Subsidized loans to be X'd

[yunowu]

For every action, there is a reaction. I think government has already anticipated the reaction from old farts like me to say "the h_ _ _ with you". Hence they are increasing the supply of providers at a record pace in case there is some "discontent" amongst the existing providers. Local community healthcare centers are expected to take up the slack as more private-sector providers (frustrated by the ever-increasing billing paperwork and decrease in medicaid reimbursement) will close their doors to medicaid and medicare patients. Recent graduates should be careful with working in private medicaid offices, as government funding dries up..Hence, if you can't beat them, join them. Working in community health centers may be the hip thing to do in the future..

Crap - so what would happen if the majority of physicians just say "no" and stop treating medicare pateints?

My derm doesnt accept medicare and neither does the allergy guy next to him... I wonder if this is a common practice. Gen Y/X is larger than the baby boomers - do you think there are enough patients to go around without having to treat medicare patients?

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[glo1984]

This seems pretty inaccurate - by a factor of ~10.

A great solution is tax reform; make the effective tax rate on the wealthy (1mill+/yr) and corperations greater than 25%.

We are spending around 25% of GDP while our revenue is ~15%. I agree that have to close that gap but lets do it with ways that dont ruin future prospects. For example: means test medicare/SS, move SS and medicare benfits to 65 (people are living longer than when it was created), and lower our defense and national aid budget by alot. By doing tax revenue changes and entitlement reform we would most likely run a surplus.

Are you an Economist? If we can't afford certain things, we shouldn't be doing them.

Tax reform as a solution is a joke.

 

[yappy]

No, I'm not an economist. Though, based your comments I'm assuming you're not either.

In my readings many economists, rating agencies, the bipartisan debt commition, and the fed believe that tax reform can work towards balancing our budget.

Your statement kinda blows me away because it doesnt even address what I was suggesting. Do you believe the tax rates we have today have been some sort of national fixutre for any length of time? Have you looked into what years we have run surplus vs deficit and what the tax rates were? The idea that taxes dont have macroecomic effects and dont determine what we can or cant afford as a nation is a "joke".

Are you an Economist? If we can't afford certain things, we shouldn't be doing them.

Tax reform as a solution is a joke.

 

[Practical]

What's America got besides the intelligent and motivated people who are actually attending reputable programs and will become great minds of the future?

Why not just cut the military budget, no one's going to wage war on US anytime soon.

Why not make death penalty more reasonable and not waste taxpayers' hard earned money on horrid/useless criminals' food/shelter/clothes? I am not saying we need to enforce death penalty everywhere, but I just think prison system is just so ironic. If a criminal comes back into jail for multiple times after release, obviously he isn't going to learn. Do you think a criminal who's been in jail for many years will actually want to work for his food/house when he gets out? I think not. Most likely he will commit some crime to get back into jail where he gets fed and taken care of for free. Why waste money on these people? I don't know. Why not make full use of these prisoners to produce something for our society as a payback for the food/shelter/clothing?

Why not impose tax on those people who reproduce out of control and make like 8 children without being able to support them? How is it fair that taxpayers should pick up after their children just because they failed at life and didn't use contraceptives? If they absolutely cannot afford to pay for their own children's support and children are already born, why is it fair for us taxpayers to give free money to these families? Why not lock the children into some kind of military draft system when they come of age to pay back the expenditures spent on them while they were young?

How are criminals or other people who will not be major societal contributors at higher importance than the intelligent and motivated higher education students?

A lot of unfair things happening in the US. We act like we are the world police but don't actually take care of our own internal affairs...

 

[lemoncurry]

you must be really popular at parties

 

[flapaTron]

how bout a good old internet meme to lighten the tone around here...

 

[yappy]

Alot of what you listed, except for defense spending, makes up very little of the federal budget. I dont disagree that some of that spending is unfortunate but turning alot of little knobs doesnt do a whole lot when we're spending in the T's.

What's America got besides the intelligent and motivated people who are actually attending reputable programs and will become great minds of the future?

Why not just cut the military budget, no one's going to wage war on US anytime soon.

Why not make death penalty more reasonable and not waste taxpayers' hard earned money on horrid/useless criminals' food/shelter/clothes? I am not saying we need to enforce death penalty everywhere, but I just think prison system is just so ironic. If a criminal comes back into jail for multiple times after release, obviously he isn't going to learn. Do you think a criminal who's been in jail for many years will actually want to work for his food/house when he gets out? I think not. Most likely he will commit some crime to get back into jail where he gets fed and taken care of for free. Why waste money on these people? I don't know. Why not make full use of these prisoners to produce something for our society as a payback for the food/shelter/clothing?

Why not impose tax on those people who reproduce out of control and make like 8 children without being able to support them? How is it fair that taxpayers should pick up after their children just because they failed at life and didn't use contraceptives? If they absolutely cannot afford to pay for their own children's support and children are already born, why is it fair for us taxpayers to give free money to these families? Why not lock the children into some kind of military draft system when they come of age to pay back the expenditures spent on them while they were young?

How are criminals or other people who will not be major societal contributors at higher importance than the intelligent and motivated higher education students?

A lot of unfair things happening in the US. We act like we are the world police but don't actually take care of our own internal affairs...

 

[charlestweed]

Why not just cut the military budget, no one's going to wage war on US anytime soon.

No one dare to wage war against the US because US has the mightiest military and the most sophisticate weapon system in the world. When the government cut the intelligent budget, we got the 9/11 attack. National defense should not be cut and the main role of the government is to protect its citizen. Our economy will collapse, if we are attacked again. I am glad that the Obama’s adminitration continues to adopt the Bush’s policies by ordering numerous drone attacks and fails to close the Guantanamo prison.

 

[yappy]

Not to age yourself, but are you cold war era? Just wondering.

No one dare to wage war against the US because US has the mightiest military and the most sophisticate weapon system in the world. When the government cut the intelligent budget, we got the 9/11 attack. National defense should not be cut and the main role of the government is to protect its citizen. Our economy will collapse, if we are attacked again. I am glad that the Obama’s adminitration continues to adopt the Bush’s policies by ordering numerous drone attacks and fails to close the Guantanamo prison.

 

[charlestweed]

Not to age yourself, but are you cold war era? Just wondering.

I am a huge fan of Reagan. That's how I became a registered republican. Two years after I came to the US, the Soviet Union fell and the Berlin wall collapsed. I was and tired of being brainwashed by the communist teachers in my home country and had to worship Lenin and Stalin like God. I am still 39 yo.

 

[yappy]

Cool man. I asked because I've noticed a temperal culture to cold war era people. I've noticed that alot of rhetorical aruements in modern politics tend to be a call back to older issues. I'm sure it will be done to my generation with 9/11 in the future. These events used as a handle/button if you will...

I am a huge fan of Reagan. That's how I became a registered republican. Two years after I came to the US, the Soviet Union fell and the Berlin wall collapsed. I was and tired of being brainwashed by the communist teachers in my home country and had to worship Lenin and Stalin like God. I am still 39 yo.