Political solution: ALLOW old/bad policies; don't SUBSIDIZE them

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Thursday November 14, 2013 · 2:20 AM PST

2013/11/14 · 02:20

I'm certain someone else has made this suggestion, but if so think it's worthy of being repeated: the ideal political solution to the political problem of the cancellations of existing health care policies is to ALLOW insurance companies to continue offering, and individuals to continue purchasing, policies that are below the ACA's standard of acceptability -- but to only SUBSIDIZE those plans that are at the ACA's "bronze" level or better.

If you like the old system, you get to keep the old system -- as an individual. No higher standards of minimum coverage, but also none of the ACA's new subsidies to help people purchase insurance, either.

Compromise legislation could prohibit the issuance of NEW policies below the ACA's bronze level, while allowing the existing policies to continue. Over time, we know those old/bad policies would cease to exist ... but this legislation would buy us time, and give the new system a chance to kick in and get up to speed before totally dismantling the old one.

We need to do something; this seems convenient politically and acceptable from a public policy perspective. Thoughts?

Breaking News: GOP candidates for President unanimously say they do not believe in earthquakes

shurley

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Tuesday August 23, 2011 · 11:39 AM PDT

2011/08/23 · 11:39

Rick Perry says he has never felt one, so concludes that scientists are fabricating the data.

Michelle Bachmann says only God would have the power to move the earth, but that they cannot be real because they are not mentioned in the Bible.

Ron Paul says that earthquakes are not consistent with the intent of the nation's founders, who included nothing about earthquakes in our Constitution.

Mitt Romney apologized for once believing in earthquakes when he was governor of Massachusetts.

Any other quotes out there from prominent Republicans or Tea Party people?

Where should my money go?

shurley

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Wednesday June 29, 2011 · 10:45 AM PDT

2011/06/29 · 10:45

Hi all --

I'm updating my charitable giving, and want to put my (modest, but regular) contributions earmarked for "electing progressives" into the best bucket -- "best" meaning "having the greatest impact."

I am a proud progressive, and want to make the country and the Democratic Party more progressive -- but I am also a realist, and I understand that if I want my coalition (the Democratic Party) to be a MAJORITY coalition, I must accept that it will include some people who are not as progressive as I am. If electing a moderate Democrat is NECESSARY to keeping Democratic control of Congress, for example, I have no problem giving to and working for that moderate Democrat.

My goals are to elect the most progressive candidates it is possible to elect NOW, while also working to change the electorate to make them more open to electing even more progressive candidates in the future.

I want to support an organization that directly supports progressive candidates in a sophisticated manner (meaning "no money wasted on candidates with no chance of winning"), and one that has a major impact on the outcome of elections -- since the most important vote any elected official will cast is the one to determine whether their branch of government is lead by a Democrat, or a Republican.

I am entirely open to giving directly to the DNC -- that is clearly where the greatest impact lies (or is it?), and mainstream Democrats are not evil. But if I could have a comparable impact by giving my dollars to a different organization, one more specifically focused on electing PROGRESSIVE Democrats, I'd be interested in doing so. There is, almost certainly, some level of trade-off between supporting progressive candidates specifically and working to achieve a Democratic majority in general, but I'm looking for the least possible trade-off.

I'm interested in the input of this group: where should I direct my dollars to have the greatest impact on electing progressives and maintaining/regaining Democratic majorities?

Democrats should offer: we'll refrain from reconciliation - as long as GOP refrains from filibuster!

shurley

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Thursday February 25, 2010 · 7:53 AM PST

2010/02/25 · 07:53

We need to get the parliamentary issues off the table -- too many Americans who don't understand the process are too easily swayed by Repubublican claims that using reconciliation is extreme or unusual.

The way to do that is to call their bluff -- if THEY want Democrats to swear off using a simple majority to pass legislation, surely ANY reasonable commentator would agree that it would be reasonable, indeed necessary, for the GOP to swear off using a parliamentary procedure to require a super-majority to pass health care reform.

The spin: BOTH sides agree to an up-or-down vote. Majority rules. We can win the public debate if we call the GOP's bluff, and say we WILL agree to take reconciliation off the table -- if YOU, GOP, will take the filibuster off the table. In fact, we insist that you do so, and let the American people and their elected representatives VOTE on reforming our health care system!

They started it, but we can -- and need to -- finish it!

Update your Facebook status for health care reform!

shurley

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Friday November 20, 2009 · 1:21 PM PST

2009/11/20 · 13:21

There's a key vote tomorrow on whether to start debate; getting Nelson, Landrieau, Liberman and Lincoln to vote affirmatively will be a good -- and necessary -- start, and will help increase the odds that we can keep them on the team to vote AGAINST a filibuster in the weeks ahead.

We need to build momentum any and every way we can, so let's use Facebook as one way of doing so -- copy and paste the below to update your Facebook status as follows:

[Your name] thinks the American people deserve a debate -- and a vote -- on the health care reform plan that has now been worked on for almost a year. I RESPECT THE RIGHT OF ANY SENATOR TO VOTE AGAINST HEALTH CARE REFORM, BUT I REJECT ANY ATTEMPT BY A MINORITY OF SENATORS TO BLOCK THE ENTIRE SENATE FROM VOTING. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day!

Help / info needed re: "Page 16 of the health care bill"!

shurley

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Monday July 20, 2009 · 3:37 PM PDT

2009/07/20 · 15:37

I am concerned that there is a growing campaign to spread lies about the health care bill, consistent with previous efforts to scare us into thinking that "we shouldn't run the risk of change".

My Uncle was told by his insurance company -- he called with a question -- that "page 16 of the health care bill makes private health insurance illegal". I told him he either misunderstood or was lied to, and assumed it was the former -- but a web search shows a number of web sites making the same claim, seemingly initiated by Investor's Business Daily:

"It didn't take long to run into an "uh-oh" moment when reading the House's "health care for all Americans" bill. Right there on Page 16 is a provision making individual private medical insurance illegal."

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/...

Can anyone help set the record straight, and provide (or point me to) a clear, easy-to-understand explanation of what page 16 DOES mean, and why it does NOT do what IBD claims? I know they're lying -- but I want to be able to prove it, as convincingly as possible!

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide ~

Immigration: We need to pass a bill WHILE Bush is President!

shurley

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Thursday June 07, 2007 · 10:09 PM PDT

2007/06/07 · 22:09

My liberal / progressive / Democratic friends:

We must acknowledge this: "our" position on immigration is not popular with the American people (that's generally speaking, since of course many of us have many different positions).

The American people, at this point in our history, are unreasonably and overwhelmingly anti-immigrant.

Certainly it is possible for progressive leadership to change this reality, but it will take a LONG time for this to happen, if it ever will at all.

So: we need to take advantage of the fact that the right-wing Republican President, on this one issue, has an approach that is largely reasonable -- and that some number of Republican Senators and Representatives are willing to work with him and vote for moderate immigration reform.

Poll

44 votes Show Results

Our message to Democrats:

44 votes Vote Now!

Our message to Democrats:

Democrats should hold out for exactly what we want, even if that means delaying until after Bush is out of office

19 votes

Democrats should work with Bush to get the best possible bill, but then unify to support that bill as long as it is acceptable

25 votes

What right do we have to keep people out? [With poll]

shurley

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 17, 2007 · 11:26 PM PDT

2007/05/17 · 23:26

There's a fundamental moral issue that is all but ignored -- on both sides -- in the current immigration debate: what right do we Americans have to tell non-Americans that they are not allowed in our country?

I live in Woburn, Massachusetts. Folks in the much-wealthier town of Lexington, MA, just a few streets away from me, have absolutely no right to prohibit natives of Woburn from moving into Lexington. (Whether we Woburnites could afford to live there is another matter, but not for this discussion.)

Massachusetts is much wealthier state than Montana. But if a Montanan wants to move here, we couldn't and (I hope) wouldn't try to prevent them from doing so.

Poll

111 votes Show Results

Do Americans have a right to keep non-Americans out?

111 votes Vote Now!

Do Americans have a right to keep non-Americans out?

Yes -- it's our country and we can do whatever we want with it

29 votes

Yes -- it's unfortunate, but necessary to control our borders

44 votes

Yes -- for some other reason

8 votes

I don't know

3 votes

No -- if someone from another country can and wants to move here, we should not be able to prevent them from doing so

11 votes

No -- unless they're a criminal / terrorist / danger of some kind

16 votes

No -- for some other reason

0 votes

Stop the sniping -- tell Hillary and Barack to cut it out!

shurley

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Thursday February 22, 2007 · 2:54 PM PST

2007/02/22 · 14:54

Most of y'all, I suspect, have read of the first significant "conflict" of the 2008 campaign, between the Clinton and Obama campaigns on the subject of David Geffen -- and his current support for Obama vs. his prior backing of Bill Clinton.

I've been very disappointed in how both campaigns have handled this matter -- specifically the spokespersons who have resorted to snippy commments and name-calling when asked by the press to comment.

Specifically (see below):

Poll

56 votes Show Results

How do you feel about this first Campaign 2008 "skirmish"?

56 votes Vote Now!

How do you feel about this first Campaign 2008 "skirmish"?

Politics ain't beanbag; there's nothing wrong with this exchange

27 votes

I don't like this tone and want our candidates out of the gutter

29 votes

2008 Straw Poll including Gore

shurley

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Tuesday February 06, 2007 · 1:08 PM PST

2007/02/06 · 13:08

My profuse apologies if someone's done this already -- I looked but couldn't find -- but since Al Gore IS a potential candidate for President in 2008, and since many of us will be highly supportive of his candidacy should he run:

I think we need a 2008 Straw Poll that includes the former Vice President.

Perhaps it can be one of a million unquantifiable variables that will convince him to run.

Here it is.

Poll

491 votes Show Results

Who is currently your favorite 2008 candidate?

491 votes Vote Now!

Who is currently your favorite 2008 candidate?

Dennis Kucinich

14 votes

Barack Obama

44 votes

Mike Gravel

1 vote

Bill Richardson

17 votes

Hillary Clinton

42 votes

Wesley Clark

59 votes

Joe Biden

1 vote

Christopher Dodd

1 vote

Tom Vilsack

4 votes

John Edwards

39 votes

Al Gore

266 votes

Other

1 vote

No Freakin' Clue

2 votes

New Dem ad (idea) to turn the tables on Kerry fiasco

shurley

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 02, 2006 · 5:23 PM PST

2006/11/02 · 17:23

Please recommend this diary if you think this is a good idea -- we need to act quickly!

We can turn this Kerry joke fiasco to OUR advantage in the closing days of this election.

We should produce an ad and run it, nationally but minimally -- the point being simply to change the debate and put Bush and the Republicans on the defensive, and the idea being that the news would pick this up and cover it extensively -- as follows: Read More

Canada Rescues 72 Miners: Why Can't We?

shurley

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Monday January 30, 2006 · 9:25 AM PST

2006/01/30 · 09:25

Disclaimer: I am no expert in mining or mine safety (despite some mining history in my family, two or three generations back in Inverness, Nova Scotia). But recent events in the U.S. and Canada seem to make clear that our Canadian neighbors have their priorities fundamentally right, while ours are fundamentally wrong.

The U.S. has lost 14 miners in recent weeks. In both incidents there have been accusations that the mines did not invest in safety and/or rescue equipment that could have increased the miners' chances of holding on until rescue teams could arrive.

This weekend, in Canada, 72 miners were trapped by a fire. All 72 survived and have been rescued. Here's a link to the story: http://news.yahoo.com/...

The Canadian miners survived in part because they were able to use "oxygen, food and water stored in subterranean emergency chambers", according to The Canadian Press. Read More

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