A thread for Democrats Only
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UPDATED: Sunday, September 6, 2026 15:36
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The Afghanistan Papers show that lots of people knew we were failing in Afghanistan but lied about it in public:
A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.
….Several of those interviewed described explicit and sustained efforts by the U.S. government to deliberately mislead the public. They said it was common at military headquarters in Kabul — and at the White House — to distort statistics to make it appear the United States was winning the war when that was not the case.
“Every data point was altered to present the best picture possible,” Bob Crowley, an Army colonel who served as a senior counterinsurgency adviser to U.S. military commanders in 2013 and 2014, told government interviewers. “Surveys, for instance, were totally unreliable but reinforced that everything we were doing was right and we became a self-licking ice cream cone.”
John Sopko, the head of the federal agency that conducted the interviews, acknowledged to The Post that the documents show “the American people have constantly been lied to.”
It’s unbelievable that we’re still in Afghanistan a full generation after we first invaded. Unfortunately, no one has the guts to simply pull out and accept the fact that they will then become the president that lost Afghanistan. So they keep on pretending to fight. And that’s the biggest lie of all.
www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/12/afghanistan-papers-reveal-an-18
-year-lie/
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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The two major political parties in the U.S. really are very different in their policies toward the rich. President Barack Obama was hardly a radical, but when he left office the average federal tax rate on the top 1 percent was 5 percentage points higher than it had been under George W. Bush.
www.cbo.gov/publication/55413
In 2016 Trump claimed that he wouldn’t do the usual Republican thing and cut taxes on the rich while trying to destroy the safety net. But he was lying.
And despite what right-wing pundits like to claim, high-income Americans are in general much more likely than others to support the Republican Party. In last year’s midterms, 52 percent of voters with incomes over $200,000 voted Republican, compared with only 38 percent of voters with incomes under $50,000.
www.cnn.com/election/2018/exit-polls
The rightward tilt is especially strong at the very top; although there are a few high-profile liberal billionaires, most of the extremely wealthy are also extremely right-wing.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/30/billionaire-stealth-politics-a
merica-100-richest-what-they-want
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Congress to Vote on $22 Billion Defense Increase One Week After Trump Slashed Food Stamps
In June 2017, former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford testified that the Pentagon needed a 3 to 5 percent annual increase in its budget each year until 2023, amounting to tens of billions of dollars a year. Dunford said the increases were necessary to “maintain the competitive level” of the armed forces, but such massive hikes would place U.S. military spending in peacetime at historic levels not seen since the World War II.
More at https://theintercept.com/2019/12/10/ndaa-congress-defense-bill/
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Three years ago, 3.9 million Americans received a plain-looking envelope from the Internal Revenue Service. Inside was a letter stating that they had recently paid a fine for not carrying health insurance and suggesting possible ways to enroll in coverage.
New research concludes that the bureaucratic mailing saved lives.
Three Treasury Department economists have published a working paper finding that these notices increased health insurance sign-ups. Obtaining insurance, they say, reduced premature deaths by an amount that exceeded any of their expectations. Americans between 45 and 64 benefited the most: For every 1,648 who received a letter, one fewer death occurred than among those who hadn’t received a letter.
In all, the researchers estimated that the letters may have wound up saving 700 lives.
The experiment, made possible by an accident of budgeting, is the first rigorous experiment to find that health coverage leads to fewer deaths, a claim that politicians and economists have fiercely debated in recent years as they assess the effects of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion. The results also provide belated vindication for the much-despised individual mandate that was part of Obamacare until December 2017, when Congress did away with the fine for people who don’t carry health insurance.
“There has been a lot of skepticism, especially in economics, that health insurance has a mortality impact,” said Sarah Miller, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan who researches the topic and was not involved with the Treasury research. “It’s really important that this is a randomized controlled trial. It’s a really high standard of evidence that you can’t just dismiss.”
www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/upshot/irs-letter-health-insurance-fine-stu
dy.html
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Quote:
Originally posted by second:
Three years ago, 3.9 million Americans received a plain-looking envelope from the Internal Revenue Service. Inside was a letter stating that they had recently paid a fine for not carrying health insurance and suggesting possible ways to enroll in coverage.
New research concludes that the bureaucratic mailing saved lives.
Three Treasury Department economists have published a working paper finding that these notices increased health insurance sign-ups. Obtaining insurance, they say, reduced premature deaths by an amount that exceeded any of their expectations. Americans between 45 and 64 benefited the most: For every 1,648 who received a letter, one fewer death occurred than among those who hadn’t received a letter.
In all, the researchers estimated that the letters may have wound up saving 700 lives.
The experiment, made possible by an accident of budgeting, is the first rigorous experiment to find that health coverage leads to fewer deaths, a claim that politicians and economists have fiercely debated in recent years as they assess the effects of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion. The results also provide belated vindication for the much-despised individual mandate that was part of Obamacare until December 2017, when Congress did away with the fine for people who don’t carry health insurance.
“There has been a lot of skepticism, especially in economics, that health insurance has a mortality impact,” said Sarah Miller, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan who researches the topic and was not involved with the Treasury research. “It’s really important that this is a randomized controlled trial. It’s a really high standard of evidence that you can’t just dismiss.”
www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/upshot/irs-letter-health-insurance-fine-stu
dy.html
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
Yup. Now if they could only manage to make it affordable and keep the premiums from raising 30% year over year while also increasing the deductible.
WTF. Do you really think that anybody legitimately believes for a second that having affordable healthcare doesn't save lives?
What a stupid article.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:Idaho Republican Labrador Booed Over 'Nobody Dies' Comment on Health Care
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
WTF. Do you really think that anybody legitimately believes for a second that having affordable healthcare doesn't save lives?
What a stupid article.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/idaho-republican-labrador-booed-over-nobo
dy-dies-comment-health-care-n755976
I have heard the same a million times from Texas Republicans. Nobody dies because the ER is available to the uninsured, according to those Texans.
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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This generally went unnoticed but I think it's an excellent idea and should be extended. Not only should ALL healthcare providers be required to post standard charges, but ALL healthcare providers should charge ONLY standard charges ... no special rates for Humana v Anthem v BC/BS. The only deviation I would allow would be Medicare rates.
Quote:
TheHill.com
New Trump administration rule will require hospitals post prices online
By Jessie Hellmann - 08/03/18 01:13 PM EDT
New Trump administration rule will require hospitals post prices online
© Victoria Sarno Jordan
Hospitals will be required to post online a list of their standard charges under a rule finalized Thursday by the Trump administration.
While hospitals are already required to make this information public on request, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said the new rule would require the info be posted online to "encourage price transparency" and improve "public accessibility."
Starting Jan. 1, hospitals will be required to update the information annually.
The CMS said it is also considering how to "allow consumers to more easily access relevant healthcare data and compare providers."
Increasing price transparency has been a priority for the administration as a way to drive down health-care costs.
"This is a small step towards providing our beneficiaries with price transparency, but our work in this area is only just beginning," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a speech last month. "Price transparency is core to patient empowerment and making sure American patients have the tools they need so they can make the best decisions for them and their families."
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Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
I'd nuke a BILLION PEOPLE if it would save the other 7 billion from living under Putin. Hell, I might go all the way to the last 100 people on Earth to keep this planet from being under fascist rule.- WISHIMAY
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Quote:I'm sure it ain't gonna happen because the Health Industry will fight it:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
This generally went unnoticed but I think it's an excellent idea and should be extended. Not only should ALL healthcare providers be required to post standard charges, but ALL healthcare providers should charge ONLY standard charges ... no special rates for Humana v Anthem v BC/BS. The only deviation I would allow would be Medicare rates.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 15, 2019) - The American Hospital Association (AHA), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) and Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) issued the following joint statement on today’s final rule from CMS:
Today’s rule mandating the public disclosure of privately negotiated rates between commercial health insurance companies and hospitals is a setback in efforts to provide patients with the most relevant information they need to make informed decisions about their care. Instead of helping patients know their out-of-pocket costs, this rule will introduce widespread confusion, accelerate anticompetitive behavior among health insurers, and stymie innovations in value-based care delivery. America’s hospitals and health systems have repeatedly urged CMS to work with hospitals, doctors, insurers, patients, and other stakeholders to identify solutions to provide patients with the information they need to make informed health care decisions and know what their expected out-of-pocket costs will be. We continue to stand ready to work with CMS to achieve this goal.
Because the final rule does not achieve the goal of providing patients with out-of-pocket cost information, and instead threatens to confuse patients, our four organizations will soon join with member hospitals to file a legal challenge to the rule on grounds including that it exceeds the Administration’s authority.
www.aha.org/press-releases/2019-11-15-joint-statement-national-hospita
l-and-health-system-groups-public
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
This generally went unnoticed but I think it's an excellent idea and should be extended. Not only should ALL healthcare providers be required to post standard charges, but ALL healthcare providers should charge ONLY standard charges ... no special rates for Humana v Anthem v BC/BS. The only deviation I would allow would be Medicare rates.Quote:
TheHill.com
New Trump administration rule will require hospitals post prices online
By Jessie Hellmann - 08/03/18 01:13 PM EDT
New Trump administration rule will require hospitals post prices online
© Victoria Sarno Jordan
Hospitals will be required to post online a list of their standard charges under a rule finalized Thursday by the Trump administration.
While hospitals are already required to make this information public on request, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said the new rule would require the info be posted online to "encourage price transparency" and improve "public accessibility."
Starting Jan. 1, hospitals will be required to update the information annually.
The CMS said it is also considering how to "allow consumers to more easily access relevant healthcare data and compare providers."
Increasing price transparency has been a priority for the administration as a way to drive down health-care costs.
"This is a small step towards providing our beneficiaries with price transparency, but our work in this area is only just beginning," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a speech last month. "Price transparency is core to patient empowerment and making sure American patients have the tools they need so they can make the best decisions for them and their families."
Meh. How many people would check those prices? And what do you do if you see another provider with better rates? When you're in the ER are you going to review rates while you're bleeding? Are you going to have to apply for arbitration if your splenectomy was too costly in your opinion? How would you know?
I don't need to do MORE work for my health care. Try taking care of a senior - that sh*t is the height of stupidity, "You have now entered the doughnut hole. Your plan will cover 33.5% of the following items on Tuesday." Total BS, complete insult in fact to people paying in. They make us work for them. Dig a hole and throw them in - let's start over.
I'd rather have a watch dog / accountability group that aggressively monitors all health care pricing and applies gov pressure to conform to pricing guidelines on our behalf with penalties for non-compliance. It's not hard - it's math.
Look around your community. Look at all the shiny new HC facilities - they have sh*t tons of money.
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What does it mean for US Democratic Presidential candidates that UK Labor candidate Jeremy Corbyn led Labor to its biggest defeat in decades? For those of you who haven’t been following closely, Corbyn is no neoliberal shill. He is an unabashed lefty socialist who campaigned on an unabashed lefty socialist platform. No triangulating or “Tory lite” for him. He was out to prove that Labor could win by promising the voters a soaring lefty agenda filled with taxing the rich, taking back control of privatized industries, free college, huge infrastructure spending, more money for health care, and so forth.
The result was a mind-boggling defeat. So what does this tell us about American presidential candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders? Corbyn lost because he was a hard left candidate, and the same thing will happen if Democrats nominate one of their own.
The American and British electorates have voted quite similarly for the past several decades, putting in office Reagan-Clinton-Bush-Obama-Trump as against Thatcher-Blair-Cameron-Boris Johnson. Given the similarities between Boris Johnson and Trump, as well as the obvious salience of immigration politics in both countries, I’d be reluctant to blow off the British results as nothing much for US Democrats to worry about.
More at www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/12/too-bad-about-the-brits-but-wha
t-does-it-mean-for-us/
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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