Sunday, July 5, 2009
Old Time 4th of July
Ummmm! Beach days, Cocoa Better sunscrean from Walgreens, sandy smelly swim suits, hot dogs, a freezer of vanilla ice cream (carried 1/2 mile by a tag team of four) for our nearest and best fireworks celebration. Hope everyone had a Great 4th of July!
Politics, Freedoms and 4th of July 2009
Happy 4th and 5th of July!! As America adds another year - there's much to be done and said in the name of Freedom and Democracy just as there was in 1776. The lines are more blurred now in 2009, many things don't make sense. A war that goes on and on to help other people (who may not even want it) have democracy. The muscling of newer Nations, the resurgence of older than time religious wars and societies. The loss of America as a world dominant power, and city police arresting folks for fireworks in celebration. Who'd have thunk!!
My goal- to re-read Animal Farm with a new understanding of the impact. At age 16 when I read this, I remember (naively) thinking, no way that could possibly happen. Hum! Let's see how many more truisms I'll relate to now.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
401K's 529's, IRA's, Roth's All Those 's Losing Money
Well after 20 years of the Government and Financial Management guru's telling us to invest in all these funds to save for retirement, college educations, new house, etc. Now people are seeing their investments in those funds fall to as low as negative numbers. My bgf's sister invested in 529's for her children college, and saw her funds value drop from $30,000 to $5,000. Her daughter is going to college this year, there are not enough funds, no time to allow for a market correction, and was no way for her to withdraw those funds before the market collapsed. Ditto with our 401K plans.
No stimulus package for the folks who were lead down the path to the poorhouse by so many, many people, who sold millions of investors that "safe" route to security through investing.
Many, many years ago, when we were young and definitely uninformed, we invested $6000 through a money management company in Belleville, IL and a broker last name of Judge in a very safe secure paper fund of some sort. Within 5 years the SEC closed down that fund, and we got a whopping $1500.00 back (and was greatful for that).
I've never invested much since then. Didn't buy into the 401k's or the 529's - if it's too good to be true - it probably is. I have a small retirement fund that I established a long time ago, oddly enough with divorce monies. That poor little fund has taken such a beating, right around the corner from my retirement street sign - sadly now to nowhere.
Four to go - not going to be able to retire anywhere. Look for me as a cashier at the local KW Cafeteria when I'm 82!
No stimulus package for the folks who were lead down the path to the poorhouse by so many, many people, who sold millions of investors that "safe" route to security through investing.
Many, many years ago, when we were young and definitely uninformed, we invested $6000 through a money management company in Belleville, IL and a broker last name of Judge in a very safe secure paper fund of some sort. Within 5 years the SEC closed down that fund, and we got a whopping $1500.00 back (and was greatful for that).
I've never invested much since then. Didn't buy into the 401k's or the 529's - if it's too good to be true - it probably is. I have a small retirement fund that I established a long time ago, oddly enough with divorce monies. That poor little fund has taken such a beating, right around the corner from my retirement street sign - sadly now to nowhere.
Four to go - not going to be able to retire anywhere. Look for me as a cashier at the local KW Cafeteria when I'm 82!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Angels And Demons - The Book, The Movie, The Ingrigue
Angels and Demons gets my personal vote and Summer Movie Favorite. I had read Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons a few years ago, with the same passion that I read Divinci Code.
The movie follows the book very closely in the search for the sect that called themselves the Illuminati from ancient Roman times. They have mysteriously reappeared within the Vatican just at the time following the Pope's death, and while the Conclave selecting the new Pope has been locked in.
The supposed Illuminati have taken four pope candidates from within the Vatican and is threatening to kill and mutilate one pope at 8:00p.m. and one pope each hour until Midnight when a mysterious cannister of antimatter stolen from a Swiss Lab will be released upon the City - destroying the Vatican and Rome in payback for the horror unleashed by the Catholic Church upon the Illuminati centuries before.
Catholic Church - interesting history about the Catholic Church, Rome, Vatican, ancient art, ancient icons and relics.
Ron Howard/Tom Hanks - Link to film trailer
Sets, scenes and special effects - not to mention can't breathe scenes
Question:
Who was the blonde swiss army guard - was it liesel from Sound of Music??
I give this movie a ***** stars.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
More Health Care Reform Banter And Why I Oppose A Single Payer Government System
This comment came as a response to my healthcare blog
Why is it fair that insurance companies, and ONLY insurance companies (in lockstep with each other... no real competition that I can tell) get to set the amount of money a doctor makes, and why is this so much better than single payer Government setting prices?
This Blog Will Address That Comment
Because from those same doctors offices I've worked at -and since many of my readers are healthcare providers, you know how little they are paid under that existing single payer system for medicare and medicaid patients. So little, that many many doctors here in the triangle have stopped even taking those patients, or limit the percent of those patients they'll take. And, under a national healthcare system this would only get worse.
I think the Government payer system (unless they just run it under the same medicare, medicaid department, and don't add another whole bureaucratic layer), has the real potential to make a mess of a national healthcare system. Doctors would still charge the real costs, get paid less under a new medicare/medicaid like single payer government program, and participants might lose access to doctors as they pullout or pullback on accepting patients.
Here's a novel idea. Why don't they simply let all uninsured people pick their "government" plan (rather like Medicare), make it a cafeteria plan, let people sign up for it a year at a time like regular health insurance. But make them fill out a "certificate of need" each year, so it's more of a gap insurance for people who have lost their income, or have extraneous circumstances...set up an individual prepaid health account per family, just like regular insurance. Charge the family a nominal visit fee $5.00 (like medicaid), and when the money in their prepaid health savings account is gone, they have to go back and reapply for more funds (under some tight guidelines). This is not meant to be a permanent solution to not having insurance.
And leave everyone else alone who are happy with their BCBS, Aetna employer coverages. Then instead of COBRA through the employer, that family would be directly picked up by the Government plan, if there is a need, layoff, changing life circumstances. This would untie the hands of employees during gaps, and would untie the costs of employers for COBRA.
This would be far cheaper than trying to insure every person in the United States - that's just a totally unworkable option it looks like.
I think the Government payer system (unless they just run it under the same medicare, medicaid department, and don't add another whole bureaucratic layer), has the real potential to make a mess of a national healthcare system. Doctors would still charge the real costs, get paid less under a new medicare/medicaid like single payer government program, and participants might lose access to doctors as they pullout or pullback on accepting patients.
Here's a novel idea. Why don't they simply let all uninsured people pick their "government" plan (rather like Medicare), make it a cafeteria plan, let people sign up for it a year at a time like regular health insurance. But make them fill out a "certificate of need" each year, so it's more of a gap insurance for people who have lost their income, or have extraneous circumstances...set up an individual prepaid health account per family, just like regular insurance. Charge the family a nominal visit fee $5.00 (like medicaid), and when the money in their prepaid health savings account is gone, they have to go back and reapply for more funds (under some tight guidelines). This is not meant to be a permanent solution to not having insurance.
And leave everyone else alone who are happy with their BCBS, Aetna employer coverages. Then instead of COBRA through the employer, that family would be directly picked up by the Government plan, if there is a need, layoff, changing life circumstances. This would untie the hands of employees during gaps, and would untie the costs of employers for COBRA.
This would be far cheaper than trying to insure every person in the United States - that's just a totally unworkable option it looks like.
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