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To avoid derailing the GOP Rebuilding thread and others with Cali chat, I decided to give California its own thread, so goons can YOUR STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICIALS! The ones you care about anyway Jerry Brown Current Governor, elected in 2010. Democrat. Previously served as Governor from 1975 to 1983, when he tried to run for Senate but lost to Pete Wilson. He's great on social issues but "meh" on economics, though no one really cares because of perception that he's pretty much singlehandedly resolved California's debt problem. Old. Gavin Newsom Current Lieutenant Governor. Democrat. Previously Mayor of San Francisco, where he got some attention in the press for making a really stupid gaffe by declaring that gay marriage would come to Cali "whether you like it or not", which the bigots promptly seized upon to imply that if Prop 8 lost everyone would be forced to get gay married. Other than that literally no one cares about him. Manages to always look young by standing next to Gov. Brown. Kamala Harris Current Attorney General. Democrat (notice a pattern?). Was once described as attractive by President Obama, causing the media to see a controversy where there wasn't one. Some people have suggested she's a future candidate for SCOTUS. Others have suggested she could run for Pres. in early 2016. The latter people are really stupid. Actually older than Newsom, which may surprise you. Barbara Boxer Current junior Senator. Democrat. Elected in 1992 to replace retiring Dem. Alan Cranston (yes, Virginia, Cali elected Dems in the 80s). Was the subject of a minor controversy when she asked a general to refer to her as "Senator" during a testimony, which challenger Carly Fiorina seized upon to use as a sexist dogwhistle in 2010, only to fail hilariously and lose by 10 points. Old, but looks young when compared to... Dianne Feinstein Current Senior Senator, you can probably guess her party. She was the first one to announce the assassination of Mayor Harvey Milk during her tenure as the President of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. Elected in a 1992 special election adjoining to that of Boxer's, resulting in the odd historical note that in one election, California went from a split all-male Senate delegation to a united Democratic all-female delegation. Won re-election in 2012, defeating little-known autism activist Elizabeth Emken by some 28 points. The oldest US Senator, but not President pro tempore due to stupid rules. Major Events Democratic Supermajority!: The CA-GOP has been a walking corpse ever since Governor Pete Wilson tried to shove through Prop 187. As zombies are wont to do, the GOP responded by lashing out and attacking everything, which most notably manifested itself in blocking goddamn near everything relating to a budget, since you need a 2/3s majority in the legislature to pass one. Luckily, we elected a Democratic supermajority to both houses in 2012, so now stuff can get done. Hopefully. Ding Dong, Prop 8 is Dead!: California voters were really stupid in 2008 and narrowly passed a measure banning gay marriage known as Prop 8. This was immediately appealed, and the new state government under Jerry Brown refused to defend it in federal courts. Some private groups tried to take up its defense instead, and appealed all the way to the SCOTUS, who told them to gently caress off and that no, private groups cannot act on behalf of a state. This means that the most recent ruling before SCOTUS (striking it down) goes into effect. Gov. Brown has declared that marriage licenses will be issued on July 21. Decent people everywhere party, bigots hurl themselves off cliffs. MAH WATER!: The Fresno Valley had its water ration cut a couple years ago, and it's either been cut or stayed flat since then. This has resulted in a lot of bitching from farmers, who can't understand why most people don't want SoCal to desertify. (Aside from Orange County, that place can die in hellfire.) Prop 30!: Literally running under the name of "Jerry Brown's Tax Increase", this was a ballot proposition to raise the sales and income taxes, the revenue of which would be used to fund education and public safety programs. It passed by 9.8%, leaving everyone bewildered that the state of Proposition 13 would now vote to raise taxes. And on a last note... That aforementioned water stuff has led to the I-5 being dotted with STOP THE POLITICIANS CREATED WATER CRISIS etc. signs. If you ever drive that way, you may wonder how this state is so liberal. To which I say, thank Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento. Gen. Ripper fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Jun 28, 2013 |
# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:17 |
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# ? May 2, 2024 23:27 |
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I'm assuming that Kamala Harris may be more likely to run for governor when she feels good and ready, which doesn't bother me since I'd probably vote for her. The more likely future candidate for a position on SCOTUS would probably be Goodwin Liu, rather than Harris, now that he's on the CA Supreme Court.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:23 |
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Well, I just got an email saying that thanks to a 5% increase in the UC system's budget for 2013-2014, I probably won't see a tuition hike. Thanks, Governor! e: man, I can still kick myself for not going to the Bren when Bill Clinton swung by UCI last October. Jerry Manderbilt fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jun 28, 2013 |
# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:28 |
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I remember when Brown came to my university to give a speech in favor of the tax proposition and at the start he spent a couple minutes talking about being fascinated by the redwood trees on campus. I like the guy, but by all accounts (including friends of mine who have sat in on meetings with him) he is an odd man. He also challenged Chris Christie to an athletic contest.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:31 |
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Bizarro Watt posted:I remember when Brown came to my university to give a speech in favor of the tax proposition and at the start he spent a couple minutes talking about being fascinated by the redwood trees on campus. I like the guy, but by all accounts (including friends of mine who have sat in on meetings with him) he is an odd man. Christie will attempt to claim a eating contest is a athletic activity.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:33 |
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You don't need two thirds to pass a budget anymore anymore thankfully, just to increase taxes. Stupid propositions.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:37 |
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Bizarro Watt posted:
Would Liu stand a chance of getting confirmed though? Some Democratic senators were squeamish about him even back in 2011
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:40 |
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I'd like to tell a little story that's very out of date but kind of funny. My mother for many years was a county supervisor here in Santa Cruz County. One year, her district was stricken by severe wildfires and she attended some sort of CA emergency summit about these fires. In attendance was Gov. Schwarzenegger (thank god for spellcheck). So the governor approaches my mom, who has been elected to the highest political position in the county, and he asks her, in his goofy rear end voice, "SO, have you been baking cookies for the evacuees?" The whole room just went silent due to the implied sexism in that statement. It was completely ridiculous. No, she hadn't been baking cookies, she had been coordinating the response from emergency personnel across the county! Everyone thought it was extremely bizarre. Apparently, moments like this were not uncommon with our former govenator, him being both a sexist pig who was having children by his housekeeper, and mildly retarded. No matter how odd Gov. Brown is, he is millions of light years ahead of Arnold, and also, for that matter, Gray Davis whose fuckuppery gave us Arnold in the first place. California has really changed so much for the better recently, it makes me really happy. The shameful prop 8 dismantled by SCOTUS, the super-majority, the newly-balanced budget and hesitant replacement of lost social services funding. Also despite it still being years in the future I am excited about the possibility of a high speed train from the Bay to LA. We are on the right track and it feels really good. Anyways hope you liked my story.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:43 |
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Gen. Ripper posted:(Aside from Orange County, that place can die in hellfire.) We aren't all bad, in fact, we had a lovely little rally at the courthouse yesterday in celebration. http://lagunabeach.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/hundreds-celebrate-samesex-marriage-in-0c
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:49 |
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JesusSinfulHands posted:Would Liu stand a chance of getting confirmed though? Some Democratic senators were squeamish about him even back in 2011 Oh I don't know, I was just speaking of his chances relative to Harris. I doubt he's on Obama's mind for replacing Ginsburg when she retires, which means we'd have to wait until someone like Scalia croaks, in which case it would take enormous brass balls to nominate Liu as his successor. Play posted:Anyways hope you liked my story. Although it is nice that California feels like it's at least somewhat back on the right track again.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:55 |
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Jerry Brown cemented the Coolest Governor of the 1970s title when he was sleeping with Linda Ronstadt *without being married* gasp! Water in California is a massive clusterfuck because our Mediterranean climate goes with a Mediterranean water supply, which is to say nonexistent during the summertime. Nonetheless, we are the tomato basket of the nation. Once you have lived in California you will never be able to tolerate the vegetables anywhere else; produce is just plain fresher here, because it hasn't had to be trucked forever. I moved to NoCal reluctantly because earthquakes! No winters! Now I realize that I would rather die hideously when the San Andreas lets loose than ever eat another unripe tomato. e: Also, we now have a citizen-run nonpartisan redistricting system that means gerrymandering is at least very difficult if not impossible.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 05:55 |
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Jerry Brown cemented the Coolest Governor of the 1970s title when he was sleeping with Linda Ronstadt *without being married* gasp! It's also the porn basket of the US, a role for which the many red states are very grateful.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:00 |
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etalian posted:It's also the porn basket of the US, a role for which the many red states are very grateful. Does anybody understand why San Francisco politics are such an insane clusterfuck and why nobody has successfully come in on a reform platform to do something about it?
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:02 |
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Arsenic Lupin posted:
Beyond that, just like much of the Southwest, great cities have risen in the literal desert.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:03 |
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What's so great about California
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:05 |
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Classic Twisty posted:What's so great about California The mountains, the trees, the bums on their knees.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:11 |
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Hawkgirl posted:We aren't all bad, in fact, we had a lovely little rally at the courthouse yesterday in celebration. http://lagunabeach.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/hundreds-celebrate-samesex-marriage-in-0c How many of those were UCI kids? It's like a blue bubble in what would otherwise be a red-leaning city.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:12 |
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Dusseldorf posted:The mountains, the trees, the bums on their knees. Well, ok, but those things are in other places as well
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:13 |
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Sadly, we do have some amazing fuckwit representatives here, even though our state is, at the moment, a shining beacon. Orange County can be a hellhole, and I live in the southwest corner- my representative is Darrell 'I'm a car thief!' Issa.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:15 |
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cbservo posted:Sadly, we do have some amazing fuckwit representatives here, even though our state is, at the moment, a shining beacon. Orange County can be a hellhole, and I live in the southwest corner- my representative is Darrell 'I'm a car thief!' Issa. Well, at least the fact that he's one of the leading faces of the California GOP shows how far they've fallen
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:16 |
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Classic Twisty posted:What's so great about California After the nuclear war with China, we'll be the ones to rule the continent. :ncr:
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:22 |
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Jerry Manderbilt posted:How many of those were UCI kids? It's like a blue bubble in what would otherwise be a red-leaning city. I'm not a UCI kid myself so I don't actually know. All the people I recognize are either United Church of Christ or Unitarian Universalist people. I know Orange County is tiny so it's easy to assume it's all poo poo. But even Orange County is mostly not shitheads, in a lot of areas. Generally the further you are from the ocean, the less terrible people are (but there are some major exceptions to that, both ways).
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:32 |
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Classic Twisty posted:What's so great about California Burritos.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:32 |
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Whenever I see Gavin Newsom on tv I keep waiting for him to say "Illusion, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money... or cocaine."
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:43 |
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On another note, the BART union might strike and my dad was bitching about the BART union earlier tonight, saying "they make so much money, more than entry-level wages for college graduates, why should you pay for their insurance when you're already paying their salary through BART fees?"
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:45 |
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VideoTapir posted:Burritos. Not north of Los Angeles County it isn't.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:50 |
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Gen. Ripper posted:STOP THE POLITICIANS CREATED WATER CRISIS etc. signs LA's mayoral election was recent-ish and I abstained from voting since I couldn't figure out which candidate was Tweedledee. Democrat Eric Garcetti won by a nose, and as such has been punished with the responsibility of managing Los Angeles (by the way, his inauguration is this sunday, in Grand Park. Drop by to catch impressive stars like... Moby and Jimmy Kimmel ). Also, in news that shocks no one, the 405 Sepulveda pass widening project is $75 million over budget and being delayed by a year, confirming prophesies that there will never be a north-south thoroughfare in LA county that isn't a clusterfuck impossible to deal with on any level.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:51 |
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Classic Twisty posted:What's so great about California The completely ridiculous sense of superiority native Californians have about the state despite never leaving it for more than trips to Vegas or the Grand Canyon. Jerry Manderbilt posted:Well, I just got an email saying that thanks to a 5% increase in the UC system's budget for 2013-2014, I probably won't see a tuition hike. Thanks, Governor! Does that mean they'll increase TA appointments again? No? They'll still fight our union tooth-and-nail and deny grad student researchers bargaining represenation? Welp, enjoy your grouchy TA!
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 06:53 |
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What's the status on the possibility of UHC in Cali? I heard that its proponents went oddly silent the moment the D supermajority came into power?
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 07:11 |
foot posted:Not north of Los Angeles County it isn't. Sacrilege. The one true burrito god was born in Northern California in the 1960s, either in San Francisco or somewhere in the Central Valley, depending on who you ask
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 07:12 |
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foot posted:Not north of Los Angeles County it isn't. People from Los Angeles like to tell themselves this, at least.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 07:15 |
Bizarro Watt posted:People from Los Angeles like to tell themselves this, at least. Jack Black knows what's up at least: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-january-10-2002/jack-black (Skip to 3:00) A fat LA native says SF has the best burritos. Check mate
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 07:25 |
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Gen. Ripper posted:Democratic Supermajority!: The CA-GOP has been a walking corpse ever since Governor Pete Wilson tried to shove through Prop 187. As zombies are wont to do, the GOP responded by lashing out and attacking everything, which most notably manifested itself in blocking goddamn near everything relating to a budget, since you need a 2/3s majority in the legislature to pass one. Luckily, we elected a Democratic supermajority to both houses in 2012, so now stuff can get done. Hopefully. Quantum Mechanic posted:What's the status on the possibility of UHC in Cali? I heard that its proponents went oddly silent the moment the D supermajority came into power? This is actually great because it's the best object lesson for idealistic liberals on how lovely the Democratic party is. As a reminder, this state passed universal healthcare when there was no supermajority, and it knew it was going to get vetoed by a Republican governor. Half a year under a supermajority with a Dem governor and not a peep. The state Democrats could do whatever they want, enact the liberal dream agenda. But they won't, because Democrats are poo poo. Remember this when you hope for a Democrat supermajority in Congress.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 07:34 |
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Classic Twisty posted:What's so great about California Ocean, mountains, trees, burritos, Vietnamese food, gorgeous ethnic girls, best and cheapest weed, music, microbreweries and good beer, festivals, diversity, higher education, San Francisco, L.A., liberalism, art, growth and development restrictions, protected coastline, state parks, stuck-up locals, the tech industry, the entertainment industry, the porn industry, fresh produce, surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, etc. Your mileage may vary, but its a strong contender for best state in the union for these reasons and more. I'm not overly infatuated with it by any means, in fact I'm moving to Vietnam in a few days. And people who are stuck up for having been born here are stupid, plus honestly a majority of the state by area is a bit of a shithole. Its still kind of rad and will always have a special place in my heart. Zeitgueist posted:This is actually great because it's the best object lesson for idealistic liberals on how lovely the Democratic party is. Okay, this is very simplistic. Firstly, my county has universal low income healthcare. Secondly, the state is right in the middle of implementing the PPACA, which was not in existence the last time they aimed for universal healthcare. Thirdly, the state is just now recovering from seriously terrible budget deficits and is trying to avoid spending like a drunken sailor which is the standard Democratic party routine when there is a budget surplus; this is also as opposed to the situation last time. I would say give it time. If Obamacare is not working well (it looks like it will be, starting prices on the exchange are lower than expected and California is going to be the premier test case for the PPACA), then we'll see what happens, but personally I am all for caution and not loving up this opportunity given to the party by the voters. If we're still running a surplus in a couple years we'll see what can be done. Amarkov posted:Just make sure to either commit no felonies or murder someone. You really really do not want to go to a low-security prison in California. This is true. Play fucked around with this message at 07:54 on Jun 28, 2013 |
# ? Jun 28, 2013 07:45 |
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Play posted:Your mileage may vary, but its a strong contender for best state in the union for these reasons and more. Just make sure to either commit no felonies or murder someone. You really really do not want to go to a low-security prison in California.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 07:51 |
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Gen. Ripper posted:(Aside from Orange County, that place can die in hellfire.) Gen. Ripper posted:you may wonder how this state is so liberal. Birthplace of SWAT Also CA jails/prisons are the stuff of 1980s HBO movies.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 08:10 |
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Has anyone been following the mayor of San Diego lately? I've heard some sketchy things (surprise surprise) were going on with him and his staff, but I haven't really followed up on it.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 08:30 |
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Play posted:Okay, this is very simplistic. Firstly, my county has universal low income healthcare. Secondly, the state is right in the middle of implementing the PPACA, which was not in existence the last time they aimed for universal healthcare. Thirdly, the state is just now recovering from seriously terrible budget deficits and is trying to avoid spending like a drunken sailor which is the standard Democratic party routine when there is a budget surplus; this is also as opposed to the situation last time. I would say give it time. If Obamacare is not working well (it looks like it will be, starting prices on the exchange are lower than expected and California is going to be the premier test case for the PPACA), then we'll see what happens, but personally I am all for caution and not loving up this opportunity given to the party by the voters. If we're still running a surplus in a couple years we'll see what can be done. The whole point of single-payer health care is that it costs less than private health insurance plus medicaid plus medicare plus the uninsured etc etc. According to the Lewin Group (a research group that works for a large health insurer, meaning their findings are surely a conservative estimate), if single-payer had been adopted in California in 2006, in the first year it would have saved $8 billion, by the 10th year it would have saved a cumulative $343.6 billion, and by year 10 health care costs would have been 20% lower than with no single-payer. The taxes that would have financed it wouldn't even have bothered the rich all that much, because they would have capped out at $200,000 in income. California democrats are just useless, like democrats everywhere except Vermont. Here in Maryland 70% of the legislature is Democratic, and they refuse to let single-payer get out of committee. Democrats tease their base with promises of single-payer when they're out of power, and then when they regain power they cozy up to insurance companies and their delicious, delicious campaign contributions.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 08:58 |
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Dr. Gaius Baltar posted:The whole point of single-payer health care is that it costs less than private health insurance plus medicaid plus medicare plus the uninsured etc etc. According to the Lewin Group (a research group that works for a large health insurer, meaning their findings are surely a conservative estimate), if single-payer had been adopted in California in 2006, in the first year it would have saved $8 billion, by the 10th year it would have saved a cumulative $343.6 billion, and by year 10 health care costs would have been 20% lower than with no single-payer. The taxes that would have financed it wouldn't even have bothered the rich all that much, because they would have capped out at $200,000 in income. I wouldn't say that California democrats necessarily have a mandate to enact single-payer healthcare. Just because some liberals want it doesn't mean the legislators' constituents want it, and in fact I don't know of any evidence that says they do, no matter how beneficial it is. I see your point and I agree that single payer would be great but I just don't see that much support for it. Ultimately the people of California are not well-informed on the issue, if it was actually doable politically it would have appeared as an initiative. Its fruitless to blame the Democratic party for not instituting something that their constituents, who they are in office representing, don't necessarily want. If you can show that Californians are totally in support of single-payer health care then I will change my tune.
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# ? Jun 28, 2013 09:25 |
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# ? May 2, 2024 23:27 |
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foot posted:Not north of Los Angeles County it isn't. The California Burrito Zone actually extends into parts of Oregon, Nevada and western Arizona. Quality may peak in certain locales, but you'll see what I mean if you drive east across the southwest sampling burritos as you go. (By the time you get to New Mexico you'll just give up and have nothing but wet burritos.) VideoTapir fucked around with this message at 10:07 on Jun 28, 2013 |
# ? Jun 28, 2013 10:03 |