|
December 31st, 2015: $352 USD/BTC
|
|
|
|
The two biggest holders of the U.S. debt are Japan and China. Japan is not an independent state, so it is effectively out of the equation (whoever begs to differ). China is the largest trading partner of the U.S., so it is very unlikely that it will drop its U.S. treasury holdings all of a sudden. In a sense, it can be said that right now the U.S. feeds on China, but how long will it last?
The US has been pushing SDRs through the IMF for some time now. SDRs came out of the Bretton-Woods System and where created as a fail safe for an expected USD shortfall in the 70s. Interstingly, the US wants to bring China on board. The Chinese want no part as they stand to lose out because of all the US debt they hold. It's becoming clearer that the US cannot support the reserve status it has anymore, but is unwilling to relinquish the power the position provides. The rest of the World is becoming wise to the US antics. So China has to become the main loser since it will have the U.S. debt now (then) worthy of nothing. Could they (the Chinese) think of this as the price they had to pay to get out of poverty and misery China had been in for the last few centuries? In any case, they now have plants and technology in their hands, so they are no longer much dependent on other countries technologically (mostly the U.S.). Seems plausible. China is screwed if they do or if they don't. Their successes in the global economy have come from the US mostly. Americans demand goods at cheap prices and China took advantage of that niche. Through buying US Treasury Bonds, China was able to finance many of its local and global projects in places like the Sudan or in Pakistan using the favorable USD exchange rate over their Yuan. They gambled and it paid off handsomely. Now, not so much... Funny thing is the Chinese want to sell off their USTBs because of their overvalued currency, but doing so will boost the USD relative to theirs and hurt them more so. Just a giant dick measuring contest if you ask me. It's all about the power. |
|
|
|
.@B.A.S.: Let's see... You've joined this forum on the fifth of January, BTC price bounced between $830 & $950 that day. Good thing you've discovered Bitcoin (Just in time!), and opted out of USD 2%/yr inflationary death spiral  You and I both. I'd love to see BTC succeed from both an economic standpoint and a personal one. BTC could be the vehicle that finally educates people regarding how the financial world works and gives them their voice back in how it all plays out in the future. Losing 60-70% of one's worth seems like a pricey education, but to each his own  Don't let your assumptions cloud an otherwise unsupported claim. You referring to "Losing 60-70% of one's worth seems like a pricey education"? It does seem like an expensive lesson. You're asking me to substantiate my opinion? I think I have misread your comment. I took it as a sly remark. I see what you mean now. Yes, it is a pricy education, but those with the balls to attend this School of Hard Knocks stand a very good chance of getting ahead of the stampede. |
|
|
|
The two biggest holders of the U.S. debt are Japan and China. Japan is not an independent state, so it is effectively out of the equation (whoever begs to differ). China is the largest trading partner of the U.S., so it is very unlikely that it will drop its U.S. treasury holdings all of a sudden. In a sense, it can be said that right now the U.S. feeds on China, but how long will it last?
The US has been pushing SDRs through the IMF for some time now. SDRs came out of the Bretton-Woods System and where created as a fail safe for an expected USD shortfall in the 70s. Interstingly, the US wants to bring China on board. The Chinese want no part as they stand to lose out because of all the US debt they hold. It's becoming clearer that the US cannot support the reserve status it has anymore, but is unwilling to relinquish the power the position provides. The rest of the World is becoming wise to the US antics. I give it 15-20 years for full transition to something different. With things like BTC starting up in the late 2000s, I fully expect the US has been planning for the eventual end for a solid 10 years prior, maybe 20. Policy shifts take a lot of time, especially given the current one is ~100 years old. The US may be feeding off of everyone else (I agree with you), but we have a large military. Might always makes it right no matter what. There is no morality in power. It is amoral by birthright. China will have no choice but to submit given the current economic devastation of its allies i.e. Russia/N. Korea/Pakistan (unless this changes). Look for increasing manufacturing on the US home front and a larger return to made in America. The era of the US exporting dollars for a living is slowly grinding to a halt. The idea would be for the US to start selling China stuff and control the fiscal monetary unit used to trade as well. China will be a US-debt bagholder with the US no longer paying off "those" debts. |
|
|
|
.@B.A.S.: Let's see... You've joined this forum on the fifth of January, BTC price bounced between $830 & $950 that day. Good thing you've discovered Bitcoin (Just in time!), and opted out of USD 2%/yr inflationary death spiral You and I both. I'd love to see BTC succeed from both an economic standpoint and a personal one. BTC could be the vehicle that finally educates people regarding how the financial world works and gives them their voice back in how it all plays out in the future. |
|
|
|
why is it ok for a group of people calling themselves the government to force everyone to buy their services?
if enough armed people refused to pay and told the government to go fuck itself there is nothing they could do.
But goverment have the army on his side, and police follow their orders too. People dont pay taxes because they love to do it, people pay it because is an obligation. you people are crazy , and i dont know what countries you live in , but in my country we pay it so that we can have free hospitals , free schools , free roads. basically everything that needs to be there for everyone. The problem with taxes is not that they are paid to make free hospitals, etc possible. The main problem is their inefficient assignment and obscure expenditure on purposes that most people find dubious, e.g. military operations. And I don't even mention direct theft and fraud. What I think few people on this thread realize is that the majority of collected taxes yearly in the US doesn't go to anything other than paying down the interest on the deficit. Spending for Gov't mandated projects (public transport, hospitals, buildings, roadways, etc.) is already built into a budgetary plan annually. These projects are also projected out many years as well. The money for these projects has already been approved and spent. Taxes serve to pay down the interest, nothing more. I thought money printing was used for paying the interest... Oh, wait, it is still called an inflation tax! The most ruthless one at that. It's a "nice" feedback loop if you are the USG/FED. Collect taxes yearly to pay off some deficit interest and then print more money (QE) to target economic inflation rates. Depending on what type of QE program is going on (QE1 - mortgage securities/corporate credit risk or QE2 - Treasury purchases), different economic channels can be utilized to temporarily keep the House of Cards together in the event of having a tax burden that is way to high. Just robbing Peter to pay Paul or vice versa. They're both broke anyway. If they are both broke, what's going to happen next? How long will the House of Cards stand? This only becomes a problem when the holders of debt no longer agree to give it value as the debtor does. The World is financed by debt, US included. Everyone is a giant bag holder in a way. As long as everyone continues to see "value" in this debt based model, there isn't any problems per say. Inflation alone is robbing people of spending power yearly with their fiat dollar, but nobody is complaining about this enough to change it. At the end of the day, 1 US dollar in 1900 is 1 US dollar today. That hasn't changed. The debt and deficit work this way too. All that matters is the # of USD you have, not what it is actually "worth." <--- This is the key to keeping it all going. Worth is derived from # today, not purchasing power. The HOC will always stand, but I think a financial shift is coming that is going to try to sweep much of the debt under the rug at the expense of the America citizen via corporate America. They will place large demands on corporations who will generously 'pass' this down to their customers. When the system is at its limits, a "relief switch" will come in the form of new spending in a different (but nearly identical) system. Same meat, different grinder. The mass public will be none-the-wiser. |
|
|
|
why is it ok for a group of people calling themselves the government to force everyone to buy their services?
if enough armed people refused to pay and told the government to go fuck itself there is nothing they could do.
But goverment have the army on his side, and police follow their orders too. People dont pay taxes because they love to do it, people pay it because is an obligation. you people are crazy , and i dont know what countries you live in , but in my country we pay it so that we can have free hospitals , free schools , free roads. basically everything that needs to be there for everyone. The problem with taxes is not that they are paid to make free hospitals, etc possible. The main problem is their inefficient assignment and obscure expenditure on purposes that most people find dubious, e.g. military operations. And I don't even mention direct theft and fraud. What I think few people on this thread realize is that the majority of collected taxes yearly in the US doesn't go to anything other than paying down the interest on the deficit. Spending for Gov't mandated projects (public transport, hospitals, buildings, roadways, etc.) is already built into a budgetary plan annually. These projects are also projected out many years as well. The money for these projects has already been approved and spent. Taxes serve to pay down the interest, nothing more. I thought money printing was used for paying the interest... Oh, wait, it is still called an inflation tax! The most ruthless one at that. It's a "nice" feedback loop if you are the USG/FED. Collect taxes yearly to pay off some deficit interest and then print more money (QE) to target economic inflation rates. Depending on what type of QE program is going on (QE1 - mortgage securities/corporate credit risk or QE2 - Treasury purchases), different economic channels can be utilized to temporarily keep the House of Cards together in the event of having a debt interest burden that is way too high and is unable to be paid by the population alone (without extreme tax rates which case revolt). Just the typical robbing Peter to pay Paul or vice versa. They're both broke anyway. |
|
|
|
why is it ok for a group of people calling themselves the government to force everyone to buy their services?
if enough armed people refused to pay and told the government to go fuck itself there is nothing they could do.
But goverment have the army on his side, and police follow their orders too. People dont pay taxes because they love to do it, people pay it because is an obligation. you people are crazy , and i dont know what countries you live in , but in my country we pay it so that we can have free hospitals , free schools , free roads. basically everything that needs to be there for everyone. The problem with taxes is not that they are paid to make free hospitals, etc possible. The main problem is their inefficient assignment and obscure expenditure on purposes that most people find dubious, e.g. military operations. And I don't even mention direct theft and fraud. What I think few people on this thread realize is that the majority of collected taxes yearly in the US doesn't go to anything other than paying down the interest on the deficit. Spending for Gov't mandated projects (public transport, hospitals, buildings, roadways, etc.) is already built into a budgetary plan annually. These projects are also projected out many years as well. The money for these projects has already been approved and spent. Taxes serve to pay down the interest, nothing more. |
|
|
|
well right, yes. There's even evidence that the party in power was responsible for the cap because they were loosing seats due to the booming populations of the cities. I meant arbitrary as in the number. 435 is just outta the blue if yah think of it. "yeah, 50 senators, and yah know what? 435 representatives" i spent a lot of time in my 20's railing against the government and trying to figure out whats wrong with it. Then i came across the whole apportionmnet nonsense. You fix representation, you let the great democracy experiment of USA continue where it left off roughly a century ago. I think its a testament to the wacky design of the US government that its been able to maintain its "legitimacy" for so long with such a flagrant misrepresentation of the people. But the 17th is probably also to blame for some of that. Giving the people power of the senate made them disregard the actual power they had in the house. but its all changeable, just like our cryptocurrency protocols. Just need a goddamned consensus! If you read the above link, and found some of the other links, like this one http://www.articlethefirst.net/You'll find that the first ammendment to the constitution is actually still on the books (that caps the limit at 1:50k) and up for vote and waiting to be ratified. I think its something like less than 10 states are all needed to sign it. This shits crazily real and crazily possible. You and I both man. The more I read into the history and the current policy of the US, the more I see the reason for the policies being how they are. Democracy is an illusion in a way, meant to pacify the public's need for 'freedom.' Your comments got me reading more into apportionment. So interesting to see that there were a few men at the time who had their heads on right, but were eventually killed or forced out by the majority rule. America was founded under freedom from the same principles it now uses to control. Is there a place to find out which elements are up for vote at a given session? |
|
|
|
people agree to pay taxes because with it they buy civilization. Now whether the governing bodies responsible for the allocation of this collective investment are trustworthy is a different story. hence these experiments in democracy (USA being one of them), though representative government fails when the representation is flawed. Did you know the founders intended the ratio of citizens to representatives to be between 1:30,000 and 1:50,000? Apparently this was the only thing that George Washington spoke up for during the founding. He was most concerned with the ratio of representation. Do you know what it is now? it ranges between 1:700,000 - 1:almost a million. how can 1 individual represent 700,000 people? Why did it go from 1:30,000 to 1:700,000? because the federal house of representatives is arbitrarily capped at 435 due to some decision in 1911. checkout http://thirty-thousand.org//rant Sadly, I don't think it was arbitrary, but directly tied to the Webster Method (i.e. Sainte-Lague Method) for good reason. In short, the SLM is primarily used in voting elections to set voting percentage minimums for representative parties to be allocated seats. Even if enough votes are gained, a threshold percentage must be met for the party to receive a seat (even if they have the votes; usually ~4%). Now apply this to a non-voting situation like apportionment. By having a set number of seats, you can selectively eliminate representation growth for certain areas (states with lower populations). In a fixed system of historically 2 parties (US), this is an excellent way to rig representatives in favor of one party or another based on a fixed seats available. Especially with all the slaves not even counting as "full people." They failed before WWI to reset the apportionment, thus continuing the old 1911 ruling. After WWI and II, the pop. exploded and the ruling was never changed (435). A simple screw up? I think not. |
|
|
|
How would this even work in the event of a major hack or theft. I doubt aon has a stack of bitcoins lying around to pay out.
Say a 100,000 btc were stolen, I am assuming aon would provide coinbase with the money to buy those coins, the problem with that is a buy order that large would create a rally and the btc would cost more than when they were stolen.
Or of course the value could plummet after the hack and a dump (lets say 5,000 btc hack, not enough to spur a huge rally when bought back), and then would aon only provide enough money to purchase those btc again (less of a payout by them to coinbase)
These factors lead me to believe their policy is bullshit, and it is something like they are insured for up to $5,000,000 or something, and any loss larger than that, oops were bankrupt. You make great points. I am not entirely sure, but here are a few of my thoughts: 1) Aon will only reimburse Coinbase USD in the event of a hack or theft. IMO, CB doesn't actually care about losing its BTC at the end of the day, it cares about losing its USD investment into the BTC ecosystem. As long as they get the market value (most likely more contractually) for their stolen coin, they won't lose a wink of sleep. 2) The policy is BS on the part of the customer. As we have seen lately, CB is really good at saying things they don't mean. Their website has lots of keywords floating around meant to attract customers. They use words like "insured" or "FDIC-wallets" or "fully backed by AAA rated insurance" or "regulated and licensed." These words attract the masses who are ignorant about BTC in general, not the individuals who know whats going on and have been around. You're right, it is BS. Per the usual, don't keep your coins on the exchange. I see these exchanges as pop up shops until most of the coins are mined. Unless they actually contribute to the ecosystem later (trading platform, remittance, etc.) I predict a large chunk of these exchanges will fold logically when the time comes. |
|
|
|
In another thread the issue of bitcoin insurance has popped up.
Apparently Coinbase and Circle say that their exchanges are "insured". What does that mean? How does that work?
Bitcoin payments are irreversible and unless the receiver sends the funds back, there is simply no way to get any amount of coins back.
Let's say I deposit a big quantity of BTCs on Coinbase or Circle. Let's say I pretend to get hacked and I "steal the BTCs from myself" using another computer or the help of a friend who is gonna pretend that he hacked me or whatever.
There is no way in hell that they can know if I'm being hacked or pretending.
Is Coinbase or Circle gonna give me free money if that happens? I highly doubt. How does that work? How can they know I have been hacked for real or I'm just trying to fuck with them, considering BTC payments are irreversible?
How the hell are Coinbase and Circle claiming that they are "insured"?
I haven't really found more informations on their site.
Coinbase is insured against itself in the event of fraud or loss of its coin; not individual users. Coinbase is underwritten by Aon for protection of their assets. You as a customer are insured for your coins on the exchange. I.e. if you have 5 BTC on the exchange and Coinable gets hacked; you will get your 5 coins. User negligence (losing your password, compromising of your account credentials, etc.) is not insured against. |
|
|
|
Well if you live in a country where you are supposed to pay taxes and you still use their social security and social stuff like a lot of people on the list do while keeping your money away, then they deserve to be exposed as fraudsters.
This. Dont wanna pay taxes? thats ok, but leave the fucking country and stop using social healthcare, roads paid with public money etc etc. These that didnt leave deserve to be exposed by falciani as scammers. They are free to live in Switzerland ffs. i completaly agree... and i also think that many who could afford to pay for health care, get it for free... evading taxes and claiming to be destitute, This behavior is even more deplorable ... Interestingly (a la your comment), there is a movement (slow) that the USG is implementing regarding paying for your own healthcare. On your W2 forms for 2014, you will find a line with which has the total compensation your employer paid on your healthcare to date (if you have a W2 and have company paid health insurance). In years to come, that number will be considered part of your taxable income. The paradigm is shifting. - It once was a wonderful country where you worked hard and in return the USG + your modest savings would help you out in your older years. - Now it's becoming a country where you work even harder and in return the USG will use these extra years you're working to pay off the broke system of yesteryear that was poorly managed. |
|
|
|
I don't understand why tainted BTC would/should be a problem. This article is a few years old now (and from the Daily Mail --near tabloid quality), but it illustrates my point. Dirty BTC should not deter anyone from spending it/accepting it. Every day fiat is used to buy numerous illegal things and then can be used to by toothpaste the next day. Why should this be a BTC user's problem or even a problem at all? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1241775/Every-British-bank-note-contaminated-cocaine-weeks-entering-circulation.htmlI could see taint analysis as a great forensic technique with regards to criminal investigations. Imagine if someone invented software or a fast computing way to unravel the blockchain to uncover past transactions... Eventually all coins will most likely be linked to a real individual and will have a transaction history attached to a known entity (bank account for instance). |
|
|
|
|
The problem with letting the economy run according to demand and price, is that it will do just that. In the short term, this seems like a fine problem to have; long-term, not so much.
Ex: Many townships with few people still need roads and bridges and public works projects. If it were left to private companies, these projects would never happen as the top dollar would only be made in high population areas.
|
|
|
|
I don't think most Americans agreed to pay taxes (at least initially before the 1900s). It pissed a lot of folks off and caused major riffs and war. Sixteenth Amendment-- "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."I'd encourage anyone to have a look through this site and have a read if you have some spare time. The taxation waters are murky and rife with unexplainable injustices. http://www.supremelaw.org/sls/31answers.htmThe IRS is not even a governmental agency, but a trust; closer to a subcontractor of the federal government. |
|
|
|
I bet a lot of those guys in the video served in Vietnam. They were most likely upstanding young men who came back PTSD'd and shunned from their families. They fell in with some bad folks and here they are 20-40 years later.
Automation may wipe these people out from the job market, but most of America is not actually producing anything anyway. Money is being made on the transferring of money around and through its exportation to the World which is demanding USD. In years long ago, the US actually manufactured lots of things. Today it still does that, but on a very limited scale. People today are getting rich on the backs of others through financial markets with large lumps of cash and uneven odds.
B.A.S. again I detect an undercurrent of hatred (envy) for the wealthy in your writings (i.e. Socialist or Communist ideology). I am asserting we get wealthy by being productive and not associating with those losers who blame their problems on others (e.g. blaming the 1%). Yeah government, finance, and fiat money systems are corrupt. So what? It still doesn't change the fact that self-discipline is what makes success. The founders of Google didn't get there by whining, hiring losers, and farting around on the beach all day! They worked hard long hours. It doesn't mean I don't have compassion for their plight and bad luck. And I surely wouldn't try to exacerbate their suffering. But I also know I can't invest in fixing their morass because it will drag me down with them. P.S. I would not have served in Vietnam! No way I will be a slave of the corrupt who run governments. Sorry but those weak people lack a backbone! And you can see that in the video. They don't have the capacity to stand up and fight their way out of their hole. I have no hatred for the wealthy; what I do have is a distinct appreciation for all walks of life and a defending spirit against others discrediting them because they have had different opportunities in life, a different background, look different, etc. This country was built by the hands of all types (more so the "underbelly" you speak of). It's disingenuous to write the things you do about people you have no idea about. Don't be so naive. Sergio, the founder of Google, grew up with a decorated Mathematics professor father and a NASA researcher mother. He wasn't born in Harlem or Compton. This is not to say he wasn't a hard worker, but he went to a Montessori school for elementary education in the States. It's a $100 just to apply! This is elementary school. You would not of had a choice to serve in Vietnam or not. There was a draft! Exceptions from service: - You ran away to Canada - Defected as a conscientious objector (not likely for approval) What you are is an entitled 20-something who grew up in suburban America in a nice part of town. You have or just may be finishing up a BA degree in econ/accounting or some business field which makes you feel confident enough to armchair regurgitation from some websites muddled with your thoughts. You are entitled to all your opinions and I can stomach that. What you lack is respect for those who served our country, their thoughts/ways of life and a healthy appreciation of all walks of life. This I cannot stomach. Sorry but those weak people lack a backbone! And you can see that in the video. They don't have the capacity to stand up and fight their way out of their hole. Keep this statement in your back pocket. Life has a way of beating down everyone at some time or another. I think you will change your opinions as you grow a bit older and wiser. |
|
|
|
As B.A.S. has admitted, the thinking (attitude and circumstance) of Westerners is aligned with spiraling the abyss. I have observed such attitudes in my own family in the USA. CoinCube has an exceptionally erudite nuclear family and a high quality career path, so afaik he probably doesn't associate with the lowlife underbelly of our society in the USA (thus I think he may not be aware how widespread the underbelly is and how intractable the ingrained attitudes are). I am intimately familiar with the lowlifes. I should send him a link to a facebook profile with 100s of "gang banger" attitude Likes.
This is a good film for anyone not familiar with what the American underclass looks like. http://vimeo.com/118532076Rather unsettling to see just how ubiquitous these attitudes are. With so many of these people, devoid of any productive capacity or purpose, coupled with the continuing trend of automation, it certainly seems like much of what you are saying is inevitable. I don't see how an increase in socialism can be avoided in this country. I watched the film. It's a very good look at what drugs and alcohol can do to people as well as what a simple life outlook and philosophy looks like. Nothing wrong with the latter. The characters may not be the 'perfect' people, but I can assure you all that separates these people for many in the upperclasses is a higher level vernacular and better clothing. I've seen both and the sad part is they both end up looking more alike from a holistic perspective. Rich and poor people like drugs/alcohol equally. I bet a lot of those guys in the video served in Vietnam. They were most likely upstanding young men who came back PTSD'd and shunned from their families. They fell in with some bad folks and here they are 20-40 years later. Automation may wipe these people out from the job market, but most of America is not actually producing anything anyway. Money is being made on the transferring of money around and through its exportation to the World which is demanding USD. In years long ago, the US actually manufactured lots of things. Today it still does that, but on a very limited scale. People today are getting rich on the backs of others through financial markets with large lumps of cash and uneven odds. |
|
|
|
It's funny how no Americans want to pay for a more universal system, but when cancer comes knocking; all of a sudden everyone is willing to spend what it takes whether they can afford it or not.
...
What about when you're old: maybe you will need heart surgery, medications, cancer, a walking aid, a wheelchair... The list goes on. If you privatize all this and continue to make uninformed comments about the system, you will pay for these out of your own pocket. Are you going to do that? Are you willing to put 1/4 of your paycheck away for unknown costs now and into the future regarding your own health?
It's easy to say what you do, but you have no idea the full implications of this. I am in the healthcare profession. I see it everyday. Start thinking about your fellow MAN and not your next dollar.
Singapore has a very successful system because EVERYONE pays. The US is struggling because we are trying to transition to a system that can support everyone because the current system cannot. Of course the young are needed to get the transition started. Have a little compassion for your fellow man. Obama is not forcing the young en mass to empty their pockets to support the old and dying. It's not a perfect idea, but it has a sustainability factor to it that the current system doesn't.
% of Singapore GDP spent on health care = 3% % of USA GDP spent on health care = 18% Medical care in Singapore is generally considered excellent. Singapore has a successfully system not because "everyone pays" but because everyone is forced to save and then spend their own money on health care rather then send the bill to "insurance" where is magically disappears for future generations to worry about. As mentioned above it is a system of personal responsibility. If an individual dies without spending all of their health care savings they can pass that on to their children. Also family members can use their own health savings to pay for an ill loved one. Government only steps in when individual resources are exhausted. There is a massive power imbalance in the physician patient relationship that you touch on above in your examples of cancer and car crashes. People in these situations are not in a position where then can negotiate or make intelligent cost benefit analysis in regards to health care and are essentially forced to pay whatever the doctor charges. This is where there is a definite role for government to step in not with a blank check, but to forcefully pre-negotiate on behalf of such patients to control costs. As someone who profits from the status quo it is you who I would challenge to start thinking about your fellow MAN not your next dollar. Do you truly think the system of health care which in the US is sustainable? Obamacare may not be forcing the young en mass to empty their pockets en mass to support the old and dying now, but that is only because we are kicking the can down the road. The current system will do exactly that when taken to its logical conclusion. It is the inevitable result of flawed policy. Physicians in the public realm do not set prices. The private insurance industry as well as the healthcare industry does. I agree with your points, but I don't exactly benefit from the status quo. I have to live within it. Each hospital has quotas now and has for some time. Physicians must see so many patients a day to justify their existence and employment at the clinic or hospital or you will be let go. Healthcare is a public profit industry run by private interests today in America. I do not believe the current system is sustainable, but some of the Obamacare enactments will help forge a new direction for healthcare. A fundamental mind set change needs to happen (AKA a few generations need to die off with the newest generations begin taught a new way of thinking towards their health). What's troublesome for me is that the US healthcare system is not universally organized for set pricing. I don't get a larger salary because pricing increases. A heart surgery can run on the low end of $50K at a less known hospital to upwards of $150K at the best hospital with the most well known surgeon. In both cases, the docs know how to do the surgery, were trained identically; yet the price is different. Healthcare is competitive in the US. Not only do they want you to pay for it, but on top of it; you have to pay TOP dollar to get expected care in these situations. This is not sustainable or dare I say 'fair' in a country where basic care is an unalienable right. I don't blame either side, but sometime long ago someone said basic healthcare was a right and now we are finding out how hard it is to live that statement when the "basic" component has been stretched to include everything from a routine physical to diabetes. Massive overhauls need to happen with respect to surgeries, cancer, expensive treatments, ER visits, etc. This is where the money is being lost because the majority of Americans who get these procedures don't have a penny to pinch in regards to paying it off. If America operated like Singapore today, we would most likely have a healthier population who value their health more, but this is not the American mindset right now. Necessity is the mother of all invention. |
|
|
|
Singapore pop: ~5 mil
US pop: ~320 mil
Do the math. Thats 60X more people to insure and cover if Singapore absorbed the US.
You're funny. Scale should make it cheaper per head, yet you're arguing Singapore has the advantage because it's smaller. No wonder America is fucked. It's not that simple. Yes, scale would make it cheaper, but you're not taking into account the wealth disparity in the US. If you are poor, you cannot get more than basic medical services in Singapore because you cannot afford the extra fees. The majority of Americans are not wealthy. Singapore has an advantage because it has a small population of people with little to no money. The mean yearly income in 2011 for a Singaporean was ~$9K USD. Their system is awesome because very few are utilizing the services that cost real money because they can't afford it so they die instead of being treated. Perhaps you think this is the way it should be? I'd urge you to take 5 seconds to think before you chastise your supposed 'brilliance' which really is just masking your ignorance. |
|
|
|
|
Show Posts
