Universal health care, the economy, etc.

[Holt's Cat]

We are the Federal Government....we keep electing our Reps so that they get more powerful committee appointments = bringing home the bacon to their respective districts....when was the last time you voted for someone who turned down a ear-mark that would bring jobs to the district because it wouldn't be the financial prudent thing to do?

I vote Libertarian so last election.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

There are trillions of barrels of shale oil still in the ground....enough for hundreds of years....the real problem is we are heating up the earth burning all these fossil fuels...an incubator would be a good example...and whenever climate change happens so abruptly...look out...I don't think we fully understand the consequences....but we will...

Dude, you know I know what a concern climate change is - , I spent about a year trying to explain all the science behind it to the head-in-the-sand brigade in the polical forum before I got too frustrated and gave up - I just didn't want to make this into a climate change slanging match with the ignorant.

As for shale oil, every barrel takes 10x the energy to extract when compared to conventional oil, and causes far more damage to soil and groundwater - it is a truly damaging process.

Also, extracting the stuff is not something you can start doing overnight - building the infrastructure takes 10+ years, and you'd have to do it on a massive scale to replace the diminishing returns most of the world's oilfields will soon be experiencing.

Peak oil will fuel hyper-inflation and devastate the world economy unless the entire world makes a real effort to reduce oil consumption. Right now, consumption is constrained only by supply, otherwise the world would be chewing through the oil at an even greater rate. How foolish we are.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

What is with the price of health care in the US???

I pay about $13 a week, or $52/month for basic private health care coverage. What do singles over there pay? I've heard from others that they pay well over $100 a month. Why is it so ridiculously expensive compared with other countries?

A visit to the doctor here costs about $50, and you get $30 back from the government. When I went to the doc in SA, it was $110, and he got the freakin diagnosis wrong anyway (forgot to mention cedar fever, the idiot).

[CosmicCowboy]

What is with the price of health care in the US???

I pay about $13 a week, or $52/month for basic private health care coverage. What do singles over there pay? I've heard from others that they pay well over $100 a month. Why is it so ridiculously expensive compared with other countries?

A visit to the doctor here costs about $50, and you get $30 back from the government. When I went to the doc in SA, it was $110, and he got the freakin diagnosis wrong anyway (forgot to mention cedar fever, the idiot).

What is the Australia position on liability insurance for doctors?

What is their educational criteria to be a doctor?

This is the good old USA. If " happens", and it happens a lot with health care because you wouldn't be seeing a doctor if something wasn't already ed up... SOMEONE is gonna pay big bucks. Thats why a third of our phone book is lawyers.

[Clandestino]

Actually, these countries are doing fine....in fact, many countries with universal health care run yearly cash surpluses....and their currency? Let's just say I would switch my currency to Euros in a heart-beat....

I paid 47% in Germany. that! If I make the money I don't want to pay for some loser like you who screws around on the internet all day.

[TDMVPDPOY]

What is the Australia position on liability insurance for doctors?

What is their educational criteria to be a doctor?

This is the good old USA. If " happens", and it happens a lot with health care because you wouldn't be seeing a doctor if something wasn't already ed up... SOMEONE is gonna pay big bucks. Thats why a third of our phone book is lawyers.

Educational criteria to be a doctor is the same as in america anyway, 6yrs ed/co-op, and the intake for applicants for doctor courses is hard to get into and very limited positions at unis.

Liability on insurance is capped, expecially for public liability and its starting to change also for doctors and ppl who work in the public sector, due to increase court cases and insurance cover for public prac ioners.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

What is the Australia position on liability insurance for doctors?

What is their educational criteria to be a doctor?

This is the good old USA. If " happens", and it happens a lot with health care because you wouldn't be seeing a doctor if something wasn't already ed up... SOMEONE is gonna pay big bucks. Thats why a third of our phone book is lawyers.

We have the same liability insurance problem you do - my GP nearly quit because his insurance premiums were something ridiculous like 30K/yr. Apparently, obstetricians get it the worst.

As for the educational criteria, they are at least as strict. You have to be in the top 0.2% of students in year 12 just to get into a medical college, then they do a 4 year degree and another 3 years in a hospital (followed by another 3-5 years if they want to specialise).

[Clandestino]

I forgot to mention the VAT tax they have in Germany too. I think it is 15-16% on everything they buy...plus income taxes.... they better have "FREE" healthcare with taxes like that. you couldn't afford to buy it if you wanted to.

[TDMVPDPOY]

We have the same liability insurance problem you do - my GP nearly quit because his insurance premiums were something ridiculous like 30K/yr. Apparently, obstetricians get it the worst.

As for the educational criteria, they are at least as strict. You have to be in the top 0.2% of students in year 12 just to get into a medical college, then they do a 4 year degree and another 3 years in a hospital (followed by another 3-5 years if they want to specialise).

Another problem is the intake per year from universities....they limit it, when the govt has been tryin to push the unis to increase intakes, due to the shortages of skilled workers practicing or bolting overseas.

30k insurance is tax deductible, dont forget you can always rort the system if your a private prac ion, bulk billing medicare with fake transactions and remittance of GST hahahhahahaha

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I paid 47% in Germany. that! If I make the money I don't want to pay for some loser like you who screws around on the internet all day.

47% of what? I call BS. Your marginal tax rate may have been 47%, but that doesn't mean you paid 47% of your income as tax. Actually, I just looked it up and Germany has a very uncomplicated income tax system:

0-7,664Eur - 0
7,665-52,152 - 15%
52,152-250,000 - 42%

So, if you earn 100,000Eur you'll pay (6,673+20,096), or about 27% tax in total. So you were talking .

On top of that there is a 5.5% "solidarity tax" ( ) apparently levied since re-unification and no doubt devoted to projects in the East.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Another problem is the intake per year from universities....they limit it, when the govt has been tryin to push the unis to increase intakes, due to the shortages of skilled workers practicing or bolting overseas.

30k insurance is tax deductible, dont forget you can always rort the system if your a private prac ion, bulk billing medicare with fake transactions and remittance of GST hahahhahahaha

Actually, the number of doctor places has doubled in the last 3 years.

[Clandestino]

47% of what? I call BS. Your marginal tax rate may have been 47%, but that doesn't mean you paid 47% of your income as tax. Actually, I just looked it up and Germany has a very uncomplicated income tax system:

0-7,664Eur - 0
7,665-52,152 - 15%
52,152-250,000 - 42%

So, if you earn 100,000Eur you'll pay (6,673+20,096), or about 27% tax in total. So you were talking .

On top of that there is a 5.5% "solidarity tax" ( ) apparently levied since re-unification and no doubt devoted to projects in the East.

i was there in 1995-2002. Check the rates at the that time.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

i was there in 1995-2002. Check the rates at the that time.

No, how about you do your own research.

You missed the point anyway - every income tax scale I've ever seen has been a sliding scale so as not to be regressive. Your marginal tax rate DOES NOT EQUAL the total proportion of your income that goes to tax. Saying that you paid "47% of your income" when your marginal tax rate is 47% is incorrect and misleading.

[TDMVPDPOY]

What you need now is good fiscal policy relating to tax and funding, good economic management...

You know what sector wants to get paid or increase funding, then another sector wants its fair share of funding also, the state/fed budget is not enough when it comes to distribution to different sectors that need it most...

corruption

[peewee's lovechild]

As for shale oil, every barrel takes 10x the energy to extract when compared to conventional oil, and causes far more damage to soil and groundwater - it is a truly damaging process.

Also, extracting the stuff is not something you can start doing overnight - building the infrastructure takes 10+ years, and you'd have to do it on a massive scale to replace the diminishing returns most of the world's oilfields will soon be experiencing.

I don't know much about shale oil, or the extraction of it, but I do know that Canada has a huge resovior of shale oil. I'd rather give my money to them than some dumbass towel heads that are bent on destroying the West to please Allah.

[peewee's lovechild]

I see Ruff has done his homework.

I'm kinda impressed.

I would be real impressed if he wasn't an Ozzie.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Actually, I know stuff because I READ. I have also been studying sustainability for a few years now - it is the greatest challenge ever to face human civilisation after all.

As for "I would be real impressed if he wasn't an Ozzie", is that because we downunder are widely regaled for our superior intellect?

[CosmicCowboy]

Don't be talkin about the Aussies. I was on the team that won the US NCAA's in rugby in '74 and we played the Australian Select team (blacks?) in an exhibition in the states and they not only kicked our ass they showed us what SERIOUS beer drinking was in the traditional party after the game.

[Clandestino]

No, how about you do your own research.

You missed the point anyway - every income tax scale I've ever seen has been a sliding scale so as not to be regressive. Your marginal tax rate DOES NOT EQUAL the total proportion of your income that goes to tax. Saying that you paid "47% of your income" when your marginal tax rate is 47% is incorrect and misleading.

so, if my effective tax rate came out to 27%, but then you add in the 5.5% solidarity surcharge...AND you add in the VAT tax of 15-16%...

that is OVER 47%... lot of ing money to pay any way you slice it!

[Sportcamper]

I am so happy that Hillary took Texas & that she has those super delgates… Barack would never be able to get Universal Health care going…At least we now have a chance….