US Political Discussion: Biden/Harris Edition (Rules in OP)

[Drew]

Whenever I see those kinds of comparisons, I can't help but think that when your population is 10x ours, and divided and administrated in a completely different (and I think more complicated) way, that has to have a major impact on how the spending has to work, making any 1-to-1 numbers comparison difficult to draw meaningful value from.

I think to a degree that's true... but some of that is self-inflicted as well. In the US, there SHOULD be the opportunity for huge economies of scale. But, our employer-provided model means that negotiation with insurers occurs at the company, and not state or federal level, for most Americans. There are the state exchanges... but insurance regulation in the US doesn't really allow insurers to compete across state lines, which also severely hinders the opportunities to build economies of scale.

Honestly, the single biggest argument I see for a public option isn't removing profit from insurance, it's removing all the overhead that requires, say, Blue Cross Blue Shield to operate as 50 separate insurers rather than as one.


(to be fair I think this is one of the reforms that is/was supposed to be part of the ACA, so this may no longer be true. I'd love it if someone could fact check me and prove me wrong... but I did search to see how many states BCBS operates in and their language was very clear that they're a consortium of insurers rather than a single company, so I don't think it is)

 

[spudmunkey]

I think it actually does make sense, but doesn't make the point he thinks it does.

Basically, "how much does it cost for Canada to provide universal health care, measured by what's the expense as a proportion of total national income?" That's not a bad way to measure how "expensive" health care is for a country - Canada is able to acheive universal health care by spending 13% of national income on healthcare.

The problem for Maher is, in the US we do NOT have nationally-administered universal health care, we have a hodge-podge of public and private coverage and a lot of out-of-pocket spending... and we as a nation STILL spend 17.3% of GDP on healthcare.

So the real question here isn't why Canada spends so much. It's why we get so little for spending so much more.

I guess my point there was about how the beginning of the sentence leads one to believe there is some frame of reference to compare or its rank, but he never does.

 

[Drew]

I guess my point there was about how the beginning of the sentence leads one to believe there is some frame of reference to compare or its rank, but he never does.

If i follow you right, then yeah, that was kind of what I was getting at, too. I think the percent of GDP spent on health care is a meaningful metric, but its kind of like asking "is 13% of your income a lot of money to spend on something?" Well, it depends. For rent or a mortgage, no, not at all - keeping it under 33% is kind of the de facto recommendation. 13% of your income on, oh, pool noodles, though, then what the fuck is wrong with you?

 

[Randy]

Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud - BBC News

Truong My Lan started life as a market trader. Now, she has been convicted of stealing billions.

www.bbc.com

 

[Crungy]

Sounds like more language from the right meant to whip people up into a frenzy of "I'm the victim"

Kari Lake suggests supporters 'strap on a Glock' to be ready for 2024

Lake told people that “the next six months is going to be intense” and urged attendees to be “ready for action,” calling out to military and law enforcement veterans in the crowd.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[crushingpetal]

Sounds like more language from the right meant to whip people up into a frenzy of "I'm the victim"

Kari Lake suggests supporters 'strap on a Glock' to be ready for 2024

Lake told people that “the next six months is going to be intense” and urged attendees to be “ready for action,” calling out to military and law enforcement veterans in the crowd.

www.nbcnews.com

Wait. "Ready for action" and "strap on". I think she means something else.

 

[Crungy]

Wait. "Ready for action" and "strap on". I think she means something else.

She's ready to PEG Donnie boy .... For president

 

[Glades]

CNN 1 week ago https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/11/economy/trump-tariffs-trade-jobs-inflation

CNN today https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/17/politics/biden-tariffs-chinese-steel-economic-pitch

 

[ArtDecade]

CNN 1 week ago https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/11/economy/trump-tariffs-trade-jobs-inflation

CNN today https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/17/politics/biden-tariffs-chinese-steel-economic-pitch

CNN One Week Ago:
Trump has floated a 10% across-the-board tariff on imports, a 60% tariff on imports from China and a 100% tariff on foreign cars – including from Mexico.

CNN Today:
Biden will call on United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai to “consider tripling” the existing 7.5% tariff rate on Chinese steel and aluminum.

My guess is that Glades didn't read anything again and quickly dog whistled headlines. This and That are not Equal.

 

[spawnofthesith]

And the Biden article still mentions concerns regarding tariffs increasing inflation lolol


The right loves to self-own themselves though

 

[ArtDecade]

The right loves to self-own themselves though

Glades will shift to the border, crime, beer, Hollywood, etc. It is amazing he doesn't get dizzy with all the pivoting and what-about-isms. It actually takes more effort to remain uninformed, but he revels in it.

 

[Drew]

Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud - BBC News

Truong My Lan started life as a market trader. Now, she has been convicted of stealing billions.

www.bbc.com

Hot take - you don't commit $44B in fraud in a Communist country without someone in the party being in on it.

 

[MetalDestroyer]

Hot take - you don't commit $44B in fraud in a Communist country without someone in the party being in on it.

I actually read the whole article. Everyone was in on it, but the government is taking a new hardline stance on the corruption to try to regain some control from the mafia who are currently driving the economy

 

[Drew]

CNN 1 week ago https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/11/economy/trump-tariffs-trade-jobs-inflation

CNN today https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/17/politics/biden-tariffs-chinese-steel-economic-pitch

Gotta go beyond the headlines, buddy.

Sussing out the probable impact on tariffs is tricky, but a good starting point is asking yourself who has price-setting power, the buyer or the seller. If the buyer has price setting power - say, in a situation where there are other sources available at a comparable price - then to remain competitive the producer has to cut prices or lose sales, and the producing country is going to bear most of the brunt. If however te good in question doesn't have readily available substitutes, then buyers are price-takers, not price-setters, and the producing country is going to be able to pass along costs pretty easily. A middle round of importers add some complexity too as part of the cost of the tariff can be absorbed by margin compression, as well.

Long story short - while I share some concern here of Biden using tariffs for political purposes, the reality here is this isn't likely to have THAT much of an impact on US consumers - China is the world's largest steel producer, but very little Chinese steel is imported into the US, as they're not within our top ten suppliers, so actual imports are probably less than 2% of total based on this chart. The most likely result of a tariff being applied to Chinese steel, is we just buy less from them and more from someone else (including possibly our own suppliers). It won't make MUCH of an impact though, this is mostly symbolic. I

I'd contrast this with the trade war Trump launched with China, where Trump tried to target goods that, at least until after the holiday season, would have very little impact on American consumers, while China tried to target goods where tarrifs would likely be passed on to chinese consumers and therefore demand would likely fall. Bourbon whiskey, for example, and consumption plummeted in China, leaving US producers with a supply glut that pushed prices down and I for one tried to do my patriotic duty to absorb it. This is a big part of why I don't think too many economists would tell you Trump won his trade war - Trump was playing for media attention, China was playing for blood.

 

[Drew]

I actually read the whole article. Everyone was in on it, but the government is taking a new hardline stance on the corruption to try to regain some control from the mafia who are currently driving the economy

Ha! How's that for a guess?

 

[Randy]

 

[Big Dumb Bitch]

The genocidal dementia ridden shitbag president actually did something for trans people. I wasn't expecting it and it's still not enough but it's more than I ever thought he'd do

Biden's new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ students, but trans sports rule still on hold

The new rule makes “crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Louis Cypher]

What the fuck is the bloke who has set himself on fire outside where Trump is on trial all about??!
He is apparently in a critical condition in hospital. He had been there all week with banners or something people had said so i assume he is a Trump supporter tho that hasn't been confirmed.
This kinda shit happening in America, I mean what the ever living fuck?

 

[ArtDecade]

What the fuck is the bloke who has set himself on fire outside where Trump is on trial all about??!

We are still waiting to hear about Glade's condition.

 

[High Plains Drifter]

The best thing that I've done for my mental health was turning off the news and steering clear of the podcasts, click-bait youtube links, and other forms of social media driven opinion pieces and the like. I'll still be voting this time around but I seriously had to stop allowing myself to be sucked into this mess. Caring too much about any of this shit became maddening for me and that negative energy manifested itself in toxic ways that I can't afford at this point in my life.