Random Thoughts

double dutchess · Post by **double dutchess** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:29 pm

I don't see why. This seems to be a victimless crime....

The bike was underage.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:42 pm

He was obviously a pedalphile

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:21 pm

$900 a month for our family's healthcare coverage next year. *gulp*

That is fucking insane.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:58 pm

Good Lord, that's insane. That's what I spend on rent! Why is it so high?

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:10 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:Good Lord, that's insane. That's what I spend on rent! Why is it so high?

Two kids, HMO. Includes dental, but it is crazy! Healthcare costs are so out of control it's unbelievable. And this is through IBM, not some little company with no leverage to find an affordable plan for employees. At least we have a president who is committed to doing something about it.

I would just say forget about it and pay out of pocket if I weren't concerned about a major medical crisis. Time to start eating that radioactive sushi and get my money's worth.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:52 pm

That's an HMO at IBM?! Mine must be really shitty, then, because I pay way less than $225 a month, and mine is a PPO at a much smaller place... Seriously, are other people paying $225 per month per person?

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:27 pm

I'm paying $0/month. Then again, I live in Canada.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:33 pm

BlueChair wrote:I'm paying $0/month. Then again, I live in Canada.

Well, not quite. You're just paying differently, though I'm sure it's also a lot less.

Don't rub it in.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:40 pm

My taxes are likely a lot higher than yours, so it probably evens out in the end.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:41 pm

BlueChair wrote:My taxes are likely a lot higher than yours, so it probably evens out in the end.

I doubt it. We claimed zero dependents last year and still owed New York State money at tax time. Work that one out!

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:43 pm

How did you claim zero dependents last year if you're paying health insurance for two children? Are they new?

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Thu Nov 01, 2007 3:47 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:How did you claim zero dependents last year if you're paying health insurance for two children? Are they new?

No, but you have the option to claim no dependents with your employer if you choose. They take more out of your paycheck as a consequence, so that (hopefully) you get something back at tax time rather than owing Uncle Sam (and Uncle New York, or whatever you call him). Didn't quite work out that way this year.

StrictTime · Post by **StrictTime** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 8:00 pm

I have excellent friends.

colrow26 · Post by **colrow26** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 5:10 pm

Big article in English newspapers this week highlighting gulf in standard of health service in England and America. England is in a terrible state and so many "superbugs" about that you can be worse off coming out of hospital than you were going in!!
The article said that although Americans pay for their health care at least it is dependant on income and bottom line is you get a quality service should you fall sick.
I get private healthcare from my employer and its a blessing. I had an operation earlier this year and went into a Bupa hospital which was superb, really looked after me.
Just think our golden age of the National Health Service is long gone and this country just doesnt look after its people anymore....
Hang on, is this really Saturday night????? wheres my drink....

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:48 pm

Yeah, it's Saturday night. And I have a drink in my hand. And I am happy that Doc's main company benefit is paid health insurance. Hell, as many times as Jess has been to the doctor or hospital since starting college, we'd be broke if we didn't have such an excellent benefit.

Interesting Blue Cross story. We get some paperwork from where Jess had broken her foot the second week in school. They told us they would only pay a small portion of the bill because she was "out of network." Like we could help that she didn't break her foot inside the Huntsville city limits. Anyhow, turns out that she DID go to a provider within our program, but the ER doctor who treated her had the same name and middle initial as a guy in Boston, and they processed the bill as though it were the guy in Boston. Doc called and ate them a new one, and then they changed it.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:28 pm

Ordinary health care should be free - well, supported by the taxes I pay anyway, because it's in the best interest of my government to keep me healthy. No, really.

Electricity, water and gas (the kind that runs your heat/air/refrigerater/hotwater heater) should likewise be free, because in general, you are screwing up my planet/environment in providing it.

People ought to be able to park their freakin' SUVs if they're going to drive them, and they should also pull to the shoulder for funerals AND emergency vehicles.

Dessert should be the appetizer. Clothes should be self-cleaning. EVERYBODY should know how to scrub a goddam commode.

New England should be visited by a plague of toads. Then fire. Then locusts.

My name is mood, and I *don't* want to be your president.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:46 pm

mood swung wrote:Dessert should be the appetizer. Clothes should be self-cleaning. EVERYBODY should know how to scrub a goddam commode.

I would vote for you for those reasons alone Moody. Seriously.

And I've got to tell you guys, I've been fighting a sinus infection and ear trouble for abour four weeks now. An ENT told me of Thursday that I have "Eustachian tube dysfunction." Like the rest of me wasn't dysfunctional enough - now there is a formal diagnosis of a specific part of me being fucked up. It's been tough, and my 25th reunion came in the middle of all of it. But you know, it was worth it all to find that some people really do get better with age, and some people that had it all in high school didn't continue to have it that easy all through life.

And they chose not to have the Karaoke.

But I did do a lot of dancing. And a lot of people took a lot of pics. And a lot of them posted them to Flicker. Dangit.

At least it was dark. Sort of.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:06 pm

mood swung wrote:New England should be visited by a plague of toads. Then fire. Then locusts.

Taylor Fucking Twellman!

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 11:09 am

Who Shot Sam? wrote:
mood swung wrote:New England should be visited by a plague of toads. Then fire. Then locusts.
Taylor Fucking Twellman!

I guess people are just having a tough time with the complete and utter domination of New England in every facet of the US Sports scene. CRUSH KILL DESTROY!

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:40 pm

colrow26 wrote:The article said that although Americans pay for their health care at least it is dependent on income and bottom line is you get a quality service should you fall sick.

What is dependent on income? I mean, if you don't have an income then you don't have any health insurance, is that what they mean?

Sure, if you're uninsured you can get treated in an emergency room, and then they send you your bill afterwards--you can ask pip52 (wherever she is) all about that. Also, based on my personal experience, paying more does not mean you get a "quality service." Not unless you count having a broken leg set wrong "quality service."

The American health care system is broken. I'm not sure why your newspapers are making it out to be whatever they're making it out to be.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:50 pm

I say we start the witch hunts all over again.

And we start with him -

Evil. Ornery, scandalous and EVIL. most definitely.*

*name that tune.

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 2:47 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:The American health care system is broken. I'm not sure why your newspapers are making it out to be whatever they're making it out to be.

From the quote above, how would you position the Canadian and French Healthcare systems in comparison to the American Health Care System? ARe they more broken, the same, or less broken. Of maybe they are healthy and working...

I wonder if you asked the 18 million illegal immigrants in the US to characterize the healthcare system in America, both as a stand alone system of medical intervention and prevention, and in comparison the those illegals immigrants that migrated from Mexico. Is it better or worse than the Mexican healthcare system?

An illegal immigrant can enter an Emergency Room in many Western states (indded in many other states as well) and receive complete access to all of the healthcare benefits of the heavily insured. For free. No charge. Nada. Taxpayers pay the bill.

In that regard, I completely agree with you that the system is broken, but somehow, I don't think I have properly captured your meaning.

If the comment sourrounds the SCHIPS program, what a completely messed up program. If the Dem's were truly concerned about the future of "the children" they would never, ever champion a bill that will strap them with a debt that is so astronomical that a police state will almost be required to physically extract the tax debt to pay for it. And if the argument is that we can use all the money that we have allocated for the war against Islamic Radicalism for "the children" then the ideological impass will preclude any reasonable discussion, but suffice it to say that many beleive that "the children" will face a bleak, horrific future if the SCHIPS bill passes and if the monies allocated to defend our Nation are reallocated.

The Democratic spokesperson for the SCHIPS program, that poor little 'child' that they used to create empathy and pathos for "the children" and animosity and angst against anyone who opposses the bill:

Mother and Father
Mother works volitionally as a part time medical receptionist when she wants to. She has full time opps but turns them down.
Father is a self-employed word-worker who is currently working on no projects but will not take other work.

Family has two mortgages - two properties. A nice home and another property they use to generate income.

Three late model vehicles including a large new SUV, a chevy Trailblazer truck, and an Audi sports car.

Poor kid. Mommy and daddy choose to put thier money into property and material things while their infirm child continues to suffer. It's the governments fault. Why can't the government help us?

It's all Bush's fault. Can't you people see that???!!!

colrow26 · Post by **colrow26** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 3:16 pm

Miss Buenos aires wrote

The American health care system is broken. I'm not sure why your newspapers are making it out to be whatever they're making it out to be.

I think the point the article was making is that in America the health system is far superior to in England. the writer claimed that in America (or specifically in the city where he visited his Mum in hospital) the system meant that you paid for healthcare based on your income - everyone was entlitled to healthcare but they operated some sort of sliding scale depending on your wage. Bottom line was the quality of service within the hospital was far superior to any National Health hospital in England.

Bear in mind anything i read these days is taken with a large pinch of salt, i realise any writer has a reason for his article. I just think the main gist of the article was to highlight how far the National Health system in England has deteriorated (pardon the spelling)

Hope this explains

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:10 pm

Mr. Average wrote:It's all Bush's fault. Can't you people see that???!!!

It's not all his fault, but he's done little to nothing to improve a system that is sucking more and more money out of people's pockets, with no end in sight. He's been president for the past seven years, so I'd certainly assign a portion of the blame to him, as I would to Congress and previous presidents and everyone else that has talked the issue to death without actually doing anything about it.

We've squandered how much money in Iraq? And you worry about our financial capacity to manage the basic necessities for our own citizens?

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:35 pm

This has to be one of the cutest things ive seen. Watch it at 44 secs in and if you don't say "awwww!" then theres something wrong with you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0E-0ntoNWo