Author Topic: Cable More Important than Healthcare  (Read 10312 times)

winfield

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Cable More Important than Healthcare
« on: July 01, 2012, 07:59:51 PM »
Here is a conversation I've just recently had with an old coworker. My favorite lines are in bold. Enjoy

Michelle - Great now my healthcare that I can't afford anyway is going to go up. Might have to change my vote to Mitt...

Steve Kern - Will they go up because Mitt told you so? What was stopping the increases before? Standard inflation accounts for 2-4%. AND the law limits the amount insurance companies can spend on advertising, administration, CEO bonuses etc... Haven't heard a pip about how Mitt is going to fix it.

Michelle - no, actually all 3 different news networks that I watched broke down the healthcare plan, and in the plan there were stipulations about the tax penalty as well as the premiums going up. All Mitt said was that he would fight to appeal the plan before it kicks in. I'm a very staunch liberal, but this has got to be the most poorly thought out plan I have seen. It is baffling to me that we are calling it an overhaul or a reform. I also read that part of the plan when it was first introduced in the media earlier this year. While I agree that we need healthcare and it needs to be accessible to all Americans, I don't agree with the government forcing me, or anyone else to have it, especially when people can't afford it. My insurance runs out on Saturday. I can't afford private healthcare right now. I wish I could, but I'll have to hope nothing major comes up while this job thing sorts itself out. Many other people are in the same boat as I am. I shouldn't be penalized because of my inability to pay. That's also completely ineffective as far as getting people to get insurance. Those whose 1% is less than $95 will probably struggle to pay that penalty, and those whose income is more than the $95 penalty and have to pay 1% of their income will only struggle more. It all but guarantees we sit in a recession longer.

Steven Kern - You're not much older than I am, right? Highmark direct has high deductible plans for as little as $90 a month. Do you pay for cable? Please don't tell me you do. Cause right there is your insurance premium.

Michelle - yes, for as little as $90, provided you are in perfect health. I'm not in perfect health, therefore my premiums are much higher. Obviously, I would expect that, but unfortunately it's not something I can work with at the moment. Also, don't presume I haven't done my homework and looked for insurance privately. I have. It's more than my car payment. Which would be fine if my car payment wasn't a little over half my student loan payment. See where I'm coming from? For some people, $90 a month isn't a big deal, and that's awesome. For me? When I have no idea if I will have a teaching contract and no idea at the moment what my unemployment will be because there are so many teachers laid off they are backed up on our paperwork, that extra $90 can stock my fridge for a month or put gas in my car for a month.

Steven Kern -  Ah, I see. Kudos on spending less than $90 in gas for the month. You still haven't answered the question of cable television. You are aware that the mandate does not take effect until 2014, correct? Also, changes in the law may make it illegal for them to jack your premiums due to pre existing conditions. I'm not trying to hate on you. I just am not a fan of 'repeal cause I can't think up a solution myself'. And trust me, there are PLENTY of people that can afford their iPhone, their cable, their brand new car but not health insurance. Give me a break.

Michelle -  You tell me to give you a break but yet you want to know if I have cable tv, after saying yourself that plenty of people can afford their phones, cable, car and not insurance? What? Yes, I do have cable tv. I have 2 dvr's and high speed internet in a bundle if you must know. We even get HBO. That's not the point. I should not have to give up things in my life in order to be able to take care of myself. No one should. Canadians are able to figure this out. So are Europeans, but we can't? Come on! And yes, I was smart enough to choose a car that gets great city and highway mpg so $30 lasts at least 10 days. I personally think there should be a cap on premiums. I also don't think people should be taxed because they can't afford something. That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. I think the government should work with insurance companies to make healthcare affordable, I think government should work on a better way to helpl keep premiums at a minimum without hurting companies or lowering standards, this plan is a hot mess! And 2014 is not that far away. I know people who have been laid off for over a year and are only able to find part time or temporary work, unless some sort of miracle happens, they don't see their situations changing by 2014 and sincerely hope they can figure something out. If I can't get a teaching job I will be one of those people.

Steven Kern -  I can't subscribe to notion that entertainment is more important than healthcare spending but we'll have to agree to disagree there. I personally don't pay for cable, have dsl for Internet and would gladly cancel my cell phone tomorrow if I needed that money for healthcare. Wouldnt see it as giving something up as I would prefer not to 'need' a phone that goes everywhere I do. All of these things, cable, Internet, phones are luxuries - not necessities. But that's my opinion. And thank goodness we live in a country where you have your own.


Michelle -  Yes, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Our cell phones double as our "house phones", internet allows me to work from home (anything less than cable internet where I live in Allentown is shoddy at best, and not only is tv relaxing, but when you teach, it's important to be up on pop culture. I use tv to teach lessons. It keeps kids from falling asleep. These luxuries double as needs in my life. I'm not the only one in this boat. Anyway, good night!

mm1970

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2012, 08:25:01 PM »
Wow.  I don't understand the "the government needs to do something" and "I hate this plan", and "I can't afford health insurance" and "I hate this plan".

Yeah, it's not perfect by any means, but we gotta start somewhere.

Will

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2012, 09:25:33 PM »
People are stupid.  That is why I hate people.

grantmeaname

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2012, 08:02:24 AM »
Yes, I do have cable tv. I have 2 dvr's and high speed internet in a bundle if you must know. We even get HBO. That's not the point. I should not have to give up things in my life in order to be able to take care of myself. No one should. Canadians are able to figure this out. So are Europeans, but we can't? Come on!
I love this notion that healthcare is magically free in Canada and Europe.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2012, 03:52:27 PM »
People are stupid.  That is why I hate people.

I just hate the stupid people.  Well.. stupid people that don't entertain me.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2012, 03:54:04 PM »
Yes, I do have cable tv. I have 2 dvr's and high speed internet in a bundle if you must know. We even get HBO. That's not the point. I should not have to give up things in my life in order to be able to take care of myself. No one should. Canadians are able to figure this out. So are Europeans, but we can't? Come on!
I love this notion that healthcare is magically free in Canada and Europe.

That's what Washington state thought, isn't it? That you could just let people have medical care for free?  Actually, I think KittyWrestler wanted it to be so also.

dancedancekj

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2012, 09:08:24 PM »
I should not have to give up things in my life in order to be able to take care of myself. No one should.

Pure lulz. Thank you for sharing :D

strider3700

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2012, 01:27:15 AM »
Canadians are able to figure this out.

I'd just like to point out that as a Canadian in BC.  I pay something like $112/month for my family's medical coverage.  It's required by law.  Back in the days when I was single I paid in $94 for just me if I remember correctly.  this doesn't cover any dental  and I don't think it covers any prescriptions.  My wifes coverage is 80% on dental and prescriptions  and some of those bills are still shocking.  Oh and no I don't pay for cable.

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2012, 05:05:11 AM »
My 2 cents...My husband began consulting last year after a brief lay off. Health insurance for our family of 6 cost us $1970 / month. This was not a premium plan. A higher deductible was in the $900 range. I ended up in hospital for 1 night unexpectedly and the total bill came to $19,000. What is broken in this country is the business of health insurance and how it screws working people.

winfield

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2012, 09:21:45 AM »
I should not have to give up things in my life in order to be able to take care of myself. No one should.

Pure lulz. Thank you for sharing :D

This was my absolute favorite part of the conversation. I was mildly amused before I read this line. After that I was blown away. This person is like the definition of 'entitlement'. I guess by her definition a child born in Afghanistan today doesn't have to work any harder than anyone else to take care of themselves. Oh, and that same child should also have HBO.

winfield

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2012, 09:28:34 AM »
My 2 cents...My husband began consulting last year after a brief lay off. Health insurance for our family of 6 cost us $1970 / month. This was not a premium plan. A higher deductible was in the $900 range. I ended up in hospital for 1 night unexpectedly and the total bill came to $19,000. What is broken in this country is the business of health insurance and how it screws working people.

I think you are quite right. The system we accidentally came to of 'employer' based healthcare makes no sense and has masked the true costs of healthcare for so long it is hard for the common person to even understand how much the cost of healthcare is. I don't believe healthcare is a 'right' as some people try to portray it. But it's costs should be more commonly understood and should applied in a way that is more transparent and less complicated so the consumer can take that information in and actually make an informed decision. You can't have a free market that balances itself if no one understands what the product costs or is worth.

grantmeaname

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2012, 10:09:47 AM »
I think you are quite right. The system we accidentally came to of 'employer' based healthcare makes no sense and has masked the true costs of healthcare for so long it is hard for the common person to even understand how much the cost of healthcare is. I don't believe healthcare is a 'right' as some people try to portray it. But it's costs should be more commonly understood and should applied in a way that is more transparent and less complicated so the consumer can take that information in and actually make an informed decision. You can't have a free market that balances itself if no one understands what the product costs or is worth.

This is almost exactly what I believe. Too often the metrics used to discuss the cost are only the portion borne by the individual or the individual and the employer. I love graphs of healthcare as %GDP or in $PPP like this one from Wikipedia. They really help reframe the discussion.

The problem isn't just that healthcare is too expensive for consumers or that they are asked to bear too much of the costs, it's that healthcare is way too expensive as a proportion of the national economy and in absolute terms.

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2012, 12:42:10 PM »
I think you are quite right. The system we accidentally came to of 'employer' based healthcare makes no sense and has masked the true costs of healthcare for so long it is hard for the common person to even understand how much the cost of healthcare is.

It's not just that the costs are masked, it's that there's a positive incentive for almost everyone involved to drive up costs.  Take for example kidney stones: most can be treated equally effectively in two ways: painkillers for a week or so while waiting for the stone to pass naturally, or lithotripsy.  The painkiller route costs a few hundred, the lithotripsy around $15K.  So the patient gets a choice of low-tech painkillers or high-tech lithotripsy, both covered by insurance: which will most choose?  The doctor can prescribe painkillers, or use the new lithotripsy machine that his practice just bought.  The insurance will cover both: which do you suppose he'll recommend?

grantmeaname

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2012, 12:52:54 PM »
Malpractice is another great example of that logic at work. Here in the United States it's thought of as better to overtreat a patient (defensive medicine) than risk litigation, yet defensive medicine accounts for 9% of health care costs, and malpractice litigation and insurance directly account for only 1.5%.

Mariana

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #14 on: July 03, 2012, 03:54:52 PM »
I do think healthcare should be a right.  But people need to be more responsible for their own health and they also need to have an understanding of how much their treatments cost.  Having people pay a percentage (even very small) of their total cost might go a long way in getting patients a little more involved in their care.

Will

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #15 on: July 03, 2012, 06:03:44 PM »
I do think healthcare should be a right.  But people need to be more responsible for their own health and they also need to have an understanding of how much their treatments cost.  Having people pay a percentage (even very small) of their total cost might go a long way in getting patients a little more involved in their care.

I am all for a fat and sugar tax, like they tax cigarettes and alcohol.  You don't want to pay it?  Then don't eat the crap full of fat and sugar!

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #16 on: July 03, 2012, 06:22:27 PM »
I do think healthcare should be a right.  But people need to be more responsible for their own health and they also need to have an understanding of how much their treatments cost.  Having people pay a percentage (even very small) of their total cost might go a long way in getting patients a little more involved in their care.

I am all for a fat and sugar tax, like they tax cigarettes and alcohol.  You don't want to pay it?  Then don't eat the crap full of fat and sugar!
Not everyone agrees on what is and is not healthy food, and the science of nutrition is FAR from settled and done. We are learning more every day and the data does not always support the simplistic view that eating fat or sugar make you fat or unhealthy. Taxing or penalizing food choice is NOT the right way to solve the nation's health problems, either morally or pragmatically.

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #17 on: July 03, 2012, 07:22:14 PM »
I do think healthcare should be a right.  But people need to be more responsible for their own health and they also need to have an understanding of how much their treatments cost.  Having people pay a percentage (even very small) of their total cost might go a long way in getting patients a little more involved in their care.

I am all for a fat and sugar tax, like they tax cigarettes and alcohol.  You don't want to pay it?  Then don't eat the crap full of fat and sugar!

I'm not a fan of that, because I like feeling like I live in a country where people are free to pursue happiness, and if sugar and fat make them happy, then so be it.

Will

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #18 on: July 03, 2012, 07:25:35 PM »
I do think healthcare should be a right.  But people need to be more responsible for their own health and they also need to have an understanding of how much their treatments cost.  Having people pay a percentage (even very small) of their total cost might go a long way in getting patients a little more involved in their care.

I am all for a fat and sugar tax, like they tax cigarettes and alcohol.  You don't want to pay it?  Then don't eat the crap full of fat and sugar!

I'm not a fan of that, because I like feeling like I live in a country where people are free to pursue happiness, and if sugar and fat make them happy, then so be it.

Cigarettes and alcohol make some people happy, and the taxes don't prevent them from pursuing their happiness.

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #19 on: July 19, 2012, 04:36:40 PM »
I do think healthcare should be a right.  But people need to be more responsible for their own health and they also need to have an understanding of how much their treatments cost.  Having people pay a percentage (even very small) of their total cost might go a long way in getting patients a little more involved in their care.

I am all for a fat and sugar tax, like they tax cigarettes and alcohol.  You don't want to pay it?  Then don't eat the crap full of fat and sugar!

refined sugar and hydrogenated fat: Yes, tax the hell out of it, but that's basically the point of not...It's really specific. Further, you need to be highly educated to understand that we treat hydrogenated fats and refined sugar completely different than any natural fat or sugar and our health issues as a country have more to do with that. Very few Americans understand the difference between refined/granulated sugar and raw, or hydrogenated fats and others. Our information is highly skewed by policies set with too much influence from people making money off the stuff.

Until we sort out making out food sources more honest, it has to come down to personal choices. People, like Michelle there, will continue to serve as a warning for those that are paying attention.

But damn Will, when i become a dictator, I'll get right on it!

I'm not a fan of that, because I like feeling like I live in a country where people are free to pursue happiness, and if sugar and fat make them happy, then so be it.

Cigarettes and alcohol make some people happy, and the taxes don't prevent them from pursuing their happiness.

sol

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2012, 05:13:55 PM »
I'm not a fan of that, because I like feeling like I live in a country where people are free to pursue happiness, and if sugar and fat make them happy, then so be it.

Some people pursue their happiness by taking an assault rifle to the top of the local clock tower and reducing the town's population.  So be it?

My point is that your freedoms are already necessarily abridged by your participation in our social contract.  When your actions impact other people, they will be regulated.  Eating crappy food in a society with shared health care costs, either socialized or insurance-pooled, directly costs everyone else for your bad decisions. 

If you're really going to stick with your original assertion that people should be free to pursue happiness at the expense of others, then you must also defend a whole host of other reprehensible actions that people enjoy.  I really like torturing kittens.  I get off by keying every car in the Walmart parking lot.  I should have the right to set fires to all of the public libraries because I love the smell of old books burning.


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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #21 on: July 19, 2012, 06:59:01 PM »
I'm not a fan of that, because I like feeling like I live in a country where people are free to pursue happiness, and if sugar and fat make them happy, then so be it.

Some people pursue their happiness by taking an assault rifle to the top of the local clock tower and reducing the town's population.  So be it?

My point is that your freedoms are already necessarily abridged by your participation in our social contract.  When your actions impact other people, they will be regulated.  Eating crappy food in a society with shared health care costs, either socialized or insurance-pooled, directly costs everyone else for your bad decisions. 

If you're really going to stick with your original assertion that people should be free to pursue happiness at the expense of others, then you must also defend a whole host of other reprehensible actions that people enjoy.  I really like torturing kittens.  I get off by keying every car in the Walmart parking lot.  I should have the right to set fires to all of the public libraries because I love the smell of old books burning.
If you're going to argue that the social contract imparts the right to regulate what I put in my own mouth, of which I am the sole owner and proprietor, then I am going to argue that the idea of a social contract is morally bankrupt.

If you think that making choices that might possibly cost taxpayers money at some future date is morally equivalent to direct murder or destruction of property you have a seriously whacked out sense of values.

Of course, I already think that holding people to a contract they did not actually agree to (the only people who actually agreed to it were the delegates who ratified the Constitution, or whatever the equivalent is in a given non-US country), and which they have no ability to exit (moving to another country typically just substitutes a similar binding set of rules enforceable by state coercion), is immoral. So there you go. Voluntarism ftw.

grantmeaname

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #22 on: July 20, 2012, 07:17:31 AM »
If I'm paying maintenance on your body, you're not the sole owner and proprietor anymore.

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2012, 08:56:40 AM »
If I'm paying maintenance on your body, you're not the sole owner and proprietor anymore.

I agree and disagree.

If I'm asking you for help, you can place some restrictions.

If you choose to take that on unasked and unwanted and I have no choice in it, then force your values on me, that's a different story.

I'm sure you can think of scenarios both ways.
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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2012, 09:26:02 AM »
This post is taking a looooong time to make legible. Here's the best I've got so far:
If you choose to take that on unasked and unwanted and I have no choice in it, then force your values on me, that's a different story.
Whether or not you personally subscribe to the opinion that our legislators act at the will of the people, the fact remains that the reason the United States government claims legitimacy is that its actions reflect the political will of its citizenry. If we as citizens are going to go around saying we're a democracy, then we have to acknowledge that it was not 'them' but 'us' that created the current system of things, because 'they' reflect 'our' will. If that's the case, we're no longer entitled to the complaint that outside values are being forced upon us.

(Of course, if you don't subscribe to that conception of our government, you can say that the rulers don't reflect the ruled and so the contract is forced by something other than the will of the people.)

sol

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #25 on: July 20, 2012, 09:29:17 AM »
If you're going to argue that the social contract imparts the right to regulate what I put in my own mouth, of which I am the sole owner and proprietor, then I am going to argue that the idea of a social contract is morally bankrupt.

This is exactly why the Libertarians always end up looking so extreme.  To have real freedom, you can't have any services.  You are free to put anything in your own mouth as long as you and you alone are paying for the consequences.

If you have opted for an insurance plan, then other people are paying for those consequences.  I would make the same argument about people who do heroin, or race motorcycles, or go sky diving.  Yes, you should have the right to engage in dangerous behaviors.  No, other people who make better decisions should not be required to pay for it.  This is really a problem with insurance markets, though, not your freedoms to be a fatty.

Quote
Of course, I already think that holding people to a contract they did not actually agree to (the only people who actually agreed to it were the delegates who ratified the Constitution, or whatever the equivalent is in a given non-US country), and which they have no ability to exit (moving to another country typically just substitutes a similar binding set of rules enforceable by state coercion), is immoral. So there you go. Voluntarism ftw.

Ah, now I see, you're an anarchist.  Well, at least you're consistent. 

I'll concede your point for the sake of argument.  Yes, you are forcibly bound to rules you did not agree to, by threat of violence.  So is everyone else in civilized society.  In exchange for enforcing basic human civility, you are offered food and shelter and roads and national defense and internet access and shiny new gadgets and all of the other benefits of society that are above and beyond what you could personally generate without a cooperative economy.

I think it's a fair trade, but I recognize that other people can honestly disagree.  For such people, there are places you can go to be free of such constraints.

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #26 on: July 20, 2012, 11:02:19 AM »
We get exactly the government we deserve, and all that.
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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #27 on: July 20, 2012, 02:07:38 PM »
Quote
You are free to put anything in your own mouth as long as you and you alone are paying for the consequences. .. If you have opted for an insurance plan, then other people are paying for those consequences.

Not necessarily. If you're treating insurance as a pool of money into which everyone pays in equally and receives unequally, then yes, other people are paying for those consequences. But risks should factor into insurance. People have different behaviors, different risks, different potential payout and therefore should pay in differently. That's how insurance should work. You're chipping money into the pool as payment of a service, an insurance, than you may one day need the payout of that insurance. You're paying for you. You're only subsidizing (not pay for, as you get something out of it too) other people the moment everyone pays in the same amount.

Quote
I would make the same argument about people who do heroin, or race motorcycles, or go sky diving.  Yes, you should have the right to engage in dangerous behaviors.  No, other people who make better decisions should not be required to pay for it.  This is really a problem with insurance markets, though, not your freedoms to be a fatty.

Then people who engage in dangerous behaviors should pay higher premium, and people who make better decisions should have lower premium. What's the problem with this? That's not a problem with insurance market. That's the point of insurance, to hedge against large unexpected spending. It's only a problem when you make everyone pay the same regardless of their potential cost, because then you're rewarding bad behavior and penalizing good ones.

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #28 on: July 20, 2012, 04:27:33 PM »
If you have opted for an insurance plan, then other people are paying for those consequences.  I would make the same argument about people who do heroin, or race motorcycles, or go sky diving.  Yes, you should have the right to engage in dangerous behaviors.  No, other people who make better decisions should not be required to pay for it.  This is really a problem with insurance markets, though, not your freedoms to be a fatty.

Quote
Of course, I already think that holding people to a contract they did not actually agree to (the only people who actually agreed to it were the delegates who ratified the Constitution, or whatever the equivalent is in a given non-US country), and which they have no ability to exit (moving to another country typically just substitutes a similar binding set of rules enforceable by state coercion), is immoral. So there you go. Voluntarism ftw.

Ah, now I see, you're an anarchist.  Well, at least you're consistent.
Well, kinda. I'm convinced by the moral arguments for voluntarism, but I'm not convinced that a society free of violent coercion would actually, y'know, work. But then, the ends of stability don't necessarily justify the means of coercion. But then, what if society collapses and we lose all our technology and 5 billion people die? But then... you get the idea. I'm hardly set in stone on this stuff.

I'll concede your point for the sake of argument.  Yes, you are forcibly bound to rules you did not agree to, by threat of violence.  So is everyone else in civilized society.  In exchange for enforcing basic human civility, you are offered food and shelter and roads and national defense and internet access and shiny new gadgets and all of the other benefits of society that are above and beyond what you could personally generate without a cooperative economy.
Most anarchists are perfectly happy to have trade and science and technology, they just want to have it without systematic violence. Yeah, there are a few anarcho-primitivists out there who want to go back to animal skins and spears but I think the majority are happy with modern technology. A lot of sophisticated arguments get bandied around on anarcho-capitalist sites about how dispute resolution would work, how universal prohibitions against initiation of force and violations of property rights could be mutually enforced without a need for a state, etc. It's not my passion or my area of expertise so I mostly try to stay out of it.

I think it's a fair trade, but I recognize that other people can honestly disagree.  For such people, there are places you can go to be free of such constraints.
Are you speaking of the widely-labeled "anarchist" societies like Somalia or the like? Because those are hardly voluntarist or even anarchist societies. They're full of warlords, essentially petty kings, who enforce violent rule on their subjects and make war against their enemies. A voluntarist society would not result from the collapse of a government and the ensuing chaos of rival gangs trying to fill the power vacuum. It would have to be the result of a mass movement of citizens, and that will only happen if a LOT more people start embracing the ideal. So let's just say I'm not holding my breath, and I'm satisfied to live in a relatively free and low-violence society as a proxy for the perfect idea in my head that might or might not work even if it ever could get started in the first place.

menorman

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #29 on: August 02, 2012, 07:48:39 AM »
Michelle -  Yes, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Our cell phones double as our "house phones", internet allows me to work from home (anything less than cable internet where I live in Allentown is shoddy at best, and not only is tv relaxing, but when you teach, it's important to be up on pop culture. I use tv to teach lessons. It keeps kids from falling asleep. These luxuries double as needs in my life. I'm not the only one in this boat. Anyway, good night!
Well if this part is true, she needs to look into how she can get her cable TV to be a "business expense" so that it becomes tax deductible. Otherwise, it is a luxury. Also, having been in quite a few classrooms myself, I know that TV doesn't keep kids awake any better than a competent set of lessons and an attentive teacher.

sideways8

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Re: Cable More Important than Healthcare
« Reply #30 on: August 02, 2012, 08:10:38 AM »
Yeah, most of the videos we had to watch in school put me to sleep. Last time I checked, being "hip" was not a requirement for being a teacher. I teach piano so I end up getting updated by my students, usually through requests for songs by their favorite bands or from their favorite movies. They seem to enjoy it when they know they are the first one to tell me about such-and-such a song.

Besides, if you're really desperate for that type of information, you can also find it online (um... youtube anyone??) and on the radio. Or just talk to some young people! They're pretty cool!