OT: rural healthcare
- Thread starter horshack.sixpack
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It was less than what was asked for and required. I'm using that as an example of not actually saving money in the long run. I suspect that making say Ozempic cheap for all Americans would actually save on what the govt spends on healthcare.
I think I predicted in my response that you would say the money they saved is nothing. So, thank you for confirming.
DOGE made those projections when they first started looking through it all, and thought "holy shiit, there's so much waste and stupidity in the government, this will be easy" . They thought they could actually get all those cuts done. Unfortunately for us taxpayers, it looks like the government is so large that it successfully fights hard against those cuts. It might be too large now to be trimmed down or even saved long term. I think Elon was surprised at how hard it was to get even obvious things cut, similar to a lot of newly elected representatives who go to Washington thinking they can change things. It's a sad state for sure.
But that doesn't mean he shouldn't try. I for one am glad DOGE went in and found a lot of that f'ing insane stuff and made it public. I think it woke a lot of people up to what's really going on, even if individually we are mostly powerless to stop it.
This analogy you came up with is really bad. Who is the world has said we should underfund levee systems?? If it was known the feds underfunded them, why didn't the state fill the gap? Locals? Or is this something you could only know AFTER a disaster happens?
Please explain how US taxpayers spending millions of dollars to fund the study of non-binary worms in Uganda is equivalent to me not buying insurance on my house.
As someone who spends a fair amount of time in Europe and who will be on Medicare in a few years I'm not concerned with socialized vs largely private healthcare.
If you believe what you wrote about DOGE despite the evidence that's come out then I'm afraid I'm unable to explain what I meant. I get what you think you're saying but by using a non-existent study to prove a point tells me about your commitment to the truth.
61% of Mississippi voters voted for Trump.
Mississippi has the 2nd highest poverty rate in the country, the lowest mean wage rate in the country, and the second lowest median net worth.
I just figured more than a few of that 61% arent financially well off.
There's also GoodRX, and it actually does save money on some things, especially if your insurance doesn't cover the drug.
When I was growing up in Meridian, there were 5 hospitals in the town. Meridian had just under 50,000 people at the time, but of course, served a somewhat broader area. Regardless, 5 is too many for a relatively small town. I don't know what they have now.
DOGE literally just uncovered a lot of where this money is going, how it's funneled, and to whom. It's the first I've known specifics about a lot of these NGO's and how they function. Have you known all about this for years? Why didn't you say something? Why hasn't this been news before now?
Or are we just finding out now, which is why there is a big stink about it? Of course I have an issue with congressional spending, but today I know our government agencies are funneling money to groups that then buy private ads for specific candidates in national newspapers. So my tax dollars are being turned around and spent to get people elected that I don't want in. That's not representative government. That's the people in power figuring out how to hide the ball to stay in power. Just because it's technically "legal" under the current law doesn't make it right.
How do you think laws like this get changed? We had to find out about it first, then make enough noise so that they change it. That's what is happening.
Holy ****, so because I made up a fictitious example (that isn't very far from reality), you doubt my "commitment to truth"?
Gee, I didn't mean to confuse you. The actual list of absurdities has been published fairly recently by several national news outlets. Do you remember any of those, or do you need me to go work up a list for you?
Medicare is fine because it is for a portion of the population and subsidized by a much larger portion of the population. Go spend some time in practices that are majority medicaid and you might feel differently.
I think Medicaid for all might be fine if allowed to supplement with private insurance, but the reality is none of it will matter unless and until we start allowing the licensure of more doctors and also free NPs and PAs to do more unsupervised work.
Not at today's prices but presumably the price could come way down with an agreement to make it readily affordable for anybody with a BMI over 30. That's assuming we don't get any nasty surprises. There are newer drugs in the pipeline supposedly better, both with respect to how much weight can be lost and with respect to what percentage of weight lost is fat rather than muscle.
When those drugs have a little bit of history to be sure there aren't nasty side effects after prolonged use, I would suspect you will see a big push to subsidize them. Even the most hard core libertarian types still hate to see fatties in swimsuits, so I suspect any pushback will be from ugly girls that are already skinny and don't want more competition.**
You ask a valid question- why, even when adjusted for inflation, is Federal spending so much higher now than in 2000.
It was 67% higher in 2024 than in 2000, adjusted.
I think there are a few answers to your very valid question and I think you continue to ask this question even though the answers have been provided, because you dont like the answers.
- Defense spending, adjusted for inflation, is 46.8% higher in 2024 than 2000.
- Cost of other government services are up significantly due to initiatives passed and/or created to benefit the country's people.
- Rising interest payments on national debt.
- Aging population = more spent on healthcare costs within Medicare and on Social Security program.
Based on the fact that multiple people have pointed these things out to you thru the years yet you continue to rand about spending as if you dont understand why it has increased, it is clear that you simply dislike reality, vs you genuinely dont know why spending has increased.
Additionally, you hyperfocus on cutting spending that is a drop in the ocean for impact. 5 programs you socially dislike were cut? Cool...they dont even collectively add up to being a rounding error on the budget.
Keep beating that spending drum, as if you are the only one who sees we are spending more than we are bringing in and that isnt sustainable.
Meanwhile, everyone that is level headed will look at your ranting and laugh at how absurd it is to rant about this when what was just signed 3 days ago will make the things you complain about so much worse in coming years.
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1. Yes I've known for years and it's still happening. Rich people donate to NGOs and cause all sorts of mischief. This has been known for some time. Perhaps read and listen to difference sources. I'm in media btw.
2. Yes. That's how representative govt works. Sometimes your team doesn't win and the other teams spends money on things you don't like including b.s. initiatives here and around the globe.
3. I've known about woke stuff happening since 2015 in govt and universities. It's not some secret. Republicans largely ignored it or just complained without doing anything. Their base was unconcerned because they didn't know about it and were more focused on tax cuts, easy access to guns and the abortion issue. None of this stuff was a secret.
DOGE is full of shlt, man. Total failure.
If its so recent and easily accessible, why wouldnt you correctly reference them in your earlier post?
You should work up a list for yourself, so you correctly discuss what you are posting about.
Cut spending. Where would i cut spending?
I'd look at the places its more than doubled (after inflation since 2000) and start there. No way we were thriving in 2000 and then all of a sudden needed to double spending per capita (INFLATION ADJUSTED).
I disagree... It is our responsibility. That is our basic difference. We are all responsible for each other, help those you can and never ever turn your head and say it's not your responsibility and most certainly not if you claim to be a Christian.
Matthew 25:42-46
42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Yeah and those ATC didn't have a DEI issue either right!! 17ing idiot loser.
Yeah so let each of us decide to help our fellow man or are you insinuating the bible says it so the goverment should do it?
If you are lets do the whole bible. Gay? Sex before marriage? Or do you just wanna pick and choose?
I did not base the defense spending on per person. The cost to defend the country simply does not very like that. We could have 1 million fewer people, but our defense cost would not drop in a commensurate way.
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But its gone up way less than everything else. So don't blame defense on the rising costs. (by the way ukraine is a big part of that).
This is correct. The things that nobody wants to touch or discuss are the only things that will move the needle and I see no easy answers.
I know it has gone up by less- the numbers I typed out show it has gone up by less.
But it has still gone up and contributes in large ways to the country being in the hole. That was my point.
This back and forth can be summed up as such...
Me- "inflation adjusted, spending is up 67% overall and defense spending is up almost 47%."
You- "but defense has gone up by less than other stuff, so don't include it as one of the many things that has contributed to increased spending, even though it clearly is!"
Is your IQ above 100?
1. Adjust adjusted spending is up more than 67%.
2. If everything else went up the same amount as military we'd be spending a hell of a lot less. FFS what do you not get about that? We'd like be in the good on the budget or pretty darn close.
And it likely can be fixed but you have too many people that think like the OCH situation where they had the big vote 5 or 6 years back.
I know people who politicked for keeping the hospital goverment owned simply b/c they didn't want to lose their job. I get not wanting to lose your job but don't lie and pretend like its better the way it is.
Every local place have an emergency room for actual emergencies.
OCH can be the baby place within the region
Columbus can be the cancer place in the region
Amory can be the heart place in the region
Tupelo can be the xzy place in the region
I wonder what numbers you are using for your calculations.
and I wonder if good bit of the conflicting assessment is due to you using per capita for defense spending when spending does not work in that way for something like defense.
If I prove defense has gone up less than the others will you admit you are wrong?
Otherwise I’m not gonna waste my time
I have stated multiple times that defense has gone up less than other buckets of spending.
You don't need to prove that...I agree with you.
So quit taking about it. You brought it up not me. Dumb argument.
Let’s get the low hanging fruit first. Let’s get all spending back to 2018 levels immediately.
then let’s start slashing everything by 2% ish annually until revenue is greater than expenses. Then let’s make it law that you can’t have an unbalanced budget or tax increases without a super majority vote and that would be voted on yearly (for times of emergency). If a super majority votes it, it’s likely the right thing to do. At least temporarily.
List them and be specific on the amount of spending to cut and what that would likely do economically
if I could wave my magic wand and make it happen?
I’d cut 1 to 3% across the board yearly until revenue exceeded expenses
Obviously I’d look for where the low hanging fruit was but each department head would be mandated to find 4% per year and show up with a prorioty of what went first.
How do I know it will work? Bc we were there 10 years ago. Spending has far outgrown inflation
O.K. 1-3% from Medicare and Social Security, something that won't actually happen because elected officials won't touch these sacred cows. Good luck cutting 3% from defense spending too. It's really easy to do something that won't happen.