What is the one thing that hurts you most today?

Question

I am looking for things like, the tax rate, cost of healthcare, cost of gas or immigration. Things that congress should be helping mitigate but in your case you do not see it. Please make these quantifiable, that is, things like impeach bush is not quantifiable and will not make your life better. We are experiencing the best economy ever, more people have purchased houses in the last five years than ever before, and could not have done this in a bad economy, yet I hear constantly about quantifiable things and I go look and the numbers do not support the beliefs I am hearing.

I am asking because I want to see if this is a perception, is it real or have you been influenced by propaganda, messages that reinforce your existing opinions, prejudices or attitudes.

Perhaps that is the first place to start, have you been influenced by propaganda?

Good article
http://www.nancysnow.com/10things.htm

William J - your share of the premium increased at the rate of 3% of your gross? That is pretty large jump. Seems like you should consider another employer or do something to get a raise in the base.

Avery - you did not answer one single question and just went off on a political rant. Why do you do that?

Answerman - can you read? If bush is your problem just wait 18 months, he will be gone, but I wonder, who will you transfer your hate to then? Has this hate caused you problems with family, friends, work? I would pretty much bet on it, you are obsessed.

Steve J - could you add a definition of standard of living so we could go see what the real numbers are? I mean this is exactly what I am talking about and based on the numbers I believe you have been influenced by socialist propaganda. I am not trying to pick on you really, but what numbers can we go look at, to show you that it is a perception reinforced by propaganda, and that it is not real.

darlingnikki - I hear you and this is one of the "real" problems today. I know the doctors are not making windfall profits, nor are the pharmaceuticals. Our medical care is the best in the world, and it is expensive. I will tell you the insurance companies are making huge profits and have for YEARS, I owned several insurer stocks and they were the best ever. That said you need a congress that will help you, us, with these obscene insurance costs, but I will also say the politicians who take massive dollars from insurers are going to help them not us. Try this site before you go vote, it will tell you which of your congress is getting rich on insurance companies http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/allsector.asp?CID=N00000019

Have you considered changing jobs, maybe improving your skills so you can earn more? There is help for those situations to help with your insurance costs in that way.

g - I just don't know what to say, you say a lot but yet you provide no numbers or sources to support any of your positions, and after looking at many of your other answers I am not surprised. Give us some data so we can judge your propaganda.

kermit - you are correct, health insurance is an issue, please read my notes and links above about this, who are you going to vote for, those who get the big money from insurers or someone else, because I can guarantee you that your costs will go up if the people the insurers are banking on get into office.

Mark D - everyone is influenced by propaganda and your denying it shows just how pervasive it is. You are right, the court is there to judge based on law and the constitution, the congress is not, they are to write law that agrees with the constitution which they have not, so I would say the issue is with activist judges and a congress that believes it is above the law. I will take exception to your gore comment, bush won legally and there is nothing to comment on. Your guy lost and the other guy won, we need to learn to accept the vote instead of crying about it for five years. I have not researched your cites but will and will catch up to you on another answer or perhaps this one. But all in all it appears that it will not be able to be quantified such as the issue of the economy and will remain subjective which is what I wanted to avoid with this question.

Answer 1

Health care costs....#1 issue. Healthcare costs are expected to rise 9% next year. Most of us (if we are lucky) will see an average 2% raise next year.

My premiums continue to rise each year right along with the deductible for family coverage.

I speak from real life experience after over 20 years in the job place and with insurance coverages from many different providers at many different companies. And each year, it gets worse.

Propaganda does not color my perception of the issue, because the prevailing propaganda would have you believe that it's a rosy picture...

Answer 2

... first off.. Republicans are the leaders and are doing nothing about the real problems you mention... NOTHING... so voting them out is a good first step...

second... the economy is just now getting back to where it was when Bush started, which he was given a very strong economy... unemployment is still higher than when he started... and the housing market was clearly in a bubble which is bursting, if you follow that numbers, you know this... the low intrest rates inflated the numbers... this is all pretty basic... saying it's the best economy ever is PURE PROPAGANDA...

third... I'm looking at things like the growing number in poverty (according to the census... or is that "propaganda" to you?)... and the growing number that can't afford health insurance and the stagnant rate of average pay... only people who get paid salaries (the uppper 15 or so percent) have increased with any large degree...

I'm looking for some real change and a party that will do something... Republicans have failed in 6 years to help anyone but the top 15 percent... the number of millionares have increased as the number in poverty has also increased... rich getting richer, poor getting poorer... these are all facts...

fourth: college tuition rates have gone up over 40 percent on average in the past 6 years, and loan rates are much higher for school loans... so it's MUCH more expensive to go to school now... I've got my degree, but I do feel for the folks that don't and want to...

Answer 3

My healthcare insurance has increased 3 times in the last 2 years alone. It is to the point where I am debating whether or not to continue with my plan at work simply because I cannot afford it any longer. I am a single mother with 2 kids, so I'm holding on as long as possible, but soon it's going to be a choice of pay my bills or keep my heath insurance.

Answer 4

No, I am not influenced by propaganda. Can you imagine anyone saying "yes" to that question?

The thing that hurts me the most today (for several years now) is constitutional law. Constitutional law gives me constipation. The Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are not doing their job right and Congress is not doing its job of curtailing the Court's abuse of its power. I will quantify this by naming cases in which the Court abused its power.

Skinner v. Oklahoma, 1942.
Griswold v. Connecticut, 1965.
Roe v. Wade, 1973.
Lawrence v. Texas, 2003.
Harper v. Virginia Brd of Elec., 1966.
Levy v. Louisiana, 1968.
USDA v. Moreno, 1973.
Romer v. Evans, 1996.
And the worst of the whole lot,
Bush v. Gore, 2000.

Answer 5

Propaganda does reinforce as Nancy Snow says, but neo-con and Christian right wing propaganda has been so pervasive and persistent that attitudes HAVE changed. For example, a few years ago, supply side economics was called voodoo economics and trickle down theory, " occupying other nations and fighting in their civil wars was Vietnam type policy, not the righteous spreading of democracy, progressive taxation was a hallmark of an egalitarian society, not "stealing" from the rich, and.religion and politics were legally separated under the Constitution, and not married under the rubric that the US government is "Christian nation" under the laws of God.

Answer 6

George Bush

Answer 7

The increase of power in big business is nice for the economy, but the much lowered standard of living for average middle class citizens, such as myself, is making things difficult.

Answer 8

The 3% cost of living increase that I received this year almost pays for the health care premium increases.

Answer 9

Since you are simply walking, do it once more. Same occurred to me, so I began icing my knees after walking, 30 minutes on, 30 off, 30 on, after which off. I nonetheless felt soreness the following day, however felt so much higher in comparison to what I felt earlier than.