That 3% ignores the millions of people are financially ruined by paying for emergency care. Without insurance, you’re always one health event away from that.

Ah, but real INSURANCE could take care of that easily and cheaply. Our problem is that “insurance” as we currently have it is something else entirely, and that something else is VERY VERY EXPENSIVE.

Now, those with ongoing, chronic conditions are in a bad spot, yes… but this legislation is about the worst way to deal with that I can think of.

I agree with you, FAR too many people (Right AND Left) think that way. My position is pretty hard core, though; If some person or group is making war on me (and I think it’s beyond argument that that has been the position of various Islamic groups at least from time to time) then I get to make war back. And if I, or my group/country/clan happen to be better at it than our enemies, well, it sucks to be them.

Pity we haven’t sold a war on that basis since the Civil War (the War of Southern Idiocy).

As I said, Bob Dole ran on the basis of an individual mandate, and the majority of the mildly right (Democrats) in America could have gone for that because it’s still better than the current situation.

Of course a sensible left-wing solution like say that in .nl, which actually delivers a higher percentage of care than America through private rather than state providers couldn’t be considered in any case.

That complete mischaracterizes what the individual mandate is. Forcing people to buy insurance isn’t the same as offering healthcare. That, and it’s a bailout for insurance companies. Those CEO’s just had their stocks go way up with this legislation.

Humans are not *rational actors*.

(Of course, rational actors are often non-optimal in themselves, but that’s another story…)

If you assume

1)that humans have goals
2)that humans act so as to accomplish those goals
3)that those actions are informed and shaped by the available information and surrounding cultural and institutional structures

Then you assume the same rationality that economists do.

Rational != optimal
Rational != perfect
Humans != lightning-fast calculators of utility

Rational is nothing more than a term economists use as shorthand for “acts the way I think they should” or “according to the values I hold.”

I’m currently living in China as an EFL teacher. We have a Foxconn factory in our city (Kunshan) and several of my students work there. I’ve talked to them about the factory, and can put some of this into perspective.

Salary:

The average salary is about 2200RMB/month on the floor. This includes housing and meals. As a comparison, a native teacher will make about 2000RMB and a receptionist 1500RMB–and have to pay rent and food out of that. 2000RMB is plenty of money to live quite comfortably if you’re not paying rent. I’ve spent less than that in a month while buying imported food, buying a new wardrobe, eating out frequently, paying for utilities and internet, and keeping my liquor cabinet well-stocked.

Just a note on housing: If workers don’t want to live in company dormitories (which are basically like college dorms in the US) Foxconn will give them a housing subsidy.

Working Hours:

Yes, the hours are long. But that’s typical here. But you also have to take into consideration the large number of legal holidays.

Western New Year: 2 days
Spring Festival: 7-10 days*
Tomb-Sweeping Festival: 3 days
Labor Day: 3 days
Dragon Boat Festival: 3 days
Mid-Autumn Festival: 7 days

* Some place will close for up to 3 weeks for Spring Festival.

So, you’re looking at a minimum of 4 weeks of mandatory vacation time.

Also, you need to remember that these aren’t life-long jobs. These aren’t UAW workers who plan on working in the factory until retirement. Foxconn is a gateway job. Most work for a few months, maybe a year or two, to save up money and get skills to work at other, better-paying jobs.

Is Foxconn a cushy union job? No.
Is it the slave-labor camp that the western liberals make it out to be? No. It’s a stepping-stone job in a developing industrial nation.

As someone who’s actually worked manual labor in the US (including factory work and jobs that involved 20-hour days and random swing shifts), I find the criticisms to be misplaced and ignorant.

Oh, get bent.

-jcr

-jcr

That’s the tiny fraction of sick people who need repeated emergency care and those who miss the qualifications – for whatever reason – for medicaid.

Never mind that in many cases a fraction of the cash for a prescription would stop them having to use the emergency services….

@12 – No, sorry, basic hatred of people getting helped without someone’s shares soaring isn’t a liberal characteristic.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-unhappy-with-care-at-st-mary-s-hospital-is/article_ed640f3d-64a0-516c-88ff-fb770b5e9677.html

Cops arrest woman in ER for trespassing. She’s there because of severe pain in her legs (to the point of unable to stand). After they drag her away and throw her in a cell, the blood clots in her legs that were causing the pain cut loose, she dies from what is effectively a stroke.

Lots of fail to go around in this one.

http://volokh.com/2010/08/18/mckenna-v-edgell-and-civil-liability-for-fourth-amendment-violations/

First, full employment doesn’t exist, so firms are not price takers in the realm of wages.

There is actually quite a bit of evidence that contrary to your beliefs this is indeed the case.

Note to be a price taker the market does not have to be perfectly competitive, but merely competitive.

Third, while not undisputed, there is a substantial economic literature showing that firms, on average, have monopoly power (that is, they are price setters, not takers) in addition to extremely large firms in relatively remote areas (re: Foxxconn) having substantial monopsony power.

Really? I’d like to see three citations that show “most firms have monopoly power”.

Lastly, and this makes people uncomfortable (not wrongfully so) because of its paternalistic undertones, but individual workers are not rational — they are too risk averse, they are incredibly ignorant of their rights and have very limited information, and are subject to endowment effects.

Right so the solution is more government power like in…mmm North Korea or China…oh…wait. Never mind.

* Police respond to man’s medical alert bracelet accidentally going off, and end up killing him.

Will anyone tweet the addresses of those responsible for this?

Preface: It is recommended these guidelines be followed for ALL contact with law enforcement personnel – including traffic stops, airport screenings, police PR visits to your or your child’s school, and even those circumstances where you have (foolishly) initiated police contact to report a crime, provide eyewitness testimony, etc…

1. Immediately assume a posture of supplication – place your hands (very slowly) behind your head and (very slowly) descend to a kneel. Do NOT drop to a prone position before ordered to do so, as this may be interpreted as “lunging” and result in the use of deadly force.

2. Continuously repeat phrases such as “I am not resisting” and “I defer to your authority” (though tempting, do not use the Cartman-inspired inflection “authorita”, as this may be interpreted as sarcastic disrespect and result in the use of deadly force). Depending of the level of officer agitation, additional statements may be warranted, such as “I would like to donate all contents of my wallet to the Fallen Officers’ Fund.” or “While I’m down here, may I offer you fellatio, sir?” (note that this should be directed ONLY towards MALE officers; females may interpret this as attempted sexual assault, resulting in the use of deadly force).

3. Under no circumstances should you use the words “constitution”, “civil liberties”, “rights” or “camera” in the presence of law enforcement (or near anyone who may report you to law enforcement…or ever, really).

4. Never possess or express a desire to possess a firearm, knife, tool, sporting implement, glass bottle, spray can, lighter, candlestick, rope, or any other item that conceivably used in any fashion to harm, alarm, or insult a law enforcement or other government official.

5. Never wear hooded sweatshirts, stocking caps, sideways baseball caps, baggy pants and/or pants that ride more than 4” below the bellybutton (or baggy clothing of any kind, actually), tie dye clothing, camouflage clothing, body piercings, tattoos, or clothing that depicts or implies drug use or advocacy of drug legalization or gun ownership or advocacy of gun ownership (same applies to bumper stickers…and while we’re on that subject, a recommend preemptive measure is to plaster one’s vehicle with “Thank a cop” and/or “D.A.R.E.” bumperstickers).

6. Never listen to rap, psychedelic, punk, or techno music, or appear that you might listen to such music (see #5).

7. Never argue with anyone ever, and if you must express yourself, do so only in a pleasant and deferential manner.

8. Never consume or possess alcohol, recreational drugs, pain medication, antidepressants, or any other sort of “controlled substance”. Never possess any object that may be interpreted as “paraphernalia” (rolling papers, pipes, syringes, prescription bottles, sandwich baggies, cups, apples, empty aluminum cans, etc. etc.). If you have medical condition that necessitates such possession, it is recommended that you never leave your domicile or make use of emergency services of any kind.

9. If possible, do not be Black, Latino, Native American, poor, mentally ill or diminished, or a teenager. If this is unavoidable, it is also recommended that you never leave your domicile or make use of emergency services. If you absolutely must venture out, be sure that you are accompanied by an affluent, conservatively-dressed, Caucasian adult at all times.
10. Regardless of these precautions, operate under the assumption that you WILL be tazed, clubbed, flash-grenaded, bean-bagged and/or pepper-sprayed at some point during the police contact, and it is imperative that you respond appropriately. If you are an unfortunate who happens to be naturally resistant to such measures, you must nevertheless immediately feign total subdual. Also, avoid excessive twitching, screaming, cursing, crying, or begging for mercy, as any these actions may result in escalation to (more) deadly force.

Though there are no guarantees, adhering to the above guidelines should reduce the possibility of a deadly encounter with law enforcement by 10 to 20% (depending of course on the mood, blood sugar, height, level of alcohol consumption, and locale of the officers in question – if, for example, you encounter a short, hungry, intoxicated (or recent sober), south Chicago police officer in the midst a contentious divorce/custody dispute, you might as well just save some time and shoot yourself…).