User:Woozle/blog/2011-01-14 2140 Obamacare myth the third
<hide> <let name=data index=Title>Obamacare myth #3: If you don't buy insurance, you pay a huge penalty.</let> <let name=data index=User>Woozle</let> <let name=data index=TopicsUser></let> <let name=data index=TopicsGlobal>\Obamacare\propaganda\Obamacare myths\small government</let> <let name=data index=TextAbove>The worry here seems to be that The Government is going to take more money from people, one way (insurance) or the other (penalty for non-insurance) -- another form of taxation, increasing the size of the government and its confiscatory power. It's also "government interference in people's personal lives".</let> <let name=data index=TextBelow>There's some truth to this one, but once again the oversimplification hides some important details.
Some details, just to get them out of the way:
A. There is no penalty yet; it takes effect in two stages, the first of which is in 2014, when there will be an annual penalty of $95, or up to 1% of income, whichever is greater. Considering that this minimum is roughly the cost of a single doctor's visit, this should not be a problem. We have three years for things to settle down -- three years in which to iron out any wrinkles or protest any outright injustices in the fine print -- before we have to have insurance.
B. More significantly, by 2016 the penalty will be 2.5% of income or an annual flat fee -- whichever is larger -- of $695 for an individual or $2,085 for a family. There will be exemptions to the fine in cases of financial hardship or religious beliefs. This is obviously a bit more of a worry. However, some things to consider:
First: The last time I had insurance -- and I'm told it has gone up considerably since then -- I was paying something like $400 per month for a family of 3, which translates to nearly $5000 a year -- more than twice the family penalty. Sure, some people (including me right now) still can't afford to sock away $700/year for themselves or $2k/year for their families -- but then consider this:
Second: Given that insurance under Obamacare is essentially guaranteed to be affordable (see Myth #2), the "financial hardship" exemption doesn't even seem necessary -- if your income is such that you can't afford a penalty on that minimal scale, your healthcare will be subsidized or possibly free -- but there it is, just in case.
Given all that, if you think there will still be Americans who will end up getting socked with a fine they can't afford, then I'd like to see what your scenario is, because I can't quite picture it.
Third, on the "government interference" point: if there were some way to ensure that people who opted out of this form of "government interference" never had to suffer the "government interference" of being cared for on their next emergency room visit -- or the "government interference" of having a toll-free interstate highway system to help them get there faster -- or the "government interference" of health and safety regulations to help them keep from getting sick in the first place -- I might support that option. It would be a truly useful experiment, if perhaps somewhat questionable ethically.
Unfortunately, ethics aside, there's no way to isolate individuals from the benefits of these various forms of "government interference", so we're all in the same boat. Personally, I think this boat sounds a lot more attractive than the "bring-your-own life-jacket" option.
Fourth, finally and more critically: if a law benefits millions of people but has a few pieces that are arguably harmful in some way, wouldn't it make more sense to campaign to have those bits fixed rather than throwing the whole thing out?
And if you throw the whole thing out, what are you going to replace it with? Everyone -- conservatives and liberals (and me) -- agreed that what we had before was unacceptable and broken. How can it possibly be an improvement to go back there?</let>
<let name=data index=TimeStamp>2011-01-14 2140</let> </hide><if not flag=including>==GetLinkBrief()== <func GetLinkBrief>
<let name=links.out>
- </let>
<let name=links.out append copy=data[Date] /> <let name=links.out append> :[[</let> <let name=links.out append copy=pg_title /> <let name=links.out append>|more]]:[[Talk:</let> <let name=links.out append copy=pg_title /> <let name=links.out append>|talk]]: </let>
<if flag=$data[wpage]>
<let name=wtLink>[[</let>
<let name=wtLink append copy=data[wpage] />
<let name=wtLink append>|</let>
<let name=wtLink append copy=data[Title] />
<let name=wtLink append>]] § </let>
</if><else>
<let name=wtLink>[</let>
<let name=wtLink append copy=data[URL] />
<let name=wtLink append> </let>
<let name=wtLink append copy=data[Title] />
<let name=wtLink append>]</let>
</else>
<let name=links.out append copy=wtLink /> <let name=links.out append> § </let>
<let name=text copy=data[TextShort] />
<if flag=$text></if><else>
<let name=text copy=data[Text] len=200 />
</else>
<let name=links.out append copy=text trim /> <let name=links.out append> [[</let> <let name=links.out append copy=pg_title /> <let name=links.out append>|more...]]</let>
</func>
ShowRecentLinks(max)
<func ShowRecentLinks max>
<let name=idx />
<let name=including val=1 />
<for table="qryW3_Titles_Catgs" where="(cl_to='Data/links') AND (page_namespace=0)" sort="page_title DESC" limit=$max name=pg hide>
<let name=pg_title val="@row.page_title" />
<let name=idx inc />
<if not flag=$noLoad>
<load page=$pg_title />
</if>
<if flag=$data[Title]>
<call GetLinkBrief />
</if><else>
<let name=links.out>
- [[</let>
<let name=links.out append copy=pg_title />
<let name=links.out append>]]</let>
</else>
<let name=links.rtn append copy=links.out />
<let name=links.out />
<let name=data />
</for>
</func>
ShowTopic(iTopic,iMax)
This should eventually be able to show data in any format: news links, blog entries... <func ShowTopic iTopic iMax>
<let name=idx /> <let name=including val=1 /> <let name=topic farg=iTopic /> <if not flag=$topic> <let name=topic parse>Woozle/blog/2011-01-14 2140 Obamacare myth the third</let> </if> <let name=topic self with="_"> </let>
<let name=sqlWhere>(page_namespace=0) AND (cl_to='</let> <let name=sqlWhere append copy=topic /> <let name=sqlWhere append>')</let>
<for table="qryW3_Titles_Catgs" where=$sqlWhere sort="page_title DESC" name=pg empty="no items yet" limit=$iMax hide>
<let name=pg_title val="@row.page_title" />
<let name=idx inc />
<if not flag=$noLoad>
<load page=$pg_title local />
</if>
<if flag=$data[Title]>
<call GetBrief />
</if><else>
<let name=links.out>
- [[</let>
<let name=links.out append copy=pg_title />
<let name=links.out append>]]</let>
</else>
<let name=exclude val=0 />
<let name=links.rtn append copy=links.out />
<let name=data null />
</for>
</func>
GetBlogEntryBrief()
<func GetBlogEntryBrief> INPUT:
data[*] - from blog entry page pg_name - full name of page being displayed (including namespace)
<if not flag=$noLoad>
<load page=$pg_name />
</if>
<let name=e.out>
- </let>
<let name=e.out append copy=data[TimeStamp] /> <let name=e.out append> [[</let> <let name=e.out append copy=pg_name /> <let name=e.out append>|</let> <let name=e.out append copy=data[Title] /> <let name=e.out append>]] § </let>
<let name=text copy=data[TextAbove] />
<if flag=$text></if><else>
<let name=text copy=data[TextBelow] len=200 />
</else>
<let name=e.out append copy=text trim /> <let name=e.out append> [[</let> <let name=e.out append copy=pg_name /> <let name=e.out append>|more...]]</let>
</func>
GetBlogEntryBriefChrisFormat()
<func GetBlogEntryBriefChrisFormat> INPUT:
data[*] - from blog entry page pg_name - full name of page being displayed (including namespace)
<if not flag=$noLoad>
<load page=$pg_name />
</if>
<let name=e.out></let> <let name=e.out append>[[</let> <let name=e.out append copy=pg_name /> <let name=e.out append>|</let> <let name=e.out append copy=data[Title] /> <let name=e.out append>]], </let> <let name=e.out append copy=data[TimeStamp] /> <let name=e.out append>
</let>
<let name=text copy=data[TextAbove] />
<if flag=$text></if><else>
<let name=text copy=data[TextBelow] len=200 />
</else>
<let name=e.out append copy=text trim /> <let name=e.out append> [[</let> <let name=e.out append copy=pg_name /> <let name=e.out append>|more...]]
</let> </func>
GetBlogEntryFull()
<func GetBlogEntryFull> INPUT:
data[*] - from blog entry page pg_name - full name of page being displayed (including namespace)
<if not flag=$noLoad>
<load page=$pg_name />
</if>
<let name=e.out>
==</let>
<let name=e.out append copy=data[Title] /> <let name=e.out append>==
posted at </let>
<let name=e.out append copy=data[TimeStamp] /> <let name=e.out append>
</let>
<let name=e.out append copy=data[TextAbove] /> <let name=e.out append copy=BlogFoldDivider /> <let name=e.out append copy=data[TextBelow] />
-- category display
<let name=e.out append copy=BlogFoldDivider /> <let name=e.out append>
Categories –</let>
<let name=noCat val=1 />
<call MakeBlogCatgs />
<if flag=$wtCatGlob>
<let name=e.out append> general: </let>
<let name=e.out append copy=wtCatGlob>
</if>
<if flag=$wtCatUser>
<let name=e.out append> user: </let>
<let name=e.out append copy=wtCatUser>
</if>
<let name=e.out append></let>
</let> </func>
ShowRecentBlogEntries(max,funcEntry)
<func ShowRecentBlogEntries max funcEntry>
<let name=idx />
<if not flag=$funcEntry>
<let name=funcEntry val="GetBlogEntryBrief" />
</if>
<let name=including val=1 />
<for table="qryW3_Titles_Catgs" where="(cl_to='Data/blog/post')" sort="page_title DESC" limit=$max name=pg hide>
<let name=pg_nspace_code>{{ns:</let>
<let name=pg_nspace_code append val=@row.page_namespace />
<let name=pg_nspace_code append>}}</let>
<let name=pg_nspace copy=pg_nspace_code parse />
<let name=pg_title val="@row.page_title" />
<let name=pg_name copy=pg_nspace />
<let name=pg_name append>:</let>
<let name=pg_name append copy=pg_title />
<let name=idx inc />
<call func=$funcEntry />
<let name=e.rtn append copy=e.out />
<let name=data />
</for>
</func>
ShowRecentBlogEntriesFull(max)
<func ShowRecentBlogEntriesFull max>
<let name=idx />
<let name=including val=1 />
<for table="qryW3_Titles_Catgs" where="(cl_to='Data/blog/post')" sort="page_title DESC" limit=$max name=pg hide>
<let name=pg_nspace_code>{{ns:</let>
<let name=pg_nspace_code append val=@row.page_namespace />
<let name=pg_nspace_code append>}}</let>
<let name=pg_nspace copy=pg_nspace_code parse />
<let name=pg_title val="@row.page_title" />
<let name=pg_name copy=pg_nspace />
<let name=pg_name append>:</let>
<let name=pg_name append copy=pg_title />
<let name=idx inc />
<call GetBlogEntryFull />
<let name=e.rtn append copy=e.out />
<let name=data />
</for>
</func>
ShowRecentBlogEntriesByTopic(max,topic)
<func ShowRecentBlogEntriesByTopic max topic>
<let name=topic self with="_"> </let>
<let name=sql>(cl_to='</let> <let name=sql>SELECT q1.* FROM qryW3_Titles_Catgs AS q1 LEFT JOIN qryW3_Titles_Catgs AS q2 ON q1.cl_from=q2.cl_from WHERE (q1.cl_to='Data/blog/post') AND (q2.cl_to='</let> <let name=sql append copy=topic /> <let name=sql append>') ORDER BY page_title DESC LIMIT </let> <let name=sql append copy=max />
<for sql=$sql>
<let name=pg_nspace_code>{{ns:</let>
<let name=pg_nspace_code append val=@row.page_namespace />
<let name=pg_nspace_code append>}}</let>
<let name=pg_nspace copy=pg_nspace_code parse />
<let name=pg_title val="@row.page_title" />
<let name=pg_name copy=pg_nspace />
<let name=pg_name append>:</let>
<let name=pg_name append copy=pg_title />
<let name=idx inc />
<let name=data[Title] null />
<load page=$pg_name />
<if flag=$data[Title]>
<call GetBlogEntryBrief />
<let name=e.rtn append copy=e.out />
</if>
<let name=data />
</for>
</func>
MakeBlogCatgs()
<func MakeBlogCatgs>
<let name=catUser copy=data[TopicsUser] /> <let name=catGlob copy=data[TopicsGlobal] /> <let name=wtCatUser null /> <xploop list=$catUser var=topic> <let name=wtCatUser append> [[user:</let> <let name=wtCatUser append copy=data[User] /> <let name=wtCatUser append>/</let> <let name=wtCatUser append copy=topic /> <let name=wtCatUser append>|</let> <let name=wtCatUser append copy=topic /> <let name=wtCatUser append>]]</let>
<let name=wtCatUser append>[[:category:user/</let> <let name=wtCatUser append copy=data[User] /> <let name=wtCatUser append>/</let> <let name=wtCatUser append copy=topic /> <let name=wtCatUser append>|c]]</let>
<if not flag=$noCat>
<let name=wtCatUser append> [[category:user/</let>
<let name=wtCatUser append copy=data[User] />
<let name=wtCatUser append>/</let>
<let name=wtCatUser append copy=topic />
<let name=wtCatUser append>|</let>
<let name=wtCatUser append copy=topic />
<let name=wtCatUser append>]]</let>
</if>
</xploop>
<let name=wtCatGlob null />
<xploop list=$catGlob var=topic>
<let name=wtCatGlob append> [[</let>
<let name=wtCatGlob append copy=topic />
<let name=wtCatGlob append>]]</let>
<let name=wtCatGlob append>[[:category:</let> <let name=wtCatGlob append copy=topic /> <let name=wtCatGlob append>|c]]</let>
<if not flag=$noCat>
<let name=wtCatGlob append>[[category:</let>
<let name=wtCatGlob append copy=topic />
<let name=wtCatGlob append>]]</let>
</if>
</xploop>
</func>
ShowBlogPostPage()
<func ShowBlogPostPage>
<let name=PostDate copy=data[TimeStamp] len=10 /> <let name=wtDate>[[</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>]] ([[:category:</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>|category]])</let>
<let name=wtDate append>[[category:</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>]]</let>
<let name=wtTitle>
==</let>
<let name=wtTitle append copy=data[Title] /> <let name=wtTitle append>==</let> <if flag=$data[TextAbove]> <let name=wtTextBrief>
In Brief </let>
<let name=wtTextFull>
The Rest </let>
<let name=wtTextBrief append copy=data[TextAbove] /> </if><else> <let name=wtTextBrief null /> </else> <let name=wtTextFull append copy=data[TextBelow] />
<call MakeBlogCatgs />
General categories for blog posts: -- the fact that it's a post:
<let name=wtCatGlob append></let>
-- date:
<let name=wtCatGlob append>[[category:</let> <let name=wtCatGlob append copy=PostDate len=10 /> -- just the date for the category <let name=wtCatGlob append>|]]</let> <let name=wtCatGlob append copy=PostDate /> -- full timestamp for sorting <let name=wtCatGlob append>]]</let>
<let name=user copy=data[User] /> <if flag=$user> <let name=wtUser>[[user:</let> <let name=wtUser append copy=user /> <let name=wtUser append>|</let> <let name=wtUser append copy=user /> <let name=wtUser append>]]</let> </if><else> <let name=wtUser>unknown</let> </else> <echo>
<get name=wtTitle /> <get name=data index=Text /><get name=wtTextBrief /><get name=wtTextFull />
</func>
ShowBlogPostPage_v2()
<func ShowBlogPostPage_v2>
<let name=PostDate copy=data[TimeStamp] len=10 /> <let name=wtDate>[[</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>]] ([[:category:</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>|category]])</let>
<let name=wtDate append>[[category:</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>]]</let>
<let name=wtTitle>
==</let>
<let name=wtTitle append copy=data[Title] /> <let name=wtTitle append>==</let> <if flag=$data[TextAbove]> <let name=wtTextBrief>
In Brief </let>
<let name=wtTextFull>
The Rest </let>
<let name=wtTextBrief append copy=data[TextAbove] /> </if><else> <let name=wtTextBrief null /> </else> <let name=wtTextFull append copy=data[TextBelow] />
<call MakeBlogCatgs />
General categories for blog posts: -- the fact that it's a post:
<let name=wtCatGlob append></let>
-- date:
<let name=wtCatGlob append>[[category:</let> <let name=wtCatGlob append copy=PostDate len=10 /> -- just the date for the category <let name=wtCatGlob append>|]]</let> <let name=wtCatGlob append copy=PostDate /> -- full timestamp for sorting <let name=wtCatGlob append>]]</let>
<let name=user copy=data[User] /> <if flag=$user> <let name=wtUser>[[user:</let> <let name=wtUser append copy=user /> <let name=wtUser append>|</let> <let name=wtUser append copy=user /> <let name=wtUser append>]]</let> </if><else> <let name=wtUser>unknown</let> </else> <echo>
<get name=wtTitle /> <get name=data index=Text /><get name=wtTextBrief /><get name=wtTextFull />
Specs | |
| Timestamp: | <get name=PostDate /> |
| Author: | <get name=wtUser /> |
| User topics: | <get name=wtCatUser /> |
| Global topics: | <get name=wtCatGlob /> |
</func>
ShowBlogPostPage_v1()
<func ShowBlogPostPage_v1>
<let name=PostDate copy=data[TimeStamp] len=10 /> <let name=wtDate>[[</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>]] ([[:category:</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>|category]])</let>
<let name=wtDate append>[[category:</let> <let name=wtDate append copy=PostDate /> <let name=wtDate append>]]</let>
<let name=wtTitle>
==</let>
<let name=wtTitle append copy=data[Title] /> <let name=wtTitle append>==</let> <if flag=$data[TextAbove]> <let name=wtTextBrief>
In Brief
</let>
<let name=wtTextFull>
Full Story
</let>
<let name=wtTextBrief append copy=data[TextAbove] /> </if><else> <let name=wtTextBrief null /> </else> <let name=wtTextFull append copy=data[TextBelow] />
<call MakeBlogCatgs />
General categories for blog posts: -- the fact that it's a post:
<let name=wtCatGlob append></let>
-- date:
<let name=wtCatGlob append>[[category:</let> <let name=wtCatGlob append copy=PostDate len=10 /> -- just the date for the category <let name=wtCatGlob append>|]]</let> <let name=wtCatGlob append copy=PostDate /> -- full timestamp for sorting <let name=wtCatGlob append>]]</let>
<let name=user copy=data[User] /> <if flag=$user> <let name=wtUser>[[user:</let> <let name=wtUser append copy=user /> <let name=wtUser append>|</let> <let name=wtUser append copy=user /> <let name=wtUser append>]]</let> </if><else> <let name=wtUser>unknown</let> </else> <echo>
Specs
| Timestamp: | <get name=PostDate /> |
| Author: | <get name=wtUser /> |
| User topics: | <get name=wtCatUser /> |
| Global topics: | <get name=wtCatGlob /> |
<get name=wtTitle /> <get name=data index=Text /><get name=wtTextBrief /><get name=wtTextFull /></echo> </func><call ShowBlogPostPage></if>
