Trump will put a stop to this nonsene. He's the only one with the courage to bring these issues to the forefront.
I'm worried for Trump because South Carolina is both a neocon state and a Bible Belt state: two demographics that do not favor Trump at all.
I find it hard to believe that trump of all people would stand up to big business. He is big business and a man all about his cronies. Nothing will change on that front if he wins.
Indeed. The entitlement programs are exactly what is bankrupting this country. When you add interest payments, mandatory spending accounts for 2/3rds of all expenditures. The biggest two are Healthcare (~24% 2014) and Social Security (~24% 2014). These amounts are continuing to increase, squeezing out the other parts of government spending.
For a point of comparison, the latest figures I can find for New Zealand have 'Social Security and Welfare' (which I believe includes unemployment benefits and accident insurance as well as superannuation) at 29.9% and Health at 15.6%.
It might just be that any nation which provides an old-age pension is going to pay a lot for it, at least until the Boomers pass out of the equation. (The government here assists with retirement income in two ways - a flat income of approximately US$250/week, and a savings scheme that the government matches contributions to for up to 3% of your income.)
(My opinions on how US healthcare expenditure could potentially be lowered have been mentioned previously in the thread. )
It's SC primary day. Polls indicate that Trump should dominate. Time to see if they hold up
Trump is not going to dominate the state. It's an evangelical state and a neocon state. I expect it to be very close and I wouldn't be surprised if he actually loses to Cruz. I expect JEB! "Please Clap" Bush to overperform.
For a point of comparison, the latest figures I can find for New Zealand have 'Social Security and Welfare' (which I believe includes unemployment benefits and accident insurance as well as superannuation) at 29.9% and Health at 15.6%.
Yes? And New Zealand has been running consistent deficits since the 70s. You currently have 120 billion in national debt, which is 50% of your GDP. Not a great example of responsible government spending if you ask me. And you are right, it is similar accross the board for most countries that are running massive entitlement programs.
Any system that involves a 3rd party payer (e.g. Government, with 'unlimited' funds) and thus breaks the market relationship between provider and payer is going to have problems with high costs. Reducing these costs while maintaining the same 3rd party system will only artificially reduce the quality of the benefits when budgets comes into play (e.g. Rationing). Just look at the VA for great examples of what happens when Government runs healthcare.
For a point of comparison, the latest figures I can find for New Zealand have 'Social Security and Welfare' (which I believe includes unemployment benefits and accident insurance as well as superannuation) at 29.9% and Health at 15.6%.
Yes? And New Zealand has been running consistent deficits since the 70s. You currently have 120 billion in national debt, which is 50% of your GDP. Not a great example of responsible government spending if you ask me. And you are right, it is similar accross the board for most countries that are running massive entitlement programs.
Any system that involves a 3rd party payer (e.g. Government, with 'unlimited' funds) and thus breaks the market relationship between provider and payer is going to have problems with high costs. Reducing these costs while maintaining the same 3rd party system will only artificially reduce the quality of the benefits when budgets comes into play (e.g. Rationing). Just look at the VA for great examples of what happens when Government runs healthcare.
There are actually benefits to (for example) a centralised pharmaceutical purchasing agency, with the buying power of even a small country behind it. I don't see what you mean about Government-run healthcare having inflated costs - look at the costs in the US healthcare industry (Chargemasters!). Also look at the per-capita amount spent by non-US countries (which cover everyone) and the US on healthcare.
Economics aren't my speciality, but I did think we (New Zealand) had been running a surplus from the mid-90s through to the GFC.
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Quote from MD »
I am willing to bet my collection that Frozen and Solid are not on the same card. For example, Frozen Tomb and Solid Wall.
If Frozen Solid is not reprinted, you are aware that I'm quoting you in my sig for eternity?
Trump wins South Carolina, and Jeb! is now officially out. As I mentioned earlier I didn't see him dropping out unless he bombed in SC. Well he did just that. Honestly, I find it glorious to see Jeb! flush away all of his PAC money for nothing. He was being touted as the go-to GOP candidate a year ago and he couldn't even make it Super Tuesday.
I think it's too little too late for the establishment. They're going to go all in on Rubio at this point but even if they do Trump is still poised to take Nevada and then clean up Super Tuesday. Cruz will stay strong but he won't be able to stand up to Trump, especially since Trump can sell himself as being more electable in the general election than Cruz. The only way I see Trump *not* winning the nomination at this point is the RNC pulling every trick in the book at the convention to make sure Trump doesn't win. If that happens, all hell is going to break loose.
Trump wins South Carolina, and Jeb! is now officially out. As I mentioned earlier I didn't see him dropping out unless he bombed in SC. Well he did just that. Honestly, I find it glorious to see Jeb! flush away all of his PAC money for nothing. He was being touted as the go-to GOP candidate a year ago and he couldn't even make it Super Tuesday.
I think it's too little too late for the establishment. They're going to go all in on Rubio at this point but even if they do Trump is still poised to take Nevada and then clean up Super Tuesday. Cruz will stay strong but he won't be able to stand up to Trump, especially since Trump can sell himself as being more electable in the general election than Cruz. The only way I see Trump *not* winning the nomination at this point is the RNC pulling every trick in the book at the convention to make sure Trump doesn't win. If that happens, all hell is going to break loose.
I think it depends on when Kasich and Cruz drop out. I believe Rubio will gather the majority of votes from voters that were supporting Jeb. Similarly, I believe Rubio would pick up more votes than Trump from either Kasich and Cruz supporters when they drop out. If they both stick around past March 15 then I think you are right and Trump will win. But if they both drop out directly after Super Tuesday I think Rubio would start beating Trump rather handily in head to head meetings.
I think it's too little too late for the establishment. They're going to go all in on Rubio at this point but even if they do Trump is still poised to take Nevada and then clean up Super Tuesday. Cruz will stay strong but he won't be able to stand up to Trump, especially since Trump can sell himself as being more electable in the general election than Cruz. The only way I see Trump *not* winning the nomination at this point is the RNC pulling every trick in the book at the convention to make sure Trump doesn't win. If that happens, all hell is going to break loose.
How much can the establishment fiddle the numbers at the convention, if Trump has a sizable lead? Can they override the primaries to some extent?
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Quote from MD »
I am willing to bet my collection that Frozen and Solid are not on the same card. For example, Frozen Tomb and Solid Wall.
If Frozen Solid is not reprinted, you are aware that I'm quoting you in my sig for eternity?
538 reporting that many voters in South Carolina were voting for Cruz or Rubio simply because they know Trump won't win the general election, and they REALLY don't want a Democrat in the White House.
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Level 1 Judge
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
538 reporting that many voters in South Carolina were voting for Cruz or Rubio simply because they know Trump won't win the general election, and they REALLY don't want a Democrat in the White House.
Link? This has been the opposite of the way Republican voters have tended to behave in the past few elections (voting for ideology with little regard for electability), but Silver's a lot smarter than me, so I'm curious to see his reasoning.
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Vive, vale. Siquid novisti rectius istis,
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
How much can the establishment fiddle the numbers at the convention, if Trump has a sizable lead? Can they override the primaries to some extent?
From what I've read, the RNC supposedly has a lot of tricks up their sleeves that they can use to stymie Trump at the convention. It would be similar to how back in 2012 they refused to seat a significant number of delegates held by Ron Paul and did not allow him at the convention by amending a bunch of party rules. This was done to prevent a floor fight and try to make the GOP look unified when the delegates cast their votes to nominate Mitt Romney. In the case of Trump (since he will be coming into the convention with a huge number of delegates), it would get a LOT more ugly and it likely would be the final straw for a lot of GOP voters seeing their party bosses try to deliberately rig the nomination process.
What is it about evangelicalism that goes against Trump? I'm curious.
Trump is, to put it mildly, not a religious man. That said, a lot of evangelicals seem to have made peace with that and adopted him as some sort of, I dunno, pet or attack dog or something.
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Vive, vale. Siquid novisti rectius istis,
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
Indeed. The entitlement programs are exactly what is bankrupting this country. When you add interest payments, mandatory spending accounts for 2/3rds of all expenditures. The biggest two are Healthcare (~24% 2014) and Social Security (~24% 2014). These amounts are continuing to increase, squeezing out the other parts of government spending.
Your use of "bankrupt" shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how the United States does debt. You are aware that countries are currently paying us to hold our debt right now, right?
Indeed. The entitlement programs are exactly what is bankrupting this country. When you add interest payments, mandatory spending accounts for 2/3rds of all expenditures. The biggest two are Healthcare (~24% 2014) and Social Security (~24% 2014). These amounts are continuing to increase, squeezing out the other parts of government spending.
Your use of "bankrupt" shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how the United States does debt. You are aware that countries are currently paying us to hold our debt right now, right?
What bazarro world are you living in? I think your going to need to provide a source.
Indeed. The entitlement programs are exactly what is bankrupting this country. When you add interest payments, mandatory spending accounts for 2/3rds of all expenditures. The biggest two are Healthcare (~24% 2014) and Social Security (~24% 2014). These amounts are continuing to increase, squeezing out the other parts of government spending.
Your use of "bankrupt" shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how the United States does debt. You are aware that countries are currently paying us to hold our debt right now, right?
What bazarro world are you living in? I think your going to need to provide a source.
538 reporting that many voters in South Carolina were voting for Cruz or Rubio simply because they know Trump won't win the general election, and they REALLY don't want a Democrat in the White House.
Link? This has been the opposite of the way Republican voters have tended to behave in the past few elections (voting for ideology with little regard for electability), but Silver's a lot smarter than me, so I'm curious to see his reasoning.
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Inflation vs lower interest does not equal people paying us to hold our debt.
Ignoring for a moment, that interest rates were actually negative for a while (meaning they expected to receive LESS dollars than they put in) that is exactly what it means. If I tell you that if you hand me a dollar today to buy 95 cents worth of stuff of tomorrow you are paying me the difference.
I find it hard to believe that trump of all people would stand up to big business. He is big business and a man all about his cronies. Nothing will change on that front if he wins.
For a point of comparison, the latest figures I can find for New Zealand have 'Social Security and Welfare' (which I believe includes unemployment benefits and accident insurance as well as superannuation) at 29.9% and Health at 15.6%.
It might just be that any nation which provides an old-age pension is going to pay a lot for it, at least until the Boomers pass out of the equation. (The government here assists with retirement income in two ways - a flat income of approximately US$250/week, and a savings scheme that the government matches contributions to for up to 3% of your income.)
(My opinions on how US healthcare expenditure could potentially be lowered have been mentioned previously in the thread. )
Has Trump actually said he will put a stop to this?
Trump is not going to dominate the state. It's an evangelical state and a neocon state. I expect it to be very close and I wouldn't be surprised if he actually loses to Cruz. I expect JEB! "Please Clap" Bush to overperform.
Yes? And New Zealand has been running consistent deficits since the 70s. You currently have 120 billion in national debt, which is 50% of your GDP. Not a great example of responsible government spending if you ask me. And you are right, it is similar accross the board for most countries that are running massive entitlement programs.
Any system that involves a 3rd party payer (e.g. Government, with 'unlimited' funds) and thus breaks the market relationship between provider and payer is going to have problems with high costs. Reducing these costs while maintaining the same 3rd party system will only artificially reduce the quality of the benefits when budgets comes into play (e.g. Rationing). Just look at the VA for great examples of what happens when Government runs healthcare.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
Economics aren't my speciality, but I did think we (New Zealand) had been running a surplus from the mid-90s through to the GFC.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
I think it's too little too late for the establishment. They're going to go all in on Rubio at this point but even if they do Trump is still poised to take Nevada and then clean up Super Tuesday. Cruz will stay strong but he won't be able to stand up to Trump, especially since Trump can sell himself as being more electable in the general election than Cruz. The only way I see Trump *not* winning the nomination at this point is the RNC pulling every trick in the book at the convention to make sure Trump doesn't win. If that happens, all hell is going to break loose.
I think it depends on when Kasich and Cruz drop out. I believe Rubio will gather the majority of votes from voters that were supporting Jeb. Similarly, I believe Rubio would pick up more votes than Trump from either Kasich and Cruz supporters when they drop out. If they both stick around past March 15 then I think you are right and Trump will win. But if they both drop out directly after Super Tuesday I think Rubio would start beating Trump rather handily in head to head meetings.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
From what I've read, the RNC supposedly has a lot of tricks up their sleeves that they can use to stymie Trump at the convention. It would be similar to how back in 2012 they refused to seat a significant number of delegates held by Ron Paul and did not allow him at the convention by amending a bunch of party rules. This was done to prevent a floor fight and try to make the GOP look unified when the delegates cast their votes to nominate Mitt Romney. In the case of Trump (since he will be coming into the convention with a huge number of delegates), it would get a LOT more ugly and it likely would be the final straw for a lot of GOP voters seeing their party bosses try to deliberately rig the nomination process.
What is it about evangelicalism that goes against Trump? I'm curious.
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I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
So Trump is going to help the workers form a union and fight the money grubbing corporation through the power of collective bargaining?
What bazarro world are you living in? I think your going to need to provide a source.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
Inflation was 1.7% last year however, the FED interest rate was only 0.5% In otherwords, to own US debt is to lose money.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)
http://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/nevada-caucus-south-carolina-primary-presidential-election-2016/
It's around the 8:00 PM Mark.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
Interest costs are poised to surpass defense and nondefense discretionary spending.
Modern: R Skred -- WBG Melira Co -- URW Nahiri Control
Legacy: R Mono Red Burn -- UWB Stoneblade
Commander: R Krenko, Mob Boss -- WUBRG Scion of the Ur-Dragon -- WUBRG Maze’s End
Other: R No Rares Red (Standard) -- URC Izzet Tron (Pauper)