Disqus - Latest Comments for nyp10025

Re: NationalJournal.com - Paul Ryan's Finest Hour? - Friday, May 27, 2011

nyp10025 — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:26:46 -0000

"(and the double-counting of them described by the Congressional Budget Office)"
???
The Congressional Budget Office never described any such double counting. In fact, its responses to Republicans such as Congressman Ryan made clear there was no double counting.

The National Journal reporter has her facts wrong.

Re: Republicans Will Still Attack Dems For Cutting Medicare And They Will Still Be Wrong

nyp10025 — Thu, 26 May 2011 19:25:44 -0000

Dear Wonkroom: I have heard that the same $500 million in reduced future Medicare spending that was in the ACA (and which forms the basis for the conservative attacks on Democrats) is contained in the Ryan budget. If so, then pointing that fact out seems an easy way to blunt the latest attacks. Is it true? Can you document it?

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Tue, 24 May 2011 06:37:29 -0000

that is completely untrue. the idea that companies are not hiring because of "uncertainty" over a law that does not come into effect for another three years is absurd. Where is your evidence?

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:27:37 -0000

The criteria were published in the Federal Register nine months ago. You don't know what you are talking about.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:26:57 -0000

No, I am citing and relying upon the CBO. You and Wolf have completely misrepresented the CBO report and Doug Elmendorf's testimony. They say pretty much the opposite of what you and Wolf claim they say.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:52:53 -0000

there is nothing opaque or arbitrary about the waiver process. The objective criteria are published in the federal register and are on the internet. The list of waivers and applications is published as well. If you think the process is arbitrary, name one applicant that received a waiver that did not deserve one under the rules, and another applicant that deserved a waiver but did not receive it.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:49:56 -0000

1. Many of the waivers are to Republican-contributing corporations, are subject to strict and objective criteria, and are completely transparent.
2. More importantly, you appear not to understand that the waivers in question apply only to mini-med policies that might otherwise not meet the minimum coverage thresholds during the transition period before healthreform is actually implemented. They have nothing whatsoever to do with the individual responsibility requirement, which is designed to ensure that no one is able to get a free ride off of the contributions into the system made by other policyholders.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 09:46:46 -0000

Now your comments are so completely revolting that any further response would be pointless.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 08:54:03 -0000

Now you are playing the Holocaust card. And accusing the President's mother of being -- gasp! -- an "athiest."

By the way, my "rebuttal to all of the WAIVERS" is all over the threads responding to Wolf's dishonest article. Take a look.

Oh, by the way -- what is the evidence for your allegation that the President's grandfather (a furniture salesman) and grandmother (a bank executive) were communists?

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 08:00:23 -0000

You think it is a totalitarian outrage that voters would punish at the ballot box politicians who act contrary to those voter's interests. I think that is crazy.

You think that it is a violation of the norms of political decency for a politician to refer to suggest to voters that they use their votes to punish politicians they consider their enemies and reward politicians they consider their friends. Yet in the same paragraph you recklessly slander the President's mother and father as communists, attempt to tie the President of the United States to terrorism and call people who disagree with you "douchbags". I think that is hypocrisy.

P.S.: I'm sorry that you think -- along with your fellow Republicans -- that saving the U.S. auto industry, along with hundreds of thousands of jobs in the Midwest and South, was a mistake. I disagree.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 06:47:03 -0000

1. It is disgusting that you would compare people who disagree with you about the proper means of healthcare reform to Stalin. That has no place in American political discourse.
2. "Vvob" argued that providing universal access to healthcare for Americans below retirement age was unconstitutional because "Healthcare is NOT a Constitutional right". By his own logic, it must also be wrong and unconstitutional to provide universal access to healthcare for Americans above retirement age (i.e., Medicare). If he does not believe that, then the bit about healthereform being wrong because the Constitution does not guarantee healthcare is completely irrelevant.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 06:40:32 -0000

Hard to respond to that kind of precious-bodily-fluid paranoia.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 06:39:15 -0000

So your point is that if the waiver recipients are donors to Democrats that is evidence of corruption, and if they are donors to Republicans that is evidence of corruption as well.

Very hard to respond to that kind of closed-loop thinking.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Mon, 23 May 2011 06:35:10 -0000

that is completely preposterous. Crazy stuff.
Please provide some evidence that a non-partisan emergency response system decided to "punish" Texas for political purposes, while rewarding Alabama, Tennessee, etc.

However, it is nice to see you acknowledge the essential role of the Federal government.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 22:40:57 -0000

Your allegation that members of Congress "exempted themselves from Obamacare" is completely untrue. Section 1312 of the law specifically applies its provisions to members of Congress.
If you are so wrong about that point, how many other aspects of healthcare reform must you also be wrong about?

By the way, what is the poll that allegedly says that 72% of Americans oppose the healthcare reform law?

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 20:47:36 -0000

"Barry G" pretty much exemplifies the paranoia and conspiracy-mongering of the opponents of healthcare reform.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 20:44:21 -0000

to "Barry G": you are totally wrong. Below is the actual text of section 1312 of the healthcare reform law, as enacted by Congress and signed by the President. After you read it, consider: if you are so wrong about this aspect of healthcare reform, how many other aspects of the new law must you also be wrong about?

"section 1312
D) MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN THE EXCHANGE.-

(i) REQUIREMENT.-Notwithstanding any other provision of law, after the effective date of this subtitle, the only health plans that the Federal Government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff with respect to their service as a Member of Congress or congressional staff shall be health plans that are-

(I) created under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act); or

(II) offered through an Exchange established under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act).
(ii) DEFINITIONS.-In this section:

(I) MEMBER OF CONGRESS.-The term ''Member of Congress'' means any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate.

(II) CONGRESSIONAL STAFF.-The term ''congressional staff'' means all full-time and parttime employees employed by the official office of a Member of Congress, whether in Washington, DC or outside of Washington, DC".

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 13:39:35 -0000

1. The non-partisan economic analyses have concluded that by bringing everyone under the insurance umbrella and by taking scores of measures to bend the cost curve downwards, healthcare reform will reduce the deficit by more than a trillion dollars.

2. If you really think that Washington is completely corrupted by campaign contributions, you should devote your energies to reforming how politics is financed and to overturning the Citizens United case, not to absurd and ill-informed attacks on modest, conservative healthcare measures such as President Obama's health reform legislation.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 12:13:42 -0000

Sure. McDonalds, PepsiCo, Cracker Barrel Restaurants, CIGNA Insurance, Aetna Insurance, etc., etc.
Communists all, I'm sure.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 12:12:32 -0000

Nope. They have gone to drug companies, insurance companies, fast food companies, hotel chains, etc. The
"unions" you crudely refer to are actually mlulti-employer health funds created by a collective bargaining agreement between a union and two or more employers, pursuant to the Taft-Hartley Act.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 11:44:12 -0000

Ah, so you admit that the waivers are only until health reform comes on line, but you believe, without any evidence, that there will be "extensions." That shows, among other things, that you do not understand how health reform works. In 2014 individuals who don't have adequate insurance will be eligible either for expanded Medicaid coverage or to purchase cheaper decent insurance from "exchanges," that will operate a lot like Orbitz.com or travelocity.com. The "mini med" plans with inadequate benefit caps that have received the temporary waivers will all go out of existence because they will have been superseded.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 11:39:34 -0000

About that quote from the President about "punishing our enemies and rewarding our friends"? What you fail to mention is that the President was talking not about the White House, but about Latino voters holding anti-Latino politicians accountable at the ballot box. Here is the actual quote, from an interview with Univision: "Well, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna see how well we do in this election and I think a lot of it is gonna depend on whether we still have some support not only from Democrats, but also Republicans, but they're gonna be paying attention to this election. And if Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, we're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us, if they don't see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it's gonna be harder and that's why I think it's so important that people focus on voting on November 2."

In context, comes out a bit differently, doesn't it?

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 11:38:13 -0000

"astroturf group" is a well-known term that has been around for years. Google it.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 11:36:38 -0000

Members of Congress are expressly made subject to the health reform law. In fact, the law applies to members of Congress with greater force than it does to the general population.

Re: WOLF: Obamacare waiver corruption must stop

nyp10025 — Sun, 22 May 2011 11:35:52 -0000

there are no such waivers to individuals and companies. You simply made that up.