How much does a gastro-bypass surgery cost?

[monomything]

Now imagine that $1000 lasik surgery would eliminate the need for Medicaid to ever pay for glasses again. In this case, it would be a smart fiscal decision for the government to offer Lasik as an option to those on Medicaid..

I'm for it. That would make my glasses cool.

 

[Mensch]

But you have to acknowledge that whether or not you agree with them, some subsidies will not be eliminated. Again, look back to the glasses/Lasik example. Pretend that we currently spend $250/year on glasses and that eliminating that portion of the program is not an option. Would you still refuse to offer Lasik, instead shelling out $250 every year in order to punish people for their mistakes?

"Some subsidies will not be eliminated?" That's what I'm fighting for. If you're arguing that I should just accept a certain degree of failure because you think the idea will never happen, then we'll just have to agree to disagree. I will not stop arguing for the elimination of ALL federal subsidies.

Your solutions to reduce costs do not attack the root of the problem.

 

[Mensch]

No, I'm implying the lifestyle of being lazy and fat. Frankly, the cross we bare is a self-inflicted burden. With the rampant corruption going on at the FDA, not to mention the idiots calling shots, it's not entirely someone's fault if they display somewhat poor eating habits.

I think you're envisioning a utopian society where everyone is fit, intelligent, moral, wealthy, communicative, and peaceful. Let's face it - man is man because of inherent errors. People are going to slip through the cracks. If we educate people about the simplistics of nutrition (and it is very easy), they can make better choices, and make this pandemic cut down. Having said that, I have no problem helping someone who's willing to help themselves. If someone got pretty heavy and wanted to make a commitment to change their sedentary lifestyle, sure - give them a helping hand. After all, it's not like getting a gastric bypass or a lap-band is an instant cure-all. They don't wake up the next morning perfectly healthy. It's a tool to help achieve a goal - a goal they still have to try for.

This is an extremely slippery slope you're heading down. Next, it may be removal of college loans and reverting back to the day where only the rich go to school.

Use of public funds is not, in an of itself, an evil or amoral act. Abuse of it is.

Wow! Are you sure you're a libertarian?

Use of public funds, at the federal level, should be STRICTLY limited by constitutional boundaries. It is not the job of the federal government to distribute largesse at the expense (or theft) of others. Yet you worship the sacred cows of medicare and subsidized higher education and you regurgitate common misconceptions (or rather, highly simplified observations) regarding the disparity of education before the Fed began subsidizing it. Did you know that, during this time of ONLY wealthy people getting degrees (again, a rather simplistic and inaccurate observation), our educational institutions were a lot more sound compared to their contemporary status? Check out this video, and tell me what you think:



It is wrong to pressure every 18-year old to obtain a B.A. Many Americans believe everyone needs a B.A. in order to survive. Young Americans need to understand that there are far more opportunities out there. Vocational training and certification programs are often overlooked as the B.A. is seen as the model degree, needed to equalize society by educating EVERYONE. Educated Americans do produce more than their non-educated counterparts, but sending people who don't want to be there or who can't keep up with the criteria only ends up adding to the personal debt in this country. It also wastes their time. Instead, society as a whole should encourage young Americans to at least be certified or trained in something, as opposed to going without any sort of post-secondary schooling. In addition, the best way to educate a young man or woman is to have them pay for it themselves. The Pell Grant is very vulnerable to waste and with the recent overhaul, it will become increasingly likely that students can cap the amount they pay each month, based on their discretionary income, while getting their student loans forgiven after a certan amount of years (I think it was 25 years after leaving school). Who pays for all the losses associated with a 50% failure rate, a six-year average academic career, and countless B.A.s that are useless in the employment market?

 

[RightinNYC]

"Some subsidies will not be eliminated?" That's what I'm fighting for. If you're arguing that I should just accept a certain degree of failure because you think the idea will never happen, then we'll just have to agree to disagree. I will not stop arguing for the elimination of ALL federal subsidies.

Your solutions to reduce costs do not attack the root of the problem.

Rather than spin my wheels arguing for something that will never happen, I'm arguing that we should try to come up with better options for the world we live in. If you want to argue that Medicare/aid should be eliminated, that's fine. However, that's never going to happen, so you're wasting your time.

 

[Mensch]

Rather than spin my wheels arguing for something that will never happen, I'm arguing that we should try to come up with better options for the world we live in. If you want to argue that Medicare/aid should be eliminated, that's fine. However, that's never going to happen, so you're wasting your time.

Perhaps not in my lifetime. But as I stated above, your solutions do not intend to solve the actual problem of unfunded liabilities. It seems as if you are perfectly fine with medicare and so you're desperate to try anything in the meantime to avoid the impending financial crisis. I understand your reasoning, but I think it's a drop in the bucket. We shouldn't beat around the bush.

 

[RightinNYC]

Perhaps not in my lifetime. But as I stated above, your solutions do not intend to solve the actual problem of unfunded liabilities. It seems as if you are perfectly fine with medicare and so you're desperate to try anything in the meantime to avoid the impending financial crisis. I understand your reasoning, but I think it's a drop in the bucket. We shouldn't beat around the bush.

I think that Medicare is absolute garbage and needs to be seriously reformed. That doesn't mean that I think it's going to be eliminated. Furthermore, the things that I'm suggesting are changes that would actually help improve the fiscal outlook of these programs.