Bob55

6 Ways to Short the Obama Health Plan

Those calling Obama's policies socialist should look at a trend over the past decade. So much of government spending was devoted to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan that most other areas were neglected. What came to pass, and this is not purely a result of the market meltdown, is a middle- and lower class that is much worse off than it has been for decades. People are working longer and harder but receiving less for the fruits of their labor. Their health insurance premiums keeps going up. The price of food, rent, gas and practically everything else they buy keeps soaring while pay raises for the vast majority of Americans have been miniscule at best even during the "upbeat" years when corporations posted bigger and bigger profits and the stock market soared to an all-time high under Bush. Environmental issues including Climate Change are left on the back-burner as it is argue, under Bush, the cost to American industry would be too overbearing regardless of what the world community thinks. Then the economy came crashing down and the average American are left in an even bigger lurch than before. Those who lost their job, lost their health insurance. Many are asked to make sacrifices in the name of company survival, taking paycuts, working fewer hours, maybe losing contributions to a pension fund already dwindling in value as companies discontinue them to cut costs. The average American is left with a bleak and insecure future indeed.

Now let's get back to what Obama is doing. He is channeling resources into programs that every American man, woman and child can benefit from, not only the well-to-do. And yes, this will take money especially in the beginning but the benefits will outweigh the costs in the long run. Infrastructure spending will generate jobs and help make sure our schools, roads and bridges don't fall into disrepair during these bad economic times and well into the future to come. Advocating for an energy policy that pushes for more renewable energy like solar and wind is good and responsible as the world works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as pollution. We simply must do our part regardless of cost, and cost over the long run is expected to go down as technology for renewables advance. Oil independence is another benefit, but I won't get into it. In regards to a National Health Care system that hopes to lower cost and increase the likelihood that every American will be insured, this is a good thing even if it has to compete against current health insurance providers. Left to continue as it is, health care costs in America will balloon to astronomical levels if not controlled. When the average American family can finally be safe from going bankrupt because a member of their family comes down with a deadly or debilitating disease will be the day every family can have some peace of mind.

These proposed changes in American policy is made with Main Street in mind, maybe not so much Wall Street. The benefits are for everybody, rich and poor, for our generation now and that of our children and our children's children. Those who don't see it and are voting against it because they see it as more government spending and waste are simply continuing the selfish policy of refusing to deal with problems today and leaving them for future generations where the price of dealing with them will be far, far higher. Those in our government have to advocate for the benefits of the common citizen and help the United States be a better "citizen of the world" instead of segments of Wall Street that have their own interests at heart.

People vs. Profits: The Great Health Insurance Myth

We can only hope Congress can put politics aside and really enact something for the benefit of the American public.

Why Mandated Health Insurance Is a Bad Idea

This government "propaganda" stops being propaganda when one day you suddenly find yourself needing it. If there's one lesson learned in this latest economic crisis is that no one is immune to downturns. It could be a downturn in your business, or even more importantly, it could be a downturn in your health or the health of someone who works for you.

For small businesses, a raise in premiums or even cancellation of coverage for you and your workers is not that uncommon if even one of your worker suddenly comes down with a debilitating illness or had an accident. For the ever-growing number of people joining the uninsured because of what I just described or because of job-loss, not having health coverage is a truly major loss. As they say, "you don't know what you've got till it's gone". Health insurance is definitely not something you find suddenly gone especially in times when you really need it. These reforms in health care makes sure that all Americans have that safety net.

6 Ways to Short the Obama Health Plan

If there's one attribute that I wish those in government would have more of is objectivity. Politics aside, if we as human beings can't put aside our differences and put value in such basic things as caring for the world we live in and caring for our fellow man instead of always looking out for number one (ourselves), you don't have to mention all the reasons our country is going down the crapper. Heck, we're probably already there.

6 Ways to Short the Obama Health Plan

For so many, if results don't come quick enough, it's not worth doing. Yes, the energy bill won't have any effect regarding Climate Change unless implemented over a long enough period of time but we have to recognize that we need to start. Opponents to the bill would like business to go on as usual regardless of any environmental consequences. What we have to recognize is that the United States is a part of the world community and what we do as a country affects not only our future but the future of those around the world.

As for health care, you must be fortunate to never have had someone become seriously sick. Bankruptcy is happening even to middle-class families who have health insurance and did everything right to protect their family. Can you say to someone who has cancer to skip their treatments so your family will not have to go into bankruptcy? This issue is very much a life-and-death issue for so many families. In the past, while we spent trillions upon trillions on the war, we have neglected everything else that protects our American way of life. Perhaps you're one of the very fortunate in society's elite, but for the majority of America, things have gone from bad to worse and people need a "helping hand". If government has to step in to provide that support, so be it.

Climate Change: How to Invest for the Possibility

When doctors tell you today that smoking is bad for your health, people listen without contesting the empirical evidence. Likewise, when the majority of the world's scientists say there will be very imminent consequences if we don't cut CO2 emissions drastically in our immediate future, we should listen seriously. This conclusion if from the vast majority of those who are climatologists who know their business far better than you or I.

Now getting back to my cigarette example, for decades cigarette companies try dismissing the validity of the health claims against them in fear of it cutting into their profitability and it wasn't till decades later that it can be accepted without a doubt that smoking cigarettes will kill you. The consequences of Global Warming may well be vastly more devastating. If the world could be at risk, I ask you why would you even risk it? Sure, there's the possibility decades from now that just maybe, just maybe, Global Warming may not be caused by humans, but I'm surely not going to wait decades as was done with cigarettes that it is, without a doubt, a danger. By then, it will be too late.


On Sep 26 04:28 PM Chad Brown wrote:

> "I am not a climatologist – just a rational man who respects the
> empirical process.
>
> You say your are not a climatologist but that does not seem to stop
> you from knowing the answers to the questions that climatologists
> study. Can you do that also with medical problems? (Perhaps I could
> save on my medical bills with you.) How about foreign policy issues?
> Can you translate ancient languages? I guess scientific questions
> would be a breeze for you given your respect for the empirical process?
> Are there any areas where you don't have all the answers? Also,
> do you need to know the questions first, or is that just a waste
> of you time?

Health Care Bill: Prescription for Disaster

One of the most important outcomes we can hope to see should health care reform pass is that we see a shift from health care being primarily being about treating illness to one being about prevention. Prevention will be one of the keys to cost-containment. Testing for and addressing illness at its earliest stages and taking a very proactive approach towards educating everyone about "healthful living" will have a big payoff over the long term.

Just as employers now have a say in changing "lifestyle choices" of its employees like smoking and obesity, should National Health Care be given the same latitude over those it covers? Most definitely. It should be a condition of accepting coverage. So, yes, the cost of "helping" people in these two areas alone in the early years may be rather high, but year after year of educating America on health issues will finally pay off in the not-too-distant future. So many illnesses can be eradicated by addressing these two issues alone and I don't see this happening other than having a National Health Plan. Especially among the uninsured, you can't "force" people to change their lifestyles for the better unless you provide the means and the incentive.

6 Ways to Short the Obama Health Plan

China's industry may be booming right now, but growth ultimately comes at a price- to its environment and to the health of its people. Looking back at history, during the Industrial Revolution and well beyond, the United States and Europe paid the price in spades.

Even now, we are seeing the ill effects of China building out a coal plant every week, as you say, with smog and polluted rivers affecting the very `health of its citizens. Their government knows this can't go on indefinitely. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so they say so they have at least made a start of addressing the problem pushing for more renewables in their latest stimulus package. It's a start and that's what we need here in the U.S. too- a start. Whether we are using renewables to combat Climate Change (since some don't believe this exists) or pollution (that no one can refute is a world problem), it just makes sense. This is not a problem that we can just stick our head in the sand and wish it just goes away. The earlier you tackle the problem, while it's at least manageable, the lower the cost.

In the end, there's no "free lunch" when it comes to industrialization. You might think that other countries like China, Mexico, or Brazil will never have the "even the playing field" when it comes to carbon emissions and pollution, but I think you're wrong. When it's your land, the lives of your people, maybe even your way of life, that's a high price to pay. I just want to put this in a more sociological perspective instead of financial, which is something Wall-Streeters almost never focus on. It's not always about the numbers. There's so much more at stake.

6 Ways to Short the Obama Health Plan

If we are going to use China as an example, as its economy continues to grow and mature and a solid middle and upper class emerges, do you not think there will be protests among its citizens demanding a "clean" and "livable" environment just like what occurred here in the U.S. and in Europe. It might not happen immediately, but it will happen.

I agree that there has to be a concerted and unified effort by all industrialized nations to combat climate change, but if I'm not mistaken, many of the other industrialized nations have asked the U.S. to address the issue for years, and it is we who have been refusing to do so. I truly believe the U.S. can lead by example and other nations will surely follow.


On Jul 05 10:12 PM TeresaE wrote:

> When the factories close here and move to China, and then follow
> China's EPA (virtually free rein to do anything they want, pollute
> as much as they want) or even move to Mexico, Brazil or India, <br/>
>
> How do you figure that is going to help "climate change"?
>
> One iota?
>
> It will lower your child's standard of living and raise China's.
>
>
> Great plan. Can't wait to see the "shock" on the faces when this
> recession never ends.
>
> Keep asking for our government to gift our jobs to China and find
> out how great and clean it all is.

6 Ways to Short the Obama Health Plan

Suncatcher, I spent the last 2 decades minimizing my "carbon footprint". Public transportation is all I take. I do not own a car nor do I care to own one until perhaps the day they are electrical. I believe in recycling and conservation, and while I personally do not have solar panels on my roof YET, I minimize my electrical usage and I'm happy to hear my utility has started using solar in part of their electricity generation. My contribution towards helping the environment may sound small, but if every human being on this planet can do their small part, it can add up to a great deal in the long run.

We all know we are at a crossroads right now both in terms of energy policy and healthcare. Every citizen in our nation should voice their opinions on these matters. Some will be for and some will be against. That's what makes this country so great.

SunPower Gives Optimistic Outlook for 2010, Plans to Launch Gen 3 Cell

When you're finding companies meeting and often beating expectations quarter after quarter and you have major price drops time and time again, manipulation appears to me to be the more likely cause than simply someone with a large position liquidating their position. As for future outlook, it did not look so bleak as to warrant such a huge price drop. Sorry but something just isn't kosher in this market.

SunPower Gives Optimistic Outlook for 2010, Plans to Launch Gen 3 Cell

In agreement with Road Runner about possible stock manipulation here and most other solar stocks including FSLR's previous quarter earnings release. Nothing disclosed accounts for this big of a price drop.

Climate Change: How to Invest for the Possibility

Strange isn't it that other countries across the globe are willing to hurl themselves off this green cliff (as you put it) because the leaders of their countries see global warming as a very credible threat with very serious consequences. Or perhaps these leaders are misguided as those of us who put Earth and the environment first and foremost over corporate profits and the economy? We, in the U.S., can continue debating this till the cows come home while the glaciers continue to melt and world water levels rise.

Climate Change: How to Invest for the Possibility

A huge danger when an article like yours come out is when it makes the suggestion that we should do nothing to stop global warming, that it is simply a natural cycle of warming and cooling throughout the Earth's history, and mankind has neither the resources nor the true volition to do anything about it. The arguments bear similarities to when cigarette companies deny claims that their product cause everything from emphysema to cancer. They might try modifying their products a little like suggesting low-tar cigarettes, but in the end, their products is just as dangerous. I hope very much the same ploy is used here regarding global warming. Today, cigarettes are forced to have health warnings on their label, and after adding all the tax surcharges the cost of a pack of cigarette is close to $10 a pack. The same can be applied here. Yes, there will be a cost to world governments and industry to combat the problem, but if left unchecked, I foresee the cost in the future will grow substantially. We have the technological means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and if survival is at stake, I believe mankind will be more resilient than you give them credit for.

Avoid the Solar Bears and Invest in First Solar

The question is what percentage of the world's scientists believe Global Warming is a farce? If even 5% can claim this, you would prefer to ignore the 95% who say it is a grave problem that has to be addressed now.

While you contend the Earth has been hotter in the past, few can question that carbon emissions in the atmosphere trap heat and is a huge source of pollution. Yes, the Earth may have had its cycle of heating and cooling in the past, but it's never had to contend with what mankind and what it has been doing to this world.

While there is a worldwide effort to address this issue, the U.S. has yet to scratch the surface when it comes to doing our part. Who knows whether this will change or whether it will be business as usual? I know there's many out there who would just be happy if we stuck our heads in the sand and pretend this problem never even existed.