You gotta wonder if Wal-Mart and other companies feel like idiots for never trying for a MANDATE

[Vinnie From Indy]

I can imagine in boardrooms all over the country executives are kicking themselves for not trying to get their own mandates years ago. They probably hate the insurance industry as much we do but only because they were scooped on getting in on this novel new way to get paid. All these years of dumping billions and billions of dollars on lawmakers at all levels to rig the game against Joe Schmoe when all they ahd to do was get a law passed mandating that all Americans use their products or stores or services. As the Guinness Beer guys say, "BRILLIANT!"

[MineralMan]

1. Oddly enough, Walmart built its business by cutting prices.

They didn't need a mandate. Would that the insurance companies would follow the example.

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. AFL-CIO is *demanding* a mandate -- on employers

The nation's largest union group said Thursday that it will not support the Democratic health-care bill unless "substantial changes" are made to the current Senate version.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement to reporters that without a public option for insurance coverage or an employer mandate...the health care legislation supported by Senate Democrats falls far short of meeting his group's standards.

Employers are going to add insurance and keep wages level? Those premiums are coming from somewhere and it's not the bottom line. What's the difference between the money going through the employer's hands to the insurance company, and it going direct from the employee?

The AFL-CIO -- corporatist hacks. Demanding their members support insurance companies.

[alc]

3. I've been feeling since July

that no matter what else is in this bill, if there is a mandate it is completely unacceptable. Any/all required payments have to be in the form of taxes to the government. Any mandate that we buy something (even if there is an option to buy it from the government) is a REAL bad precedent.

CBO covered the precedence issue in the 1993 HCR reviews.

Politicians and businessmen will immediately start thinking of ways to use the precedent. It may take a decade, or 50 years, or 100 years, but they will figure out how to make us buy milk to support dairy farmers (to keep prices low for those who want milk), or American cars to keep GM/Ford/whoever afloat (easier to force us to buy them that deal with tariffs), or invest X% of our income through AIG (or where ever they decide).

Try to imagine the worst thing Bush/Cheney and a republican congress could mandate. A president & congress like that is likely to happen again. Do you want them to have the precedent of mandates?

And, while mandates are new and hopefully scary to us, our kids will grow up thinking they are normal. That lets the government take another step and set a precedent to require us to do something more.

[HopeHoops]

4. WalMart is the master of sleaze in avoiding providing benefits.

They have a rampant abuse system where employees are given two part-time jobs in different departments, neither of which carries enough hours to qualify for benefits. HOWEVER, an employee can work more than 40 hours per week in the same department because they cross bill to the other one, even if the employee never spends a minute working in that department. It is beyond disgusting. I don't know how anyone can put up with that shit.

[MessiahRp]

6. Yep, The different departments are run as separate companies almost.

I remember specifically Jewelry, Shoes and a few others actually hired their own associates independent from regular store employees.

Rp

[HopeHoops]

9. One of the neighbor kids (well, she's probably 24 now) got caught up in that.

WalMart promised her the Sun, Moon and Stars - full benefits, full time work, etc. She never saw that. They did the split department thing on her and she was never eligible for health insurance. That's what she took the job to get! I don't know what she's doing for insurance now, but she's been delivering for Papa Johns for about two years now and said she's making out better on tips than she did working at WalMart. I'm pretty sure she asks to deliver to our house because most of the time she's the one who shows up (I tip pretty well). She also knows to knock, not ring the door bell, because the doorbell makes the dogs go ape shit.

[bighart]

8. You don't know what you are talking about.

Work hours are reported by your social security number, not what department you work in. Whoever told you this either doesn't know what they are talking about or is just lying.

[tomm2thumbs]

5. the mandate is only for American companies - maybe they should do that with ALL products

there - trade surplus problem solved

I think Canada should be allowed to offer health care services - it would still be cheaper to fly to canada for procedures than to pay the profits on these corporate giants in the US -and as an added benefit, you get to see another world where people don't lock their doors at night because they are so afraid of being killed in their sleep they can't help themselves.

[optimator]

7. private education mandates are next

in some form or another.
The DLC wants to gut public education.