Obama says 'America’s possibilities are limitless'
By The Associated Press
This article was originally published January 21, 2013 at 7:27 a.m. Updated January 21, 2013 at 1:42 p.m.
PHOTO BY AP/JOSE LUIS MAGANA
President Barack Obama supporters wait on the National Mall in Washington on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, for the start of Obama's ceremonial swearing-in during the 57th presidential inauguration.
- Comments (40)
- aAFont Size
WASHINGTON — Asserting “America’s possibilities are limitless,” President Barack Obama declared on Monday that a decade of war is ending and the nation’s economy is recovering as he launched into a second term before a flag-waving crowd of hundreds of thousands on the National Mall.
“My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it, so long as we seize it together,” Obama said, moments after taking the oath of office on a crisp day in the nation’s capital.
The president didn’t dwell on any first-term accomplishments but looked to hard work ahead in a country still grappling with a sluggish economy.
“We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit,” he said. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.”
Hundreds of thousands of people fanned out across the Mall, and millions more watched on television, as Obama took the oath of office to begin his second term.
Sandwiched between the bruising presidential campaign and looming fiscal fights, Monday’s inaugural celebrations marked a brief respite from the partisan gridlock that has consumed the past two years.
Standing in front of the flag-bedecked Capitol, he implored Washington to find common ground over his next four years. And seeking to build on the public support that catapulted him to the White House twice, the president said the public has “the obligation to shape the debates of our time.”
“Not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals,” Obama said.
Looking ahead to his second-term agenda, the president said the nation must “respond to the threat of climate change” and tackle the comprehensive immigration reform that has eluded Washington for years.
“Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity,” he said.
Moments earlier, Obama placed his hand on two Bibles — one used by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the other used by Abraham Lincoln — and recited the brief oath of office. Michelle Obama held the Bibles, one on top of the other, as daughters Malia and Sasha looked on.
Vice President Joe Biden was also sworn in for his second term as the nation’s second in command.
Monday’s oats were purely ceremonial. The Constitution stipulates that presidents begin their new term at noon on Jan. 20, and in keeping with that requirement, Obama was sworn in Sunday in a small ceremony at the White House.
Comments on: Obama says 'America’s possibilities are limitless'
To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Read our Terms of Use policy.
You must login to make comments.
Populist says... January 21, 2013 at 11:38 a.m.
Great speech. The President's performance was surpassed only by Beyonce's singing.
( permalink | suggest removal )
jetjohn says... January 21, 2013 at 1:29 p.m.
What an idiot we have for a 2nd term president. Yesterday's swearing in should have been enough, but oh no....He has to spend our tax money for all this pomp and circumstance. Obama's goal is not to create a better economic climate in America, but to drag the free enterprise system down; Obama's election and his agenda are part of a 100-year-old plot to replace God with government, self-reliance with government dependency, self-government with top-down tyranny, and the rule of law with the rule of men; Political victories like those he predicted in 2010 can be short-lived. The long-term battle is for control of the cultural institutions that shape American opinion and values.
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 21, 2013 at 2:13 p.m.
Mouth off and spread the rhetoric of Fox, Beck, Limbaugh, Getz, and all the other nuts, but nothing can change the fact that this is 2013, and Barack Obama was duly re elected President of the United States of America by a majority of both the popular and electoral vote! If the tea bagger House wastes another four years obstructing for the sake of obstructing him, the Republicans will lose another election, too.
( permalink | suggest removal )
djigoo says... January 21, 2013 at 2:55 p.m.
Shall we call you a WAAHmbulance, jetjohn?
( permalink | suggest removal )
Packman says... January 21, 2013 at 4:39 p.m.
More rhetorical fodder for the useful idiot faction of the demorat party (see Populist, djigoo, and inquire posted herein).
( permalink | suggest removal )
BillSmith says... January 21, 2013 at 7 p.m.
jetjohn.....says Obama's goal is not to create a better economic climate in America, but to drag the free enterprise system down"
*
It this what you mean by the free enterprise system?
Cost of Diabetic Testing Strips that Medicare and Private Insurance pay.
It is quite true that most glucose meter companies (literally or practically) give away their meters for free, knowing full well that we patients will become hooked on a steady supply of their proprietary test strips.
According to D-industry consultant David Kliff, the actual cost of manufacturing a test strip is only about 8 to 12 cents. But the R&D, logistics, quality testing and packaging costs jack up the price. Still, the vendors make about a 60-80% profit on each box, or possibly even higher, Kliff says. Yikes!
In my book, it’s a slap in the face to the millions of people suffering from diabetes (and its financial burden) that the industry refuses to together to create a standard universal test strip that can be used in any meter. I’m thinking in terms of the technology industry, which created USB cables, storage disks, and CD-ROMs that consumers can use with devices from any manufacturer. But Kliff reminds me that the tech industry had a financial motive: all the vendors could sell more devices using USB and CDs, whereas pharma vendors reap their rewards from selling the strips themselves, not the testing devices.
The US market for diabetic patient monitoring systems is expected to reach $9.1 Billion by 2010. Current market leader Roche Diagnostics makes a whopping $1Billion gross annual profit from its diabetes division alone, with the majority of that money coming from disposable supplies like test strips.
Ugh! We are literally bleeding out that money…
Why would these vendors care to share their intellectual property, when they’re profiting so nicely from it? They’ve all created “meter families” that utilize one branded test strip (like Accu-Check or FreeStyle), but they’ve successfully managed to get us consumers focused on the glucose meter as the key differentiator. In fact, whether a test requires a smaller blood sample or is faster mainly depends on the technology in the test strip itself, Kliff says.
And with just a small tweak, almost every meter could be set up to do without that annoying coding, Kliff adds, but the vendors are rolling out the “no coding” technology slowly, to create some big buzz among us consumers, … “like new Tide with Bleach.”
Their R&D efforts are focused on chipping away at the price of manufacturing the strips — which are churned out by the billions on printing-press like machines somewhere in Asia. If they can knock off just one cent of their cost per strip, they can save billions. Presumably, there’s no intention to pass these savings on to patients.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Whippersnapper says... January 21, 2013 at 7:09 p.m.
Yes, BillSmith, how dare those evil companies profit off of having invented things that have made longer and more fulfilling lives possible for millions of Americans. The sheer nerve of them offends folks who expect everyone else to serve them for free. It doesn't matter that they risked tens of millions of dollars on R&D and safety procedures and standardization, they are now generating profits and must be stopped! This is like all of us elitist fools who invested a hundred thousand dollars or more in our own education and now have the audacity to accept the high salaries that certain skill sets still command in the worst of economies. How dare we? The sheer nerve boggles the mind! The high school drop out who tightens the same nut on the same bolt eight hours a day ought to earn more than us because their work is more physically demanding (I have actually heard this argument). Ignore the fact that I devoted ten years of time to earning my various degrees and risked well over a hundred grand of my own money in the process, I shouldn't get a higher salary now, right?
( permalink | suggest removal )
HM2 says... January 21, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
We not only have an idiot for a president, we have a major liar, a communist, an irresponsible jackass who can't seem to stop spending money the country doesn't have. The Dr's who gave bozo his physical last weeik said he was in excellent health and tobbaco free yea right, I wonder how much nicorette he chewed today? God save America.
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 21, 2013 at 8:22 p.m.
All you sore losers just keep nit picking and whining angrily, but it won't do you any good. Barack Obama IS the President of the United States, re elected by a majority of both the popular and electoral vote. You cannot do anything about it. Just keep being rude, crude, and hateful, and supporting a party that has become totally crazy ( to the extent that Eisenhower, and maybe not even Reagan would recognize it) and the Republican party will become a footnote in history.
( permalink | suggest removal )
cliffcarson says... January 21, 2013 at 8:33 p.m.
You said it right Inquire. What the Republican faithful is doing is shooting themselves in the foot, while bragging about how good they can aim.
I encourage them to keep carrying on - each day more and more people are seeing the Party of 1% sinking deeper into the quicksand, their days are numbered if they stay on this obstructionist course. And that's a good thing for the American people.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Jackabbott says... January 21, 2013 at 8:46 p.m.
Like Regan, the Bushs and Clinton before, he has good intentions but we as a nation are going backward. Look around you. Gas at $3.00 a gallon, factories and jobs gone to China and Mexico, shootings at schools, so much security at airports that it takes you two hours to board a flight that has 2-3 of flying time, highways jammed and damaged, endless wars of no consequence, absolutely no progress on Iran, N. Korea, Pakistan or Palestise/Israel mess, unemployment at 7%, the real umemployment at probably at 20-25%, flood of illegals who cannot even read or write in Spanish much less English,no prosecutions of Wall Street crooks, Gitmo still going etc.
We are in for another 4 years of garbage time, combine that with the Bush years and that is 16 years of going nowhere.
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 21, 2013 at 9:19 p.m.
We have seen some improvement, despite four years of total obstruction. I believe much more can be achieved if the party of "no" will just try to work with the president instead of against him.
( permalink | suggest removal )
NoCrossNoCrown says... January 21, 2013 at 9:34 p.m.
these poor pathetic trolls who find fault in every blessed thing the duly ELECTED president does. I wish he would come out in support of freely breathing air all day and every day. We could rid ourselves of some of them, because they are prone to be against EVERY BLESSED THING this president is for. May God continue to order his steps and protect him. May He lift His countanance around him and give him peace. May He make his enemies his footstools and those who speak vile and evil against him be made dumb. Give him wisdom and strength to withstand all forms of evil. Give him the courage to commit all his workd to the Lord and not man, understanding the only in the Lords eyes are pure thoughts known. Protect his family and our nation from the enemies within...I Pray..AMEN
( permalink | suggest removal )
djigoo says... January 21, 2013 at 11:52 p.m.
HM2, yet again...you heap shame upon the Caduceus.
( permalink | suggest removal )
cdawg says... January 22, 2013 at 12:56 a.m.
Well, since God ordered it so for George W to be president then it's obvious that God is in control and ordered it for Barack Obama to be president. Who can argue with God? He works in mysterious ways His love to disperse.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Populist says... January 22, 2013 at 8:01 a.m.
JackAbbott,
Actually, the economy appears positioned to start booming. We have a president who gets that we need a more highly skilled workforce and that America cannot afford to build itself and be at war at the same time. There is mounting political pressure for the political parties to bring down the deficit--which they should be able to do as we withdraw from the wars. The teenage pregnancy rate is declining among all ethnic groups. The problem we are now facing is that we have a declining birth rate, and we especially have problems getting college educated women to reproduce and raise families. Too many women are choosing careers over motherhood. The people who are spitting out babies are often those who can least afford it.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Packman says... January 22, 2013 at 9:57 a.m.
Hey Populist - "Actually, the economy appears positioned to start booming." Actually, just the opposite is true. The re-instatement of the payroll tax is killing any chance of a serious and sustained economic comeback by ripping takehome pay for average working Americans. Combine that with continued (with no end in sight) high gas prices and small businesses total disdain for BH Obama's dictatorial ways and the economy is likely to nosedive again this summer. SMH at anyone's ignorance at the obvious forces stifling economic growth.
( permalink | suggest removal )
UCAWHY says... January 22, 2013 at 12:25 p.m.
wow did not realize Republicans could obstruct for 4 years since the Democrats ran the country from 2006-10 when the recession hit and accelerated. Why were the Democrats so scared to pass their agenda in Obama's first 2 years?? Thank goodness Republicans fought back at least a little. Funny how the liberals do not like be treated the same way they treated Bush for 8 years.
How's the wars going that we are still in, how about Guantanamo? Oh yeah we now get to fight in Mali, Libya, and Algeria. Everything is great with a fictitious 7% unemployment rate and a debt that continues to explode because Democrats feel we have a revenue issue even though the credit card has been maxed out more in 4 years than in Bush's 8 years.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Populist says... January 22, 2013 at 3:31 p.m.
Stock market and housing are back up. Unemployment of at least 7% areas is here to stay unless we make a greater effort to increase the skills of our workforce.
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 22, 2013 at 3:35 p.m.
I voted against both Bushes and Reagan, and disagreed with them about most things. I still never spoke about them with the demented kind of hatred I see on here. When GHW Bush and Reagan were in office, I was very active in activist and political circles, and not one time did I ever hear a group of liberal Democratic activists speak about those presidents with the kind of vile comments people on here make. We didn't make up stupid disrespectful school yard names to call them.
We studied, we lobbied, we appeared before government commissions, we spoke to civic and church organizations, we campaigned. We did not trash talk any president like what I see on here.
( permalink | suggest removal )
RonalFos says... January 22, 2013 at 4:01 p.m.
Republicans have been increasingly nasty ever since Clinton was president. Every year the nastiness gets worse but I think it's starting to have an impact on how average non-political person sees the Republican party. Their approval ratings with the public are low and will continue to get lower unless they clean up their act.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Packman says... January 22, 2013 at 4:49 p.m.
Hey Populist - "Stock market and housing are back up." Of course they are up. These indicators always rise after historical crashes - that's just the nature of economics (google "bow string effect" and you'll see what I mean). Your asinine statement was that the economy was "poisitioned to start booming". That's asinine for the reasons I mentioned and more. However, the stranglehold BH Obama has on small business through higher taxes, heavy-handed regulation, and the infinite surprises of Obamacare is the most potent throttle to economic growth. Unemployment of at least 7% areas is here to stay unless we elect pro-business politicians who will reward risk-taking and innovation and get rid of the slugs who see Big Government as the Alpha and Omega.
( permalink | suggest removal )
lazybar says... January 22, 2013 at 4:49 p.m.
inquire maybe its because other presidents did not do trashy things like roll eyes and chew gum?we just talk trash about king putt because he is trash.
( permalink | suggest removal )
BillSmith says... January 22, 2013 at 7:04 p.m.
Whippersnapper is so ignorant, on one hand he talks about the cost of entitlements such as medicare, then on the other supports medicare paying for 60% to 80% profit for the companies making test strips. This is not logic, this is not someone with IQ above 80, this is the scourge of conservatisim, aka Rush Limbough.
( permalink | suggest removal )
RonalFos says... January 22, 2013 at 7:43 p.m.
The strangle hold on our economy can be traced to the Republican party's plans to unseat Obama for 4 years. They didn't want economic improvement because it would help Obama, never mind that it would help the country as well. They were only focused on unseating him at all costs. Things would be better if Republicans had used a different plan.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Packman says... January 22, 2013 at 8:49 p.m.
Hey Ronal - Care to explain how tax increases, increased government regulation, and an exploding federal deficit spur economic growth? BH Obama has also said small business growth is the single most important key to economic growth. Do you disupte that as well?
( permalink | suggest removal )
BillSmith says... January 22, 2013 at 8:59 p.m.
Joe Scarborough sat down with a panel on Meet The Press Sunday and said the only reason Republicans maintained control over the house in the 2012 election was gerrymandering. “It was just gerrymandering from 2010 that gave us the majority,” he said.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Populist says... January 23, 2013 at 7:58 a.m.
Packman,
We are going to grow because we are going to stop the insane practice of spending all of our money fighting overseas wars and will start spending on creating a new generation of better workers. They do need to cut the deficit. The next few weeks should be inciteful.
( permalink | suggest removal )
lazybar says... January 23, 2013 at 8:47 a.m.
pop,is that going to be like closing gitmo?oh wait its 4 years later and its still open.don`t hold your breath or count on cutting the war cost anytime soon.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Whippersnapper says... January 23, 2013 at 9:50 a.m.
BillSmith says
"Whippersnapper is so ignorant, on one hand he talks about the cost of entitlements such as medicare, then on the other supports medicare paying for 60% to 80% profit for the companies making test strips. This is not logic, this is not someone with IQ above 80, this is the scourge of conservatisim, aka Rush Limbough."
~
Actually, the point is that medicare ought to be scaled back in its entirety AND overhauled. First of all, the government ought not be providing health insurance for everyone 65 and older. In addition, every government backed insurance plan ought to be converted to an HDHP with HSA option. Companies that have adopted that type of plan have found that their overall costs have gone down as the consumers realized that they have a say in what they are spending and as they see dollars going out of their own accounts to pay for services. The end result tends to be workers that are happier with their plans (and who gradually build up reserves of tax-free cash in their own account) and cheaper plans overall. Of course, such plans would be anathema to liberals as these plans promote self-reliance and individual choice. As an aside, the last time my IQ was tested when I was in school the results came back and specifically stated that the test could only measure values up to 150 accurately and they could not accurately measure beyond that (and yes, mine was beyond that). Suffice it to say that I have no desire to join MENSA, but when a friend pointed me at their membership page, I found that I had blown away the minimum scores for membership that they had listed for the Miller Analogies Test, PSAT, SAT, ACT, and Otis-Lennon Mental Agility tests (all of which I had been required to take during schooling and each of which placed me in the 99th percentile of takers).
~
Perhaps the painful fact is that BillSmith is too unintelligent to recognize that bold new solutions are needed and possible. Perhaps the other painful fact is that I have repeatedly cited facts to disprove his suppositions and claims and it is apparently getting under his skin to the point that he is now resorting to schoolyard insults. I have to tell you, Bill, that if you want to play that game I'll make you regret it as well.
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 23, 2013 at 11:52 a.m.
Medicare has lower overhead and operates more efficiently than insurance companies. When insurance companies save money, it is only to make their shareholders richer at the expense of the insured.
I do budget a set amount for doctor visits and medications each month, after calculating expected cost at the beginning of the year based on the previous year. But anyone who thinks a working person can budget an amount that would cover some of the tests done in a hospital setting, or any but the most minor hospitalization, is full of it.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Pobucker says... January 23, 2013 at 11:53 a.m.
Nice to hear you're smart, whipper. I'm just a 148, myself. I learned to hide my intelligence at a very young age. The mouth breathers start kicking smartie pants a$$ on the kindergarten playground. They never get over hating those who prove themselves smarter.
~
Here's the deal with Inquire, BillSmith, CliffCarson and the other haters. While republicans think democrats are wrong-headed and believe in a lie, the democrats believe republicans are just plain evil. You're never going to get past that, no matter what arguements you present. They are not listening to your evil lies. They are quick to throw you in that republican box, too. I am often accused of being a republican, although I am not.
~
I am a libertarian, more opposite to the populist than the liberal. I believe in lots of fine liberal ideals. I also believe in some conservative ideals. What I don't believe in is the liberal nanny state (cradle to grave, don't worry we'll protect you from yourself - no sharp corners, you'll put your eye out). I don't belive in the conservative police state (who are you talking to, what are you talking about, what are you doing in the bedroom? Can we funnel more money to the robber baron corporations who fund us?) Between the two parties, the people are screwed. It would be better if we were all either populists or libertarians. Conservatives and Liberals are just suck now days and will never again get along. Populists and liberatarians can get along because both share a loathing of liberal and conservative extremes.
~
All rights are sacred to me. Millions have already died winning these rights. I make outrageous statements to illustrate a point - how many innocent lives can we lose before we do something about gun ownership? - I say millions because millions have already died to win those rights. I'm always disappointed that the cops throw their guns down when the killer has a gun to the head of an innocent. That really can't be allowed to happen. It is sad, but it is life.
( permalink | suggest removal )
BillSmith says... January 23, 2013 at 12:34 p.m.
Whipper.......sorry I made a comment about your IQ, didn't realize it was going to strike a nerve. Now that I know your IQ is at or above Genius or near genius, I will more closly monitor your thought process just to make sure your are living up to expectations and if not I will let you know in the most abrupt manner and tone that I can. Have you ever heard about someone being so smart, but does not have the sense to get out of the rain. Me thanks this may be one of your attributes.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Whippersnapper says... January 23, 2013 at 1:45 p.m.
BillSmith says
"Whipper.......sorry I made a comment about your IQ, didn't realize it was going to strike a nerve. Now that I know your IQ is at or above Genius or near genius, I will more closly [sic] monitor your thought process just to make sure your [sic] are living up to expectations and if not I will let you know in the most abrupt manner and tone that I can. Have you ever heard about someone being so smart, but does not have the sense to get out of the rain. Me thanks this may be one of your attributes."
~
Well, BS... You don't mind being called BS, do you? Anyway, as you have repeatedly taken to making demeaning ad hominem attacks about people when they best you logically, I don't expect you to take anything true and respond in politeness, so feel free to continue with all your typical BS logic.
~
The point of fact is that your posts about conservatives and gun control were shot to pieces and you got mad. Your asinine supposition that companies ought to be in business and not worry about making a profit was similarly rebuked, and you started calling people "squirrels" and making claims about their intellect because they had the audacity to examine facts independent of your spin and came up with different answers.
~
It is interesting to me that even now, you don't address the HDHP/HSA proposal that has proven cost effective time and again (while at the same time not scaring away hundreds of thousands of doctors like Medicare and Medicaid have been known to do), you simply attempt to gloss over the calling out you received for the idiocy of your post. I have some advice: in the future, stick to the facts and the discussion at hand and don't start making ad hominem attacks any time someone else's argument is better than yours. I don't really expect you to follow that advice, but I offer it in the hopes that the liberal in you will follow his knee jerk reaction to automatically take anything he can from someone else.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Packman says... January 23, 2013 at 3:15 p.m.
Hey Populist - For the umpteenth time you prove yourself to be a stark raving mad liberal with your socialistic comments: "We are going to grow because we.....will start spending........" Only a true liberal would advocate government spending as a way to grow the economy over small business and the private sector growth. Repeat after me: "The government has no money that is not either first produced in the private sector or borrowed with a promissory note to repay with funds first produced in the private sector". If government spending was the key to economic growth, today's economy should be booming instead of creeping along at an anemic pace. And besides, if BH saves $100 billion in the military budget but spends an additional $110 billion somewhere else, how is that cutting the deficit or helping the economy? And don't even try to call spending on "education" an investment. There is no widespread correlation that increased government spending improves test scores, graduation rates, and other typical measures of educational success. However, there IS widespread correlation that kids in private schools where the per pupil expenditure is LESS than public schools have higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and more success in higher education. What America needs is education REFORM and not simply the pouring of more dollars into a failing system. You may recall Mr. Einstein's definition of insanity.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Whippersnapper says... January 23, 2013 at 3:57 p.m.
See, a real solution to the education problem would be to offer parents the chance to either put their kids in public schools or to homeschool their kids and receive a stipend per child equal to around half of the state's public school expenditures per child. This amount would actually be less than the "foundation" funding that school districts receive per pupil today. You could even add in the caveat that this money would have to be used on things like museum and zoo memberships, learning technology, curriculum, etc. Lots of parents would choose the homeschooling option and do a phenomenal job teaching their own kids and there would be more money left per kid in the public schools for the teachers and administrators to fritter away exposing the brokenness of the system. (and the economic boost this would give to museums, zoos, etc. would be huge! Who doesn't want to help education AND tourism in one fell swoop?)
~
I'm not even talking about private school vouchers here. I'm talking about folks being directly responsible for their children's education. The state of Arkansas' own statistics show that home schooled children have performed above the 50th percentile at every grade level where standardized testing is required of both (3rd-9th) for every year they show those stats for. That's the behavior we ought to incentivize - low cost alternatives that produce measurable results. Of course, this is a path towards self-reliance and individuality, so the liberals will want to stamp it out.
( permalink | suggest removal )
lazybar says... January 23, 2013 at 3:57 p.m.
inquire says
Medicare has lower overhead and operates more efficiently than insurance companies. When insurance companies save money, it is only to make their shareholders richer at the expense of the insured.
I do budget a set amount for doctor visits and medications each month, after calculating expected cost at the beginning of the year based on the previous year. But anyone who thinks a working person can budget an amount that would cover some of the tests done in a hospital setting, or any but the most minor hospitalization, is full of it.
is it not the idea of making a profit why businesses open?if you think the ins companies are only in business to make profits for thier shareholders would it not be wise to become a shareholder?
( permalink | suggest removal )
inquire says... January 23, 2013 at 6:09 p.m.
Not if you believe in socially responsible investing. I would no more knowingly invest in an insurance company than I would a gun maker. Some people put morals above more and more money.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Populist says... January 23, 2013 at 8:50 p.m.
Packman,
I agree that there are many fine private schools where the teachers teach for less money because only certain excellent students are accepted, and there are other fine schools where excellent teachers such as nuns and priests teach for charity.
When you heard the part about me wanting to spend for schools, I think that you tune out the part about spending less on the defense industry and indeed other governmental programs. The areas of the country where the economy is fine are those areas with good schools. People who study computers and IT are usually very employable (of course I mean study at a high level--not Jim Bob's computer school).
I care about the schools and the environment. In fact, I agree very much with Michael Bloomberg. Do you think he is a liberal? If you think that people who want people to live better lives are liberals, then I guess I am one. I am not one of these people who think that the good life can be achieved without hard work, but I do believe in the community investing in its young people.
( permalink | suggest removal )
Whippersnapper says... January 25, 2013 at 10:54 a.m.
inquire says
"Medicare has lower overhead and operates more efficiently than insurance companies. When insurance companies save money, it is only to make their shareholders richer at the expense of the insured."
~
How about some statistics? Medicare spends (on average) well over $10,000 per person covered per year, and the covered person has to pay out of pocket an average of $3,000 per year. Well, they're old, so maybe Medicaid would be a better comparison. In Arkansas they spend over $5700 per person on average (healthier folks, because they're younger). Sounds like it must be more efficient than private insurance, right? Well, no. There are big insurance companies and plans in Arkansas that are providing coverage for significantly less than that per person. I know, you won't let facts get in the way of your dogmatic beliefs, but others might be interested.
( permalink | suggest removal )
To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Read our Terms of Use policy.