ilikekicks

I know Shafted has said before he has a garden. I do as well. Im wondering whom all gardens. Be it food or flowers. Maybe window boxes or something to that effect?

I myself grow quite a bit for *myself* outside of what I grow for ' populace consumption ' or for the market.

I presently have about 500 tomato plants, 250 green pepper plants, 100 ' hot ' pepper or spicy pepper plants, a 100x50 foot potato field, 3 apple trees and a greenhouse of my own ( smaller one, 12x10foot ) for herbs ( Parsley, Basil, Chives.. Catnip ).

Anyone else have a ' green thumb ' so to say.

I understand theres probably a few people whom would wish to turn the discussion into something outside of gardening but lets TRY to keep things going on what were growing.

-ILK

. She also said that it is a behavior problem and a cry for help. I need help guys I want to wear heels but how to get the wife to understand. I opened up to her and told her how I felt. Now I dont trust her cause I think she gonna tell our closest friends and family. I thought a wife was supposed to be supportive and keep ur secret not share it everyone. Please help.

This is something that has come up a few times. I was lucky enough ( maybe had insight before hand or I really couldnt care anyway.. ) that My wife knew all about my ' differing ' clothing.

A problem that happens is often created by ourselves. In a marriage, were supposed to be trusting, open and HONEST with our spouses. My like of heels came about right before I was dating her. She stated her mother had a huge ' thing ' for high heeled shoes. When I met her folks, I spoke of these things with my ( now ) mother in law and it actually broke the ice between us quite nicely. I now do repairs on her house and receive payment in some of the finest stock of vintage 80's heels that are in mint condition! 

If you began to ' like ' heels AFTER you were married, just one day you started admiring/wearing/appreciating them, I can see her having some thoughts. It you liked heels BEFORE hand and didnt tell her, thats a totally different thing.

MANY people have started threads in similar to the one you have and in a lot of instances, the guys all knew they liked heels and didnt say anything to anyone about their desire to wear them. If we are not honest with those around us, I dont think we can really blame them for having some kind of reservation.

If you think shes going to tell your friends and family, take the wind out of her sails and just start openly wearing them. Be yourself. Be HONEST with those around you and if they cant accept you for the person you are, maybe they arent your friends. 

I dated 2 other women before my wife that both knew that I liked to try different things in cloths. Im still friends with both of them and one is even my wifes close ' support ' babe ( They worked together for a decade. She actually introduced me to my wife, imagine that! ). The 2 women I did date had reservations of being involved with someone whom didnt care what others thought to the point where we realized that in a long-term relationship, things would fall apart.

The fear of ' rejection ' isnt wanted by anyone so we ALL tend to ' hide ' or mask certain things. This only leads to unhealthy future events.

Maybe sit down and show your wife this site. Maybe even this thread and the replies to it.

Just for ' statistics ', of those on this site that I have conversed with, I believe maybe all of 3 of them are gay. 2 or 3 are ' transgendered ' and the rest are all ( pardon the pun ) ' Straight heterosexual males ' whom enjoy wearing heels, getting pedicures, wearing skirts ( in some instances ). Because we wear some items most men dont, it doesnt make us ' less a man ' or ' instantly gay '.

Sure, some gay males wear heels. Some gay males doll-up and go out as women. Heterosexual guys do it even more then gays! ( the numbers alone would more then likely support such a statement ).

This next comment may seem a ' bit much ', but I believe it needs to be said as its kind of ' rude ' but also to the point.

What I wonder is how ones wife would believe their husband was gay or something when they have been screwing. Sure, there are ( more then likely ) some gay men out there married to women or were even married to women.. But the point being, if your having a healthy relationship with a woman and the desire is there, how can they really question your sexuality over a pair of footware or a skirt?

It would be one thing if you told your wife ' hey honey, I like your breasts so much I would like to have a pair too! '. Much different then a pair of shoes, also something that could cause questioning of ones sexuality ( just my opinion, nothing scientific ).

Our spouses may ' love ' us to death and do anything they can to help us in our desires/needs. Its another thing to be ' in love ' and having them accept ALL parts of us for whom we are ( including what we might wish to wear ).

A suggestion I told another member on here :

Tell your wife you will show her by an example how you feel so she can understand it. Ask her to wear the same pair of shoes for EVERYTHING for a month. No derivatives, no exchanges. It doesnt matter what pair of shoes it is that she owns, but just pick one pair and thats all for a month. She might laugh but explain to her thats how ' mens ' fashion really is. Bland, uncomfortable and honestly, unflattering by all means.

When she cannot go out with the girls or to her parents or to a friends or grocery shopping without having the same pair of shoes on for a whole month.. Maybe she will understand that *we* as *MEN* may share some of the same human desires as she does.

-ILK

You also have to look at the seasons or timeframes people are posting at. Right now, Im on my dinner break, I work from 4:30am till we loose the sunlight or cannot see outside anymore. In the winter, I have more free-time then I know what to do with.

Many others are out enjoying the better weather in the northern hemisphere right now as its good weather to just ' go out ' and do ' whatever ' instead of sitting at home wishing the weather was better.

Cheers!

-ILK

See, nothing to it!

I was checking out some leggings. I like the fake leather like ones but also the ones that look like a pair of jeans.

Thoughts?

These are similar to the ones I have been considering :

D-Day was the biggest amphibious assault in the war, but the second biggest was that of the Germans coming across the Rhine. 

I thought the second Biggest was in the Pacific on Okinawa ( 180,000+ people coming in off ships ). I guess it depends on your perspective of Amphibious. The Germans were able to have the support of bridges to cross over water whereas the Allies in the Pacific had Naval Escort/Support of ships.

As for the French : May they do well.

Let's not forget the Canadians. Nor the Russians, for that matter, although of course they were not at Normandy. It was the titanic battles on the eastern front that bled and weakened the German army and by doing so did much to enable the victories of 1944. My point above was that Britain was not rescued, like a damsel in distress, by knights on white chargers from across the pond

No, they werent rescued, but saved ( along with France ) from the bad decisions made by *all* in the treaty of Versailles. WW2 was ( kind of ) an extension of WW1.

Whats not really common knowledge is that Japan had soldiers in WW1 fighting with the Allies. They ( Japan ) were at the negotiating table of WW1 and were tossed aside. They felt dishonored or ' shunned ' and gained a different perspective about the U.S. and Europe from it. Some say its part of the reason their empire took the direction it did.

I think the Canadians took some of the biggest beatings in WW2. They are often forgotten in the full picture of their sacrafices. They lost many good men and never turned away like the French did.

It was all our 'real estate'.  The US was aware of the danger of existing in a world controlled by Japan and Germany, so acted in self interest. No shame in that. Britain could defend itself to a point, but couldn't alone have invaded Nazi Europe.  That's why Churchill lived in America   WW1 made the US the economic power because Europe had bankrupt itself.  Because the war never touched the American mainland in WW11 that was reinforced, but staying out was never an option, even without Pearl Harbour.  Actually, D-Day was a joint effort and both the US and Britain should be proud that they did it together.  We made a good team.

I believe quite a bit of the German Hierarchy thought the war was lost once War was declared by them upon the U.S. and that it was only a matter of time. Attrition and having a HUGE industry with lots of resources coming to the table against you is a huge obstacle.

As Europe Bankrupted itself in WW1, the U.S. is presently Bankrupt ( but wont admit it ). Once again, times have changed.

Mr. X. :

I dig the color! That mint color is great! Especially with the white top and shoes. I like the shoes as well.

Theres something about the ' fit ' of those jeans though. They look like they are scrunched up ( as Shafter said ). At first I thought they needed to be ironed our or they were wrinkled.

I do like the overall outfit though!

-ILK

And ILK - you are aware that while Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander, Operation Overlord was largely the brainchild of the British General Montgomery. And that 75% or more of the planes, ships, landing craft used on the big day were British? And that the Royal Navy had responsibility for Operation Neptune, the naval part of the invasion?

I have a good feeling the People whom work in the NewportNews shipyards would beg to differ about those landing crafts. I would beg to differ in regards to the planes as most were of British design, but werent built in the U.K.

The Spitfire ( one example ) was originally equipped with .303 brit guns. It was changed/evolved to take on 4 U.S. made Browning machine guns ( I believe Brownings were supposed to be the original guns but there was a lack of supply? ). The only thing that was really left ' british ' about the plane was the Rolls Royce engine ( some of which were actually produced in the U.S. for them ). A neighbor ( about 30 miles away ) has a Spitfire, a Corsair and is *trying* to put together an ME109. Hes a retired flyer/aviator/historian.

Prior to D-Day, much of the equipment being used by the ' allies ' ( and even the USSR for some of it ) was built in the States.

True or not, he ( my neighbor ) did state something about the P51 ( Mustang ) being used by the RAF and it was the British whom designed the plane and asked the Americans to built it for them ( they didnt have enough facilities that werent being bombed by the Germans at the time ). They didnt have the resources/time to retool from the spitfire to the new plane.

The European allies took around 85,000 Casulties. The States took 125,000. Wasnt even our real-estate . 

Its amazing how history works. The U.S. kicked the English Crown in the teeth, then helps them with the Germans. The ' Allies ' then had to deal with the USSR after WW2, one of the former ' allies '. China was onboard with the ' Allies ' at one time, helped them with their ' Japan ' problem. Now Japan is considered a ' good neighbor ' and china is looked down upon for civil rights/environmental entities/currency manipulations.

Its only a matter of time till ' Russia ' is loved by all and the E.U. is considered ' evil ', right along side the U.S. .

Congratulations, barely a week on the forum and you've done something many guys take years to do!

+1!

What the US needs is "People's Healthcare" like we have here in the UK and in many places in Europe and in places like Australia, etc.

 

 

What the U.S. Needs to do is : as a nation, put the rest of the planet out of the equation and solve our own problems instead of invading other countries and starting more.

I suspect that that is what Barack Obama wanted but his plans were thwarted by a Republican majority, probably encouraged by the Healthcare industry. This is what Americans voted for, a system where the president has no power because he does not have enough support on Capitol Hill. This is the Americans' idea of democracy. Then they complain that the President hasn't done anything and is ineffectual.

 

Not at all. What Obama wanted was more government. When the ACA passed, the Democrats had both the House and Senate. Teh Bill passed in the house with a surplus of votes.

The President has very *Limited* powers/duties. Outside of appointments, he can sign bills into law or Veto them. He can travel the world and make all sorts of promises, but the President really doesnt have all the powers people believe he does.

There are MANY things Obama could have done and done well at. Instead, the nation has DOUBLED the National Debt, has more people jobless and dependent on social programs, drones watching the Nation and attacking citizens overseas and now an exchange returning 5 very bad people to their freedom. ' Cash for Clunkers ' was abysmal.. 

In Comparison, its not hard to say the guy is WORSE then G.W. Bush in spending, policies AND in keeping civility inside the Nations Boarders.

"Instead of fighting for the right to pay $800 a month for medical insurance, good Americans should be fighting for the right to have all of their healthcare paid for from their taxes. OK, this may lead to a small increase in tax but no more than about $100 a month for normal people."

TRhats what the ACA was suppoosed to do through the exchanges. It has failed miserably for all but 2 people that I know.. 

See.. nothing to it. Just go out and strut. Your not bothering anyone nor doing anything wrong. Enjoy yourself!

-ILK

Play nice, guys.

I will.

Welcome aboard ShyHeels.

-Ilk

To me it seems that there are a number of logical disconnects occuring here.

 

 

 

Not at all. You might feel such as its in your programming. Myself? I just opened my eyes and took a good look around me and found out people are forcibly divided.

The way to defeat anything is from ' within '. Maybe you dont understand such a concept but its what globalists have done to the republic for which I live in. What I dont trust and even despise are those whom have the mindset that they can force their will upon others by means of ' government '.

Have you studied Castro? How about most of the South American Dictators of today?

" Democracy " isnt a social structure. By definition alone and example set in just this past week, its tyranny of a majority. Its far from perfect but its also a work in progress.

You speak of all these bankrupcies.. Lets see your figures on how many people went bankrupt for ' medical reasons '. Compare those to people now wondering how they will afford to put food on their tables and the impact on the whole economy of this new government ' regulation '.

Your crying, just as others did here in the States, in the same fashion that lead to that demonic bills inception and passage. Its a very narrow viewpoint in its overview.

You keep using the term ' health care ' instead of medical insurance. Can you not see the difference between the 2? In order for you to recognize such, you would see why your thoughts dont hold merit in such a discussion. Its the means used to usurp a system.

Look at what you stated. Its " FORCING ". Would it be ok if someone caught you at a red light, pulled you from your car and took it? Would it be ok for someone to walk into your house and empty your fridge without even saying thank-you for the eats?

Forcing people to do something is never a good thing. For a Government to FORCE something upon its citizenry, something 3/4ths of its citizenry doesnt like as its NOT what they even elected their representatives to vote in favor of.. That doesnt sound like ' we the people ' at all.

You say this is ' just another tax '. Apparently you havent read the bill yourself. Ive had discussions with others from this site on the phone and we ALL have read and looked into it. *IF* you took a good look at what it fully entails, you would understand why people are clamoring to guns and the topic of States leaving the Union came up.

Im sure you will have an intellectual type of response but I dont think you have really looked into the full Bill ( now law ). You took what the news stated and ran with it.

Your telling me the V.A. Medical system, something that has a 100 billion plus dollar budget isnt Government run? I bet 75 million American Veterans would tell you your wrong. I bet the employees at those facilities would say the same. " Not even close to having " you say? Hogwash. I feel your quite ill informed.

I have NO difficulties in seeing what happened in the past, whats happening in the present, and where it leads. I believe the difficulties are with your perspective which is limited as you havent fully informed yourself of the topic at hand and are limited in your knowledge of experiences ( first hand ) on such a thing here in the States.

Higher suicide rates? Where did that come from?

You were asked, blatantly : Where does ' good of the community ' end? When will it be satisfied enough. No response about it was stated.

The rest of what you speak of is more about the theme of division currently present in the U.S. system. Its being used as a method to do more harm then good. Its your belief and Im not going to mock it, your free to believe as you wish.

People have what they earn. I dont owe anyone anything. You dont owe me anything. We are free to go make something of ourselves. You can tout whatever theories you wish, but they apply only to you as others are free to say ' see ya later ' to them.. That is until you FORCE them upon others to which they might just retaliate in some fashion, rightfully so.

There you are again using ' health care '. Do you even know what ' Medical Insurance ' is?

Have you ever been around the planet with a machine gun? Ever been on the DMZ in Korea? How about the invasion of Panama in the 80's? How about the First Gulf War? Okinawa and mainland Japan? Mexico? Canada?

I can say I have seen some of the worst humanity has to offer. I didnt read about it in a text book ( like others ) and proclaim to have an understanding of it. Its not something I often share with others ( my military years ) as to them, its only something a barbarian or someone who has no brains would get involved with, right? Its not something ' intellectuals ' can even fathom as they dont have the basics of comprehension to begin to absorb.

I didnt neglect anything nor did I try to shove my ' intellectualism ' into the picture. I wish for others to think for themselves. I want for them to look at their surroundings and figure out things for themselves. Im confident that most of them can do so for themselves if given the choice and freedoms.

Something all the ' intellectuals ' tend to forget is human beings are mammals, animals, and there are instincts that go with such a thing. We wish to be free. When you start forcing we the ' animals ' into corners, what happens?

I have a good feeling you might believe differently. Rightfully so.

' primitive past '. What a concept. Theres nuclear missiles sitting in bunkers all over the planet ( presently ), A religion running wild still stoning women and cutting off heads.. theres a monetary system of banking that was baselined by the Knights Templar hundreds of years ago ( and the shylocks ) and you believe the past is primitive? 

Because theres an iPhone and computers and an Internet, Because theres TV's and radios.. Because theres gun powdered weapons and not just edged ones does NOT make present day society any less ' primitive ' then the past. The mindset of forcing others to do things, just as it was with the days of Monarchy are still present. 

' Might makes Right ' still runs the world. Its a sad reality that will *never* change. No ' education ' is capable of removing such a thing. Your gonna hate hearing this but : You and I are just as primitive as those of a century ago. We just have a few more nicer things then they had in caves .

Do you even know what the topic is? What the original theme was?

Everything you have stated reinforces exactly what I have stated.

"Guys : The riducule any of us might recieve for wearing heeled footware is quite miniscule and even laughable in comparrison to the HUGE picture of whats really going on. Dont give it a second thought, put on some kicks and go out and strut. "

I dont think you realized how greatly you have reinforced what I originally stated. I offer you many thanks for doing it.

Peace to you

-ILK.

As Saint Augustine said, Love God and do what you will. Under those circumstances, if people were following that precept, anarchy would be benign since everybody would be guided by their better nature. So anarchy, absolute liberty, is not intrinsically a bad thing. It is the bad apples that make it so.

I dont necessarily believe in a ' God '. BUT!

What you have stated is why I feel there is a ' good ' in theological means amongst people. 

A fair point, and an interestingly moot point.  Can we have too much liberty? Discuss. (30 marks)

 The furthest and most liberal means of liberty is to be able to do as you wish so long as you harm nobody else. Harm nobody elses property or well being.

Anarchy is ' anything goes ' and one could harm others. There arent any restrictions applied in anarchy.

Theres quite a bit of difference between the 2

Would you be caught dead wearing them?

DAMMIT! Beat me to it!

ABBurke : I have bought a lot of NineWest footware in the last 2 years. I saw those in the store but they didnt appeal to me like the LoveFury pumps. Those are NOT ' cheap ' or Hooker heels.

If I had to choose it would be the black ones.

-ILK

11?

11 1/2?

You guessing his age or shoe size?

This is incredible.  ILK, you are advocating anarchy in the guise of liberty.  Your reasoning is paranoia.  How can a system where only the rich can have their hands out profiting from the sick needing medical care be good?  No level of competitive based price war will make the price of healthcare as cheap as a government run, non-profit system.

 

Only the ' rich '? Paranoia? ' Guise of Liberty '.. Whos campaign are you working on, certainly not mine as I dont wish to deploy ' divide and conquer ' messages.

What I am advocating for is people being allowed to choose for themselves, not some force of law onto everyone when clearly MOST people dont wish for it.

You want ' cheap ' as the Government runs? Tell that to those dead Veterans and the mess thats presently going on right now. THAT is the medical system for EVERYONE in the next 3 years. MOST of the Veterans I know ( myself included ) despise the V.A. system and would wish it upon the Taliban!

My reasoning is Paranoia? Not at all.

My ' Reasoning ' is from my Experiences. From wearing a uniform, running a business, working with musicians, working on a farm.. I can say I have quite a smorgash-board of a life in my journeys and the 1 factor that always ruins productivity is when someone wishes to force an agenda upon everyone.

" I'm sure you won't understand, but at times the good of the community much come first.  Vaccinations are a great example of how misinformed people continue to fight a good that fifty to one hundred years ago people would have killed to have.  You don't live in a country where government healthcare is provided.  If you did, you wouldn't be arguing the way you are. "

The ' Good of the community ' over the liberty of the individual. Such was done under Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao.. *I* wont understand? Apparently you feel everyone should decide for everyone else and nobody should be allowed to choose for themselves? Honest question as you sure seem to be on the ' Socialistic ' side in your views thus far.

You are stating I dont live in a Country where ' Government health care '.. You are correct. The proper term is MEDICAL INSURANCE. I have explained this in an earlier message, I would ask that you go back and take a read of it, it might make you re-think what your saying.

Please understand this fact : Im running for a local office and my position is quite against what you ' preach '. Make no mistakes, the advocacy for more government intrusion pushes infringement unlike we havent fully seen. *I* understand this, its not a hard concept to comprehend.

YOU should choose if you wish to have a form of *MEDICAL INSURANCE* for yourself. Its YOUR body, and belongs to YOU. You can choose to care for your health or not. YOU can choose whom you love, where you wish to live, what profession in life you wish to follow SO LONG AS you offer the same to all others and harm nobody else in the process.

That is NOT ' Anarchy ' as you have stated and it is NOT ' Paranoia '. Its TRUE LIBERTY as we all should be entrusted with until we harm others or are seem ill fit to have it.

I have spoken with a few people that take the same stance as yourself in the debates I have had. They say and use the SAME exact talking points/words. Most of the time, after they are corrected, they sit their quietly and look at those around them and find they are a minority of opinions and dont bother to disturb those around them.

"I mean no disrespect in making this argument.  Veritas unum."

None taken. I understand you have a position you believe in. Theres NOTHING wrong with it outside of your feeling people should be FORCED into a system they dont want. That makes those people nothing more then a *slave*.

When people are given real liberty and then look at what your position implies, they believe they made the correct choice in saying ' I can do things for myself, Im not worthless, I can be productive. Im a free human being whom is entrusted to make my own decisions ' and they enjoy not being parented by elected officials and their schemes nor pundits whom wish to push themselves onto others.

Im a Libertarian, you follow a Democrat type of Theology. We wont agree on much at all. I believe in individuals whom believe in others without having to FORCE people to do so. I believe, when given free choice, people will choose to get along and do good things for each other as they would wish for themselves. I do not believe people need to be pushed around and forced onto a ' plantation of ideas ' by a political party.

Peace to you!

-ILK

Because the NHS is more than adequate to meet their needs and most people see paying into a medical insurance scheme to be a complete waste of money.

 

 

BTW, in Cyprus they have a similar system to the one we have here except that you'd see your GP in the morning, a specialist that afternoon then a consultant the following morning. If it turns out that you need an operation then you could be on the operating table that afternoon!

 

At least that's how it used to be...

Nothing wrong with that. 

My WHOLE point is : A single-payer type system COULD work in the U.S. if done correctly. The ' Old ' system wasnt as bad as all the leftists screamed. 2 bouts of Chemo , my hands and other ailments over the years.. I and many that I know never had any problems. The system had a good success rate in comparison to many of the other systems in the U.S. ( Education comes to mind! ).

This ' New ' middle-of-the-road system with the ' Authority ' its given to the IRS is going to absolutely Bankrupt America and put a bad dent in the worlds economy.

People are already seeing their costs double and even triple for the same or less services then what they had 3 years ago.

Just to say how bad this is going to be, by a reference, look at how it was started.

The U.S. house of Representatives had a vote. Some were given bribes in ' project monies ' for their home States to vote for this. Others were allowed to vote last as they waited till they had enough votes for it to pass, this allowing those facing tough re-election campaigns could say ' I didnt vote for that! '.

This Bill ( at the time it was a Bill.. ) was almost 3000 pages, and nobody was given a chance to even read it. My local Representative at the time said he would get me a copy before it was voted on.. SHE was never given a copy of it before it was voted on! She was a democrat too! The people whom passed the damn thing!

So the Bill moved to the Senate.

The senate didnt have the votes so they used a process called ' Reconciliation ' and attached it to a framework of items. If the process didnt work, major breakdowns in all the systems would have happened.

The Senate requires a 60-40 vote in order to pass. The Reconciliation process passed it by a 51-49 vote with one of the senator being one of the people from the House whom voted on it as a Representative ( ad now they were a senator ). There were more bribes and back scratching for sure..

Then after 3 years, they couldnt get a single website working correctly. As a comparison, the U.S. ramped up for WW2 and provided half the planets armies with everything they needed to defeat Nazi Germany in the same time span! Were comparing a website to a whole war empowerment for the planet, same timespan.. 

The more it goes on, the WORSE it gets. The Media will say things are going better, more smoothly, more people are jumping onboard.. 8 million people signed up, how many plans were cancelled? I was told I could keep my doctors, not true in my instance, nor for my plan because it didnt have birth control! I cant have kids, what do I need that for? I dont need my breasts checked, I dont have any.. so my plan wasnt considered ' up to snuff '. It worked for Chemotheropy and blasting the skin off my hands, but because it didnt have things for women in it.. its no good?

Im convex, not concave, Mr. President!

Not that he would even have the closest idea to the differences between such..

-ILK

As far as I can see there are three differences. The décor in a private hospital is far more welcoming and you get through the system about ten times quicker. Many of their doctors are former NHS doctors who have been "headhunted" and now work in the private sector. Obviously they cherry pick people with good reputations. Those are the only differences.

So.. going by your figures.. what ' little ' you pay, plus another 30 a month, one can have a Cadillac-Type package? Why arent people flocking to this system in droves and why hasnt your ' Government ' followed the lead in improving their system to reflect whats viewed as a ' better ' one?

The whole point of it is, in the U.S. , the GOVERNMENT has their hands in to many places that they should have NEVER been allowed. People decried ' There ought to be a law!!! ' and now they have too many of them and their liberties are all but forgotten.

THAT is what a lot of people are missing and why we have the problems of today that plague us as human beings.

To show how bad the whole ' NHS ' in the U.S. is going to be :

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/06/01/if-youre-uninsured-next-year-prepare-for-your-obam.aspx

The link is to a somewhat non-partisan website that takes swipes at all things. To show how brain-washed people are in just the common tongue they TRY to communicate with :

"Obamacare, in a nutshell, is a complete transformation of how citizens in this country receive and pay for health care. "

I dont pay for ' Health Care '. I choose the foods I eat. I exercise. I pay for ' MEDICAL INSURANCE '. This is the same as my vehicles fuel effiency. Its not ' Fuel Economy ', but EFFICIENCY. 

People dont understand the basics of how they are duped into submission and have bought off into it.

They worry about men whom might wear heels? ROFLMAO!

-ILK

Those guys were tight Kneehigh. Thanks for sharing!

.

Free at the point of delivery.  No, we're not taxed twice, we're taxed in many ways, as are all modern people. 

Your saying all people living today whom are ' modern ' are taxed? There are many whom dont pay any taxes AND are given monies by governments for not doing anything. 

 " I suppose you're income is taxed, and I know the U.S. has a purchase tax.  I can see how Dr Shoe was mistaken.  We have a number of historical taxes.  National Insurance was originally intended to fund the new state pension, in 1908, I think.  It was extended to take in unemployment benefits and finally the NHS in 1948.  There was was once a Road Tax Fund that drivers paid for roads to be built.  These days, though the same taxes are paid, they just go into a central fund that the Government allocates.  By and large I don't mind  tax.  If I'm out at night I'm happy that the streets are lit.  A lot of people paying are at home."

We have ' tolls ' on some roads which the monies collected are supposed to pay for. In N.Y. , the money went to a general fund, along with lottery money ( state run gambeling ) that was supposed to pay for ' education '. Yet school taxes are constantly going up by large margins every year and teh roads arent getting any better. Hell, I went and patched a pot-hole myself this past spring as nothing was being done about it!

"I suspect (though I don't know) that ACA provides nothing as good as the NHS, neither would I presume to suggest.  I had to have my heart fixed.  I was very scared, but I wasn't worried about how I'd pay for it."

If there was a single-payer system, I wouldnt have much of an issue with it. This 'middle of the road ' crap involving hostile government agencies known for kicking people out of their houses and seizing their properties without even having a Warrant is unacceptable. Either Nationalize teh medical industry and watch medical and scientifical advances plummet OR make it 100% private. None of the middle of the road trash that does nothing more then cause further division and thuggary.

In the UK we do have the power of choice, you can choose to go private and there are medical care companies like BUPA but you have to pay for that in addition to whatever contribution you pay to fund the NHS. It is a choice to pay extra and get a superior service.

That is where I find it wrong. If someone is responsible and capable of taking care of themselves, they still have to pay for something else?

There are much similar instances here in the U.S., especially with Education. The youngest girl in the family goes to a private school. The school has 40 students total. The tuition is 15,000$ U.S. a year. There is a dress code and *strict* rules.

I wouldnt risk the life of a child in the Public Zoo er.. education system ( supposed schools ) in my area of the U.S. today.

Taking what you said into context, Why cant the ' Government ' or NHS get the job done like the private system does? I dont think the medical procedures are any different. Are the Doctors that much better? Are the facilities that good? What is so different between the 2?

I know what the difference is here in the U.S. .

When I blasted my hands with the Sandblaster, I went to the Local V.A. as it was the easiest place for me to get to. Straight down the mainline highway. They informed me they didnt have the facilities to treat such a wound.

Really? The #1 Government Hospital and the example thats going to be used as a guideline for all citizens care.. not up to snuff for something?

They didnt even bother trying to clean up anything. I was tossed some salve, some no-stick gause pads and told ECMC would be the best place to go. They didnt even take my vitals.

Think of this.. a person with 2 hands missing half the skin, tendons exposed.. They didnt even offer a ride! They let me back on the road! 

"I find this to be a very interesting comment!"

I said it and will stick by it.

In point of fact it is Americans who are taxed twice, with their income being taxed at both state and federal level (with the exception of a couple of states - three? Four? - which do not have state income tax) And then they have to pay for their health insurance and from what I understand from friends who live there this is no small deal

You are quite correct and I can Explain ' Why ' such is accepted ( for the most part ).

Europe is a place of many different countries. So is the ' United States '. Each ' State ' has a doctrine or ' Constitution ' of its own. The ' Constitution of the United States of America ' was originally a guideline for the States to Follow. Certain things were to be ' for all ' ( First through 9th Amendments ) and the 10th Amendment left all things not covered to the States themselves.

In Europe, there are many different Cultures and Languages. The same can be said of the U.S. . In Texas, they have a differing lifestyle then that of those in Maine. I know The Peoples Republik of New York is BAD, but not as bad as California when it comes to Economic Liberties ( getting very close though! ).

The States all had their own varying tax system. Different levels and for differing things.

The Federal Government decided to have the IRS come into play and established a hefty tax system of its own.

There are MANY people whom feel the IRS is an illegal organization/department of government. 

When the E.U. starts to become more complacent, you might find yourself taxed by the E.U. and the U.K. . Time will tell.

Like I said, there are many flaws in the American system.

 

The main reason why it is so expensive is because people don't want to pay for stuff that doesn't apply to them so therefore in order to get the stuff that applies to you it is more expensive.

 

 

 

Not true at all. That is what you have been lead to believe or were misinformed by media sources.

The MAIN reason medical treatment is so expensive is Malpractice Insurance. Over a full third of most practitioners costs are from such. Such policies eat about 50% of all costs they have to bill their patients to recoup.

I didnt believe such was true until several ( actually 4 ) different Practitioners, Doctors and a Vet all told me the same thing. They need to be insured as everyone wishes to ' Sue '.

Tort Reform or a cap on damages would have helped keep costs down but here in the U.S. , Vampires.. er.. lawyers get a third of the tally they sue for. They litigated all rational thought out of the equation. They would NOT see ' their incomes ' limited.

A woman spilled hot coffee on herself and sued for a million and change. A New Mexico civil jury awarded $2.86 million to plaintiff Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman who suffered third-degree burns in her pelvic region when she accidentally spilled hot coffee in her lap after purchasing it from a McDonalds restaurant. Liebeck was hospitalized for eight days while she underwent a skin graft and a 2 year ordeal of somekind ( I cant remember all the details ).

Its STUPID! Its the biggest burdon upon the Medical Industry, yet, its never in the discussion. Its all about being ' fair ' and how everyone needs to share and that there should be equal access for all..

Fact is, ANYONE can go to the Emergency Room and see a doctor and receive treatment.

Take natal care as an example: I don't know the figures but I suspect that less than 10% of the adult population is in need of natal care, probably more like 1%, I don't know. This means that if everyone contributed to healthcare as a whole then 90-99% of the cost of natal care will be carried by the people who don't need it instead of 100% of the cost being carried by the few people in the neighbourhood who need it.

 

Suppose ILK were to fall off his tractor and get run over and seriously injured (obviously I hope it never ever happens). This would mean that effectively he would have to pay 100% of the cost of his care.

 

If said incident happened, you would be correct in noting that *I* would be solely responsible for ALL the incursions. The medical expenses, Physical therapy AND the cost of fixing the tractor. Nobody else is using that tractor, out working a field, why should they have to pay for something of my own accord?

"There are two problems in the US as far as I can see: Firstly, all the hospitals are privately owned by the Health Insurance companies, secondly, too many people have a vested interested in the status quo this makes for a very clumsy, clunky and probably far too expensive NHS type service."

Firstly : Health Insurance companies in my area do NOT own the hospitals. The Catholic Health Care system owns about 75% of them. The other 25% are owned by Government and their lackies.

"I'm not saying that what's going on in the US is necessarily right or wrong. All I'm saying that, in spite of the critics, the NHS works really, really well. We pay for it through our national insurance contributions. For someone on my salary level this is £10.50 a week, that's £546 a year. If I should get cancer, I will get chemotherapy."

You would HOPE such was true. I know of 2 Canadians that needed an MRI and were put on waiting lists. One almost died as they collapsed and were bleeding profusely from their ears and nose when visiting his girlfriend over Christmas here in the States. His girlfriends family rushed him to a hospital, less then 2 hours later an MRI showed he had a tumor in his cranium. He was in surgery within 3 days. If he was in Canada, would he have lived? They delayed his MRI for quite a while..

"If I break my leg an ambulance comes and takes me to A&E where it is reset and cased in plaster. I get to see my doctor on the day I need to, I phone up after 8.30 and get an appointment for that day. If I need to go to see a specialist this will normally happen within 2 months and I can choose which one I see. If I need an operation this usually happens within 8 weeks, sooner if it's a life threatening condition."

We *USED* to have all those options. Thats what your really missing or the idea has been lost upon you. Such is no longer really a reality. The system in the U.S. *DID* work for a majority of everyone. Now, its heading to shambles.

I blew apart my hands last summer. All better now. Ive been thru Chemo, twice. All better now. Im far from bankrupt, live quite well and will actually say with pride that Im in great health compared to many. EVERYTHING you spoke of, was the same here at one point. I know you will find such a hard pill to swallow as you have been propaganda'ed into being told the U.S. system was failed, vile, bankrupted everyone and that it ' sucked '. For a few people , it did ' suck ', but all too many of us were satisfied.

Such is why when the ACA was passed, nobody was allowed to see what was really going to happen. They knew if the public saw what Pelosi, Reid and Obama were going to do to all of us, there would be an outcry and their terms in office would have been their last.

Then let it be an option for individuals to choose, rather than having it rammed down their throat against their will.

THAT is the main point in all of it. " Freedom of Choice " has been denied to too many people on the planet. It has so many people blind because they have never experienced actually having a choice at their disposal.

Using FORCE of anykind ( in this instance, governmental ) to push people into a ' one size fits all ' is wrong.

While I agree with almost everything Dr Shoe says, there is a small technical error. The NHS is paid for out of general taxation. The NI contribution is just another tax, it isn't reserved for any specific purpose. If you are a UK resident (or, in mast cases, visiting from an EU or EEA country) you get free healthcare at the point of need. You don't have to be paying NI.

 

Hold on.. your taxed TWICE.. and your saying its ' free '? Can you further explain this as Im a bit confused. When being ' taxed ', its usually a form of payment. If I wasnt taxed and received a service, it would be ' free to me ' but someone else would pay for it in the full picture.

How is it ' Free '?

This next rant isnt directed at you AT9, but as a ' general ' statement of my own.

I do know exactly ' how ' things become twisted in the whole Medical Insurance ring. Some people call it ' Health Care ', which its clearly NOT. Such is a title that was brought in to remove the word ' insurance '. The theme of ' Affordable Care Act ' is a guise/charade for ' medical insurance industry mandates '. It has nothing to do with us as individuals caring for our health ( which is what health care really is ). We choose what we eat, weather we smoke, if we keep in shape ( or dont ). Medical Insurance is about the money and whom pays the expenses. 

Another thing thats ' twisted ' is how people are taxed for something, then say its ' free '. When we are told the same thing over and over for so long and have experienced nothing else as a comparison, we accept things to be truthful. An example would be how the world was once flat. A modern example is how people will say something is ' free ' when they are actually paying for it.

To put this on topic with this thread, MANY of the members here are so worried about their family and neighbors/co-workers seeing them in heels.. They wont go outside.. People cannot even grasp the conditioning being put to them in regards to what ' Medical Insurance ' is or that a Tax isnt free.. and they are worried about being seen in a pair of kicks? Thats a very small thing compared to other concerns from my perspective.

Having lived in the US, Australia and the UK i simply cannot understand how anyone can defend the US health care system, let alone believe that it offers better value for money than the NHS or Australia's health care system.

The system worked for myself and my employees. It works for many people I know. Now? With the Nationalization process kicking in, most of them are without any recourse and are out in the cold OR shelling out a lot more then they used to.

Maybe it's free in the the UK, but here in the US you have to pay dearly for socialized healthcare.

 

I personally know people who were devastated by the increased cost if it.

 

Free, my foot!

Heres what people are finding out and from a source that is VERY ' left wing ' or anti-republican as it gets : Huffington Post -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-camposduffy/the-misogyny-of-obamacare_b_5404161.html

"In 2010, Representative Nancy Pelosi famously said about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that, "we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it." More than half a year into its implementation, American women are finding out that along with their now "free" birth control, the 20,000 pages of regulations includes countless mandates that are making healthcare less affordable, less accessible and less personal for women. 

It's an ironic outcome, of course, since women were supposed to be one of the primary beneficiaries of this new entitlement. Obamacare's intrusions into the patient-doctor relationship are especially paradoxical. Controversial procedures like abortion have long been defended on the basis that "healthcare" is about a special and private relationship between a woman and her doctor. However, now under Obamacare and its mandates and regulations, women are learning that they need to figure out how they fit in the patient-doctor-bureaucrat relationship. Thanks to narrower networks, cancelled plans and more red tape, women are seeing for themselves how Obamacare is forcing their physicians to jump through unnecessary hoops to treat them. And for the millions of women who were forced to give up their plans, the new healthcare law meant many would lose their doctor. After having been promised by the President himself that they could keep their doctor, is it any surprise that 48 percent of women have an unfavorable view of Obamacare? The biggest and most important claim the ACA promised was to lower healthcare costs, but it hasn't. Instead, higher premiums - and especially deductibles - have increased anxiety and uncertainty for women. Since women have more frequent doctor visits than men over the course of a year, they are disproportionately hurt by Obamacare's higher deductibles. They are also the biggest victims of the many negative effects Obamacare is having on the economy and the labor market. With women making up a full 57 percent of all part-time workers, they're being hit harder by the impact of small businesses cutting both hours and employees in order to avoid the snares of the Obamacare law. With less take-home pay for groceries, gas, rent and other necessities, their children are inevitably feeling the pinch too."

Its not that I believe in the ' Medical Insurance Industry '. The reality is *I* and 330 MILLION others were BLATANTLY lied to! Make no acceptions, *I* was told I could keep my plan. I was told I could keep my doctor. I was told so many things about how great this ' new ' system was supposed to be and NONE of it is true.

Dr. Shoe : Your not seeing the full picture here. You asked :

" What I don't get is why are you Americans so against health care that's free at the point of need? "

Its the LYING. It just never stops with Government. Even your own has lied to you for so long.

*I* and many others believe we should be self accountable. I should be allowed to freely make decisions for myself, for what I wish and for my own needs or wants. I dont need a bunch of liars to try and mandate me nor my lifestyle into what THEY believe is best.

THAT is the ' issue ' you are missing here.

The WHOLE thing was NOT about getting medical Insurance Coverage for everyone. If so, it would be called the ' Medical Insurance Industry take-over Act ', which the thing clearly is doing and collapsing everything in its wake.

What the whole ACA was about : Infringement of Government into the privacy of our lives. They have tied what used to be a freely chosen thing to a death warrant on ones economic well being. All the sorry case examples of people going bankrupt from medical expenses are proving to be NOTHING in comparison to the IRS seizures that are about to take effect because the IRS now has the ( supposed ) ' Authority ' to do so. As has been stated in that linked article, women no longer have privacy with their doctors. HIPA Laws are out the window, The Government needs to know all about your ' well being '.

Im sure, there will be leaks of all this ( supposed ) information from the ACA from ' hackers ' and disgruntle individuals. Im wondering how all those men whom supported ACA are going to feel when the publicity of their need for Erectile Disfunction drugs goes on the record. How about when women have abortions and they become a known ' baby killer ' around the town? How about when someone becomes Hep-C or Aids positive and everyone treats them worse then the plague? 

Is this ' Fantasy ' or ' Reality '? Time shouldnt have to tell as this is all something that should unquestionably be kept private, but it cant and wont be because Government is involved and a ' Freedom of Information Act ' can draw quite a bit of information out.

Are we as Citizens nothing more then cattle in a pasture with tags on our ears, a ' number ' to them?

As you claim to be able to walk into a medical facility and everything is hunkie-dory, you also pay 10$ for a gallon of Gas. Your whole life is just taxed. Whatever you do or wherever you go, your being taxed.

People cannot even walk in London without hundreds of cameras watching their every move as if they were all a criminals. Its said to be for ' Safety ' or ' The benefit of all '.. do you like being catalogued? *I* dont and feel as your a good person ( from what I know ) that YOU shouldnt be subjugated towards such a thing. You might believe in being monitored but I wouldnt have it for you. I wouldnt have your phonecalls tapped/recorded. I wouldnt have what you purchase at a store being put into a profile about you. I certainly wouldnt have your medical history put into a database thats USED to only be accessable by doctors ( and now politicians! ).

THAT is the road where the ACA will lead the U.S. to. Even the Unions that fought to elect the Idiot leftists that put the ACA into realization are now being subjected to it after being LIED to and told they would be exempt. They now want heads to roll and people fired. Think of the Irony of Labour Union's endorsing Right-Leaning candidates or Republicans?

While you speak of ' Health Care ' which is people caring about their own health, you havent realized the full picture of whats REALLY happening.

No tin-foil-hat on my head, I dont need one and anyone whom looks at what really happened with that Bill ( now law ) will see it clearly for what it is. Its supporters need those hats. Medical Insurance is NOT ' Health Care ' for as much as people wish to interchange the 2 terms.

I wont claim to know of anything in regards to YOUR system. Its irrelevant to me as I dont live in the U.K. and I feel the People of the U.K. should decide for themselves what they wish to have. I would hope the People of the U.K. would be as honorable to reciprocate the same.

The ONLY people whom fully support the ACA are people whom feel worthless and defeated OR those whom can accept the harmful lies they have been sold and never could see the truth for what it is.

This pair just came in the post today. From Faith and are suede

.2014-05-29 18.24.48.jpg2014-05-29 18.27.01.jpg2014-05-29 19.05.17.jpg

Those have some flavor to them as well. Not jackstands but have a platform on them. I like the royal-blue type of color on them.

Good find!

-ILK