Joe Biden's Presidency

[surrept33 + 609]

22 hours ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

Steve Hilton investigates origins of COVID-19, links to US commissioned research

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6225847837001#sp=show-clips

It would seem Youtube cannot suppress Fox, i wonder how long this will be allowed

Google likely makes a lot of money of Fox (and versa), anyways. Youtube is just a more direct way for Google to get eyeballs. 

From the video.foxnews.com code:. Keep in mind that google owns doubleclick (a merger than arguably should have never happened). Most of the rest have business relationships with each other. Especially if something is paid for by advertising online, a quick auction occurs and you need as much "information" about the person do deliver the most relevant advertising. This is all legal in the United States. 

<!-- dns-prefetch / preconnect tags -->

<meta http-equiv="x-dns-prefetch-control" content="on">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//a57.foxnews.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//global.fncstatic.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//images.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//widgets.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//widget-cdn.rpxnow.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//z.moatads.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//hpr.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//metrics.foxnews.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.tt.omtrdc.net">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//foxnews.demdex.net">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//static.chartbeat.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.taboola.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//assets.tapad.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//www.googletagservices.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.livefyre.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//foxnews.tt.omtrdc.net">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//log.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//b.scorecardresearch.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//c.amazon-adsystem.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//c.amazon-adsystem.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//ib.adnxs.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//ib.adnxs.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//bidder.criteo.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//bidder.criteo.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//as-sec.casalemedia.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//as-sec.casalemedia.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//foxnews-d.openx.net" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//foxnews-d.openx.net">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//hbopenbid.pubmatic.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//hbopenbid.pubmatic.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//fastlane.rubiconproject.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//fastlane.rubiconproject.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//sofia.trustx.org" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//sofia.trustx.org">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//ads.yieldmo.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//ads.yieldmo.com">

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

2 hours ago, surrept33 said:

Google likely makes a lot of money of Fox (and versa), anyways. Youtube is just a more direct way for Google to get eyeballs. 

From the video.foxnews.com code:. Keep in mind that google owns doubleclick (a merger than arguably should have never happened). Most of the rest have business relationships with each other. Especially if something is paid for by advertising online, a quick auction occurs and you need as much "information" about the person do deliver the most relevant advertising. This is all legal in the United States. 

<!-- dns-prefetch / preconnect tags -->

<meta http-equiv="x-dns-prefetch-control" content="on">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//a57.foxnews.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//global.fncstatic.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//images.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//widgets.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//widget-cdn.rpxnow.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//z.moatads.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//hpr.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//metrics.foxnews.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.tt.omtrdc.net">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//foxnews.demdex.net">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//static.chartbeat.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.taboola.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//assets.tapad.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//www.googletagservices.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//cdn.livefyre.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//foxnews.tt.omtrdc.net">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//log.outbrain.com">
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//b.scorecardresearch.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//securepubads.g.doubleclick.net">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//c.amazon-adsystem.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//c.amazon-adsystem.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//ib.adnxs.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//ib.adnxs.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//bidder.criteo.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//bidder.criteo.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//as-sec.casalemedia.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//as-sec.casalemedia.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//foxnews-d.openx.net" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//foxnews-d.openx.net">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//hbopenbid.pubmatic.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//hbopenbid.pubmatic.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//fastlane.rubiconproject.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//fastlane.rubiconproject.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//sofia.trustx.org" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//sofia.trustx.org">
<link rel="preconnect" href="//ads.yieldmo.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//ads.yieldmo.com">

I do have a grasp on google...

Ordering a Pizza in 2021

CALLER: Is this Pizza Hut?

GOOGLE: No sir, it's Google Pizza.

CALLER: I must have dialed a wrong number, sorry.

GOOGLE: No sir, Google bought Pizza Hut last month.

CALLER: OK. I would like to order a pizza.

GOOGLE: Do you want your usual, sir?

CALLER: My usual? You know me?

GOOGLE: According to our caller ID data sheet, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza with three cheeses, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and meatballs on a thick crust.

CALLER: Super! That’s what I’ll have.

GOOGLE: May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and olives on a whole wheat gluten-free thin crust?

CALLER: What? I don’t want a vegetarian pizza!

GOOGLE: Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

CALLER: How the hell do you know that?

GOOGLE: Well, we cross-referenced your home phone number with your medical records. We have the result of your blood tests for the last 7 years.

CALLER: Okay, but I do not want your rotten vegetarian pizza! I already take medication for my cholesterol.

GOOGLE: Excuse me sir, but you have not taken your medication regularly. According to our database, you purchased only a box of 30 cholesterol tablets once at CVS Pharmacy, 4 months ago.

CALLER: I bought more from another Pharmacy.

GOOGLE: That doesn’t show on your credit card statement.

CALLER: I paid in cash.

GOOGLE: But you did not withdraw enough cash according to your bank statement.

CALLER: I have other sources of cash.

GOOGLE: That doesn’t show on your latest tax returns, unless you bought them using an undeclared income source, which is against the law!

CALLER: WHAT THE HELL!

GOOGLE: I'm sorry sir, we use such information only with the sole intention of helping you.

CALLER: Enough already! I'm sick to death of Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and all the others. I'm going to an island without the internet, TV, where there is no phone service and no one to watch me or spy on me.

GOOGLE: I understand sir, but you need to renew your passport first. It expired 6 weeks ago...

[SUZNV + 1,197]

From the book written in 1958:

“The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen. This is the angle of view from Soviet Union's supporter inside US. I will highlight which is currently in the US society. You feel free to replace old Soviet with China as their goal to the US are pretty much the same. I removed the source's opinion to keep it original. It is funny that they didn't share these values but put it on the US.

Source:

https://www.theuglytruthproject.org/single-post/2019/08/16/THE-NAKED-COMMUNIST-45-COMMUNIST-GOALS

-------------------------------------------

THE NAKED COMMUNIST: 45 COMMUNIST GOALS

August 16, 2019

On Jan. 10, 1963, Congressman Albert S. Herlong Jr. of Florida read a list of 45 Communist goals into the Congressional Record. The list was derived from researcher Cleon Skousen’s book “The Naked Communist.” These principles are well worth revisiting today in order to gain insights into the thinking and strategies of much of our so-called liberal elite:

1. U.S. should accept coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. should be willing to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the U.S. would be a demonstration of “moral strength.”
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extend long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China and admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the Germany question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the U.S. has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces.
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the U.S. 
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions, by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for Socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations that are under Communist attack. 
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV & motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all form of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to
“eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings,” substituting shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. ” Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural and healthy.” 
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the grounds that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state”
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American founding fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of “the big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture – education, social agencies, welfare
programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders
which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat. 
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose communist goals. 
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special interest groups should rise up and make a “united force” to solve economic, political or social problems. 
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally Reservation so the U.S. cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over domestic problems.
Give the World Court jurisdiction over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.

Edited January 26, 2021 by SUZNV

[Boat + 1,323]

On 1/25/2021 at 4:54 PM, Dan Warnick said:

Well, at least we now know what those 1,500 people thought in this particular poll from Pew.

You got any polls suggesting anything different? 30% hardcore left and right seem normal the last 20 years.

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

53 minutes ago, Boat said:

You got any polls suggesting anything different? 30% hardcore left and right seem normal the last 20 years.

I just don't respect most polls.  Splits are natural in times of ideological chasms.  You're right about that.

[Boat + 1,323]

On 1/24/2021 at 6:28 PM, SUZNV said:

I have that question myself and do lots of research about that out of curiosity, I live in a country with universal health care for 17 years before the US:

US healthcare cost so much because of hospital administration, pharmacy and insurance. Its problem started since, well who knows, but worse since Obama Care. But in current situation do you know which Party they endorse? Both Republican nor Democrats did nothing or even help them, aka the Swamp.

Why it is so expensive:

1 Any emergency situation will be attended first, money later. So anyone not matter illegal, visitors, green card, citizen will be treated first but not everyone will pay back the fees. They will pass the cost to other patients with insurance or states or federals. Hint: 11-20 millions no documents people in US contributed to it. 

2 Surprised bill: Hospital cannot compete by having the transparency price up front. Trump tried to make hospital have to list the price first for transparency but have no idea how far will it go:

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/10/29/trump-administration-finalizes-rule-requiring-health-insurers-disclose-price-and-cost-sharing.html

3 Pharmacy, how on earth the cost for medicine in the US is more expensive than Europe or Japan? The answer is monopoly and lobbying. The same goes to US medical equipment. And FDA make more regulations to ensure the monopoly.

4 Insurance: Healthcare price goes up will allow insurance to increase the premium and people because of being scared about the hospital bills, they will have to buy the insurance. Sometimes you can just pay cash at the health care and it will be cheaper than deductible if you claim insurance because if the health care have to claim it to your insurance, they will have to charge you the price agreed with insurance which is sky high.

5 US Doctor tends to over testing you if you have insurance, maybe to make up the lose in the one who could not pay back. They may be under some pressure to do so by hospital  administration but it depends on clinics to clinics.

6 Also the income of US Doctor are over 6 times more than average household income while in other free healthcare countries it maybe 3 times max. IMHO it is fair because they took huge risk on student loan (around 300k after medical  school in average) and it will attract talent people.

7 US has an army of specialists in very specialization part of your bodies. Lets say 80% of the patients are from common disease and 20% need very top specialist. Even not all cancel surgery have the same level of complication. In other universal health care countries  you will need to wait in line for these rare specialists while in the US you can get treatment quick. If it needs very rare specialist in the world, then you can have a specialist elsewhere fly to the US and operate then fly back and he can earn more than he operated the same in his country. One of my cousins uncle who is a master of dentist in Florida got his shacking hand operated by a specialist from Japan this way. His sister is a cancer surgery doctor in Quebec Canada. 

In some socialism countries or close to that, to cut the cost on the society, they would concentrate resources on 80% of the common cases, with people who can pay tax, and they can be proud of providing healthcare cheap and efficiency because majority of the patients will be happy that they got treated for free and if they die, they won't complain, you maybe too sick or too old and the system did their best.

An old person in the US heart stop beating when the emergency team arrive, they make it beat again (although maybe to late) and then let him in the hospital for 5 days with regularly red alert. The bill was high. In free healthcare countries, I doubt they would go that far.

So rich people in the world who healthcare payment is not a problem, they would enjoy go to US for operate instead of waiting. Good for exporting US services. And the trend of private healthcare in NZ and Australia and insurance  increasing more and more popular these day because of  the waiting list for specialist.

You will have to fix the corruption system first and it would be cheaper. Nothing easier to pull governments funding to healthcare and divide the cake, aka crony capitalism . If any lifetime politicians  want to fix that, they would have fixed that long ago. The only way to fix that is term limitations for politicians in both parties. But why would they do that to themselves? Do you really think anyone who were not a politician can just get elected and fix all of the complicated problem above in 4 years? US political system will really need fresh blood.

 

 

You yank the free emergency room health and COVID would look like nothing. Chaos and the apocalypse would be immediate. You talk about 11 million illegals but the number affected would be way over 1/2 the US population. 

Obamas plan got 20 million covered. That left 90 million. 

 

[Boat + 1,323]

Why do you think business doesn’t go broke paying for healthcare. Huge tax deductions for the health care. Wild and weird scheme.

Remember 1/2 of US citizens make less than $30,000. So you pay $4,000 for Obama Care. Then a 2,000 deductible. Then 20%. A two week hospital stay could be 40,000. 
Now those folks can’t afford the deductible and join the 90 million who go to the emergency room.

We need a Musk or Bezos type to change healthcare. Robots don’t need a degree to give shots, run blood tests and dispense drugs. Bring it. 

[SUZNV + 1,197]

9 hours ago, Boat said:

You yank the free emergency room health and COVID would look like nothing. Chaos and the apocalypse would be immediate. You talk about 11 million illegals but the number affected would be way over 1/2 the US population. 

Obamas plan got 20 million covered. That left 90 million. 

 

I don't really understand your point here. Emergency room is not free but they have to offer the service even if the patient cannot pay back. 

Covid19 peak, many hospital postpones most of the regular visit to make room for emergency covid19. 

8 hours ago, Boat said:

Why do you think business doesn’t go broke paying for healthcare. Huge tax deductions for the health care. Wild and weird scheme.

Remember 1/2 of US citizens make less than $30,000. So you pay $4,000 for Obama Care. Then a 2,000 deductible. Then 20%. A two week hospital stay could be 40,000. 
Now those folks can’t afford the deductible and join the 90 million who go to the emergency room.

We need a Musk or Bezos type to change healthcare. Robots don’t need a degree to give shots, run blood tests and dispense drugs. Bring it. 

Charity Donation is tax deductible, do you think we should put all of our spare money in charity for tax deductions? The first priority is to cut cost, the second priority to put as much cost to tax deductible as much as possible, not other way round. If you are thinking of large non profit organization, well many of them are where they avoid tax or money laundry or a way to accept bribe  or lobbying (and the briber has a deductible or can hide their name for lobby using that organization name).

It affects heavily mid and small size businesses because their businesses nature are not stable, some years they make good some years they have a loss. Obama Care make their ability to survive in crisis time slimmer.

A health economy in any country would depend on these kinds of business because they pay most of the tax. Large Corporation like Apple don't pay US tax for their profit in the World and they can evade tax in the US by claim the phone imported price from Apple International to Apple US. Only their US employees pay taxes the same like any other employees. So good luck with the wish taxing corporate to fund the healthcare. They wouldn't have the strategy to avoid the tax on revenue in the first place. The rising income tax affect businesses inside US only and killing US economy.

Healthcare is state level, even insurance they do have the internal network or out of network. At the bottom of Obama Care:

1 Obama Care ACA forced everyone to buy insurance, mostly from the healthy one who ignore to buy insurance before. And they may in the $30k salary. Insurance gains  bigger market but in the other hand they increase the premium and it depends on employer to absorb some or all of that. Then  more than 75% insurance provider drop many of their plan for ACA for profits. The one who cannot have these plan anymore will need to have insurance for states and federal subsidies. 

2 Not all cost everywhere is the same. Small town will have less illegal workers, cheaper land prices for building hospital so still have can increase the capacity.

So at the end of the day most of Obama care is to bail out big rich cities. 30k salary in SF will be tremendously different in 30k in rural Virginia. So how about families that just above the threshold in big cities pressure? They may choose stop working or work less hours to meet the threshold or may stay jobless instead of looking for jobs. This put a heavy burden in the welfare system.

3 Since ACA, the insurance company  have a better profits plan for employee high deductible health plan, currently mine is 6k. So less and less people can afford the high deductible.

General cost for labor for give shots, run blood tests and dispense drugs take very small part of the cost. The problem is not the cost on these but the mark up price to meet the agreement price for insurance or to cover for unpayable patients. Obama Care or try to squeeze more from working people, the one who have no choice but to pay any amount money they can, or sending tax money to hospital administration or subsidies insurance or pharmacy , both of which make more profits from draining people's tax or patients or business premium. 

A clever plan to make big profits in healthcare industries and buy votes and most people think it is simple, why no president did it before.

In the US, public sector is getting bigger, private sector are getting smaller (yet more crony corporates in between) so it is not about productivity or tax efficiency anymore but money printing.

Edited January 27, 2021 by SUZNV

[Boat + 1,323]

I read the average cost of a bronz plan is over $5000. This is before any drug or checkup. God forbid a car wreck or major problem where your  maximum share of expense can be over $8000. 
So a guy has a rent payment, car payment, utilities and food. Any kind of major medical problem and he can’t pay. So no checkup, no drugs and failing health. So you go bankrupt and the emergency room is your new doctor. $30,000 isn’t shyt to live on. Hell 50,000 ain’t shyt. 
You can’t squeeze blood from a rock and the federal rock is running out of blood. 
But take away that emergency room stop of last resort you will have riots in the street. Remember the wall street campers?

 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

11 hours ago, Boat said:

You yank the free emergency room health and COVID would look like nothing. Chaos and the apocalypse would be immediate. You talk about 11 million illegals but the number affected would be way over 1/2 the US population. 

Obamas plan got 20 million covered. That left 90 million. 

 

Yes boat you are correct, a question if I may. Prior to Obama how did this system of health care work? Why was it needed, was this ACA put to the vote of the American people?

The ACA is doomed for failure, it is unsustainable, there is not enough money nor health care workers to sustain it.

[El Nikko + 2,145]

OK this isn't really related to Biden but I did find it funny.

Some hedge fund had been heavily shorting Gamestop and people on Reddit spotted it and caused a mass buying spree making the shares blow up and as a result the Hedge fund has gone bankrupt. 

It seems like it's ok when elites game the system but not when normal people do it.

Am I bad for laughing?

[El Nikko + 2,145]

And just to add to the insanity of 2021

Quote "Biden’s Department of Justice has charged a Trump voter who had 58,000 followers on Twitter with election interference because he posted a meme in 2016 telling Democrats to vote for Hillary Clinton via text as a joke. He is now being charged for a MEME!"

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/social-media-influencer-charged-election-interference-stemming-voter-disinformation-campaign

 

 

[LiamP + 168]

9 minutes ago, El Nikko said:

OK this isn't really related to Biden but I did find it funny.

Some hedge fund had been heavily shorting Gamestop and people on Reddit spotted it and caused a mass buying spree making the shares blow up and as a result the Hedge fund has gone bankrupt. 

It seems like it's ok when elites game the system but not when normal people do it.

Am I bad for laughing?

Well if you're bad then so am I cos I read about this earlier and found it funny too!  Wondered if it wasn't too late to make a small gain on some GME stock, but maybe the fun's over already. Just hope the 'little guys' being egged on to put their life savings in to stick it to the man know when to get out! Won't be very funny any more for them if they don't react quick enough when it pops.

[El Nikko + 2,145]

4 minutes ago, LiamP said:

Well if you're bad then so am I cos I read about this earlier and found it funny too!  Wondered if it wasn't too late to make a small gain on some GME stock, but maybe the fun's over already. Just hope the 'little guys' being egged on to put their life savings in to stick it to the man know when to get out! Won't be very funny any more for them if they don't react quick enough when it pops.

Unfortunately I'm sure this will get used to have even more controls over the internet or something like that but I was crying with laughter.

Last year they did similar things with Kodak and Hertz but I'm not aware they did it to hit hedge funds. Hedge funds shorting stocks doesn't look like a nice thing to do (but it's not something I know about much) surely they can destroy companies?

We were supposed to get Robinhood here in the UK but for some reason they pulled the plug. They can't have normal people making money without some overpaid clown 'financial advisor'. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/most-shorted-stocks-update-here-come-microcaps

By the way, these pension funds that claimed to be actively managed...why didn't they just sell everything when it was clear as day that the markets would crash through the floor at the end of Feb and buy back in at the lows? This was one of those really predictable things that I've seen over the years that was almost guaranteed to make massive amounts of money. My feeling is they don't because they are scared they'll cause a run which hurts their fees....actively managed for thee....but not for me.

[SUZNV + 1,197]

2 hours ago, Boat said:

I read the average cost of a bronz plan is over $5000. This is before any drug or checkup. God forbid a car wreck or major problem where your  maximum share of expense can be over $8000. 
So a guy has a rent payment, car payment, utilities and food. Any kind of major medical problem and he can’t pay. So no checkup, no drugs and failing health. So you go bankrupt and the emergency room is your new doctor. $30,000 isn’t shyt to live on. Hell 50,000 ain’t shyt. 
You can’t squeeze blood from a rock and the federal rock is running out of blood. 
But take away that emergency room stop of last resort you will have riots in the street. Remember the wall street campers?

 

 Should you put everyone  on insurances for that $30k or 50k emergency rooms bills or should you keep that $30k or 50k emergency rooms bills down first? Once everyone on that insurance, the bill will claim up to 60k, 70k that squeeze everyone in the insurance premium, deductible or copay and government tax and we cannot see the limit of it?

So a guy has a rent payment, car payment, utilities and food and now premium and deductible keep increasing?

 How much cost in average for emergency visit other Government subsidy system?

You approach the problem at the wrong end, with the assumption of $30k or 50k emergency rooms bill is normal. If it is the case, more complicated matter with more ridiculous price will be normal as well. In economics crisis time, people don't have enough money to pay the deductible, government don't have that much tax and the solution is printing unlimited money? 

[El Nikko + 2,145]

1 hour ago, LiamP said:

Well if you're bad then so am I cos I read about this earlier and found it funny too!  Wondered if it wasn't too late to make a small gain on some GME stock, but maybe the fun's over already. Just hope the 'little guys' being egged on to put their life savings in to stick it to the man know when to get out! Won't be very funny any more for them if they don't react quick enough when it pops.

There's nothing like being scolded by the 'professionals' who do the same exact thing.

The MSM have done their best to attract retail investors into Bitcoin in the last few months just like they did in 2017...they create fear of missing out which attracts the least informed investors and then it tanks while the big money pull out on the euphoria.

 

[Boat + 1,323]

4 hours ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

Yes boat you are correct, a question if I may. Prior to Obama how did this system of health care work? Why was it needed, was this ACA put to the vote of the American people?

The ACA is doomed for failure, it is unsustainable, there is not enough money nor health care workers to sustain it.

I don’t think it was working. As a worker we went from a company sponsored health plan to employee comp. That started happening around 1990. By 2010 instead of paying $25 per check a guy making $10 an hr was now paying $135 every two weeks. The companies share rose as well. Why? The market was flooded with immigration that didn’t get healthcare and made the same $10 per hr. So a larger and larger share of the population had the emergency room as their doctor. Of course housing and transportation had their own inflation. Immigration both legal and illegal kept wages low while the standard of living dropped for most. This view is not from books or politics. This is a view of an American worker who spent 35 years in its factories. 

[El Nikko + 2,145]

1 minute ago, Boat said:

I don’t think it was working. As a worker we went from a company sponsored health plan to employee comp. That started happening around 1990. By 2010 instead of paying $25 per check a guy making $10 an hr was now paying $135 every two weeks. The companies share rose as well. Why? The market was flooded with immigration that didn’t get healthcare and made the same $10 per hr. So a larger and larger share of the population had the emergency room as their doctor. Of course housing and transportation had their own inflation. Immigration both legal and illegal kept wages low while the standard of living dropped for most. This view is not from books or politics. This is a view of an American worker who spent 35 years in its factories. 

So while we have argued bitterly over many things there are many things we can all agree on.

Imagine if the left and right could put their differences together and all stand up at the same time.

Personally I feel we're now entering more of a technocratic era....the elites will tell us what is good for us and ignore the things that maybe could make life a bit better.

[Boat + 1,323]

Today most politics is still smoke and mirrors. The parties argue over plans but no vision for actual solutions that create sustainability. 

[El Nikko + 2,145]

Just now, Boat said:

Today most politics is still smoke and mirrors. The parties argue over plans but no vision for actual solutions that create sustainability. 

Geopolitics and global finances are the actual important stuff to read about. 

Domestic politics is just to distract the masses and while I believe it's real and a very bad flu, I'd say Covid has been used to do the same. 

Remember back on this forum to the last Q of 2019, we were talking about so many things totally different and mostly it wasn't actual political parties.

I think back to then, and that was why I joined because at the time I thought I had so much to add with what I was seeing in ME/NA but events just took off so fast our feet never hit the ground. Think back...Greta Thunberg etc, the missile attacks of ARAMCO, the REPO crisis, the Australian fires, the Covid thing, the lockdowns and other madness (agree or disagree it divided people) then just when everyone is calming down we had the most ridiculous election in the US...mean while US stocks are soaring in to space. 

Oh and the craziest thing was governments just handing out free money...first time ever!

There is going to be a next thing..I think it will be a stock market crash but equally it could be something else.

The world has gone mad

[Boat + 1,323]

I’ll give you a real life example. My retired brother was a contractor. So he finds this siding job to pick up a few bucks. I watched the scaffolding shift, he lost his balance, fell 4’ hit the top of a fence and fell another 4’. He ended up with 7 cracked ribs, a punctured lung and 3 weeks in the hospital. They saved his life for $80,000 he’ll never be able to pay back. He doesn’t attempt to work anymore unless it’s painting, installing cabinets etc. Safer jobs. 
But if you had to make proof of payment for 10’s of thousands to get treated, most of America would die. This is what many want until it happens to their family. 
But who pays for that bill, who should. That injury will still happen if you have private or government insurance or no insurance. 
Is it then smart to end preventive checkups and go to the emergency room for future problems? It’s the same doctors and same medical system. In the end it doesn’t matter because everybody pays when someone can’t pay and that’s most of America.

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

One must say this party of Democrats truly are beginning it feel the heat coming there way. There reaction is to push back hard,very hard cut no quarter. Rand Pauls vote on the floor was humiliating for the party.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/26/rand-paul-impeachment-462655

Dead on arrival’: Trump conviction unlikely after GOP votes to nix trial

Nearly every Senate Republican declared Tuesday that putting a former president on trial for impeachment is unconstitutional, indicating that the House’s case against Donald Trump is almost certain to fail.

                                 24  HOURS LATER.

US issues terror alert over anti-government extremists

The US Department of Homeland Security declared a nationwide terrorism alert Wednesday, citing the potential threat from domestic anti-government extremists opposed to Joe Biden as president.

https://news.yahoo.com/us-issues-terror-alert-over-171250871.html

 

 

[Boat + 1,323]

19 minutes ago, El Nikko said:

Geopolitics and global finances are the actual important stuff to read about. 

Domestic politics is just to distract the masses and while I believe it's real and a very bad flu, I'd say Covid has been used to do the same. 

Remember back on this forum to the last Q of 2019, we were talking about so many things totally different and mostly it wasn't actual political parties.

I think back to then, and that was why I joined because at the time I thought I had so much to add with what I was seeing in ME/NA but events just took off so fast our feet never hit the ground. Think back...Greta Thunberg etc, the missile attacks of ARAMCO, the REPO crisis, the Australian fires, the Covid thing, the lockdowns and other madness (agree or disagree it divided people) then just when everyone is calming down we had the most ridiculous election in the US...mean while US stocks are soaring in to space. 

Oh and the craziest thing was governments just handing out free money...first time ever!

There is going to be a next thing..I think it will be a stock market crash but equally it could be something else.

The world has gone mad

Lol I for example feel bad for getting free money when I don’t need it. I don’t feel bad enough to give it back.😎 I understand the concept of spending to fill the hole in the economy but rather see the money go to bridges for example. Keep those people working as much as possible. 
How about 10 million tiny homes for the homeless. Good project for the unemployed. Or plant a few million fruit and nut trees on federal land. Whatever. 

 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

2 minutes ago, Boat said:

Lol I for example feel bad for getting free money when I don’t need it. I don’t feel bad enough to give it back.😎 I understand the concept of spending to fill the hole in the economy but rather see the money go to bridges for example. Keep those people working as much as possible. 
How about 10 million tiny homes for the homeless. Good project for the unemployed. Or plant a few million fruit and nut trees on federal land. Whatever. 

 

You watch far to much TV, tiny homes. 

[El Nikko + 2,145]

4 minutes ago, Boat said:

Lol I for example feel bad for getting free money when I don’t need it. I don’t feel bad enough to give it back.😎 I understand the concept of spending to fill the hole in the economy but rather see the money go to bridges for example. Keep those people working as much as possible. 
 

 

Same here but I feel justified to take it, Oil industry was destroyed years and and the covid thing in Feb put a stake through it's heart.

That is/was my life

So I'll take every penny and ironically give much of it back to the tax man.

I think the free money may have to continue....which makes you wonder what they're going to do next.

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by El Nikko