Human Unions

 

The political and corporate worlds are becoming more and more powerful, monopolized, and intertwined.  The result is that we the people get dicked at an ever-increasing rate.  The only way for the citizens of America to have any influence in this system is to unionize based on common interests and thereby gain a voice by sheer numbers and bargaining power. 

UNIONIZE

UNIONIZE

UNIONIZE

truth about insurance companies

Obama and his Administration have been playing off of the public’s hatred towards Health Insurance companies in an effort to gain favor for the reform effort.  You’re rates go up every year! The evil Insurance Companies keep making more and more money! You are the victim, etc. etc.

The truth about the insurance business, especially concerning health insurance, is rarely spoken in the public forum.  First, insurance companies are highly regulated on the state level.  In nearly all States the yearly income of Insurance Companies is already reviewed by the government and they are restricted to keeping only a percentage of any profits.  They are not permitted to hike rates disproportionately to their costs.  In fact, they must justify any increased costs for consumers.

The real problem with Health Insurance rates is one that all politicians, save for a select few, ever mention for fear of being bombarded with attacks of being Anti-American and anti-capitalism:

Doctors make too much money.

Health Insurance rates go up every year because someone (you) has to pay for all those super-expensive procedures we all get.  Oh, you’ve had a headache for two days? You need an MRI! It just so happens I have one right down the hall…. Sick? CT scan! X-ray! 

Every MRI/CT scan is going to cost you $6,000, and yet you pay a couple hundred dollars.  Well, your insurance company actually has to pay the difference on that bill, and the next year these increasing costs get pushed back on the consumers.  The Doctors own the machines and we all get these MRI, CT, or equally-expensive procedures all the time.  Health insurance rates are merely a reflection of these costs.  Health Insurance companies are already highly-regulated.

Oh, and the insurance industry has made a pure underwriting profit (more money is taken in for coverage than is paid out for claims) one time in the last 30 years.  True, they make money off of investing your money, but this revenue is factored into the regulation of their profits.  Insurance companies are not the evil, enemy of the people that they are made out to be.  They are businesses, and they don’t have to provide you with services if they do not want to.. at least not yet.

Drew Brees has a son named Baylen–which is at first only a stupid and perhaps entirely made-up name but the real reason behind the name:

Bay Brees.

That’s just cruel–though I find it hard to pity a future millionnaire.

 

NBC files a formal complaint with the White House alleging that the Obama Administration is playing favorites in granting ABC all kinds of access.

Shortly thereafter the White House says that Jay Leno will be hosting the White House Correspondents Dinner, right at the time when Leno needs love the most.  Of course, NBC is terrified about an anti-Leno backlash in the wake of the Conan scandal. 

Just sayin. 

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc/nbc_news_files_complaint_with_white_house_over_abcs_access_149553.asp

http://www.newser.com/article/d9dd3i5g4/leno-featured-comic-at-annual-white-house-correspondents-dinner.html

Kurt Warner awkwardly confronting James Harrison Pro Bowl 2009

The weirdest television encounter I’ve ever seen and it’s nowhere to be found on the internet.  Pre-game sideline interview. Warner brings the cameras with him and somehow tries to explain to Harrison and America that the 100-yard interception return wasn’t his fault.  Apparently it only happened because Harrison was in the wrong spot. 

“Normally, you’d never have to be a factor, even if you popped out, because you were suppose to be wider in the line,” said Warner. “Once I saw you guys coming in the blitz, I thought, ‘OK. I got two-on-two. I’m good to go.’ So then, once I threw it, I was like, I could feel you. I couldn’t see you behind my lineman, and I’m like, ‘Why is he even a factor?’ Unless you popped out, you wouldn’t have been a factor, dude.”

http://www.wpxi.com/sports/18675223/detail.html

If I remember correctly–Harrison looks at Warner, looks at the cameras and doesn’t say a word.

LeDauer is the 2009 Boots Dairyette Fantasy Football Champion

A thrilling 126.54-124.16 victory for LeDauer over The 18th Hole, which was heavily favored and widely-regarded as the greatest fantasy football team ever assembled.  

Thanks to all the managers who could somehow find enough time in their extremely busy schedules to take two seconds every week to change their lineups. 

A fantastic inaugural year indeed.  Congratulations again to LeDauer.  Looking back on it all, how could he not win?

THE BILLS ARE HUNGRY

Health Care Reform

If the debate on health care reform has taught us anything it is this: America Sucks, and Sucks hard!

It is painfully obviously that neither the President, nor the legislative branch govern this country, but rather Corporations, their money, and their lobbyists.  They are the reason nothing gets done.

“Against Radicalism”

This is a small opinion piece of noted insignificance, but read the first direct quote the author uses about Wall Street Pressure on the Pharmaceutical industry.  Now read this:

This was an actual 60 minutes story from 2007 detailing the atrocious handling of the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill (championed by Republicans) and the shady dealings to get it passed.  It’s a good read, and well summed up at the end with the quote “I mean, they [Big Pharma]— they have unlimited resources. Unlimited,” Burton[Rep R IN]  says. “And when they push real hard to get something accomplished in the Congress of the United States, they can get it done.”

There clearly is only one holy doctrine in the USA (and most of, if not all, the world):

C.R.E.A.M

The Blueprint III

I just spent the last hour and a half listening to Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 and thought this would be as good a place as any to share my thoughts.  First of all, nobody in hip hop makes an album where beginning to end every song is good, or even tolerable these days, so I guess we shouldn’t expect Jay-Z to anymore either.  That being said this is still a good album.

D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) is not the best song on the album but it might be the most catchy so I understand why it was released as the first single and I’m sure some of you guys have heard it.  Be forewarned however, that ‘aww’ noise he makes throughout the entire song rears its ugly head at many more points during the album, some of which interfere entirely with the song.

The album starts strong with ‘What We Talkin About’ and then ‘Thank You.’  These are both solid songs with good beats, nothing outstanding but still better rapping than you hear in 70% of today’s music.  Then its D.O.A followed by the heart of the album in my opinion, ‘Run This Town’ (f. Rihanna & Kanye), ‘Empire State of Mind’ (f. Alicia Keys) and Real As It Gets (f. Young Jeezy).  Run this town is a solid song where Rihanna sings a good hook and Jay raps very well, Kanye doesn’t really bring anything to the table (unless he mad e the beat) but it is still a good song.  Empire State and Real As it Gets are hands down the two best tracks on the album.  Jay kills empire state plus Alicia is on the piano and singing, and both Jeezy and Jay-z do a great job with real as it gets.  It is also the most thuggish song, which is always a plus.

The next two songs ‘On to the next one’ and ‘Off That’ are mediocre at best and that might even be stretch.  The rapping is okay, the beats are obtrusive and it just seems too much like a weak attempt at some club hits.  Track 9 ‘A star is born’ is kind of cool it talks about the history of rap, but then Jay-Z just says how he’s better than everyone else.  Track 10 ‘Venus vs. Mars’ is absolutely terrible.

The last five songs on the album are not remarkable.  ‘Already Home’ is decent, ‘Hate’ (f. Kanye) is terrible with weird flows and a weirder beat.  ‘Reminder’ is a song with good rapping, a good beat but a stupid hook.  ‘So Ambitious’ has highs and lows of Jay-Z rapping over some overproduced beat by Pharrell.  And the last song ‘Young Forever’ is actually a very cool song using the old ‘Forever Young’ song as the course, it is probably my third favorite song on the album.  All of this is after only one listen per song, so my opinions might certainly change in the future.

One sad thing is, it seems Jay-Z has completely run out of material other than, “I’ve been doing this for so long, look how good I am, I’m undeniable, and I’m more rich than you can even imagine.”  That would be the unmistakable theme of this album.  While sometimes it comes off pretty cool, it is definitely lacking the old Jay-Z wit.  He is able to mix his flows up still better than any MC around (save maybe Ghostface), but all in all, he knows good music, and more importantly i guess he knows whats popular at the time….so like in times past, which he reminds us of plenty of times on this album (in at least two different songs he says how has had 10 #1 albums in row) he is about to make a shitload of money.

Here is Empire State of Mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRqQ-d7guvY

post in progress

currently working on something to post with medicaid and the poor after shadowing a family doc over the summer in an extreamly poor area. Finals week has put my work on hod though. it’ll be up in like ten days