Hurlshort

Healthcare prices were already skyrocketing before ACA though. As you said, insurance companies were already using regional exclusivity, the government just reinforced that. I totally agree that the government should not have got involved the way they did, because they basically just joined the already broken medical insurance business. We need a completely different system, and there are a number of more successful models out there for us to look at internationally. The trouble with these widgets is everyone needs them. They are a necessity for any country that wants to claim to be great. Just like providing an education to every young person is a necessity for any great country, health care should be treated similarly. It should not be considered a widget any more than teaching kids to read and write.

I feel like Healthcare is currently much higher, given the entire insurance industry makes a tremendous amount of money simply by acting as a middle man in the market. You also have big Pharma raking in tons of money, and even hospitals run on a healthy profit margin. My guess would be 50's-60's, although I guess you could separate the various parts of the medical industry out.

I wanted to read a book about Dean Martin on my kindle and it was a bit pricey, so I started a trial of Amazon Unlimited to get it for free. I'm glad I did that, because they didn't do a great job digitizing it and there are a bunch of lettering errors. Still, it's an ok look at the time period. Lately I've been trying to find a decent book on the Rat Pack that isn't just a puff piece. Looking for something lighter and more entertaining, I picked up this as well: Standard political conspiracy fun On the subject of Kindle Unlimited, I can't decide if it is a good deal or not. It is $10 a month. I read on average 2 books a month (more during breaks, less during busy months.) Those books tend to cost about $10, but sometimes I get them from the lending library, which gives you 1 a month. Unlimited also doesn't have every book, so when I picked up Sagan, I had to pay for it. Speaking of which, as much as I have enjoyed my new hobby of riding bikes fast, I still have a lot of trouble getting into the sport of cycling. I have no idea what is going on with all the events and teams, so this book was hard to follow. I think it has more to do with my lack of background knowledge. It was a pretty easy read other than that.

@Guard Dog According to your scale, whereabout is the healthcare industry in this country? What about Education?

I really hope it isn't +72 million that believe Trump. I mean, just because they voted for him, doesn't mean they are buying his 'cry fraud' act. *fingers crossed*

That's a shame, since it is very unlikely we go into a national lockdown.

Sorry to hear that. Have you tried telling them the election isn't over? Seems to be working for Trump.

What is this?

I finally jumped into The Witcher on Netflix, and I am pleasantly surprised. The games can super bleak, so I have to be in a certain mood to play them. But halfway through Season 1, the show has been delightful. Yennifer and Geralt are much more engaging than their digital counterparts, and the story seems easier to follow than the 3 games. Honestly Yennifer's origin story makes me way more interested in her in the game. It is charming and funny in a way that the game doesn't always manage. I'm excited for a second season.

https://www.heritage.org/voterfraud The hardest part about this whole fraud argument isn't whether it exists or not, it is trying to explain why it is statistically relevant or not. We have 200 million votes being counted on election day. There are going to be mistakes, there are going to be cheaters, and there are going to be morons. But are they statistically important to the end result?

I watched it live, it was excellent. He looked better than I did coming down the finish chute!

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/11/11/evidence-suggests-several-state-senate-candidates-were-plants-funded-by-dark-money/?fbclid=IwAR1OsGTEMYlAkqa4G5XyS7_etae87uBp3xBrCgLdBQQ6HelepXasQKMWqUc This is a pretty kooky story out of Florida. I don't have a lot of sympathy for voters that accidently voted for the wrong candidate based on them having the same name, but it is pretty comical. My guess is they were hoping they were voting for former baseball player A-Rod.

Hah, looks pretty campy.

Spore has aged pretty well.

Xenonauts 2 is coming out soon. By soon I mean 2021ish, but I've been following the development and it looks like solid sequel. Early Access will come out around January.

That actually sounds amazing to me.

I was looking over my library of Assassin's Creed games the other day, and I was trying to muster up the interest to play AC: Origins. I love the setting and the RPGish changes made in the game, but there is one major plot issue that makes it hard for me to ever get into. So without further ado, here is my thread on stupid plot devices: (somewhat spoiler free, since they happen at the start of the game) AC: Origins - You stab your own kid. The entire gameplay of these titles is based around you being this amazing warrior, capable of precise acts of skill in battle. You confront some people holding your son hostage. So of course, they cut scene you into a scenario where you plunge a weapon into your own child. I get they are trying to create some sense of vengeance against the hostage takers, but at the end the cut scene, it was pretty clear I was at fault. The reality is, if I could live with myself after a terrible act like this, I'd probably never want to touch a weapon again. The game does not give you that option, unless setting it aside and not playing was their goal. Dragon Age 2 - After fleeing from Westeros, or whatever the DA continent plagued with darkspawn is called, you end up at a city with a bunch of other refugees. When you approach the city gates, a group of refugees (or are they deserters? Does it matter? Their country was taken over by darkspawn) are trying to get in. Ok, so these guys have fled for their lives and they are desperate. But are they really desperate enough to attack a walled fortress city? They are, I guess, which is dumb. But then they also attack you, and you are basically forced by the game into massacring them. Yay for choice and consequence! Wasteland 3 - This is a spoiler

Heh, that is an uncomfortable kind of humor.

Speaking of which, I do think it is comforting to remember that all these conservatives managed 8 years under a Muslim foreigner as President without getting too violent, so hopefully all this bluster will remain bark over bite.

It sounds like you will get your Steam key on December 3rd. I can't find anything about GoG. I think I get a Steam key as well, since I backed it before the EGS switch.

I have made the commitment and started in on Witcher 3. I finished Witcher 2 a little over a year ago, so I think I'm ready. It's weird how difficult it is for me to start these games, but I'm pretty hooked now. I've owned it for years and had it just sitting, waiting for the right moment. So far seems pretty good. I also started the TV show.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/11/09/silicon-valley-founder-of-12-employee-tech-startup-sues-trump-administration-over-denied-visa/ Enjoy some mental gymnastics on how immigration works in the US.

Your analogy might work if it was a few thousand planes that were hijacked.

AOC is a freshman, soon to be sophomore, representative in the House for about 700,000 people in New York. It is strange how much attention she gets from both sides of the aisle in this country.

I will say this, I played Phoenix point when it came out and it was rough. Then I played it a few months ago and it was great. That extra time really brought it a long way. It is a solid addition to the Xcom style genre.