Politics

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  • sted0

    Do you care (pay attention) more about politics and politicians today than in the past years?

    • Speaking for myself, the moment GWB and Stephen Harper got into power, I paid much more attention, and have done since.Continuity
    • Ever since Bill Clinton point blank lied to you and me I've been hooked: https://www.youtube.…PonyBoy
    • Cuz somehow an asshole like him and his turd of a wife are still sweethearts of the American left... politics will always fascinate me :)PonyBoy
    • The 2000 election (I was a month shy of 18 and couldn't yet vote) got me interested. Then 9/11.colin_s
    • The later Obama years turned me off a bit because the 'left' was hardly that and people excited about Clinton left me waiting for Trumpcolin_s
    • Certainly, but politics isn't something we should have to worry about on the daily. Just seems this is how it is for now.garbage
  • BonSeff1

    • Mouth Breatherjmckinno
    • Eddie Munster is looking cool. Don Junior looks like he end up shagging that cake.PhanLo
    • that isn't a cake, that's a 'cake' COOKIE you fucking bell endkona
    • horse teeth on donnie jr. very classy.dorf
    • Couldn't possibly get any more pathetic.BusterBoy
    • And Cruz...you fucking sellout. Standing with the son of a man who relentlessly called you "Lyin' Ted" and accused your father of being involved in JFKs assas.BusterBoy
    • ^ and the Zodiac KillerRamanisky2
    • Through the years there are have been loads of rich spoiled assholes in the limelight, but the saddest thing about Jr..garbage
    • ..is that he just can't play the part. Or buy looks, or class. Dude has been given everything, yet somehow manages to be nothing.garbage
    • Too bad he's too stupid to ever realize that.garbage
    • And with that in mind, do you now understand what motivates his father too? He lived under his father's long shadow and knows he's never been a match...detritus
    • ...and I'm not even sure being President will fill the chip in his shoulder.detritus
  • omg-3

    "LOL. Schumer has illegals arrested for “Unlawful Entry” of his office. Oh the Irony"

    "Democrats are getting so sick of the DACA protestors that they’re having them arrested."

    • how many Rubles is that today dotard ??Ramanisky2
    • lol, 4chan. where loneliness goes to get raped.dorf
    • they were trespassing, with unlawful entry, what is the issue?monospaced
  • allthethings2

    http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/18/po…

    Trump predicts exoneration in Russia investigation as allies fear a 'meltdown'

    "President Donald Trump is privately striking a less agitated tone on the Russia investigation, sources say, even insisting he’ll soon be cleared in writing."

    Meanwhile, I am privately telling my aides that I am an airplane, and this will be confirmed in a letter.

  • omg-11

    • you're so patheticmonospaced
    • hahaomg
    • omg, man i feel for ya. i hope things cheer up someday.capn_ron
    • So many rubles today Troll ....
      you're rich bitch.
      Ramanisky2
    • yawngarbage
    • omg, just admit it. you got mad love for hillary! you spend so much time posting pics, blog posts, talking about her.. . ooh la la.plash
    • Yawn. Most liberals I know don't even like Hillary. We simply voted for her because we felt a hairdryer would be a better president than Trump. You're obsessed.FNP14
    • ГрустныйFNP14
    • Considering she lost in 2016 and isn't a candidate I'm not sure why anyone's talking about her at all anymore.monospaced
  • whatthefunk4

    • When was the last time a Christian ever blew up innocent people or ran them over with their car, or rammed planes into the WTC killing thousands of people?omg
    • Las Vegas this summer.monospaced
    • Yeah, if you didn't put WTC I'd think you were being sarcastic. The list is longer than anything else.formed
    • without any political motives, Paddock isn't considered a terrorist.omg
    • That Oklahoma bombing tho.face_melter
    • http://www.slate.com…whatthefunk
    • https://www.smithson…whatthefunk
    • omg, you're arguing that if it's not political motivated, it's not really a big deal to kill innocent people, and children?monospaced
    • If you're going to mix criminal statistics with terrorism, you might as well call black on black criminals terrorists as well.omg
    • that's probably the most ignorant, idiotic thing you're gonna say today, you trolling piece of shitmonospaced
    • what if this guy was dressed like a dbag for halloween and ended up being on a meme? have you ever thought about that?
      Mr. Phillips is like the nicest guy ever
      Miguex
  • yuekit2

    “Yes, I love the idea of lower corporate taxes,” Fox Business Network host Trish Regan said of the Republican plan on her show last week, “but I really do not like what they’re doing on the individual side.”

    The normally pro-Trump pundit who regularly guest-hosts on Fox News explained that savings that businesses will see would be offset by individual taxpayers.

    “My concern here is it’s going to hurt the individual. And so, effectively, individuals are carrying the water for these corporations — they get that great tax cut on the corporate side, but people are not gonna get it on the individual side.”

    The Republican plan cuts the corporate tax rate nearly in half. In order to pay for the permanent 21 percent corporate tax rate without increasing the deficit after 10 years, per Senate rules, Republicans allowed the tax cuts on individuals to expire.

    https://www.salon.com/2017/12/18…

    • It's an interesting bait and switch they pulled on this...originally it was sold as tax cuts for everyone.yuekit
    • Looks like the final plan will be permanent corporate tax cuts, individual tax cuts for only a few years while permanently eliminating deductions you can make.yuekit
    • What's stranger, imho, is people actually bought the "middle class tax cuts" crap. It's the exact same GOP playbook, nothing new.formed
    • They did what they always do. Trump sold lies, people bought it and are still defending it with crap like "well, not perfect, but any cut is good"formed
    • if you look at global corporate taxes it seems fair. obama had preferred a 28%. the tax cut is a good thing for competition. how much apple money squirreled awadeathboy
    • y outside us border for such our tax code. the more money you get to keep in a society speaks volumes of its gov effectiveness. what you should care about isdeathboy
    • spending. if they dont cut that this loss revenue falls on others. not that its no different than obamacare in method but still is wrongdeathboy
    • CBO projections as proven wrong time and time again i dont believe the rep economic growth numbersdeathboy
    • sick of the short term gain political moves. they need to cut spending. but that the achllles heel of politics. to cut spending means to roll back favors fordeathboy
    • votes. how to change that? how to not make small dicked power hungry ppl apply to be police officers? i have no clue how to change the problemdeathboy
    • disgusting this is how they think, not to mention incredibly naivemonospaced
  • Bluejam6

  • Bluejam0


    “We are rebuilding our nation, our confidence, and our standing in the world*..."

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-n…

    *

    https://www.theguardian.com/worl…

  • whatthefunk6

    • +1fadein11
    • THISkona
    • Depressing that this isn't a strawman.garbage
    • Same shit, different beards.PhanLo
    • ^ that's a good oneR_Kercz
    • never seen kona get this excited about abortions before.omg
    • on that note, why not fund tattoo removals then murder strangle a kid while yer at it.omg
    • Happy Xmas OMG.PhanLo
    • omg, you don't really think you are getting anyone with that abortion morality shit, do you?monospaced
    • i believe in whatever trimester omg is in abortions.imbecile
    • Easy for you to support large scale gov't sponsored murder when a fetus can't speak. Where are your morals since you've no religious ones?omg
    • jesus mono you take the bait EVERY TIME.inteliboy
    • On that note, the suicidal tendencies and mood disorders on over 59% of women and over 261% for social anxiety disorders and substance abuse.omg
    • ... shows "abortion is clearly bad for women’s mental health that it falls second only to Islam" - milo yiannopoulosomg
    • omg only cares about children before they're born. once born, fuck em. #MAGAkona
    • the largest percentage of these folks are blacks, hispanics and others... why would kona support such large scale gov't sponsored murder in Chicago?omg
    • qbn sidenotes, THE place to debate about abortion!inteliboy
    • ps - omg, whilst you rant with us designers on Hillary, pizza, sjw's, abortion or whatever talking point of the day. The 1% ruling class sit back and laugh.inteliboy
    • intelliboy takes the bait!monospaced
    • AGAIN!
      ;)
      monospaced
  • zaq5

  • deathboy-8

    whoo hoo no individual mandate. no more paying an extra 2.5%. now only if they lift the bullshit laws defining short-term healthcare and time limits. Since april 1 i've seen my state provider options pretty much drop from 10-12 to 2. And coverage went from awesome and cheap, to obamacare bronze levels @ 2-3x the cost.

    • I'm a Type 1 Diabetic. GFY.mathinc
    • you know math if people paid for insulin and other materials like i pay for my contact solution and didnt rely on insurances to broker prices it would be alotdeathboy
    • cheaper.deathboy
    • @deathboy That fact that you would think to compare your contact lens solution with someone's insulin says a lot about your sense of entitlement.nb
    • no NB it says you are sensitive to entitlement and not market force economics. If our car insurance was to cover tires, oil changes, and all basic maintenancedeathboy
    • when consumers directly pay for services and items prices go down. with insurance paying for it there is no market to determine price of itemsdeathboy
    • why the prices of such things have skyrocketed vs cost less with more efficient technologies.deathboy
    • if that somehow seems to be a statement of entitlement than im guessing you just dont get shit.deathboy
    • "with insurance paying for it there is no market to determine price of items"
      ??? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
      nb
    • Do you know what a market is?nb
    • anyways where is my pity that i have to pay about 2200 tax for choosing a better care plan than obamacare, and seeing my choice shrink, quality drop, pricedeathboy
    • increase. I cant even be responsible and have an HSA. Well I still am responsible and save for such possibilities like a broken arm or wrist, just no tax breakdeathboy
    • No NB I dont know what a market is. Explain to me how insurance companies are the best market force for determining the price of things?deathboy
    • Or walk me through the reasons for increasing hard costs of medical supplies? Maybe a little in the supply and demand of it or how price discovery worksdeathboy
    • Oh, now suddenly there IS a market? You're contradicting yourself, bud.nb
    • omfg this is really how they think?monospaced
    • I didn't contradict myself. To your question "Do u know what a market is". I said no. In an attempt to see how you think costs are being driven higher anddeathboy
    • get an idea on wether you have any sense of the matter or not. OVERdeathboy
    • and mono your statement about these people. id love for you to define who they are. because as I see it im a person who doesnt like the increase in healthcaredeathboy
    • and being forced to pay for something that I have no control over. technically these people would be me and mathdeathboy
    • OVERdeathboy
    • what hard research have you done to support your idea that insurance co.s are to blame for higher healthcare costs? be concise.dorf
    • Well it's not ONLY insurance. But for this one common sense price discovery, and real world examples. https://opinionator.…deathboy
    • i could use like a 100 of these comments to explain how there is no price discovery, a great example is imagine you pay 500 a month for groceries at the storedeathboy
    • you can have whatever you want. What would people choose? How will the people start pricing the products they put in the store. Will your dog have steak everydeathboy
    • night. Will a box of generic cheerios now cost the same as regular cheerios? If the store has to keep stocked why not rise prices.deathboy
    • between the article and that really brief explanation does it make sense? And that is just the basics. Hospitals and insurance co's that dotn own each otherdeathboy
    • can inflate prices, worse if they own each other. there was some appectemy scenarios where it cost 200K, from hospital but insurance settled for like 125Kdeathboy
    • and those prices were set high for a larger settlement savings gap because than they get more public funds or money from gov. not to mention i think appectomydeathboy
    • costs like 8k i believe. so there is a lot of redtape being gamed, and us none the wiser because we dont see any pricing or real world price discoverydeathboy
    • OVERdeathboy
    • and if you look at healthcare costs increase after 1965 you begin to see another big culprit. Medicare. Another 0 price discovery system for the consumer. Adeathboy
    • small group of people, probably filled with lobbyists trying to decide prices of certain things. Than there is medical advancements keeping ppl walking dead fordeathboy
    • years on the public tit, and cost is no option mentality. which is a culture thing on how we perceive death. But any price discovery for consumer will helpdeathboy
    • OVERdeathboy
    • 10-4, do you think hospitals, etc. should be legally required to display the cost for services? if so that is probably not an "open market" idea. OVER.dorf
    • i also asked for hard research and all you've provided is an opinion article. OVER.dorf
    • deathboy, king of the sidenotes and word salads. OVER.Ramanisky2
    • dorf sounds like you don't want me to be right. at article isn't opinion when its talking or real world examples. how much evidence would you like?deathboy
    • the fact is if the majority of ppl use insurance the insurance and hospital agree on cost. And they are going to agree to costs much higher than normal ppldeathboy
    • holy shit this is really how they thinkmonospaced
    • would pay. That's common sense. Why would they look out for your interests when they can raise rates and slowly pass the cost on to everyone.deathboy
    • https://surgerycente…deathboy
    • https://object.cato.…deathboy
    • but really dorf how much research are you willing to read? You want half page summarizations? or books?deathboy
    • Can you really say you are interested? OVERdeathboy
    • over and out?monospaced
    • Nope not yet. I was just about to close out, but didn't see dorfs question. Its interesting. I don't believe hospitals should be required to display pricing.deathboy
    • cost of regulating and "accurately" providing pricing when so many different insurances pay differently. the surgery center does because they dont havedeathboy
    • insurance providers. it was be a great intention but i think it would create a ton of confusion and tax payer cost. i'd much see tax incentives removed fordeathboy
    • employer based coverage. and get rid of penalties if employers don't provide it. this would also help make people the consumer. so many ppl who get coveragedeathboy
    • only from work do not see the real costs. That would enable people to be paid more also and than they can put that money where its important to themdeathboy
    • after all the employer based health insurance is just a fuck up from wwII wage freezes. was great for a third party market though and to obfuscate costsdeathboy
    • OVERdeathboy
    • of course any suggestion I'd make come to fix stuff comes with a sting. The correction will hurt. I and others said obamacare would not control costs but drivedeathboy
    • them higher. it always was a political piece to look cheaper through short term subsidization, but insurers new it was a win and why they were onboarddeathboy
    • to keep putting of the hurt will make the correction hurt that much more. this mandate removal is going to hurt, and prices probably rise that much higherdeathboy
    • without subsidization and people will stop paying for insurance. no insurance people need direct, but if hospitals keep prices high, they lose out too.deathboy
    • price discovery and corrections. but more sad stories before it stabilizes. Cancer people probably wont have a chance with price correction if poor.deathboy
    • or they might have better chances. cheaper older therapies that are only .01% less effective but 100 times cheaper. u never knowdeathboy
    • there would be incentive to capitalize not on the best and most expensive, but what works for price point. you see it in other nations all the time. OVERdeathboy
    • o_0monospaced
    • remove insurance, employer benefits, etc. and somehow a for profit industry will lower their prices?dorf
    • yup. if policy creates incentives to provide services not desired you get an bubble. why should we need hc for everything except detrimental caredeathboy
    • most probably dont need it. but employers inflate costs by offering it for what seems to be cheap compared to market, but those costs subsidized from salariesdeathboy
    • most of all transactions are for profits (including non profits) and competition drives prices down. that is a historical factdeathboy
    • if u look at insulin or cost of diabetes which this started out about. what factors have driven up costs? technology? supply? less demand?deathboy
    • why would a vial of insulin produced in the 80 cost 35-40 now cost 275-300. Inflation of our dollar? ha no. It because of what systems will pay thatdeathboy
    • and those are insurances paying those prices, subsidized by a majority, artificially creating higher prices while taking their profit off the top, in a loopdeathboy
    • Homosexuality / paedophilia, now contact lenses / insulin. You're a fucking bawheid, pal. Like, I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire *and* you paid me.face_melter
    • bitcoin objective based currency that also allows people to transfer directly without 2.9% transaction fees of middlemen. we see the middleman there yet ignoredeathboy
    • him and his methods of driving costs higher in healthcare. maybe bc we told to think of banks bad and all hc good. i could also tell you stories of my localdeathboy
    • hospital who also owns the insurance company that the majority of employer based insurance uses around here. how they attempted a monopoly on pre obamacare ruledeathboy
    • that said the more unified and control the more dollars, resulting in a nasty pr job about their acquiring all heart doctors in towndeathboy
    • and a lawsuit resulting in ceo stepping down and doctors leaving area to practice elsewhere. i assure you im no armchair quarter back on what i spitdeathboy
    • its more real world happenings than theory and hypotheticals, which is far different than the acqb's that say but healthcare is a right and disregards everythindeathboy
    • in between OVERdeathboy
    • and its not to say insurance isnt a scam. its a logical gamble. but still a gamble. to think of it otherwise defeats the point of insurance and creates somethideathboy
    • ng different. my awesome plan better than obama care for reference was 1k out of pocket on me no matter what up front. no deductibles on meds or shitdeathboy
    • after that a 20/80 for the next 1000 I spend. After that they cover me for 2 million to any doctor anywhere even abroad.deathboy
    • and this was for 80 a month. compare that to obamacare cheap plan that ..i didnt write down.. is 375 a month. covers basically nothing until the 6500 deductibledeathboy
    • is met with a max of around 7400. and has to be in network. of the two which would you spend your money on?deathboy
    • to me it seems obvious. i think if ppl given the choice they'd agree and be better off. the problem is its not obamacare insurance so you get taxeddeathboy
    • however if u crunch the numbers you see that plan + paying tax is still cheaper than obamacare. so since april 1st rules kicked indeathboy
    • u see the regulations making it harder for competition, price increases all to "push" people into volunteering to pay for obamacaredeathboy
    • this next year i was forecasting to break about even on non obamacare plans with rate hikes and lack of tax incentives and ind mandatesdeathboy
    • as a responsible consumer who believes his dollar vote matters the most I would even weather a small loss before being forced to support a failing systemdeathboy
    • but the reversal of the individual mandate now strips the BS "incentives" for a obamacare program and allows me more freedom to get a better plandeathboy
    • Now only if they will revert the rules denying the competition to obamacare. more choice at less cost and people think thats wrong? strange. OVERdeathboy
    • It's so sick that this is how they actually think.monospaced
    • deathboy 'Word Salad' extraordinaireRamanisky2
    • https://i.giphy.com/…whatthefunk
    • your underlying assumption that healthcare can be treated as a commodity is incorrect. without ins. people would be charged the higher prices and it woulddorf
    • create huge profit margins for the healthcare industry. as a for-profit industry, they would be shooting themselves in the foot if they lowered their prices.dorf
    • lastly, why didn't you keep your $80 plan?dorf
  • utopian0

  • utopian0

    • Circle jerk.BusterBoy
    • Look at these assholes, all smug supporting bad legislation and the duping of americas most stupid.monospaced
  • BusterBoy1

    "Well...I mean. I'm just saying".

    • These wing-nuts are happy to say anything to trigger false outrage on partisan lines. Very dangerous idiots.monoboy
    • Irresponsible fucktardsRamanisky2
  • monoboy8

    So not only the 1% get a Huge tax break...

    -They get their campaign investment back
    -They get to buy back MORE SHARES in their companies cheap AFTER.
    -They get to cash out on that stock market market all time high with a yuuugeeee selloff.

    Calling a recession by let's say March?

    • Not my words... https://twitter.com/…monoboy
    • so that's what jealousy sounds like... i imagine you want more than you put in or worked for? does it make you mad that someone has more money than you?omg
    • this is crazy...too crazy...they are trying too hard to cause war, chaos, famine, misery...wtf?!oey
    • I imagine its a lot like putting fruits in the juicer. What comes out are jobs to put food on the table and buys a little bit of happiness.omg
    • Jealousy no, despair yes. Nearly all economic evidence points to the contrary of this trickle down theory.monoboy
    • Corporate taxes in the US are really high, which is why they avoid paying them in the first place.monoboy
    • Despite large corporations sitting on record pots of ever increasing cash reserves during a time of economic austerity for ordinary working people.monoboy
    • if corporate America does't start giving back, but instead takes yet more. We're looking at the start of some serious serious shit.monoboy
    • I agree. Those that naively back this further divide and blatant robbery will have to answer for any reckoning that will come (debt, etc.)formed
    • And all whilst adding $448 billion to federal deficits. That thing the GOP shuts down government for. You couldn't make it up.monoboy
    • What's terrifyingly hilarious is how "debt" was soooo bad not long ago, cut, cut, cut. Now the economy is doing well, there's money everywhere at the top/corpformed
    • So what do they do? Take out more debt so Ryan and Co can call for more cuts (Medicare/caid,etc... The gutting of America has begun in earnest.formed
    • If the wealth divide isn't addressed really soon I think we will see some serious shit.formed
    • But instead of using for national infrastructure and jobs (which actually sparked growth recovery), it's going into the pockets of the rich who avoid tax.monoboy
    • @monoboy - exactly.fadein11
    • the system is breaking down, people are now better informed, change is inevitable and yes it could be v.messy during the transition.fadein11
    • transition to?OBBTKN
    • Social democracy. Whereby economic growth is done responsibly. Nobody left behind, nobody out in-front alone with all the spoils.monoboy
    • Where the rich and successful are judged by their contribution to society, not what they made for themselves to the detriment of others.monoboy
    • Meritocracy.monoboy
    • Plutocracy has had its day.monoboy
    • Amenfadein11
  • Bluejam1


    "The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has warned UN members she will be “taking names” of countries that vote to reject Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-n…

    • school yard bully nonsenseR_Kercz
    • Oh, no.
      He'll take it personally.
      Whatever shall we do?
      Continuity
    • This is so pathetic. It's as though this administration full of fucktards think they can rewrite international relations...just fuck off.BusterBoy
  • allthethings6

    Paul Ryan, asked whether the GOP tax bill will explode the deficit: “Nobody knows the answer to that question because that’s in the future. But what we do know, this will increase economic growth.”

    Isn't the economic growth also in the future?

    • Alternative factsjaylarson
    • LOL! you are too smart for your own good...oey
    • Honestly, these fucking two-faced liars can come with anything.nb
    • For example, if the economy went through another Great Recession, and then we had 16 years of a Democrat, and 16 years of growth...nb
    • ...and then one month of a Republican, Paul Ryan would be in front of a microphone saying, "SEE IT WORKED I WAS RIGHT"nb
    • To be fair, many democrats pull this shit, too. But still, how fucking dumb/gullible can the voting public be? CALL THEM ON THEIR SHITnb
    • Lowering the tax rate instantly makes companies richer, that's what he means by growing the economy.zarkonite
    • No, that isn't what he means (assuming the quote is accurate)nb
    • "will increase economic growth" is specifically talking about the future.nb
  • colin_s9

    This fucking tax bill is a nightmare

    • yupmonospaced
    • Is there anything else the GOP need trump for?R_Kercz
    • well, stop being poor. /sdorf
    • GOP added $1.5 trillion to the debt today. Ryan: Congress will now focus on cutting anti-poverty programs so they can get the national debt "under control."allthethings
    • ridiculousoey
  • PhanLo7

    • Something something bootstraps something something free market something Communism etc. etc.face_melter
    • look at her expecting a free handout like a liberal bum!monospaced
    • Get a job, granny!allthethings
    • comon granny, there are SO many jobs out there now that the wall is up which is stopping foreigners from taking our jobskona
    • Eventually, I reckon the elderly will be euthanised when they can no longer afford to exist, their properties used as payment for the service. The homeless too.PhanLo