Government Shutdown

I'm just curious as to whom you would blame for the government shutdown. Do you think it even matters?

 

Looking from the outside in, I'd venture to say it doesn't really matter. But instead of insisting that the healthcare act had to be changed or shutting down everything wasn't a good ploy by the republicans.

Wouldn't it have made more sense to get ammendments to the bill later on or wait until they had enough power to do what they wanted to? Hell if it's as bad as they say it is then a couple of years of it should be enough to get them the kind of majorities they need to throw it out.

 

Dos, the problem is that the health care law is so intricate and convoluted that it will be very difficult to change. On top of that you have the great American problem that anytime a giveaway program is instituted it never goes away, it only grows and grows and grows. We are just now trying to deal with the first part of Obamacare and I can tell you that it is a very complex law that is going to be just a massive mess.

Dos, something has to be done here to cut spending. The Congressional Budget Office, which is non-partisan, stated that with our current rate of spending we will be devoting 100% of our GDP to debt service by 2038. Obamacare is an incredibly expensive program that never bothered to look at the facts that we can't afford it and that we don't have enough health care providers to take care of an additional 35 million people. Under Obamacare it won't be health care for all, but rather health care for only those who can wait for it.

 

I wish I knew how to put something in quotes but I don't. I hope you can figure out what I am doing.

Anyways, as you mention the Congressional Budget Office is non-partisan and it has also said that shutting down Obamacare will add 109 billion dollars to the deficit over a 10 year period. So don't you think shutting down the government over this issue is counterproductive? If the program is so horrid, let it happen and then the Republicans can get power back and repeal it the proper way. I actually believe however that they are worried that Obamacare is going to so popular they will not be able to repeal it. Much like repealing medicare would be political suicide.

And when you say that you don't have enough doctors to provide care for the 35 million coming into the system and you will now be forced to wait. I have to admit that bothered me. It sounds like you don't want poor people to get care at your expense. You may have to wait a little while longer so someone less fortunate than you gets to see a doctor. I am afraid you don't get much sympathy from me on that one. if you believe in the marketplace balancing things out then you can believe the marketplace will produce more doctors to fill the need.

 

No more politics on CCC for me

 

My point about the lack of doctors is that most physicians will tell you that 90% of the people in their waiting rooms aren't sick. They may not feel well, but they aren't sick. People have a tendency to just take advantage of things because they perceive them to be free...free meaning that someone else is paying for it. The perfect example is the free cell phones that result in some people having 30 "free" cell phones.

With Obamacare there are a ton of reasons to not have it. As a CPA we have to try to wade through the myriad of regulations and advise our clients about what they can and cannot do and the ramifications of their actions. The sensibility of the law is best exemplified by Nancy Pelosi's comment that they need to pass the law and read it later. We have clients right now that are looking to lay off employees to stay under the 50 employee number which is the cut off point of Obamacare. Others are looking to dropping the health insurance that they are paying for their employees because the penalties under Obamacare would cost them less than the health insurance that they have to buy currently.

Just remember as you hear all of the obstruction being caused by the Republicans that they have offered three different compromise bills and Obama, Reid, and Pelosi have all said that they will NOT compromise under any circumstances. So tell me, who's fault is the shutdown?

 

Had a big comment in here but decided to delete it. I realized I am here mainly to talk about boobs and booze. Politics distracts me from my stated goal.

 

I read this forum every day and very seldom chime in, but since you asked what I think, I’ll tell you. I’m a registered independent and watch Fox News and CNN along with the news on my local stations and listen to what everyone has to say. But more than what I hear from the so-called news reporters on Fox and CNN, I listen to and watch what comes out of the mouths of candidates, our president, our congressmen/women and senators. I’ve watched all of the presidential debates and a lot of Ted Cruz’s so-called filibuster. When I hear something questionable, I research it.

I participated in a telephone town hall last week held by the republican congressman representing the district where I live, which mainly concerned the ACA. He kept referring to it as a “program” and said it must be repealed, defunded or delayed for at least a year so the republicans can come up with a better program. My question to him was: The ACA has been law for a little over 3 years. Why is another year needed when they had 3 years to come up with a better plan instead of wasting millions of dollars symbolically repealing the ACA 42 times? I couldn’t get a straight answer.

According to the Senate Historical Office, since President Obama took office, there have been a record number of filibusters by the republicans, numbering in the hundreds. Republicans have united to block nearly every major proposal the Obama administration has made, instead of letting proposals go to vote on the floor as was done in the past. Some of these filibusters included bills or proposals the republicans previously supported. There is no such thing as bipartisanship in our government anymore which is pathetic. What ever happened to “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”?

The republicans using the healthcare law to blackmail the democrats and president, and holding the American people and the economy hostage in the process, is totally unacceptable. It’s my opinion that the republicans are 100% responsible for the government shutdown and will be 100% responsible if the US defaults on its responsibilities and our credit rating is downgraded.

The republican party has been hijacked by the right-wing extremist Tea Party, and until the republicans get them under control, I honestly don’t see any progress being made in this country until they’re voted out of office. But unfortunately, with voting districts being gerrymandered, that might not be possible.

Also in my opinion, it’s not acceptable that the U.S. healthcare system falls short of what other advanced nations offer their citizens. The ACA isn’t perfect, but it’s a start.

 

No one questions the morality of health care, but we do not have the funds to pay for this system. That is just the pure and simple fact. Those who support Obamacare love to throw out the morality but totally ignore the practicality tha we can't afford this program.

We have embarked on a road of cash for all who do nothing and let's penalize those who contribute. Do you really think a system like this can continue? Really? Think about it. We as a nation are on a pace to be bankrupt in less than 25 years. Think about that for a minute. We are addicted to debt and we do not have the means to repay what we are borrowing. How long do you really think this system will last before we belly up from our own excesses?

For those Canadians who think we should just spend and spend, well, where do you think Canada will be if we in the US belly up? We are joined at the wallet and that is very apparent when you live on the border as we do. If we go down, so too will Canada. That should scare the hell out of both sides of the border.