|
Professor Beetus posted:drat, I'm struggling to imagine what it might be like to live in a place where having a chronic incurable disease isn't just an albatross around my neck. We have to pay around $3000 a year for just for one of my wife's medications for her chronic illness and that's if the reimbursement program actually refunds us what its supposed to.
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2022 19:53
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 00:45 |
|
|
Sarah Pailin has proven that her and her family are so white trash that I can't help but lol at her running as a "conservative family values" candidate. I still remember when she had that family brawl in a restaurant a decade or so ago.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2022 19:59
|
|
|
punk rebel ecks posted:Sarah Pailin has proven that her and her family are so white trash that I can't help but lol at her running as a "conservative family values" candidate. DeSantis/Palin 2024?
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2022 21:11
|
|
|
punk rebel ecks posted:Sarah Pailin has proven that her and her family are so white trash that I can't help but lol at her running as a "conservative family values" candidate. Nah it tracks
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2022 23:23
|
|
|
The US healthcare system is second to none. but we can do better. when you see a medical provider they sensibly negotiate with the insurance company and you pay the difference. but what happens if the insurance company refuses to pay out? you're on the hook for it. that's not fair. what we need is a product that insures you against these losses. Call it health insurance insurance. for a reasonable monthly fee the insurance insurance company will pay the difference between what your health insurance company pays the provider and what the provider actually costs!
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 04:34
|
|
|
DeeplyConcerned posted:The US healthcare system is second to none. but we can do better. when you see a medical provider they sensibly negotiate with the insurance company and you pay the difference. a firmly capitalist solution. Unfortunately, since it's unregulated the new companies have been taking advantage of customers. So I am introducing the Patient Payment Protection and Affordable Consumption Act. It aims to reign in unfair practices and to lower costs* for consumers across the board by using tax dollars to pay those companies to widen their risk pools and also create plans to be put on an exchange. Also you must purchase health insurance insurance now or face a tax penalty. *slightly lower the exponential rate at which costs are increasing. Now, some have said that drug companies are taking advantage of these new health insurance insurance companies attempting to fill the gap by raising the prices on drugs even more. What people need to understand is that the expense is so they can turn that money into research! It's a system that benefits everyone! Some have also said the fact that my portfolio contains a large amount of stock from certain drug companies means I can't be trusted to reign in costs! Nonsense! Drug companies employ many people and their profits will be used to pay those people and for their benefits (like health insurance and health insurance insurance). It's all part of what I like to call the Great Chain.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 06:03
|
|
|
Palin came along a decade too early. She would easily be at Noem/MTG level prominence or better today, probably the favorite to be Trump's VP for his reboot if she were 15 years younger. Although, it's a bit of a chicken/egg thing, because she was the clear bridge between the GOP moving on from Bush to Trump in the first place.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 08:08
|
|
|
She was definitely ringing the bell that the Republican base was entirely sick of mealy-mouthed empty  , which they would go on to successfully eject from primacy in the party. She became the face of the campaign because no one except Democrats actually liked McCain.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 08:13
|
|
|
FlamingLiberal posted:The admin is removing the Covid restrictions (Title 42) next month Does this mean they won't force you stay in Mexico for two weeks just because you have COVID?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 08:51
|
|
|
FizFashizzle posted:Surely this is just grift. She’s barely coherent at this point. Just look on the bright side: Congressional terms are only two years. That's about as long as she lasted in her last elected office before she got bored and quit 
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 09:35
|
|
|
DeeplyConcerned posted:The US healthcare system is second to none. but we can do better. when you see a medical provider they sensibly negotiate with the insurance company and you pay the difference. The US Healthcare "system" performs terribly compared to our peer nations and its not even close. No metric supports us performing better.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 13:20
|
|
|
Medium Chungus posted:The US Healthcare "system" performs terribly compared to our peer nations and its not even close. No metric supports us performing better. I think that part was a joke building into the next joke.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 14:07
|
|
|
Medium Chungus posted:The US Healthcare "system" performs terribly compared to our peer nations and its not even close. No metric supports us performing better. They're merely making a modest proposal. Its that drat government that ruins everything.. What we need is We call it the "citizen platinum plan" and enrollment is mandated at birth. Citizen platinum: now that's freedom!
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 14:08
|
|
|
Harold Fjord posted:I think that part was a joke building into the next joke. Aah yea, reading it back I made a mistake here. Sorry about that. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 14:33
|
|
|
I was just reading how UnitedHealth insurance bought up a home-care company, and now its various service sectors are now more profitable than its insurance:quote:UnitedHealth moves into home-health market with $5.4B acquisition https://www.benefitspro.com/2022/03/31/unitedhealth-moves-into-home-health-market-with-5-4b-acquisition
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 16:14
|
|
|
This is the sort of thing I'm speaking to when I discount the measures by which the economy is booming. https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-covid-health-business-f28163a146d043700247a299f39be4e9 quote:The economic discontent is reflected in Biden’s standing in public opinion polls. Most people simply don't feel it and I think it's a mistake to disregard that and just point to traditional measurements about why they're all mistaken. Earnings may be up, unemployment may be low and the stock market GDP blah blah blah but none of that means poo poo when 70% of the country is not experiencing or benefiting from it. "The Economy" may, in fact, be kicking rear end and several people have posted some neat chars and graphs but it's not reaching the wallets and savings accounts of a large majority of people.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 16:28
|
|
|
I know there's a bird flu going around that's offed like a million chickens but I was still startled yesterday to see a dozen eggs going for $2.50 and my usual 18-count around $5. (Eta: For comparison, a dozen eggs usually sells for $1-$1.50 and 18 for $2.50.) I don't recall another point in my lifetime in which I saw price increases happen to everyday goods so fast outside of the gouging that went on at the beginning of the pandemic. (And some of that gouging has never reversed itself.)
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 16:37
|
|
|
Your eggs are far too inexpensive
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 17:11
|
|
|
Industry and the market taking advantage and gouging people for profit and to sink the Biden Govt and backslide into DeSantis/Trump dictatorship is hell of a thing. Should take a lesson to never bail out and help industry because they’ll just laugh and stab you in return.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 17:12
|
|
|
Gatts posted:Industry and the market taking advantage and gouging people for profit and to sink the Biden Govt and backslide into DeSantis/Trump dictatorship is hell of a thing. Should take a lesson to never bail out and help industry because they’ll just laugh and stab you in return. Nationalisation is a good start and nothing else.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 17:13
|
|
|
Back in April of 1941 there was a major strike against Ford. I find this image in particular to be interesting. https://twitter.com/JoshLipnik/status/1510282473707646986?s=20&t=pBaJPqGDiAawKX2uPANPVg
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 17:34
|
|
|
Gatts posted:Industry and the market taking advantage and gouging people for profit and to sink the Biden Govt and backslide into DeSantis/Trump dictatorship is hell of a thing. Should take a lesson to never bail out and help industry because they’ll just laugh and stab you in return. Unfortunately I don't think establishment Dems even comprehend that there can be anything wrong with this or that they even have knives in their back. This is just what you're supposed to do in the free market, right?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 17:43
|
|
|
Yawgmoft posted:Your eggs are far too inexpensive New midterms slogan just dropped
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 17:46
|
|
|
BiggerBoat posted:This is the sort of thing I'm speaking to when I discount the measures by which the economy is booming. The traditional measurements aren't bullshit. Unemployment has dropped, and wages are up. It's just that prices are up even more, with particularly high price growth among inelastic goods like food, fuel, and rent. Nominal wage growth is actually pretty good, and Biden boosters are happy to point to it as evidence of how great the Biden economy is going. But if price growth is higher, then people's purchasing power has dropped and real wages are down, and that's something you won't hear from the people talking about how great the economy is. We haven't seen inflation this bad since the Reagan Recession. Wages going up by 5-6% isn't gonna leave people thrilled when price increases of major goods/bills look like this:   (https://www.realtor.com/research/august-2021-rent/)  (https://www.gasbuddy.com/charts)
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 17:56
|
|
|
Ghost Leviathan posted:Unfortunately I don't think establishment Dems even comprehend that there can be anything wrong with this or that they even have knives in their back. This is just what you're supposed to do in the free market, right? Yeah I think they turned on Biden when he pushed the BBB which meant higher taxes for the wealthy. The wealthy have no skin in the game for America and do not want to give back to her for her well being.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 18:09
|
|
|
Main Paineframe posted:The traditional measurements aren't bullshit. Unemployment has dropped, and wages are up. Thanks for this. I was responding to some push back I got a few pages back when I was trying to describe how it seems to me and most people I know that this economy is not "booming" or on fire like I've been told. I feel like if this is what an economic boom looks like then we're in worse shape than I suspect. Ways of measuring "the economy" increasingly fail to have little impact or significant meaning to a fair majority of us and this feeling is absolutely palpable for just everybody I know. Cutting your budget is doable to an extent and wages might be up but, like you said, any gains are immediately offset by having to spend more money UP the economic ladder so none of it seems to work. And a shockingly high amount of us are having to decide between meaningful health care and the effect it would have on our budgets. A larger and larger percentage of us are frozen out of the housing market. God help you if you need a new vehicle right now, even an older used one. We're not getting ahead in this "roaring economy" is what I'm saying and people shoving all the GDP/UE/wage growth charts in front of my face that they can find doesn't change what most of us can see with our own eyes.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 18:22
|
|
|
VitalSigns posted:New midterms slogan just dropped There is no way eggs under 2 dollars a dozen are not flavorless nutritionally void factory farmed eggs.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 18:33
|
|
|
Yawgmoft posted:There is no way eggs under 2 dollars a dozen are not flavorless nutritionally void factory farmed eggs. And yet poor people choose to buy them. Curious  Not everyone can afford to pay $7 for 12 eggs from whole foods man. My family of four goes through 18-24 eggs a week no problem. I can't spend $50-60 a month on just eggs. Meanwhile, trader Joe's had an 18 pack of brown eggs for $3.50, or Walmart has 24 pack for 3.00. I went shopping today so those are current.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 19:24
|
|
|
BiggerBoat posted:This is the sort of thing I'm speaking to when I discount the measures by which the economy is booming. I can't even remember the last time most people thought the economy "felt good." Pre-dotcom bubble burst?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 19:27
|
|
|
Yawgmoft posted:There is no way eggs under 2 dollars a dozen are not flavorless nutritionally void factory farmed eggs. Why does that matter, exactly
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 19:28
|
|
|
I feel like my grocery store has been ripping me off for years. A dozen eggs has always been around $2 to $2.50 here. You can get them on sale for cheaper. They are probably a little cheaper at Wal-Mart, but I don't usually get eggs there. If you were getting eggs for 8 cents an egg in 2022, that is pretty crazy. Unless you live in a really low COL suburb/rural area or your grocery store has some kind of hookup for eggs that fell off the back of a truck. Also, if your grocery store is selling a dozen eggs for a dollar and 18 for $2.50, then they are really up-charging you for the convenience of having all your eggs in one box.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 19:33
|
|
|
Kind of wild that someone complained about the price of something and one of the responses is to tell them they're buying sub par eggs and should spend more.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 19:36
|
|
|
Gumball Gumption posted:Kind of wild that someone complained about the price of something and one of the responses is to tell them they're buying sub par eggs and should spend more. Of all the things happening on the internet, this should be pretty low on the surprising scale. I think Yowg was just half-joking that for meat, dairy, and eggs there is definitely a "suspiciously cheap" level that you should be suspicious of buying at. Also, it is definitely a phenomenon localized around that specific grocery store because I don't think the price of eggs rose 150% nationally in the last week.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 20:03
|
|
|
Willa Rogers posted:I know there's a bird flu going around that's offed like a million chickens but I was still startled yesterday to see a dozen eggs going for $2.50 and my usual 18-count around $5. (Eta: For comparison, a dozen eggs usually sells for $1-$1.50 and 18 for $2.50.) Lmao your expensive prices are still cheaper than eggs at any of my local grocers. Serves me right for living in Cascadia I guess. also lmao at "flavorless and nutritionally void" from a follow up post. Yawg, please explain in detail the actual measurable nutritional differences between a factory farmed egg and a bespoke organic certified egg. I personally don't like factory farming practices and wish that most of them could be actually banned by law, it's just not something that consumers can or should take into account when making their purchases, particularly if they are living in poverty. Professor Beetus fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Apr 3, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 20:27
|
|
|
Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:I feel like my grocery store has been ripping me off for years. A dozen eggs has always been around $2 to $2.50 here. You can get them on sale for cheaper. They are probably a little cheaper at Wal-Mart, but I don't usually get eggs there. I live in a metro area and eggs here are regularly <$1 per dozen and if you buy the food service one (like 60 eggs iirc?) It's half that per egg. That's Walmart though which my current one doesn't even have eggs at all the last two times I've gone.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 20:31
|
|
|
Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:Also, if your grocery store is selling a dozen eggs for a dollar and 18 for $2.50, then they are really up-charging you for the convenience of having all your eggs in one box. Yah, I did a double-take at those figures & bought two 12s instead of my usual 18 when the dozen were on sale for a buck. My u.s. rep got her start in the statehouse by campaigning on unit-pricing signage and though she hasn't done much else in her subsequent decades as a pol I'll forever be grateful for that state law. Once you learn to check unit pricing you'll notice all sorts of anomalies about how food is priced, even among products under the same brand.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 20:36
|
|
|
Anecdotally the store-brand eggs at my local grocery store were 99 cents for a dozen a year or so ago and now they're like $2.99. I've definitely been noticing some wild fluctuations in local grocery prices compared to a year ago. Like the oats I used to get have gone up from $3 to $6 so I guess I'm just buying the generic store brand for $3 instead!
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 20:41
|
|
|
ironically, given gas prices, I found that it pays to do my grocery shopping at like 4 different places to find the best prices for what I usually buy. I laughed when I was at trader joe's the other day & saw the fresh salmon selling for 2x what it does at aldi, their sister store. but aldi doesn't sell my beloved frozen lamb vindaloo & tj's does. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 21:10
|
|
|
Willa Rogers posted:ironically, given gas prices, I found that it pays to do my grocery shopping at like 4 different places to find the best prices for what I usually buy. To be fair Aldi's is like THE cheap grocery store. Trader Joes sits between Albertsons and Whole Foods in terms of prices (above average).
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 21:11
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 00:45 |
|
|
Several of the cheap grocery stores around here have closed. So have the kid's consignment shops, the local flea market and a few thrift shops. You'd think it'd be the other way around. Meanwhile, construction of hotels and new buildings for strip malls are going up everywhere and it's always some franchise. Which is weird since you'd think that the franchises would just rent out the vacant real estate instead of building new places. And you'd think that Dollar Stores and poo poo would be booming right now?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2022 21:27
|
|