The problem with politics and public policy discussions here

[Tim Bonney]

David,

It is nice to see you post! I still disagree with you about William's conflating terminology. I realize often William is being TIC when he refers to Democrats as "Socialists" etc. But I don't think he is all the time. And even doing so TIC becomes unhelpful to the discussion when we are trying to have a real political discussion and not just being silly. Socialists are politically in a different place than most Democrats. So it just muddies the water in a serious discussion. It reminds me too much of when the fundamentalists in the SBC referred to anyone who didn't believe in inerrancy as "liberal" when there is nothing liberal about choosing not to believe in newbie created theories of inspiration. If anything, adopting a brand new theory of inspiration fits better the classic meaning of the term "liberal." Those who refused to adopt the new theory were the traditionalists in the SBC and not the other way around.

If I regularly referred to conservatives here as "fascists," even TIC, I think someone here would jump me about it. Fascist is the far right equivalent to constantly calling someone on the left a "socialists." In rhetoric it is a way to tarnish your opponent before an argument is made. Fox news does this kind of thing all the time calling anyone and everyone they disagree with a socialist or a liberal or whatever.

I'll confess that I have a hard time even thinking about being a conservative politically or otherwise when I see what conservatives did to the SBC and when you can note that it is some of the very same folks that have been prominent in Republican politics. I'm not sure how moderate Baptists remain politically conservative without giving themselves whiplash. But that's your choice and not mine.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

Ed, I wouldn't blame you for forgetting the "American Baptist Evangelicals" a relatively short lived fundamentalist fellowship with in the ABC/USA that tried to morph into the "Cornerstone Network Group" and then into the "Cornerstone Church Network." That group still barely exists. But they were the group high fiving it out in the hallway at ABC General Board meetings while the board was voting to recommend the disfellowshipping of W&A churches.

Once the took on their generic name, as I previously predicted in a Baptist blog I used to write, they also started to fade out of existence. It is pretty tough to be generically fundamentalist and attract any church within a denomination.But a big contingent of these folks were found in PA.

The fact that you can't find them is frankly encouraging.

[Sandy]

[Tim Bonney]

Interesting Sandy!

[ET]

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[Blake]

[Sandy]

[ET]

[Haruo]

[ET]

[Haruo]

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

The country has serious buyer's remorse at the moment.

[Sandy]

[ET]

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

[ET]

The only reason insurance cancelled these policies is because they were LEGALLY required to do so by the ACA. Health insurance is a legal contract just like other insurance. The ACA made re-issuance of the current policies invalid and illegal. One cannot just willy-nilly change the terms "just 'cause" a politician says so. Rates are based on what the policy is issued to cover and those rates are based on the various risks and data that go into determine the expected cost from the covered population and procedures. Adding additional coverage, as the ACA requires insurers to do, means additional costs and means a new contract must be issued and agreed upon.

[Tim Bonney]

I don't thinks ET. Policies are changed yearly based on new legal requirements by updating the policy and not canceling it. It isn't anything new for the rules and laws for policies to be changed. It happens often. And on their own insurance companies re-negotiate policies all the time.

Heck, the Iowa Conference UMC has to renegotiate our policy with Wellmark every year. Each and every year I have to fill out new forms and each and every year my coverages and requirements change.

[Tim Bonney]

It also just occurred to me that when I pastored multi-staff Baptist churches I was responsible for insurance negotiations for staff in more than one of them and we had to renegotiate our policy annually as well.

I'd like a source (other than say Fox News or a CEO of an insurance company) which points to the idea that insurance companies HAD to cancel policies rather than just make those policies conform to the new law.

It doesn't make sense to me, as I've said above, given that insurance rules and laws change annually already and policies change annual already as well.

[Tim Bonney]

On the subject of websites, I am floored that the administration didn't, apparently, get a better web design team to design the ACA website. Given the availability of major companies like Google etc. I can't believe they couldn't find someone who could make a website that would handle the traffic. Someone screwed up royally.

The President should have been chopping off heads and firing people including whoever did the work and whoever screwed up in contracting for the work. Given that this is one of the more web savvy administrations to hold office I've certainly been surprised at the web mess.