The Health Care Reform “Two-Step” – Part 2

Please take a look at my previous suggestion on Health Care Reform. <click>

Simple. Right to the point. Doesn’t increase government intervention.  Should put us in the right directon and we can add more ideas later (if necessary).

We do need something done in healthcare. And it should not matter if it comes from Republicans, Democrats, Independents,  or “Martians” … if it makes sense let’s try it.

Here is an excerpt from ideas of John Boehner…  (source)

• Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines.
• Number two: allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do.
• Number three: give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs.
• Number four: end junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it’s good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued.

This sounds very similar to my previous suggestions.

Why would anyone not consider this?

Why are we looking to make massive changes before trying small changes?

NY Yankees George Steinbrenner Early Eulogy And Thank You

This is not meant to be morbid. Unfortunately, people give thanks to family, friends, and other people after they have passed away.

Not knowing how ill, or how much time he has left, here is a message to The Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

* * * * * * *

George -

Thank you for purchasing The Yankees.  We do not know you personally, but , we Yankee Fans, appreciate everything you have done for us.

You took an average team in the 1970’s and brought it back to greatness.  You put your heart and money into the organization.  You brought us Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Joe Torre, and other elite, big name stars.  Of course there were free agent flops along the way but we appreciate that you were always willing to spend the money and “go for it”.

There is not much more a sports fan can ask of an owner.

Thank you George!

New York Yankee Fans

<photo esquire.com>

The Health Care Reform “Two-Step”

We all know Health Care Reform is a major issue in the United States. The Obama Administration is making it a top priority.

Why can’t we simply try this?

1. Tort reform – If we get rid of the frivolous lawsuits, everyone wins. Insurers.  Doctors. Consumers.
2. Let health insurers cross states – this will immediately create competition without the government expanding and, in reality, creating unfair competition.  How will a private insurer compete with the government?  … And  the competition will drive rates down!

Easy. Let’s try it.  And it can probably be easily implemented within a reasonable amount of time.

Obama’s Health Care Reform – What is it?

People are screaming at each other over health care reform.  How can anyone be passionate one way or another without knowing the proposed plan(s)?

Obama, Democrats and Republicans are each campaigning for/against it.

WHAT IS IT?!  Where can we find out SPECIFICALLY what is being proposed?

None of these road-shows should be taking place until the multiple bills and proposals are combined into one bill…. then we should all work from there.

It seems that it is still all theory and rumours… Please, someone point us to one place where we can see the specific proposals! Substance!  Not theory!

Also, please do not set these random deadlines on a subject that will affect the future of thise country.

Please do not pull the same "crap" of offering a 1000+ page bill, like was done with the stimulus, and expect it to be voted on the next day. 

It is a subject that we all agree needs fixing.  Let’s do it right. We may not have a second chance.

 

Eli Manning – Overpaid and Overrated NY Giants Quarterback

Check out the news from a few days ago…

ALBANY, N.Y. — Eli Manning has agreed to a new six-year, $97.5 million contract extension with the New York Giants that will make him among the highest-paid players in the NFL with an average salary of roughly $15.3 million, a source told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen…. See Eli Manning as agreed to…

Pretty amazing contract considering he may not be one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL. (He’s probably the third best quarterback in his family.)

He is credited with getting to and winning the Super Bowl. His gun-toting buddy Plaxico Burress, was his savior during that run. Manning would throw passes that Burress would “go and get”. You can see how Manning’s productivity declined once Burress was missing from the field.

Manning also benefits from having the best rushing offense in the NFL. Please take a look at the chart below. Plug in some of the other quarterbacks into the Giants… and consider how much of a better team they’d be…

2008 NFL Team Rushing Statistics

(from  http://topofthethread.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1257&message=1)

Jets Fans – One Year Ago

Hey fellow Jets fans… This is where we were a year ago…

Good riddance! Welcome Mark Sanchez!

All-NBA Tattoo Team 2009

All NBA Tattoo Team — 2009

Here’s a few of the overdone tattoo’d NBA players… there are lots more…

1. Chris Anderson, Denver Nuggets
2. Alan Iverson, Detroit Pistons
3. Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Stephan Marbury, Boston Celtics
5. Robert Swift, Oklahoma City (Seattle Supersonics)

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

Here is a great and appropriate video for today. Kudos to ThePartyParty….

Conficker worm

Right or wrong.. When I booted up this morning, McAfee warned me that RAPI… mgr wanted access to the internet… I blocked it.

Cars…. Domestics. Imports. What’s the difference?

I am not stating anything brilliant when I write The car industry is important to the United States economy.  Jobs. Revenue.  Jobs. GDP.  Jobs. Etc… The US is giving  or lending money to Chrysler and General Motors (GM).  (IMHO they are still going about this in the wrong way. Please see my previous post Buy Cars – A message to Washington on the stimulus.)

As the topic of  assisting the car manufacturers takes place, without a doubt, the subject of protectionism arises.

But these days, what is a domestic car?  What is an import?  Does it matter to our economy? Both domestics and imports provide jobs in the United States.  They both use varying degrees of  US materials. They both use US services like transportation.

From AutomotiveAddicts.com  Made in America

As a result, it’s hard to tell what really an American-made car is, and perhaps even why it matters. Car buyers who wish to buy American have a confusing maze of information to navigate: there’s the location of the assembly plant, the percentage of parts content, the ideal of that name on the grille, and, finally, where the pocket is that will take the profit and re-invest it into future cars and products. Each element weighs differently to each person, to be sure, so we have attempted to create a comprehensive guide to understanding what it is that makes a car an American car. Because it’s jobs and investment that matter most, we rank the assembly and parts makeup of a vehicle as most important, followed by the location of the corporate parent and, finally, the name of the brand.

Also from the same article:

The US Government defines domestic vehicles in two basic ways: where they’re assembled and the percentage of parts content comes from an American source. We add the final two criteria to clear the air on confusing issues regarding ownership. For example, you may think that the Dodge Ram is an American vehicle, but it’s really not: Because Dodge is owned by a German company, DaimlerChrysler, and because its parts content does not reach the US threshold of 75 percent, it’s actually an import. We also recognize the value of a brand, and the cultural importance they play in the lives of Americans. For example, Ford is more than just a car company; it’s a family with a historic legacy that covers assembly line production and automobiles. Regardless of recent struggles, the name and brand of Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac or others resonates with people as a part of their lives.

So, the bottom line is What is a domestic car? We should just be working towards selling cars… period.

The US government determines a domestic vehicle by using a combination of (a) The Assembly Plants and (b) The Parts and Content.

So… did you know the Toyota Camry is considered a domestic vehicle?  Did you know the Chevy Tahoe is considered an import?

Let’s just buy and sell cars!!!

<Made in America is a must read>

(photo treehugger.com)