October 15, 2008 at 8:28 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: debate, john mccain, presidential debate, public schools, school vouchers
I find it strange to hear McCain try to project the choice that he and Cindy had to the average American to make the case for school vouchers.
Now I don’t know about you, but thinking about the millions of dollars that the McCain family has, do they need vouchers to pay for private school? Maybe, just maybe, if they sent his kids to public school, he would advocate for a better public school system!
-Josh
October 15, 2008 at 8:23 pm (2008 Presidential Candidates)
Tags: debate, john mccain, presidential debate, Roe v Wade, state rights
McCain earlier talked about state’s right for Roe v. Wade. Yet here is talking about troops-to-teachers and needing to get rid of the certification process in some of these states.
As usual the Republicans are only for states rights when it serves their ideology, not on any consistent manner. At least on this topic Libertarians – as nutty as I find them – are principled.
-Josh
October 7, 2008 at 7:59 pm (2008 Presidential Candidates)
Tags: debates, health care, health care costs, Insurance Journal, insurance regulations, john mccain, Kaiser Family Foundation, presidential debates
Getting health insurance across states lines is a way to circumvent and undermine the regulatory process of states.
Besides that $5,000 in refundable tax credits for a family is going to do little when it costs $12,000 on average according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and I am quoting from the Insurance Journal (industry publication not some liberal place).
The 6.1 percent average increase this year was the slowest rate of premium growth since 1999, when premiums rose 5.3 percent. Since 2001, premiums for family coverage have increased 78 percent, while wages have gone up 19 percent and inflation has gone up 17 percent.
The average premium for family coverage in 2007 is $12,106, and workers on average now pay $3,281 out of their paychecks to cover their share of the cost of a family policy.
“We’re seeing some moderation in health-cost increases, but premiums for family coverage now top $12,000 annually,” Kaiser President and CEO Drew E. Altman, Ph.D. said. “Every year health insurance becomes less affordable for families and businesses. Over the past six years, the amount families pay out of pocket for their share of premiums has increased by about $1,500.”
-Josh
October 7, 2008 at 7:50 pm (2008 Presidential Candidates)
Tags: debates, France, French, john mccain, nuclear power, presidential debates
He cited France’s, yes those people, the French, embrace of nuclear power in making the case for his energy plan.
-Josh
October 2, 2008 at 7:22 pm (2008 Presidential Candidates)
Tags: health care, john mccain, medical malpractice, Sarah Palin, state rights, tort reform, vice presidential debates
Raising the invisible line between states, that sounds like taking away state rights? Think about it, most insurance is regulated at the state level. Remember how states will lose their doctors because of the cost of medical malpractice (tort reform) premiums are going through the roof. Hmmm…
-Josh
September 26, 2008 at 7:48 pm (2008 Presidential Candidates)
Tags: debate, health care, john mccain, private insurance
When in his life was he not covered by government health care. While as a POW – although you could make the case he was covered by government health care, but it was very antagonistic.
He was son of a military man, then a military man until he retired in April 1981. After that he was elected to Congress in 1982, so he would have joined Congress in January 1983. So his years as a POW (about five and a half years), and maybe 21 months in the early 80s is the extent of his life where he didn’t have US government run health insurance (or about 10% of his 72 years of life).
Now the line that pisses me off, is that he talks about how he doesn’t want government to get in between you and your doctor on your health issues. This is where he is so, so out of touch with the majority of Americans. See if he had private insurance at any time in the last 25 years, he would have learned that the relationship between patient and doctor has a 800 pound gorilla in the room, the insurance company.
So John McCain should get off his idealogical high horse that approaches health care from a point that government can’t do anything better – ask a senior just waiting to qualify for Medicare – than private insurance and face reality that Americans, that don’t have congressional health care, have to work around the private insurance rules.
-Josh
End the Echo weblog 