The Trump Card...

[cheri1122]

I didn't mention it because other than medical care as being a major factor in longevity, the other factors aren't nearly as clear cut as you make them out to be. Education appears to be a factor, but it's clear that education alone isn't the cause for longevity, as blacks and Latinos without high school educations have a longer life expectancy than those with higher educations. White women without a high school diploma have a shorter life expectancy than those with a high school or college diploma, but only those white women with no diploma who smoke and do not have a job, with having a job having more of an effect on life expectancy than quitting smoking does for that group. There are far too many factors than can simply be pointed to as "can afford better than average, so we have to give everyone free healthcare, free educations and free healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners because they'll live as long as rich people do if we do that." It's just not that simple.

I don't think living longer is as good as living stronger: quality over quantity.

 

[Turtle]

So you're just gonna go with Jack Handy. OK.

 

[davekc]

According to Chris Christie, SS was raided to make up shortfalls in the General Fund. You can blame it on Obamacare, but whatever the reason, the SS Trust Fund should be reserved solely for SS benefits - and people should be screaming bloody murder about it. But how much media coverage does the issue get?
Christie is one who proposes raising the retirement age - no big deal when your 'job' is as physically demanding as his, right? Not to mention having had proper medical care your entire life, which the less fortunate go without.
Both raiding the fund and raising the retirement age are a betrayal of the people who spent many decades contributing to the fund, and were promised the return of their money when they reach 65. If there is a shortage of funds, the obvious solution is to increase contributions, by raising the income cap that currently allows people to pay into the fund the same amount whether they earn $118,00 or $1 million. Raising the cap would not harm them, as raising the retirement age and/or cutting benefits would harm many of those affected. It's a no brainer, so why are the Republicans choosing to harm people who really, truly, actually have worked hard all their lives?
This country was founded on brains good enough to write the Constitution, but it was built by people willing to get their hands dirty by literally building everything it contains [outside of flora & fauna]. Such people deserve much more than the contempt of the current 'leaders' who would cheerfully take the bread from their table, to pander to their own.

He ( being Christie) is correct. When he says "general fund" he is talking about moving medicare money over to pay for Ocare. Probably around 500 million. Some will go back as part of Ocare as it raises payroll taxes to offset some of it. Spread on 10 years.
Some of the savings also are perceived savings they think they are going to get from providers. Republicans will always leave that part out. They will see some, but like a game of Chinese Cups, the insurance will get their money back through higher premiums and deductibles. Of course that is part of the reason they didn't want anyone seeing this disaster before it passed.
On of those again, "follow the money" as the "devil is in the details".

 

[RoadTime]

Time for a Poll bump

Latest polls show Trump with big leads in early states

 

[Pilgrim]

It's still early in the process, one has to wonder if the dynamics of the primary process are beginning to show the effects of the influence of low information voters on both sides.

RealClearPolitics - Election 2016 - 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

― Winston S. Churchill

Republican voters are clearly fed up with the ineffective "establishment" candidates recently nominated by the party leaders. But if the nominee turns out to be either Trump or Carson, it will be essential for these two political rookies to have a team of experienced Washington insiders (especially the VP) making up the team in order to succeed in getting things done. Right now it appears the GOP has its choice between an extremely wealthy real estate developer / Reality TV personality and a retired but world renowned brain surgeon, neither of whom has held elective political office, or has any experience whatsoever in foreign affairs.

 

[Windsor]

It's still early in the process, one has to wonder if the dynamics of the primary process are beginning to show the effects of the influence of low information voters on both sides.

RealClearPolitics - Election 2016 - 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”

― Winston S. Churchill

Republican voters are clearly fed up with the ineffective "establishment" candidates recently nominated by the party leaders. But if the nominee turns out to be either Trump or Carson, it will be essential for these two political rookies to have a team of experienced Washington insiders (especially the VP) making up the team in order to succeed in getting things done. Right now it appears the GOP has its choice between an extremely wealthy real estate developer / Reality TV personality and a retired but world renowned brain surgeon, neither of whom has held elective political office, or has any experience whatsoever in foreign affairs.

Don't have to deal with foreign affairs if your just going to "build a wall" I've looked closely at what the reps. are bringing to the table. The couple candidates I kinda like don't have a chance of getting the nomination. The GOP should be embarrassed imo.

 

[Windsor]

Immigrants and drugs have no problem crossing oceans to get here but a wall is going to fix the problem. What a joke, seriously!

 

[Windsor]

No actually the real joke is that we all still try to believe that a certain political candidate is going to swoop down to the white house and make everything better. That might only be true if politicians controlled things in our country. Money controls everything and the people and company's with the most money have all the power. Politicians do what they get paid to do. We (the people) just keep pointing fingers at each other and arguing the whole rep/dem thing. The joke is on us.

 

[xiggi]

Immigrants and drugs have no problem crossing oceans to get here but a wall is going to fix the problem. What a joke, seriously!

Yea they don't work that's why there around prisons and businesses all over the country. Where they have built good walls on the southern border it has indeed shifted traffic to areas without them. Will it eliminate it no, will it reduce numbers, absolutely.

 

[Pilgrim]

Even the walls around prisons are supplemented by people (including guards), weapons and technology to create a barrier that's at the very least, extremely difficult to cross. Combine those deterrents on the border with no jobs and no free entitlements and the reason to cross over in the first place becomes far less attractive. Trump actually issued a position paper on this subject back in August.

Trump reveals details of immigration reform plan

 

[Ragman]

Here we go again..... Walls ...... Apples and oranges......
Walls around prisons are to keep people in. Trumpette wants to build a wall to keep people out. It will not work.

 

[RoadTime]

Here we go again..... Walls ...... Apples and oranges......
Walls around prisons are to keep people in. Trumpette wants to build a wall to keep people out. It will not work.

Hmmmm, sounds like the same thing to me. Both are to keep people, who shouldn't be, out of the general population.

 

[Yowpuggy]

Hmmmm, sounds like the same thing to me. Both are to keep people, who shouldn't be, out of the general population.

I guess you're in agreement with Trump that they are criminals. Mmmmmm

 

[Turtle]

As has been noted, a wall in and of itself won't keep anyone in or out. It has to be part of a comprehensive plan for it to work.

 

[Windsor]

Yea they don't work that's why there around prisons and businesses all over the country. Where they have built good walls on the southern border it has indeed shifted traffic to areas without them. Will it eliminate it no, will it reduce numbers, absolutely.

Your a smart guy xiggi, you can't possibly think that a wall will reduce the amount of drugs coming into the country. They definitely don't stop drugs from getting into prisons. Prisons have armed guards every hundred feet or so wich won't be the case if we build a 2000 mile long wall. Immigrants and or drugs won't stop coming just because it may be a little harder then it was before. Heroin usage in th US is at epidemic levels right now and it's grown on the other side of the planet. I just found out recently that most of the heroin in the US arrives by boat and not through Mexico like I thought it did.

 

[xiggi]

I'm talking about border jumpers and yes it will absolutely help it's already been proven.

 

[Yowpuggy]

The only way to put a dent in illegal immigration is to penalize employers. No jobs, no illegal immigrants.

 

[Windsor]

At an estimated cost of 15 to 28 billion just for the construction alone and it would only keep SOME of the "border jumpers" out. Not to mention the 2 to 3 billion a year to secure and maintain the wall. But hey, if u think it's worth that much to keep some of them out then let's do it. If that's the message we're going to send the world then maybe we should go to Ellis Island and take down the statue of liberty while we're in wall building mode.

 

[muttly]

At an estimated cost of 15 to 28 billion just for the construction alone and it would only keep SOME of the "border jumpers" out. Not to mention the 2 to 3 billion a year to secure and maintain the wall. But hey, if u think it's worth that much to keep some of them out then let's do it. If that's the message we're going to send the world then maybe we should go to Ellis Island and take down the statue of liberty while we're in wall building mode.

So you are for letting everyone in. Got it.

 

[Yowpuggy]

Everyone is concern about Mexicans, what about the millions from Europe who come here on visitors visa and stay here illegally? I guess they're Caucasian so it ok.