"Jesus set the standards high to show us we can't be pleasing to God via "good works" or by acting a certain way."

Didn't God also set minimum requirements? Commandmants, say?

And doesn't the Bible offer a checklist for the AntiChrist? Remind us: What were those six points again???

"I was looking for connection in all the wrong places"

Maybe if you tried anywhere else but bathrooms....

"Two parties have created the national debt."

REPUBLICAN MATH alert!!!

" How many times are these idiots going to get scammed before they realize they're morons?"

Only taking Crypto should've been a big, flashing warning sign.

Then again, these idiots are into crypto, the electronic version of playing poker against five people in a room who are looking at each other's cards.

" If it were Pelosi and the shoe were on the other foot?"

It shouldn't be done by EITHER.

Whataboutism is a middle finger to Independents. You're basically saying "That was bad when Democrats did it ... so it's okay that Republicans do it!"

Stop looking for excuses for bad governance.

"Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he will administer the oath of office to Grijalva, who was elected to the House in September, as soon as Democrats vote to reopen the government."

And he swore in a pair of Republicans almost immediately.

The longer he delays, the more obvious the reason.

Let's not forget: None of these mega purchases were in the budget; they all require NEW BORROWING.

Welcome to Trumpland, Debtsylvania.

"The rise of a communist for mayor."

Communist?!? When did Mamdani propose the end of private property???

Or are you using words you don't understand AGAIN?!?

" Democrats are in "don't let him have a win" mode."

So they're acting like Mitch McConnell and the Republicans did to Barack Obama.

Why were you okay with it when the tables were turned?

" I hope they come around to their -Find Out- moment soon enough"

Check back in 2-3 weeks. That's when folks get their new premium quotes for 2026.

" The whole point of ObamaCare was to increase the middle mans profits"

Not true at all. Here's what actually happened: in the decade before Obama care, inflation was up 31%, and medical inflation was up 131%. That's four times the rate of inflation. Trustees for health plans everywhere we're freaking out; I know: I was a trustee for a health plan and we were freaking out.

Not only was the inflation trajectory unsustainable, but it looked like there was nothing that could've bend the curve downward. In addition, the baby boomers were all on the precipice of being thrown into high risk pools, since just about everyone had a pre-existing condition. The year before O'Care, married friends of ours were tossed into a HRP because she'd just survived breast cancer. They were paying $5000 a month, at a time when Cobra was ~$600.

As regulars here know, I've been against Obamacare since the beginning. But I always said I would give the ACA props if it bent the inflation trajectory downward.

It did.

" people like Danforth would blame R's for doing something."

I've always believed in keeping politics out of healthcare, whenever possible.

The folks you support said they would repeal and replace, remember? And remember when Trump was asked about it at the debate, and said he had a concept of a plan? Those two things were six years apart.

When, exactly, are Republicans going to fulfill their campaign promise? FFS, they haven't even had a single public hearing or committee meeting.

They don't even have a concept of a plan.

Just another Trump lie.

" California effectively has the mandate and it has had no effect on premiums."

Sure it has; that's in the equation. With no mandate, you'd lose amounts of the young and the healthy, and premiums would have to rise.

The mandate is central; every time Republicans have sat down to address coverage, they've concluded a mandate is needed for any chance of success.

"Why would Republicans touch it?"

Because good governance is supposed to make things better, not find problems to exacerbate.

"Why would Republicans touch it?"

Because good governance is supposed to make things better, not find problems to exacerbate.

" (Proof) that the Affordable Care Act is an abysmal failure."

What nonsense.

The ACA effectively ended when the mandate was removed.

Republicans basically did NOTHING to fix it (for fear of being primaried), and everything to undermine it.

Compare that to the Republican screw-up when it came to farmers in Trump 2.0: Instead of getting a break on 20% of gross profits, the wording left out the word "profits".

That meant a farmer with $500,000 of income and $400,000 of expenses, instead of subtracting 20% from the 100K profit and paying tax on the $80K, could subtract 20% from the $500K and pay NO income taxes.

Dems voted to fix it immediately.

This is probably a good time to remind folks: under Trump Code 2.0, a waitress making $25K a year will save about twenty bucks a week.

Meanwhile, the average billionaire will save over a million dollars a week.

" and the dems set that supplemental govt monies to sunset this year. TRUMP did not do that. "

Correct.

Just like Trump set tax giveaways in Trump Code 1.0 to sunset.

Except Trump extended them. Just like he could've extended the subsidies.

Make no mistake: Trump let the subsidies expire so he could extend his tax giveaways. Billionaire tax cuts over Americans' health.

Any time someone suggests climate change is a hoax, I ask them how the hoaxsters convinced the flora and fauna to participate.

" Which is what would likely happen if you massively increased the marginal tax rate on high income earners."

Why are you pretending others wouldn't cash in on the newly available profits? Are you really pretending the same needs suddenly wouldn't be met?!?

Ultimately, that's the same income ... just from different filers.

" Ask some of your friends how interested they are in a 25% VAT"

What a coincidence.

Next year, ask some of your friends how many pay 25% of their disposable income for health insurance.

" Sweden, Germany, Norway, the UK, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Australia, and New Zealand"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a list of the happiest countries on earth?

"disturbing and gross."

Sums up Rex's psyche.

" I honestly wonder, if the twink/incel/homo path has any regrets."

Once again, Scatberg screams from the closet.

"Why is it that the biggest magats are always talking about dicks, butts, and ----?"

Closet cases gotta closet.

Probably the same reason Grindr gets overloaded every time Republicans gather.