Political Irony

13 Comments

1. No u wrote:

   Coincidence indeed

   Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 10:21 am | Permalink
2. Bill Graff wrote:

   But do they pay too much for it?

   Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 10:24 am | Permalink
3. Iron Knee wrote:

   How much is the AAA rating worth? 🙂

   Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 10:48 am | Permalink
4. David Freeman wrote:

   We paid a lot to get that AA+ rating. We’ve paid a lot to get our B- in healthcare as well.
   The Republican leadership reminds me of that old Olympics joke: One winner was so proud of his gold medal that he got it bronzed. Did Republicans do the same with our credit rating?
   I bet Rick Perry is excited because he never got an A much less an AA+.

   Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 10:54 am | Permalink
5. Sammy wrote:

   @ Bill Graff: All those people who have no health coverage, but still end up at the doctor or in a hospital…who do you think pays for that? A) All of us through higher premiums and taxes; B) Fairy dust.

   Pick one.

   Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 2:12 pm | Permalink
6. thefunrev wrote:

   @ Sammy, I think @ Bill Graff’s comment was tongue in cheek. We pay far too much for B- privatized health care while countries with B+ or better universal health care pay much more reasonable amounts. And in most countries, there are mechanisms for private pay health care above and beyond the government-paid care.

   If I received in my paycheck what my church pays for my very reasonably (by comparison) priced and excellent health care package and then paid 10% of that total for my share of universal health care, I’d be nearly $2,300 to the good after the rest of my taxes were paid. Even if it were 15%, I’d still make out to the good. My church and I would both be okay if they only gave me half of what we pay now – they would spend less and I’d still have more in my pocket at the end of each month, though not as much as 10 or 15% of the total would yield.

   Yes, it’s a tough battle, but I think the time has come to suck it up and do universal health care.

   Sunday, August 7, 2011 at 8:52 pm | Permalink
7. ebdoug wrote:

   And Teddy Roosevelt thought it was time to do Universal Health care at the start of the 1900s. Just took 100 years more to get it.

   Monday, August 8, 2011 at 7:01 am | Permalink
8. Dan wrote:

   Germany has had a national plan since Otto von Bismarck.
   In late 2007 the CEO’s of both John Deere and ADM stated that they would love a national healthcare plan, but didn’t think it would happen.
   Just let everyone opt into Medicare, there are so many holes in coverage that insurance companies will still make billions while the system picks up the tab for the most the cost.

   Monday, August 8, 2011 at 7:58 am | Permalink
9. starluna wrote:

   Sammy – health care costs are paid for with pixie dust, not fairy dust. Fairy dust is what makes oil drilling and fracking safe for workers and the environment.

   Monday, August 8, 2011 at 8:23 am | Permalink
10. TENTHIRTYTWO wrote:

    “Now all countries with a AAA credit rating have universal health care.”

    And no tea party!

    Monday, August 8, 2011 at 1:03 pm | Permalink
11. Patricia wrote:

    An interesting observation from Paul Krugman about the downgrade: “Let’s start with S.& P.’s lack of credibility. If there’s a single word that best describes the rating agency’s decision to downgrade America, it’s chutzpah — traditionally defined by the example of the young man who kills his parents, then pleads for mercy because he’s an orphan.”

    See the whole article at:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/08/opinion/credibility-chutzpah-and-debt.html

    Monday, August 8, 2011 at 4:58 pm | Permalink
12. ebdoug wrote:

    Moodys and S&P lost all credibility after it was shown they are being paid by the companies to give ratings. From “Inside Job”. Certainly if you downgrade the ratings, you can claim it is the Democratic administration. You can then get rid of the good guys like Carter and Obama, and put the Republicans back in power to continue the deregulations and cuts to the needy.
    Irony in England, and Gosh how surprising: as the handouts to the less fortunate are cut back, crime goes up. Real rioting. But then again you have the very rich in this country like Richard Mellon Schaife who didn’t have to work a day in his life but wants no tax increases. He too can sit back, do nothing and live on his family wealth.

    Monday, August 8, 2011 at 6:35 pm | Permalink
13. David Freeman wrote:

    EBDOUG – “S&P lost all credibility” – Agreed, so perhaps this explains all the money leaving stocks Monday and going into Treasuries. If S&P thinks the US may default then US treasuries must be safe.

    Opposites Day is so confusing:
    http://cdn.svcs.c2.uclick.com/c2/451b9d705e08012ee3bf00163e41dd5b

    Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 5:43 am | Permalink