The Obama Presidency - 2008 & 2012

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

This is one in a series. There's billions in cash that turned up missing in Iraq. Billions in contracts in Iraq that the GAO can't trace. The 500 million in Italian aircraft that we scrapped for 32k. And on and on and on. Because nobody in Congress is interested in cutting defense, it's open season.

What other area of the government has literally no one looking to oversee expenditures. Even Rand Paul isn't interested in cutting the defense budget.

btw- I'm fine with looking into Medicare/Medicaid fraud. I'm a big supporter of both programs, but where there's fraud I'm all for putting people in jail.

I can say the same thing about other areas of government. "No one looking to oversee expenditures" is not the same thing "as no one interested in cutting the budget". The story you are using as an example shows that SOMEONE was looking to oversee it.

Also, wasn't most of the billions that went missing in Iraq actual Iraqi money that we had frozen over here? It wasn't taxpayer money.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Would be interesting to compare Medicare fraud/corruption to Defense fraud/corruption...

Well, here's one data point:

Medicare FFS, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage (Part C) paid out $717.8 billion in 2010, of which $63.1 billion ended up being improper payments, or roughly 9%. Some percentage of that is actual fraud. High-Error Programs | Payment Accuracy

I say "some percentage of that is actual fraud" because there are a number of non-fraud ways that improper payments can be made (and much of that is actually recouped) in those programs (usually this is due to the complexity of the reimbursement contracts / system).

In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has had an active anti-fraud regime for years now, with improving results. I'm not aware of a similar anti-fraud program for DoD (nevermind CIA, etc...).

But that's the data point. It would be interesting to compare to any that exist for DoD.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Also, wasn't most of the billions that went missing in Iraq actual Iraqi money that we had frozen over here? It wasn't taxpayer money.

You are somewhat correct (actually mostly correct):

The report details the transfer of cash from the U.S. to the Central Bank of Iraq. Much of it was originally assets of Iraq, some was part of the Oil for Food program imposed during the regime of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and some was funneled through the United Nations for relief and reconstruction projects, according to the report.

also of note:

But the inspector general's new report says almost all the $6.6 billion was properly handed over to Iraq and its Central Bank. "SIGIR was able to account for the unexpended DFI funds remaining in DFI accounts when the CPA (Coalitional Provisional Authority) dissolved in June 2004," the new report says. "Sufficient evidence exists showing that almost all of the remaining $6.6 billion remaining was transferred to actual and legal CBI (Central Bank of Iraq) control."

still:

The official accounting had used more bland language. "SIGIR concluded that weaknesses in DoD's financial and management controls left it unable to properly account for and articulate the disposition of remaining DFI (Development Fund for Iraq) funds," a 2010 report said.

Which is my point. They may have found it eventually, but not having sufficient financial and management controls to account for that amount of money, especially for such a long time, is simply not tolerated in most other parts of the government (and especially by CMS), and subject to Congressional scrutiny in a way DoD financial fuckups aren't.

[JPhillips]

Reagan's astrologist died. Amazing he suffered as little political damage for this as he did.

From the obit:

He said an astrologer had set the time for summit meetings, presidential debates, Reagan’s 1985 cancer surgery, State of the Union addresses and much more. Without an O.K. from the astrologer, he said, Air Force One did not take off.

Nancy was paying her 3000 a month, or around 8500 in today's money.

[Dutch]

You do a pretty good job of making this sound ominous and relevant. Congrats!

[JPhillips]

I just find it interesting, particularly in today's media climate. Can you imagine the shitstorm if a president was caught spending 100k a year on an astrologist?

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I just find it interesting, particularly in today's media climate. Can you imagine the shitstorm if a president was caught spending 100k a year on an astrologist?

You mean our over-dramatized media climate? Yeah, most definitely, the media would go crazy explaining how much we care. He probably wouldn't do that in today's world though.

[Edward64]

Not sure if I missed this in earlier briefings but this seems like a significant escalation of troops. I see a lot of political risks for Obama but little gain but do think some help is right thing to do.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...y.html?hpid=z1

“We’re going over there to take the fight to the enemy,” said Sgt. Maj. John Kolodgy of the 2nd battalion of the 501st Aviation Regiment, stationed in Fort Bliss, which is sending 85 soldiers this weekend to Liberia to provide airlift capability. “In this situation the enemy is Ebola and the spread of Ebola in Africa.”

The “Iron Knights” from Fort Bliss, in El Paso, will join hundreds of soldiers from the 101st Airborne who departed for Liberia in flights from Kentucky’s Fort Campbell on Thursday and Saturday. The U.S. military presence in West Africa is expected to grow to more than 900 troops by Sunday, a number that will climb to 3,900 in coming weeks

[JPhillips]

We're not at much risk here. The big risk is if it spreads outside of western Africa. If we want to be safe here we need to do more in Africa.

[Edward64]

Anyone know how this would play out? States vs Fed on quarantine, who really has the authority (assume States) and if Obama has ability to override/rescind without going thru the other 2 branches of government.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102121778

The Obama administration has been pushing the governors of New York and New Jersey to reverse their decision ordering all medical workers returning from West Africa who had contact with Ebola patients to be quarantined, an administration official said.

But on Sunday both governors, Andrew M. Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey, stood by their decision, saying that the federal guidelines did not go far enough.
:
The rapidly escalating events played out both privately, in intense negotiations and phone calls between federal and state officials, as well as publicly in the nurse’s pointed criticism of the New Jersey governor.

Ever since Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, and Mr. Christie, a Republican, announced the plan at a hastily called news conference on Friday evening, top administration officials have been speaking with Mr. Cuomo daily and have also been in touch with Mr. Christie, trying to get them to rescind the order.

But in that time, two more states – Illinois and Florida – announced that they were instituting similar policies.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

We're not at much risk here. The big risk is if it spreads outside of western Africa. If we want to be safe here we need to do more in Africa.

Good luck with fixing Africa.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Dutch

Good luck with fixing Africa.

One of my favorite Bruce Willis action movies - "Tears of the Sun" which I caught recently on TV.

Father Gianni: Go with God!
Lt. A.K. Waters: God already left Africa.

I'm sure there are good analysis out there as to why it seems so messed up - colonization/slaves, tribal culture, dictators, low intensity conflicts etc. There should be a way to jump start it with all the natural resources ... but probably not.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just idly thinking here ... how impactful could a Fed intervention be on the mid-term elections?

Those 4 states mentioned above aren't exactly GOP strongholds.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Just idly thinking here ... how impactful could a Fed intervention be on the mid-term elections?

Those 4 states mentioned above aren't exactly GOP strongholds.

Don't know yet. I'm sure there'll be some surveys on the quarantine question soon.

My guess is majority support some sort of quarantine.

[Edward64]

Doesn't look good for Obama and the Democrats. There's not much for them to anchor down with.

CNN poll: Voters are angry - CNN.com

Washington (CNN) -- Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are angry at the direction the country is headed and 53% of Americans disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance, two troubling signs for Democrats one week before the midterm elections, a new CNN/ORC International Poll shows.
:
In the Senate, Republicans need a net gain of six seats, and several state polls in the past month of contested races show that Democrats are in danger of losing control of the majority, and thus Congress. Currently, Democrats control the Senate by a 55-45 margin with two of those seats held by independents that align themselves politically with Democrats.

The CNN/ORC poll shows that 30% of Americans are "very angry" and 38% are "somewhat angry" about the way things are going in the country, while 31% expressed "no anger" at all. CNN Polling Director Keating Holland notes the 31% of "very angry" Americans matches the mood of the country in 2010 when Republicans took back control of the House.

In next week's election, the emotion of anger could be a motivating factor in driving out GOP voters. While 36% of Republican voters said they are "extremely" or "very enthusiastic," about voting this year, only 26% of Democrats use that language to describe themselves, in the CNN/ORC poll.

[JPhillips]

The Dems could always try standing for something.

[cartman]

Has anyone else noticed that heading into the midterm elections, you don't hear about the sub-10% approval rating of Congress anymore?

[Buccaneer]

while 31% expressed "no anger" at all.

That would be me, given my desire that they don't do anything - like passing major legislation.

[flere-imsaho]

Whenever I read approval rating numbers, I remember that 47% of the country voted for Mitt Romney, and none of those fools are going to approve of Obama even if he were to fart rainbows and give out free unicorns.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Doesn't look good for Obama and the Democrats. There's not much for them to anchor down with.

CNN poll: Voters are angry - CNN.com

And yet, 90% are going to be reelected.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Doesn't look good for Obama and the Democrats. There's not much for them to anchor down with.

Speaking very specifically (and narrowly) about the election, I agree with you.

Speaking more broadly, I don't.

Let's say the GOP gains control of the Senate. What, exactly, is going to change about the next two years compared to the previous six? I'd love to know.

[Kodos]

We'll stop passing so much legislation!

[flere-imsaho]

The main thing is that federal justice appointments will slow to a crawl, as will all other appointments, but that was likely to happen in the final two years anyway.

The big thing will be if there's a SCOTUS vacancy. But even there I suspect an Obama appointee would get through, especially as he's unlikely to nominate someone unsuitably left-wing.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Let's say the GOP gains control of the Senate. What, exactly, is going to change about the next two years compared to the previous six? I'd love to know.

Obama is going to be more of a lame duck than he already is. You're right on this point, more finger pointing, blame game, positioning for 2016.

[Edward64]

Sheesh. I am critical of Obama's recent foreign policy ineffectiveness but this comment is stupid.

Boehner: Bush would have punched Putin in the nose - CNN.com

Davenport, Iowa (CNN) -- House Speaker John Boehner is trashing President Obama's foreign policy on the campaign trail by talking up someone Republicans have spent years running from: George W. Bush.

"Does anybody think that Vladimir Putin would have gone into Crimea had George W. Bush been president of the United States? No!" Boehner asked, and answered, before a group of Republican volunteers here.

"Even Putin is smart enough to know that Bush would have punched him in the nose in about 10 seconds!" Boehner said to an applauding crowd.
:
But to invoke Bush is unusual, especially since his foreign policy decisions -- namely the Iraq war -- led to a clean Democratic sweep in 2006. Democrats took control of both the House and Senate in Bush's sixth year in office.

Boehner is also engaging in revisionist history of sorts, since Putin did in fact invade another former member of the Soviet Union and key U.S. ally, the Republic of Georgia, in 2008 when Bush was president.

Bush did not punch either Putin or then-Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev in the nose. In fact, Bush was criticized at the time by some for not reacting more forcefully against Russia.

[Dutch]

Was that a CNN opinion piece?

[Edward64]

Don't think so.

[flere-imsaho]

Boehner exposing his own stupidity and his comments being repeated verbatim doesn't make it an opinion piece, Dutch.

Edward: that was my point. Obama's already a very lame duck. What was the last significant piece of legislation he signed? Yes, he'll be a lamer duck, but he's about 90% of the way there. In a way, Mitch McConnell got his wish of making Obama a 1-term president, as they've allowed him to do very little in the 2nd term. Hooray!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Got my first taste of Obamacare. A nice letter from Blue Cross/Blue Shield informing me that, due to health care legislation, my family's monthly premium is going from $370 to $580. I'm really pleased about the prospect of paying $2,500/year for affordable health care.

[JPhillips]

What, specifically, is causing the increase? Is it possible that BC/BS is raising premiums and using the ACA as a cover?

[cartman]

A section of the ACA states that if a provider raises rates more than 10%, they must provide justification to the state. Missouri is one of eight states that so far has declined to implement a rate review program.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

What, specifically, is causing the increase? Is it possible that BC/BS is raising premiums and using the ACA as a cover?

I don't know, but with the vague language, you can be assured a 'frustrated' call will occur today.

I'll probably just downgrade my insurance to a lower level. That's a lot of extra money for what amounts to four relatively healthy individuals.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by cartman

A section of the ACA states that if a provider raises rates more than 10%, they must provide justification to the state. Missouri is one of eight states that so far has declined to implement a rate review program.

So, basically, because Missouri hasn't implemented the ACA, BCBS can raise rates unfettered?

(Insert Thanks Obama picture here)

SI

[JPhillips]

This this this.

“We have a huge problem: People do not think the recovery has affected them, and this is particularly true of blue collar white voters,” Lake said. “What is the Democratic economic platform for guaranteeing a chance at prosperity for everyone? Voters can’t articulate it. In the absence of that, you vote for change.”

[lungs]

My health insurance just went up $3/month. Thanks Obama!

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Got my first taste of Obamacare. A nice letter from Blue Cross/Blue Shield informing me that, due to health care legislation, my family's monthly premium is going from $370 to $580. I'm really pleased about the prospect of paying $2,500/year for affordable health care.

The average cost for a family of four's healthcare was, last time I checked, around $22,000. Compared to that, $2,500 is quite affordable.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

The average cost for a family of four's healthcare was, last time I checked, around $22,000. Compared to that, $2,500 is quite affordable.

Seriously? Where the hell is that?

FWIW, it's not $2500 for me. It's $570 x 12 months, so around $7K total.

[flere-imsaho]

Let me google that for you

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Seriously? Where the hell is that?

FWIW, it's not $2500 for me. It's $570 x 12 months, so around $7K total.

IIRC we pay like $2000/month for one of our employees and his family of four.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

IIRC we pay like $2000/month for one of our employees and his family of four.

And I assume this is the state that was used as a model for Obamacare? No wonder this is so f'd up.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

And I assume this is the state that was used as a model for Obamacare? No wonder this is so f'd up.

The state that ranks 5th in life expectancy overall (as opposed to MO which is 40th)?

Think I'd rather it be modeled on a healthcare system that actually ya know...works better, instead of just the cheapest one.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ife_expectancy

[JPhillips]

If you're self-employed and that's the total cost of your insurance, you should be thrilled. That's a hell of a plan.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

The state that ranks 5th in life expectancy overall (as opposed to MO which is 40th)?

Think I'd rather it be modeled on a healthcare system that actually ya know...works better, instead of just the cheapest one.

List of U.S. states by life expectancy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

At some point, I'd rather die than deal with crazy health care costs. The stress alone will kill you.

[ISiddiqui]

Things that work are so overrated .

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

If you're self-employed and that's the total cost of your insurance, you should be thrilled. That's a hell of a plan.

I'm assuming it's region-related like everything else. The exact same plan could easily be triple that cost on the coasts.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

At some point, I'd rather die than deal with crazy health care costs. The stress alone will kill you.

Don't forget to kill your wife and kids, too! You'd hate for them to be stressed.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The exact same plan could easily be triple that cost on the coasts.

Citation Needed.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Citation Needed.

Forget the coasts even. Here's an example where 100 miles results in a plan that triples in price.

The lowest monthly silver premium in the country is offered in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, where a 40-year-old will pay $154 a month for a PreferredOne plan. Just across the Wisconsin border, that same level plan — but with a different insurer and other doctors and hospitals — costs nearly three times as much.

The 10 Least Expensive Health Insurance Markets In The U.S. | Kaiser Health News

[flere-imsaho]

So what's your point?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

So what's your point?

His point I imagine (although I'm sure he'll deny it) is that we need a system where the costs aren't arbitrarily defined by the insurance companies and subject to so much price fluctuation based just on where you're located.