Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RufusW]

But why does it necessarily lead to bankruptcy?

[bacasper]

[Ya-ta Boy]

I like how James Fallows puts the importance of the bill:

For now, the significance of the vote is moving the United States FROM a system in which people can assume they will have health coverage IF they are old enough (Medicare), poor enough (Medicaid), fortunate enough (working for an employer that offers coverage, or able themselves to bear expenses), or in some other way specially positioned (veterans; elected officials)... TOWARD a system in which people can assume they will have health-care coverage. Period.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/03/why-this-moment-matters/37798/

Kinda makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[mises]

[mises]

[Senior]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Here's a bit of an article on an aspect of health reform passage that doesn't get talked about here:

But he also knows that his clout abroad depends on his success at home. The linkage matters...

Until Christmas the narrative had gone largely his way: his first year saw a huge stimulus package passed, a bank bailout succeed, military strategy in Afghanistan transformed, a car industry restructured, big investments in green energy, an unwinding of the legacy of George W Bush and Dick Cheney in foreign affairs. It was not without struggle or failure: Guantanamo remained open, Iraq stayed unstable, recovery was slow and health reform kept slipping from his grasp. But the narrative was his.

That changed in January with the freak Massachusetts Senate byelection...
The conventional wisdom � he should have gone right instead of left; he�s weak when he should be strong; he should have done financial reform before healthcare ... well, you�ve heard it all before. The truth is: he was losing the narrative.

This is not unnoticed in foreign capitals. A presidency failing at home only undermines Obama abroad. Dmitry Medvedev knows this as he negotiates with Washington over Iran; Binyamin Netanyahu knows this as he stays on the phone with Washington�s neoconservatives, who are promising that if he holds on they can destroy Obama for him; Ayatollah Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad know this as they assess whether they can outlast this frustrating leader of the Great Satan; the Saudis know this; China knows this. A new president always has a steep learning curve in foreign affairs, especially when confronting massive problems at home, and so most seasoned allies and enemies take their time to make assessments. But the most powerful assessment comes from home...

Imagine the narrative shift if this bill is passed. Obama will not have imposed this monstrosity on the country from on high; he will have ground it through the bloggers, and the pundits will declare a resurrection. The narrative will be about his persistence and his grit, rather than his near-divinity and his authority. And suddenly it will appear � lo! � as if this lone figure has not just rescued the US economy from the abyss, but also passed the biggest piece of social legislation in decades.

There is only one story better than Icarus falling to earth; and it�s Icarus getting back up and putting on some shades. The media will fall for it. The public will merely notice that the guy can come back and fight. Even when they don�t always agree with such a figure on the issues, they can admire him.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7069622.ece

It's not a bad face to wear when dealing with foreign governments--open to negotiation, willing to compromise, but persistence in pursuit of the goal.

[bacasper]

[RufusW]

[caniff]