the public option to mail letters cheaply will put fedex and ups out of business!

[unblock]

oh wait, fedex and ups charge many times more that usps and yet they've been profitable for years (present extreme recession excluded).

but that could never possibly apply to the health insurance debate. any public option means the instant death of private enterprise. it's a shame capitalism is so fragile that it can't stand any form of choice.

[ellacott]

1. Very good analogy

[TahitiNut]

2. Require FedEx and UPS to carry 3rd class and 4th class mail.

Require everyone to compete across the same spectrum of services. See how long that would last.

One of the reasons Medicare passed is because the over-65 crowd was the most COSTLY to insure. The rates charged by health insurers NEVER dropped commensurate to the reduction in benefit costs.

Health-insurance-for-profit wants ONLY those who don't collect benefits.

[rateyes]

3. UPS and FedEx, etc.

aren't allowed to mail first-class letters. If they were allowed to do that, it would probably put the USPS out of business. But, you make a good point in that the USPS is forced to compete with private companies in shipping packages, and the prices are competitive. I thought conservatives thought that competition was a good thing. Go figure.

[unblock]

4. "conservatives" think competition is a good thing, but there are no conservatives in the gop

once upon a time, republicans believed in capitalism. now they just believe in big business.

they are right-wingers, fascists, corporatists, supply-siders.
they are in favor of anything that helps existing big businesses at the expense of all else.
there is nothing "conservative" about this, and certainly nothing "capitalist" about it either.

those who support competition are squarely in the democratic party, on the center-left or radical left these days.

[SlipperySlope]

5. FedEx and UPS aren't allowed to compete with USPS

USPS has a government monopoly on handling mail. That monopoly doesn't extend to packages or things like "urgent documents".

It's almost like the situation is reversed here, huh? With mail, you prohibit a private option to protect the USPS. With health care, you prohibit a public option to protect who?

[unblock]

8. they do compete on everything except first-class non-urgent letters

that exception is valid, but does anyone think a public health insurance option would be EXACTLY the same as the private options? of course there are going to be some differences between the public and private health insurance, and no doubt the public option would be geared to be a tolerable but not the most desirable plan, thereby allowing private plans room to compete.

point is, here's another industry where public and private options co-exist just fine. why on earth should ANY form of public option necessarily mean the instant death of all private alternatives?

[ejpoeta]

6. but the post office seems to be struggling. hmm. though i did just go buy a book of stamps.

They just aren't the 'forever' stamps I keep hearing about. Oh well. besides, I checked my mail when i got home as the mail was just going by, and I had my neighbors mail. So I went over and knocked on his door and delivered it myself. WEll, it is friday. and that doesn't usually happen. It was ALL of his mail, so i guess the mail person wasn't paying that much attention. I am going to guess we didn't have any, because I checked his box and there was no mail in it. but i digress.

the bs about competition suddenly being a bad thing is ludicrous. these assholes are all about competition. but they want the competition like the gas stations that ALL have the same exact price. They want the kind of competition that kills off all the little town and city stores in favor of big walmarts.

[unblock]

10. their idea of competition involves stomping on us to compete with chinese boogeymen

or the japanese boogeymen or the indian boogeymen or ....

they much prefer mergers to ELIMINATE competition rather than, oh, maybe, make the best product....

[redqueen]

7. Nice one.

[redqueen]

9. Kicking this most excellent talking point.

:kick:

[NightWatcher]

11. D'oh, get yer common sense outta this debate

[unblock]

12. according to mrs. unblock, common sense is not my forte.

but then, political points don't win me much around the house....

[Fire1]

13. I'm with you on that. After all, isn't competition the foundation

of capitalism? WTH?

[unblock]

14. who says our system is capitalism?

it's corrupt government and big business-ism.
nothing capitalistic about it, no matter how much republicans claim otherwise.

[Fire1]

15. Ok. n/t

[unblock]

16. hey, this thread won a duzy! cool!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5884575

i'd like to thank the academy....

[tabbycat31]

17. I used this talking point yesterday

[unblock]

18. ... and ... ?

[tabbycat31]

19. it made sense to everyone

the government is able to compete against private entity. They did not put UPS and Fedex out of business.