Geoff > Status Update

Geoff wrote: "Cody wrote: "So what have I missed, fellas?"

Lol welcome back Cody"

Thanks, buddy! (I was just waiting this whole time for my post to be "the Bolano.")

Cody wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Cody wrote: "So what have I missed, fellas?"

Lol welcome back Cody"

Thanks, buddy! (I was just waiting this whole time for my post to be "the Bolano.")"

Oh shit nice score!

Great report in the Wall Street Journal today on our dying country

https://www.wsj.com/articles/death-ra...

America already is great lol

In the year 2672, America's president Roxanne Hamidani injects herself with heroin on live television to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the legalization of all recreational drugs. This is followed up with an investigation into her ties to the Bayer corporation, inventors and marketers of heroin. A campaign finance scandal ensues.

"Hardliners demand maternity benefits be nixed" Bravo assholes.

Funny you mentioned, just saw this article and the tweeted reactions http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-cana...

I realize that in the last handful of months I've seemed consumed by hate, and I suppose in some ways that's true - I feel a great deal of hate and resentment and despair. But like I'm going to try to ebb that flow, to live and think more compassionately, kindly. We are here a short time, nothing is guaranteed, no time is sure, and I don't want my hours to be wasted hating an impossible enemy. So stay tuned for cheer from me, positive vibes, optimism, empathy, etc. I'm sure the other side would do the same toward me, should they ever see the impossible abyss, yeah? Mercy and compassion and no more pettiness. Most of all, apologies, for all the hate.

Alfred wrote: "Funny you mentioned, just saw this article and the tweeted reactions http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-cana..."

Yeah that kind of thing. It makes me hate.

For what it's worth, it's understandable and healthy to vent. Best do it here in GR than to punch the wall or somebody. Collectively, many people here (those commenting and those just reading) needed to get the hatred out of our systems so that we can move on, begin to look for optimism and seek rationality.

So, instead of apologies, thank you for starting this thread...

You don't have to punch a wall. There are other items available:

https://www.amazon.com/Donald-Trump-I...

Alfred wrote: "For what it's worth, it's understandable and healthy to vent. Best do it here in GR than to punch the wall or somebody. Collectively, many people here (those commenting and those just reading) need..."

I appreciate that, but a recurring thought I've been having - how much time I'm wasting thinking about Donald Trump and his menagerie of sociopaths - how much of my mental space they are occupying, and how that's exactly what he wants! Because he's a fucking narcissist, a giant man-child who wants everyone thinking about him all the time, and how well he's succeeded at that, the narcissist's dream - the whole world is thinking about me all the time! And because he's essentially a bloated, giant, gross, 70-year old spoiled child, who never had to grow up or suffer or learn anything because he's always been rich and contemptuous of actual life and work, he doesn't care if the attention he gets is good or bad, as long as people are talking about him, thinking about him, and paying attention to him. He won! And it's impossible to fight it. Our entire culture is complicit. And see? Here I am hating again.

Matt wrote: "You don't have to punch a wall. There are other items available:

https://www.amazon.com/Donald-Trump-I..."

Oh it's so great how he's bloody and bruised!

(A side note about politics though - if repealing Obamacare was the most important thing ever, this crucial thing that could not wait, that was slowly killing all freedom on planet earth, why does Trump give this ultimatum "vote on this today or keep Obamacare and I'll move on to other stuff" - cuz like he doesn't really give a shit)

Geoff wrote: "(A side note about politics though - if repealing Obamacare was the most important thing ever, this crucial thing that could not wait, that was slowly killing all freedom on planet earth, why does ..."

"Sure, i'm gonna ask her out but, like, I don't even care if she says yes 'coz I don't even really like her anyway. I mean, she is totally [xyz]. Plus I don't wanna get tied down, ya know? Too many other hot chicks out there...Whatever...
Oh, look at that awesome truck. Real men drive trucks. I am a real man. I bet the horn sounds so cool..."

Jonathan wrote: "Geoff wrote: "(A side note about politics though - if repealing Obamacare was the most important thing ever, this crucial thing that could not wait, that was slowly killing all freedom on planet ea..."

Those pictures of him hamming it up in a big rig are a complete summation of this farce of a campaign/presidency. Grotesque parody of "understanding the working man" - I have no doubt Donald Trump would rather die than have to drive a truck for a living.

Geoff wrote: "(A side note about politics though - if repealing Obamacare was the most important thing ever, this crucial thing that could not wait, that was slowly killing all freedom on planet earth, why does ..."

You're a good person, Geoff. Nice to know you here on GR! Times are hard, but art is still possible. That's how writers tried to handle the Stalin years. Some were successful, others not so much. But so far we're not facing anything to compare with Stalin. Even though DT rivals him in many aspects, he doesn't have the power that Stalin exercised.

Ted wrote: "Geoff wrote: "(A side note about politics though - if repealing Obamacare was the most important thing ever, this crucial thing that could not wait, that was slowly killing all freedom on planet ea..."

Art is possible, but one thing I've noticed (about myself) is I'm treating it much more as an escape from life than an engagement with life. This troubles me because I've always considered it the latter.

Geoff wrote: "Ted wrote: "Geoff wrote: "(A side note about politics though - if repealing Obamacare was the most important thing ever, this crucial thing that could not wait, that was slowly killing all freedom ..."

Well, that's a comment on the way life is going for you. When life gets bad, once doesn't want to engage it, rather escape from it. I would guess this has often happened with artists, when things get very tough for them. The strong ones keep going, even though "escaping". Others just give up. (But what the hell do I know????)

I mean, as a human being, why would you want to take away maternity benefits, or subsidies for heating houses for the poor who can't afford it, or school lunch programs for people who can't afford to buy lunch at school, or addiction recovery programs, or so many other things? Why would you want to do that?

Geoff wrote: "I mean, as a human being, why would you want to take away maternity benefits, or subsidies for heating houses for the poor who can't afford it, or school lunch programs for people who can't afford ..."

And today when that bill passes, those old white sociopaths are going to go on TV and congratulate themselves for making medicine and treatment harder to get for the poor sick and old, and taking away maternity benefits, and eliminating addiction recovery programs, and it will be touted as a "victory."

Geoff wrote: "I mean, as a human being, why would you want to take away maternity benefits, or subsidies for heating houses for the poor who can't afford it, or school lunch programs for people who can't afford to buy lunch at school, or addiction recovery programs, or so many other things? Why would you want to do that?"

If I were one of those evangelical types who so consistently votes for Trump, I'd have a pity one-sentence answer. But as a sorry liberal, I'm reduced to mumbling clichés about an unhappy childhood, followed by the obligatory disclaimers on not really believing in Freudian psychology any more even if some of his intuitions maybe were in the right direction.

Check this chart out...

https://www.statista.com/chart/8658/h...

I have no idea if the current proposal is better/worse... but I do know our health care system as a whole is incredibly flawed and entirely too expensive. I'm for ANY measure by ANY party to "fix" the system. Unfortunately, I don't think a blanket universal healthcare system in the US would accomplish that. Though I have to say the reality that health insurance companies and customers have entirely different goals is most troubling. Essentially, The former profits off more people dying and the latter wants to avoid dying at all costs.

I realize this may be a shock coming from a hardcore capitalist, but when there's such a misalignment of goals on something so important (your health/life), something has to give. I absolutely can't stand health insurance companies... you have to be one evil son of a bitch to be CEO of one (*cough* AETNA *cough*).

Given how much money I pay for health insurance, with absolute SHIT coverage, my tax rate might as well be what it is in the UK.

But I'd be SHOCKED if we could accomplish what the UK has in terms of health care costs.

I'm in a unique situation in that my father is still "grandfathered" in so to speak with NHS (as is most of his side of the family, who live in London), so I'm fairly familiar with its workings/faults. Until very recently, my dad would just get all his health services done when he was over in London visiting family.

Nick wrote: "Check this chart out...

https://www.statista.com/chart/8658/h...

I have no idea if the current proposal is better/worse... but I do know our health care system as a whole i..."

Yeah I've known that about the per capita spending for awhile - that's why I thought healthcare reform was not only moral but also economically necessary. From what I've read the AHCA is going to raise expenses and limit access almost universally. Esp. with the changes the freedom caucus wants.

Geoff wrote: "Yeah I've known that about the per capita spending for awhile - that's why I thought healthcare reform was not only moral but also economically necessary. From what I've read the AHCA is going to raise expenses and limit access almost universally. Esp. with the changes the freedom caucus wants. "

A shit plan to replace a shit plan.

Shocker.

Nick wrote: "Given how much money I pay for health insurance, with absolute SHIT coverage, my tax rate might as well be what it is in the UK.

I think for me the fundamentally shocking thing when I speak to U.S friends is the whole "I had to go to hospital and now I can't afford the bill" etc - My friend had to call an ambulance as her 5 year old girl fell down some steps in the subway and then got hit by some crazy bill. It just seems so bloody bizarre.

The great thing about the NHS is that you just don't have to think about it (and I am perfectly happy for part of my tax payment to go to such a system (even though I may sometimes pay to go private as I can afford it) - and I am also quite happy as someone who earns way above the UK average to pay a bigger percentage of that income to ensure those who cant afford private get properly looked after - it is only the "waste" of tax money on stupid things like Trident missiles than annoys me).

Jonathan wrote: "Nick wrote: "Given how much money I pay for health insurance, with absolute SHIT coverage, my tax rate might as well be what it is in the UK.

I think for me the fundamentally shocking thing when I..."

My HUGE issue with the US adopting it is there's no way they'll do it right. I guarantee they fuck it up royally. You're talking about a government that runs the damn postal service at massive losses (compared to Fed Ex and UPS who have record profits).

But yes, every single time I take my son to the dr if he's sick, it's $200. So you get into the whole

"hmm.. do you think he's sick enough to take to the dr? He has a slight fever and a runny nose, but if we go and the dr takes a 15 min look at him and just says it's a cold and there's nothing she can do, then you've spent $200 for basically peace of mind. On the other hand, if it's developed into an ear infection, then he'll need meds and the $200 was basically necessary for him to quickly get over it."

And you'll know how frequently this conversation happens since you have a kid in school. Every other week there's some sort of sniffle.

Oh, and when he was born he was in the NICU for 3 days... $30k bill from that, on top of delivery (and yes, epidural was considered ELECTIVE and therefore not covered). Out of pocket cost was $8k. This is on top of the 10k a year I pay to have the damn insurance.

Nick wrote: "Oh, and when he was born he was in the NICU for 3 days... $30k bill from that, on top of delivery (and yes, epidural was considered ELECTIVE and therefore not covered). Out of pocket cost was $8k. This is on top of the 10k a year I pay to have the damn insurance.."

See that is just disgusting. The idea of having to do a cost/benefit analysis for your kid's health makes me furious.

America's shitty healthcare system is pretty high on my list of reasons why (no matter how often Americans claim otherwise (and it is a lot)) America is not "the greatest country in the world" and you could not pay me to move there.

Jonathan wrote: "See that is just disgusting. The idea of having to do a cost/benefit analysis for your kid's health makes me furious. "

Yeah, and while $200/visit is expensive, and I bitch about it every single time we go, it almost always comes down to us taking him - because you never know. And most times the Dr says "oh, so far his ears look clear, but come back in 2 days if he still has a fever and I can check again." And I sit there thinking... "oh, so another $200 to check again if he has an ear infection."

There is no reduced rate for "follow-ups" - something I've bitched incessantly about to the front desk.

And for a lot of procedures, going outside of insurance is significantly cheaper than if you go through insurance. So if your out of pocket is say $10k before insurance kicks in... and you're doing something that's $800 without insurance, and $1,200 WITH insurance, it's basically a no brainer to go outside (or you're effectively overpaying $400 so you have that outlay of cash go towards your deductible).

Put it this way. I essentially have to pay $20k (10k/yr for plan + 10k deductible) before insurance pays a dime of anything. And then it's only a portion until I hit my "out of pocket max."

Really infuriating stuff.

In its study of 2014, the Commonwealth Fund has evaluated eleven health care systems worldwide, including US and UK using five indicators. The aim was to find out how effective the US health system is. Here's the link to the study (PDF file): Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally

And here's the result they found (best on top):
(view spoiler)[
1. England
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Australia
5. Germany
6. Netherlands
7. New Zealand
8. Norway
9. France
10. Canada
11. USA
(hide spoiler)]

If my wife didn't have decent health insurance through her work that covers both of us, I just wouldn't go to the doctor unless I thought I was in imminent threat of death. That's how it was for the greater part of my life.

I'm amazed the UK system is rated so highly. Its pretty well acknowledged over here (in the UK) that it is in desperate need of more funding and struggling to keep up with demand

Welp, the AHCA didn't pass. Er, I mean, was pulled.

Geoff wrote: "Welp, the AHCA didn't pass. Er, I mean, was pulled."

They're certainly perfecting the "pull-out" method.

Nick wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Welp, the AHCA didn't pass. Er, I mean, was pulled."

They're certainly perfecting the "pull-out" method."

That genuinely cracked me up. Thanks for that

Nick wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Welp, the AHCA didn't pass. Er, I mean, was pulled."

They're certainly perfecting the "pull-out" method."

Ha!

Well maybe the Republicans will recover soon. Burns are covered under health insurance.

Hadrian wrote: "Well maybe the Republicans will recover soon. Burns are covered under health insurance."

Keep 'em comin' guys!

Geoff wrote: "Welp, the AHCA didn't pass. Er, I mean, was pulled."

I'd like to know where Cuba's med. care system would have ranked. Of course it's probably true that if part of the ranking had been availability of very expensive high tech medical care, Cuba would not fare very well in that.

Trump tomorrow: "Look, I never wanted to repeal and replace anyway, okay? I mean, everyone's talking repeal. Talking replace. I say, it's a great law! The best! Let's continue to make it tremendous."

Ian wrote: "Trump tomorrow: "Look, I never wanted to repeal and replace anyway, okay? I mean, everyone's talking repeal. Talking replace. I say, it's a great law! The best! Let's continue to make it tremendous.""

You don't have to wait until tomorrow - apparently he's already saying it wasn't his highest priority and that immigration and tax reform are what he's really working on.
https://mobile.twitter.com/kwelkernbc...

Seriously Trump and Ryan? It's the Dems fault? The Dems had zero power to stop this bill. Ridiculous.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/24...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-cana...

Sweet.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry is acting like an immigration official in America. Or is it the new age inquisition led by an army of overzealous vigilantes...

That' s no shock! US at the bottom of rhe list! Go US healthcare!! I wish that Trump would grow a brain and institute socialised healthcare! And shut down some of these greedy insurance compnaies! I mean...really...I pay so much for insurance, but still have to pay at the doctor's office and at the hospital etc...so why have insurance? And....my taces are ridiculous too!!

Jibran wrote: "http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-cana...

Sweet.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry is acting like an immigration official in America. Or is it the new age inquisition led by an army of overzealous..."

On reading the article and looking at the pix, it could well be the waiter was being over-zealous... Or, it could also have been a really bad pick up line that back-fired. You know, some dude thinking he found a "smart" way to get the names of the ladies he was serving...

I really hate the internet. I innocently head over to google so I can get this blog about Miss MacIntosh, My Darling trans'd from the French (shame on me!) into English so I can read it and right there on the google front page is this headline (in triplicate!) about Rump being obsessed with the breasts of a Japanese translator. wtf?

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "I really hate the internet. I innocently head over to google so I can get this blog about Miss MacIntosh, My Darling trans'd from the French (shame on me!) into English so I can read it and right t..."

Ha what? Headline : Sexual Predator Likes Boobs

Geoff wrote: "Ha what? Headline : Sexual Predator Likes Boobs "

Had we a different kind of press (that didn't promulgate Real Click Bait) :: that headline would've been something like ::

Monolingual National Leader Embarrasses Entire Nation : Failed to Pay Attention

What we need is a bi/multi-lingual test for national leaders ;; not a religious test.

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Ha what? Headline : Sexual Predator Likes Boobs "

Had we a different kind of press (that didn't promulgate Real Click Bait) :: that headline would've been something like ::

Monoling..."

Exactly

"Shinzo, I know North Korea just launched a missile, but I'm about to launch a missile of my own on your translator OH"

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "What we need is a bi/multi-lingual test for national leaders ;; not a religious test. "

But then there's the Slippery=Slop(e) problem. Pretty soon you'll be requiring college degrees and than advanced degrees and even PhD's (like the leader of the free world possesses) and then you'll be excluding from office Amurkan Citizens with only an eighth grade education. Which would exclude the Amish from holding national office.