Next Level BS #22: Jonathan Gruber Takes The Heat for Obama Care over "Stupid Voters" Comments

Today on Next Level BS, we take a look at the mess caused by Jonathan Gruber's comments about Obama Care, how it was purposefully crafted to be obtuse, deceptive, and onerous; as well as the off-the-cuff comment heard around the world: American Voters are Stupid. We take our typical deep-dive into the issue, with tons of research and backup for every important point we discovered. If you care about government transparency, the Affordable Care Act, and the nature of Jonathan Gruber's comments, you won't want to miss this episode. And yeah, this is another episode where we expect some serious heat from the political jug-heads out there, we'll let you decide from which side of the fence it'll come.




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That picture of kim k ass violates ATS T&C, rules applies just to some it seems

a reply to: Indigent

Well, honestly, I didn't expect the heat to come from that angle!

a reply to: theNLBS

Best episode yet!!!

Nice to see one that puts the followers of both political "churches" on sharpest point of the fence!

Loved it, Joe. You're a natural.

America can be relieved by the fact that Canadians don't fare much better at politics lately. We learned our bad habits from you.

a reply to: theNLBS

Best ep so far...
I cannot stop laughing.... the BS dial went through the roof.... LOL
Interstellar BS indeed!

Nice t-shirt btw....

a reply to: combatmaster

Thanks!

a reply to: theNLBS
The truth hurts. We as a nation are getting stupider. Now where's my trophy for this post.

Gruber is definitely the biggest p.i.t.a. for Obama recently.

Obama + Pelosi = Mr & Mrs D. Nile

Good exposures of the public knowledge too !!!

I think the next step for voting is to have pictures next to the names on the ballots ....

That puts a new meaning to "voter i.d."

a reply to: theNLBS

Hahahahahahahaha...I am loving the shows Joe keep it up.

Here are a some more things the US is #1 at

1. United-States of America remains the largest exporter of conventional weapons in the world,linky

2. Garbage Is Now America’s Biggest Exportlinky

3. We also have the most religious theme parks. (sorry no link)

a reply to: xuenchen

They'll switch the pictures around so a voter hitting a Republican will actually be voting in a Democrat... depending on who is setting up the machines.

a reply to: theNLBS

The truth hurts.

I'm not an MIT math genius guy, and I could not come up with the models he did. My math scores next to his? Well, it wouldn't be a competition at all. That Gruber is looking at what the average American really pays attention to and saying we are "stupid" but he'd rather the have the law than not, well...

What did he mean by that? He'd "rather have the law than not" even though it was designed in a crazy way so as to be too challenging for most to bother even looking at for real. It means, imo, that he thinks the good it does outweighs the damage, which is a whole other debate.

The truth is, killing the Insurance industry wasn't going to happen - too much money there, and money speaks loudly in politics, no? So, the law had to be designed to work within the structure of the Insurance industry, to preserve it, while attempting to meet its stated goals.

As awkward and horrifically complicated as the ACA is, it solves for some big problems. Pre-existing condition denials, children with congenital defects not being able to be labeled as having a pre-existing conditions, kids being able to stay on their parents insurance longer, etc. The only way to make it work within the structure of the Insurance industry (cause they gots to make their profits, as does everybody else in the sick-people bidness) was to have everyone pay into the system whether they wanted to or not. That was the idea with Romneycare, right? This aspect of the ACA came from the days when Republicans were bouncing alternatives around for HillaryCare in the 1990's.

I can say firmly from personal experience that there was a private hell faced by people who had the audacity to become ill with cancer or other major diseases prior to the ACA. I faced it, so I know. I'm lucky I survived the Insurance Industry Death Panels that said I was too high of a risk to insure. That was my reality.

As to the ACA, in the end, we have a messy law that can't get approached with "fixing" or "improving" in mind because politics and side-taking trump rationality and willingness to govern, and have turned the ACA into a football for political bloodsport. It's a shame, really, because we could use some governing and fixing and improving, imo.

Thanks, Joe, for telling the hurtful truth.

peace,
AB

Well he is right.. Polosi stated this.. So yes they think voters are stupid.. Good thing I dont vote..

On another note I do believe people are stupid if they vote.. They actually think it is counted... Come on people how many times do you need to get burned before you actually stop touching fire..

And for reference.. I have not watched TV in about 10 yrs..... So that jersey shore crap.. I had no idea about it..

And I agree with you..

a reply to: theNLBS

Smashing episode Joe!

The Affordable Care Act issue is thorny of course, mostly because of the emotional responses it incites in folk. The fact is though, healthcare is NOT a privilege, and you would have to be a little bit of a cold hearted, soul dead bastard to believe otherwise. The main problem with the act, was that rather than doing away with the private sector, and actually installing a fully nationalised health service, someone thought it would be a better idea to do a half assed job, where insurance was still required.

I think that has to be the worst of two worlds, realistically speaking. You have all the downsides of private medicine, and all the downsides of insurance, and all the downsides of government departments, without actually making access to healthcare universal at all.

You see, the main problem was, that rather than making the healthcare the focus, Gruber hatched a plan involving the medical insurance industry. In my country, where we have a real universal healthcare system, you get the healthcare as long as you pay your taxes. If you want private medical insurance to cover a fancy new treatment from abroad, then as long as you can pay for it, that's fine, but treatment in general is covered by ones national insurance contributions, accrued as a garnishment at the same time as ones taxes are deducted from ones earnings. As long as you receive a pay check or some kind of government assistance even, you get those national insurance stamps.

If I need surgery here in the UK, which is available on the NHS, I do not need to hand over my life savings. I just need to be in need of the surgery.

If the Obama administration had any intention of improving matters in the States, regarding access to healthcare, they would have installed such a system, or at least tried to, and made private medical insurance a luxury, rather than a necessity. Getting the insurance salesmen out of the business of running hospitals, banishing businesses of all kinds from hospitals, should be the goal of any person whose main and proper focus is patient care, actually giving a god damn about people enough, that one is prepared to treat them for no other reason than the fact that they need the treatment!

a reply to: theNLBS

Great episode with one misplaced example of "voter stupid": Congressional approval rates are meaningless when it comes to any election. The polls are taken nationwide and the question is asked about Congress as a whole. Here in Alaska, for example, I personally wouldn't give you two squirts for the Congress as a total body, but I think Don Young is a decent representative and I supported his re-election.

Most people feel the same about their rep, it's everyone else's reps we think crap the bed. That's very much a regional bias issue, too. If I see my tax dollars going to an art project in Topeka, KS, I am going to be absolutely pissed off because there's no benefit there to me. If it's going to Juneau, AK... OK, we can talk. Reps try to get (or are supposed to be trying to get) the best deal possible for THEIR constituents. Presidents are a different animal, because one president is supposed to serve ALL Americans.

a reply to: theNLBS

Something seems dishonest by the way the show is sold and the substance of the show. One thing ill point to directly, interviewing those ill informed voters , you made a mockery of their ability to know,or care who won the civil war. Yet they all could tell you the latest trendy news. Then you use this same trendy platform to sell the show, hashtag this and that. Tweet us, buy our gear,be mindless zombies. If your show was to actually wake anybody up youd never sell.

originally posted by: Indigent
That picture of kim k ass violates ATS T&C

It violates much more than that.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
Great episode with one misplaced example of "voter stupid"

It's the rhetorical stupid voters.

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord

originally posted by: Indigent
That picture of kim k ass violates ATS T&C

It violates much more than that.

You mean the law of gravity? *eye roll*

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: theNLBS



Smashing episode Joe!



The Affordable Care Act issue is thorny of course, mostly because of the emotional responses it incites in folk. The fact is though, healthcare is NOT a privilege, and you would have to be a little bit of a cold hearted, soul dead bastard to believe otherwise. The main problem with the act, was that rather than doing away with the private sector, and actually installing a fully nationalised health service, someone thought it would be a better idea to do a half assed job, where insurance was still required.



I think that has to be the worst of two worlds, realistically speaking. You have all the downsides of private medicine, and all the downsides of insurance, and all the downsides of government departments, without actually making access to healthcare universal at all.



You see, the main problem was, that rather than making the healthcare the focus, Gruber hatched a plan involving the medical insurance industry. In my country, where we have a real universal healthcare system, you get the healthcare as long as you pay your taxes. If you want private medical insurance to cover a fancy new treatment from abroad, then as long as you can pay for it, that's fine, but treatment in general is covered by ones national insurance contributions, accrued as a garnishment at the same time as ones taxes are deducted from ones earnings. As long as you receive a pay check or some kind of government assistance even, you get those national insurance stamps.



If I need surgery here in the UK, which is available on the NHS, I do not need to hand over my life savings. I just need to be in need of the surgery.



If the Obama administration had any intention of improving matters in the States, regarding access to healthcare, they would have installed such a system, or at least tried to, and made private medical insurance a luxury, rather than a necessity. Getting the insurance salesmen out of the business of running hospitals, banishing businesses of all kinds from hospitals, should be the goal of any person whose main and proper focus is patient care, actually giving a god damn about people enough, that one is prepared to treat them for no other reason than the fact that they need the treatment!

Spot on as you pinko commie brits say, good cup of tea and all that rasmatas.
NOW stop trying to outlaw "pointy" knives and you guys are once again world class.
sry for the jabs, but you are our cousins, if we cant poke fun at family what is the point of any of it?

Here is a pint, now lets drink and fight like my Irish ancestors intended.