UT alum

I don’t care about the Steele Dossier. I haven’t paid it much mind because it was obviously shoddily done. I care about an ex campaign manager doing time for lying. The net is tightening and it needs no salaciousness to help.

What does well documented mean? If women come forth and start accusing him of sexual harassment, I don't think he'll get a pass. He'll have to answer. But, I don't recall any accusations of impropriety against him. What sort of source is Gawker? Comedy?

What the hell is that? A conservative attempt at humor? A photo mash up with made up commentary? If it’s farce, it’s a sad attempt. Or maybe it’s just hard to tell because of the farce at the head of our government.

Kizer Khan might offer a different point of view. Trump used Goldstar as a political tool. Like him, he likes you. Disagree, get out the way. That’s not empathy. It’s political expedience.

So you’re going with Reverend Al, Jesse “Heimie-town” Jackson, and #1 A-kisser Hannity to vouch for Trump’s moral virtues? That’s a deep stretch, Stevenash.

My judgement is based on how he acts for all to see. My perception has remained the same through the years, not just since he became President. He's a Manhattan real estate huckster and shameless self promoter. What I have not seen is any propensity to change that. He acts just like he always has. No excuses for how he acts unless called out on it, then it's always someone else's fault. No apologies, ever. You've always liked and respected him? Or only since he's become the chameleon conservative standard bearer?

Again, I was addressing history and the difference between 2005 and 2007. What do you not understand about that?

It was addressed. No charges. And yes, who is president is more important than who might have been president.

Yes. Gross negligence is difficult to prove in any case. If they felt they couldn’t prove it (the lawyer said she felt it had been constitutionally researched - it’s in the article) the they wouldn’t charge it. Hillary is not President, guys. Let it go.

I don’t have to do a da**ed thing. It’s in the record. He panders to racists. I guess they don’t mention that on Fox. They conveniently omit negative press aimed at their favorites. Not a credible news organization.

Nice dodge to the question. Am I to assume there’s no problem with him meeting with white nationalist groups?

I’m curious. Did Steve King catch any grief on here for his comments and affiliations? That all happened before I came along.

Took a court to make them. I’ve never said profits are evil.

My business' tax bite has nothing to do with my decision to provide health insurance for my employees. It has to do with retention of quality employees and minimizing turnover. The big companies don't pass more of their profits on in the form of much of anything. Wages are just now starting to rise because the labor market is tight, not because the corporations got a tax cut. Much of the money that they're getting back is going into stock repurchases, which drives up the stock price and helps those golden parachutes go from 18kt to 24kt. Why do you all believe that big business is some sort of benevolent uncle? They are focused on quarterly returns for their shareholders. Period. If that means shutting the GM plant in Ohio, tough do do employees, good business decision shareholders.

What does that mean?

Look, Stevenash brought up commodities. It’s just odd to me how some people don’t want the government involved in their lives until they do. Just like tea partiers shouting don’t touch my Medicare.

The private companies are operating like a cartel with endless dollars being thrown their way. Why can’t Medicare negotiate drug prices? That is anti-competitive. I don’t want to pay taxes for insurance. I want universal access to healthcare. How does a cost of 18% of GDP with unsustainable increases look like the market is resolving the issue?

Healthcare is not a commodity, though the red state farmers who voted Trump seem not to mind government support prices for their commodities.

Could be their tariff policies. Two of the three products you mentioned are American made.

I’d pay more for a coke if my healthcare costs were 40%+ lower.

Did you not see what I said about tort reform? And tell me what sense it makes that Medicare is prohibited from negotiating drug prices? How the heck is that competitive?

The non citizen I noted got coverage. You think he was the only one? Why do many of our non-wealthy citizens go to Mexico or overseas for procedures? Ever hear of the phrase “medical tourism”? Paying 18% of GDP with annual cost increases of 8% or so is unsustainable.

Not the dude from Pennsylvania. Then again, he wasn’ wealthy. Offering my opinion on how the system could be improved is not downgrading America. How else can you justify a company selling the same part overseas for 1/10 the cost it charged here besides lack of competition? Competition is great. Our healthcare system demonstrates what happens in a”free” market without competition. Excessive cost with lower overall health outcomes.

Congress, all of ‘em, aren’t into competition when it comes to healthcare. I read a most enlightening article in the WSJ several years ago about a man in Pennsylvania who needed a hip replacement and had no insurance. The best cash deal he could get in the US was $90,000+. Of that amount, $10,000 was the cost of the actual replacement part, manufactured by a company in Ohio. The man began to look elsewhere and found out he could get the same procedure done in Belgium, including transportation, meals and lodging through the rehab period for less than $20,000. One major cost saving: the same part by the same manufacturer cost $1,000. The Belgian government bid out x number of parts estimated to be used in a year, and the cheapest bid won. In 2014 Belgium’s cost of healthcare as a percentage of GDP was 10.4%. We are over 18%. It seems the single payer system in Belgium is more competitive and less costly than our so-called private healthcare system. And don’t blame lawsuits. Most states have enacted tort reform statutes that strictly limit the liability of healthcare providers. Congress refuses to give Medicare the right to similarly bargain for the best deal. Competition in the private healthcare market? Don’t make me laugh.

So, that’s reason enough for the President of the United States to mock his service?