As many of you know, the Dog Daze of Summer give all of us the opportunity to reflect on the end of another summer, as we prepare for the autumnal equinox. It also gave us the time to reflect on Labor Day, a celebration and tribute to the men and women who strengthened and built this nation, creating opportunities for future generations, giving their lives and proudly serving their country to allow all of us to live in the free world. Unfortunately, based on our behavior over the last twelve years, we have lost our moral compass, we have lost our sense of ethics, integrity, honor, and our social conscience. Do we understand what it means to be an American? We have become a disrespectful society, no if's , and's or but's. We have forgotten that this country was built on the backs of immigrants of all races, colors, or creed. This was what made us great, this is what made America great. Regardless whether you believe it or not, we are a melting pot where freedom to choose is an inalienable right, whether it is your choice to believe in some God or no God at all, to love the person whom loves you in return, to motivate yourself to succeed, or choose the career that best suits your interests. It is your inalienable right as long as no harm is done upon others, or you do not break any laws. So why have we become such a divisive society?
Many of our readers may disagree, but we have become an amoral society, meaning we have no morals, no restraints, no principles, we have become desensitized to what is right and what is wrong because we rationalize our actions and behavior by our greed. Just look at the last ten years in spine. We have used every trick in the book to make money, regardless of the outcomes. The Greatest Generation lived by a code of conduct that no longer exists and is unacceptable by today's standards. We no longer make things, or innovate, today we make deals. How does this bode for your future, or your children's, or children's children future? The future does look bleak? Or are you willing to change your evil ways baby? Why worry about terrorists when we do a wonderful job of terrorizing ourselves, threatening our sheer existence with our selfishness, irrationality and our insanity. We spend more time manipulating the system rather than focusing on what's important, unlike that Greatest Generation. Are you building a better future for yourself or in spine? That can be debated. So as you recovery from a summer of fun, ask yourself, "Am I part of the solution, or am I part of the problem?" As I reflect on my father's generation today, I am astonished by his hard work and commitment to not only make our lives, but the world a better place. So as TSB resurfaces after a slight hiatus remember, it's time to ramp up sales to close out the year and keep the powers to be off your backs. Good Luck and Great Selling!
I just saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico!
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget that this "greatest generation" did a great job forcing their entitlements onto their future generations.
ReplyDeleteYes. And, we are going broke because of it.
DeleteWe are going broke because of senseless wars, lower taxes, deregulation, abuse of medicare by everyone playing a role in the system, lack of concessions by Dems and Repubs and capital mismanagement by both parties. Some of the legislation that was passed worked because people did not abuse the system, unfortunately human nature prevails. Greed is good and then people's short comings prevail. Let's push everything to the limit, legally of course until we have a meltdown. You can't pay bills just by cutting back on your spending, you need revenue, it's Finance 101. Go try telling your credit card company that you are going to stop spending and pay down your bill that way, you'll find out how quickly their lawyers will get involved. Stop whining about entitlements because the wealthy demand their Medicare just like the poor, they paid into it.
DeleteOn this day of all days, we should remember that the "senseless" war wasn't started by us. At least not in the firing of the first shot. I am one of the few on this blog that has been in Afghanistan and Iraq. I served for more than a decade making less than poverty wages, not because it was the only place i could find, but becasue i wanted to. You talk of entitlement, yet you have sacrificed nothing to be able to spew your hate and vitriole onto the web.
DeleteYou are a smart guy MM, but you have done nothing but collect payckecks and bitch. You want to really help? STFU and do something other than hide behind a blog site that at its core is nothing more than a free speech haven that stirs up animosity and encourages rumors and lies.
They paid the price for it, they were entitled to it.
ReplyDeleteWell Put MM! Well put!! But as you can see by 8:21 post we are a country of you work hard for it, you sacrifice for it, and then when you are successful I deserve some of it, just because!! Our political system is BROKEN, our News system is BIASED, and as you said our morality is BROKEN. The only thing left to do is to truly CHANGE! not this bull sH#t change that many were fooled into believing, but true change! Unfortunately this will never happen, so I guess history will repeat itself and we will continue to go the way of the Roman Empire! Like this Surgeon said just yesterday, Our future will consist of the four G's. GARDEN,GUNS,GOLD,AND GOD!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was lawyers, guns and money???
DeleteIt never ceases to amaze the rhetoric that flies under the guise of Americanism. Come on folks, let us not be so blinded by mere generalities mixed with half-truths and falsehoods from those who pontificate and/or lobby for agendas. We are a culture of evolution experiencing change at various degrees throughout the course of our existence. The magnitude of change is onset by the loudest voices and those who aboard the directive. This is a capitalist democracy rooted in the traditions of our forefathers who passed along to us the intrinsic nature of providing for self, family and/or others.
ReplyDeleteMoral compass is a coined term from those who relish in critiquing others behaviors. Morality is centered on the need not the want. Do you really need to screw your competitor? Do you really need to have a $220k job or do you want to provide a good living for your family? I venture to say all the 'greats' who ever where experienced a life pursuit challenge of orientating their so-called internal poles of magnitude that guided their behaviors and actions alike. President Roosevelt said so poignantly in 1910: It is not the critic who counts; …the credit belongs to the [person] who is actually in the arena, …who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; …who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he [/she] fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that [their] place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
But what does TR know? He was so progressive for the time...talk about change?? Geezes.
Divided we will ever be. Apposition in its essence is what fuels the mighty engine of American and it’s culture. Those that attempt to coral, control or tame the complex machinery that drives our society clearly has an agenda and not for the greater good. Should you find yourself amongst the lost and confused...perhaps the troubled and uncertain mind, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! Go on a spiritual journey, achieve, volunteer, finish a novel, go green, start a worm farm...find something fulfilling that is not destructive to yourself or others. Calibrate your needs and wants.
To some the medical devices business is just that, BUSINESS. It is a means to an end providing a destination from point A to B. Some take the business another way; it's a way of life. Either you battle the swells and navigate the waters as any successful sailor does or you fail in the attempting. If and when you quit, blame only yourself. I never of heard of anyone in the industry busting their ass and living on the streets. Either keep on paddling or get out of the water and move to another business and/or country. I hear China is offering great comp plans for medical devices sales folks. Finland's pretty laid back I hear.
Change is inevitable. Don't worry it will happen eventually; and should you find yourself in the crowded company of complainers, whiners and excused makers...well be-careful of what you wish for. Wishes have a way of failing expectations.
The serious moral decline that is wrecking our economy and our nation was the centerpiece of Bill Clinton's speech last night: Shared Prosperity. "Shared prosperity" is the concept that those that worked harder, risked more, and sacrificed more to create a business and jobs and prosperity must "share" much of their earnings, under the threat of arrest and imprisonment, with those that chose not take those difficult actions. Obama said "You didn't make that happen", but he is wrong. The "1%" are the one who pay 22 times the taxes of the average person, and so did in fact build those roads. And as far as everyone paying their fair share, let's start with the bottom 50% who pay nothing yet still drive in the same roads as those who risk and work to create those jobs and roads.
ReplyDeleteAs for spine, the serious sins were committed by those companies who engaged in sham consulting arrangements and the surgeons who participated. Now you have PODs, and after this election it is very likely that many of those surgeons who are violating Stark and kickback laws will be held accountable.
Peace out!
this is the best thread i have read in a long, long time. Thanks guys. No matter what company you work for, let us strive to do and be better than our predecessors. We have been our own worst enemies by standing by and allowing many of the ridiculous business practices.b
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc5iTNVEOAg
DeleteHow ethical and or moral is it for the insurance companies to deny lumbar surgeries for nothing more than arbitrary reasons?!?!? Look at Becker's web site and it will shock you. We as doctors who take care of patients in need are being forced to abandon our training and principles. This is offensive, and I'm confused as to how MM seems to endorse Obamacare, and not stand up for the physician patient relationship. Make no mistake, ethical practice is a coin with 2 sides. If insurance companies as well as Medicare can screw us over, and deny needed services for our patients, we need to be prepared to stand up for what is right, not what is cheap. Obamacare isn't the answer, and rolling over and playing dead is the greatest sin we could commit.
ReplyDeleteIt is not moral for insurance companies to indiscriminately deny surgeries without understanding the pathology. They should have clear guidelines as to what diseases and at what stage they allow to be treated surgically. On the other hand it is the gross and blatant overuse of surgery as the treatment of choice, all because it makes surgeons and industry an obscene amount of money and not because it is the best option, that have caused the insurance industry to act this way. All this is further compounded by he fact that for the majority of spine conditions the understanding of the root causes as well as the proof of effectiveness of surgical interventions is lacking. The only way out is to conduct better clinical studies (let's say better than Vertos.....), use the data to develop clear treatment algorhythms, and allow checks by a third party to see that they are followed by both insurance companies and surgeons.
Delete6:35 and 7:31 are perhaps the two best articulated posts of the two camps on this blog. Excellent dialogue and an absolute crystalization of the issue.
DeleteAnyone who believes this is simple, or that there is a clear right and wrong answer or position is ignorant.
MM has stood up for physicians and surgeons rights long before insurance companies were denying lumbar surgeries, long before BO was the POTUS. Shame on you doctor, its your inability to stand up for yourselves and coalesce as a profession? You blame everyone else for the challenges the healthcare industry faces in this great country because you are afraid to challenge the anti-trust laws, your peers blame sales people for driving up the cost of delivering healthcare. Shame on you. Do any of you have the cohones to stand up and take a position? No, because of your own divisiveness, your own selfishness as a profession. The envy, the greed, and behavior that is exhibited by your own peers is despicable. My heart really bleeds for you when I make a sales call and your peers complain about how little money they are actually making, when they own two homes, their children go to private schools, and they drive your fancy sports car while bitching and moaning about how they are getting screwed. Get rid of the girlfriend on the side and maybe you'll have more peace of mind. Talk about entitlement. It's the I want it all profession. The same rules that apply to us, need to be applied to you. You are no different than the rest of us. We are all making less, therefore follow the golden rule, tighten your belt, cut back on your overhead and tell your kids that they need to go to public schools, and don't take your girlfriends to NASS. It's your own peers, the 20% that play by there own set of rules that ruin it for those of you that place patients over profits and still earn a great living. So don't lecture me.
ReplyDeleteGrammar police here:
Delete"their own set of rules"
not
"there own set of rules"
So is it only the surgeons who have "girlfriends" on the side - drive fancy sports cars and send their children to private schools? I think you need to clarify that.
DeleteI've seen and I continue to see sales "directors", sales "engineers" and the such in EXACT same boat, the only difference is they "play" doctor every day during a sales call.
Go get em TSB, the truth stings
ReplyDeleteWhat's the matter doc, can't hit your nut this month?
ReplyDeleteSmackdown! Ouch!
ReplyDeleteTKO
ReplyDeleteLMAO
ReplyDeleteHey doc take two and call us in the morning
ReplyDeleteYou fools, re-read my post! Where am I complaining about how much money I make? I'm talking about nothing more than denials of care to patients. MM is a farce, and you lose all credibilty by going off on your rant about second homes, girlfriends, and whether or not I made my nut this month. Sheesh, you guys are a real bizarre bunch. My parallel comparison based on morals simply puts a mirror up to your face if you roll over for Obamacare, and that's something you might not want to admit. Where do my peers (and who the F*&$ are they?) complain about the reps driving up the cost of care? I have the cohones to stand up for my patients who need something that they are being denied. Spine BooBoo has an agenda and got his little feelers hurt by mis-interpreting COMPLETELY, my post. Read it again.
ReplyDeleteAmen Doc!
DeleteI'm still laughing...you stand up for physicians and surgeons rights? I spoke of the physician-patient relationship...Who said anything about anti-trust laws? How is a patient with Medicaid or Medicare that I advocate for, being denied a legitimate surgery, greedy on my part? I have no debt, my kids do go to public school, and um...don't lecture ME. I didn't lecture anyone in my post.
ReplyDeleteDoc is right.
ReplyDeleteMM you've been humbled - you have shown with your rant that you are out of your league and it's apparent why you are not a doc, just a wannabe. Sad. You should have stopped while you were ahead.
Ayn Rand is alive and well and running the medical industry.
ReplyDeleteIs that The Liberal Investigator Extraordinaire?
DeleteThanks for the great insight and poignant feedback. Your contributions help us all be better....wait, they help no one.
Please ban Bally.
I guess the convention must have riled up the kool aid drinkers
ReplyDeleteoh my God, we are becoming the Canadian healthcare system, run for your lives patient advocate that is your responsibility doctor, if not you then who? Denials have become commonplace. Suck it up
ReplyDeleteI love my President. To quote Bill Maher, "The people that don't like Obama only dislike him for one reason: They can't call him the word they really want to. It starts with an N, and ends with an R, and it ain't Nation-Builder"
ReplyDeleteYou right wing "gun huggers" out there need to get ready for another 4 years, so shut up and deal with it. I really, really, love watching your heads spin :) Before we continue to rant about OBAMACARES, how bout we talk about Medicare D that Bushy-Baby (gin and tonic at yale, you know, one of those elitist schools) put in no matter the fact that it was totally unfunded to begin with, and is now responsible for a 21T (that's right trillion) dollar liability.
I am the owner of a Med Device Machine Shop that might touch 5mil in sales this year. I buy all my employees lunch EVERYDAY, and give them a paid lunch break. I have never had an employee ask for a raise. They are always bumped up before they think they are ready. I "hand out" FREE healthcare to all of my co-workers. AND I STILL HAD ENOUGH TO BUY MYSELF A USED LAMBORGHINI !
I never went to college. No one ever "told me how a business is supposed to run" but you know what? I think I am doing right by my guy/gals, and myself.
I give back to the people that helped me every chance I get.
Wow I love to read that someone like you is still a Democrat.
DeleteI think everyone wishes they worked for someone like you.
I heard once that if your not a dem before you are 40 you have no heart, but if you are not a repub after 40 you have no brain! I have NO idea where I am going to land! Thanks for the kind words!
Delete5:31 - You sond like a good guy. But Obama is toast. Thank God.
Delete@5:31
ReplyDeleteWhat a numb nuts. You are simply doing what others did for their employees starting over 4 decades ago. Companies began offering perks such as insurance to attract and retain talent. At first, this was a novel approach but later became the norm. Don't act like you're an innovator and are doing a great service to your employees. You are simply doing what you believe is a way to retain a skilled laborer and not have cost associated with employee turnover and training cost. IT IS NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE BENEVOLENT!
If you had gone to college and had the opportunity to take an Econ class, you would have read about Adam Smith and learned that people will act in a manner that is beneficial to themselves. A result of their own self-serving actions is that others will benefit as the performing individual invest, builds and grows the community. Modern day examples are Bill Gate and Steve Jobs. They created entire industries which in turn have literally employees millions of people around the world. They became mega-rich, but others also became extremely wealthy while incomes and job stability were created for millions of others.
Everyone thinks they can be the leader or inventor or corporate executive. Truth is , few can lead EFFECTIVELY.
Here's my argument against the Dems and Obama. I believe great leaders and individuals will strive to do what is best for themselves and their companies. You are a perfect example of this principle. You chose to do what is right for your employees, not because it is mandated by the government. Charities in the US are extremely successful because Americans are so generous and always, always rise to the occasion and do the right thing.
And here is the flip side of yours and Bill Maher's ridiculous statement. Based on the logic (or lack thereof) You must be a racist against whites since you disagree with the current Republican presidential candidate.
Your last line is great! White people have stood in my way more than black people so..... Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of white guys! Except myself!! Sorry, I forgot to add that to my most recent diatribe :)
DeleteWho Am I?
ReplyDeleteI'm VP of Sales of a spine company
I live in Southern California
I never leave Southern California
I've never been in a case
I couldn't tell you the difference between a persuader or a pedicle probe
I have no leadership or technical skills
Everyone wonders how I got my job and still keep it
????
They describes every RM I have worked with. We need more clues.
DeleteMost of our distribution ignore anything that I say
DeleteI run unsuccessful labs
I wouldn't know how to speak about a case with a surgeon if you gave me all the tea in China
Dave Crook... I live in Florida and only blow 4 Skin lol jk I mean 4 Spine.
Delete@6:10. I appreciate the criticism. "Now please allow me to retort" (MM quotes music, I quote movies..!)
ReplyDeleteI am 32 and worked for about 10 machine shops before I started my own business. NONE offered full insurance, and let me think, yeah, NONE ever bought me lunch (correction: maybe on xmas..) I don't do these things to benefit myself. I do it because I have the extra cash, and don't need to bow to shareholders. You are over thinking things. Oh, and free healthcare IS a great service.
You mentioned leading effectively. I (with the help of many) have turned a 150k start-up loan into 2.3mil in debt kicking out almost 5mil/year with about a 30% return. I started out with good machining knowledge, NO business contacts, and my little brother, who I trained into a full blown 5 axis CNC Mill Programmer. He was my first student, and now he teaches our new additions as our company grows. I have protested the closing of local schools machining programs, added 30 jobs to my county/country, and our growth over our first 7 years is at a continuous 45 degree angle north! Oh, and my Mom is proud of me too!
"Great" leaders strive for themselves? Really? If a great leader of an army was to focus on himself, and not his brother, how would he fair? If the team captain is the only one on the field, how will he fair? If the leader of a movement is the only one marching how will he fair?
With that said, would you like me to waste time listing the banks, hedge funds, defense contractors, stock brokers, government, and the like who all have "great" leaders that strive to focus on themselves? I AM NOT ON THAT LIST
And to wrap up... My Nation Builder line was put there only to add momentum to your already spinning head :) GOBAMA !
@5:31,7:17
DeleteYou espouse the love for your country and purchase a used Lambo? You would have had me if you bought a used Ford GT. Just sayin...
Touche! Repose... Nothing beats paddle shifters and AWD :) Plus, the GT was another 75k :(
Delete@7:17
DeleteHere's the thing. You are the poster child for why we don't need Obama or all the government regulations to tell us what to drink and how much of it we can have. The fact is, small businesses make up over 70% of all employed individuals in this country. The big banks and corporations of this country employee a minority of the population. That was the big lie told to everyone in 2008 - "too big to fail".
So here it is in a nut shell. Good for you that you take care of your employees. You, like most all small business owners view their employees not simply as assets but as viable human beings which you care about. You are not alone. And that is what drives this country forward. The falacy that too many believe is that all businesses are like the huge conglomerates. They are not. The other small businesses also operate in a manner similar to you - maybe not exactly the same, but ultimately with the same level of commitment to its employees. Don't stand around waiting for someone to pay you on the back telling you what a great job you are doing. You are no more special or better that another 10000 employers out there that do the same.
But don't sell yourself short. After all, it was you who took on the responsibility of creating a company in the image that it currently is seen. You alone took out the loans. You left whatever job you had to make a go of it. If things failed, you can't simply walk away and go to another job like your employees. You most likely signed for any loan on a corporate and personal level. That is the kind of risk/reward that demand business owners earn considerably more than their employees. You most certainly have debt, lease agreements and so on that you are responsible for if thing fail - even how you consider to take care of your employees post employment.
What will be your response when your employees come to you and want to Unionize? Your cost will increase 30 to 40%. I wonder how gracious and humble you will act when they gut your company and you Lamborghini. Are you going to remind them of all the free lunches you bought. THERE ARE NO FREE LUNCHES! Someone always has to pay for it. I bet if you asked your employees if they would rather have you pay for the same crap lunch everyday or see an extra $30 in their paychecks per week they would take the $30 bucks.
So go put your big boy pants on, place an order for next weeks lunch from Suzies dinner then go bow down before your Obama poster and thank him for regulating everything you do in your business and life. Because after all, you can't possibly know what is best for yourself or your own company. You need to be regulated and forced to act in a certain way by the government because you can't possibly be trusted to act with the best intentions toward yourself or others.
Hope you were in Charlotte this weekend and kissed the ring of his holy governance. It is obvious you have a man-crush on him. Wipe your chin why don't you.
How about the story on Vertos in the NY Times yesterday. Just what the spine industry needs!
ReplyDeleteDoc, you are completely right! MM has exposed his true motives in that rant! He took your desire to effectively treat your patients and turned it into a diatribe full of bullshit that exposed his resentment of the physician profession. Shame on you MM for steroetyping a spine surgeon who simply desires to care for his patients.
ReplyDeleteMM, you need to wake up and see through the farce of Obamacare, they are fooling their voters into thinking that they are sooooooooo concerned about the poor and sick people who have no access to healthcare. Show me one person who has been denied access to medical care. I work in the hospitals everyday and have yet to see one patient claim that the ER will not take care of them, insurance or no insurance. Wake up TSB, it is a fuc^in power grab by the government and our politicians all in the name of compassion for us.....are you really that stupid and naive?
I agree 100%. MM is losing it...
DeleteWhy is my real estate taxed under Obamacare? The plan is BS or they would not need all the hidden taxes. If tax rates go up the U.S will raise 70 billion in revenue. That is like putting out a fire with an eye dropper. Higher taxes will do nothing, we have to cut the spending.
DeleteObama's time is nearly over. He has no chance of being re-elected.
ReplyDeleteCan I please borrow your crystal ball? I know how to repair them, and yours is obviously broken.
DeleteYup. We are looking at a Carter / Reagan blowout.
DeleteI know you are ALL looking.... But you wont find it :)
DeleteRomney needs 50.1% in Ohio and it's over. Call all your friends there and make sure they vote.
ReplyDeleteHard to win any state whe you have .1% of the black vote. Just sayin...
DeleteNot at all true. 12% of the population is black and spread across the country. Based on the percentage of any race that votes their influence is minimal. I come from a liberal Jewish family spread all over the country. They are all choosing not to vote in this election which is amazing. Being an independent I see the importance of getting a new regime in before more damage is done.
DeleteWow, listen to this white guy brag about how many black friends he has. I'm black and I'm not voting for either candidate. You can all call me crazy (I know you will), but the day will soon come when the citizens of the United States wake-up and realize that we don't have to vote for one of the two empty suits forced on us by the party faithful. The advent of the internet followed by facebook and twitter has completely changed the world as we know it. Just Google "Arab Spring" and "the first black president of the United States" if you aren't convinced. It doesn't take a very smart person to realize that an Independent President of the U.S. is in our near future. It is inevitable. People are tired of being controlled by the two small groups of self-serving career politicians that run the world (small relative to the number of people that they control).
DeleteI'm calling it right now; the 2016 presidential election will be won by an independent candidate, and the 2018 congressional election will be dominated by independents as well. An independent president will be willing to work with both political parties as an unbiased intermediary in order to get things done. The shear number of voters standing behind this president will force the party faithful to play nice.
Dude, say what you will but there are three things I do not believe in anymore.
DeleteUnicorns
Santa Clause
And Black Republicans
I really wish all three existed, but this fantasy land only populates in my mind....!
Vote your interests man. They do not represtent who you are. Maybe what you were trained to think, but not YOU. They are not singling you out tho (anymore). Women, anyone spanish, entire sects of religion, poor, ect...
Dont worry, Barry has your back! Because I have his :)
1:50 PM - You might want to take a look here: http://www.nbra.info/ to keep from looking so stupid.
Deletetoken.com? wha?
DeleteHopefully the damage and divisiveness he has brought to this country can be undone.
ReplyDeleteDivisiveness? all on the right buddy. He won, you dont like it, you divided. FROM REALITY
DeleteYeah, I remember vividly a gnome by the name of Mitch "the ugliest man in DC " McConnell stood at the podium at the AEI two years ago and declared "our job is to deny this President a second term.". This coming from a hillbilly racist from Kentucky. Obstructionist? Divisive? Nah, not the esteemed senator from the toothless state. LMAO. Ayn Rand will save the day, a soviet dissident, who was an atheist, Paul Ryan's mentor, LMAOSM. It's always Obama's fault like the esteemed surgeon stated, what idiots, no wonder the Chinese laugh at us.
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese are screwed in the long term because they do not allow the free market to work. If we do not curb spending, the next loan you get will be at 15%. No county has ever recovered from overspending without a period of hyperinflation. The poster from earlier will not be able to trade his lambo for a loaf of bread. ALL of us have to take a massive hit on our future entitlements or no amount of taxes will fix the situation.
Delete12:07 YOU are the reason the Chinese are laughing at us
ReplyDelete12:57, your post is almost as clever as "I know you are, but what am I?" Dork.
Deletewtf happened to the slightly uplifting posts that started yesterday? oh, the name calling and personal attacks started......who is the a class retard, and what political party does he claim, that started this buzzkill path?
ReplyDeleteUh, what thread are you reading old man? You ask for uplifting then post "retard" Damn I am uplifted. Our wonderful MM started it. Dont like it? Change the channel. Im staying.
DeleteThis post went political in about an hour and a half.
Deleteit was meant to be a joke......it sounded funnier while stuck in traffic. it was a sad.attempt at humor.
DeleteIt's too bad that our nation's first president was also our nation's worst president. If you disagree with him, YOU'RE A RACIST!. Barack Hussein Obama is an extreme far leftist, or Socialist. Look around at the other countries in the world that supported that same regime in the past and realize, with honesty, where they are now. I saw a bumper sticker that said "That Obama bumper sticker on your car might as well say "I'm a dumbass". Well, that sticker was correct. You might disagree with me now and shout hateful things to me, but wait and see for yourself. Time will reveal the damage this extremist has done. And you know, if we re-elect him, then we get what we deserve.
ReplyDeleteHey, whats up every ad from '08. Whats a matter did you lose your fox news feed shortly after last election? Your first sentence was not only your opening remark, but it helped us peg your IQ somewhere just above 70... Hussein? Wow. That was SO 26 seconds ago. I would bet a month of paychecks you have the 2nd amendment tatooed on your ass. You do dont ya?! I am sure you would rather have father time and caribou barbie running things? You betcha (wink)
DeleteNow sit back and continue the conversation you were having with your empty chair. If anything sums up the clowns you represent is an old codger talking to himself.
You lefty's always bashing Fox News should realize that they are the highest rated news show on television for a reason and it is because it is real news, not the slanted and biased BS that ABC, CBS abd NBS spews. Face it you are in the minority and thats because you are too stupid to even understand the lies the "mainstream" is feeding you.
DeleteWhen Romney becomes president you go back and look at those polls the left puts out and ask yourself how Romney won in a landslide when the polls showed it was neck and neck? You are the blind sheep being led to the slaughterhouse.
So not only do you hill billies dispouse FACTS, and SCIENCE, now polls are inaccurate too?
DeleteI imagine you in a room filled with ted nugent posters covering 30 year old wood paneling, with one hand on your gun, panicing everytime a car back fires, or a tree bumps the window from the wind, ready to shoot. Someones coming to get me, someons coming to get me. Look left, look right, left agin. Like a squirrel, a rodent, or any other bottom feeder.
VOTE MORMON 2012. HE BELIEVES GOD IS ON A PLANET NAMED KOLOB. HE WEARS SPECIAL UNDERWEAR THAT HE THINKS WILL HELP GET HIM INTO HEAVEN. HE IS NOT CHRISTIAN.
The citizens with their hands on their guns are the reason we are not part of the British Kingdom. This is why the second amendment is in the constitution, if the citizens are armed it deters our leaders from trying to take our liberties.
DeleteHow is being a mormon different than any other religion? Muslims get 72 virgins.......really? The catholic church denied the earth revolved around the sun! All religions believe in goofy crap which is why it should never play a role in our government or electing our leaders. Romney is not a politician and does not need to be bought off by lobbying groups and other special interests. I am an independent and am vote Republican for that reason.
If The UK were your home you would...
Deleteconsume 55.61% less oil
use 54.8% less electricity
spend 58.1% less money on health care
experience 24.44% less of a class divide
have 22.15% less chance of dying in infancy
have 13.98% more chance at being employed
have 8.85% more free time
be 66.67% less likely to have HIV/AIDS
live 0.92 years longer
The UK is BROKE! This is the dumbest comparison I have ever heard. Your comparisons should be to individual states with similar populations and demographics. You obviously never got a degree in business. We have trouble comparing local markets within the U.S.
DeleteTake a look at history and you will see the Germans tried Obama's plan several years back. It bankrupted their country and they are in the process of undoing all the entitlements now. The nanny state has taken down societies since the beginning of time. It is unfortunate but the government cannot take care of everyone, we need to take responsibility for our own lives and futures.
Man I wish I was broke:
Delete1 US dollar = 0.6248 British pounds sterling
OH! and oil will be traded in euros before the end of the decade. Bye Bye "world currency"
Delete12:44 Hey genius were not just broke, were 16 Trillion in debt thanks mostly to Republican policies. Congrads Captain obvious you get a star for disproving your own argument.
DeleteThe 2nd Amendment is the only thing keeping BARACK HUSSSSSSEIN OBAMA from taking the same path as Stalin and getting rid of several million opponents. Leftists hate dissent...
ReplyDeleteAmen, and the worst part about it all, is that they are too stupid to even realize it. Even The leftists look at their base as idiots and just laugh at them...along with the Chinese.
DeleteNOT FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS. Well, now hes dead, one less asshole. Your argument was created in your red/right bubble. How many guns laws created in this first term? Douche? Thought so. Get a new poster.
DeleteGOD HATES THE CHINESE (hey that ones new, run around in circles for 2 decades with that one, and keep yourself busy)
Who are Obama's millions of opponents? I am wildly curious to read the regurgitated bullshit you heard from pill poppin fatboy RUSH.
Are there any frikken Blue dogs here to back me up against all these chicken-hawk, angery, bitter, white, caulous, ignrant, self serving, masterbating into their gun, repubs here?
ReplyDeleteWhen I see socialist, stalin, hussein, in all yur traderous/anti american posts, I think to my self "are these all just a bunch of old guys that I can wait out as they die off, or is it another growing group of brainwashed evangelical scared lemmings?
Fox news has higher ratings because most of us democrates smoke pot, and hug trees in our off hours. If you think that fox is more reputable than the big three, you have gone to the farside and there is no hope for you. There is no media conspiracy. You heard that the same place you heard the moon landing was fake and big foot is real. FOX
Remember in the 80's when that channel just started? It was only held up by Al Bundy. Now a much larger group of white trash help keep it going. You paranoid gun huggers all congrigate to one channel, thats why the ratings are higher. Moron.
Gotta go, I am off to help drive some women to get their abortions!
Heads still spinning, spinning, spinnings, I cant believe they voted fr a black guy, spinning, spinning.....
I support you and My brother Obama!
DeleteLIKE
Deletei tried to tell you that you are in the minority, again you just don't get it!
ReplyDeleteGlad you didnt argue with how I called out the "majority" then. Be sure to check back on this post after November to "check yo self!"
DeleteDon't bother arguing with Republicans. They can't seem to admit or face the facts that their policies have added more debt, deficit and done much more harm to the US fiscal health than Democrats. Now they want us to believe it is their issue. Please.
ReplyDeleteObama is going to win again, like it or not (he is ahead or tied in nearly every swing state) and has a considerable lead in electoral votes in States trending Democrat. Romney would have to almost sweep the swing states to win, which he won't. Barring a total collapse unless Romney takes Ohio (which he won't) and wins 70% of the other swing States he has lost the election. As importantly it now looks like the Republicans may not take a lead in the Senate and will surely give up some house seats. Then maybe we can going about instituting real change and reform to improve the Country.
I am a medium sized Distributor and consider myself a moderate. To me John McCain was the best Republican candidate in 35 years and I would have voted for him if Raegan, Bush I, and Bush II hadn't screwed up the Country so much. I love the revisionist Republicans that glamorize Raegan. He was as bad or worse than Bush II and that is hard to do.
An early poster was exactly right people act for their own self interests. Only there are those of us who have though this through, taken an economics class or two and realize that sometimes the good of all furthers our own interests. Supply tangos with Demand and where the two shall meet is where the economy settles in a constant state of fluid movements. See if all the rich people hoard the money sooner or later they start making less money because there are less people to buy their shit and then peasants come knocking on the gates. To really have a productive society that maximizes economic growth you need to help the poor become middle class and the middle class become upper middle class and the UMC become wealthy and so on. This is also leads to a happy and healthy society where lifespan is increased, percentage of healthy babies are increased, incarcerations and cancer decrease and the chances of you getting car jacked also decrease. By the way our society will not be measured in the history books on how well we treat our rich but on how well we treat the poor so besides good economic policy it is also the humane, Godly and right thing to do. That is why I pay many of you Republicans a guarantee despite the fact you don't deserve it. So quit crying about your taxes that are historically low and sell something before I take away your guarantee.
PS when Texas goes Democrat in 2016/2020 I guess their will be a lot of Republicans changing their tune or moving out of the Country. I guess they will go to Sweden or Denmark where taxes really are 50%.
ReplyDeleteDo we help the lower class by giving them free housing, free food and free healthcare? With that formula a very small percentage will make it out of poverty. I think anyone that receives a handout should be forced to work an 8 hour day cleaning up the roads, beaches etc. We would have a nicer country and huge population of impoverished people with a higher level of self esteem and self worth. Capable individuals will get six months to find a job before they loose the free ride.
DeleteI know there are jobs but the people do not want to do them, the illegals take those because they are willing to do anything to survive. I never see white or black people doing landscaping, picking fruit etc. Those jobs are there for the taking but doing nothing is easier.
I have a better idea, let's outlaw abortions, don't give any money to the poor or education and spend it all on prisons. Let's make healthcare really expensive so the average person can't afford it, who cares if people die as long as we save those baby souls. You know the poor people, it is their fault.
DeleteI am voting for 3:35 this year! I am afraid of big black guys, so lets lock them all up. I am also afraid of the sick and the poor. They must be sent to a gulag.
DeleteVOTE 2012-3:35 !!
Hey MM, since you never add to MY comments, here is a music quote to persuade you :) Its fitting for the GOP this round!
"Efficiency and progress is ours once more
Now that we have the Neutron bomb
It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done
Away with excess enemy
But no less value to property
No sense in war but perfect sense at home:
The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax to pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light
Jobless millions whisked away
At last we have more room to play
All systems go to kill the poor tonight
Gonna Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill the poor."
Dead Kennedy's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgpa7wEAz7I
Its getting BLUE in here :) 12:50 - 11:51 - 1:05 THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteHey Tea Baggers and Nut jobs. In a land in time far away when the tax rates were more who is this quote from....
ReplyDelete"We're going to close the unproductive loopholes that allow some of the truly wealthy to avoid paying their fair share... In practice they sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying ten percent of his salary, and that's crazy."
"Do you think the millionaires ought to pay more in taxes than the bus driver or less?"
I will give you a hint it is not Obama. Just an observation but the average Tea Bagger I would guess makes between $40,000 and $80,000 and is easily manipulated by the media. After all most the things they fight for effect them the least and actually do them harm. Oh, but I forgot you have a chance to make it big just like we all have a chance at converting all those POD doctors. Give me a break losers.
When you get all of your information from Think Progress it's hard to be reasonable or accurate. If you finish Reagan's quote:
Delete"What we're trying to move against is institutionalized unfairness. We want to see that everyone pays their fair share, and no one gets a free ride. Our reasons? It's good for society when we all know that no one is manipulating the system to their advantage because they're rich and powerful. But it's also good for society when everyone pays something, that everyone makes a contribution."
He was talking about the ultra rich, not people making $250k or even a $1M a year in today's dollars. He also wanted "everyone to pay something" and no one to get "a free ride"!
50% of the population does not pay any federal income taxes.
Now NoBama wants to increase taxes on the rich to generate $700B in 10 years or $70B a year (CBPP.org). How does that help a $4T economy with a 2012 deficit of $1.65T! Even if you taxed the rich at 100% it would only generate $900B in revenue. About $7B short of a balanced budget. Talk about stifling the economy!
Your most revealing comment: "Oh, but I forgot you have a chance to make it big just like we all have a chance at converting all those POD doctors. Give me a break losers"
is your most revealing.
Obviously you have not made it big (or big enough). You have not been successful and we are all losers because of it?
Take your place in line and wait for the government hand outs. People give up in this country because they CAN! Because the government and liberals have made it OK to do nothing! Someone else will pay for it. If that safety net wasn't there you would have a greater amount of productive people. If the safety net was used properly, as a temporary means, then you would have a more productive society.
I won't call you a loser. I'll just keep on being successful and know much of my EARNED (yes, I built it) income is going too help those truly in need. And, regrettably, an ever increasing amount of people like you.
Cheers!
Actually I am pretty successful as I own or am partnered in a few businesses. That is incorrect statement that 50% of the poor pay nothing. They pay sales tax, tax on fuel, tax on food, etc. which as a percentage of their income comes pretty close to what Mitt Romney paid last year. I know you count that as part of your taxes so poor people can't count it? Now I am obviously not as successful as Mitt nor do I cheat on my taxes to avoid paying my fair share and I certainly agree that we should all pay our fair share.
DeleteI am glad you brought up numbers. The deficit is mostly caused by the price tag of two wars were still fighting, a prescription drug plan and a recession where tax proceeds decreased. Certainly entitlement programs add to it as well. Fortunately the economy will probably come back if we don't elect a Republican and if we can get out of the wars you will see the deficits come dramatically down from where conservatives caused them to be. Each war impacted the budgets more than all the entitlement programs outside of social security, medicare and medicaid. If you want a balanced budget it is simple increase tax revenues, decrease spending on wars, decrease the military budget and entitlement programs.
What is coming down the pipeline is huge interest payments and we better get the debt and deficit down before those become a major drain on the economy.
Lastly more federal money goes into red states than comes out so save the you help us out so much for your buddies. After all is said and done and the Dems pay for your silly wars, tax cuts, corporate welfare and deregulation that tanked the economy, which was more than all the entitlement programs for the last decade you could at least be thankful.
Obama sent 70,000 more troops to Afghanistan right after the election and did not shut down Guantanamo. He also announced details about the bin laden raid putting all Seals and their families at risk. Soon after the seals sent messages to their families to take down anything with their info from social media. His grandstanding for votes put our biggest heros at risk. He is a scum bag. We need someone in the middle like Clinton, and Romney leans more toward the middle than Obama. Far left and far right are equally dangerous which is why anyone that votes party lines is not doing the country any favors.
DeleteThis is 8:51 and I couldn't agree more with the statement anyone that votes party lines is not doing the country any favors. I would take exception with the information compromising the military or their families. Even if the case both parties engage in that sort of thing for self promotion, like Valery Plane (sp?). I would think a Seal would have a better chance of defending himself than a spy and in both cases it is wrong. However, any and all President's would give a press conference that they had killed or captured Bin Laden. Hell Bush has some theatrics on Mission Accomplished in Iraq unfortunately well before the mission was accomplished or for that matter even started. I don't have a problem with sending more troops to Afghanistan, we probably need more to win. We also need to pay for it if we are going to legislate it. The Guantanomo thing I didn't really care about if he did shut it down. I do think it is a violation of human rights but when you have terrorists that don't really care about your rights I don't loose sleep caring about theirs. No question it is a broken campaign promise and one of many. Most people realize it is very difficult to accomplish much when you have a Repub house. That is how it should be, when this country has gone way of course it has been because one party has held too much power.
Delete8:51 You said "That is incorrect statement that 50% of the poor pay nothing." Who are you responding too? The poster above never said that. You spew party lines instead of reading to understand the post.
DeleteEmotional responses are what the liberals rely on. That is why you have a difficult time with critical thinking and rational, logical discussions.
Obama is a socialist at heart. He has never held a job. He is the ultimate product of affirmative action. Passed through the system and held to a different standard. A narcissistic puppet.
I am not a huge Romney fan but at least he has real world experience. He has led and knows how to get things done.
It's time to end the experiment.
Has the msnbc.com website been hacked?
ReplyDeletejust a quick question, how much, or what % of my money should the government take in taxes?
ReplyDeleteAnswer - all of it. You see, Obama will give you back that which you need. That's socialism.
DeleteOh... I have chills all over now... You just convinced me... Oops, I had the A/C turned up too much, never-mind.
DeleteYour still crazy.
Enjoy having the ability to turn your A/C to a temp you're comfortable with. Because it won't be much longer before Obama and the lib/socialist regulate that bit of freedom too.
DeleteThat would not raise an eye brown on my head if I heard that. It sounds just like a blurb right off the "news" table over at FOX. It was sitting in a pile, with other papers like "Mormonism is another form of Christianity."
DeleteThat pile was marked "facts" You be the judge.
Oh, what flavor kool-aid are you sipping this fine morning??
Dont vote 4 Shit Romney
GOBAMA
Yes, 4 more years of...of...of? What has he done?
DeleteAnd please stop talking about Kool-Aid. You sound as ridiculous as that guy on MSNBC, Rocky Madcow. You are biased.
And what is eye brown? Is that like eye liner?
btw...Harry Reid is a Mormon.
Now can we please move back to discussing spine and stop entertaining the spineless.
The answer to how much taxes you should pay is pretty easy. You see the great irony in this debate is that Democrats are for reasonably raising taxes to pay for two wars, prescription drug plan and a collapsed economy caused by deregulation from Clinton and Bush. The two wars and prescription drug plan Bush passed. You wanted him, you got him and now we must all pay for the many mistakes so we don't saddle our children and the next generation with stifling debt. We may need to moderately raise top line taxes from 34% to 39% and cut out some of the loopholes. That is not socialism that is responsible. If you can't figure out the difference than I hope we can start limiting those that can vote that are to fucking stupid to as well as those that don't have voter ids.
DeletePS, Obama just opened up the biggest lead in three months so all you Fox news, Rush Limbaugh and tea baggers better hope the polls really are rigged. You know you might be right because everyone had Florida going to Gore. Perhaps something else is rigged.
DeletePS...Back down to a 1 point lead or should I say a 5 point fall!
DeleteNot much of a bounce.
Calling out a simple type-o is for DORKS. You wouldn't last a minute on my debate team. List in no particular order. Change the channel is you don't LYKE ET (is that another type-o :))
ReplyDeleteStopped DADT
Stopped a depression
Saved the auto industry
Ended the iraq war
Begun the drawdown of forces from Afghanistan
CIC when we killed Bin Laden, which bushy didn't bother with because he needed a bogey man
Gave us back our dignity in the world
Advanced women's rights in the work place
Fixed the preexisting conditions travesty in health insurance
Overhauled the credit card industry
Increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to the highest level since 1992
Banks have repaid 75% of TARP funds, bringing the cost down to $89B
Two days after taking office, nullified Bush-era rulings that had allowed detainees in U.S. custody to undergo certain “enhanced” interrogation techniques considered inhumane under the Geneva Conventions
And that's only his FIRST term. 4 more years of good things to come.
7:20,
ReplyDeleteTo continue...
Nationalized the banking system
Gave GM to his Union Thug buddies by disregarding bankruptcy laws, and all we got back was the Chevy Volt
Nationalized the healthcare and insurance industries
Stirred up class war, race war, sex war, religious war,etc instead of unifying us
Closed down the Gulf of Mexico and doubled the price of oil
4 more years of this and we're done
7:46
ReplyDeleteMore like saved the auto industry.
Nationalized the banking system, doesn't even deserve a response
Trying to nationalize healthcare, I still have my same healthcare, which 85% still do so a lot more work to be done.
Stirred up..., I think we can safely say that is the Tea baggers, yours and Rush's responsibility
Oil is $300.00 a barrel?
Eight years of Bush almost finished us, let's see if eight years of Obama can possibly be any worse.
My insurance just doubled because I need (a single male) maternity coverage! WTF. Maybe I should have hurricane coverage even though I live in the mid west. My rates went up to pay for another person sponging off the government. This is socialism!
ReplyDeleteYou people are crazy
DeleteYou are a scumbag. Single male is 215/month in my county. Double for maternity for a male, like that is out of the question? That equates to $1/hr more for that person. Is he not worth it? You fraud. So if the husband works and wife does not work, you shouldn't need healthcare for your kid? YOU ARE WACKED. You must be one of those "self-serving" and "great" leaders.
DeleteAsk yourself: What would Jesus do?
You do not deserve the power you yield !
Crap, I didn't read that correctly. So they are not married yet, so no healthcare. Just like them gay people! Just tell them to throw the baby in a dumpster so your coverage doesn't go up. Asshole.
DeleteWhat are you talking about? Why would a single male have to pay for maternity coverage you idiot? You think everyone should pay for something they do not need in order to pay for everyone else? Don't you have a G8 conference to protest by burning cars and looting?
DeleteWhat flavor are you drinking? Dope aid? Saved the auto industry? You talking points are from a blog...
ReplyDeleteThe government still owns 500 million shares of GM, 26 percent of the total. It needs to sell them for $53 a share to recover its $49.5 billion bailout. But the stock price is about $20 a share, and the Treasury now estimates that the government will lose more than $25 billion if and when it sells.
That's in addition to the revenue lost when the Obama administration permitted GM to continue to deduct previous losses from current profits, even though such deductions are ordinarily wiped out in bankruptcy proceedings.
Chevy Volt? Please.
Your debate team was you and who? Master?
You are irrational and uninformed. Check the lead Carter had over Reagan at this point. It's not a bounce when you are an incumbent and ahead by the margin of error. Hope for Change!!
Yeah keep talking about Carter/Reagan. How bout BushI/Clinton??
DeleteAfter one of the biggest corporate collapses in history, the company (gm) made one of the biggest rebounds ever.
Volt doesn't fund terrorism. Remember those guys (sorry I had to stoop to the rights level on scare tactics on that one... Good old German propaganda. You guys are great at that)
GOBAMA
Actually it does. Where do you think the lithium comes from?
DeleteBailing out GM was a shitty investment. Ford tightened their belts and cut costs to avoid bankruptcy. GM looses money on the 50k volt while the Prius plug in sells for 15k less and is a better car.
Thank you for sharing this post. Apart from the regular treatment for spine, I would recommend you to also see laser spine surgery Houston, TX which could be of great help for better treatment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post man. its very informative.
ReplyDeleteTOSHIBA PVM-375AT