Obamacare

[haasd0gg]

I just read it like "eat the rich" or "kill whitey"

[11_Panama_]

I just read it like "eat the rich" or "kill whitey"

..or "kill the sick", George Carlin could pull that joke off but Mandy is lacking the skill.

[Mandalore]

Who the [m'kay] is Panama?

Anyways, even if you num nuts were being pedantic, I said it would be simpler. Not better. ;)

[11_Panama_]

Who the [m'kay] is Panama?

Anyways, even if you num nuts were being pedantic, I said it would be simpler. Not better. ;)

I am...

[Mandalore]

I agree with Nite and Wulf. I too found your "joke", Mandy, to be lacking humor. Maybe we should kill off those who do not laugh at your jokes as well. That way, the world will be a "happier" place for you.

Is this an option?

And I asked, Pan, because you said your opinion of me changed. Such an explanation implies that someone cares about your opinion of me. That and I just don't remember ever playing with you on any game.

[11_Panama_]

No, we never have played. I heard you were decent (as a player), so I chose to believe that.

[CommanderOtto]

oh well, there goes the obamacare subject

[(=DK=)Samonuh]

Who the [m'kay] is Panama?

Anyways, even if you num nuts were being pedantic, I said it would be simpler. Not better. ;)

Since all relevance in this thread has been loss...hey Mandalore, come on Xfire more. We can chat about stuff.

[(SWGO)SirPepsi]

As societies developed, the need for collective community effort was recognized. Leaders envisioned small towns and functioning networks of cities that were built by every individual, each contributing what he or she could. Although much of this was fantasy, first world nations were built on the backs of those who worked, the dedication of a community as a whole, and through struggle. With this attitude established, many agreed that if each were to do his share for society, society would do its share for them ("Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno"-mentality) allowed for the development of health care, pensions, and various other entitlements. (Again, this is philosophy, many other factors were involved in the creation of these institutions).

It was believed that society should provide for those who could not provide for themselves, so long as they did their best to contribute what they could to society. Unfortunately, collective, borg-like thought is not characteristic to the individual, who seeks to promote his/her self-interest. This selfishness led to the deterioration of entitlement programs and the mentality that shaped much of the early twentieth century (separately). Now, "Ego, et ego solus, meto fructum laboris meum" has taken precedence.

[Mandalore]

I use Steam pretty much exclusively now Samonuh. User=mandalore93 on that one as well. Xfire doesn't really offer anything special anymore now that most people have moved to Steam. Been playing extreme amounts of Europa Universalis 3. Pretty solid strategy game, not that anyone asked.

And since I've trolled enough, I'll guess I'll try to form a somewhat serious answer.

Universal healthcare is a very nice ideal. It is practical in small, densely populated, industrial nations. I do not however feel that it is viable in America given how sparsely populated it is in comparison to say Japan, Singapore, and Britain. While some point out Canada as being sparsely populated, when you discount the large expanses of mostly empty regions you're left with the southern regions of that country which are solidly dense enough but also not populous enough to drain the treasury. As for how it's implemented, it seems to have worked out decently in Massachusetts, but given the differences between the penalty levied for companies not opting into the system in comparison to what it costs to provide healthcare, it certainly seems to favor companies no longer carrying as many healthcare options and instead kicking that back to the employees. And whether or not the difference in compensation is given to the employees in order for them to get their own health care remains to be seen and appears to be the over whelming question mark in whether or not this policy will work. Indeed, the penalties levied on individuals is far more severe in the long run than that of companies. Individual penalties scale by $300 each year, where as the companies have a flat $1000 fee if I recall correctly.