"I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means if you don't like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.

"You know, if someone doesn't give me a good service that I need, I want to say I'm going to go get someone else to provide that service to me."

I like being able to fire people

From my vantage point (safely OUT of the USA),

your leadership race seems absolutely bizarre.

I think I heard somewhere that it's a process where the party candidates can choose the best person to take on their leadership, based on what they tell the audience, in public.

You have candidates insulting each other, and frankly slandering their own buddies, and the buddies stand there and smile!

There's no indication that any of these clowns

understands economics, social issues, or foreign affairs -- they just spout stuff, and smile!

The other day I saw an analysis where the pundits tried to pick the "most trust-worthy" candidate.

Mind you, this analysis was needed because they couldn't determine any other qualities, such as intelligence, social skills, organizational abilities -- so it boiled down to "who's wife trust them the most". Huh? Did I hear that correctly?

But in the meantime, the "news" media love to broadcast countless hours of this trash on every network and channel they can con.

Man! I'll be glad when this process is over,

and they can get back to more important events, such as the criminal trial circus, or maybe Miss Iowa Reality.

You mean Miss Iowa Corn Dildo, 2007?

Oh, come on--you know you'd do her.

Curt

There's no indication that any of these clowns understands economics, social issues, or foreign affairs -- they just spout stuff, and smile!

If you haven't seen the evidence you haven't been listening,

... but why should you, your parties pick the candidates for you in a polite, canadian sort of way.

...These people all have history and it's all been very publicly aired and torn apart from a million directions. You think that stump speeches and debate goof-ups are the only criterion, you're mistaken.

There's no indication that any of these clowns understands economics, social issues, or foreign affairs -- they just spout stuff, and smile!

Only two days into the campaign, PC Leader Tim Hudak’s blue bus broke down in Ottawa. His staffers, afraid journalists would use the incident as a metaphor for his election effort, parked the vehicle far down the suburban street where Hudak was slated to make a campaign announcement and brought in a replacement bus...

Hudak used the replacement bus for less than a day, until he got his wheels back.

PC campaign staff divulged this story to reporters after the election wrapped up Thursday night.

Well I did stop to listen to one of their "debates" from Iowa. I found the mud-slinging style very distracting, but I did want to glean some policy or theory from their comments. But my initial observation of "bizarre" out-weighed any hope of understanding how the American people might benefit from their dogma and doggy-do-do.

I couldn't believe that grown folks would display such idiocy in public! Together! I tried watching them again, on a later date. No improvement.

Hey! You are using "ad hominem" at me!
Look it up Wikipedia: ad hominem
and then think of a better reason why I might comment on this circus which is broadcast on national TV.

In my riding, I sometimes volunteer to help my favorite candidate at election time. I have posted banners in my neighbourhood, knocked on doors, and joined the party.

But ... ... I live in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's own riding.
That means I have the power to vote for him, or against him !


I don't get it.

Now, I think I should repeat my own quote:

... Say what you will about Harper. At least he understands economics.

Of course, when I originally saw the title of this thread I was hoping for...
[image]http://d2scfd230u7pau.cloudfront.net/tkr/TFB/TKR-NBXY4MY555.jpg[/image]

Of course, when I originally saw the title of this thread I was hoping for...

I don't agree with the part about insurance companies having an incentive to keep you healthy. Otherwise, I have no problem with what he said.

I feel the exact opposite. I agree with the incentive to keep you healthy, but disagree with everything else.

That quote shows how out of touch he is with the very people who he thinks he can help. Mitt's never had to shop for his own insurance. Those of us who have understand implicitly that it's not buying a different coffee because you don't like the taste or finding a different house painter if your paint peels a year later. It's not as simple as "going to go get someone else to provide that service to me." Not even close.

I feel the exact opposite. I agree with the incentive to keep you healthy, but disagree with everything else.

That quote shows how out of touch he is with the very people who he thinks he can help. Mitt's never had to shop for his own insurance. Those of us who have understand implicitly that it's not buying a different coffee because you don't like the taste or finding a different house painter if your paint peels a year later. It's not as simple as "going to go get someone else to provide that service to me." Not even close.

Yeah, or if he did, a few hundred $$ here and there were not a big deal to him.

It is very easy to have choices when you have money.

Then you can say, O.K., well, I am looking at all these policies, and this policy is a bit extra, but I like that it covers the doctor I've been going to for years, and doesn't have a mandatory primary physician referral policy for seeing specialists, and 20 PT visits a year are a big plus, so I'll choose this one. And I don't mind paying a little bit more for convenience and for keeping my favorite doctor.

What happens instead to people who actually deal with it in real life, instead of Mitt Rumney's imagination is that they have a choice of only 2-3 policies (maybe, if they are lucky), and all policies basicly suck because they are the cheapest ones, or they are all expensive and the only ones that their employer provides, or whatever, and the only "choice" is between being flailed starting from the right hand, or the left foot.

Additionally, the concept of simply "firing" your insurance company and opting for a new one isn't that simple if you happen to have any pre-existing conditions, etc.

Curt