

[Drew Dowdell]

While what you are saying may or may not be true (I'm not verifying either way).... there are posts that he has made that really are news to be discussed.  *I* noticed the downvotes on a thread he started (the F-150 incentive thread)... and really, what is the point of downvoting a post like that, that is sharing news?  I am specifically talking about stuff like that.

 

I can solve the voting war by turning off negative voting or turning off the reputation system entirely, but I would rather leave the system in place.

[oldshurst442]

I fully understand Drew.

And I will do my best to comply with your request...

 

And I 100% agree with you on his ability to be a formidable poster. He has some excellent qualitiies about him and is a very intelligent poster full of very useful information...its just too bad he spoils it all by being a man-child...

 

Ive heard about his past...he is some sort of legend concerning trolling...

Many problems with this...

 

1. His reputation of trolling is hitting a milestong of close to 15 years of doing the same act over and over and over again...

2. he is PROUD of that reputation and Im assuming he aint about to stop...

3. For crying out loud (pun intended) he is a 50 year old man...he aint a trolling teenager on the interwebs trying to frustrate other teenaged interwebbers...he is a grown man talking to other grown men that simply want intelligent conversations...

[David]

No cigarettes since 10 least night.  Normally I would be around 8 in by now, but none so far, shew his isn't going to be easy lol.

Way to go, I know it is hard but you will thank yourself down the road. Awesome Job.

[cp-the-nerd]

While what you are saying may or may not be true (I'm not verifying either way).... there are posts that he has made that really are news to be discussed.  *I* noticed the downvotes on a thread he started (the F-150 incentive thread)... and really, what is the point of downvoting a post like that, that is sharing news?  I am specifically talking about stuff like that.

 

I can solve the voting war by turning off negative voting or turning off the reputation system entirely, but I would rather leave the system in place.

 

I don't want to intrude on the system you guys have been using for quite some time, but I have yet to see the negative points do anything but cause juvenile retaliation. I've only had a handful of negative votes since being here, yet most of them were more likely disagreement points than actually offending someone.

[David]

So history does seem to repeat itself and there are some clear signs that we could be headed towards a 3rd world war. 

 

Wonder how this will affect our drive of Oil / Petrol based auto's compared to CNG or Electric? Afterall the US has the worlds largest proven reserves of Natural Gas. 

[El Kabong]

While what you are saying may or may not be true (I'm not verifying either way).... there are posts that he has made that really are news to be discussed.  *I* noticed the downvotes on a thread he started (the F-150 incentive thread)... and really, what is the point of downvoting a post like that, that is sharing news?  I am specifically talking about stuff like that.

 

I can solve the voting war by turning off negative voting or turning off the reputation system entirely, but I would rather leave the system in place.

Please do not turn off the downvoting. He got it turned off over in CF when people got tired of his act. They started to leave insulting things on his bulletin board instead. It's not the system that's broken-it's him.

And yes, despite my request to Olds to not mention the reflexive downvoting of all my posts (for fears of stirring up this very discussion), he has been doing it. It's rather lame, but it's another thing he does when his feelings get hurt.

I checked my inbox at MT last night. He was over there in full swing, and the mods were asking everyone to calm down. He's never going to change. How you as a forum admin deal with that is entirely up to you.

Me? I'd permaban him without a second thought.

[Drew Dowdell]

So history does seem to repeat itself and there are some clear signs that we could be headed towards a 3rd world war. 

 

Wonder how this will affect our drive of Oil / Petrol based auto's compared to CNG or Electric? Afterall the US has the worlds largest proven reserves of Natural Gas. 

 

I think we have bigger issues than that. We (us Americans) have become so insanely selfish, I think we're doomed to failure in short order.

 

This clip really resonates with me whenever I hear some yokle talking about how great America is.

 

[El Kabong]

So history does seem to repeat itself and there are some clear signs that we could be headed towards a 3rd world war. 

 

Wonder how this will affect our drive of Oil / Petrol based auto's compared to CNG or Electric? Afterall the US has the worlds largest proven reserves of Natural Gas. 

 

I think we have bigger issues than that. We (us Americans) have become so insanely selfish, I think we're doomed to failure in short order.

 

This clip really resonates with me whenever I hear some yokle talking about how great America is.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q49NOyJ8fNA

America's problem (and, to be fair, many place's problem these days) is that far too many Americans equate "the pursuit of happiness" with individual liberty. They have produced a nation of micro tyrants.

[Drew Dowdell]

 

 

So history does seem to repeat itself and there are some clear signs that we could be headed towards a 3rd world war. 

 

Wonder how this will affect our drive of Oil / Petrol based auto's compared to CNG or Electric? Afterall the US has the worlds largest proven reserves of Natural Gas. 

 

I think we have bigger issues than that. We (us Americans) have become so insanely selfish, I think we're doomed to failure in short order.

 

This clip really resonates with me whenever I hear some yokle talking about how great America is.

 

America's problem (and, to be fair, many place's problem these days) is that far too many Americans equate "the pursuit of happiness" with individual liberty. They have produced a nation of micro tyrants.

 

 

It's the "I should never have to pay for anything" mentality. Not getting political here, but it blows my mind that Bernie Sanders is considered a Socialist because he wants the roadways to be properly funded and wants a minimum wage that reflects the increases in the cost of living...... that's not even socialism.

[El Kabong]

I'll stir the pot even more: if everyone in the United States is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then why is Universal Healthcare such a bad thing? It provides the "life" part.

I already know some of the answers: states rights (in Canada healthcare is heavily dependent on transfer payments between have and have-not provinces), distrust of elected officials to run such a large portfolio (kinda legit, but then again, what if Blue Cross was run by the Enron guys?), and all that.

But at some point you gotta realize that the root idea of the American Dream have been realized-there is no more land left to settle. From here on in you really need to be better neighbours with the ones who settled the plots of land all around you.

[ccap41]

So history does seem to repeat itself and there are some clear signs that we could be headed towards a 3rd world war. 

 

Wonder how this will affect our drive of Oil / Petrol based auto's compared to CNG or Electric? Afterall the US has the worlds largest proven reserves of Natural Gas. 

..We will need a source..

[Drew Dowdell]

I'll stir the pot even more: if everyone in the United States is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then why is Universal Healthcare such a bad thing? It provides the "life" part.

I already know some of the answers: states rights (in Canada healthcare is heavily dependent on transfer payments between have and have-not provinces), distrust of elected officials to run such a large portfolio (kinda legit, but then again, what if Blue Cross was run by the Enron guys?), and all that.

But at some point you gotta realize that the root idea of the American Dream have been realized-there is no more land left to settle. From here on in you really need to be better neighbours with the ones who settled the plots of land all around you.

 

It's even more insane than that. It's the have-not states that generally vote against such things as universal healthcare.

 

We live in a country of temporarily embarrassed millionaires who don't realize that nearly all of the lower rungs have been cut off the ladder for upward mobility.   There have been a few articles I've wanted to write on here regarding this and it's relationship to cars, but I hesitate because of the politics.   I'm a strange combo of liberal-socialist-capitalist... or what used to be known as an Eisenhower Republican.

[El Kabong]

I'm a Candaian Conservative, which roughly translates as "Lieberman Democrat." I feel your pain.

[David]

Nothing wrong with an Eisenhower Republican or even an independent social-capitalist. We have grown far beyond how this country started and to be great again, we need to change and grow our political system.  Time for term limits on all offices be them federal, state, county or city. We also need to remove all pension funds of the political systems and roll them into Social Security and make it even for all. Roll back the tax on Social Security payouts and stop borrowing against social security.

 

People need to realize it is a privilege to serve the country, state, county and cities they live in and not a career. Serve and then go back to your private life.

 

All offices no matter where they are held should be a max of two terms of 4-yrs each. Focus on serving the people and return to the private life.

[cp-the-nerd]

I'm a moderate conservative. I believe in capitalism and small government, I don't believe in handouts or helping those who don't contribute, because of the sub-culture it has formed in the US. If you have no shame, you can live off the gov't and get paid more money for each kid you crank out. Unfortunately, shame is at an all-time low.

 

I'm against Obamacare because it's equal parts utopian concept and political horsesh*t. The bill was 1000 pages long written by politicians to control healthcare and it's packed with rider bills we'll never know about. If you didn't know, politicians don't practice medicine. As a result, the bill fails to address the must fundamental, money hemorrhaging flaws in our healthcare system, and despite the magical fairytale claims of affordable care for everyone, the true result has been increased health insurance costs for everyone, and a special "obamacare" plan at the bottom tier of coverage that will essentially bankrupt any working-poor people who need a significant procedure.

 

Liberalism destroyed Maryland (where I live and grew up) for the middle class in less than a decade, and frankly our new governor (who I REALLY like) can't hope to do much more than stop the bleeding and dress the wounds in his first 4 years.

[Stew]

I broke down and smoked one......  Oh well, if it is the only onl I smoke today I will be at least 29 ahead of my normal smoking lol.

[Drew Dowdell]

get the patch

[cp-the-nerd]

I broke down and smoked one......  Oh well, if it is the only onl I smoke today I will be at least 29 ahead of my normal smoking lol.

 

Dude! Don't do that. It's real easy to start bargaining one cigarette at a time, until you're just smoking again. Ya gotta quit all together.

[Stew]

get the patch

I am using the patch lol

 

 

I broke down and smoked one......  Oh well, if it is the only onl I smoke today I will be at least 29 ahead of my normal smoking lol.

 

Dude! Don't do that. It's real easy to start bargaining one cigarette at a time, until you're just smoking again. Ya gotta quit all together.

 

This will be it, no more.  After that last one I am done.  I can sleep some o it of and keep myself busy over the weekend which should help.

[El Kabong]

I'm against Obamacare because it's equal parts utopian concept and political horsesh*t. The bill was 1000 pages long written by politicians to control healthcare and it's packed with rider bills we'll never know about. If you didn't know, politicians don't practice medicine. As a result, the bill fails to address the must fundamental, money hemorrhaging flaws in our healthcare system, and despite the magical fairytale claims of affordable care for everyone, the true result has been increased health insurance costs for everyone, and a special "obamacare" plan at the bottom tier of coverage that will essentially bankrupt any working-poor people who need a significant procedure.

You're likely right on the rider bills. But beyond that Obamacare was doomed by the culture of the U.S. as opposed to the politics (it is the former that influences the latter). As long as healthcare cash lacks the ability to be fairly distributed throughout all 50 states regardless of their individual economic circumstances, it will not work. Throw in the fact that there are long-established private corporations that a government-sponsored program has to compete against and it gets even worse.

Look, I'm not going to go all Michael Moore and say Canada's system is perfect. But it works well for nearly all, most of the time.

[Drew Dowdell]

Being an liberal-socialist-capitalist means that I believe in the government providing the ladder, either directly or indirectly, and leave it to individuals to climb it one their own.

 

That means:

Strong infrastructure including very strong public transportation.  The more people can move at ease, the better for commerce. People who don't want to pay taxes to support public transit "because I don't use it" end up paying in lost time due to traffic, higher insurance costs, and higher fuel prices.  Employers should want strong public transit because it means they have a broader pool of employees to pick from. Our high speed rail network would be second to none.

 

While I'm more in favor of a single payer healthcare system that provides a baseline.  The raw mechanics of Obamacare are sound and have been in use for over 140 years. Nothing utopian about it. The problem areas of Obamacare will need to be sorted out going forward, but that does not include scrapping the whole system.

 

A strong education system that does not emphasize college degrees over other tracks. Trades programs should be emphasized with equal enthusiasm.  Not everyone needs or should go to 4 year college. Public school teachers should not be treated as pariahs.  We require them to have multiple masters degrees and then want them to start at $36k a year with paltry raises? We won't stock the school with pencils or chalk so we can save $100 a year in property taxes?  

 

A strong emphasis on alternative energy - I view this as an issue of national security.  I would blanket the country in solar panels, wind turbines, geo-thermal HVAC systems, and solar HVAC systems.  I would give large incentives to homeowners to install them on their houses and to landlords to install them on their properties.  Yes it would cost taxpayer money initially, but the long term savings would be well worth the up front cost.  For base-line energy, I would remove the ban on new-technology nuclear reactors (where we are falling behind China and South Africa because of that stupid 1970s ban)

 

Energy - Education - Transportation - Health:  The government gets you that far and the rest is up to you.

[cp-the-nerd]

 

I'm against Obamacare because it's equal parts utopian concept and political horsesh*t. The bill was 1000 pages long written by politicians to control healthcare and it's packed with rider bills we'll never know about. If you didn't know, politicians don't practice medicine. As a result, the bill fails to address the must fundamental, money hemorrhaging flaws in our healthcare system, and despite the magical fairytale claims of affordable care for everyone, the true result has been increased health insurance costs for everyone, and a special "obamacare" plan at the bottom tier of coverage that will essentially bankrupt any working-poor people who need a significant procedure.

You're likely right on the rider bills. But beyond that Obamacare was doomed by the culture of the U.S. as opposed to the politics (it is the former that influences the latter). As long as healthcare cash lacks the ability to be fairly distributed throughout all 50 states regardless of their individual economic circumstances, it will not work. Throw in the fact that there are long-established private corporations that a government-sponsored program has to compete against and it gets even worse.

Look, I'm not going to go all Michael Moore and say Canada's system is perfect. But it works well for nearly all, most of the time.

 

 

The US has the best medical care in the world. Obamacare will only prove to lengthen wait times and strain the system while taking more from the paychecks of those that already contributed. There needed to be digital reform and accountability fully implemented before anything else. IMO, it was completely the wrong time to attempt universal healthcare in the US.

[El Kabong]

"Being an liberal-socialist-capitalist means that I believe in the government providing the ladder, either directly or indirectly, and leave it to individuals to climb it one their own."

-Yup, it's a good starting point.

 "Strong infrastructure including very strong public transportation.  The more people can move at ease, the better for commerce. People who don't want to pay taxes to support public transit "because I don't use it" end up paying in lost time due to traffic, higher insurance costs, and higher fuel prices.  Employers should want strong public transit because it means they have a broader pool of employees to pick from. Our high speed rail network would be second to none."

 

-I'm in favor of strong, integrated public transit systems for urban areas. I believe that between these urban areas transportation should be left largely to the highway system and air traffic to protect as much as possible the individual's right to freedom of movement.

"While I'm more in favor of a single payer healthcare system that provides a baseline.  The raw mechanics of Obamacare are sound and have been in use for over 140 years. Nothing utopian about it. The problem areas of Obamacare will need to be sorted out going forward, but that does not include scrapping the whole system."

-this would take time and a consensus of the people. Neither is likely, sadly.

 

"A strong education system that does not emphasize college degrees over other tracks. Trades programs should be emphasized with equal enthusiasm.  Not everyone needs or should go to 4 year college. Public school teachers should not be treated as pariahs.  We require them to have multiple masters degrees and then want them to start at $36k a year with paltry raises? We won't stock the school with pencils or chalk so we can save $100 a year in property taxes?"

-100% on board with this. My degree never earned me a cent of my earnings. My trade sure did.

 

"A strong emphasis on alternative energy - I view this as an issue of national security.  I would blanket the country in solar panels, wind turbines, geo-thermal HVAC systems, and solar HVAC systems.  I would give large incentives to homeowners to install them on their houses and to landlords to install them on their properties.  Yes it would cost taxpayer money initially, but the long term savings would be well worth the up front cost.  For base-line energy, I would remove the ban on new-technology nuclear reactors (where we are falling behind China and South Africa because of that stupid 1970s ban)"

-Sorry man, but solar and wind will only bankrupt you. See also: Ontario. Nuclear reactors are costly to build, but when they are built and maintained they are great in the long-term. While I know that Fukushima is a bad scene, people need to realize that this reactor, constructed in the late 60s, actually withstood the earthquake. It was the tsunami shorting out the emergency shutdown that did it in.

 

"Energy - Education - Transportation - Health:  The government gets you that far and the rest is up to you."

-Peace, Order, and Good Government.

[cp-the-nerd]

While I'm more in favor of a single payer healthcare system that provides a baseline.  The raw mechanics of Obamacare are sound and have been in use for over 140 years. Nothing utopian about it. The problem areas of Obamacare will need to be sorted out going forward, but that does not include scrapping the whole system.

 

Obamacare was touted as giving everyone healthcare, costing no extra money, not being a tax, and not affecting anyone's existing coverage. That was 100% utopian BS.

 

-The online infrastructure to get people on the healthcare plan was a complete failure for the first 6 months

-It cost EVERYONE more money

-It WAS a tax penalty for everyone not enrolled

-Millions lost their existing coverage

[Drew Dowdell]

Question - How is getting on a train any different than getting on a bus or airplane?  Don't give me the subsidy bit because highways and airlines are heavily subsidized.  The entire Amtrak subsidy costs less than a 14 mile toll-way extension being proposed here in Pittsburgh that will see little use because it doesn't go anywhere people want to go.

 

Sorry man - solar and wind are the future.  They will not bankrupt you.  Ontario is no more an indicator of the future of that technology than Studebaker or Packard is an indication of the future of the car.  Note: I work for an energy company that one part of our business is installing solar panels for residential customers..... business is booming (part of why I'm not around much the last few weeks).

 

The new style nukes are a completely different reactor design. Much more compact, much safer, and self-scramming. 

[El Kabong]

This is where the national border affects our viewpoints.

Our highways are generally good up here, but our rail system is largely freight. As much as possible, ne'er the two should meet. Leave the roads for those who can call their own shots as to where and when they want to go. The busses are for those who are in the process of getting to that point. Planes are for folks in a hurry.

Solar and wind may be cheap down there. They are not up here. Ontario has the highest electricity rates in North America, and industry has taken notice.

As a Canadian I have to shamelessly plug heavy-water reactors of the CANDU design. But yeah, either way you go they're much safer than they used to be. And they weren't exactly terrible when they were maintained properly. The trick is to find a civilian version of Hyman Rickover to do for the grid what Rickover did for the U.S. Navy.

[Drew Dowdell]

 

While I'm more in favor of a single payer healthcare system that provides a baseline.  The raw mechanics of Obamacare are sound and have been in use for over 140 years. Nothing utopian about it. The problem areas of Obamacare will need to be sorted out going forward, but that does not include scrapping the whole system.

 

Obamacare was touted as giving everyone healthcare, costing no extra money, not being a tax, and not affecting anyone's existing coverage. That was 100% utopian BS.

 

-The online infrastructure to get people on the healthcare plan was a complete failure for the first 6 months

-It cost EVERYONE more money

-It WAS a tax penalty for everyone not enrolled

-Millions lost their existing coverage

 

 

- The online system has been fixed

- It hasn't and you need a link to back up your statement.  Healthcare cost growth has slowed to its lowest rate in 35+ years. Many states have seen double digit shrinkage in insurance costs.

- If you think about it that way, then there is a tax penalty for not owning a house... but we don't think about it that way in housing so why would we with healthcare?

- That was the insurance industry doing that. The insurance companies could have re-written existing policies to meet the new requirements. They chose to just cancel everyone instead.  Get new insurance.

 

 

We as a country need to stop going crazy about who our health insurance carriers are and which plan we have.  People switch car insurance at the drop of a hat.  We shop around, compare plans, and then buy the coverage that suits us best.  Start treating heath insurance (and healthcare in general) like car insurance and auto repair... and we'll all be better off.

[cp-the-nerd]

I'm definitely pro-nuclear, we've gotta get past the "danger" and "pollution" stigma people associate with it. I'm also pro-wind and solar. Solar in particular has an incredible amount of potential when we figure out how to enhance the efficiency for converting sunlight.

Edited July 17, 2015 by cp-the-nerd

[Drew Dowdell]

This is where the national border affects our viewpoints.

Our highways are generally good up here, but our rail system is largely freight. As much as possible, ne'er the two should meet. Leave the roads for those who can call their own shots as to where and when they want to go. The busses are for those who are in the process of getting to that point. Planes are for folks in a hurry.

Solar and wind may be cheap down there. They are not up here. Ontario has the highest electricity rates in North America, and industry has taken notice.

As a Canadian I have to shamelessly plug heavy-water reactors of the CANDU design. But yeah, either way you go they're much safer than they used to be. And they weren't exactly terrible when they were maintained properly. The trick is to find a civilian version of Hyman Rickover to do for the grid what Rickover did for the U.S. Navy.

 

Much of the US east of the Mississippi and west of the Rockies has a population density equal to Europe. Getting between cities should not be the process it is today.

 

For any trip at least 400 miles or less, flying is actually not the fastest process if you count the total door to door travel.   European style HSR could get me from Pittsburgh to Columbus in 100 minutes door to door. I can't even get from my house to my seat on the plane in 100 minutes.

 

Perhaps the difference is that I've traveled Europe frequently and know what that kind of rail network can do.  I've used the system and know how well it really works... and its far better than anything we have in the US or Canada.

[cp-the-nerd]

 

 

While I'm more in favor of a single payer healthcare system that provides a baseline.  The raw mechanics of Obamacare are sound and have been in use for over 140 years. Nothing utopian about it. The problem areas of Obamacare will need to be sorted out going forward, but that does not include scrapping the whole system.

 

Obamacare was touted as giving everyone healthcare, costing no extra money, not being a tax, and not affecting anyone's existing coverage. That was 100% utopian BS.

 

-The online infrastructure to get people on the healthcare plan was a complete failure for the first 6 months

-It cost EVERYONE more money

-It WAS a tax penalty for everyone not enrolled

-Millions lost their existing coverage

 

 

- The online system has been fixed

- It hasn't and you need a link to back up your statement.  Healthcare cost growth has slowed to its lowest rate in 35+ years. Many states have seen double digit shrinkage in insurance costs.

- If you think about it that way, then there is a tax penalty for not owning a house... but we don't think about it that way in housing so why would we with healthcare?

- That was the insurance industry doing that. The insurance companies could have re-written existing policies to meet the new requirements. They chose to just cancel everyone instead.  Get new insurance.

 

 

We as a country need to stop going crazy about who our health insurance carriers are and which plan we have.  People switch car insurance at the drop of a hat.  We shop around, compare plans, and then buy the coverage that suits us best.  Start treating heath insurance (and healthcare in general) like car insurance and auto repair... and we'll all be better off.

 

 

I was simply pointing out Obama's exact sales pitch and why it was misleading and idealistic. Yes, insurance companies dropped the customers, insurance is a business, they had every right to. The president shouldn't have made claims that were unrealistic or out of his reach.

 

This link breaks it down pretty well.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2014/11/06/obamas-claim-that-obamacare-has-reduced-health-care-inflation-every-single-year-since-it-was-passed/

[El Kabong]

This is where the national border affects our viewpoints.

Our highways are generally good up here, but our rail system is largely freight. As much as possible, ne'er the two should meet. Leave the roads for those who can call their own shots as to where and when they want to go. The busses are for those who are in the process of getting to that point. Planes are for folks in a hurry.

Solar and wind may be cheap down there. They are not up here. Ontario has the highest electricity rates in North America, and industry has taken notice.

As a Canadian I have to shamelessly plug heavy-water reactors of the CANDU design. But yeah, either way you go they're much safer than they used to be. And they weren't exactly terrible when they were maintained properly. The trick is to find a civilian version of Hyman Rickover to do for the grid what Rickover did for the U.S. Navy.

 

Much of the US east of the Mississippi and west of the Rockies has a population density equal to Europe. Getting between cities should not be the process it is today.

 

For any trip at least 400 miles or less, flying is actually not the fastest process if you count the total door to door travel.   European style HSR could get me from Pittsburgh to Columbus in 100 minutes door to door. I can't even get from my house to my seat on the plane in 100 minutes.

 

Perhaps the difference is that I've traveled Europe frequently and know what that kind of rail network can do.  I've used the system and know how well it really works... and its far better than anything we have in the US or Canada.

Perhaps. But Canada's population density is different from either Europe's or the U.S. Freedom of movement trumps all other concerns for me, from a personal liberties POV.

[Drew Dowdell]

From your link "There is no dispute that health care spending is growing at its lowest level since the 1960s"

[Drew Dowdell]

 

 

This is where the national border affects our viewpoints.

Our highways are generally good up here, but our rail system is largely freight. As much as possible, ne'er the two should meet. Leave the roads for those who can call their own shots as to where and when they want to go. The busses are for those who are in the process of getting to that point. Planes are for folks in a hurry.

Solar and wind may be cheap down there. They are not up here. Ontario has the highest electricity rates in North America, and industry has taken notice.

As a Canadian I have to shamelessly plug heavy-water reactors of the CANDU design. But yeah, either way you go they're much safer than they used to be. And they weren't exactly terrible when they were maintained properly. The trick is to find a civilian version of Hyman Rickover to do for the grid what Rickover did for the U.S. Navy.

 

Much of the US east of the Mississippi and west of the Rockies has a population density equal to Europe. Getting between cities should not be the process it is today.

 

For any trip at least 400 miles or less, flying is actually not the fastest process if you count the total door to door travel.   European style HSR could get me from Pittsburgh to Columbus in 100 minutes door to door. I can't even get from my house to my seat on the plane in 100 minutes.

 

Perhaps the difference is that I've traveled Europe frequently and know what that kind of rail network can do.  I've used the system and know how well it really works... and its far better than anything we have in the US or Canada.

Perhaps. But Canada's population density is different from either Europe's or the U.S. Freedom of movement trumps all other concerns for me, from a personal liberties POV.

 

 

Again... how is another option for that movement limiting your freedom in any way? If anything it expands your freedom.  Rail doesn't take away cars... and riding a train isn't mandatory.  You can get on/off a train between its origin and destination which can't be done in an airplane.

 

I wish I could take you to Germany and show you how much more free you would be with the kind of system they have there.  I rarely ever rent a car while I'm there and I can get almost anywhere in the country.. and even other countries.  My guess is that you only have experience with our pitiful North American public transit networks and since you haven't experienced what a real rail network can do, you expect them to perform as poorly as the ones here.

 

Even if you never set foot on a train, the highways would be less congested, fuel costs would be lower, and insurance costs would be lower.

[El Kabong]

In a car, you set the destination and the itinerary. The only thing that can disrupt that is a breakdown in the infrastructure, or your vehicle. Anything besides a personal vehicle compromises that to some degree. I'm aware that it sounds kinda Freemen-ish, but what can I say-Brock Yates influenced me as a kid and my personal happiness speaks to the truth of it.

[Drew Dowdell]

In a car, you set the destination and the itinerary. The only thing that can disrupt that is a breakdown in the infrastructure, or your vehicle. Anything besides a personal vehicle compromises that to some degree. I'm aware that it sounds kinda Freemen-ish, but what can I say-Brock Yates influenced me as a kid and my personal happiness speaks to the truth of it.

 

This just baffles me. I've never not set my destination or itinerary when in Europe.  One of the great things my partner and I love about our home-away-from-home of Cologne, Germany is that we can get anywhere we want, anytime we want and never need a car to do it.    The only time we use a car is if we're going out to one of the rural castles, and even then there is only a minority of them that can't be reached by transit.

 

I hope you get to experience the additional freedom of a robust rail network someday.  You'll see how it compliments the car rather than detracts from it. 

[El Kabong]

I can pinpoint our differences to one single word:

"rural."

I'm a rural kinda guy. You probably aren't. Nothing right or wrong on that either way. But there it is

[cp-the-nerd]

From your link "There is no dispute that health care spending is growing at its lowest level since the 1960s"

 

And within context--which you know since you read that far--attributing that to Obamacare is dubious at best.

[Drew Dowdell]

I can pinpoint our differences to one single word:

"rural."

I'm a rural kinda guy. You probably aren't. Nothing right or wrong on that either way. But there it is

 

That doesn't change the fact that trains v. cars v. planes is not zero sum. 

[Drew Dowdell]

 

From your link "There is no dispute that health care spending is growing at its lowest level since the 1960s"

 

And within context--which you know since you read that far--attributing that to Obamacare is dubious at best.

 

 

That article is a year old. Healthcare cost growth continues to be low and the economy is growing again and has been for most the the past few years.... so can't still be attributing it to the great recession.

[balthazar]

It strikes me not that the health care growth rate is slower than usual, but that it was incessantly pitched at reducing costs. $2500 savings annually per family, IIRC.
'Growth rate' means costs are still escalating; that's not how it was sold at all.

 

Underpromise & over-deliver, not the other way around.

[El Kabong]

The more I see of this place, the more I like it

[Drew Dowdell]

It strikes me not that the health care growth rate is slower than usual, but that it was incessantly pitched at reducing costs. $2500 savings annually per family, IIRC.

'Growth rate' means costs are still escalating; that's not how it was sold at all.

Underpromise & over-deliver, not the other way around.

In more than a few states, costs are indeed shrinking. Off the top of my head, Virginia is showing 10%+ insurance cost reductions. There are others showing reductions as well.

[oldshurst442]

The more I see of this place, the more I like it

I see what you mean.

 

I wanted to contribute...but Drew knows his stuff.

 

I also wanted to talk about Hellas...but this place aint about politics..I respect this place and Drew...so I aint gonna go down that road...

 

I just wanna point out...in the Random Thoughts Thread...because I too...am Greek...and it pains me to see some ignorant folk blame socialism...

Greece's economy consists of figs, olives and olive oil and feta cheese....and tourism....and when people cease to fly...because they have over extended themselves...whether they are indulging in the American Dream...or the German Dream...the credit crunch killed the world...Greece's tourism went down....see 2009 worl crisis...not only in America...so Greece had to pay the bills solely on feta cheese and olive oil....and lest not forget...that there are several ranches in Texas and Alberta...I repeat...SEVERAL RANCHES that raise cows that are LARGER in surface area than the entire country of Greece...

 

Montreal...just finished paying off the Olympics of 1976...with Canada's and Quebec's help....of cigarette taxes, gasoline taxes...federal payments...and Oshawa building Camaros and Impalas...Greece....well...the Olympics took place in 2004...and Europe does not help Greece pay off her Olympic debt of new airports and highway systems and Subway systems...let alone the Olympic venue buildings themselves....in fact...German Banks have pretty much raped Greece for that loan...then there is the F-16s that Greece had to buy from Nato...but Greece....builds none of that....no factories....BMW, Audi. M-B, OPEL...most if not all factories are in Germany....employing German workers....Renault, Citroen, Peugeot....almost if not all factroies aee in France...employing Frenchmen....Siemens and Miele....factories are in Germany...I think...employing Germans...yet Greeks...buy these products by the boat load...but not one Greek benefits...funny...I thought Greece was in some sort of a European Union....free trade...OH...brain drain from Greece to work in Germany...pay German taxes to the country of Germany....yeah...socialism is at fault....lazy Greeks they say...

 

 

OK...RANT OVER!!!

Edited July 17, 2015 by oldshurst442

[ocnblu]

This thread has become less than random.