It’s Still A Damn Free Country

Every so often, we dispense with the guests and just let the hosts riff on whatever comes to their minds. That’s what we did for this week’s show, as Peter, Rob, and James jam about Joe Biden entering the race, the politics of impeachment, the new found popularity of socialism, including Medicare For All and cancelling student loans (in certain sectors of the culture), and finally, Rob’s (somewhat sad) impending departure from Venice, CA.

Music from this week’s show: California by Lenny Kravitz

Actual photo of Rob’s house being packed up for moving (taken 4/25/19).

Subscribe to The Ricochet Podcast in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.

Now become a Ricochet member for only $5.00 a month! Join and see what you’ve been missing.

There are 65 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Morley Stevenson (View Comment):
    Where is the volume control?

    On your computer.

    This is the correct answer. All modern keyboards have a volume control.

    When I select the posts I published it only goes back a few months. Where can I access the posts I published from years back?

    • #31
  2. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):
    When I select the posts I published it only goes back a few months. Where can I access the posts I published from years back?

    It’s a known issue and Max is working on it:

    http://ricochet.com/members/max/activity/1371712/

    (“Restore pagination to member post archives”)

    • #32
  3. LibertyDefender Member
    LibertyDefender
    @LibertyDefender

    The Cloaked Gaijin (View Comment):

    I want to move to Minnesota just so I can write in “James Lileks” in as a name to replace Ilhan Omar. 

    If I were to move to Minnesota, it would be so I can write “James Lileks” in the snow.

    • #33
  4. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    Stad (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):
    Doctors are willing to take some Medicare patients, in spite of the low reimbursement rates, because they make their living on their privately insured patients.

    Very few these days. Most have signs in their offices “No longer taking Medicare patients.”

    My doctor’s private practice went belly-up because he had too many Medicare patients, and the reimbursments from the government were always below what it actually cost, and chronically late.

     

    “According to the latest Medscape Physician Compensation Report, 7% of doctors are not accepting new-patient visits from Medicare beneficiaries. Another 4% will stop treating some or all of their current Medicare patients, and will no longer take on new ones. A surprising 16% of providers surveyed said that they are still deciding about taking on and treating new Medicare and Medicaid patients.” — infinx.com, July 3, 2018

    • #34
  5. The Cloaked Gaijin Member
    The Cloaked Gaijin
    @TheCloakedGaijin

    LibertyDefender (View Comment):

    The Cloaked Gaijin (View Comment):

    I want to move to Minnesota just so I can write in “James Lileks” in as a name to replace Ilhan Omar.

    If I were to move to Minnesota, it would be so I can write “James Lileks” in the snow.

    Is that how they traditionally count votes in Minnesota?

    • #35
  6. John Russell Coolidge
    John Russell
    @JohnRussell

    The date on this Podcast is April 26. Even so, the text of the advertisement for Pro Flowers begins: “Valentine’s Day is just days away.”  Copy editor, please call your office

    • #36
  7. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Morley Stevenson (View Comment):
    Where is the volume control?

    On your computer.

    This is the correct answer. All modern keyboards have a volume control.

    There should be something on the page-embedded players, too.  In order to allow for proper level ranges.  Although this site, most of the time anyway, does okay there.  Some places have streaming and podcast audio with the level so low, even cranking it up all the way on your end, isn’t enough.  Plus then anything else that comes alone – email notification, etc – can be deafening.

    • #37
  8. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Stad (View Comment):

    Rob’s take on food stamps being a success made me think (Damn him!).

    If food stamps are viewed as food vouchers and they work great, then why not do the same thing with public education vouchers? Food stamp vouchers didn’t put grocery stores out of business, so why would education vouchers put public schools out of business?

    There are no bloated, inefficient, leftist “government grocery stores” to deal with, that will try to stop any kind of voucher system, etc.

     

    • #38
  9. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    John Russell (View Comment):

    The date on this Podcast is April 26. Even so, the text of the advertisement for Pro Flowers begins: “Valentine’s Day is just days away.” Copy editor, please call your office

    Good catch, will fix. 

    • #39
  10. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Peter Robinson (View Comment):
    we had a couple of guests lined up, and something came up at the last minute for each.

    I’m always available . . .

    • #40
  11. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Rob’s take on food stamps being a success made me think (Damn him!).

    If food stamps are viewed as food vouchers and they work great, then why not do the same thing with public education vouchers? Food stamp vouchers didn’t put grocery stores out of business, so why would education vouchers put public schools out of business?

    There are no bloated, inefficient, leftist “government grocery stores” to deal with, that will try to stop any kind of voucher system, etc.

     

    True.  There are differences to be accounted for.  However, even the existence of food banks like Golden Harvest has hardly put a dent in grocery store sales.  The real competition will come from private schools.  The question is, what will be the tipping point where the teachers unions say, “You know, we’d better start teaching more and preaching less”?

    • #41
  12. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Peter got a little too enthused trying to make Joe Biden into the savior of the Great American Center.  It turns out Robinson’s dark side/alter ego is just Hubert Humphrey, which means even his dark side is a nice guy–is anybody surprise by that? 

    But I’m afraid it’s too late to unleash a new Happy Warrior.  Humphrey would be considered a Nazi by the modern left. And even a legendary opinion poll-surfer like Biden will not be able to flip fast enough to bake the cake the Democratic Party’s donors and activists will demand.

    • #42
  13. LibertyDefender Member
    LibertyDefender
    @LibertyDefender

    Stad (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Rob’s take on food stamps being a success made me think (Damn him!).

    If food stamps are viewed as food vouchers and they work great, then why not do the same thing with public education vouchers? Food stamp vouchers didn’t put grocery stores out of business, so why would education vouchers put public schools out of business?

    There are no bloated, inefficient, leftist “government grocery stores” to deal with, that will try to stop any kind of voucher system, etc.

    True. … The real competition will come from private schools.

    This is the only possible solution. Government monopoly union-represented teachers will never improve. There’s no need for them to improve. The worse they do, the more money they get.

    Total privatization is ultimately the only hope.

    • #43
  14. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    LibertyDefender (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Rob’s take on food stamps being a success made me think (Damn him!).

    If food stamps are viewed as food vouchers and they work great, then why not do the same thing with public education vouchers? Food stamp vouchers didn’t put grocery stores out of business, so why would education vouchers put public schools out of business?

    There are no bloated, inefficient, leftist “government grocery stores” to deal with, that will try to stop any kind of voucher system, etc.

    True. … The real competition will come from private schools.

    This is the only possible solution. Government monopoly union-represented teachers will never improve. There’s no need for them to improve. The worse they do, the more money they get.

    Total privatization is ultimately the only hope.

     

    Calling public education socialist is actually an insult to socialism.  

    No socialist would set up a system in which the more experience you have, the easier your assignment; while the toughest schools get a new crop of rookies every year.  But that’s what union seniority rules require.

    Public education violates the First Amendment, in any case.

    In the early 20th century, when the Supreme Court crossed out the first five words of the First Amendment, so that it could use it against state and local governments, public education was grandfathered in. 

    • #44
  15. RPD Inactive
    RPD
    @RPD

    It’s been an interesting couple years without health insurance. When you pay cash you get to learn the cost of things. Take the Dentist. A checkup is 100 bucks, a tooth extraction $125, but a root canal is nearly a $1000. The other week I went to an urgent care (aka Statcare) and talked to the LPN (which resolved my problem). That bit was $200, but for paying in cash they gave me a 60% discount.

    I find I pay less than $500 a year for routine care. Without the incentive of not being able to get coverage for a pre-existing condition, I’ll wait til something comes up to get my Obama-care.

    • #45
  16. VUtah Member
    VUtah
    @VUtah

    Listening to Rob Long talk about the sorting of his belongings and the decisions he needs to make regarding keeping them or disposing of them I thought of a Ricochet fundraiser:

    All members of Ricochet can bid on Rob’s cast offs. 

    • #46
  17. FredGoodhue Coolidge
    FredGoodhue
    @FredGoodhue

    Taras (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):
    Doctors are willing to take some Medicare patients, in spite of the low reimbursement rates, because they make their living on their privately insured patients.

    Very few these days. Most have signs in their offices “No longer taking Medicare patients.”

    My doctor’s private practice went belly-up because he had too many Medicare patients, and the reimbursments from the government were always below what it actually cost, and chronically late.

     

    “According to the latest Medscape Physician Compensation Report, 7% of doctors are not accepting new-patient visits from Medicare beneficiaries. Another 4% will stop treating some or all of their current Medicare patients, and will no longer take on new ones. A surprising 16% of providers surveyed said that they are still deciding about taking on and treating new Medicare and Medicaid patients.” — infinx.com, July 3, 2018

    It’s not fair to include data and a citation in a discussion.  :) 

    • #47
  18. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Stad (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Rob’s take on food stamps being a success made me think (Damn him!).

    If food stamps are viewed as food vouchers and they work great, then why not do the same thing with public education vouchers? Food stamp vouchers didn’t put grocery stores out of business, so why would education vouchers put public schools out of business?

    There are no bloated, inefficient, leftist “government grocery stores” to deal with, that will try to stop any kind of voucher system, etc.

    True. There are differences to be accounted for. However, even the existence of food banks like Golden Harvest has hardly put a dent in grocery store sales. The real competition will come from private schools. The question is, what will be the tipping point where the teachers unions say, “You know, we’d better start teaching more and preaching less”?

    That’s not something they can just decide.   They’ve gone through years of “teacher’s school” that didn’t teach THEM how to do a decent job, so they really couldn’t even if they wanted to.

    • #48
  19. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Taras (View Comment):
    No socialist would set up a system in which the more experience you have, the easier your assignment; while the toughest schools get a new crop of rookies every year. But that’s what union seniority rules require.

    That’s another “first cause” type of problem, at least that’s how I think of it.

    The social purpose of marriage is not for any two (or more?) people (or barnyard animals?) of whatever mix-and-match “genders,” to be “Happy.”

    Similarly, the social purpose of education is not for teachers, administrators, etc, to feel like they had a rewarding career and then a comfortable retirement.

    But over time, that’s what it has become.

    It’s a terrible movie in many ways, but one line from Nick Nolte in the movie “Teachers” hit the nail on the head: “They’re (students) not here for us (teachers).  We’re here for them!”

    • #49
  20. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Rob’s take on food stamps being a success made me think (Damn him!).

    If food stamps are viewed as food vouchers and they work great, then why not do the same thing with public education vouchers? Food stamp vouchers didn’t put grocery stores out of business, so why would education vouchers put public schools out of business?

    There are no bloated, inefficient, leftist “government grocery stores” to deal with, that will try to stop any kind of voucher system, etc.

    True. There are differences to be accounted for. However, even the existence of food banks like Golden Harvest has hardly put a dent in grocery store sales. The real competition will come from private schools. The question is, what will be the tipping point where the teachers unions say, “You know, we’d better start teaching more and preaching less”?

    That’s not something they can just decide. They’ve gone through years of “teacher’s school” that didn’t teach THEM how to do a decent job, so they really couldn’t even if they wanted to.

    That is a good point. Teacher schools have become cesspools of romantic and anti-empirical approaches to teaching. Much like millennials, much of the blame for how they turned belongs to the institution that betrayed them.

    • #50
  21. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Morley Stevenson (View Comment):
    Where is the volume control?

    On your computer.

    This is the correct answer. All modern keyboards have a volume control.

    And if the keyboard doesn’t, the software on the machine does.

    You know it’s really ALL software, right?  “Volume control” on the keyboard is just sending signals to the software.

    But the point remains, the embedded podcast player(s) should have a volume control too.  If only so a boost can be applied if the recorded volume is lower than it really should be.  Without that option, you could turn your computer’s volume up all the way, and still might not have enough.

    • #51
  22. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    kedavis (View Comment):
    You know it’s really ALL software, right? “Volume control” on the keyboard is just sending signals to the software.

    Yes, I know. The point was that not all keyboards have that.

    • #52
  23. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Morley Stevenson (View Comment):
    Where is the volume control?

    On your computer.

    This is the correct answer. All modern keyboards have a volume control.

    And if the keyboard doesn’t, the software on the machine does.

    You know it’s really ALL software, right? “Volume control” on the keyboard is just sending signals to the software.

    But the point remains, the embedded podcast player(s) should have a volume control too. If only so a boost can be applied if the recorded volume is lower than it really should be. Without that option, you could turn your computer’s volume up all the way, and still might not have enough.

    We’ll look into restoring the volume slider. 

    • #53
  24. Julia1492 Member
    Julia1492
    @Julia1492

    Burwick Chiffswiddle (View Comment):

    My guess:

    Rob’s friend’s house is in a local historic district with a board of architectural review (BOAR), and the board of architectural review doesn’t distinguish between old and new, intact and altered, or beauty and eyesore. Its regulations apply to everything within the district.

    In theory, BOARs are a fittingly federalist way of balancing the need to build and the need to preserve. In practice, though, they’re a nightmare.

    This story made me laugh when it got to the electric car bit. 

    • #54
  25. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Julia1492 (View Comment):

    Burwick Chiffswiddle (View Comment):

    My guess:

    Rob’s friend’s house is in a local historic district with a board of architectural review (BOAR), and the board of architectural review doesn’t distinguish between old and new, intact and altered, or beauty and eyesore. Its regulations apply to everything within the district.

    In theory, BOARs are a fittingly federalist way of balancing the need to build and the need to preserve. In practice, though, they’re a nightmare.

    This story made me laugh when it got to the electric car bit.

    It’s always nice to see leftists hoisted by their own petard, as it were.  Something like the expression you’d expect to see on Mazie Hirono’s stupid face after pointing out that if she and AOC et al were to be successful at eliminating air travel, Hawaii is doomed.

    • #55
  26. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Morley Stevenson (View Comment):
    Where is the volume control?

    On your computer.

    This is the correct answer. All modern keyboards have a volume control.

    And if the keyboard doesn’t, the software on the machine does.

    You know it’s really ALL software, right? “Volume control” on the keyboard is just sending signals to the software.

    But the point remains, the embedded podcast player(s) should have a volume control too. If only so a boost can be applied if the recorded volume is lower than it really should be. Without that option, you could turn your computer’s volume up all the way, and still might not have enough.

    We’ll look into restoring the volume slider.

    Looking good so far.  I was seeing “undefined” next to them for a while, but that’s cleared now.

    There are still some font problems, I would say in particular for the numbers of comments etc.  Those are hard to read, especially for 2s and 3s and 5s and 8s which look too similar.

    • #56
  27. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    John Russell (View Comment):

    The date on this Podcast is April 26. Even so, the text of the advertisement for Pro Flowers begins: “Valentine’s Day is just days away.” Copy editor, please call your office

    Good catch, will fix.

    The Robinhood promos are usually wrong too.  They say “smartgirl” instead of “ricochet.”

    • #57
  28. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Blue Yeti (View Comment):

    John Russell (View Comment):

    The date on this Podcast is April 26. Even so, the text of the advertisement for Pro Flowers begins: “Valentine’s Day is just days away.” Copy editor, please call your office

    Good catch, will fix.

    The Robinhood promos are usually wrong too. They say “smartgirl” instead of “ricochet.”

    The Pro Flowers ad module has been fixed. We’ll fix the Robinhood one too. Thanks for the heads up. 

    • #58
  29. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Taras (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):
    Doctors are willing to take some Medicare patients, in spite of the low reimbursement rates, because they make their living on their privately insured patients.

    Very few these days. Most have signs in their offices “No longer taking Medicare patients.”

    My doctor’s private practice went belly-up because he had too many Medicare patients, and the reimbursments from the government were always below what it actually cost, and chronically late.

     

    “According to the latest Medscape Physician Compensation Report, 7% of doctors are not accepting new-patient visits from Medicare beneficiaries. Another 4% will stop treating some or all of their current Medicare patients, and will no longer take on new ones. A surprising 16% of providers surveyed said that they are still deciding about taking on and treating new Medicare and Medicaid patients.” — infinx.com, July 3, 2018

    And I found surveys that went up to 38% not accepting new patients.  The point is Medicare and Medicaid must cut costs if they are to avoid the looming financial cliff.  As reimbursements shrink and are further delayed, more and more private practices will close until all that’s left are mega-health care centers.  They’ll be like WalMart, but with the low prices . . .

    • #59
  30. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Stad (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Taras (View Comment):
    Doctors are willing to take some Medicare patients, in spite of the low reimbursement rates, because they make their living on their privately insured patients.

    Very few these days. Most have signs in their offices “No longer taking Medicare patients.”

    My doctor’s private practice went belly-up because he had too many Medicare patients, and the reimbursments from the government were always below what it actually cost, and chronically late.

     

    “According to the latest Medscape Physician Compensation Report, 7% of doctors are not accepting new-patient visits from Medicare beneficiaries. Another 4% will stop treating some or all of their current Medicare patients, and will no longer take on new ones. A surprising 16% of providers surveyed said that they are still deciding about taking on and treating new Medicare and Medicaid patients.” — infinx.com, July 3, 2018

    And I found surveys that went up to 38% not accepting new patients. The point is Medicare and Medicaid must cut costs if they are to avoid the looming financial cliff. As reimbursements shrink and are further delayed, more and more private practices will close until all that’s left are mega-health care centers. They’ll be like WalMart, but with the low prices . . .

    And Chinese doctors?

    • #60
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.