Posted by Guest (Post 458618)

I don't think anyone's decrying the support of the truly needy. But there are far too many able people who are able to adjust to the government payments, and give up trying for a better life through the results of their own labor.

I'll say my favorite line again, "The safety net should never become a hammock"

Posted by Guest (Post 458618)

I don't think anyone's decrying the support of the truly needy. But there are far too many able people who are able to adjust to the government payments, and give up trying for a better life through the results of their own labor.

I'll say my favorite line again, "The safety net should never become a hammock"

Posted by Guest (Post 458773)

I don't think any of us are against foodstamp and disability fraud. You will find fraud to some degree in every program. Social Security is a good example. For example, there are lots of people in The Villages who would lose their survivor benefits if they got legally married. There are others who receive alimony who would lose it if they got legally married. Other people receive VA disability payments long after the person has died but they never report it to the VA. There is lots of Medicare and Medicaid fraud for services not rendered but doctors and nursing homes still report the medical services and procedures and get paid.

The foodstamp fraud is not breaking the back of working people. It is a drop in the bucket when compared to Medicare fraud. Look at the hospital group that was headed by (then CEO) Rick Scott - Columbia HCA.

Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.

Posted by Guest (Post 458773)

I don't think any of us are against foodstamp and disability fraud. You will find fraud to some degree in every program. Social Security is a good example. For example, there are lots of people in The Villages who would lose their survivor benefits if they got legally married. There are others who receive alimony who would lose it if they got legally married. Other people receive VA disability payments long after the person has died but they never report it to the VA. There is lots of Medicare and Medicaid fraud for services not rendered but doctors and nursing homes still report the medical services and procedures and get paid.

The foodstamp fraud is not breaking the back of working people. It is a drop in the bucket when compared to Medicare fraud. Look at the hospital group that was headed by (then CEO) Rick Scott - Columbia HCA.

Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.

Posted by Guest (Post 458862)

Social security fraud, medicare fraud, medicaid fraud food stamp fraud are costing taxpayers millions upon millions. How many millions well that's just the problem nobody really knows...it could be in the trillions.

IMHO that is just the problem because it clearly defines that the governement lacks total control over the programs it administers.

Posted by Guest (Post 458091)

I recently received this story in an email from my sister. Worth reading-
~There was a chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab, the professor noticed one young man, an exchange student, who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist regime.

In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked: "Do you know how to catch wild pigs?"
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said that it was no joke. "You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn.
"When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence.

"They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. "The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat that free corn again. You then slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity."

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening in America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tax exemptions, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. While we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.

One should always remember two truths: There is no such thing as a free lunch and you can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. If you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to send this on to your friends.

You may think the free ride is essential to your way of life, but God help you when the gate slams shut!~

Posted by Guest (Post 458805)

What part of Virginia are you in, Posh? I know the Northern Virginia homeprices have not tumbled around Washington DC - unless you are in Manassas area. You should try and move away from Virginia which has high taxes to an area with lower taxes like Florida. The attached link will show you that Virginia is not the highest in your area, though.

Who Pays More Taxes? Virginia, Maryland or D.C.? - Raw Fisher

Posted by Guest (Post 458091)

I recently received this story in an email from my sister. Worth reading-
~There was a chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab, the professor noticed one young man, an exchange student, who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist regime.

In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked: "Do you know how to catch wild pigs?"
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said that it was no joke. "You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn.
"When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence.

"They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. "The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat that free corn again. You then slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity."

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening in America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tax exemptions, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. While we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.

One should always remember two truths: There is no such thing as a free lunch and you can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. If you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to send this on to your friends.

You may think the free ride is essential to your way of life, but God help you when the gate slams shut!~

Posted by Guest (Post 459035)

Some observations about a rather silly story:
1. The method described seems like a very inefficient way to catch wild pigs.
2. It is clearly not true that you can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. Medical care comes to mind as a good example.

Posted by Guest (Post 459035)

Some observations...
2. It is clearly not true that you can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. Medical care comes to mind as a good example.