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There are "draft dodgers" and then there are "draft dodgers."
I am a "draft dodger" (that cares about soldiers) who refused to kill people I didn't know, had nothing against, and didn't understand the complex political nuances in Viet Nam in order to protect and promote the interests of the US industrial-military complex. I didn't dodge the draft with a fake bone spur because I believe in service to country. I joined the Peace Corps where I served for two years in the Kingdom of Tonga. This was not a "cushy" job. I was paid $15 per MONTH (eggs cost $1 EACH) to build toilets for the local population. I lost 20% of lean body mass during that period because I was existing mostly on bananas and pineapple. I suffered from various local diseases like elephantiasis, infections from mosquitoes and flies, and spent a couple of weeks in the hospital with life threatening septic shock, paralyzed from the waste down. I lived on an island one mile wide and three miles long that was hours away from the nearest "civilization." As a result I suffered from loneliness and isolation. Would I change that experience for any other? NEVER, NEVER, NEVER! I don't pity myself or expect sympathy because that experience made me a better person and I am still alive and breathing today rather than lying in a grave in Viet Nam. I lost several high school and university friends in Viet Nam and for what? - a complete waste of both American and Viet Namese lives. Today, Viet Nam is a relatively prosperous country under socialist rule. There is a good chance that some of the fish you eat, the furniture in your home, the electronic you use, and the person who cuts your hair come from Viet Nam - and the military-industrial complex has moved on to more fertile ground for profits elsewhere in the world.
And then there are "draft dodgers" like the president and his family. I have nothing but disdain for them and their ilk.
Last edited by matapule; February 5, 2020, 05:15 AM.
Peace, Love, and Local Grindz
People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow
There are "draft dodgers" and then there are "draft dodgers."
I am a "draft dodger" (that cares about soldiers) who refused to kill people I didn't know, had nothing against, and didn't understand the complex political nuances in Viet Nam in order to protect and promote the interests of the US industrial-military complex. I didn't dodge the draft with a fake bone spur because I believe in service to country. I joined the Peace Corps where I served for two years in the Kingdom of Tonga. This was not a "cushy" job. I was paid $15 per MONTH (eggs cost $1 EACH) to build toilets for the local population. I lost 20% of lean body mass during that period because I was existing mostly on bananas and pineapple. I suffered from various local diseases like elephantiasis, infections from mosquitoes and flies, and spent a couple of weeks in the hospital with life threatening septic shock, paralyzed from the waste down. I lived on an island one mile wide and three miles long that was hours away from the nearest "civilization." As a result I suffered from loneliness and isolation. Would I change that experience for any other? NEVER, NEVER, NEVER! I don't pity myself or expect sympathy because that experience made me a better person and I am still alive and breathing today rather than lying in a grave in Viet Nam. I lost several high school and university friends in Viet Nam and for what? - a complete waste of both American and Viet Namese lives. Today, Viet Nam is a relatively prosperous country under socialist rule. There is a good chance that some of the fish you eat, the furniture in your home, the electronic you use, and the person who cuts your hair come from Viet Nam - and the military-industrial complex has moved on to more fertile ground for profits elsewhere in the world.
And then there are "draft dodgers" like the president and his family. I have nothing but disdain for them and their ilk.
it was mostly draft dodgers and service-ignorers who orchestrated the murderous Nam debacle, they ended up not getting the Tonkin oil they were after and settled for the $$$ they made off our troops in a sea of innocent blood by prolonging it as far as possible. it ended just as I'd gotten my draft card, there was no way those NAZIS were getting me.
This article does not indicate that he as much as insinuates that he is an expert.
He's simply speaking his mind like millions of us are, also, about this possible-pandemic.
He also doesn't know what he is talking about when he speaks his mind!
From PolitiFact:
"Are new health care plans approved by Donald Trump better than Obamacare?
In last week's State of the Union address, President Donald Trump cited the high cost of health insurance for people who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act. "I moved quickly to provide affordable alternatives. Our new plans are up to 60% less expensive and better," Trump said. White House spokesperson Adam Kennedy told us that the president was talking about short-term, limited-duration plans.
Are they really less expensive and better? We rated this claim Mostly False.
First, they're not new. They've been around for decades and are generally considered a stopgap solution for people between jobs or attending school. They provide some protections, usually paying a percentage of hospital and doctor bills after the policyholder meets a deductible. But they’ve always been a bit controversial.
Unlike the ACA plans now available, short-term plans can bar people with pre-existing conditions. They also offer fewer benefits. So, for example, they don’t have to cover prescription drugs, or mental health services or substance abuse treatment — and many don’t. They can set annual or lifetime caps on benefits. Almost all exclude maternity care.
The Obama administration restricted these policies, which still cannot be sold on the ACA marketplaces and do not qualify for subsidies, to a maximum coverage period of 90 days. The Trump administration reversed that time-limit restriction in 2018 and built on it by allowing insurers to offer policies renewable for up to three years.
Are these plans less expensive? Short-term plans are likely cheaper than the lowest-cost ACA plan for some consumers, but more expensive for others. For example, people who get a federal tax credit to buy ACA-compliant insurance or those who are older or less healthy would likely pay more in premiums for a traditional short-term plan, analysts said. Conversely, those without subsidies, especially younger or healthier consumers, might pay as much as 60% less than they would for the lowest-cost plan through the ACA.
So that gets to the question, are they better?
The consensus is that the coverage short-term plans provide is not better than that of ACA plans. But it could be better than going without insurance entirely.
State regulation of such plans varies widely, as do the coverage benefits and limits offered by various insurers. Short-term plans have been embraced by regulators in some states, but nearly half of all states have moved to limit them to less than 12 months. Four — California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York — have barred them altogether.
Those states cite concerns about the effect on ACA premiums and the risk that consumers could be left hanging by the more limited nature of the short-term plans. "
— Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News
Peace, Love, and Local Grindz
People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow
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