tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post6092990052052380029..comments2024-03-25T17:38:55.490-07:00Comments on Dar Kush: Marvel, Money, and PowerSteven Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-53668203149360441102009-09-06T09:09:35.674-07:002009-09-06T09:09:35.674-07:00Re: CASANEGRA. I wouldn't be surprised if Ten...Re: CASANEGRA. I wouldn't be surprised if Tennyson's distance with his own father is reflective of my own issues. Hadn't thought about it, but it makes sense.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-90969867809168593232009-09-06T09:08:33.577-07:002009-09-06T09:08:33.577-07:00A free market will work assuming that there is no ...A free market will work assuming that there is no conscious or unconscious collusion between the providers, something I'm unconvinced of. Large corporations tend to have enough common interests to make me nervous.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-3327913612213042742009-09-05T11:13:20.232-07:002009-09-05T11:13:20.232-07:00To be fair I should complete the analysis with whe...To be fair I should complete the analysis with where and why the free market fails with respect to health insurance and suggest a possible solution that doesn't throw out the current system. A for profit company must make a certain level of profit or it will cease to exist. So they cannot and will not insure people who cannot pay at price point that given their level of healthiness will provide the required level of profit. This excludes the poor from coverage and those whose health situation makes them very high risk. One solution is to do something very like medicare. The government defines a minimum heath care policy which every insurer must offer to any individual who want it. The government sets the criteria as to how much a person with a given income must pay for this policy and what and limits the price to a profit level based upon profit level on other policies the insurance company offers. The government pays the difference between what a qualifying individual can afford and the policy price.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-40330948984787526442009-09-05T10:48:43.664-07:002009-09-05T10:48:43.664-07:00Steve: Your "figure out how to insure only th...Steve: Your "figure out how to insure only the healthiest people" statement makes no sense in a free market economy. Let's say I could figure out how to insure only the healthiest people. I charge them x and make a really big profit. Joe says to himself gee Marty's making a really big profit selling to all those healthy guys at x if charge 10% less than x I can steal all those healthy guys and still make a really big profit. This kind of competition drives the price down until the the price of a policy is the lowest that provides an acceptable profit for that clientele. Meanwhile all the less healthy people now have nowhere to turn. So Steve being bright guy realizes that while all these other companies are charging y for policies only for healthy guys he can corner the market on the less healthy individual and charge 2y making a large profit. Now the competition starts again until it reaches the lowest acceptable price for less healthy people.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-54789996695970558212009-09-04T09:36:22.690-07:002009-09-04T09:36:22.690-07:00>most people would rather have money than power...>most people would rather have money than power, but the people who want power want it a whole lot.<<br /><br />That's a really good point Nancy. If you ask people here, "Which would you rather have, a million dollars but you can never spend buy drugs or a million dollars in drugs but you can never sell them for money?" most people will pick the former, but a minority will be perfectly happy with the later and they'll want it a whole lot.Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-3208659984420894102009-09-03T14:15:24.252-07:002009-09-03T14:15:24.252-07:00Steve: Off-topic question on Casanegra. Do you th...Steve: Off-topic question on Casanegra. Do you think that your relationship or lack there of with your own father (based on what I've read in your blog) colored Tennyson's distant relationship with his father (even prior to the stroke). My apologies if this is a touchy subject.Reluctant Lawyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840736619081764445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-8634948785176839512009-09-03T12:53:14.965-07:002009-09-03T12:53:14.965-07:00Steve: I agree the most important things I love ca...Steve: I agree the most important things I love can't be purchased. In fact that brings up the question of how does one measure financial success. Is there some absolute line that applies to everyone, or is it different for each individual/couple depending on their wants/needs.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-22883805573462947652009-09-03T08:44:10.853-07:002009-09-03T08:44:10.853-07:00I'm not sure that abstract corruption-counting...I'm not sure that abstract corruption-counting works, partly because I think you're right that most people would rather have money than power, but the people who want power want it a <i>whole</i> lot.<br /><br />I don't think you've covered the range of bad motivations-- there's imposing group superiority (presumably how Jim Crow happened), and there's revenge/callousness (if you've followed that recent case of <a href="http://www.thepoliticus.com/content/cameron-todd-willingham-proven-innocent-arson-murder-after-his-execution-texas" rel="nofollow">a man who was executed even after there was no reason to think he was guilty</a>.<br /><br />Governments can go very bad, though I grant this isn't common among modern democracies. Still, I'd like to see something better for UHC than "trust us, we're the good guys".Nancy Lebovitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07068537632391466902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-53214755940708509172009-09-03T07:28:38.267-07:002009-09-03T07:28:38.267-07:00Yes, I've been the boss and ordered people aro...Yes, I've been the boss and ordered people around. I'd rather have money.<br />##<br />Money itself is mostly a means to freedom, however. Most of the things I love can't be purchased. Probably true for most of you guys as well...Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-13138979834068135682009-09-02T15:16:50.466-07:002009-09-02T15:16:50.466-07:00Mike: I was promoted to manager several times and ...Mike: I was promoted to manager several times and hated every minute of it. Several times I had to let people go and it was terrible experience. Money may be something everyone wants but some people like myself would rather avoid power.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-40829104887827457052009-09-02T13:56:51.724-07:002009-09-02T13:56:51.724-07:00One important factor that must be considered when ...One important factor that must be considered when comparing monetary power with political power is that wealth is not a zero sum game. It's possible to create new wealth, and in fact that is done every day, while the only way to gain political power is to take it from someone else, a classic zero-sum game. By contrast, it really doesn't worry GM if the I-pod grows in popularity, hell it can help them because eventually people will want new cars with built in I-pod players, but the only way the Dems can gain is at Rep expense, and vice versa.<br /><br />> Just as a starting point, shall we say that political power is worth, say...one dollar for every person you represent?<<br /><br />Wouldn't a better comparison be how many resources you get to decide are spent on what? IE if you are one of 535 people who have equal say over 3 trillion dollar budget, you can roughly be said to control 5.6 billion dollars. By contrast if you are Bill Gates and own 10% of Microsoft and Microsoft spends/makes around 40 billion a year, you could be said to control 4 billion a year. Now, obviously there are gross errors in that analogy (Congressmen don't all just get to decide 5.6 billion individually, and Bill Gates actually has a bigger say then his 10% stock ownership suggests) but at least it's a system with some basis and reason behind it and not just a number picked out of the air. <br /><br />Also, what's your personal experience with power? Do you know what it feels like to have it? Have you ever been the boss and ordered people around? I went from a job where I was told what to do to one where I told people what to do and while there was a slight pay raise the experience is quite different. And I don't think teaching counts as being the boss. I've taught professionally and it's a different vibe from being a manager/boss/top guy.Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-293556678898634392009-09-02T10:37:45.720-07:002009-09-02T10:37:45.720-07:00Steve: The above post was made before reading your...Steve: The above post was made before reading your comment on the previous post about a healthy cash flow playing a role in your decisions. I still think its relevant though.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-81633370369108112132009-09-02T10:28:20.251-07:002009-09-02T10:28:20.251-07:00Steve: Read the first paragraph of your previous p...Steve: Read the first paragraph of your previous post. Now why are you spreading yourself so thin. Is it because all your projects are adding so much pleasure to your life or are at least some of them part of your goal to reach financial success. How many of these projects would you drop if you weren't going to get paid for them. How many would you drop if you could only keep 30% of what you are paid for them. If the answer to any is I would drop one or more projects without the financial motive, then you are an example of just what us conservatives claim. Take away the profit motive and you will get less production, whether it be novels, films, TV shows or new medical treatments. Another question to ask yourself are the projects you are putting the most effort into currently the ones closest to your heart or the ones with the greatest profit potential.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-65409027947856077182009-09-02T10:14:57.811-07:002009-09-02T10:14:57.811-07:00By the by, regarding the health care debate- I hap...By the by, regarding the health care debate- I happened to catch a few minutes of a conservative talk radio show the other day and see why some of you folks are coming down so hard on'conservatives'. I couldn't bear to listen to it either, it bore little if any resemblance to the reality of the proposals. <br /><br />But figure generalizing to all conservatives would be like protesting High School wrestling because of the WWF. Or maybe more like generalize that 'all conservatives lack moral fiber and integrity' just because of Bill and Hillary.Travishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15353783271100674218noreply@blogger.com