Tea Party

“Transport Strikes Lay Bare Europe's Malaise
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/23/travel/main6235189.shtml


"This strike is a little bit disproportionate," because the French government is committed to keeping workplace protections,”

Wow! You mean after the French government enacted strict regulations making it very hard to fire workers (which, of course, leftists will say has nothing to do with the high unemployment rate in France), now the unions want more?

Who woulda thunk it?


Greek unions prepared to shut down much of their country Wednesday with wide-ranging strikes

These workers - like those blockading the Athens stock market,...

You mean unions in the most socialist country in the EU blame business for their problems and want more from government?

Who woulda thunk it?


"The dangers of pricing oneself out of a job have nowhere been more apparent than they are today," said Howard Wheeldon, a senior strategist at inter-dealer broker BGC Partners in London.

Wheeldon must be one of those right-wing morons! You know, those guys.


While airline workers face market pressures, the air traffic controllers are subject to a government push for efficiencies at a time of high state deficits and lackluster economic conditions.

Can anyone provide us with graphs and charts showing airline efficiencies as a percentage of GDP?


Greek unions are calling a wide-ranging strike for Wednesday to protest austerity measures aimed at getting the country out of a government debt crisis.

You mean unions in the most socialist country in the EU blame don’t want responsibility for years of big government spending and regulations made on their behalf?

Who woulda thunk it?


The malaise about pending government cutbacks and efficiency-seeking extends beyond the air travel sector.

They can’t be talking about the healthcare sector. Violin has already shown us how efficient those government controlled systems are.

And, in similar fashion as Samuelson, leftists keep telling us how great Europe's single-payer healthcare systems are.


Dope-dee-dope-dee-dope...”

“Strathole -

The shoe fits.

I complained about my heath insurance premium rising 45% this year and you:

1) Suggested that I was lying.
2) Said I have a crappy job. (We can't all fix Arby's fryers for a living.)
3) Claimed that I want you to pay my health care expenses.

A$$hole is as a$$hole does.”

“I didn't realize that you had proof of Violin's desire to "increase the size of government at every turn"(or something like that), Nonc.
Please share

What are your sources of information for Laconia?

I didn't read about it in some hatchet job book on liberals.

Gosh, I should have gotten depositions from the people who told me about that wild party beginning with that guy on Martha's Vineyard in 1974.

Perhaps they were all bullsh*ttin' me about the wild times they witnessed there and that it is merely an old ladies tea party with crumpets and stuff like that.”

“Listen Mon to de fools on dis site. De be lik dogs likkin up der own vomet. All de time der house be burnin down and de fight abot who be de guilty one. Listen Mon! No one goin to stop de fall of yer evel empir. Jahh has spoken. De cretor of all be not blin to de evel of Americain peeple. Hatin, selffish, stealin, killin, whorin wid der religion hippocrits yakkin abot how jahlike de are. Ye fools be of Babylon. yur contry be de grat harlot. And yet de fools kno ob de tre of lif and have turned der eyes from it. I hab told dem of de path of truedom an de reject it. De reject de way dat pass all onderstandin. Whoa be unto dem. Is der not one among you dat is tru? Sek y de burnin bush. Only dis pleezin sent can cler yer mind. Opin yer eyes mons befor de wrath of Jah falls opon you.”

“Strat, V-man is right: there is no place here on TT for people to lie or suggest/imply things that aren't true.”

“KEYNESIAN ECONOMISTS CONFUSED

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/23/1495431/transport-strikes-lay-bare-europes.html?storylink=mirelated


"Stimulus programs have largely driven the economic rebound over the last 20 months," said macroeconomist Frederic Bonnevay in Paris. "Now as this public support stabilizes and is progressively removed, the outlook suddenly appears grim."


How’s that government stimulus to raise Europe’s aggregate demand workin’ for ya, violin?”

“my heath insurance premium rising 45% this year - violin

Ha ha! Mine raised only 2% this year, less than the 3% last year. You must have a sh*tty job or want me to pay your premium or something.”

“The Republicans (and assumably, the tea baggers, since they're the same thing), are A-OK with the gouging being done by private insurerance companies to fund leadership's big bonuses. Sure, let's leave it to corporate healthcare to do the "right thing."

Anthem Blue Cross executives, under intense questioning by the state Assembly's Health Committee on Tuesday, defended the company's decision to raise premiums by as much as 39 percent on hundreds of thousands of Californians....

"Who can withstand this scrutiny?" Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Hesperia, noted after the withering questioning from Jones and other Democrats.

"I don't see a problem with making a profit," added Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville. "I thought that was the American way."

Since 2002, the cost of living has risen 23 percent, while health insurance premiums have increased 117 percent.

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/02/24/2560208/anthem-blue-cross-executives-grilled.html”

“Short lifespans in Missouri, Mutt.”

“Rome would have had a 'TT', if they had had an internet and it (TT) would have fallen with the rest of that failing world wide bull#&%!$ influence of a bully that finally met his match, Nature.”

“ raise premiums by as much as 39 percent on hundreds of thousands of Californians....

Despite my ID response which says, "Califonians deserve all the californicating they can get," We should start to define the problem: Why are their premiums being raised that much?

Anthem Blue Cross has "hundreds of thousands" of clients? Whoa, that's a lot of clients. Why don't we end restrictive interstate regulations on insurance companies so some of those folks can get policies with other companies?

We all want to get laid, but nobody wants to get screwed.


"I don't see a problem with making a profit," added Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville. "I thought that was the American way."


Not according to leftists. Profit is greedy so government must institute price controls and regulation. Well not all profit. Leftists should determine how much is too much.

But increases in taxation, and government growth, don't seem to carry as much weight with leftists. There seems to be a disconnect about the definition of greed.

Besides that, I'm not really sure what to do about out-of-control corporate compensation. Maybe we need more small-business start ups in order to provide more competition? But not before we end the onerous government-business regulations that protect big corporations at the expense of small-business.”

“I think public health transcends the typical corporate model and this is where the water becomes muddied. If you are sickening and killing people for the sake of filling your bank account, there are moral and ethical questions to be asked. Toyota is getting fried because of this. Why shouldn't health insurance companies?

As we've seen time and time again, ad nauseum, most private business is not going to police itself. To try and argue that it does, is laughable. Therefore, there are laws put in place to regulate their behavior.

On a personal note, with my employer, I just had to switch health insurers after my insurer, who I had for ten years, canceled for the entire region. Of my remaining, five options, Anthem was the second most expensive (bested by Aetna) with monthly premiums nearly twice what I was paying before. I ended up going with Kaiser and so far, the experience has been very satisfactory.”

“Yes Rosey, but still, it's the European Socialist HC systems that are the ones that are failing, not our grab ass pig rip offs.”

“European Socialist HC systems that are the ones that are failing

They may be having difficulties but to say they are "failing" implies that they will fail.
Stay tuned......”

“Toyota has made a product that can hurt you.

Insurance companies are only guilty of NOT making a product to save you in each case.

The entitlement thinkers (libs, foreigners who left socialist countries for a better life, etc..) don't recognize the difference.”

“Hah yur govement be pissin on ya Mon and tellin ya it be trickel down wealth. Bein stupid you open yer moths and drink it up! HAHAHA ya be som serios fools.”

“Big bidnis bin a'pissin' on us too.

We don't know whether to sh*t or go blind, Johnny.”

“Ebeen dis Obama-mon be a tool ob de rich.”

“Moral and ethical questions are a sticky business, rosey.

Private businesses are in the business of making a profit, not policing themselves for infractions of morality. We have a legal system for policing that. People are free not to do business with companies who act against them.


Free to Choose asks moral questions. The Road to Serfdom is a discussion of moral issues. I just got through reading The Ethics of Redistribution by Bertrand de Jouvenel. I'm currently reading The Ethics of Liberty by Murray Rothbard which promises to provide an interesting examination of a moral system.


I have no idea how you've developed your sense of morals, rosey. Or even whether you believe you have no more to learn on that subject.

I find that the more I learn, the less I know. I am not ready to make absolutely positive statements about complex issues such as healthcare reform. I have, at best, an idea of morality based on what I have learned up until this moment.

I'm very concerned about people who take actions to force me to conform to their moral view. Coercion and force are immoral actions to me. Those are the tools the state uses to achieve its ends. I have freedom to choose in the market. No company can force me to buy their product. But government can threaten me with monetary loss and imprisonment if I do not conform to their monopolistic control. Why is government monopoly acceptable to some while private monopoly is not?

Government control(whether it be through forcing people to buy insurance with "single-payer" or complete government healthcare) is a centerpiece of some people's idea of healthcare reform: forcing individuals and businesses to buy healthcare even if it's against their wishes. In the market, if I am dissatisfied with my employer provided healthcare, I find work somewhere else. It is only through coercion and force can we tell my employer to provide me with healthcare or suffer penalties.


And that threat of force protects big businesses who can more readily afford healthcare costs than can small business.

Andrew Carnegie finally spoke out in favor of business regulation when he realized that U.S. Steel could absorb the costs of complying with those regulations and it would protect his company from smaller, less profitable competition. Professional registrations were not a populist idea. Professionals understood that, if they lobbied government to create regulations making it very hard to gain profession registration, they could limit the supply of professionals, thus raising their incomes.


You want to hear a good one? On a personal note, I don't have health insurance. You should have seen my bill after my operation. Holy cow! The hospital (government subsidized I might add) wanted to charge me over $30,000 per day. I got them down, but still...OUCH.

I was refused insurance from BCBS because I had a blood pressure reading of 137/89. That's actually not too egregious for my age. Even though my emotional reaction was to say, "That's not fair!" I understand that a private company has the right to do business with whomever they choose. I'm in the process of taking personal responsibility for lowering my blood pressure through diet and walking. When I can exercise heavily, I will. Then I'll apply again.

Government healthcare would benefit me and spread the burden over society. But what moral obligation do I have to society understanding, as I do at this moment, that government control of healthcare is detrimental to us all in the long run? That's a moral issue.

I don't know why some people keep ignoring the fact that THE EUROPEAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS ARE CUTTING BACK BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING BANKRUPT despite taxation levels that exceed 50% of income in some cases.

Europe's high unemployment levels are at least partially caused by the European desire to guarantee jobs. When you can't fire someone, you're stuck with them. This makes business reluctant to hire workers who they may need only temporarily, or the business later determines may not be as efficient as someone else.

We cannot doubt that those regulations were crated with the best of intent. Just as Johnson's Great Society was created with good intent. But the fact is that black income levels did not rise as fast as they had before those programs were enacted, black crime levels soared, and there was a breakup of black families after those programs were enacted.

It's important to understand most of the moral consequences of our actions before we take action. Change for change sake is immoral. Refusing to examine where we've made mistakes is immoral.


As a member of a democratic republic, I believe I have a moral obligation to educate myself for the good of society. It should be obvious that many people (in that Obama video, and right here on TT) do not feel that same moral obligation.

How am I to protect myself from their trying to use government to force me to do what they wish?”

“That tea is exceedingly weak.”

“Arc do you ever find it somewhat wierd that the very people who would raise HOLY HELL about a School Principal asking for a voluntary Prayer....are committed to the religion of "GOVERNMENT ABOVE US ALL"?”

“I, for one, am shocked that someone would suggest that violen was capable of lying on TT.
*snicker*”

“More government! bigger government! It's our only hope and besides, look how great it's done so far.”

“Arnie thinks the baggers are nutin'...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger believes that the tea party movement is �not going anywhere.�

Schwarzenegger, speaking Tuesday night with Fox News�s Greta Van Susteren, said the grass-roots movement is only �an expression of anger and disappointment.�

�People meet. They talk about it. What can we change? How? And it's all healthy and it's all good,� California�s Republican governor said. �But I'm just saying they're not going anywhere with it because nobody is coming up and saying, �Here's our candidate, here's our solution, here�s what we're going to do, and have a whole policy debate over the various different issues.��

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33443.html”

“Well, weird would be one word, XL. A lack of consistent principles would be another way to describe it. But I agree with you about the religious aspect, and many other people have noticed it as well.


“As economic policy the New Deal was a failure. If anything, it likely prolonged the Depression. And yet we are constantly told that the ?New Deal remains the greatest domestic accomplishment of the United States in the twentieth century and a model liberals constantly wish to emulate, preserve, and restore. In 2007 Nancy Pelosi reportedly said that three words prove the Democrats aren’t out of ideas: “Franklin Delano Roosevelt.” Why such devotion? The answer most often offered is that the New Deal gave Americans “hope” and “faith” in a “cause larger than themselves.” Hope for what? Faith in what? What “cause”? The answer: the liberal God-state or, if you prefer, the Great Society – which is merely that society governed by the God-state in accordance with the general will.

The New Deal amounted to a religious breakthrough for American liberalism. Not only had faith in the liberal ideal become thoroughly religious in nature – irrational, dogmatic, mythological – but many smart liberals recognized this fact and welcomed it. In 1934 Dewey had defined the battle for liberal ideas as a “religious quality” in and of itself. Thurman Arnold, one of the New Deal’s most influential intellectuals, proposed that Americans be taught a new “religion of government,” which would finally liberate the public from its superstitions about individualism and free markets. It was as Robespierre insisted: the “religious instinct” must be cultivated to protect the revolution.

The apotheosis of liberal aspirations under FDR took place not during the New Deal but during World War II. Roosevelt in his 1944 State of the Union address proposed what he called a “second Bill of Rights.” But this was really an argument for a new Bill of Rights, turning the original on its head. “Necessitous men are not free men,” he declared. Therefore the state must provide a “new basis of security and prosperity.” Among the new rights on offer were “a useful and remunerative job,” “a decent home,” “adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health,” “adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment,” and “a good education.” This second Bill of Rights remains the spiritual lodestar of liberal aspirations to this day.”

Liberal Fascism. Jonah Goldberg; NY 2008. (pp 222-223)


XL, check Tiiilt's most recent post. All hat and no cattle as the expression goes.

They somehow think that their comments are witty when they don't back them up with their own views or facts. That way they never have to think about their faith or have it questioned. It's faith in their own infallibility.


“George Clooney expresses a common sentiment among liberals when he says, “Yes, I’m a liberal, and I’m sick of it being a bad word. I don’t know at what time in history liberals have stood on the wrong side of social issues.”

Liberal Fascism. Jonah Goldberg; NY 2008. (p 317)


What did you think about MarkO's when he refused to disuss his faith? He appeared to be very frightened when he posted that he refused to discuss ideas with a "corporatist" (Which is not what I stand for) because I was trying to change his mind through a discussion of ideas? I don't want to make declarative statements about what MarkO was feeling, but that was downright freaky. That's a great example of dogmatic faith.

Not only did he not believe I was genuinely interested in his views, he seemed to be frightened about change.


“The liar’s punishment is not in the least that he is not believed but that he cannot believe anyone else.”

George Bernard Shaw


XL, leftists refer to themselves as liberals. However, the vast majority of them are some of the most statist, intolerant, bigoted, closed-minded people I've ever talked with. I've found Christian "fundamentalists" to be more open-minded. All of that is weird.


Check out violin's post where he says that the best way for society to function is to keep people who disagree with his views out of government. That's a control freak viewpoint if ever there was one. It's a flat out admission that people with whom he disagrees have no merit.

And then there's the name-calling. Liberals will often try to end discussion when they encounter opposing views by calling people racists, retards, homophobes, and sexist. It's an effort to dehumanize people from other groups.

Dehumanization of other groups is tool that's been used by many philosophies. And yes, it's also been done many times by religious fanatics.


How can a rational person not see the inconsistencies in all that?”

“One can have consistent principals that are based on lies.”

“why isn't Palin our dictator yet?”

“That is true, salebored.

I tend to think of "liberals" as having inconsistent principles because they complain about religion intruding on their lives but want the secular "god-state" to intrude on people's lives.

They call other people intolerant, while practicing intolerance. They enforce "sensitivity training" on people who they feel may not share their views.

The call for "diversity" but they must mean physical diversity because newsrooms and academia are anything but places of diverse views.

They had loads of fun calling Bush and the Reps Nazis for years. Now that people have got wise to the fact that fascism is left-wing, they call "conservatives" mean-spirited and dumb when they compare leftists to Nazis.

They scream about censorship from the right while they censor from the left. And they show a remarkable fondness for enforcing "politically correct" speech.


We could go on like this for a long time. We could call it hypocritical, two-faced, or an outlook based on lies. I prefer to call it inconsistent.”

“i prefer to call it ... "typical"”

“That's a pretty sad story arclite. I had no idea.

I really am at a loss to understand how someone who was denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition (a foreign concept to the majority of the developed world) and ended up stuck with a life altering expense could fail to see the need for reform or think that the current system was the best possible.

Can you explain without too much mental masturbation? I haven't the patience for it.”

“I really am at a loss to understand how someone who was denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition (a foreign concept to the majority of the developed world) and ended up stuck with a life altering expense could fail to see the need for reform or think that the current system was the best possible.

Can you explain without too much mental masturbation? I haven't the patience for it.”
Rev Truth V Wicked
7:20:39 PM
2/24/10


“Toyota has made a product that can hurt you.

Insurance companies are only guilty of NOT making a product to save you in each case.

The entitlement thinkers (libs, foreigners who left socialist countries for a better life, etc..) don't recognize the difference.”
HighPlainsDrifter
11:29:43 AM
2/24/10”

“Yessir, v, I masturbate in private.


I don't know if I'd call it sad but it sure was life altering. I got hit for a huge chunk of change. And it was a freak occurrence; a "childhood abnormality." One of the best parts was, it was like dealing with the IRS, only I worked there for over 20 years. "You designed my department? So what? You've got money? We want it. You've got property? Sell it." They charged me more than they would have an insurance company.

Actually, all I need is catastrophic coverage. I don't mind paying for doctor visits, outpatient procedures, and tests. But I was facing a $300,000 bill. That's a scary prospect after you retire and the stock market tanks. I can't take too many hits like that without seriously altering my life.


Absolutely I believe in reform, violin. I believe we should end restrictions on interstate commerce. I believe we need tort reform. After that, I run into some deep philosophical problems.

I don't believe hospitals should be charging individuals more than they would collect from insurance but I don't want price controls on private companies. I don't like the idea that people with "preexisting conditions" often can be denied coverage. But I don't want to tell companies to accept cost risks that will drive up the price for all their other customers.

And I am adamant about not wanting a government run system. I've learned about too many consequences, and seen too many examples, to ever force a system like that on anyone.


The healthcare problem, like any problem with many complex variables, reminds me of architectural design: You can't have it all; you've got to make compromises.

I would like to see a reduction in the role government already plays in our healthcare.

When residential construction was running around $50/sf here, hospital construction was $250/sf.

Much of that cost is due to all of the government regulations that are supposedly put in place for our safety. BS, a lot of that is pure overkill. The government building inspectors were often highly paid jokes. I knew a guy who was a beekeeper who became an AHCA inspector. AHCA, JHCO, Southern Standard, NFPA, ADA, ABAAG, UFAS. Do you have any idea how much duplication is involved there? Do you realize how many different inspectors need to approve your building? Do you understand how much time is spent babysitting inspectors who don't know the first thing about construction? A building inspection often resembles a parade.

Compliance with government regulations cost a lot of money and kills a lot of trees. I spent over 20 years dealing with government waste from a building perspective.

And you know what? The Pantheon didn't get inspected by all those agencies and it's still standing.


That may be a pipe dream. Governments always seems to grow. Historically, they usually don't shrink until they collapse under the weight of their own gross inefficiency.

But I can dream can't I?


Violin, you'd love one of my t-shirts. It's got a picture of Murray Rothbard. Under his picture it says: ENEMY OF THE STATE”

“Here's the thing, Arc. There has been minimal govt. involvement in health care insurance (the interstate thing may help, but I seriously doubt it will be any sort of panacea) and guess what, we're getting screwed! You're a textbook example. They hosed you royally because they can. And when you're talking about life and limb, that is simply not acceptable, IMHO.”

“There has been minimal govt. involvement in health care insurance


LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“I gotta +1 your LMAO.”

“I worked for an insurance company for a year in IT, and 90% of what we did was to meet a government regulation. The other 10% was split between internal metrics and customer support (mostly outreach, i.e. - marketing)..”

“At my work we have a book about 2' thick that is nothing but Joint Commission Requirement which dictate how we do every single thing. Right down to when you wash your hands, when you put gloves on, ect, ect, ect. No jcaho cert, no government funding.

The government is in up to their necks.”

“�Debate� with MarkO Part I:

1) MarkO makes anti-conservative/anti-Republican claim
2) Someone calls him on it and asks him to show his proof
3) MarkO replies that it�s not up to him to provide any proof that he is correct; if someone is challenging MarkO�s claim, it�s up to them to prove MarkO wrong

�Debate� with MarkO Part II

1) Someone makes anti-liberal/anti- Democrat claim
2) MarkO calls them on it and says it�s a false statement
3) Person asks MarkO to show how the statement is false
4) MarkO replies that since person made the original statement, it�s up to them to prove it�s not false”

“I must have stung your ass, Nonc.

Here's hoping it gets better.”

“Wow, MarkO posted something without having to use a picture. This is a step in the right direction I feel.”

“The chatter is pretty funny. And I mean that in a good way.




Screwed? I didn’t get screwed, rosey. The hospital saw an opportunity to reclaim some of the funds they spend on government mandated indigent care (another piece of the puzzle). The hospital is required to accept indigents and then gets reimbursed by the government. Unfortunately, the government does not pay enough to cover all their expenses. This is a part of healthcare finance that I understand little about. It would be worth further exploration.

I got some of the best care that the world has to offer. The neurosurgeon who did my operation is one of the two best in the country. I have made a choice to live around some of the best medical care in the world. And it’s expensive.

My bill was split between the doctors, the hospital, and post-operation homecare. I have long-term care insurance that covered the homecare part. The doctors were very willing to negotiate their bill and reduced their fees considerably. The hospital was more intransigent. This is another piece of the puzzle worth exploring.

Rosey, in explaining why I was denied BCBS coverage: The fact is, I hadn’t done a very good job of exercising. And my diet often consisted of what tastes good now. It’s an interesting revelation to find that you’re not as bullet-proof as you once were. I was always in excellent shape and could eat whatever I wanted. My overall health and blood pressure had always been fine. But now that I’m getting older, I’ve got to make some lifestyle changes. My body needs constant maintenance in order to maintain muscle mass and I now eat veggies for snacks. Oh joy, let me tell you how exciting that is!

I’m taking personal responsibility for that. I’m also taking responsibility for the fact that I wanted expensive healthcare. I have lived a life that has now enabled me to have enough resources to afford some unexpected hits. Because life continuously throws something unexpected at you. It's what makes this journey so much fun.

Rosey, you seem like a caring and compassionate person. I appreciate your (and violin’s) sentiments. But life is not fair. My moral philosophy says that we all have a personal responsibility not to be a burden to others. My philosophy also says that I should not demand that other people use their resources to be responsible for me. Rosey, I’m just not that important to the functioning of the universe.”

“I’m taking personal responsibility for that



Signed,
roseymonster”

“Anyone here want to debate the effect of the FREE MONEY MEDICAL Parasites who SUE for malpractice and win?

Sorry but if you are getting Government Free Money health care I think there should be NO lawsuits allowed.”

“A start in the right direction, IMHO:

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100225/NEWS/100229791/-1/RSS”

“Take two aspirin and let us know how you feel in the morning, HPD.




Rosey, I absolutely agree!

One of the most interesting revelations I got from reading The Road to Serfdom, Free to Choose, and Capitalism and Freedom, was the emphasis on the detrimental effects of government-business collusion.

I would be willing to bet that some folks were surprised to know that Andrew Carnegie (one among many examples) advocated business regulation in order to benefit his big business.

Many people look to business regulation as a way to "reign in" big business. The unfortunate fact is that much business regulation is proposed by big business, in order to benefit big business (who can afford to absorb the costs associated with regulation), at the expense of small-business competition.




Did you read my experience with a lawsuit, XL? Lawyers have helped to create a system that transfers wealth from productive people into their pockets. Our legal system is very much in need of reform. Think we can do that as we keep electing lawyers to Congress?

Talk about public expenditure! We could reduce government spending greatly if we stopped giving elected officials, and bureaucrats, lifetime golden parachutes for (ostensibly) serving their country.”

“UK hospital care horrific - report
2010-02-24




London - An independent inquiry said on Tuesday it had found "shocking" standards of care at a National Health Service (NHS) hospital trust in the Midlands, including patients being left unwashed for up to a month.

The inquiry's chair Robert Francis said many patients treated by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust had "suffered horrific experiences that will haunt them and their loved ones for the rest of their lives".

"I heard so many stories of shocking care... The deficiencies at the trust were systemic, deep-rooted and too fundamental to brush off as isolated incidents," he said.

Last year a damning report from the Healthcare Commission, an NHS watchdog, said it had found appalling standards of emergency care at the trust and said patients would have died as a consequence of the deficiencies it found.

The chair and chief executive of the trust, which runs an accident and emergency department at Stafford Hospital, stood down in March last year.

Cost cutting

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said the government and the trust's new board would accept all 18 of the inquiry's recommendations contained in a 900-page report.

"[The] report lays bare a dysfunctional organisation at every level and appalling failures of basic care over the period between 2005 and March 2009," he said.

"The care provided was totally unacceptable, and a fundamental breach of the values of the NHS."

Burnham said for the vast majority of patients, the NHS provided a good standard of care.

"However, where things go wrong we must face up to them and do everything in our power to ensure that these events can never happen again."

The inquiry said the trust's management had been "preoccupied with cost cutting, targets and processes" and lost sight of its fundamental responsibility to provide safe care.

Basic care neglected

It said problems at the trust were made worse in 2007 when it was required to save £10m and decided to achieve this through cuts in staffing levels, which were already insignificant.

The most basic elements of care were neglected, it said.

"Calls for help to use the bathroom were ignored and patients were left lying in soiled sheeting and sitting on commodes for hours, often feeling ashamed and afraid. Patients were left unwashed, at times for up to a month," it said.

"Staff failed to make basic observations and pain relief was provided late or in some cases not at all."

"The standards of hygiene were at times awful, with families forced to remove used bandages and dressings from public areas and clean toilets themselves for fear of catching infections."

Antony Sumara, the trust's new chief executive, said that since last March the trust had recruited extra nurses, revised its complaints procedure and increased staff training.

"We are determined to continue on our journey of improvement until we have achieved all that needs to be done to provide the care our patients and their families deserve," he said.

- Reuters”

“No mention of ML Baseball getting fixed?”

“Arc...a few years ago we had a case where a Government vehicle bumped a Kia Sportage (the unit tapped the TIRE).

In three days we had calls from a Joe SHMEEL attorney demanding $50,000 in injuries (NO property damage).

After 5 years of legal wranglings we eventually settled for like 5 grand total. LOL the attorney took 3 grand the three idiots split 2 grand and still had to pay medical and chiropracter bills.

The funny part was the attorney had put a s load of work into it. If figured he eventually made less than $10.00 per hour on the case.

We need to see what effect Tort Reform has had in Texas on Medical Costs.”

“Yeah Strat, that NEVER happens under our private care system *eyeroll*”