Politics

[JoeSoap]

Time to kick the hornets nest…

Ok I know soccer is referred to as ‘the beautiful game’, but personally I think its ‘the boring game’….maybe its just me.

Sorry after another 1-1 tie after 90mins I had to get that off my chest. let the hate rain down but I’ll take rugby (especially 7’s) any day of the week.

 

[Tanks]

Time to kick the hornets nest…

Ok I know soccer is referred to as ‘the beautiful game’, but personally I think its ‘the boring game’….maybe its just me.

Sorry after another 1-1 tie after 90mins I had to get that off my chest. let the hate rain down but I’ll take rugby (especially 7’s) any day of the week.

Have you watched baseball?

Now, if you want to watch a real boring game that can take days, try Cricket.

 

[WAB]

Actually, future stock price increases are King. Hence, why most compensation packages for C suites are tied to stock price rather than revenue.


The guy that designed Obamacare said it a while back in a speech with rare candor, "Universal healthcare is rationed healthcare".

Agreed. When I was a C-Suite exec my comp was in 4 components, salary, annual bonus, shadow stock grants and stock options. Stock based comp had the potential to dwarf cash comp. Cash comp was driven by corp financial performance, business unit performance and personal performance.

 

[Big_Easy]

The point is, U.S healthcare, big pharma, and the insurance industry, is a big scam and rip-off.

Lighting has struck twice in one week, now I'm agreeing with your post too?

 

[pilar]

Have you watched baseball?

Now, if you want to watch a real boring game that can take days, try Cricket.

Cricket is terrible, I got stuck somewhere and only thing on was Fiji vs India only some bowls of kava made it bearable

 

[Big_Easy]

Socialist envy?
Didn't you say you drive a Tesla that you bought from said Oligarch?

You don't know the half of it. I'll do you two better. I was an early investor in Tesla, back when it was $27-$36/share. Buying every share I could afford. When all the right-wingers in my office were laughing at me, telling me it would go bankrupt and that i'd loose all my money. And that electric cars would never work, and that it was a fad, and a flash in the pan...blah blah blah.

And then after it boomed I buy my own (lightly used) tesla with a fraction of my winnings. I now bought SpaceX stock with some of my Tesla winnings too...I just happen to think that billionaires (oops...trillionaires) should stay out of politics and pay their taxes.

 

[Brent in Az]

If you trust them. Also, $1,500 trumps $25K. I don't think Anthem covers Thailand. Post surgery care would have to be done here, so that would also cost a lot. How was your surgery at Thailand?

Some things I would trust overseas hospitals. I will be doing a complete check up and tests later on this year overseas. Total cost will be $4K - $5K, here it would be a lot more.

I know a guy who's retired and living in the Philippines. He took a bad fall and busted up his shoulder.
Had to have surgery and a couple titanium parts installed.
Total bill was approx $6,000 USD
Imagine what that would cost over here?
I know another guy who went to Thailand to have his knees replaced because of a pre-existing condition fight he was having with his American healthcare insurance.
The guy dipped into his retirement portfolio to pay for it. Even with the travel costs and staying in Thailand for 3 months for post operative follow ups and physical therapy, it cost approx 25% of what he would have paid here
I'm not knocking the healthcare you received, just the costs of modern American healthcare.
Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok is a world class hospital, and people travel from around the world to get healthcare.

 

[jruby]

Those AR-15s are really scary. He was so upset he let his man bun come unraveled!

I would like to see him fire something a bit more substantial like a browning 50 and see how he responds.

 

[WAB]

I know a guy who's retired and living in the Philippines. He took a bad fall and busted up his shoulder.
Had to have surgery and a couple titanium parts installed.
Total bill was approx $6,000 USD
Imagine what that would cost over here?
I know another guy who went to Thailand to have his knees replaced because of a pre-existing condition fight he was having with his American healthcare insurance.
The guy dipped into his retirement portfolio to pay for it. Even with the travel costs and staying in Thailand for 3 months for post operative follow ups and physical therapy, it cost approx 25% of what he would have paid here
I'm not knocking the healthcare you received, just the costs of modern American healthcare.
Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok is a world class hospital, and people travel from around the world to get healthcare.

The real issue is what your out of pocket is, not a number on an invoice that is never paid by you or the insurance company. I suspect that his out of pocket would have been lower in the US.

 

[Brent in Az]

You don't know the half of it. I'll do you two better. I was an early investor in Tesla, back when it was $27-$36/share. Buying every share I could afford. When all the right-wingers in my office were laughing at me, telling me it would go bankrupt and that i'd loose all my money. And that electric cars would never work, and that it was a fad, and a flash in the pan...blah blah blah.

And then after it boomed I buy my own (lightly used) tesla with a fraction of my winnings. I now bought SpaceX stock with some of my Tesla winnings too...I just happen to think that billionaires (oops...trillionaires) should stay out of politics and pay their taxes.

You certainly ooze hypocrisy from every pore.

 

[Brent in Az]

Lighting has struck twice in one week, now I'm agreeing with your post too?

Even us hardcore right wingers get fed up with the quagmire of the healthcare industry that manipulates all of us.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Except that is exactly what we have right now in the USA, rationed healthcare. Expensive healthcare is rationed healthcare too. If you're rich then you get the very best, if you're poor...then good luck buddy. How many people have died simply because they couldn't afford basic meds like insulin?

Are you worried that universal healthcare will create something that already exists in America? Or are you really worried that it will affect you now? That seems to be the modern right-wing ethos...It's okay if someone else gets screwed over...but once it happens to me...then its unacceptable!

Back before Medicare kicked in for my brother, I was buying his insulin here, packing it in a small cooler with some frozen goose sausage, and taking it across the border to Fedex to him in Montana. I remember one time the US border officer, a nice young guy, asked me if I intended to leave anything in the US. I told him bluntly, "Yes, I'm sending insulin to my brother.". He looked around, leaned out the window, and said quietly, "Yeah, I go up there to buy my sister's insulin. See ya." The exact same brand name US made stuff my brother was buying with a prescription at Walmart there for $250 US, I was buying OVER THE COUNTER at Walmart here (had to ask pharmacist for it but no prescription needed) for ... $31 CANADIAN per vial. Exchange rate then was about 80¢ on the dollar so about $27 US/vial. I told the pharmacist here what Mike was paying and he didn't believe me. I said check online. He did. "That's criminal! It forces people to buy the old animal based shit. That will shorten their lives!" So what do you think it cost the US pharma company to manufacture a vial of that insulin? Deducting markup for Walmart and Walmart's supplier, I'm guessing less than $5/vial. Probably a lot less. Yep, socialized medicine is an evil thing, isn't it?

I was briefly once a bottom rung union rep at the plant. I know what a grand unaccountable ripoff Blue Cross can be. They didn't even try to hide it. President of the local owned a couple of planes and the VP owned half a dozen apartment complexes. Blue Cross simply refused membership request for an audit of "our money" and nothing was done about it. Everyone was on the take. Years later my brother got sick with the new breed of stubborn tuberculosis that required chemo and a barrage of alternating antibiotics. Blue Cross wouldn't cover it, claiming the treatment was experimental. I found out about it, called Dad, and he made a call to the lawyer up the street. A demand letter from the lawyer and treatment was magically paid. Lawyer never charged a dime (he represented my ex in our divorce and felt guilty I think).

 

[Russ16]

Have you watched baseball?

Now, if you want to watch a real boring game that can take days, try Cricket.

I can’t stand soccer or baseball. But I can watch cricket all day. More happens in 10 minutes of cricket than and hour of baseball.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Have you watched baseball?

Now, if you want to watch a real boring game that can take days, try Cricket.

Baseball improved a LOT in the last couple of years. First change was the pitch clock. Batter and pitcher now have a timed sequence to get set to bat and throw the ball. No messing around. Fail to get set or pitch in time can result in a ball or strike without pitch being thrown. Batter and pitcher are now only allowed one time out per at bat. Boy, has that sped things up. Pitcher is only allowed two attempts to pick off a runner on base. If he doesn't get him on third attempt, it's a balk and runners advance. Each team is allowed only one instant replay challenge of a call on the field and manager must decide within 15 seconds if he wants to challenge. Successful challenge and the team retains their challenge. Unsuccessful and they are out of challenge. This year MLB added the ABS computer system that allows batter, pitcher, or catcher to challenge an umpire's call on a pitch. They have only two seconds to decide (double tap helmet or hat = challenge) and cannot look to dugout for assistance. Again, win an ABS challenge and retain it (two per game and one added for extra innings if team is out of challenges). The ABS challenge computer review comes up on the jumbotron very quickly. It shows where the pitched ball passed through or around a two dimensional computer image of the batter's vertical strike zone half way across the plate. Actually pretty cool.

What these changes have done is speed the game up dramatically. The ABS and on field call challenges have greatly reduced acrimony and drama that formerly wasted so much time. Manager doesn't like the call he should shut up and use his challenge. If he doesn't have a challenge left, it's because he wasted it so he still needs to shut up. If his players didn't use an ABS challenge to overturn a bad call at the plate, the manager can scream at his player, not the umpire. Temper tantrums over disputed calls are much rarer now. On field play challenges are reviewed by a special replay booth in NYC. That can delay the game a bit but it's rare to see more than three or four of those challenges during a game. Challenges have helped umpires improve their game too. A successful challenge on a pitch called ball that turns out was in the strike zone tells the ump he may need to adjust his zone. The new rules have made the game a little more complicated. But the rules have also introduced a lot of strategizing which makes the game more interesting. Formerly a halfwit could umpire a game. Now they need to be on the ball (pun intended). All the added high tech weeds out the culls. Baseball is now cleaner, quicker, and less drama. Fans that want drama can go watch hockey. Five years ago I didn't give a hoot about baseball. Now I really enjoy watching it ... on TV. Crowded stadiums not so much.

Quite a bit of drama in soccer too. But no wonder. It is by far the most physically punishing of all professional sports. The field is huge and players run nonstop end to end. No surprise that some guy gets knocked over and lays on the ground crying for several minutes. Then everyone, including the referees, finally get a breather. "Hey man, it's your turn to take a dive. Here let me help you."

Rugby is great. Very rugged but respect and sportsmanship are still such integral components of the sport. Very refreshing.

 

[Brent in Az]

A federal court shut down ponzi man "Sam Freid's" attempt to overturn his 25 year sentence.
He was even asking Trump for a pardon....lol.
Rot in prison, scammer.

 

[Brent in Az]

And why would JD Vance agree to go on "The View" with those nasty cackling dried up vagina hens?

 

[Newboomer]

Even us hardcore right wingers get fed up with the quagmire of the healthcare industry that manipulates all of us.

The high cost is because of all the illegals the DEMS have brought into the country and the other trash that doesn't pay . They don't pay so the medics have to soak it to the rest of us to try to recoup the expense.

 

[Betterinthebush]

Baseball is a game where the anticipation of what might happen next can cause fatigue and frustration in many. I get that. Personally speaking, I love the game and appreciate the finer nuances of two well managed clubs playing on diamond. Watching in the stands is a far better experience than watching the game on television.

I kind of laugh at myself in the fact that I love baseball and, yet, the idea of playing “chess” with a leopard in a bait and blind hunt would put me straight to sleep.

 

[Hunt anything]

As a former baseball player from when I 6 until retirement at 30 I find it hard to watch on TV unless I need a good nap. As @Ontario Hunter said the pitch clock and to me the ABS has made it easier to watch on TV. However the atmosphere at a game in person, especially a playoff game, is just a notch below the atmosphere of a good SEC football game and enjoy both.

Soccer SUCKS, my wife dragged me to a game of 2 highly ranked high school teams and that’s just time I can never recover in my life, she got to know some of the players when our church provided a pregame meal and thought we should go support them. That being said I might go to a pro game just to check it out.

 

[AJ Peacock]

I think a full deep understanding of any game makes it enjoyable. My fiance' never liked baseball until I started explaining that it's about winning series and how multi-game pitching strategy plays a huge role that isn't talked about enough. I'm starting to enjoy soccer now (because I understand it more), same with hockey (I was late to hockey being a transplant into Michigan in 1985).

When it's winner take all, I think I'd enjoy watching a tiddle winks game! Competition is what I enjoy.

AJ