Suck it, Bush!

[DaShi]

Which studies are these?

Dutch researchers have confirmed what fat smokers have waited years to hear - that healthy people are actually a greater burden on the state, because they live longer and oblige the taxpayer to deal with the cost of "lingering diseases of old age like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s".

That's according to the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and Environment, which found that while "a person of normal weight costs on average £210,000 over their lifetime", a smoker clocks up just £165,000 and the obese run up an average £187,000 bill.

The team's findings, published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS), are based on modelling "three hypothetical populations from the age of 20, to see how much they would cost in medical bills throughout the different stages of their lives", the Telegraph explains.

The study states: “The underlying mechanism is that there is a substitution of inexpensive, lethal diseases towards less lethal, and therefore more costly diseases.”

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/05/healthy_tax_burden/

It's even a European study, perfect for a mindless Dem like yourself!

Your argument stands on one study that is based solely on modelling, and you're calling me mindless? Drake, I've completely lost faith in you. You've faltered so much since you've started using this login. You've become nothing but a "mindless" troll. There's no longer any substance to your posts. You used to be worth reading, but now I've been finding myself glossing over your posts as if they were by AHHZ.

[Naked Gents Rut]

Your argument stands on one study that is based solely on modelling, and you're calling me mindless?

I suppose you don't believe in climate change either, given the heavy reliance on modeling in that realm of science.

[DaShi]

You've lost your edge.

[Naked Gents Rut]

Good response.

[DaShi]

:yawn:

[Naked Gents Rut]

I should ask why you're anti-science and pro-single mother suicide, but I really can't pretend to care that much about you or your thought processes.

[DaShi]

You're old hat, Drake. But I said as much earlier in this thread. Try forumwarz, you'll probably fit in more there.

[TCO]

Where did all the Bush threads go?

[Alinestra Covelia]

I dislike children more than smokers so I am against this. Children

Best post in the thread.

[Naked Gents Rut]

You stay classy, Obama.

The new White House website unveiled by President Barack Obama’s team Tuesday includes a shot at former President Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina.

Under the “agenda” portion of the site regarding Katrina, it reads: “President Obama will keep the broken promises made by President Bush to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. He and Vice President Biden will take steps to ensure that the federal government will never again allow such catastrophic failures in emergency planning and response to occur.”

“President Obama swiftly responded to Hurricane Katrina,” the statement on the site continues. “Citing the Bush Administration’s ‘unconscionable ineptitude’ in responding to Hurricane Katrina, then-Senator Obama introduced legislation requiring disaster planners to take into account the specific needs of low-income hurricane victims.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17700.html

[Ben Kenobi]

I don't know enough about Canada's ancient health care system, but someone will inevitable yprove you wrong, as always.

Thanks for conceding the point. Why spout off about how you have to have medicare when you don't really know what medicare was all about.

People are healthier today than 100 years ago, or 1000, but the main reasons for this improvement in general health lie in improved sanitation, nutrition, and basic medicine. We could be healthier of course, which is the point of wanting effective health care.

Improved sanitation, that has diddly squat to do with a health care system.

Improved nutrition? Thank the farmers.

Improved basic medicine? Thank the doctors.

Why do you need a single payer system? All of these were features of the early 20th century.

Irrelevant. The point of a health care system is not profit for doctors, but improved patient care and better overall health for the population at large.

Great, how do you get there though? If there's no money you can't fund these things. The system as it is up here is unsustainable.

Yes, we could say the same for money, which is why we should actively discourage most people from playing around stock market.

Thank you. You said it all for me. Paternalism is bad economics.

And market theory is based on the notion that consumers are rational. If they are not, then you can't claim that the most efficient way to manage resources is with a market.

Consumers are rational if they are paying market prices. That is my point. When you make something free, that's when you see economically irrational behaviour.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yeah, because people only get sick or injured because they mismanage their health.

People should have the same attitude about themselves, as they do about their car. You don't drive on the road without insurance, yet you don't see the government paying for your car insurance do you? Why should the government pay for my medical coverage?

I've said this over and over. The more that people pay directly for medical services, the better these services will become. When you see the cost out of pocket, you are better able to make decisions that are rational for you.

Btw, I'm fine with expending some more effort at nutritional education.

How is that a responsibility of the government? It's your body isn't it? If you care about it wouldn't you try to find that information out yourself?

I'd probably focus it on the subset of the population that struggles most with obesity. Of course, that involves spending time & money on poor brown people so I doubt you'd approve...

Right, because I'm such a racist. Damn man. I've never spoken to the blackies and the brownies except to have them serve me.

As for your analogy, you may have noticed that I'm in favor of a certain amount of redistribution of wealth.

Well of course. You don't believe that the blackies and brownies are capable of managing their own health or money. QED.

And I'm the racist?

[Supr49er]

... You don't believe that the blackies and brownies are capable of managing their own health or money. QED.

And I'm the racist?

What, you don't think there are any poor white people?!?

[Ben Kenobi]

No, in Arrian's world, they are all rich, and wealthy.

Of course, that involves spending time & money on poor brown people so I doubt you'd approve...

[Kuciwalker]

You think 40% is a high top rate? Absurd!

Why, in the U.S., we used to have a top rate approaching 95%. And that was during the 1940s-50s, which I believe were the best times we ever had and things have been going to hell ever since... according to Republicans anyway...

Every time you use that as an example I have to rethink whether you're stupid, ignorant, or a liar. At the time the highest bracket was that much, there were sufficient loopholes that no one paid anywhere near it.