State Budget Crisis

[REDWAVE]

Nearly every state is in fiscal crisis, according to the National Governors' Association. This is due to a sharp fall in tax revenues and rising medical costs. It will necessitate, among other things, huge cuts in Medicaid: in effect, mass murder of the poor. Bush has opposed bipartisan efforts to help the states financially. (Who needs terrorists? Osama Bush Laden is doing a great job of destroying this nation all on his own!) Get this: on Oct. 1 this year, the states lost $1.2 billion which had been earmarked for health coverage for low-income children. Congress refused to restore the funding, despite pleas from the states. Capitalist child abuse on a massive scale!

Get ready, batten down the hatches, stock up on canned goods and other non-perishable items. A social explosion the likes of which the world has never seen before is looming on the horizon.

 

[Aquila]

...
Get ready, batten down the hatches, stock up on canned goods and other non-perishable items. A social explosion the likes of which the world has never seen before is looming on the horizon.

As a child? did someone Oh I dont know, bludgeon you about the head and shoulders with a semi truck or something?

 

[MissTaken]

They might be better off tailoring and monitoring medicaid misuse.

Little things like reverse vasectomies really should be the individual's responsibility, IMHO.

Oh, and emergency room visits for coughs and colds because parent's don't have a doctor or don't want to wait for the appointment that is made for a couple hours down the road?

Also, using medicaid for preventive medicine would be really cool, like smoking cessation programs, mandating flu shots for recipients and mandatory prenatal care before paying hospital costs for sick babies.

I know it sounds harsh, but the medicaid system is ineffective and enabling as it is.

My favorite part of medicaid are the "optional" co pays.

What a joke!

If someone can afford five bucks for a pack of smokes or 12 of beer, they should be able to find five bucks for a doctor's visit.

BTW...in terms of these abused children, redwave? Have you looked at what other programs are in place to meet their needs? There are at least three that I know of besides straight out Medicaid.

And it is the working poor who don't get medical care. Insurance premiums are high, deductables and co payments are high and there is no one trying to pick up those costs.

Nope...I don't feel bad for Medicaid cuts as long as there is monitoring involved.

I do agree though, that medical care shouldnt' be a privilege.

 

[deliciously_naughty]

What irritates me is that we have to make concessions somewhere but no one wants to make them. Let's raise the subway fares to raise revenue...NO WAY. C'mon people suck it up and deal...1.50 each way is cheap for a 24 hour comprehensive subway system like the one in nyc...I can deal with my monthly pass going up $5-7 dollars...after all what is that, 2 cups of starbucks coffee/one meal ordered out from my favorite take out place? Ok, cutting the number of firemen worries me, but where is the money going to come from? Sigh, no one can see beyond their own little interest group to see the bigger picture of a financial crisis in nyc and give a little. I know that it hurts but it has to be done. Higher taxes and all...and no, I don't make enough money that it won't hurt me. But if you want to live in the most expensive city in the country and one of the most expensive cities in teh world, you understand that you're going to have to make those concessions.

 

[Aquila]

Or perhaps we might "GASP" cut the pork barrel spending and social engineering that states sponsor.

but no... that would be taking from the liberal cause. DAMNIT The chipmunks need psychologist too.

 

[Spinaroonie]

I'm so glad we reelected Rick Perry

OH WAIT!

Who's the man who got us into this mess and rejected several measures that could've fixed this...

That's right!

 

[miles]

This is Fredwave's The Sky is Falling diatribe du jour.

 

[ma_guy]

In 1998 the Congress passed the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and appropriated $40 Billion to fund the program.

If the State's are in such terrible shape why was $4 Billion of that amount returned by the states to the US Treasury in September 2001? Why was $7 Billion returned this Sepetember?

While your busy whining and crying about those poor states and how their going to cut MedicAID why don't you start asking the states why they aren't spending the money they were given?

Oh, wait a minute.. That wouldn't slant the whole story to advance your sad little agenda would it?

 

[MissTaken]

This is Fredwave's The Sky is Falling diatribe du jour.

Yep!

And I am damn bored....so for comedy relief, I will hang here.

 

[ma_guy]

BTW...in terms of these abused children, redwave? Have you looked at what other programs are in place to meet their needs?

You know better than that. redwave doesn't actually DO anything. redwave's entire life is spent pissing and moaning about wanting someone ELSE to do something.

 

[Don K Dyck]

Revenue More Important . . .

They might be better off tailoring and monitoring medicaid misuse.

Little things like reverse vasectomies really should be the individual's responsibility, IMHO.

Oh, and emergency room visits for coughs and colds because parent's don't have a doctor or don't want to wait for the appointment that is made for a couple hours down the road?

Also, using medicaid for preventive medicine would be really cool, like smoking cessation programs, mandating flu shots for recipients and mandatory prenatal care before paying hospital costs for sick babies.

I know it sounds harsh, but the medicaid system is ineffective and enabling as it is.

My favorite part of medicaid are the "optional" co pays.

What a joke!

If someone can afford five bucks for a pack of smokes or 12 of beer, they should be able to find five bucks for a doctor's visit.

BTW...in terms of these abused children, redwave? Have you looked at what other programs are in place to meet their needs? There are at least three that I know of besides straight out Medicaid.

And it is the working poor who don't get medical care. Insurance premiums are high, deductables and co payments are high and there is no one trying to pick up those costs.

Nope...I don't feel bad for Medicaid cuts as long as there is monitoring involved.

I do agree though, that medical care shouldnt' be a privilege.

Geez, MissT . . . can't upset the doctor's union . . . we have the same problem in Oz. Getting doctors to leave the capital cities for regional towns and cities is near impossible . . . the French solved this problem in the 70s by conscripting the doctors who went on strike, then jailing any who refused a legal military command . . . only took three days . . . and an extra bonus was that the civilian death rate fell ebcause the doctors were not over-treating their patients . . .

But let me be sceptical for a moment . . . the US government makes a paltry few hundred million excise tax from the sale of both poisonous tobacco products, complete with over 4,000 carcinogenic component chemicals, and alcohol, which comes with your own private family breakdown and drunken spouse bashings . . . these revenues are obviously much more important than the literally billions spent each year on medical and hospital costs to rectify the many diseases and social problems both "lethal" products generate . . .

 

[miles]

Re: Revenue More Important . . .

Geez, MissT . . . can't upset the doctor's union . . . we have the same problem in Oz. Getting doctors to leave the capital cities for regional towns and cities is near impossible . . . the French solved this problem in the 70s by conscripting the doctors who went on strike, then jailing any who refused a legal military command . . . only took three days . . . and an extra bonus was that the civilian death rate fell ebcause the doctors were not over-treating their patients . . .

But let me be sceptical for a moment . . . the US government makes a paltry few hundred million excise tax from the sale of both poisonous tobacco products, complete with over 4,000 carcinogenic component chemicals, and alcohol, which comes with your own private family breakdown and drunken spouse bashings . . . these revenues are obviously much more important than the literally billions spent each year on medical and hospital costs to rectify the many diseases and social problems both "lethal" products generate . . .

Most nuns know more about sex than you do about the US.

 

[Don K Dyck]

Re: Re: Revenue More Important . . .

Most nuns know more about sex than you do about the US.

Thank you, Miles, for your perceptive insight into a topic about which you have demonstrated your complete and utter ignorance.

Going back to Redwave's original post . . . part of the reason for the present decline of the US economy which Dubyah Shrub is organising to go to war to cure . . . a war without end on "Terrorism" . . . is that the government, at all levels, is broke!!

And to maintain this policy will require conscription of American youth . . . gotta keep those corporate profits flowing for the overpaid executives . . .

Geez, . . . if only the US Farm Act had been passed sooner . . . maybe it could have included subsidies for State and local governments . . . everybody else got a subsidy . . .

 

[70/30]

Actually Don's quite right, the FEDs make boatloads on tobacco and alcohol taxes but they want states to pay for treating all the medical problems that arise. I've already gotten into the environmental degradation that the FEDs sponsor and profit from, again they have the gall to demand the victims pay all costs.

 

[miles]

Re: Re: Re: Revenue More Important . . .

Thank you, Miles, for your perceptive insight into a topic about which you have demonstrated your complete and utter ignorance.

Going back to Redwave's original post . . . part of the reason for the present decline of the US economy which Dubyah Shrub is organising to go to war to cure . . . a war without end on "Terrorism" . . . is that the government, at all levels, is broke!!

And to maintain this policy will require conscription of American youth . . . gotta keep those corporate profits flowing for the overpaid executives . . .

Geez, . . . if only the US Farm Act had been passed sooner . . . maybe it could have included subsidies for State and local governments . . . everybody else got a subsidy . . .

This is your brain after 563 acid hits.

Donkey, you're full of donkey shit.

 

[ma_guy]

Actually Don's quite right, the FEDs make boatloads on tobacco and alcohol taxes but they want states to pay for treating all the medical problems that arise. I've already gotten into the environmental degradation that the FEDs sponsor and profit from, again they have the gall to demand the victims pay all costs.

Actually, Don doesn't know dick. His "paltry few hundred millions" is right around $9 Billion a year in tobacco taxes with another $40 Billion in alcohol taxes. And umm.. contrary to your own post the states collect better than 80% of those numbers. The Federal taxes are less than 20%.

 

[Texan]

Actually Don's quite right, the FEDs make boatloads on tobacco and alcohol taxes but they want states to pay for treating all the medical problems that arise. I've already gotten into the environmental degradation that the FEDs sponsor and profit from, again they have the gall to demand the victims pay all costs.

You and donkey don't know what the hell you're talking about.

There is no direct federal tax on tobacco. States determine the tax rates for tobacco products sold at the wholesale level in their states. Almost ALL the tax revenue from tobacco products goes to the state treasuries.

Next, donkey says there are only a few hundred million in tobacco tax revenue generated. Bullshit! Even the least populated state in the U.S.A., Alaska, collects over 240 million each year in tobacco taxes. For the state of California, the revenue is almost 4 billion.

The taxes I've mentioned are direct tobacco taxes ONLY, and are collected at the distributor level. Sales taxes are additional revenue to the states on top of the tobacco taxes.

Just for the record, Canada collects a national tobacco tax in addition to the provincial taxes. Last year, Canada collected 2.4 billion Canadian dollars in tobacco taxes.

Why is it that those who know so little, talk so much?

 

[Texan]

Actually, Don doesn't know dick. His "paltry few hundred millions" is right around $9 Billion a year in tobacco taxes with another $40 Billion in alcohol taxes. And umm.. contrary to your own post the states collect better than 80% of those numbers. The Federal taxes are less than 20%.

sorry, I didn't see your post when I posted mine. good stuff.

 

[Weevil]

Just for the record, Canada collects a national tobacco tax in addition to the provincial taxes. Last year, Canada collected 2.4 billion Canadian dollars in tobacco taxes.

Which is why we can afford such nifty olympic hats.

 

[Don K Dyck]

You and donkey don't know what the hell you're talking about.

There is no direct federal tax on tobacco. States determine the tax rates for tobacco products sold at the wholesale level in their states. Almost ALL the tax revenue from tobacco products goes to the state treasuries.

Next, donkey says there are only a few hundred million in tobacco tax revenue generated. Bullshit! Even the least populated state in the U.S.A., Alaska, collects over 240 million each year in tobacco taxes. For the state of California, the revenue is almost 4 billion.

The taxes I've mentioned are direct tobacco taxes ONLY, and are collected at the distributor level. Sales taxes are additional revenue to the states on top of the tobacco taxes.

Just for the record, Canada collects a national tobacco tax in addition to the provincial taxes. Last year, Canada collected 2.4 billion Canadian dollars in tobacco taxes.

Why is it that those who know so little, talk so much?

Thanks for the informative post, Texan . . . with all that lovely money flowing into the State coffers it is easy to see why there is no/little State based health service . . . much better to spend all that lovely lucre on more polluting industries . . .

<Mules leaves the discussion muttering . . . "Too many big words".>

 

[Shaq]

Jim Gilmore pushed an elimination of the car tax in 3 years...

Effectively crippling the state of Virginia for the next 15 years..

Great job with your "individual financial freedom" conservatives...

I can't wait to spend my 300 dollars to pay for the rising cost of about every service imaginable...

 

[70/30]

Why do Republicans defend tobacco companies and fastfood joints so fervently? The commerce brings them money and makes them appear to be economic geniuses. I'm waiting for the standard "trial lawyers" remark. Sugar, fat, tobacco, and alcohol aren't local phenoms or industries...please tell me some corporations that are local in nature. Consumers (victims) pay the money, much like the environmental catastrophe that is urban america. Corporations need to directly pay and become more responsible for their campaign blitzes.

 

[Texan]

Thanks for the informative post, Texan . . . with all that lovely money flowing into the State coffers it is easy to see why there is no/little State based health service . . . much better to spend all that lovely lucre on more polluting industries . . .

<Mules leaves the discussion muttering . . . "Too many big words".>

pssst... Medicare and Medicaid are STATE based programs. Yes, there are federal guidelines and some federal funding, but the eligibility, administration, funding levels, etc. are state options.

 

[Texan]

Why do Republicans defend tobacco companies and fastfood joints so fervently? The commerce brings them money and makes them appear to be economic geniuses. I'm waiting for the standard "trial lawyers" remark. Sugar, fat, tobacco, and alcohol aren't local phenoms or industries...please tell me some corporations that are local in nature. Consumers (victims) pay the money, much like the environmental catastrophe that is urban america. Corporations need to directly pay and become more responsible for their campaign blitzes.

I give up. I can't figure out what the hell you're talking about.

 

[ma_guy]

Consumers (victims) pay the money, much like the environmental catastrophe that is urban america. Corporations need to directly pay and become more responsible for their campaign blitzes.

Why are urban areas an environmental catastrophe? The liberals in this country control every urban area by a huge majority and have for decades. Why can't liberals clean up their own messes before they start looking to everyone else to do it for them?