Sarah Palin is an evil idiot

[The Good Michael]

The woman is crazy and stupid, but she is maliciously evil as well. If she ever gets elected, I will renounce my citizenship. Mark that on your calendars, January 13, 2011.

Mike

[Sally]

She's Scary.

[DirectorDave]

No matter what country you stay in, if that woman becomes president of the USA we are all going to suffer.

[mariab]

Please let's not paint such scary scenarios on the wall! I'm pretty sure that the Republicans won't nominate her, her level of experience and personality is a complete (sad) joke. The way she instrumentalized the Arizona shootings in her personal campaign was repulsive. The only reason she was involved in the 2008 vice-presidential campaign was that the Republicans went for a “cooler“, younger, female candidate to counter-balance the Democrats' campaign and Methusalah McCain.

[sdreid]

Apparently you don't have to live under this horrible para-Fascist Obama regime.

[Ally]

If you are going to use hyperbolic rhetoric and name calling at least get your terms correct. Fascist would indicate that Obama was an extreme "right wing" nut, your brother from another mother.

If you have to be a political nut, study hard enough to get the terms right. I realize as a Palin worshipper, education and intelligence aren't your priorities, but see how much trouble one can get into when you don't use the proper terminology?

[mariab]

Oh my God, the Obama thread is back!
Though I'd have to admit that Michael's thread title contains hyperbolic rhetoric too, because Palin might be incredibly, ludicrously (and if nominated, tragically) retarded, but technically she's not “maliciously evil“. She's simply pursuing her own agenda, similarly to the vast majority of politicians. (Though calling her a “politician“ does make me chuckle.)

[mariab]

Apparently you don't have to live under this horrible para-Fascist Obama regime.

Actually I sorta do, as I'm a collaborator at the University of Chicago, and might be living there again in the winter quarter of 2011/2012.
Was also wondering if Stan Reid is satisfied with his health insurance situation.

[sdreid]

Fascism is an alliance between government and privately owned business as long as they cooperate so it's actually not right wing in an economic sense. Call it State Capitalism if that makes you feel better. Like I said, para-Fascism.

[sdreid]

I was very satisfied with my health care but it's now being ruined. Anyway, please keep obsessing on Palin.

[mariab]

Not obsessing on Palin in the least. And not terribly surprised that most Americans, conservative or not, distrust “the State“.
Sorry to hear that your health insurance has been changed for the worse.

an alliance between government and privately owned business

He he, like with the bail out?
(Still, let's not engage in an unproductive discussion of American politics.)

[Ally]

Your health care hasn't changed for the worse. You're just engaging in empty rhetoric.

The fact of the matter is that the health insurance companies have a stranglehold on the american health industry and they have been out of control for decades. The republicans had over a decade to do something about it, but didn't bother, so now they are whining because it got taken away from them.

Health insurance companies have scared the ignorant masses into thinking this is going to be a disaster, when in fact, the health insurance companies got everything they actually wanted. They are currently inflating their prices to scare people into thinking this is a bad idea.

I am a non-smoking, non-obese, non-drinking person who is healthy in every way that I have the slightest control over, but because I am not genetically blessed, and for an issue I have absolutely no control over, I have been denied health coverage by every single health insurance company in the state.

Health insurance needed a massive overhaul, the Republicans completely failed to do so, too busy pocketing the bribes from "lobbyists" and now they are whining because of a situation based entirely on their own making.

Tough cookies. The reform isn't ideal, but it's better than what we had. At least I have a hope of getting insurance in a couple of years.

But backwater hillbillies like to beat the drum of government take overs, while failing to admit that the most governmental control ever exerted over the people was by Bush Jr.

[sdreid]

My insurance cost went down $750 last year and is going up $1500 dollars this year with no more benefits. I call that for the worse.

[c.d.]

Hi Ally,

I am sure that you have researched all possibilities for obtaining insurance but have you tried ehealthinsurance.com? They list all plans by state and they have customer service reps who seem pretty knowledgeable. There might be some high risk insurance plan that they can steer you to. Worth a shot if you haven't already tried it.

c.d.

[mariab]

Completely agree with Ally, especially on the following:
Quote Ally:
The fact of the matter is that the health insurance companies have a stranglehold on the american health industry and they have been out of control for decades.
Health insurance companies have scared the ignorant masses into thinking this is going to be a disaster, when in fact, the health insurance companies got everything they actually wanted. They are currently inflating their prices to scare people into thinking this is a bad idea.
When I work at the UofC, I use a German travel health insurance that covers quite a bit of things. In 2009 it costed me 75-€, in 2010 90-€ – this for my entire stay in the US. The UofC only accepted my appointment in the condition that they wouldn't pay for my health insurance.
For budget reasons I've cut my German health insurance (which would have been just over 150-€ monthly, comprehensive for the entire Europe) to a basic thing (still covering basic dental and ob/gyn) where I pay just 64-€ monthly. Plus the German state covers half of my rent, since I happen to work from my apartment this winter.
Even for a recent stay in South Africa, I arranged a deal from a German insurance company where I paid 37-€ for 2 weeks, and it covered not the usual theft/luggage coverage stuff, but just medical, including surgery and evacuation in case of a shark attack.
What's not to like about Germany's health care policies? (While I have to admit that the state health insurance company, AOK, is the worst and the most greedy. Since about a decade and a half, everyone's turned to small private insurance companies, and there's a host of them on the market.)