The 2008 US Presidential Election Thread

[Lula]

Wife and I pay $258 monthly to Aetna. $5000 deductible.

That's $3096 a year..much cheaper than what Lula want's which is more than $5000 a year..and we pay for it ourselves not you

lovely you passed math. i have fantastic health care benefits. under mccain i'd be taxed on my employer provided health care and given a $5000 tax credit for me and my son, but the single person gets 2500. my health benefits are roughly $8400 a year.

a $5000 deductible is high in my eyes. i suppose for those of you that don't worry so much about money are fine with it, but you might think differently if you found the cost of living to be beyond your salary and face bankruptcy from medical bills.

[donnaplease]

Wife and I pay $258 monthly to Aetna. $5000 deductible.

That's $3096 a year..much cheaper than what Lula want's which is more than $5000 a year..and we pay for it ourselves not you

lovely you passed math. i have fantastic health care benefits. under mccain i'd be taxed on my employer provided health care and given a $5000 tax credit for me and my son, but the single person gets 2500. my health benefits are roughly $8400 a year.

a $5000 deductible is high in my eyes. i suppose for those of you that don't worry about money are fine with it, but you might think differently if you found the cost of living to be beyond your salary.

I think that kind of deductible is the exception, not the rule. Travis had an option of getting some kind of plan once that was really only a 'major medical' plan (remember those...?) Except this really and truly only paid for MAJOR stuff because the deductible was so high. It cost little to nothing, and so folks were to put money into a health savings account to cover office visits and the less expensive stuff. Of course it makes sense if you don't get sick much. That is money that goes into an account that can not only draw interest, but can also be spent on medications, or anything else that falls under a medical category. It's not pissed away to some insurance company if you don't use it. However, in the off-chance that something catastrophic happens, you might be screwed royally.

Eh, I'll just keep the plan that I've got and bitch about it from time to time.

[Saint John]

Wife and I pay $258 monthly to Aetna. $5000 deductible.

That's $3096 a year..much cheaper than what Lula want's which is more than $5000 a year..and we pay for it ourselves not you

lovely you passed math. i have fantastic health care benefits. under mccain i'd be taxed on my employer provided health care and given a $5000 tax credit for me and my son, but the single person gets 2500. my health benefits are roughly $8400 a year.

a $5000 deductible is high in my eyes. i suppose for those of you that don't worry about money are fine with it, but you might think differently if you found the cost of living to be beyond your salary.

I think that kind of deductible is the exception, not the rule. Travis had an option of getting some kind of plan once that was really only a 'major medical' plan (remember those...?) Except this really and truly only paid for MAJOR stuff because the deductible was so high. It cost little to nothing, and so folks were to put money into a health savings account to cover office visits and the less expensive stuff. Of course it makes sense if you don't get sick much. That is money that goes into an account that can not only draw interest, but can also be spent on medications, or anything else that falls under a medical category. It's not pissed away to some insurance company if you don't use it. However, in the off-chance that something catastrophic happens, you might be screwed royally.

Eh, I'll just keep the plan that I've got and bitch about it from time to time.

I had that coverage, Donna. It was Blue Cross Blue Shield Major Medical. I bartended for 7 years so I paid for my own health insurance. Like you said, it only covered major shit, but it was all I really needed at that age. Big difference after 30!!!

[Enigma869]

I thought the last question asked was the best: "What don't you know, and how will you learn it"

GREAT question

I disagree. I thought it was a dopey question. It's the same jackass question everyone gets asked on a job interview "Can you tell me what you need to improve on"? (Translation...Can you tell me what you really suck at, and give me a reason not to give you this job). That's a question nobody should ever touch. Here's one final tip for you...When you get pulled over by the police and they ask "Do you know why I stopped you", your answer should ALWAYS be an emphatic "NO"!


John from Boston

[Enigma869]

Instead of Barack Hussein Obama someone assumed he said Barack Jermaine Obama.

How about Barack Jeremiah Obama


John from Boston

[RedWingFan]

I thought the last question asked was the best: "What don't you know, and how will you learn it"

GREAT question

When you get pulled over by the police and they ask "Do you know why I stopped you", your answer should ALWAYS be an emphatic "NO"!

I thought you were gonna say, "Um.... Because you're a dick?"

[Enigma869]

I am employed by a company with tremendous benefits. I pay $24 a month for family coverage. That includes medical, dental, and eye.

I would suggest NEVER quitting this job! Hell, post who you work for here, so we can all apply, and get the best benefit package I've ever heard of


John from Boston

[Enigma869]

I thought you were gonna say, "Um.... Because you're a dick?"

As a former cop, this isn't a response I would endorse. I suspect you'd end up hog-tied, laying on your head, on a cement floor, in a piss soaked cell


John from Boston

[Don]

I pay 300 a month for two (Kaiser, no deductable). My companies pays half. If McCain gives a 5k credit, would companies stop paying any portion of our coverage or how would that work.

[Saint John]

I just looked at my last check. I pay $2.95 per check for insurance, but I'm single. I have a $500 deductible and $10 co-pay. We have a "flex plan" but I have no idea what the fuck that is.

[SteveForever]

TNC...told you he hadn't quit.....the dude is a fake...


NEW YORK -- Barack Obama says he wishes he had more time for staying fit. And the Democratic presidential candidate admits that he still occasionally smokes a cigarette.

"Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts," Obama told the magazine Men's Health in an interview for its November issue. "There's always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I'll lift one day, do cardio the next."

If he had the time, Obama said, he would spend 90 minutes working out.

Quitting smoking didn't create "huge withdrawal symptoms," the Illinois senator said, partly because he smoked only seven or eight cigarettes a day at his peak. His wife, Michelle, pressured him to quit, he said.

Obama's advice for those trying to kick the habit? "Eliminate certain key connections -- that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink," he said. "If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help."

Obama said he's bummed a cigarette a couple of times during the campaign.

"But I figure, seeing as I'm running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack," he said.

Obama said when he told daughters Sasha and Malia that he was running for president, they asked whether the "secret people" -- his Secret Service detail -- would be following them around all the time.

"And I told them, well, not right away," he said. "They've adjusted wonderfully. And I've tried to make sure that they haven't had to participate too much in the political process."

Wow.
An inveterate ex-smoker falling off the wagon.
Never encountered one of those before.
Some of the smartest people I know have carton a day habits.
Meaningless.

[Rick]

I pay 300 a month for two (Kaiser, no deductable). My companies pays half. If McCain gives a 5k credit, would companies stop paying any portion of our coverage or how would that work.

You can bet on it. There's no way Corporate America is not going to exploit that tax credit.

[Rick]

TNC...told you he hadn't quit.....the dude is a fake...


NEW YORK -- Barack Obama says he wishes he had more time for staying fit. And the Democratic presidential candidate admits that he still occasionally smokes a cigarette.

"Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts," Obama told the magazine Men's Health in an interview for its November issue. "There's always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I'll lift one day, do cardio the next."

If he had the time, Obama said, he would spend 90 minutes working out.

Quitting smoking didn't create "huge withdrawal symptoms," the Illinois senator said, partly because he smoked only seven or eight cigarettes a day at his peak. His wife, Michelle, pressured him to quit, he said.

Obama's advice for those trying to kick the habit? "Eliminate certain key connections -- that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink," he said. "If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help."

Obama said he's bummed a cigarette a couple of times during the campaign.

"But I figure, seeing as I'm running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack," he said.

Obama said when he told daughters Sasha and Malia that he was running for president, they asked whether the "secret people" -- his Secret Service detail -- would be following them around all the time.

"And I told them, well, not right away," he said. "They've adjusted wonderfully. And I've tried to make sure that they haven't had to participate too much in the political process."

Wow.
An inveterate ex-smoker falling off the wagon.
Never encountered one of those before.
Some of the smartest people I know have carton a day habits.
Meaningless.

[Lula]

I pay 300 a month for two (Kaiser, no deductable). My companies pays half. If McCain gives a 5k credit, would companies stop paying any portion of our coverage or how would that work.

as i understand it, mmcain will give a 5000 tax credit for a family and any employer paid coverage will be taxed as income.

[Saint John]

[Lula]

yeah! so don't mess with barack!!

[Rick]

yeah! so don't mess with barack!!

I'm thinking of making that my sig.

[Since 78]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday agreed to provide insurance giant American International Group Inc. with a loan of up to $37.8 billion, on top of one made to the troubled company last month.
ADVERTISEMENT

Under the new program, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will borrow up to $37.8 billion in investment-grade, fixed income securities from AIG in return for cash collateral. These securities were previously lent by AIG's insurance company subsidiaries to third parties.

The arrangement will help AIG secure funds on an as-needed basis, the New York-based insurer said in a statement.

As of Monday, about $37.2 billion of securities were available for loans under AIG's securities lending program.

On the brink of failure last month, AIG was bailed out when the government offered it an $85 billion loan during the ongoing credit crisis that saw Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. file for bankruptcy protection and the sale of Merrill Lynch & Co. to Bank of America Corp. In return for the two-year loan, the government received warrants to purchase up to 79.9 percent of AIG.

As of Sept. 30, AIG had drawn $61 billion on the credit facility, of which about $54 billion has gone toward its securities lending and AIG's financial products area. The rest of the money has been for other liquidity needs amid an "unprecedented" freezing of credit markets, Chief Executive Edward Liddy said last week.

Last week, AIG said it would sell off a number of business units to pay off its massive government loan. The company didn't specifically disclose all the assets it would sell or the expected prices from the sales. However, the New York-based insurer said it plans to retain its U.S. property and casualty and foreign general insurance businesses, and also plans to retain an ownership interest in its foreign life insurance operations.

The deal for the additional Fed loan comes as AIG has been castigated by lawmakers and the White House for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a posh California retreat just days after getting the federal bailout.

Lawmakers investigating AIG's meltdown said they were enraged that executives of AIG's main U.S. life insurance subsidiary spent $440,000 on the retreat, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings. White House press secretary Dana Perino on Wednesday called the event "despicable."

AIG issued a statement Wednesday saying that the "business event" was planned months before the Sept. 16 bailout and that it was held for top-producing independent life insurance agents, not AIG employees. Of the 100 attendees, only 10 worked for the AIG unit hosting the event, it said.

The insurer said its Chief Executive Edward Liddy sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson "clarifying the circumstances" of the event. In the letter Liddy assured Paulson that AIG is "reevaluating the costs of all aspects of our operations in light of the new circumstances in which we are all operating."

Shares of AIG closed down 32 cents, or 9.1 percent, to $3.19 in trading Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writers Jeannine Aversa and Deb Riechmann contributed to this story from Washington.

The deal for the additional Fed loan comes as AIG has been castigated by lawmakers and the White House for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a posh California retreat just days after getting the federal bailout.

Lawmakers investigating AIG's meltdown said they were enraged that executives of AIG's main U.S. life insurance subsidiary spent $440,000 on the retreat, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings. White House press secretary Dana Perino on Wednesday called the event "despicable."

AIG issued a statement Wednesday saying that the "business event" was planned months before the Sept. 16 bailout and that it was held for top-producing independent life insurance agents, not AIG employees. Of the 100 attendees, only 10 worked for the AIG unit hosting the event, it said.

The insurer said its Chief Executive Edward Liddy sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson "clarifying the circumstances" of the event. In the letter Liddy assured Paulson that AIG is "reevaluating the costs of all aspects of our operations in light of the new circumstances in which we are all operating."

Anyone have a problem with this?

I swear I'm gonna move to Mexico!!

[Rhiannon]

I swear I'm gonna move to Mexico!!

I hope by that you mean Cancun. Or else you're just silly.

[scarygirl]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday agreed to provide insurance giant American International Group Inc. with a loan of up to $37.8 billion, on top of one made to the troubled company last month.
ADVERTISEMENT

Under the new program, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will borrow up to $37.8 billion in investment-grade, fixed income securities from AIG in return for cash collateral. These securities were previously lent by AIG's insurance company subsidiaries to third parties.

The arrangement will help AIG secure funds on an as-needed basis, the New York-based insurer said in a statement.

As of Monday, about $37.2 billion of securities were available for loans under AIG's securities lending program.

On the brink of failure last month, AIG was bailed out when the government offered it an $85 billion loan during the ongoing credit crisis that saw Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. file for bankruptcy protection and the sale of Merrill Lynch & Co. to Bank of America Corp. In return for the two-year loan, the government received warrants to purchase up to 79.9 percent of AIG.

As of Sept. 30, AIG had drawn $61 billion on the credit facility, of which about $54 billion has gone toward its securities lending and AIG's financial products area. The rest of the money has been for other liquidity needs amid an "unprecedented" freezing of credit markets, Chief Executive Edward Liddy said last week.

Last week, AIG said it would sell off a number of business units to pay off its massive government loan. The company didn't specifically disclose all the assets it would sell or the expected prices from the sales. However, the New York-based insurer said it plans to retain its U.S. property and casualty and foreign general insurance businesses, and also plans to retain an ownership interest in its foreign life insurance operations.

The deal for the additional Fed loan comes as AIG has been castigated by lawmakers and the White House for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a posh California retreat just days after getting the federal bailout.

Lawmakers investigating AIG's meltdown said they were enraged that executives of AIG's main U.S. life insurance subsidiary spent $440,000 on the retreat, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings. White House press secretary Dana Perino on Wednesday called the event "despicable."

AIG issued a statement Wednesday saying that the "business event" was planned months before the Sept. 16 bailout and that it was held for top-producing independent life insurance agents, not AIG employees. Of the 100 attendees, only 10 worked for the AIG unit hosting the event, it said.

The insurer said its Chief Executive Edward Liddy sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson "clarifying the circumstances" of the event. In the letter Liddy assured Paulson that AIG is "reevaluating the costs of all aspects of our operations in light of the new circumstances in which we are all operating."

Shares of AIG closed down 32 cents, or 9.1 percent, to $3.19 in trading Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writers Jeannine Aversa and Deb Riechmann contributed to this story from Washington.

The deal for the additional Fed loan comes as AIG has been castigated by lawmakers and the White House for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a posh California retreat just days after getting the federal bailout.

Lawmakers investigating AIG's meltdown said they were enraged that executives of AIG's main U.S. life insurance subsidiary spent $440,000 on the retreat, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings. White House press secretary Dana Perino on Wednesday called the event "despicable."

AIG issued a statement Wednesday saying that the "business event" was planned months before the Sept. 16 bailout and that it was held for top-producing independent life insurance agents, not AIG employees. Of the 100 attendees, only 10 worked for the AIG unit hosting the event, it said.

The insurer said its Chief Executive Edward Liddy sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson "clarifying the circumstances" of the event. In the letter Liddy assured Paulson that AIG is "reevaluating the costs of all aspects of our operations in light of the new circumstances in which we are all operating."

Anyone have a problem with this?

Better do it before the United States of Socialist America locks the doors. This place is gonna be like Hotel California only without the cocaine.

I swear I'm gonna move to Mexico!!

[Since 78]

I swear I'm gonna move to Mexico!!

I hope by that you mean Cancun. Or else you're just silly.

San Felipe, I would seriously consider moving there. You just need good AC in the summer.

[Rhiannon]

I swear I'm gonna move to Mexico!!

I hope by that you mean Cancun. Or else you're just silly.

San Felipe, I would seriously consider moving there. You just need good AC in the summer.

Just making sure you weren't going to trade in for some shanty-town. I've always wanted to visit somewhere along the Yucatan or Baja.

[Since 78]

I swear I'm gonna move to Mexico!!

I hope by that you mean Cancun. Or else you're just silly.

San Felipe, I would seriously consider moving there. You just need good AC in the summer.

Just making sure you weren't going to trade in for some shanty-town. I've always wanted to visit somewhere along the Yucatan or Baja.

Its in Baja by the Sea of Cortez. Great place!!

Sorry to derail!!

Carry on!

[The_Noble_Cause]

Uhh, we actually don't know the extent of who's being wiretapped or how many wiretapping programs are even in existence.

Just for my own curiosity, how many other self-styled Conservatives on this forum are in favor of warrantless wiretapping free of government oversight?

TNC, I didn't type that.

Yeh, I accidentally quoted myself and attributed it to you.
I apologise.

[RedWingFan]

Uhh, we actually don't know the extent of who's being wiretapped or how many wiretapping programs are even in existence.

Just for my own curiosity, how many other self-styled Conservatives on this forum are in favor of warrantless wiretapping free of government oversight?

TNC, I didn't type that.

Yeh, I accidentally quoted myself and attributed it to you.
I apologise.

Not a problem.

[sadie65]

I am employed by a company with tremendous benefits. I pay $24 a month for family coverage. That includes medical, dental, and eye.

I would suggest NEVER quitting this job! Hell, post who you work for here, so we can all apply, and get the best benefit package I've ever heard of


John from Boston

There are trade offs for everything. While I have tremendous benefits, I relocated. My home has not been sold in 2.5 years..making housing a serious concern for me. While the cost of living is far cheaper where I currently am, I still carry a mortgage that is not in line with the pay I receive. I do not live outside my means, but I am (like just about every other person) impacted greatly by today's economy. I have family members with extremely serious medical concerns, family in the military in the Middle East, and a growing son. Life is a series of choices. I am grateful that currently I do have these benefits and do not take them for granted. A $10 co-pay and a $500 deductible is a very lucky thing for me right now.

Here's to a future where we learn as a society to take responsibility and accountability for our choices.

Peace to all

[RossValoryRocks]

I thought you were gonna say, "Um.... Because you're a dick?"

As a former cop, this isn't a response I would endorse. I suspect you'd end up hog-tied, laying on your head, on a cement floor, in a piss soaked cell


John from Boston

Probably...but after you would never have to work again because the lawsuit would grant you millions for the cop stepping on your first amendment right of freedom of speech.

[rsimpson]

I am employed by a company with tremendous benefits. I pay $24 a month for family coverage. That includes medical, dental, and eye.

I would suggest NEVER quitting this job! Hell, post who you work for here, so we can all apply, and get the best benefit package I've ever heard of


John from Boston

Not to brag, but I don't pay a dime for coverage for a family of five. That's one of reasons I've haven't left the company

[Enigma869]

There are trade offs for everything. While I have tremendous benefits, I relocated. My home has not been sold in 2.5 years..making housing a serious concern for me. While the cost of living is far cheaper where I currently am, I still carry a mortgage that is not in line with the pay I receive. I do not live outside my means, but I am (like just about every other person) impacted greatly by today's economy. I have family members with extremely serious medical concerns, family in the military in the Middle East, and a growing son. Life is a series of choices. I am grateful that currently I do have these benefits and do not take them for granted. A $10 co-pay and a $500 deductible is a very lucky thing for me right now.

Here's to a future where we learn as a society to take responsibility and accountability for our choices.

Peace to all

I empathize with your housing dilemma. It seems to be all too commonplace in today's world. As for learning "as a society to take responsibility and accountability for our choices"....I'm not really sure what this has to do with healthcare. I am cognizant that people are free to work where they want to work (assuming they are qualified). That doesn't change the fact that not everyone has access to affordable healthcare. I realize that for many who have affordable healthcare, they believe everyone has the same access. That doesn't make it reality. The truth of the matter is that for many small business owners, healthcare is VERY cost-prohibitive. Another thing people may not understand is that buying health care coverage on your own, if you have any pre-existing conditions, is virtually impossible to do. Insurance regulations do not allow companies to not cover you for a pre-existing condition, but insurance companies are free to simply not write you a policy, which almost always happens! This never happens when people work for someone else, and change jobs, because group insurance coverage does not allow for denial of coverage.


John from Boston

[Enigma869]

Listen to McCain's line (it's a video) at the end of this not so compelling news story. The guy actually says "My fellow prisoners". Either he's having Nam flashbacks or the senility is kicking in


http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politi ... verick.cnn


John from Boston