Bank of Hiawassee Hiawassee GA

It is almost its own haiku.

Fort Deposit, Alabama

Fort No Deposits, Alabama

Shiela is on a roll.

Wonder how fast she will take them down this year.

Those chumps in Minnesota are failing alot, too. Just like their Vikings.

Dean Baker: The Holes in the Fed

First paragraph:

The Obama Administration announced its three picks for the vacant positions at the Fed last week. Not surprisingly, no one on the list was among those who had warned of the housing bubble. This is not surprising because there is virtually no overlap between the list of people who had warned of the bubble and the list of people who are politically acceptable as appointees to the Fed. . . .

FOUR at once!!! This is gonna be a challenge to SGIP.

Reminds me of the fairy tale where the tailor embroidered "Seven at a blow." on his scarf.

[PS: I took six in the poll and thought I was bold. Now I'm toast.]

Bank of Hiawassee Hiawassee GA

It is almost its own haiku.

Needs a seasonal tag or word.

Debtliverance

Community & Southern Bank, Carrollton, Georgia, Assumes All of the Deposits of Appalachian Community Bank, Ellijay, Georgia

it is a cheap, usually red-skinned hot dog, served on a toasted white bun and topped with mustard and spicy chili.

Sounds akin to the cherrios of Australia. Little red sausages.

CalculatedRisk wrote:

Blame it on the nice weather ...

I blame it on Steve Bartman.

Somebody at the FDIC figured out how the plunger works. They are flowing good now!

I'm starting a rumour that CR is walking away

Blame it on the nice weather ...

There it is!

Four banks go down.
Blame it
On the nice weather

Will someone explain the three numbers in a bank failure press release?

As of December 31, 2009, Appalachian Community Bank had approximately $1.01 billion in total assets and $917.6 million in total deposits. ... The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $419.3 million.

In this case: $1.01 billion are Assets and $917.6 million are liabilities (deposits they owe to depositors).

But where is the estimated loss of $419.3 coming from? Is it because the assets are overstated?

So hard to keep up, i think i voted 7. Gnomster, did I vote 7?

LL - Either you got a new keyboard or you're off your meds.

I have no skin in this game (forgot to do the BFF poll) ... but I REALLY want a double digit day. How else is the FDIC going to clear the backlog? Declare a bank holiday?

Wow, walk away for a couple of hours to do some work and the FDIC GOES WILD

On the bright side, it appears Puerto Rico is safe for another week.

I got big time... Too many morans to keep up with...

Attention all - be sure to make you Macmorani with Genuine Kraft imitation Cheese products - Buy American!!!

ShadowInventory wrote:

Macmorani with Genuine Kraft imitation Cheese products - Buy American!!!

That is genuine imitation gov't cheese now since Kraft was bailed out.

The "other poll" results:

10y T v. 30y Conventional Mortgage Spread?

±10 bps, FedGov is not a playah 5% (3 votes)
25-50 bps, transactional costs 11% (6 votes)
51-75 bps, uncertainty premium 18% (10 votes)
76-100 bps, supply/demand reasserts itself 18% (10 votes)
101-125 bps, historical mean? 11% (6 votes)
126-150 bps, all of the above 9% (5 votes)
151+ bps, market price 27% (15 votes)
Total votes: 55

Wow. And I thought 151+ bps was the throwaway number.

(AB Six)

fudge_hend wrote:,

However, if she were to drop a bomb and close 40 banks in one weekend that might turn some heads, but I won't hold my breath.

If she drops a bomb, American will collectively drop an F bomb.

By the way, Cornell crushed Temple.

So there Advanta ge Big Red.

The Big Red (just happened to be in Vegas, too...

Must have missed the earlier reports..thank you josap.

Attention FDIC - it is now mandated that all BFF pizzas contain 100% KRAFT Cheese products - Kraft - the finest name in Real American Cheese Products which contain some actual real cheese.

The Allerton Hotel on Michigan Avenue has landed in financial purgatory, burdened with $79 million in overdue loans.

The owner of the landmark 443-room hotel, San Francisco-based Chartres Lodging Group LLC, had agreed to hand the property back to its lender through a so-called deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, according to a February report by a loan trustee

With its equity wiped out, it would make sense to walk away from the Allerton and let Wells Fargo take over the property.

No foreclosure suit has been filed, and Chartres has no plans to hand over the property, Mr. Blum says.

Ultimate Squatter?

Allerton Hotel saddled with delinquent loans | Crain's Chicago Business

ShadowInventory wrote:

the finest name in Real American Cheese Products which contain some actual real cheese.

Try to guess what the secret ingredient in Cheese Whiz is....

Vitamin 'A'?

Blackwaterwannabe wrote:

Vitamin 'A'?

Vitamin PP.

Elvis I'm pimpin' for Kraft because I got some KFT shares in the Cadbury buyout - and I want to know should I buy, sell or hold them...

ShadowInventory wrote:

and I want to know should I buy, sell or hold them...

Cook them, of course.

*Hiawassee, GA
Population: 808 (no joke) *

71 more critters than us.... at least our bank has a 2 star rating

MrBeach wrote:

But where is the estimated loss of $419.3 coming from? Is it because the assets are overstated?

Bingo.

josap wrote:

Is this a shadow property now?

If it blocks the sunlight from the neighboring hotel's pool, it has already been shadow property for some time.

ShadowInventory wrote:

Steamed shell corporations with Kraft Cheese Sauce...

And Georgia moonshine.

Does Kraft make cheese curds? You could make poutine, eh.

OT
So my oldest daughter just called to tell me that her short sale was approved, $300 under amount owed plus Realtor fees. Bank says there are 7 liens on the property, not, including one for over
150k to the Federal Govt. Title ins. says can't see any of that.
Can kicking? What?

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

End the FDIC.

Never interfere when your enemies are committing suicide.

grillfalcon wrote:

there are 7 liens on the property

Holy

Never interfere when your enemies are committing suicide.

Yeah but do they have to kill that $500 billion hostage before themselves?

You know, little Johnny Taxpayer....

Cheese whiz? are they the same folks who make Whiz Beer?

The full article on the Allerton Hotel in Chicago mentions the Amalfi Hotel as being in similar situation. I stayed there a couple of years ago when it first opened and it was quite nice at a good price. Current pricing per Kayak is about $170/day; pretty good for Chicago.

??:???

The liens are there or not Get copies. If filed they will have little rec0rding numbers on them. Are they against the daughter or a prior owner? Does she have common name?

Mary Johnson? Maria Rodriguez? could be a different person.
Ididn't get the meds for an hour after sked time.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

Neither is a ponzi scheme, from the suckers' perspective.

I imagine that if it were a Fonzi scheme, the results would have been much cooler.

Well, I just got blown out of the water after voting 4 again, heck. I don't know how happy my liver will be to 7 toast for seven roasted banks. Well, I still got a 7 hours before I can enjoy the

Time to throw bacon grease at cop cars. Good night. May the man with the plan have a good plan and not an evil plan.

Is the daughter buying or selling?

Title insurance is not a substitute for good title. How to say this?? I know it's hard to believe, but sometimes title underwriters take a long time to pay.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

tough crowd

Everybody gone?

lawyerliz wrote:

Everybody gone?

Seven and we might as well all be on perkoset. Just waiting for 5:00 PM on the left coast.

Rob Dawg wrote:

Seven Beer and we might as well all be on perkoset. Just waiting for 5:00 PM on the left coast.

Thought we had until 6.

Edit: never mind. I'm waiting for 5 as well. Beautiful day out there.

fudge_hend wrote:

Georgia will not be out failed! The south shall fail again.

GA should opt-out of banks being closed like they plan to opt-out of health care reform (if it passes)

Seven cocktails and everyone is passed out already?

kali Greece Italy all still here.

Commentators bored.

Citi still here.

Blehhh.

dfwmix wrote:

Rob Dawg wrote:
10y T v. 30y Conventional Mortgage Spread?Wow.
And I thought 151+ bps was the throwaway number.
I think the current spread is ~ 100bps. So that means an increase of just another 50bps on the spread once the Fed stops buying.

10y 3.70% 30y Fixed conventional 5%. The poll was how much more the spread will widen.

The UK has an election in May, Q1 prelim GDP numbers come out a week before the vote, should be fun
Relatively speaking, Greece is the model of austerity

wELL DAWG. lIZ TAPS FINGER.

When does kali enter the Twilight zone?

ghostfaceinvestah wrote:

"For the first time, most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and they would face penalties if they refused. "

Isn't that a better solution than taxpayers paying billions in emergency room charges for uninsured 30m plus folks? Economics pov alone, societal obligations aside?

When does kali enter the Twilight zone?

You mean it left? Oh feces, I miss all the good stuff.

LAM wrote:

*Hiawassee, GA
Population: 808 (no joke) *

71 more critters than us.... at least our bank has a 2 star rating

Yupper Sheila ranged far and wide this week...

Aurora Minnesota... check it out, won't take long.

EDIT: Look for 'Big Guys Bar'... next to 'The Other Garage'...LOL.

They still haven't gotten blood out of a turnip. I see this ending badly.

Massachusetts has been doing this for what, a couple years now? I wonder if they've had problems with non-compliance. I haven't heard any big stories about it.

Well, EHP, I don't know. Obama seems to believe it's all about healthcare. I don't know why he chose this issue. I wish he had gotten more steamed about the oligarchy than health care. Maybe then we could have made some progress by now.

good lord, who let Bair's army on the loose ?

is it to late to pick 10 ?

Americans could all get jobs insuring one another, then re-insuring. Oh wait, that's the oligopoly that makes Buffett's billions. Never mind. So much value added. That old guy is motivated to take risk for that extra dollar...

I heard a lot hadn't, but compliance had improved.

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

The UK has an election in May, Q1 prelim GDP numbers come out a week before the vote, should be fun
Relatively speaking, Greece is the model of austerity

Looking at Germany, it isn't exactly a great time to win elections. Great win in September and now falling polls and a very harsh time.

What the heck is going on with Puerto Rico?

If this was a hockey game, I'd tell Sheila to quit dancing, drop the gloves, and take them out. They've been skating around each other and feinting for ages.

They've been stealing SS monies for decades. What's to stop them from stealing HC monies in the future?

Outsider, if they can't pass healthcare how in the h e double hockeysticks can they take on the Oligarchy?

What makes you think they want to, CK? They are the oligarchy... or their tools.

Comrade Kristina
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but 'special interests' as Obama groups them, are the ones supporting what is being called healthcare

Oligarchies fail when oligarchs continually write themselves bigger bonuses while working wages fall. Oh, wait.

I think R&G alone is a probable 10B.

SS, as I understand, will be cash flow negative for a couple years, return to the black for 2013-2016, then go into terminal decline from then on. All thins puts more and more pressure on the Treasury to raise money. Some people still don't get that all the SS money has already been spent by guys like me. I just ordered some new firefighting equipment for the site. Your SS payments at work.

nova wrote:

Sources report the company that imported it is run by Dick Boner

Dick Boner!? Did you make that up?

nova wrote:

Republican Health Care Horror Story / Democrat Health Care Horror Story

In politics, rhetoric trumps logic every single time. Double rhetoric doesn't cancel out, it just makes people twice as angry.

For the real clincher, just wait for a story about someone who is arrested for failing to pay their premiums and while he is in the clink his wife suffers a fall, is rushed to ER, and they are saddled with $100K in healthcare debt because they aren't covered by insurance.

Cinco - How does the average beleaguered Mass. citizen who is living thru recessionary job losses afford higher and higher mandated premiums? There must be some serious subsidization going on.

He's been quoted as saying that the bill presently under consideration will bankrupt the country in 4 years

Why can they not see this? It makes one wonder whether bk-ing the US isn't part of the plan?

Jeesh, this is just too I don't want to harsh anyone's Friday night. I better sequester myself.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

Outsider, if they can't pass healthcare how in the h e double hockeysticks can they take on the Oligarchy?

Better question: why expend all of this political capital when they should have gone after TPTB straight away?

Outsider wrote:

It makes one wonder whether bk-ing the US isn't part of the plan?

It is.

Oh, I'm not under any illusions about the HCR bill. I dislike it. I am hoping Grayson can push his agenda of Buy in to Medicare for all. I also understand if they don't pass something now it will be another generation before they try again. That is simply not acceptable.

dryfly wrote:

The only thing this bill does is push us closer toward real reforms - once it blows up.

This is why this bill needs to go through. Politics is about advancing issues by inches. I don't like the bill but consider it incredibly important because it will likely forever banish rescission and pre-existing conditions unless the courts turn it down. I also believe that its failure will bring the public option much closer to fruition than no bill at all.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, said the decision was a “major victory” for U.S. taxpayers.

“This money does not belong to the Federal Reserve,” Sanders said in a statement. “It belongs to the American people, and the American people have a right to know where more than $2 trillion of their money has gone.”

But it says "Federal Reserve" right on the money...
FED IS OVER
(If you want it)

dryfly wrote:

Rhetoric grounded in emotion not logic.

No, of course not. I hope I didn't give that impression.

What it is, however, is politics. What I'm saying is that it's hard to defeat rhetoric with logic and a sound argument. It appears cold and unfeeling and can easily become a political liability.

EDIT: Sorry, I think I see what you're saying. Yes, rhetoric that feeds into people's most basic emotions, like anger, fear, pity, etc. Not hot air for the sake of hot air.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

Oh, I'm not under any illusions about the HCR bill. I dislike it. I am hoping Grayson can push his agenda of Buy in to Medicare for all.

It would break the bank. Or the buy in would be so severe none would. The only compelling area fed.gov has an interest is in catastrophic and nobody's talking about that.

This is the latest from Grayson on Medicare for all.

Daily Kos: What a Movement Looks Like

No minority governments (hung parliament, largest party in parliament doesn't have a majority, then there there can be lots of negotiation or coalitions) in the UK since 1979 right?
given the fiscal situation, the only successful governing strategy would be to bribe all the referees and poor countries England may face in the World Cup
I'm not trying to be gauche, I think UK solvency is crisis #1 at the moment
BoE not only monetized all new issuance, but also debt issuance from before it began
there aren't any clear stages between now and the breaking point

nova wrote:

You are missing the camera work as it slowly moves in on the face of the 3 kids. Two blond girls, one a toddler clutching a stuffed bear, a boy, blue eyed and tring to be brave and comforts his sister. Dad, a fit White male with exceptioal hair an anquished face. Then the backstory. The wife dead in a runaway Prius accident. How Dad volunteers with special needs kids.

If you weren't such a good writer, nova, I'd say you missed your calling as a political communications consultant. Follow that up with a policy brief to an influential politician and you can see how dangerous a heart-wrenching story can be.

I am hoping Grayson can push his agenda of Buy in to Medicare for all.

"At cost."

Why not? Either the ponzi insurer and reinsurer make a bigger profit or health care costs go down. Not both.

BoE still has some dry Treasury powder they can dump. Where's Buiter? Aint workin for the Queen last I checked.

bANK fAILURE wrote:

Where's Buiter?

He's a CitiGuy now.

Outsider wrote:

Cinco - How does the average beleaguered Mass. citizen who is living thru recessionary job losses afford higher and higher mandated premiums? There must be some serious subsidization going on.
He's been quoted as saying that the bill presently under consideration will bankrupt the country in 4 years

There's a lot of subsidization for the lower income folks, and of course, if you have a higher income, the odds are you have a company policy. The state either provides or mandates some high deductible plans; if you're not covered some other way, you can get one of these and essentially pay your own way unless something big happens (I seem to recall a $500 deductible for one of them, but I'm not sure), and then you have the "major medical" policy to fall back on. Even with the high deductible, they're not that cheap; maybe $5k/year? I'm not sure...

Why can they not see this? It makes one wonder whether bk-ing the US isn't part of the plan?

It might be.....But on the other hand, if they put the country in bad enough shape, we'll have no other choice than to depend on government handouts, and the USG will be able to decide the winners and losers as they see fit-

Comrade Kristina wrote:

I also understand if they don't pass something now it will be another generation before they try again. That is simply not acceptable.

If that's the case, why not pass a bill for a national holiday where everyone must wear a red clown nose?
Something instead of nothing is only relevant if you are fighting for anything
As in if I wanted to relax, I wouldn't accept a kick in the nuts instead of kayaking or frisbee

Anonymous Bosch wrote:

Because 4 years is an eternity away.

It's only 3 years now...

nova:

I'm watching Breaking Bad, probably the best drama to TV right now. You would make an excellent screenwriter. Have you considered trying to sell a series based on American Apocalypse? I could see FX making it, in the same tradition of The Shield or Sons of Anarchy.

dryfly wrote:

The only compelling area fed.gov has an interest is in catastrophic and nobody's talking about that.

You and I have talked about it, not that anyone else was listening...

Cinco-X wrote:

You and I have talked about it, not that anyone else was listening...

I've bounced it off hard core business guys I work with - more conservative than any one on this forum - they bought in. Maybe that's why it goes nowhere - it would end the debate.

bANK fAILURE wrote:

Vickles and Buiter against Kashkari and Gross?

Got to stick with Gross. He's the go to guy at the moment.

anybody watching the Paulsen and Soros brackets?

looks fairly correlated.

Im not so sure Raj, everybody is levering up short bonds looking and playing for the buzzer beater.

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

I'm not trying to be gauche, I think UK solvency is crisis #1 at the moment

I agree with that. No government in the U.K. will enjoy its reign, see Greece for pointers and the U.K. is quite a bit more spoilt.

dryfly wrote:

EDIT: Look for 'Big Guys Bar'... next to 'The Other Garage'...LOL.

HA!

Google Maps

And it does look like a smaller version of Kenora. I've told my wife more than once that we might do worse than have a house in Kenora and a condo in Florida when we're old and frail. I don't know why that town grabbed my heart, as I've only been there a handful of times and never for very long, but there's something about it, and the landscape around it.

dryfly wrote:

I've bounced it off hard core business guys I work with - more conservative than any one on this forum - they bought in.

More conservative the moi?

part of it is that the UK is orders of magnitude larger, interconnected, .... relevant. Socially, financially, politically.
even if the funds could be made available to critically damp the disruption, would other countries get past their rivalries bury the hatchet and help, if they did then what kind of fallout would this have on confidence in the UK and countries globally

It's only 3 years now...

Junkies only look to the next fix, not the one after that or the one after that. Whores may have a bit more foresight, but I'd have to defer to an expert on that question.

Well, in Arizona, our Hooveresque Lobbyslature has just dumped 340,000 people off of our rock bottom health care system. I could dig up the quote from the Republican Gov that they should just "..go to the hospitals emergency rooms and free clinics when they need care." but what would be the point?

You want to see a collapsing health care system- that was 5% of the state population that was just thrown under the health care bus!

Now, how much is the amount medicare and insurance are going to have to pay to provide services to those folks?

It is very interesting to live in a state approaching collapse, with ideology running wild, and common sense rarer than hen's teeth. The really funny part is the republicans are still giving tax cuts to big business, while the tea party folks protest tax hikes!!! Cognitive dissonance is the national state of mind!!!

Someday this war's gonna end....

Cinco-X wrote:

More conservative the moi?

Yes.

dryfly wrote:

More conservative the moi?

Yes.

Hmmm......do they really have people like that in MN?

well, what if I didn't have health insurance????

RockyR wrote:

to recover or not to recover? this is the question Excel is asking itself right now...

You should have seen what popped up when I was changing the glass in the back door:

http://kuvaton.com/kuvei/windows_paperclip.jpg

Nuke wrote:

Putting everyone on Medicare would also crush the providers. Medicare doesn't reimburse at cost. The healthcare unions would be the first to cry bloody murder after the layoffs and pay cuts hit.

What all the folks who advocate single payer systems, etc. fail to realize is that one reason our regular insurance premiums keep going up is that providers are doing Medicare and Medicaid work at below cost, and passing the bill over to the folks with regular insurance. If the US goes over to a single payer system, these payments will either have to reflect the real costs it takes to provide care, or some care will have to be curtailed. There are no savings to be had, and MA is just one example of why this is true-

lawyerliz wrote:

well, what if I didn't have health insurance????

They shoot horses, don't they?

In case anyone hasen't visited the post recently:

March banking madness
Bair's team dominate the boards
Four more fall today
by Soylent Green is People

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

even if the funds could be made available to critically damp the disruption, would other countries get past their rivalries bury the hatchet and help, if they did then what kind of fallout would this have on confidence in the UK and countries globally

This is why Greece as a precedent is so interesting. Any decision could affect what happens if the U.K. falls. Because the U.K. has long been dismissive regarding the Euro, it would be much harder to find support, especially in France and Germany. Obviously old rivalries play a role as well but I believe the sense of humiliation in the U.K. to have to accept foreign aid and support would be a sight to behold. Wouldn't even compare with 1992.

Globally, it would change the sovereign debt markets in a fundamental way...

LL,

the only reason to have insurance is to protect you wealth. When you have nothing your have nothing to lose. Very popular now days to have nothing and live off the fat of the land.

I think the rich should all have private doctors 24/7 like Michael Jackson had.

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

PeteSearch: How to split up the US

I didn't see that the first time it was posted. That's really cool!

Time to go.

There is an emergency health care center run by the same people who run all of No.VA's hospitals, well almost all of them. I have been in there four or five times. It is fast and has an excellent staff. No insurance and it is "Sorry. Try County." My wife worked in a clinic in DC and people would rather die at their desk than call an ambulance in DC. Why? On a 911 call you pay to ride.

you would have spent the money you're hoarding. As a highly educated and professional woman married to an extremely talented NASA engineer with a paid off house, enjoy.

people who don't have saved money,quality education, or stable housing don't have that luxury.

The HCR is not about you liz, its about your college educated architect daughters', daughter.

Cinco-X wrote:

Here in MA, the folks that used to show up before at ER's with no insurance still show up at ERs. No behavior has changed. It's not like trading places....

And what are they supposed to do? They are poor have a kid who has broken a leg - bone sticking out - and tough it? They go the ER and worry about the bill later. The thing that blows me away is otherwise smart people seem shocked by this behavior - like the people were cutting in line at the movies.

Cinco-X wrote:

Here in MA, the folks that used to show up before at ER's with no insurance still show up at ERs. No behavior has changed. It's not like trading places....

Ever been to ER at one of these hospitals? It is an awe inspiring site. I've been to Kaiser Fontana's ER in SoCal a few times and what you see there should make anybody rethink that ER is a humane way to treat people. With no insurance, people sometimes wait hours in waiting rooms hurting and moaning all the way.

Every State is in the red right now. Florida is in deep and we have no Health Care. In fact, 25% of this State is uninsured which should be shocking considering the high percentage of Seniors in our population that are covered through Medicare/Medicaid. I would guess that translated to about 40% uninsured in the working population.

It's all so simple, just eliminate insurance coverage and medicare. Let everyone pay for their own healthcare out of their pocket.

I know, aint gonna happen!

The tea party socialists will scream when their Medicare is cut off, as well as the rest of the seniors, as well as all other free loaders.

Just imagine though, a real market based health care system, just what the right wants. A real Darwinian system where the strong survive and the weak die!

I won't matter, we are going to get the same old socialism, just what form it takes, who knows?

I would guess you are "rich" by most people's standards liz. When half the population makes less than 32K per year and only 10% make 200K or more it doesn't take much to fall into "rich".

lawyerliz wrote:

I guess I am rich?

Everyone knows that lawyers are rich. And your husband is a government employee, they are rich too!

Snark Off.

dryfly wrote:

And what are they supposed to do? They are poor have a kid who has broken a leg - bone sticking out - and tough it? They go the ER and worry about the bill later. The thing that blows me away is otherwise smart people seem shocked by this behavior - like the people were cutting in line at the movies.

I'm not talking about folks with legitimate emergencies. I'm referring to the folks that go to the emergency room for a cold, and who instead of seeing the doctor on a regular basis and trying to stay healthy. Hell.....I've only been to the emergency room once in the over 25 years I've lived here, even though when I call my PCP for an urgent matter, they refer me to the emergency room. Instead, I'll ask to see another physician and avoid the huge bills; additionally, I have Harvard-Pilgrim insurance, so I COULD go to the ER if I wanted to do so. The only time I did was when I broke my leg skiing late on a Sunday night.
One of the claims for universal health care is that it will reduce costs by allowing poor folks to get regular health care from a PC rather than relying on care at the ER. It hasn't happened.

Yep. I would buy in immediately. My employers coverage is complete crap and not cheap. I would much rather pay into Medicare to help bolster the system than feed an insurance company more profits. They need to be gone. 17% of our GDP? Pfffft.

LL,

It really doesn't take much in paid off assets to make the rich list now days. It just doesn't feel like your rich. I am the same poor kid just older.

Those are the same people that have caused these "Super Bugs". Prancing off to the doctor or ER for antibiotics everytime they sneeze. And doctors need to be slapped for going along with that BS. They are every bit as culpable.

I like Tiffany stained glass lamps.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

doctors need to be slapped for going along with that BS.

Doctors have to pay their bills, too. If they have to give prescriptions to hypochondriacs in order to finance their offices so they can treat who are really sick, can you really blame them?

Nuke wrote:

My dad lives in MA. He has mostly praise for Duval Patrick. He echoes your sentiments: that he started cutting early and has avoided some of the huge tax increases/spending cuts elsewhere. Also, he seems to have done a better job standing up to the public sector unions than Paterson, who completely folded in 2008.

Patrick's only real mistake was when he was first elected, and he would say stupid stuff "off the cuff" in front of cameras. After about 4 mos. of that, he disappeared from the public eye for a few months, and when he returned, he was much better about "staying on message". I'm not criticizing him about it; it's just that when the whole state hangs on your words, and anything misspoken gets rehashed and analyzed to the nth degree, you have to maintain discipline. He hasn't been a bad governor considering the situation that arose after he took office.

and tell them to keep their government hands off their Medicare...snort.

the simplest way to adapt would be more flexibility/accessibility for work and education
people need to work longer, working people provide for themselves
the big change should be in the squeezing out of "middle-men"
but it could just be so chaotic that we'll all be hijacked by someone

Marine officers being deployed to Iraq were required to visit an ER in the inner city so they could see what an average shift brought in on a Sat. Night. Why? To make them familiar with severe trauma.

A country that has next to no social services net, no real UE benefits, no work, and what services that are provided by local gov being severely cut back is a country that will not avoid civil unrest.

EvilHenryPaulson wrote:

big change should be in the squeezing out of "middle-men"

But the benevolent insurance company is going to save me!

Dry and others assume that if HC bill passes, the costs will be excessive one way or the other. But non partisan estimates are predicting manageable costs even though estimates vary widely.This is partially because the bill, I believe, still has many financial incentives for the HC industry. Nobody knows how successful they will be.

Furthermore,people assume that the HC bill which may pass will be implemented, as is. Several commenters, including Krugman, believe that this HC bill would only be a beginning. But when people are forced to buy insurance, they in all likelihood will complain to Congress about the cost and force more cost savings. Congress will then have to deal with such costs as sky high malpractice premiums paid by doctors, very high profit margins of private insurers, all of which are "off limits" now. And look out medical malpractice lawyers! But one thing's for sure, Americans will be better served if Congress tackles the Health Care "rents" that we are all being forced to pay now, rather than subjecting us to them for years to come.

nova wrote:

A country that has next to no social services net, no real UE benefits, no work, and what services that are provided by local gov being severely cut back is a country that will not avoid civil unrest.

Ecosocialism or Barbarism? There is no other way. The current system is barbarism, but some of the knuckle draggers are fine with that.

Comrade Kristina wrote:

and tell them to keep their government hands off their Medicare...snort.

Medicare is symbol for the generational war that is looming. I am reminded of a Richard Pryor comedy line ' I got mine, you get yours!". An angry young person w/o insurance and nothing to lose can take out quite a few geezers. The medicare generation will have to yield to need based health care costs, sooner the better for society.

nova wrote:

Marine officers being deployed to Iraq were required to visit an ER in the inner city so they could see what an average shift brought in on a Sat. Night. Why? To make them familiar with severe trauma.

Inner cities have always sucked, at least since the '60s. Of course, when you've been shot during a mugging, it stinks to go in a have to wait to see a nurse because folks that shouldn't be there are for specious reasons. I went in to a regular ER in a mid sized town with a broken leg and had to wait 3 hours to see a doctor, since the place was full of folks who, as best I could tell, did not have emergencies. However, since I didn't have a compound fracture and I wasn't screaming, I didn't get prompt attention.
Are you near Baltimore? I've heard it's really bad in that regard, which is good for Johns-Hopkins, since they get a steady supply of indigent patients to train interns and residents on.
folks....

traderwalt:

Our assumptions of excessive cost are based on past performance of government cost controls. My experience is with the DoD. Our MO is to lowball the estimates, spend all the money, end up with a half finished project, then go to congress for more cash. At that point they have to pay up to get the sub out of drydock. I have been through 2 maintenance availabilities and this has happened without fail. Please excuse my cynicism. Oh, the projected savings from this bill assume congress cuts medicare reimbursement to doctors by over 20%. Not gonna happen. Poof, there goes your savings, and them some.

I don't feel guilty about money. I have and could live on lots less money,
but heath care is in a whole different category-- I find it hard to accept that the rest of my life could have been ruined by a stupid tripping up. Depending on whether I paid a health insurance premium.

1 currency now -yogi wrote:

Jamie Dimon is clean because they reported those 105's that Dick Fuld didn't? Buffett's clean because he got TARP early and often through the back door?

Some did some didn't - won't matter - didn't matter in the Gulags. I mean I know a number of guys who built fortunes from scratch - hired thousands did it in mfg in rural areas. No connections. No gov't help other than just maintain roads and educate kids who one day become their employees - won't matter - they'll receive the same fate as Fuld or Dimon when the balloon goes up.

No one ever said it was going to be fair - wasn't then, isn't now and won't be in the future.

Best insurance rich people have that they keep their head is to make sure everyone has a full stomach and warm place to sleep. Everyone.

Night liz. Sleep tight and get well soon for us! You find it hard to accept because you are a caring, feeling human being. That is nothing to be ashamed of.

Cinco-X wrote:

I went in to a regular ER in a mid sized town with a broken leg and had to wait 3 hours to see a doctor, since the place was full of folks who, as best I could tell, did not have emergencies.

Interesting perspective. How could you tell? Just like you, they weren't screaming and you conclude that THEY didn't have emergencies!?! People that scream in pain, are usually in really, really bad shape.

lawyerliz wrote:

I don't feel guilty about money. I have and could live on lots less money,
but heath care is in a whole different category -- I find it hard to accept that the rest of my life could have been ruined by a stupid tripping up. Depending on whether I paid a health insurance premium.

For some it does matter. Matters a lot. That was why my otherwise conservative mother was so strongly in favor of SOME KIND of universal coverage - she started out as a public health nurse in a public inner city hospital and saw it all first hand. Never let us kids forget it.