What is the problem with American politics?

[The Godly Nations]

It is that we let some of the most ignorant people in the world be involved in politics at all, when governance should be left to the superior gentlemen.

[Death Metal]

It is that we let some of the most ignorant people in the world be involved in politics at all, when governance should be left to the superior gentlemen.

Fuck no. It's bad enough that general elections for electing the President don't technically exist as per the Constitution.

[Freiheit Reich]

Politicians shouldn't force businesses to provide medical care...

Actually, I don't think businesses should be providing health insurance at all. That's why I'd prefer to see government-funded universal health care, preferably delivered by a public health system augmented by private specialty providers, and paid for through some kind of social insurance program, either on the French or German model (the tax that pays for the German model is shared by employer and employee alike, which is similar to the American model for Social Security; the French funding model [which I would prefer] is paid for by the employee alone). Private insurance should be available as an add-on, but it should not be needed for most individuals.

Requiring businesses to provide health insurance reduces worker mobility; health coverage should be portable, so that individuals can retain their coverage even as their employment circumstances change. This is one of the positive benefits of the ACA: Businesses that essentially turn their employees loose to buy health through the State and Federal exchanges are doing their workers a favor, because those workers can choose the plan that best suits their needs and then take it with them when they go someplace else.

Another drawback of requiring employers to provide health insurance is that is distorts the labor market in all sorts of ways that are undesirable. For one thing, it fosters age discrimination (even with the ACA, it costs more to insure an older worker than a younger one), which is highly undesirable in any society. Better that employees and society in general bear the cost of health care, and labor cost be kept free of complications.

... hospitals are businesses and should have the right to accept or deny medical care to anybody they choose.

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the story of Harry T. Moore.

Moore was Executive Director of the Florida NAACP in the late 1940's and early 1950's. On Christmas Night of 1951, he and his wife were mortally wounded by a bomb that had been planted in the floorboards underneath their bed.

Moore was taken by neighbors to the nearest hospital, where he was refused treatment. He subsequently died en route to a second hospital that was over an hour away.

Granted, Moore was refused treatment because he was a black man who had been targeted for death by the KKK in the Jim Crow South; but the mere idea that a person who is fighting for his or her life can be refused treatment "for any reason" is morally repugnant. Private property is all very well and good, but once you've accepted a public license to practice medicine, you owe something to society for allowing you to hold a position of such great responsibility and high esteem.

Today this would be bad publicity for the hospital which might reduce business. Most hospitalswould provide minimum and cheap treatment for emergency cases (ex. bandages to slow the bleeding) to avoid bad publicity although they wouldn't provide expensive treatments to people unwilling to pay. Yes, some will die but there will probably be some lower quality charity hospitals set up to help the poor. Businesses, whether it is a barber shop, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, or a hospital, should have the right to refuse service to those who can't pay. Additionally, the govt. needs to get out of the occupational licensing business. Private professional groups can do this. There will be shady low quality doctors that don't belong to the private certification groups but many customers will refuse to go to these doctors.

[Capital Zealand]

All of the above three.

[Oppressed Slaver Union]

Shouldn't the all of the above option be on the bottom?
It is all of them.

[Alien Space Bats]

Today this would be bad publicity for the hospital which might reduce business. Most hospitalswould provide minimum and cheap treatment for emergency cases (ex. bandages to slow the bleeding) to avoid bad publicity although they wouldn't provide expensive treatments to people unwilling to pay. Yes, some will die but there will probably be some lower quality charity hospitals set up to help the poor. Businesses, whether it is a barber shop, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, or a hospital, should have the right to refuse service to those who can't pay. Additionally, the govt. needs to get out of the occupational licensing business. Private professional groups can do this. There will be shady low quality doctors that don't belong to the private certification groups but many customers will refuse to go to these doctors.

Is there some reason you think it would be good for humanity to make the world a Hellscape for the poor?

[Sealand of America]

Heavy mixture of all and uninformed voters.

This is also very true.

So which way is an informed voter suppose to vote.

[Alien Space Bats]

So which way is an informed voter suppose to vote.

The obvious answer to that question is: "The same way I do."

[Union of Confederate Socialist Republics]

http://www.cracked.com/article_20705_5-ways-u.s.-democracy-more-rigged-than-you-think.html

/thread

[Divair]

http://www.cracked.com/article_20705_5-ways-u.s.-democracy-more-rigged-than-you-think.html

/thread

Cracked? Really?

[The Emerald Legion]

http://www.cracked.com/article_20705_5-ways-u.s.-democracy-more-rigged-than-you-think.html

/thread

Cracked? Really?

What's wrong with cracked?

[Cookie Clickers]

A lack of Cookies in politics.

[Farnhamia]

A lack of Cookies in politics.

*** Warned for spam ***

[Ardkonia]

It puts it's nose not where they should.

[Gerada]

i am a american but i am not proud of it. in many instances when i have spoken to other individuials they have called me "anti-American" because of the facts about how america has sponsered terroism, how it has caused disorder in the world, how it has not even made a single attempt to make civil discussions with the people they continue to supress.

[Farnhamia]

It puts it's nose not where they should.

American politics does that? I'm pretty sure it doesn't. The US government might but our internal politics? And why are you whispering?

[Lies and Ignorance]

The problem lies in two things: A) the system itself makes it very hard for positive legislative or judicial changes to occur, and B) the American public is largely misinformed and ignorant and politicians play off of that.

[Death Metal]

http://www.cracked.com/article_20705_5-ways-u.s.-democracy-more-rigged-than-you-think.html

/thread

Cracked? Really?

Actually, Cracked does do a lot of "Fucked up but true" articles. Well, most of them are more "Fucked up if we didn't conveniently forget to mention key details". Like this one.