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Subscribe to RSSHarry Reid says there will be a Senate vote on the Paul Ryan budget.
“According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, Americans are now split on Boehner. Thirty-four percent hold a favorable view of the Speaker, while another 34 percent view him unfavorably. That's down from Boehner's high of 42 percent favorable, measured in mid-January,” The Hill writes.
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John “Kerry, a leading proponent of the Obama administration’s controversial attempt to improve relations with Syria, has publicly warned Assad not to kill his own people. But Kerry has not called for him to step down, as he did with embattled leaders in Egypt and Libya,” the Boston Globe reports, adding, “Now, as the Obama administration condemns Assad for the brutal attacks on his citizens and prepares sanctions against his regime, its diplomatic overtures and Kerry’s role are coming under increasing scrutiny. ‘While he went there to have dinner with Assad, people were being tortured,’ said Elliott Abrams, who was a senior adviser to President George W. Bush.”
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Really? News flash from a senior Bush adviser! Where were you when the Bush Administration was sanctioning it at Abu Ghraib and rest of their prisons in the name of National Security? Oh that's right water boarding, sleep deprivation, etc. isn't torture. Sorry, I questioned your integrity Mr. Abrams!
Devie, He was probably in the same place as when Obama started torturing American Soldiers.
Dumbest guestion of the day...Why waste time on a vote on the Ryan Budget in the Senate where this NO chance of it passing. Wouldn't we be better served if the Seante talked about creating jobs, Medicare and Medicaid, the debt ceiling and the 3 wars we are involved in. A debate and vote on the Ryan budget...a proposal that is DOA...that's what's important now...after Obama's place of birth and Easter Egg hunts on the White House lawn. These people really need to ger serious.
Ira - This is not a dumb vote....Republicans need to be "on the record" in the Senate on whether or not they support ending Medicare as we know it and giving seniors vouchers to go out in the private market and buy their health insurance. It's vitally important that the American people understand what's a stake here for their future and whether or not they will be able to access decent medical care when they become elderly. I want the Republicans on record as favoring the elimination of Medicare.
Ira Lapin, I've got to agree with laurie - this is a very important vote. I want to know who in the Senate supports killing Medicare. Republicans can't just rattle off GOP talking points in sound bites on cable news - they've got to stand behind their rhetoric.
Hell no, it's not gonna pass nor would our president sign such ridiculous legislation into law. But when 70% of America is screaming not to take away Medicare and Social Security, I hope our representatives are listening!
The Senate NEEDS to take a vote on this so the American people can see who is for them and who isnt.
Get it?
ps any 40 or 50 year old tea baggers want try to what me and America what the hell good an approx $8000 voucher will do for you by the time u get ready to retire? esecially w any health condition : high blood pressure, cancer, diabetise, HIV ..........
You guys are exaggerating again as usual. Everyone in America that pays attention knows who is for and who will be against. It is simple, just like most other votes. Republicans vote one way and the Democrats just the opposite.
I'm 45 and I have known most of my life that SS would not be there for me. I was taught to prepare for that reality. I know most of you in my generation has been taught the same thing. You knew the baby-boomer's were coming and SS will be devastated.
Medicare will be revised whether it happens now or in a few years, it is coming. Most of America doesn't want anything cut but yet do not want to pay for anything either.
Do you think by taking a vote that will change a vote at the polls? I don't think so. I know how I'm voting right now. I do not need a campaign to attempt to persuade me, I will vote the same way I always do and so will you.
InTheMiddle - Another Texan I see!!! Well I'm sure there are many Americans who would gladly pay a bit more in FICA to preserve the protection of Medicare. You have no idea what this programs means to seniors and how much of their medical care is paid for by the government. Seniors are able to get the medical care they need when they need it most because the government picks up 90% of the tab!!! How many seniors do you know that could pay out of their pocket for most of the medical care they now need? How many private insurance companies are going to be willing to insure a 75 years old at a reasonable price w/o co-pays and deductibles? You are not thinking clearly if you think that people aren't passionate about preserving Medicare and Social Security. They are and they will vote to preserve them in the next election. If Republicans run on ending these programs as we know them to save them....they will lose big. Now perhpas those of you in Texas can have your Medicare taken away.......is Texas still a state in this union?
InTheMiddle is what I condsider a typical TP/GOP with the attitude of "Ive got mine now you get yours."
Failing to have compasion for people that attemp to get theirs and fall short or get an unlucky roll of the health dice and get cancer in which case his attitude is "Tough S>>>"
Laurie, while I'll give you that Ryan's plan may not be the answer, the question really is this- what is your side putting forth to counter it? Medicare costs are unsustainable right now and only going to grow as we move forward. PPACA reduces funding for the program in order to pay for itself. When the program is already underfunded, doctors are already refusing to continue treating Medicare patients and the money source is drying up while the expense grows, something has to give. Increasing FICA contributions might be part of the solution but unless we address the root cause of the Medicare issue, all the increase in taxes doesn't make a dent in the problem. So how about we put forth some other ideas instead of just saying don't touch my benefits and maybe we can restructure the system so it continues to provide the support those current Medicare beneficiaries need as well as the benefits for those of us who won't retire for decades.
Aren't many of these lib ladies just so cute. Have compassion for those on Medicare. Don't try to fix Medicare even it will bankrupt the country or go bankrupt as a program. No lets just keep doing what we are doing so we can keep getting what we are getting. Morons.
Way to miss the point complety Milcon. What he is saying is we can fix Medicare and Medicade without screwing over any generation. No one wants to have a seirous conversation about this!
The vote has to be taken so that we may have a record of which Senators are and are not in favor of the Ryan plan.
....and you don't think this will not be a vote exactly split on party lines?
Ira - Do you not get it???
No, I don't get it. The Ryan proposal will NEVER pass the Senate in it's present form. Any vote taken will be along party lines just as most of the budget votes in the past has been. Are you saying we need to know who voted for or against it? Why, we already know. As for the consequences of passing this budget proposal, it would be devasting to thje country. I'm well aware of that. So, as it will never pass the Senate in it's present form and we ALL know it, why waste time with the vote. List the names of the Democratic Seantors on one side and the GOPers on the other. What are we to learen from this? I REALLY don't get it.
Ira - It's crucial to get a recorded vote so those senators are on record as having voted for or against the Ryan budget. That way when election time comes around if a Democrat is challenging a Republican for a Senate seat, the Democrat can point out to the Republican's constituents that this particular Senator voted to end Medicare as we know it and institute a voucher system whereby seniors must go into the private market to obtain health insurance with no guarantees as to benefits or premiums as is the case now. Voters need to know where their representatives stand and if they don't vote and if a record isn't there, these Republicans who may very well be in favor of Ryan's budget and the Medicare provisions might be able to obscure their views or lie outright and tell voters they would never have voted for such a plan. Do you see now why it's important for these senators to be on the record?
I think what will be telling is how many Republican Senators vote against ... or 'present' instead of putting their careers on the line. We didn't send these elected officials to DC to do as THEY please - it's as WE please and 70% of America says Ryan's budget is wrong.
They're already on the record, over and over, GOP on one side and Democrats on the other. You need an official vote to tell you that. Do you really think the majority of voters in this country are going to Google who voted for what? Just me and maybe I'm jaded, but Bush got a second term, Obama saved this country from fiancial ruin and the democrats got slaughtered in the last election. The Tea Party became (truly nauseating) a political force and even today I'm reading this birther crap on this blog. NOOOOOO. I don't get it.
Have you watched Boehner on the news lately? On ABC, he's "for" eliminating oil subsidies - then on FOX, he's against it. Which is it? Do you consider that "on the record?" Until he votes for something, he can flip-flop all day long. But once he casts a vote in Congress, he married to that decision for life.
I think it is important for the Senate to have an up or down vote on every stupid idea that passes out of the House. Let's get the Republican Senators on record as to where they stand. Reid and the Democrats also avoid the "obstructionist" label as a result.
laurie - interesting argument...
Would the democrat candidate also bring up the point that by maintaining the status quo, medicare will also be eliminated completely as funding dries up? Rather convenient that you failed to mention that ryans plan would keep medicare the same for those 55 and older.
Interesting also that medicare copays and out of pocket expenses still apply to our current medicare system, Otherwise why would humana, AARP and others promote supplimental plans to cover the current gaps.
Think that that democrat would remind them of the $500 billion in cuts to medicare that the democrats made?
american - Would you like to debate me on this issue? You won't win. Again, I'm sure most Americans would be willing to pay a bit more in FICA taxes to maintain the guarantee of benefits for themselves and their children. You argument about, well the plan keeps Medicare the same for 55 and older. That argument is specious because it assumes and rightly so, that the current Medicare system is far superior to whatever these Cretans have in store for the rest of us. What does Medicare supplimental plans have to do with anything? Are you aware that a full comprehensive wrap around Medicare Suppliment can be had by a senior for around $160.00 per month? Are you aware that current seniors pay $96.40 per month for Medicare Part B and that Medicare Part A is free? That equals approximately $3076.00 per year for the average senior. For that small amount a senior gets to go to the doctor or hospital of their choosing as many times as they need to, can have all tests and procedures done that their doctor deems necessary, and doesn't have to pay a single penny further out of their pocket? How many under 65's do you know that have unlimited access to medical care for approximately $3000 a year? As for the $500 billion in Medicare cuts. Those savings came from a program call Medicare Advantage which was instituted about 10 years ago by Republicans in their successful argument that Medicare could be administered cheaper if it was done by private insurers. Well the truth of the matter is that Medicare Advantage costs 25% more to administer than traditional government run Medicare so the President's health care bill decreased that extra money to the private insurers to bring it more in line with what traditional Medicare spends to administer the program. Just another outright lie and scare tactic by the likes of people like you. You had no real idea what that $500 billion in supposed cuts were.
laurie-480643
Good analysis and you noticed that American is silent...... LOL nothing but crickets
So laurie, any comments on the following thinkprogress links, keep in mind that we are talking 10 year plans here...
From think progress dated oct 11, 2010
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/10/11/bennet-buck-medicare/
From the same author april 4 2011...
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/05/paul-ryan-medicare-cuts/?wpmp_switcher=desktop
As for medicare advantage those cuts amounted to $145 billion. At least it seems that obama and company have even backed of on cuts to medicare advantage of course it still comes with an initial cost to taxpayers of $6.7 billion. ...
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-na-medicare-reprieve-20110420,0,5229087.story
Looks like obama doesn't want to face the wrath of seniors in 2012.
Supplemental plans are relevant in that they are used to minimize or provide additional coverage to medicare. Why else would insurers provide this option? Sorry sweetie, medicare does have exclusions, at least that is what my older friends on medicare say. Your monthly cost numbers are interesting but it seems that there are too many plan variables to say any one cost will be the cost for all.
Care to tell us on how sound our current medicare funding is? The last I knew FICA contributions cover part A only. part B is deducted from your SS and you pay for part D.
So you are in favor of increased payroll deductions to fund the increasing costs of providing yourself with medicare and SS. I do hope that you mean increased FICA for all eligible to collect SS/medicare. Might as well throw in another tax for medicaid as well, right?
What is so specious about ryans plan keeping the current rules for medicare the same for seniors 55 and up? Actually laurie all it means is that ryan acknowledges the fact that a transition plan needs to be in place. Ryan is attempting to address projectred budgetary short falls due to a growing population and extended lifespans.
Feel free to go out and promote tax increases across the board for everyone to pay for maintaining the status quo, my mom won't care, she is in tight with SS and medicare.
I would love to see obama telling everyone on how payroll withholding needs to be increased before next years election. He better get selling, especially when he already verbally committed to not reducing medicare/medicaid. It will be interesting as to whether he can raise taxes enough before funding runs out?
Think that that democrat candidate would tell the voters of the $500 billion in cuts to medicare that the democrats made to fund obamacare? But then perhaps thinkprogress is wrong.
rick - the only reason you hear crickets is because your head is empty. Lmao!
american-2051576
rick - the only reason you hear crickets is because your head is empty. Lmao!
Well your response was 3or 4 hours later so not only are you slow but stupid too. I also notice un-american when you do have something to say its the same old Repub talking points. Talk about empty headed but I don't have time to waste on trolls like you un-american....now go home and get your shine box dimwit.
rick - ROTFLMAO at you post 3.14! Perhaps you like to spend all your time on the computer, but some like myself, have to generate income so the government can collect taxes.
Interesting that you called my response stupid, which one, to laurie? or to you?
LOL...Wow you are a fool. I've been away on business ( I own my own) and I am just back this week. I don't get to play on the computer all day like you as I have a lot clients to deal with, unlike you, as I believe you are nothing more than a low life liar.You are on here all the time with your cr@p so get a life and a real job loser.
Ira
It will never pass..true and will split along party lines (im guessing)..true
But a big percentage of voters voted these tea baggers in last election and this is exactly the result.
Totally agree. you get what you voted for and the most uninformed voters in this country voted for them. As for your need to put them on the record so they can't flip flop. Joking right? They are always going to be for or against it before they revised history and were against it before they were for it. They are on video news links, You Tube. quoted in papers, can be Googled and all the rest. The vote simply does not matter. We've wasted enough time on this. Thanks.
No Ira...get them on record so they can't deny they would have voted for the Ryan bill or muddy the waters by giving some elusive answer that confuses people as to where their position is. If you're on record your view is clear and people can vote knowing a candidates exact position without having to guess.
....and now Mitch McConnell is doing the exact same thing with the Obama budget proposal. Take a vote. The same people that voted no for the Ryan proposal will vote yes for the Obama proposal and visa versa. Politics. Nothing accomplished. Waste of time. Hey...you folks got people on record...they're not creating jobs or even doing their jobs...yet they are on the record for being for or against a bill that has not been discussed in committee, debated on the floor of each house or by the American people. Why not wait until a negotiated budget proposal is put forth, a REAL bill, and then get people on the record. This is just a waste.
The vote has to take place for the tea baggers to know exactly who it is they need to get rid of ...all that simple !
Ira, this is how legislation works. The House passes a bill, it goes to the Senate. It gets debated, or sent to committee, but eventually is voted on. Once the Senate AND House agree on a bill, it goes to the President. If the Senate votes on it right away, and it fails, it dies. OR the Senate produces a version and the House and Senate hash out a version they can agree on. Or someone fillibusters and prevents a vote from happening. But the bill shouldn't just disappear.
Kate...of all the people that responsed negatively to my post, you're post is the EXACT reason I'm wrong. Bill's do not disappear. They need to be defeated. Simple, clear and exactly right. Thx.
Until the GOP and its teabaggers in the Senate take a position, with an up or down vote on Ryan's budget plan, they can argue that they never intended to approve Ryan's approach of cutting benefits and decreasing taxes for the wealthy. Let the GOP senators put their votes where their voices have been. You can't debate an up or down vote once it is final.
Mike - Boehner is already walking back from his position by saying the Ryan budget is just a blue print...one of many ideas....Really???
laurie - Any complex legislative plan will undergo modification to pass without a presidential veto, unless one has control of both congress and the executive branch. Even with such control, modifications will be made to gain the votes required for passage.
american - I doubt Ryan's plan will survive in any recognizable form. There are no defense cuts, no repeal of the Bush tax cuts, no logical reform of Medicare within the confines of a government run program with the guarantees of coverage, no repeal of tax subsidies for oil and gas companies, etc. Ryan's budget is just unworkable. I submit to you that it may get a vote in the Senate but it will never pass and a different bill completely will emerge. There will be no tweeking of the Ryan plan. Again it's DOA. No Democrat will vote for that plan in the Senate and unless I'm wrong the Democrats still have majority control in the Senate. So DOA. If you think the President should STFU then that should go doublely for Boehner and Ryan. They have nothing of value to add to this conversation. They are in the pockets of corporate America and only care about what benefits that segment. The American people mean nothing to them.
laurie-480643
American- I doubt Ryan's plan will survive in any recognizable form.
Laurie how true and of course these Repubs were screaming " where are the jobs Mr. President" before the election. Now they have proposed nothing and all this bill would do is cost 700,000 jobs. You can't talk to people like American cause they really anti American.
laurie - actually ryan made the same cuts to the military as obama's initial $1.1 trillion budget cut plan.
If the senate and the house are working on a compromise plan why should obama interfer? Didn't he turn over that responsibility to biden?
The government can't guarentee squat if funding dries up. Think everyone in the world is going to run out and buy treasuries to keep up an ever increasing debt?
BTW - if obama can't supply numbers to his supposed campaign speech budget cuts, what good are they? Doesn't an economics plan require numbers?
rick - More fear mongering from the left? Sounds like reid is running out numbers on job losses again, care to share the link that supports this claim? How about sharing with us the number of lost jobs obamas plan will generate? Now is that 700000 lost jobs/year or over 10 years? Do I think that job losses won't occur? Of course they will. The government employess laid off better hope that they have the skill sets the private sector wants.
So rick where are the jobs that obama promised? How about all those "shovel ready" jobs?
american-2051576
rick - More fear mongering from the left?
Hey un-american are you stoned or just stupid? What alternate universe have you been on space cadet? Obama has been creating jobs for the last 18 months , although slowly and that's because you fools on the right have blocked just about everything he has proposed. Tell me un-american why would Repubs kill a bill that would stop the subsidies for creating jobs overdeaes or would have gotten rid of oil company subsidies? All your Corporate buddies that's why troll.
PS...You clowns always blame the other side for the exact same thing that you are doing and it is you guys that are the "rear over facts" crowd. Now be gone dimwit.
rick - trying to dazzle us with your command of the english language and vocabulary? Why do you find it so hard to reply to simple questions? Not simple enough for you??
Thanks for playing sweety!
american-2051576
rick - trying to dazzle us with your command of the english language and vocabulary? Why do you find it so hard to reply to simple questions? Not simple enough for you??
Thanks for playing sweety!
Really got to you, you silly boy you. Sorry that's not my persuasion but it certainly sounds like it is yours. Besides all this time I thought all you tough guy Repubs were against that sort of life but then again you guys are nothing but liars and fear mongering cheap shots artist.
PS ...you are too illiterate to understand what I am saying. Its not difficult to understand its just that you are challenged little fellow....thank you for playing and get a life.
Honor thy father and thy Mother
let the voting commence, find the common ground and then work to find a common ground on what is in disagreement.
Tell obama to stfu (we already heard his campaign rhetoric) while congress passes a doable FY2012 budget and a medium/long term debt reduction plan.
Yesterdays storm damage and loss of life illustrates the importance of having an economy that can take such a hit and rebound. Better to borrow in times of need than to maintain the status quo and pay increasing amounts of interest on that debt.
My condolances to those suffering personal loss of life.
As a conservative I find it disgusting that so many others that would call themselves conservative would draw the line at touching SS or Medicare. Their issue is not necessarily ignorance, but selfishness, and if so this is repulsive to me. I'm 60 so it's not like I have nothing at stake here. I realize the dire straights our economy is in and the absolute requirement that SS and Medicare be changed in a major way. Pres Obama did not mention entitlements in his budget for a good reason. He knew it would cause a firestorm of negativity against the Republicans if they did the RIGHT thing and addressed entitlement reform. They had the courage to do so, unlike Dems and our disgustingly weak President. I understand ignorance and selfishness from the Democrats, as that is their nature. To see it comes from those who profess to be conservative or Republicans is traitorous in my humble opinion. Go ahead and contribute to Pres Obama's reelection and absolute certainty of the destruction of this nation.
Milcon,
"I understand ignorance and selfishness from the Democrats, as that is their nature"...What I don't understand is how someone lives 60 years and somehow is still duped into believing in the "conservative"/Republican agenda. Selfish?...really? You mean the party that consistently tries to aid the poor? Oh..perhaps you meant the Republican party who consistently attempts to implement programs at a fairly high success rate to concentrate most of the wealth at the top...yeah...that sounds more like it.
Milcon...we all want an efficient government that doesn't squander our money away. But most of us believe in helping our own...even if it means we all most chip in. Thats not selfish...thats patriotic. I too understand the dire straights our economy is in but believe you me it wasn't because of poor people or the elderly. Sure do the social programs need to be revamped...of course...but we can do that once all those who were really responsible for the crash are brought to justice. Instead of acting on those that had nothing to do with this first why don't we look at those that have escaped punishment and made out on the crisis instead.
the big thing is that Republicans/Tea Party Senators and congressmen lose nothing, they have government Health Care, Government Pensions regardless of what they do to mainstream middle class, poor and old
They need to have public Health Care and pay for their own pensions, just like the rest of us
Until then they are liars who work for the Rich, Big Oil, Koch Brothers, Wall Street, Big Insurance companies drug companies
the only reason they want to change Medicare is to be able to give the Rich tax cuts
End the wars, cut defence spending , cut all tax loop holes, cut tax cuts to the Rich and Big Business, Big Oil
and we would have enough money to fund social security, medicare, Medicaid
But no the Republicans/Tea Party love war, love spending on cut tax cuts for the Rich , Koch Brothers their Masters
Give it up people and get serious. It is time to realize that who you hurt is yourself and others like you, all of us, with the ridiculous defense of your biases. Drop the biases, the prejudices, the emotions and the dogmatic, stubborn and idiotic defense of them. There are people out there who are trying desperately to use and exploit those narrow minded positions and it costs everyone except the very few when they are successful (ref. Bush-Cheney). You don't even have to like the Obamas or ever become a Democrat but in your own best interests, recognize that to be against them and favor the Republicans is self-defeating as the current Republicans (Tea Party incl.) are literally just 'puppets' for Special Interests and the influential, powerful and extremely wealthy few who strongly support them and 'pull their strings'. You may not like that but to ignore it, to deny it, is to reject reality and to play into the hands of those aggressively trying to con, manipulate, use and abuse you. It isn’t as if it is hard to see, it is all right there, obvious in their arrogant self-serving actions, their stubborn efforts to deceive and their costly total concentration on just the few (example Ryan budget). It is well past the time to 'wake up and smell the roses', for your own good.
It changes the debate if we stop calling Medicare, Social Security and to a lesser degree Medicaid, "entitlements." They are insurance plans to which you receive benefits because you are in the United States, and not in some place like Nigeria. Viewing them in this way gets us away from debating these as programs for the poor. Instead we debate what needs to be done to provide for our retired, disabled, children of those workers who died prematurely, the poor and the aged in need of health care. Could we deliver these programs differently, perhaps. More efficiently, probably. But we start with a certain level of benefits, as opposed to saying, oh wow is me, we can't afford this. We are still and will continue to be a very affluent country. We can stop doing stupid stuff, like stupid wars (the cost of Empire finally sunk Rome and Great Britain). We can gradually change our culture - encourage people to view hospice care as preferable to months of aggressive medicine at the end of life. Encourage the lower wage earners to save for their retirement (it would be more helpful if American employers paid higher wages). Raise the FICA cap. It is really difficult to run an advanced western democracy when our pay inequality puts us below most industrialized countries. Not to malign any other country, but it's really hard to continue being the US, when the population as a whole starts looking more and more like it lives in Thailand.
They are "insurance" plans and we all pay into them every paycheck, so the benefits are not just because we live in the US, they are because we have pre-paid for this insurance all our working lives. Good post.
Yes Kate and Wm - They are indeed insurance plans and we should be reminding our elected officials of that and not allow them to denegrate them by calling them entitlements as if they are welfare programs. We've earned these benefits through our labor efforts and they should not be compromised.
Why would the Senate Republicans fear voting on the Ryan bill?
After all, things are working out just fine for the House Republicans.
Cautiously - Not Really!! I guess you haven't seen the town hall meetings lately.
I was being sarcastic lol. This Ryan bill is a huge Republican blunder. Even the mountains of money from Citizens United won't help them recover.
There is the "Libertarian" mentality that says "do nothing - let everything seek its own level"; then there is the Republican "ultra-conservative" mentality that says "do everything for the few"; and there is the Democratic "liberal" mentality that says "government's responsibility is to the people, including the poor and especially the majority". And then there is the neglected, likely most appropriate, thinking being the "Centrist" position that would call for “honest, responsible and conscientious bipartisan cooperation and effort for all of the people”. Now the powerful, influential and wealthy few would really be satisfied with the "do nothing" mentality (no interference) and would really like even more the "ultra-conservative" thinking that greatly favors them, but what about the majority, especially the total middle-class who, after all, are who make everything work for everyone else? The "Centrist" position would likely be best for everyone but without that, the only way the majority, the total middle-class, will avoid continually loosing more, is with a government being responsible to the majority - today that being the Democratic option. It wouldn't hurt to also be putting pressure on them at the same time to not become too 'liberal' but regardless, to go the other way, as Bush-Cheney so thoroughly proved with the "trickle down" theory being a total fraud, would just be a continuing disaster for the majority!