Say Anything Blog

You know prior to the election there were “Republicans” here claiming that John Hoeven didn’t favor giving well to do people free health care.

1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.

I think the North Dakota Republican Party needs to go through a re-alignment.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

As for Governor Hoeven suppporting the massive Dem increase in SCHIP, you have your facts wrong.

That’s the conversation I was referring to.  That George guy really turned out to be a fool.  No wonder why he doesn’t dare show his face around here anymore.

1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.

What I don’t understand is why these guys never have to justify these massive expansions of spending.

Someone should ask: How many of the uninsured kids in North Dakota have insurance available to them but aren’t enrolled?

I’d be willing to guess the answer is “most.”  I’d be willing to bet that most of the kids that would be covered by this expansion also have insurance already available to them.

Meaning we don’t need this expansion.

And here’s another debate we need to have: Why is it the government’s responsibility to provide health care?  Much like with the free money made available through government pressure that crashed the housing market, all this free health care isn’t doing anything but drive up health care costs for those of us who pay our own way.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

It’s been a while, but I see a theme of relying on the government.

The ultimate way to rely on the government is to become a civil servant, become a soldier, or just become so indebted that you “need help” and thus learn to work the system to your advantage.

I’d prefer the first two, where you earn a salary paid by others’ tax dollars. Your retirement and healthcare are taken care of by the government. You get more days off than if you were in the private sector. And your paycheck comes directly from the government just like it would if you were poor.

And as a soldier, at least the government gives you weapons to use at no charge. In both cases you may have a free library to access, and the soldier gets the best insurance of anyone. He’s also got ‘veterans’ hospitals’ and veterans services all paid for by the government.

I’d like to have a government career myself. And well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

I’d be the last guy to deny that entitlements have a place in American society. My problem isn’t the programs that benefit those who need them, rather those who run those programs and the allowance and encouragement of abuse of those programs.

There was a time during the Clinton Admin that my family and I were in desperate need of medical assistance. My wife went dutifully to the resource office where she was interrogated by a flunky, told to return the next day, interrogated again, told to return again…This went on for two weeks, after which we were denied assistance of any kind. During those two weeks she observed all manner of humankind, most of which spoke no english, ushered through on a production line, never seeing the same family twice. There didn’t appear to be a shortage of assistance for those who didn’t have the appearance of qualification. We wound up filing bancruptcy.

6 months later we were informed that our youngest son qualified for medical benefits. He wasn’t the one we needed the assistance for…

There is a huge problem with the system, and until that is worked out I oppose any funding of any entitlement. The government is spending $5 to give away $1…

I wouldn’t mind the freebies if they went to people who needed them temporarily and got off of them as soon as they could.

The reality is they go where they are counterproductive (keeping people not working).

1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.

Key word:  give.

Unspoken word:  take.

Result:  no initiative.

Communism is evil

everyone knows Hoeven was a liberal, right?

A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.
Thomas Jefferson

Mine is better than ours.
Benjamin Franklin

NoJelly, I think there’s a difference between a little temporary help for those who can’t help themselves and a welfare state.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

I think the North Dakota Republican Party needs to go through a re-alignment.

I think the Republican Party as a whole could stand a little re-alignment.

And as a soldier, at least the government gives you weapons to use at no charge.

Yeah, but you gotta remember, your weapons were made by the lowest bidder!

This is really scary; we have a situation where government is already bidding up the cost of healthcare by paying 50% or so of bills, and Hoeven wants to make it higher?  Was he asleep when his econ professors at Dartmouth and Northwestern explained the problems that occur when one party is buying most of a given commodity?  Did he ignore those econ profs when they explained what happens to demand when the purchasers don’t see the bills for the products they want?

And Student Student, you might want to rethink that government job thing.  Talk to some veterans about VA medical care.  Remember the Walter Reed scandal last year?  Yeah, listen to YOUR econ profs, too; one supplier or one purchaser of a given commodity is not exactly a recipe for quality products or reasonable prices.

NoJelly, I think there’s a difference between a little temporary help for those who can’t help themselves and a welfare state.

I know the difference well, Rob. Temporary assistance was what we were seeking, and were dismissed to bankroll longterm welfare professionals.

Like I said, the system is corrupt. OK, I said it “has a problem”, but the core is corruption, abusers clamping onto the gub’mint tit, and their enablers perpetuating it in order to justify budgets and their jobs…I have personal experience to back up my claim…Ask me about how my exwife stuck herself to the MN tit for 15 years…

one more this former lib needs to remember; if you build it, they will come. wanna see people swarm from moorhead to fargo or EGF to GF? all you need to do is give MORE away than MN does…. hes got a good start.

A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.
Thomas Jefferson

Mine is better than ours.
Benjamin Franklin

Just wanted a quick clarification.  Did you mean to say Medicaid instead of Medicare?  Because the only people who qualify for Medicare are those of age, disabled, or with end stage renal disease.

all you need to do is give MORE away than MN does…. hes got a good start.

Yeah, but what does giving all that stuff away get us in the long run?  Marginal businesses that chase these government give-aways around the country?  Going out of business and reforming again in a new place to cash in on more taxpayer-funded goodies?

Businesses so marginal that they can only survive with special favors from the government?

You can keep those people.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Just wanted a quick clarification.  Did you mean to say Medicaid instead of Medicare?

Yes, my bad.

I mix those two up all the time.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

I fixed it, thanks Sara.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Most people in ND get a government check or subsidy of one sort or another.

No Free Lunch

Rob said: I think the North Dakota Republican Party needs to go through a re-alignment.

I will help you lead the charge. I am sure there are other like us that are fed up with our GOP…

Check out:
Goon’s North Dakota Red Neck
Goon’s World

I will help you lead the charge. I am sure there are other like us that are fed up with our GOP…

There are.  I’ve got some plans for organizing SAB readers to support the right kind of leaders in the state.

I hope I can count on your support.

The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

We’re all nothing but supportive!

No Free Lunch

There are.  I’ve got some plans for organizing SAB readers to support the right kind of leaders in the state.
I hope I can count on your support

I am in.

Check out:
Goon’s North Dakota Red Neck
Goon’s World

Most people in ND get a government check or subsidy of one sort or another.

where can i get mine?

A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.
Thomas Jefferson

Mine is better than ours.
Benjamin Franklin