I think private insurers should be able to compete. They do it all the time. I mean, if you think about — if you think about it, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? No, they are. It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems.
Oops, messed up on that.
For Kindle and with free ePub version. Only $9.49 Great reading.
Here is what Gary Shapiro CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said: Dvorak's writing sings with insight and clarity. Whether or not you agree with John's views, he will get you thinking and is never boring. These essays are worth the read!
Subscribe to Main Blog feed here:
Subscribe to Comments too (below):
Bad Behavior has blocked 5329 access attempts in the last 7 days.
#2 – pedro
Let’s see: UPS and FedEx are forbidden by law to deliver first class mail. They, instead, have to deliver highly profitable parcels and “courier” documents. The USPS on the other hand, is mandated to send a carrier round to every household in America 6 days a week delivering coupons for dog food, sweepstakes notices, insurance offers and the occasional postcard from Disneyland. My guess is we could only hope Obamacare will come close to the efficiency of the USPS – probably the most successful agency of the US Govt.
# 3 Jägermeister – but I thought Obama could do no wrong…
Oh. Unless he is showing he is just human. Then the faux pas is acceptable and endearing.
Words mean something. Especially from the leader of the free world attempting to sway opinion.
#4 – Animby said USPS – probably the most successful agency of the US Govt
Hardly a reasonable example to hand over healthcare to the government.
Didn’t work for the USPS but worked very closely with them in the “lock box” remittance industry. What I saw was government actually at it’s finest. Which is quite scary.
#3, nice video. Had a good laugh.
Notice how the post office raises the rates every year now? When I grew up, the stamps never went up. That was in the 60’s. Get ready for the big Medical Insurance hit, folks, this train is barreling ahead and it has no brakes. But I suppose if I pay a tax on all my firearms every year, all will be well.
#4 – Animby said USPS – probably the most successful agency of the US Govt
Yeah right….and for 2009 they currently have a shortfall of $2 BILLION dollars. Really successful agency.
Everyone should do a little research on the other “successful” government agencies Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Point your browser to the Google and do a search on each of those programs and use the keyword “shortfall” with each of those agency names. Those programs are owed TRILLIONS of dollars to get them solvent.
So with these “successful” government agency’s in the red for TRILLIONS of dollars there is no way that Obama or anybody else is going to convince me that the government should be handed the keys to run the healthcare system. The government cannot run ANYTHING effeciently, effectively, and economically. They never have and never will.
Good way to alienate people.
First Veterans as terrorist,
Then Police as racist,
Now Postal Workers as incompetent.
“I’m a Unifier, not a Divider!!”
#12 – Ah_Yea
Most (not all) postal workers are incompetent. Believe it or not, they put the best in public view. The slugs are behind the scenes.
USPS is a good operation. If you want to send expensive stuff send it through UPS because of the superior tracking. The postal service is good for just about everything else, though.
Wow! What a great way to convince me! Just tell everybody that it will be inefficient just like everything else the government does! Yay!!! Where do I sign up?
BTW, I have a friend that works for FedEx and things are not all hunky-dorey over there. They have laid of a whole bunch of managers and canceled raises and are possibly going to start closing centers. And does anybody remember DHL? They closed down operations completely in the U.S.
So, Mr. President, you are using wrong “facts” and illogic yet again…
Wouldn’t it be nice if for just one week we could go without seeing or hearing anything about or from Obama.
Is it possible we have entered into an episode of the twilight zone where a boorish sci-fi creature demands the attention of everyone on earth 24 hrs a day?
Just thought I would ask because whatever is happening – it’s a bloody nightmare.
USPS is an agent of the US gov – but privatized by Nixon. Capitalism subsidized by taxpayers.
Try to get a bill through Congress raising the rates on corporate junk mail to a profitable level. Dead silence from the Blue Dogs and Republikans.
Which is why the single largest producer of junk mail in the U.S. is Capital One.
Same as it ever was – even before Nixon.
But, then, some of y’all might have to read something. Like history.
You were losers last November. Same as it ever was.
About Medicare. Congressman Cooper of TN (Dem) said on the Nashville News that Medicare was in the red $13,000,000,000,000. Ouch!
It would seem this program is not anywhere near revenue neutral even without adding anybody new. If they have a clue how to fix this it would seem like they should have already done so?
I read many years ago that the Post Office was harassing companies for using UPS or FedEx. It is actually illegal to use anything other than the Post Office for certain parcel deliveries.
The Daily Show did a bit on Obama’s answer earlier this week. Worth watching.
I think everyone here is missing what he was trying to say, and apparently should have rephrased. He means that private enterprise shoudl not feel financially threatened by socialized medicine, because FINANCIALLY the post office has had a hard time against Fedex and UPS. He didn’t call the USPS inefficient, or anything else the quick-to-criticize have inferred, he was merely stating an example of how private enterprise can still stay competitive against a socialized model.
Let me just pick up my health stamps…
#24, just remember to get the forever stamps, otherwise you will have to pay more next time.
Hold it, klippoth. Rethink what you just said. “he was merely stating an example of how private enterprise can still stay competitive against a socialized model.”
So why bother with a socialized model if the current system is competitive?
Why not just have some oversight and regulation of the insurance industry?
EvilPoliticians.
“Most (not all) postal workers are incompetent.”
Probably true, but you don’t get reelected insulting your voter base.
pedro.
“Does this mean that doctors from the new public healthcare initiative will go berzek and shoot at patients in the waiting room?”
Yes, it does. That would be called “End of Life Counseling”. It’s in the Plan!!
The USPS treats mail fraud as a serious crime. Whereas I think UPS treats it more like a business opportunity. I’ve had more of a problem with UPS protecting a bogus mailorder operation, that they view as their client. Than the USPS ever losing any of my mail. And though the USPS continues to channel way too much junk mail, with little recourse to blocking any of it. I’m sure a private mail delivery company would flood us with even more junk mail. And get too bogged down to deliver our important letters. So bad mouthing the Post Office, to justify why we need to protect private health insurers from failing, isn’t right. Should we also have private cops, and private courts, to take the load off the taxpayer paid Law Enforcement system? I think that would be disastrous! Imagine Judge Judy sending people up for life, or to the gallows. Eek! Anyway.
We saw what happened when the power utility got a little too privatized in California. Enron super screwed the general population, in order to make more profits. A thoroughly regulated industry is what’s called for. That’s only allowed to make a reasonable profit. Without gouging and escalating the cost of medicine, to suit itself. And if that’s not feasible with private insurers. Than there shouldn’t BE any private insurers.
BTW, you may know this. Even when no private auto insurer will cover you. There is usually a state run insurance program to cover you. So why can’t health care work that way? Because the private insurers HATE the competition. They don’t want to compete at all, with a state regulated program. They know it would cost them dearly in profits to match its rates.
27, and the rest of you..
4 people run MOST of the health care systems in the USA..PERIOD.
Only competition is WHO can get the HIGHEST prices.
There are only (MAYBE) 4-5 persons running the banking industry in the USA..
3 in the insurance industry, dont let a name FOOL YOU.
IMHO..(in my honest opinion)
When a person..
doesnt worry about WHO pays the bills, as long as they are ALL paid.
DOESNT worry about how much in in the bank..(not the one he OWNS) no matter WHAT he buys..
Can BUY a new car ANY TIME HE WISHES…
Doesnt call the kids, he calls the NANNY..
Has a HOME BUILD so that he can ACTUALLY get away from OTHERS(including kids and wife) and they cant FIND HIM..
HAS more then 2 homes, not counting the yacht, house boat..
Doesnt worry how far the STORE IS, as he takes his OWN private jet to Milan..for new underware, as he has worn all 100 sets he has, in the last 100 days OR LESS..
The bastard has to much money. And should LOWER his WAGES, and hire MORE PEOPLE, or give the ones he has a RAISE.
USPO = 44 cents
Fed Ex = $5.00
“Should be” the same in healthcare.
The CONTEXT of Obama’s statement, as pointed out above, is that he was CRITICIZING THE OPPONENTS OF his plan by using their words.
How many of you dolts think there is a death panel?
Hey Pedro==when you send your Mama a birthday or Christmas card, do you use the USPS or Fed Ex?
You guys crack me up:
You’re so indoctrinated into this efficiency and merit and market crap, that you can’t see the obvious: The private sector is tendentiously Exclusive, while the Public sector should be Inclusive. ie:
Who’s gonna take care of you if you have a heart condition that prevents you of working? Or if you are self employed? Private Health Insurances, even if they accept you, they’ll be charging you through the roof.
And who’s gonna deliver you your mail, if you live in the middle of nowhere, 60 miles from the nearest post office? And who’s paying the police forces? Could you pay for Blackwater?
There’s a reason to have a public sector, and there’s always opportunity to be taken by the Private sector.
Heh, heh. Pedro—I almost warned you not to evade the question. I’m sure you saw it but decided to jump in nonetheless.
I do assume you are referring to something other than the video clip starting this thread? How can you hear anything other than Obama using the words of his critics to mock this lame argument? Its not very difficult to see.
Plus—-#34–joaoPT posted a most important contextual summary I haven’t seen recently enough to remember: “The private sector is tendentiously Exclusive, while the Public sector should be Inclusive” ==== very well said.
Pedro: the USPS delivers letters at 44 cents plus whatever subsidies they get. Fed Ex does the same job for $5.00. Saying one is efficient and competitive can only be concluded by those thinking sending email answers a question about which mail service is used for 99% of the traffic.
44 cents vs $5.00
99% vs 01%.
There is a “place” for each. Problem is the 1% is denying the INCLUSIONARY benefits of needed healthcare to us 99%.
>> pedro said, on August 15th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
>> #4 But your leader said USPS is a failure compared to the private carriers. What gives!
Obama didn’t use the word failure!
(Why do conservatives constantly have to lie to make their points?)
I, myself, prefer the USPS. Because of my job, I have mailed thousands and thousands of items. The USPS is WAY cheaper yet I can’t tell any difference in quality of service.
But, if YOU want to spend $5 (or whatever) to send your letter with FedEx instead of $0.44 with USPS, _YOU HAVE THAT OPTION_.
When it comes to health care, the conservatives overthrow the government before letting the public have that kind of option.
>> pedro said, on August 16th, 2009 at 3:53 am
>> #32 for Christmas cards and things like that, I’ve been using e-cards for years already
e-Cards are a great way to make your relatives hate you.
If the USPS constantly loses mail, as conservatives claim, how did NetFlix ever successfully build a business model on it?
I’ve gotten 2 to 3 DVDs a week for two years and I think _one_ DVD has been late by one day — and that’s counting both directions. None have been lost.
(Credit card companies and Amazon don’t seem reluctant to send me stuff either and I always get it.)
I’m not saying that the USPS doesn’t lose mail — but for me it’s been rare or maybe never. (because of my work, I’ve sent _a lot_.)
It’s weird that CONSERVATIVES are having their mail lost all the time but my mail is fantastically reliable.
This may be another case where conservatives are lying their fool heads off.