Things the government runs well

[FA_Q2]

Our Veterans

This is ridiculous. Not only does the Veterans Health Administration score better on quality measures than virtually any other area of the American health care system (RAND, CBO), it rates considerably higher in patient satisfaction than do other payers or providers. In 2009, the VHA had an American Consumer Satisfaction Index score of 88. Hospitals nationwide had a rating of 77 that year and health insurance had a rating of 75 (the highest scoring individual big name insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, scored a 73).

If you want to attack the government as being unable to run anything well, the VHA is the last place you want this conversation to go.

I must disagree with that by the way. While I am not retired yet so there may be a gap between the retired benefit structure and the active one I would doubt that there is any real difference. I really do not care what the satisfaction rate with the system is considering that those that are retired military have a MUCH larger threshold for bullshit than the average person. There are 2 things to consider when talking about veteran care. First is the fact that there is no zero sum in their budget. It is the entire 310 million people that are paying taxes and those services are likely to extend to less than 1 percent of that. That in no way can compare to the healthcare system that must maintain a customer base that is the same size as the paying base. Second, military care is insanely different from civilian care in many respects, not the least of which is simple choice. Not only are your choices much more limited within the military system but the information that you are given is NOT complete. I speak from personal experience here as my son has going through more medical procedures in the military 5than most people will go through their entire lives and I can confidently tell you that the military system scares the hell out of me. Over every doctor I have been to there are 3 that were good doctors and dozens that were complete crap. They have administered incorrect IV meds, refused second opinions, attempted to FORCE procedures on us done by people that are NOT QUALIFIED to perform them! Some of these things happen in the private sector as well but there are safeguards and recourses where there is no such things in the military. If my primary care doctor refuses a second opinion, that's it, no recourse for me to take. If the primary care doctor refuses to sign that paper that allows me to go on the civilian side because they do not have the trained personnel to perform a procedure then I have to take what they give me or pay cash on the civilian side. My doctor ROUTINELY ignores medical concerns that I take to him and brushes off anything that is brought up to him. HE IS THE NORM here, not the exception. Most people would not even know many of things that I do because they trust their doctor without question where I simply do not.

 

[rightwinger]

But most aren't. So why is government taking responsibility for all of them, when those needs can be met cheaper and more efficiently by private charity?

Where is your proof?

You said so yourself.

As usual, when pressed, you got nothing Rabbi

Not that we don't enjoy your partisan ramblings

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

And yet 90% of us on this board are products of those gubmint run schools

Well that explains it.

 

[The Rabbi]

Where is your proof?

You said so yourself.

As usual, when pressed, you got nothing Rabbi

Not that we don't enjoy your partisan ramblings

I quote you and your response is "you got nothing."?? Hello? You admitted yourself private charities work well most of the time.

 

[rightwinger]

And yet 90% of us on this board are products of those gubmint run schools

Well that explains it.

Sorry, I neglected you Soggy

I wasn't talking about those without any book learn'n from either private or public schools

 

[rightwinger]

You said so yourself.

As usual, when pressed, you got nothing Rabbi

Not that we don't enjoy your partisan ramblings

I quote you and your response is "you got nothing."?? Hello? You admitted yourself private charities work well most of the time.

Why don't you tell us about Bush's "thousand points of light"???

 

[The Rabbi]

As usual, when pressed, you got nothing Rabbi

Not that we don't enjoy your partisan ramblings

I quote you and your response is "you got nothing."?? Hello? You admitted yourself private charities work well most of the time.

Why don't you tell us about Bush's "thousand points of light"???

And then you change the subject.

BOOSHHHH!!! IT WAS BOOOOSSSHHHHH!!!!!

 

[rightwinger]

I quote you and your response is "you got nothing."?? Hello? You admitted yourself private charities work well most of the time.

Why don't you tell us about Bush's "thousand points of light"???

And then you change the subject.

BOOSHHHH!!! IT WAS BOOOOSSSHHHHH!!!!!

Not that BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

The other BOOOOOOOOOOSH

 

[Harry Dresden]

What private sector has never made a mistake or an error? I mean if Govt is a failure because they make mistakes then why cant the same be said for the private sector.

Because when the private sector makes errors, they do it on their own dime.

and they pass the cost on to their customers.....either way the people pay for those mistakes....

 

[The Rabbi]

What private sector has never made a mistake or an error? I mean if Govt is a failure because they make mistakes then why cant the same be said for the private sector.

Because when the private sector makes errors, they do it on their own dime.

and they pass the cost on to their customers.....either way the people pay for those mistakes....

Not really. If they screw up badly, they'll go out of business.

Unless we're talking about the Obama Economy, in which case they will qualify for government subsidies.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Because when the private sector makes errors, they do it on their own dime.

and they pass the cost on to their customers.....either way the people pay for those mistakes....

Not really. If they screw up badly, they'll go out of business.

Unless we're talking about the Obama Economy, in which case they will qualify for government subsidies.

look Rabi....if they dont screw up so bad that they have to shut down....then they are going to recoup that money.....from their customers.......

 

[editec]

THE government (that is to say the FEDERAL government) does NOT run our schools.

There are 35,000 different government bodies running our nation's schools, folks.

If you schools are screwed up?

Blame your local school boards.

You know...the ones that YOU put in charge of YOUR childrens' educations?

 

[topspin]

facsism and police state
jails

 

[antagon]

economies reliant on voluntary health and human services are all -- 100% -- 3rd world shitholes. the US will become one such shithole within a decade of your pipedream's realization, and will revert to the 3rd world status it enjoyed prior to h&hs/education being undertaken by government. that's that. not one medium or large nation on the planet is an exception to this qualifying factor, however, in your ignorance you see this as being an improvement to the US.

Please name some.
The U.S. was an economic shit hole in 1920? News to me.

my favorite is bangladesh. i shoot that one from the hip and it always hits on target, but the entire undeveloped world gets down how you propose. here's a map. the reddish ones are the sure bets for your utopia. in these countries volunteers from all over the world have to descend to take care of issues the government has never taken upon themselves to address.

much of what makes these countries developing or undeveloped countries is the same as what would make the US a 3rd world nation circa the turn of the 20th century. that you contend returning to that time would be an improvement to american life indicates the plain stupidity we've grown accustomed to you demonstrating.

 

[ClosedCaption]

Because when the private sector makes errors, they do it on their own dime.

and they pass the cost on to their customers.....either way the people pay for those mistakes....

Not really. If they screw up badly, they'll go out of business.

Unless we're talking about the Obama Economy, in which case they will qualify for government subsidies.

So you're saying let the private sector run something like a social program. Said private sector makes a mistake and you mean they will go out of business?

Nothing could go wrong if thts the case

 

[antagon]

It would be better if you were to try and name a system that the private sector does not run as well as government. I do not think I could find a business that the government is in as well as the private sector that is run better in the government.

i think that people see the government and the private sector as being in the same boat or serving the same goals. macroeconomics and microeconomics, their respective concerns, often take contrasting if not converse perspectives on the same issues -- quite the contrary.

taking up your challenge and examining the postal service, one might argue how UPS is run so much better than the USPS, however, i would propose that the USPS is a central part of US infrastructure. a resolution to arguments about profitability in the postal service could be easily remedied by doubling their rates. it would still be cheaper than UPS in many instances, but it would be profitable. the point about being the world's most cost effective delivery service would be lost in the microeconomic focus on profit-efficiency, rather than the macroeconomic utility-efficiency which the government is concerned with. at twice the rates, the USPS is not a useful tool to americans and our businesses. so many government-run concerns operate on this basis.

how about police vs. private security? how about the department of forestry or education? where is the profit in providing these free services, except to the hundreds of millions of americans which are free to consume them?

 

[Mr. Shaman]

They run away pretty good.

No one MENTIONED BUSHCO!

The thread refers to "government"-programs, in-general.....like Health Care......

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa69puS7J0Q[/ame]​