The story about Jon Stewart vs Obamacare is interesting, but the age breakdown is fascinating – particularly the difference between Hannity and Limbaugh. Only 3% of Hannity’s viewers/listeners are under 30, and 42% are 65+ – which are 15.1% of the population in the 2010 Census. While Limbaugh skews a little to 65+, he is moderately close to the American public in general.
I bet Lew Dickey knew that when he was negotiating with Hannity. 65+ listeners are not of interest to most advertiseers.
Hannity’s call to the Obamacare hotline was particularly annoying. He knew he was talking to a voice response system and once he stopping pretending he thought he was talking to a human, he was immediately connected to a live human, just as I was both times I called.
Most Americans hope that Obamacare works out in the end. It will probably fail miserably, but his mean spirited schtick isn’t going to change minds. Keep in mind when you hear stats about “x% oppose Obamacare”, maybe 15% oppose it because they want MORE government control.
If I were polling, I would exclude people currently on Medicare. While they obviously vote, they have very little “skin in the game” as they already “have theirs”. They may say they oppose socialism, but try to cut $1 from Medicare and watch what happens.
Everyone is for “free healthcare” because everyone assumes they will get it and not have to buy it for others. 😉
Hey, there is a way to really get ‘free healthcare’. Send me half of what you would pay in the 1st year for it and I’ll show you how it’s done. No kidding, it really works, just fax me your CC #
Tom Taylor brought up the issue that Hannity appeared to violate the FCC rules – if you call someone on the air, you have to not air the person until after they consent to be on the air. There is even a case where a station was fined for ambushing someone they called, even though the segment was taped and never aired.
Hannity’s people say the call was cleared for broadcast before it was made
The woman who talked with Hannity has been fired for talking to the media without permission. That strongly suggests Fox News and Hannity’s people are lying. I’m shocked.
Hannity is giving her $26k.
This business about not calling people and putting them on the air without permission is taught in the first hour of “how to get a job in radio”. It was a really bone-headed thing to do, especially when FCC chairmn Mignon Clyburn would love to hand his scalp to Obama (While Ted Cruz holds up the nomination of the guy who is not a Democratic Party hack)
Was it on air (broadcast radio), or on cable ?
Found it was the radio show:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/10/24/obamacare_operator_fired_after_taking_call_from_hannity_hannity_to_give_her_a_years_salary.html
Hannity annoying? Say it isn’t so. (tongue firmly in cheek)
I hope Obamacare fails flat out. The attempt is to destroy the private insurance industry and take over health care for all Americans (and illegals). If these socialist cum communists take over 1/6 of the American economy in addition to what they already run – this nation is doomed. I did not wish to witness the destruction of America in my lifetime.
If they are good with website decisions, what makes you think they won’t be good with life and death decisions?
I got some news right here: “Cindy Vinson, an Obamacare supporter who, shocked at her brand-new insurance rate increase, told the San Jose Mercury News: “Of course, I want people to have health care, I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally.”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/10/23/short_on_beer_money__look_to_obamacare_120427.html
Wonder how many “Thank You” cards Cindy Vinson will receive from the people she is helping to subsidize? More likely Obama will call her and threaten her with some dastardly event in her life (think IRS) if she does not stop bad-mouthing his signature legislation.
Is Hannity annoying people? What right does he have to annoy people?
PREDICTION: When insurance companies shutdown because not enough people can afford health insurance it will be blamed on those dirty, low-down Tea Partiers.
Have you seen the new Obamacare stamps from the Post Office?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EdhsT97AtFk/UktZ-IzeagI/AAAAAAABPWs/e-vvRCcvOtw/s1600/Obamacare_Stamps_color.jpg
No, but I do not use PS, too antiquated for me.
Looks like a train wreck, talks like a train wreck, walks like a train wreck, so must be a train wreck.
World Bank whistleblower Karen Hudes better watch out for herself. Obama’s “War on Women” is heating-up and Karen should keep off the train tracks.
http://beforeitsnews.com/economics-and-politics/2013/10/dollar-valueless-about-to-crash-world-bank-whistleblower-2457184.html
No train wreck, there is now an 800 number the President wants you to call, when you call, you are told to visit the website… i am not making this up!
http://toastdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/monkey-at-computer.jpg
Go to google with auto completion on and type in “women can’t” and see what is suggested – this is the latest parlor game among the intellectual elite. Stay tuned for Google Bombing, the next generation
Just wait until we try to all schedule our free preventative physical in January
Here is a better link to interview with World Bank whistleblower Karen Hudes on RT.com. 3 vids plus transcripts. Good stuff, ‘must listen’ and very worthwhile.
http://rt.com/search/everywhere/term/%22Karen+Hudes%22/
I read a blurb yesterday (I think it may have been the Economist) saying the “World’s Reserve Currency” should be managed by the United Nations, not one country. That’ll work out well, I’m sure. We’ve already laid down the precedent that governments don’t have to impose taxes, just print dollars.
Better URL
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/10/08/i-was-laughing-at-boehner-until-today-n1718755
Because insurance is so complicated , they haven’t realized yet when they show up at the hospital, they’ll have to write a $10k check for the deductible on the family plan before they even get a bed in a room. What if the bill ends up less than $10k? Bwahaha!
” Vinson, of San Jose, will pay $1,800 more a year for an individual policy,” <— suck it up Cindy. It is for the common good. I do like to seeing the higher rates for registered Democrats – (the young people that vote for Democrat) to subsidize the Republicans (the older people that vote Republican) – it gives them a real life opportunity to contribute to the common good they espouse.
Don’t you think everyone needs a radio guide to get the best radio experience. How do we mandate a government program with IRS penalties to push the population to pay for qualified radio guide subscriptions? Much of the population listens to the radio without the benefits of a guide to prevent them from hearing shows that are of no interest, and it is wasting their time and our country’s resources.
No one has access to a truly qualified guide -one that provides information from the homeland security’s Emergency Alert System (EAS).
Good point, everyone could be assigned to one hospital within 400 miles of their domicile. The entire deductible is deposited with the hospital and any used portion will carry over to the next year.
And then we need to build high speed rail to get you to your hospital
Actually, there is a real point there. Often, Obamacare proponents try to make the comparison that “well, people have to buy car insurance!”. In addition to the many flaws people think about to that argument, it is not true. If you put up the cash necessary to meet the state’s minimum insurance coverage, you can legally drive without insurance, assuming the risk of a loss directly to you without risk pooling.
The reality is though that people don’t want that risk, and if sued, you’ll be paying your attorney – so companies are the only ones who even think like that. Surety Bond is a way to comply with the mandatory liability coverage when nobody will write a policy, but it is hard to find and expensive.
Pushing people to an HSA account is the right answer, as it puts the patient back in the role as the customer – causing them to question unneeded testing and procedures – and changing the focus of the doctor from pleasing the insurance company to pleasing you.
Another useful change would be to undo the change in the 1980s and allow all medical and dental expenses to be deductible on income tax without regard to a minimum % of AGI. Reward the people earning an income.
Require all FDIC insured banks and Credit Unions to offer HSA accounts, and create incentives to fund them
HSA accounts would be the right way to go. Very similar to Ben Carson’s answer to President Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9wO-HlAdrE&list=TLztMyEY6EcCtoZU_9rBBqK3Quto2-wkQy
I’ve said this before about Hannity. He is an annoying little man. I don’t know if you recall during the Terry Schiavo case in Florida, he went there to broadcast his show just to show his “concern”. What a crock. Another time he, claiming to be a good Catholic, said several times over the course of a week on his show something about birth control that was contrary to what his religion said. A priest wrote him privately to say he should not use his program as a forum to contradict church teachings. So he invited him to appear on his TV show and proceeded to ambush him with petty, mean-spirited remarks. Later, he bragged about it on his radio program. He is an odious little man. He always turns the conversation to himself and how he fell of a building, did every job in a restaurant, etc. He’s not the only one in this world who has had to work hard at dirty jobs. But he feels the constant need to brag about it.
He however doesn’t talk about his college graduation. I still cringe when he reads the talking points from the Heritage Foundation and gets tripped up on the big words – targeted at people with a 10th grade vocabulary.
He needs to learn how to opine and not bloviate. People without TVs may need to buy a clue. 😉
What TV company makes the Clue?
off topic: update 1 of 2: VA gov race
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-gov-race-debate-sponsor-asks-whether-libertarian-sarvis-can-be-included-after-all/2013/10/19/48e06310-38fa-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.html
off topic: update 2 of 2: VA gov race
http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/10/23/libertarian_candidate_hits_10_percent_in_virginia_won_t_be_invited_to_debate.html
Sarvis is well-meaning. An honest candidate. He’s certainly not loved by the R’s or the D’s. Of course the D’s would really like to have Sarvis drain as many votes away from the R’s candidate. So what’s wrong?
Hegelian Dialectics at work, once again.
Get ready folks, we are going to get whacked!
Honest candidate? We can’t let honest candidates infect the Washington nest, the idea of honesty may spread to other candidates. lol
Demon-crats can not let honest candidates infect the Washington nest, nor can the Repu-la-crats.
Hegelian Dialectics at work, once again.
Get ready folks, we are going to get whacked!
This one is important because if the candidate gets 10% of the vote the next candidate will be able to focus on the election rather than focusing on signature collection for ballot access, a significant barrier to prevent competition.
We are so ‘ F_ ed’ here in Virginia, that it’s not Even funny !
parrott
“YouTube Said to Introduce Paid Service for Music”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/business/media/youtube-said-to-introduce-paid-music-service.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=nytimesarts&_r=0
Apple supposedly has a new “killer” radio-like service that debuted in iOS 7 along with a “keychain” designed (I think) to give Apple a revenue share on things bought on the web that aren’t bought through an App.
The cohost of IPad today, Sarah Lane, said last week that she loves the fingerprint reader on her new iDevices and is totally disoriented when she picks up an old device and has to type in a passcode.
It’s a good thing Apple has no intention of passing along our fingerprints along to the NSA along with the video from our forward facing camera, the audio, our GPS locations and our search history!
I was listening to KLIF this morning and they had a commercial for a local Dallas area eye doctor with a special for laser corrective surgery. If you get your surgery through that practice, they will give you a free eye pad…. or is it iPad? Can’t really tell with their Texas accent. Great radio ad though because it makes you wonder and remember.
Laser Corrective Surgery is not covered by insurance which is why the price has plummeted over time and the technology radically improved. It’s also one of those things that can dramatically improve a person’s quality of life and probably reduces traffic accidents decreasing premature death, yet isn’t covered by insurance. If you have an HSA, you can pay the expenses from your tax deductible account, but the expenses don’t reduce the amount of your remaining insurance deductible.
It’s a great counter example for why Obamacare is a dead end.
To me, whether it is a dead end or not is secondary. If if gets voters to realize that there is a cost to everything, and nothing is free, then it will have been money well spent.
Too many people think that the government can create wealth by printing money when in fact, that is why most items cost 10x as much today as when I was a child, and the poverty rate and food stamp rates are higher then when President Johnson started the war on poverty.
Well stated, CC.
just sayin’
Money is not the Root of all Evil, rather it is the Love of money that is the Root of all Evil.
And, we got a lesson in that recently.