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As California goes …
There used to be a dictem that stated that “as California goes, so does the country. If that dictem holds, then we are in real trouble.
California is now printing IOU’s because they have no money. Despite this, they can’t control their spending and taxing appetite. An absolute and abject failure of socialism. Someone please wake up the country, before Obambi drags us into this California “utopia”.
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26 Replies
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I see the same happening in Washington. Dems refuse to cut spending and GOP refuse to raise taxes. Compromise, do both.
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ORIGINAL: aldadoc
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California is now printing IOU’s because they have no money.
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So I wonder if you owe state taxes in Cali can you just send the state treasurer an IOU?-
This comes down to Shwarzenegger refusing to face reality….reality is more tax revenue and sharp cuts…..when necrotizing fasciitis occurs a surgeon cuts off the bad parts and infuses healthy tissue with antibiotics….Cali needs more tax revenue and level headed budget cuts……….this is really ridiculous……….I heard on NPR that farmers are now complaining because their crops are being picked by homeless and unemployed!
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Cali does not need more tax revenue, they need less spending and less waste. Top income tax rate is already close to 10%. Any higher and more high earners and businesses will leave and drive the unemployment rate up even higher and decrease the tax revenues.
California is cutting back on their public health care programs such as healthy families which was started in 1997 and is now frozen to new enrollment. This was the health care plan available to middle income families for only a few dollars a month. It didn’t work in Cali and now Obama wants to mirror Cali’s plan to the rest of the country. It has already proven in Cali to be too costly. Maybe Obama and the overspenders in Washington should learn from California’s overspending problem. -
ORIGINAL: OutpatientRadRules
This comes down to Shwarzenegger refusing to face reality….reality is more tax revenue and sharp cuts…..when necrotizing fasciitis occurs a surgeon cuts off the bad parts and infuses healthy tissue with antibiotics….Cali needs more tax revenue and level headed budget cuts……….this is really ridiculous……….I heard on NPR that farmers are now complaining because their crops are being picked by homeless and unemployed!
Grandchildren of the Joad family, no doubt.-
California cut the budget on healthcare and education and other things in a recession. We’ll see what happens next and how much of a lesson it is for the country whether to cut or stimulate & whether, “As California goes, so goes…”
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California ? Who really cares ? Let the liberal, uneducated, moron Hollywood hoard pick up the tab. By the way, they are awfully quiet since their messiah is losing his luster.
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They should have cut the budget years ago…they are only doing it now because they are falling off the cliff.
Never emulate California. Ever.
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[b]Grandchildren of the Joad family, no doubt.[/b]
“It was early one morning,
and I was strolling,
through the wheat fields waving,
and the dust clouds rolling,
as the fog was lifting,
a voice came calling,
saying, this land was made for you and me.”
Woody Guthrie
Just like dust bowl days. Homeless, hoboes, unemployed, mortgage underwater. Even so everything will work itself out, until the next cycle.-
ORIGINAL: Highway 61
[b]Grandchildren of the Joad family, no doubt.[/b]
“It was early one morning,
and I was strolling,
through the wheat fields waving,
and the dust clouds rolling,
as the fog was lifting,
a voice came calling,
saying, this land was made for you and me.”
Woody GuthrieJust like dust bowl days. Homeless, hoboes, unemployed, mortgage underwater. Even so everything will work itself out, until the next cycle.
Interesting transcript from PBS / Jim Lehrer:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec09/undercounted_07-02.html-
That’s why million med march is absurd. Think of a cardiologist whining about 40% cut to 1.2 mill income. The rest of Americans just trying to survive, thankful to have any job, and to envision a rally of very well-paid doctors massing on Washington: good luck with that.
We can lobby for what we want, but I’m happy to be a radiologist and nothing coming down the pike can ever change my mind about my work. The work matters and this other stuff has to be dealt with the best we can. If policies are enacted that are not to my liking, well, I’ll still do my work.-
[b]We can lobby for what we want, but I’m happy to be a radiologist and nothing coming down the pike can ever change my mind about my work. The work matters and this other stuff has to be dealt with the best we can. If policies are enacted that are not to my liking, well, I’ll still do my work.[/b]
[b][/b]
Where is John Galt? -
ORIGINAL: CA7E47
[b][/b]
Where is John Galt?Checking his Swiss numbered account in between enjoying the proceeds of the government bailouts of his failed business.
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[b]Disparaging actors and athletes is pointless. There is a market for their activities, so they get paid. [/b]
[b][/b]
ain’t that the truth. it’s always fun to hear doctors complain about how nobody cares how much money actors and basketball players make. or when Huckabee says doctors should get paid as well as Oprah. the sentiment is nice, but idiotic: a long time ago, we decoupled what we do for patients from how much and how/who pays for it – such that now everybody wants Cadillac-type healthcare and politicians keep encouraging the notion healthcare is a RIGHT.
[b]
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One man’s right is another man’s duty/responsibility. If healthcare is “right”, who will bear the duty??
Why don’t they say eating in a French restaurant daily is a “right”, driving a BMW is a “right”, earning half million is a “right”? Total political pandering BS for lazy, idiotic voters who believe they can get something for nothing.
WORKING HARD IS A RIGHT; KEEP YOUR FRUIT OF LABOR IS A RIGHT; GET REWARD FOR YOUR HARD WORK IS A RIGHT.
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ORIGINAL: Dr. Joseph Mama
ORIGINAL: OutpatientRadRules
This comes down to Shwarzenegger refusing to face reality….reality is more tax revenue and sharp cuts…..when necrotizing fasciitis occurs a surgeon cuts off the bad parts and infuses healthy tissue with antibiotics….Cali needs more tax revenue and level headed budget cuts……….this is really ridiculous……….I heard on NPR that farmers are now complaining because their crops are being picked by homeless and unemployed!
Grandchildren of the Joad family, no doubt.
oh man, i loves me some Steinbeck. re-read the grapes every other year to keep perspective. while not totally historically accurate, very, very compelling.
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Medicine should not be totally based on supply and demand, I totally agree. Catastrophic care, preventative care, etc…those are things we just have to find a way to pay for.
That said, those are not the biggest growth areas in costs. You look at costs, the biggest areas are growth are stuff that could, in some sense, be considered elective. We need to put a cost on that, and pass it to patients. If there is no incentive to reduce cost on the patient’s end, there will never be cost control, unless you ration.
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I see the problem to some degree as there is no connection from costs and what patients want. They have no idea of how much an exam costs and ask for more. If there was a way to have them pay it may cut down some. The problem is they won’t know what should or could be cut and what is truly needed. We could leave that up to doctors as with capitated system, but they don’t do what is right frequently if it means that they lose money on a patient. I would prefer an IMAC type system that uses cost/benefit analysis and best medical practices guidelines. I also think that there decisions and care provided by doctor following those guidelines must be immune from suit.
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[link=https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2021/05/10/california-has-a-staggering-757b-budget-surplus-1381195]California has a staggering $75.7B budget surplus – Politico[/link][/h3] (necro-thread …. but I thought I recalled this discussion)
California’s coffers are bulging thanks to the high-flying Silicon Valley, surging stock market and a large share of professionals who were able to continue working remotely during Covid-19. The state has a progressive income tax structure that leans heavily on top earners, allowing the state to enjoy record revenues despite widespread job losses in the travel and service industries that have kept California’s unemployment rate among the nation’s highest.
The Democratic governor provided the surplus figure Monday as he proposed $600 checks for middle-income residents along with $500 payments to families with dependents. California in February enacted an initial round of payments for its lowest-income residents, supplementing two rounds of similar checks from the federal government. All told, the state would give back nearly $12 billion this year if state lawmakers approve Newsom’s plan.
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Highway,
You don’t get rich sitting on your a$$ eating Bon Bon’s and watching Oprah. It takes hard work (or rich parents who worked hard).
We are not unemployed because we worked hard and used our brains to the best of our given ability and didn’t chase a trendy or cool job (like being an actor, investment banker etc.). True we are fortunate, but hard work and perseverance played a large part in our success (and that of cardiologists). I don’t begrudge a cardiologist making 1.2 million for saving lives, working nights, weekends, evenings, and holidays and after 14+ years of training and sacrifice. Not when Kobe Bryant makes more than $100 million a year. Perhaps actors and athletes should have some sort of special tax on them to pay for this healthcare disaster (since they are so fortunate) instead of cutting radiologists and cardiologist’s professional fees.-
[b]”Perhaps actors and athletes should have some sort of special tax on them to pay for this healthcare disaster (since they are so fortunate) instead of cutting radiologists and cardiologist’s professional fees.” [/b]
I agree with that !! Maybe a better plan would be to require all Hollywood actors to adopt an illegal immigrant family and provide them with health insurance.
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I am not arguing in favor of pay cuts to cardiologists and radiologists. But, in the larger picture, Americans don’t really care about the specifics of our reimbursement. I am saying that no matter what happens, we are in a profession that I believe in and none of these political/financial/economic issues will really sidetrack me or most colleagues. Despite all the problems that we face, what else would you rather do? And what profession or job is not replete with hardship, red tape, irritation?
So I don’t believe all these rants about this cut or that policy will drive me out of medicine. If you’re that easily dislodged, then go. We have survived undergraduate studies, medical school, internship, residency, board exams, years of toil. There is a way to handle each upcoming challenge.
Disparaging actors and athletes is pointless. There is a market for their activities, so they get paid.
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ORIGINAL: radrules1
Highway,
You don’t get rich sitting on your a$$ eating Bon Bon’s and watching Oprah. It takes hard work (or rich parents who worked hard).
We are not unemployed because we worked hard and used our brains to the best of our given ability and didn’t chase a trendy or cool job (like being an actor, investment banker etc.). True we are fortunate, but hard work and perseverance played a large part in our success (and that of cardiologists). I don’t begrudge a cardiologist making 1.2 million for saving lives, working nights, weekends, evenings, and holidays and after 14+ years of training and sacrifice. Not when Kobe Bryant makes more than $100 million a year. Perhaps actors and athletes should have some sort of special tax on them to pay for this healthcare disaster (since they are so fortunate) instead of cutting radiologists and cardiologist’s professional fees.
Soon we will all bow in submission to our government overlords, my capitalist friend. You [i]will [/i]accept a modest salary in exchange for some work and a modest ration of bon bons and Oprah. If you choose not to work you will still be required to accept a modest salary.
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Not trying to disparage actors or athletes. They deserve every penny they earn. Supply and demand dictates their salaries, just as it should dictate ours. I am being sarcastic when I say there should be a special tax on actors. I’m not looking for someone else to pay for my healthcare. Just expressing my frustration in the proposed 15% professional fee cut to radiologists while anesthesiologists (and some other specialists) get a hike. The government is trying to artificially manipulate our salaries downward (as we are the scapegoat in the escalation in healthcare costs).
And btw Highway, there is a market for our activities as well as actors and I don’t believe the government should stand in the way of the law of supply and demand on our end only.
And raYzor, if we have truly decoupled what we do for patients from how much and how/who pays for it, how come plastic surgeons do so well?
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[b]And raYzor, if we have truly decoupled what we do for patients from how much and how/who pays for it, how come plastic surgeons do so well?[/b]
i’m sure you’re asking in jest:-)-
I don’t think medicine should be subject to the law of supply and demand. We are in a profession in which we pledge duty first and foremost to the welfare of the patient; we do not try to maximize the amount collected. We have a fiduciary duty to the patient. This is something I wish Wall Street and financial “professionals” had kept in mind. Therefore, it is not helpful to be jealous of actors and athletes incomes because they are in a true free market and usually have a short time to maximize income. Their income years are faster than dog years; more like playboy bunny years; 5-7 years tops.
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