November 2009
16 posts
The Amish and Healthcare Reform →
Mr. Martin and other Old Order Mennonites say they don’t want charity. But they want bills that reflect the actual cost of care. The government allows hospitals to charge many times the actual cost of services in order to pay for updates to technology and services.
“I want to pay my bills,” Mr. Martin says. “I just want to pay bills that are reasonable and fair.”
So...
Happy Thanksgiving
Gobble, gobble.
When will they wake up? →
Sports apparel maker Adidas plans to end its contract with American suppliers and move production to a factory in Thailand. The move could cost about 100 jobs at a factory in upstate New York that makes more than half the uniforms worn in the NBA, as well as jerseys for players in the WNBA.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer says the move would destroy over a century of history for the marquee American...
Scary Stuff →
Cool graphic, depressing subject
U.S forces pay the "enemy" →
In this grotesque carnival, the US military’s contractors are forced to pay suspected insurgents to protect American supply routes. It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting. And it is a deadly irony, because these funds add up to a huge amount of money for the Taliban.
...
So That's What a Trillion Looks Like →
The Search for Life (and meaning) in the Universe →
“The questions of life’s origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration,” said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory…
“Both science and religion posit life as a special outcome of a vast and mostly inhospitable universe,” he told a news conference...
Another app that is putting the consumer in the... →
There is an application for the iPhone called Red Laser. Once uploaded, Red Laser allows your mobile phone to read barcodes. Hold the phone above any barcode and it will – within a few seconds - identify the product. Less than 10 seconds later, the phone will give you a list of comparable prices of that product from websites around the UK
The consumer just gained the upper hand: technology and...
Those who fail to learn from history... →
Government-imposed expansion of bank credit distorts our “time preferences,” or our desire for saving versus consumption. Government-imposed interest rates artificially below rates demanded by savers leads to increased borrowing and capital investment beyond what savers will provide. This causes temporarily higher employment, wages and consumption.
Ordinarily, any random spikes in...
1 tag
“Citigroup has received 1,200 doses, more than half of what it requested, health...”
– :(
Officials Defend Giving Flu Vaccine to Citibank and Goldman - NYTimes.com
(via elspethjane) (via mikehudack)
Politicized healthcare delivery. Expect more of this to come, as the governement wrestles an ever larger share of control over the healthcare world away from the private sector. ...
Million Med March →
“It is the thousands of physicians who make up the MillionMedMarch and Docs4PatientCare that are sounding the alarm in recognition that the current legislation will significantly raise the costs of healthcare delivery in America. This is a very dangerous proposition for our patients as the politicians in Washington DC are preparing to spend over $1 trillion dollars of our taxes. As these...
Quotes From 1930
“…there are indications that the severest phase of the recession is over…” —Harvard Economic Society (HES) Jan 18, 1930
“There is nothing in the situation to be disturbed about.” —Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon, Feb 1930
“The spring of 1930 marks the end of a period of grave concern… American business is steadily coming back to a normal...
Not So Flexible Spending →
“Bills in the House and Senate would cap at $2,500 an employee’s allowable annual contribution to a health care flexible spending account.
There is no federal cap on contributions now, though companies that offer the accounts — more than 80 percent of companies employing 500 or more workers do — typically impose their own limits, usually around $5,000.
Workers can use the accounts to...