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don't get too excited with my money there dusty, i'm so cheap i didn't even hire any movers and the coolest day day the last week was 104 heat index but i have managed so far without a stroke or heart attack, i bet there are a few disappointed people out there
don't give up hope yet Art, i still have 7 or 8 more tons to move......
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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"Damned fools really thought there was going to be a tax break for the un-fabulously wealthy", Carl!
"Yeah", George, "it's a riot. We put another one over on them, but laughing like this makes my sides hurt!"
Tell ya what, I got a nice tax break and I aint fabulously rich. Besides that I lowered my mortgage rate and my educational loans to rates rarely seen before.
The problem with this rich argument is families making 100k a year are considered rich, that may be true in alabama, but not in boston and N.Y.
Its a sad argument when I'm considered fabulously wealthy, I guess there wasnt a huge tax break on welfare recipients but thats kind of tough aint it.
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Most families in this country will never see 100K a year or anything close to that. I have no idea what it is you are intending to imply about Alabama.
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I was implying nothing about Alabama, but I know you can pay 350. a month for a really nice 2 floor 3 bedroom apartment. While living outside the city limits of Boston, nowhere near the expensive areas a 2 bedroom apartment in a 3 decker is 1500 I've paid it and it was a steal.
You are right most families won't get 100k a year but in boston thats a cop and a janitor. NO WHERE NEAR THE RICHEST OR the SUPPOSED "UPPER CLASS WEALTHY"! its Exactly the definition of middle class.
N.Y. is even more expensive, not sure where LA fits in.
My only point is the "media/politcal" argument does not take these facts into account. They won't show you a fireman when they say richest, they'll show you bill o'reilly.
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I was implying nothing about Alabama, but I know you can pay 350. a month for a really nice 2 floor 3 bedroom apartment.
i am very skeptical about 350 amonth for a nice 1 bedroom place anywhere in the uS...
i live in one of the most depressed parts of the country... for 350 a month? you get a shack in Mississississississipi.... and the schools? well lets just say it would be funny if it wasn't our future.... the auto insurance is outrageous here too..cuz there are so many uninsured drivers... and groceries cost the same as in socali......
in Riverside CA? for a grand a month you get a 2 bedroom 1 bath MAYBE, if you are lucky...
avge home price in america is 235K$....
30 yr fixed 6% note on 200K$ is 18K$ year at least.....PITI...
median income is under 50K$ and 3 times 18K is 54K$... something is VERY wrong here.... mortgages should never exceed 1/3 of your gross pay.... the math don't work...
math don't lie...but mortgage applicants do all the time...
i see a bad moon rising...
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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yeah that's what i'll be doin' as i watch all the mortgage co's re-possess... no big deal to me, but the trap has been set, and it'll be sprung soon....
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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glass was talking 2 years ago, had a buddy tennis coach saw pictures of the place, know the price. Was just after we stopped renting, I'm sure boston prices are higher now.
the AMA is the most powerful labor union ever seen on the planet.. they set up the insurance deal to get rich and put themselves on a pedastal... ever do any real research on your OWN health "conditions" and ask the doc? they get real pi$$ed.... they deserve to be paying ridiculous insurance premiums...more people die from medical mistakes than car accidents in the US....alot more...
funny? while you were posting that? i was checking our blue cross blue sheild bill.... it's not too bad, but we have a lot of co-pays...
there is a myth that we americans have the best health-care in the world...it's a myth.....it's not bad, but what we have is unsustainable, and that has been known since the 70's... it's just a matter of time . esp. with all of the illegal aliens we insured people are paying the bills for......
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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I am fortunate personaly and financialy to have the VA.
Most of my health problems are due in part or totaly becouse of service in ya know where. I am not spewing sour grapes, just a fact.
What I do see is a suddle discrimination against my wife. They are really playing games with middle-aged women. She is well educated and works in the medical feild. She is one of the "go to people" in her department when the "ahemmm" hits the fan. Her supervisor told me face to face that she is a front line gem. Now here's the strange part.... I think they are trying to get rid of the best people, so they can re do the health and retirement programs... They want to bring in Philipinos to replace them. Many of the degrees these people have are suspect at best. Medical care will deteriate, accidents and just plain mal-practice will pre-vail. Do they think they can hide behind the new Tort re-forms?
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In this country. medical cost are the single greatest inflationary expenses ever. Something must be done to get it under control, but that won't happen any time soon as the medical profession is, per capita and per dollar, the biggest contributers to the Republiucan party.
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it's not just tort reform dusty... that was a head-fake.. tort reform won't fix anything except the insurance companies bottom lines... and screw the trial lawyers.... when they( the dems) get back in power? the laws will be repealed...and they will get back in power sooner or later.. just another sand in the vaseline job by the politicos... as far as your wife's situation? you are probly suspecting correctly.. i've seen it in the grad schools too...
they are all looking for compliant people who can live on beans and rice, and don't have any real options... 80 hrs a week is the expectation in grad school research positions, even tho its ILLEGAL...they expect you to lie on your time sheets and they sign them and turn them in.....yeah, i want to see the job get done...but the law is the law. quit making stupid laws that will have broken and just lookin the other way when they are...
it doesn't matter if you work hard anymore, the bottom line is what counts..that's capitalism. only problem is? many foreigners are happy to have phones, running water and electricity...things we(most of us anyway) take for granted...
if you would bring up some specifics about tort reform? we could kick them around... IMO?? new bankruptcy laws new tort reform and the alternative minimum tax are putting US common folks in a box....
everybody wants something for nothing...
look at the markets the last few years, same deal...
Martha goes to jail for lying to investigators... wonder how you compare that to the lies the white house staff has been putting out to US ????
i wanna see some justice... not much to be found tho
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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The best way io can start this is to say I agree with you, whole heartedly, about the "intent" to undermine the security of the educated and, as you aptly point out, the "salaried professionals", but not simply because they want to pay less for that work. Those people are the strangth of what they like to refer to as "liberals". Actually, to the out and out staunch Republican gut feel conservative, anything that might bring about consideration of their 18th century view of society and politics and science and reality is "liberal". Learning too much (that is more than is required to follow orders and do the repetitive things General Motors wants done....specialist, you know....holders of the left side of a fron bummper while adifferent specialist slips in the bolts and another the nut and another tightens it) causes people to wonder about things. Then comes the big rub! They think for themselves and are not obedient! They turn into "liberals" in spite of all the teachings of gramma and the church and can even be caught watchin public tv! But mostly, they are difficult to control.
In the 70s and 80s, in the better graduate schools, it was the in thing to weed out American students in favor of foreign students, not because they were cheaper, but because they were afraid to not "fit the mold." (That was not what they claimed to be doing, but it was what they were doing. I have theories of what caused that too.) The didn't pay them less....indeed, in many cases they were more expensive. (Here let me retrace a bit for those of you not familiar with the operaation of first class graduate schools. Teaching of lower level undergraduates is done almost entirely by graduate students, called Teaching assistants. having been on all sides of that situation, let me assure you they are far better teachers, for those lower level classes, than the senior faculty members.) They we NOT wanting a cheaper or better operation, they wanted an obedient following.....and they got it! I have to be somewhere soon, so I'll get back on this later. I'll leave you with one scary as hell thought.......unifirm examination of students isn't cheaper or more effective, but it can be done by a collection of near clones spouting Big Brother's Endoctrinations!
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hope this helps anecdotally, but "tort reform" specifically is not something I've looked into...
1) age-ism thrives, one quick example of dozens: Recently a big-time govt contractor got jammed up on a proposal for communication-support for the Army. A player there knew my work, so when they asked if he knew anybody who could break the logjam, he recommended me. They offered me a contract, via -email, no interview. Went in, did the work, left. Yay...
Yet, if I go to an agency just looking for 2- to 6-week assignments? They look at my resume and try not to chuckle. Finally: "I'm sorry, sir--we can't even SEND you on-site. You have too much management experience."
lol, true story, I kid you not...
It's rigged now to rent "contractors" so they can avoid bennies for as long as possible, then finally hire the warmest body that costs the least.
2) Medical system? Insurance companies have THE HAMMER. Spent about 6 months getting my buddy's back-office systems in shape. He's a popular chiropractor (and please...I don't want to debate the merits of "who's a doctor?") and helps a lotta folks and has had a successful sideline explaining insuarance regs and coding to other practices. I became, by default, the in-house "expert" on cold files and worker's comp.
Bottom line--it's all a game. First thing they do is deny. period. just to see what the practice will do next...
If you resubmit--as most "office managers" do--it gets denied again...but when you look into it and follow the code-trail? It was denied the second time because it had *already been denied."
I call that "bad-faith tautology."
Turns out, you have to get a little rubber stamp (or appropriate software ) and place these words in the margins of your new (duplicate) forms: "Request for Reconsideration," and once you do, yip, yip, cowboy--checks start hitting the mailbox...
However, sometimes that doesn't work--then you start *warning them* with bracing language, quoting the exact regs they're violating...
Guess what? cha-cha-ching...
The office manager? Hated me...
Dusty, it ain't exactly new, either. Just more pronounced and obvious nowadays...My mom ran all the insurance for major media corporation here, that was family owned for decades...treated her well...when they got bought by ABC/Disney, I think it was, she had trouble getting raises. Yet, when she retired a few years early for health reasons? They divvied her job among two on-staff...and hired *three new employees.*
Kinda hard to believe they couldn't afford a good raise, yet to replace her took five people, lol...
I agree with Glassy--if you think "tort reform" needsa check-up, post some good leads...
best, y'alllllllllll!
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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Here's a specific about tort reform. That multi multi million dollar court awarded to that widdow earlier in the week isn't legal! The Texas tort reforms don't allow it. She'll be lucky to end up with 100K in the end and that's BEFORE expenses of the suit. It'll take ten years to finish the appeals that law puts in place for the the drug company and another ten to collect. And the drug companies will use it to get even more out of the government by advertising and calling it communist and "liberal" and getting the conservatives scared of the "liberals", i.e., the non-docil and the educated.
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advertising pharmaceuticals.... i hate it..
we PAY for those ads in our insurance premiums .. and they spnend a hellofalot more on advertising than they do on R&D.....
got ED? LOL NASCAR wouldn't let 'em use hard liquor sponsorships, but Viagra is OK...and even on the world news(at dinnertime with yer kids??) sheesh..
BTW? i have VA benee's too, but i don't use 'em since Iraq...others need 'em more and the budget is limited....
-------------------- Don't envy the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise.
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Just wait glass, soon there will be stipulations on viavara advertising. To be honest it isn't viagara that offends me... irritates... yeah but not offend. It's the pepto bismal ads... Do I really need a catchy little jingle floating around in my head all day that ends with diarhea?
-------------------- Spend Word For Word With Me And I Shall Make Your Wit Bankrupt
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![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
yeehaaaa![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
and the coolest day day the last week was 104 heat index ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
but i have managed so far without a stroke or heart attack, i bet there are a few disappointed people out there ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
