birdog1960

ummm..women don't have ....never mind. maybe you mean that they've had pelvic surgery (but then why would they be interested in female viagra?) or that the neurotransmitters in their limbic systems are unbalanced (oh wait, they could still physically have sex)... i guess i just can't understand your point ...

praytell, at what point are you physically supposed to stop having sex?

that's her point: drugs can't cure societal ills. what does it say about a society that is losing a basic biologic instinct, to procreate? i think it's a thoughtful, salient and mostly, on point explanation for a culture that looks to drugs and easy fixes to solve complicated cultural problems much too often. somehow, i'm not surprised you guys arent enamored with camille paglia but what does she know about writing?

this $120 million pays for the safe keeping of the children of the upper class. without the mercenaries, a draft would be needed and then we would see nonvolunteer casualties. the wars would lose significant support almost immediately. the romans didn't widely use mercenaries until they were in steep decline. this does not bode well...

more fuel for the fire: "i think you are privatizing something that is what essentially sets a nation-state apart, which is a monopoly on violence"-obama, 2008, arguing against private military contractors. can't see how this move can be rationalized.

i, for one, am outraged. mercenaries should have no role in our defense system. their presence is fraught with problems not the least of which is pay differential between the mercs and the regular armed forces and the resentment that must garner. the fact that they've shown repeatedly that they can't be trusted and are unaccountable to almost anybody is also very scary. the image of them "maintaining order" in new orleans after katrina is not easily forgotten. very disappointed in this news. am very interested to hear clinton's explanation for this.

both end up with losers who fail to satisfy

i love it when libertarians scrape and claw for their entitlements. would you take a deal to get payed back what you put in to medicare + 7% interest so you can buy private insurance at 65? if i was running hcfa and you are a smoker i'd gladly make that deal.

i get no benefit regarding the medicare fund and my interest in it from decreased pension benefits due to early death of smokers . as your link points out, this represents the majority of the savings from smoking on a federal level.

nearly everyone that lives past 65 and paid in will be on medicare (almost no one opts out) ..if smokers want to rescind that privelige, then i accept your point , chief. if they won't, then i'm gonna help pay there excessive cost after they qualify.

link? should we do liver transplants on alcoholics? should we do heart transplants on iv drug abusers? should we do cochlear implants on vicodin addled radio hosts? should we treat gunshot wounds in gang bangers? if you answer no to any of these then we shouldn't waste resources on smokers for self inflicted disease. now THAT would save money and lead to their early demise. currently, anyone over 65 on medicare gets the majority of their care, even tobacco related illness care paid for by the govt. if medicare goes insolvent and you're a smoker, you better hope your hsa is very well funded because the statistics say you are gonna spend great sums. ever seen the differential in private insurance rates for smokers and nonsmokers? ya think maybe that's calculated on some good data?

if only it was simple....medicare is going broke in less than 10 years on its current trajectory (and btw..it pays a fair number of claims for tobacco related illness). there will be rationing (actually there already is even with private insurance). the question is where to put the limited resources...not simple at all

ever heard of medicaid?

well that's an entirely different issue: should we be putting 90yo with severe lung disease on ventilators, dialysis, bypass surgery? don't know...do you?

still no where near covers the public health costs of smoking. 5 days on a ventilator for COPD= $50000+. quitting smoking = priceless.

yup. except in this case it's really welfare payments to ralph...then he can make more donations in his name to his favorite charities and feel good about himself and allow people to defend him based on his philanthropy

5000 comes from initial article cited at start of thread

yeah, there's so much equity in the cali housing market ...just teaming with real estate millionaires

about 5000 households are affected in a year. were not talking about the family farm or store here... unless your family owns tysons or wal mart.

therein lies the problem: the definition of basic and necessary. is it necessary and basic to treat poor people (and afford them access to a primary care doc) for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, aids or even garden variety influenza and to immunize them for preventable diseases? if they don't have access, how do they get it when an epidemic/pandemic hits? health care is just one example...there's a plethora of slippery slopes here.

so it's not really "keep the government's nose out of my business and hand out of my pocket....until i need them"?

awesome post. unfortunately, i'm playing right into the mutual admiration tactic of the greek chorus but really...well said. your final point regarding the hobbesian society always makes my think of the health care debate. even the most staunch liberterian must want deadly communicable diseases treated (even in those unable to afford care) and managed by a central organization for the simple purpose of self preservation but maybe that won't be considered until it happens. when a truly virulent organism emerges and threatens millions, the liberterians should all refuse the government stockpiled antimicrobials and vaccines on principle.

and you have no idea of the answers to the same questions regarding me. you're making many totally unfounded assumptions about me but that is no surprise given your rhetoric and tone. i do not consider myself jealous of those who played at the olde farm tuesday. everyone is open to criticism, wealthy or not. even you. actions don't have to be criminal to be criticized, just look at the main forum here and the comments on the bills players, coaches and owner. and yes, the incredible concentration of wealth and thus power that is now present and ever increasing is an inherently negative phenomenon that threatens many people's very existence through man made disasters like wars, starvation and the destruction of the environment.

3rd grade at the country day school or walt whitman elementary?

' yep, its one of those "convert the tragically mistaken" things..sorta like this thread