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So you'd rather pay $2k/ month for insurance premiums, $100 every time you visit a doctor, $200k a month in prescriptions, and $1,500 to visit the ER instead of $6k/ year in taxes?
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
So you'd rather pay $2k/ month for insurance premiums, $100 every time you visit a doctor, $200k a month in prescriptions, and $1,500 to visit the ER instead of $6k/ year in taxes?
So you'd rather pay $2k/ month for insurance premiums, $100 every time you visit a doctor, $200k a month in prescriptions, and $1,500 to visit the ER instead of $6k/ year in taxes?
Why not? It works pretty well in every other major country on the planet. And there are still private options in most of those places as well. Most people use a hybrid of public and private services, they pay less than we do and they have better outcomes.
Okay. Like I said, there can be many models. But governments role is to see that the basic needs of their citizens are provided for. At some level, food is a basic need. If there are no private stores available to many in a region, why not go as far as running a store? SNAP, FNS, WIC, there are already many government programs involved in funding and distributing food to various extents, is a grocery store that much of a reach? And again - plenty of opportunity to open up a specialty shop with different merchandise or services and sell at a premium if you think that can work. The .gov grocery is to support a need not being met by the private sector. And the proposal I heard was basically yours, he (Mamdani - that's who we are discussing right?) wants to provide the land, subsidize the construction and set some standards for the stores as far as pricing and products, but the intent is still private operators running them.
Some markets require govt. intervention and/or controls. Health care absolutely requires govt. involvement given the lack of education, information and negotiating power most individuals face. Food market placement is a lot simpler, I suspect but a lot of big retailers don't think they make a profit with large supermarkets in poorer areas.
It can be difficult to convert govt involvement into more food options in disadvantaged areas. Washington DC has been plagued by a lack of supermarkets east of the Anacostia for many years. The city tried luring retailers there but wasn't providing enough incentives. Apparently right now the govt. is trying to develop hyper-local retailers.
Here are the results of a Gemini search—yes, it's AI but there are a lot of links to news articles.
Why not? It works pretty well in every other major country on the planet. And there are still private options in most of those places as well. Most people use a hybrid of public and private services, they pay less than we do and they have better outcomes.
There is this insane notion that because we had better healthcare 50 years ago, and because we have some of the best medical schools and colleges, we have the best healthcare. It's not even remotely close, and when you consider the cost and the lapses in coverage, we often come out near the bottom of any global healthcare ranking.
The notion of a government doctor rings of limited resources, restricted options, and settling for sub-optimal outcomes. We get all of that already, for insanely high prices.
The irony about money and politics.... people in the US are all paying to get shitty healthcare by enabling lobbyists and stakeholders to buy off the politicians who we elect to fix this shit. I'm not condoning what Luigi Mangione did...but if you listen to his "frustrations" (a bit odd given his private school upbringing...), he's not crazy.
Well ya have to beware of them commies, ya know. Apart from that, all legal votes have been bought by the LIKUD arm of the US.
Same goes - of course - for the US government, the media, and the president.
Democracy has become a product designed by capitalists with the globe in mind.
So much BS. One would have to believe that within a few hours after Trump made his threats of further attacks, including on Kharg Island, the parties scrambled and essentially finalized an agreement.
So much BS. One would have to believe that within a few hours after Trump made his threats of further attacks, including on Kharg Island, the parties scrambled and essentially finalized an agreement.
I hear you.
But like I dont want a gov doctor providing for my healthcare,
Why not? It works pretty well in every other major country on the planet. And there are still private options in most of those places as well. Most people use a hybrid of public and private services, they pay less than we do and they have better outcomes.
black321 wrote:
I would prefer a private sector to provide/run my grocery store.
That doesnt mean gov ought not get involved with financing the store...where there are actual food deserts.
Okay. Like I said, there can be many models. But governments role is to see that the basic needs of their citizens are provided for. At some level, food is a basic need. If there are no private stores available to many in a region, why not go as far as running a store? SNAP, FNS, WIC, there are already many government programs involved in funding and distributing food to various extents, is a grocery store that much of a reach? And again - plenty of opportunity to open up a specialty shop with different merchandise or services and sell at a premium if you think that can work. The .gov grocery is to support a need not being met by the private sector. And the proposal I heard was basically yours, he (Mamdani - that's who we are discussing right?) wants to provide the land, subsidize the construction and set some standards for the stores as far as pricing and products, but the intent is still private operators running them.
In the summer, my mother would harass us to get outside. Go. Anywhere. Just don't sit on your ass watching TV. Not as a 15 year old, but as a 7 or 8 year old.
We'd go home for dinner....and back out for the "evening session". Kick the can was a favorite. 15 or so kids in the extended neighborhood. Woods. Baseball fields. Back yards.
Fear has overcome us, partly because we stopped raising not only our own kids, but the neighborhood ones. My mother would punish any one of my friends....and their parents me. My parents knew there were eyes on me everywhere...sort of.
The two income families of the 80s and 90s raised the stakes for everything, and there's no going back.
I grew up in two very different neighborhoods within the same town.
The first neighborhood was just like what you described at first—lots of kids playing pickup games or hanging out together, wandering around, exploring. There were kids of different ages so you met older brothers and sisters who were like, really cool or weird. I met my first hippies when I was four and was quietly freaked out by their long hair and groovy dress. Those kinds of interactions expand your mind and help you sense layers of the past all around you. Your imagination expands as you think about friends, rivals, mentors and legends in your neighborhood.
When I was 8 we moved to the second neighborhood, an emotionally lifeless but serene suburbia. Bigger houses, bigger lawns. Fewer kids. A lot less interaction between neighbors, adults and kids. More cynicism and snark. A lot of the kids lived in great houses but were coddled and depressed.
You're right, rgio, the need for two-income families caused some of that shift. I think it was also a matter of how much money the parents had and how much control they thought they should have over their kids' daily lives to help them succeed. More lessons, more structure, less do-it-yourself play. The rise of cable TV and flood of kid-oriented shows didn't help. Kids became more passive during their free time.
I had to deal with periods of extreme structure and adult control as a kid and times when I was given more freedom. I think the latter helps you develop a sense of yourself and broader perspective. Kids might learn more when someone imposes great control over them—say at a strict private school—but they never get to develop an inner drive during periods like that.
My eldest went to a nice private school (needed the small class size) and all the kids lived all over the area, into different zip codes. To have fun with his âfriendsâ we needed to coordinate play dates. Thatâs an abomination. When we pulled him into local public school, he made buddies walking there that heâs still friends with two decades later.
That echoes my Good Old Days⢠where Iâd just hop on my bike and show up at someoneâs house and weâd play skittles or listen to records or whatever. Thereâs something very big that needs to be said about a spontaneous life.
In the summer, my mother would harass us to get outside. Go. Anywhere. Just don't sit on your ass watching TV. Not as a 15 year old, but as a 7 or 8 year old.
We'd go home for dinner....and back out for the "evening session". Kick the can was a favorite. 15 or so kids in the extended neighborhood. Woods. Baseball fields. Back yards.
Fear has overcome us, partly because we stopped raising not only our own kids, but the neighborhood ones. My mother would punish any one of my friends....and their parents me. My parents knew there were eyes on me everywhere...sort of.
The two income families of the 80s and 90s raised the stakes for everything, and there's no going back.
Location: At the dude ranch / above the sea Gender:
Posted:
Jun 11, 2026 - 10:23am
black321 wrote:
keeping the thread jack going...
that made me think...my kids are in their 20s early 30s and looking back i feel we fell into the trap of a little too much organizing - school, clubs, sports, off to homework and then computers- at the expense of "free time" for discussions.
Most of the family philosophizing happened in the car, too and from events...but probably not enough.
My eldest went to a nice private school (needed the small class size) and all the kids lived all over the area, into different zip codes. To have fun with his âfriendsâ we needed to coordinate play dates. Thatâs an abomination. When we pulled him into local public school, he made buddies walking there that heâs still friends with two decades later.
That echoes my Good Old Days⢠where Iâd just hop on my bike and show up at someoneâs house and weâd play skittles or listen to records or whatever. Thereâs something very big that needs to be said about a spontaneous life.
