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Comments
Ah, it does say. Maximum of two and a half years. Give 'em time to figure it out and ease into it I guess and shuffle the books around.
No more gold plated plans for retirees. If the 27% cut on Medicare coverage goes through you will hear a lot of screaming. Nothing will happen till after the 2012 election. I know our Teamster plan was always running close to going under with $1200 per month premium. When the company tried pulling us out of the Teamster plan into a BlueCross plan it was even higher priced for equal coverage. And our coverage was lousy by the time I retired. MC is so much better. For now with Kaiser that is.
So that is the hotel where I would stay...
About that 27% Medicare cut, would that be the payments paid to Doctors???...if yes, and you have a large Medicare practice, I could see the docs screaming and yelling, but actually doing nothing...they can't give up the practice, too many retirees make up the practice...but for those who are under 10% medicare, I could see them sending the patients elsewhere...
As far as hospitals, same thing...a hospital in South Florida that says no Medicare patients will close in under a year, whereas one in Wyoming may have very few medicare patients, who wants to retire in Wyoming???
Gotta wonder if the real goal here is to shove MD's and Osteopaths out of general practice and pediatrics, then replace them with nurse practioners who cost less. There are some ancillary benefits as well. Probably can't get near as much out of a nurse in a malpractice lawsuit - lower expectations and income. Also, by getting physicians out of general practice the gov can increase the number of specialists coming out of medical school and let competition drive the cost of specialties like surgeons down. Its the airline model really. You put more and more domestic flights on commuter planes with cheaper aircraft and pilots. Their pilots don't cost as much as recruiting former military pilots. Don't worry about skill and training because if a commuter plane goes down during the newer pilots ramping up on the learning curve, the plane is smaller, so the crash is less spectacular in the press. Also the commuter airline is a separate entity than the trunk line carrier it serves so liability is limited as well (which is a big reason why you shouldn't expect American Eagle to remain as part of American before the BK is over).
I don't think so. General Practitioners, those that practice Family Medicine, Internists, etc are generally your lowest compensated MDs. That is where the shortage is. And one of the reasons is because the big bucks are in the specialties such as Pediatric Oncology and surgical field.
Most things I've read feel that we need to increase the number of GP's, not reduce them.
And yes, Nurse Practictioners and PA's also have a place in the new medical order. Don't need a GP necessarily to diagnosis a common cold or the flu in he winter!
Don't need an NP or a PA to diagnose those either. But people will still clog up "urgent care" to be told to get some rest, stay hydrated and eat lightly.
Some practices are now offering e-mail consultation and group visits for people with similar symptions to be able to reduce costs.
Doesn't work with the UAW - someone has to get to the job site to screw the bolts in.
Maybe we should just retire this one again, since it seems to always veer off and mostly overlap with the Obama discussion?
Before the ink dried on Gov. Mitch Daniels' signature making Indiana the 23rd "right to work" state in the nation, advocates on both sides were looking ahead to how the new law will affect Hoosiers.
Supporters said businesses already were lining up to expand or come to Indiana.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20120202/NEWS05/202020354/Governor-signs-right-w- ork-bill-foes-vow-continue-fight
But I can see unions like the retail clerks, the SIEU, and other smaller unions in the retail and service type industries losing some.
Plus it maybe that existing workers will keep paying and more new hires electing not to join. I don't know, Indiana as a whole only has around 10% union membership, so how much of an effect will it really have?
I know when my sister worked as a 3rd grade teacher in Florida (a right to work state), she elected not to join and pay union dues.
That's in NC. Up in Canada, they are shutting down a Canadian Auto Workers factory. (brandonsun.com)
"Caterpillar last week reported a 58 per cent increase in its quarterly earnings with a record profit of nearly $5 billion.
The company had asked the employees to take a 50 per cent pay cut to help keep Electro-Motive going, but locked them out Jan. 1 when the CAW union members rejected the proposal."
Now for the 58% increase in profit of $4.9 billion. That is only 8% ROI. Nothing to write home about. Maybe Obama hates Canada and asked Cat to bring those jobs home. Obama is obviously not fond of our neighbors to the North. He shot down Keystone that would be a big boon for Canada. The UAW and CAW should be seeing the handwriting on the wall. The days of $30 per hour line workers is coming to a close.
I think that pipeline is easily resolveable, but both parties have turned it into a political fight. Just reroute it. As presented it runs right through a major midwestern acquafier. Looking at big oil's recent track record, I sure wouldn't trust it in that situation. You potentially contaminate a major source of drinking and agricultural water. It's interesting how this thing has become so distorted on both sides. Basically, it's a conduit to export oil, not a source for US oil (we currently are actually in pretty good shape) and once built most of the related jobs disappear (whatever the true number from that gigantic range being argued). Just another example of how the two party system lies and no longer works - time for some new competition in our nation's capitol!
A newly built, safely built pipeline would only be 4%? of the current pipelines ALREADY running through the aquifer, and 2000 miles are in Nebraska, site of the biggest squeal.
There's a problem in the WH party about anything they can turn into a greenies issue for votes from that faction.
Today, nearly 25,000 miles of petroleum pipelines exist within the Ogallala Aquifer, including 2,000 miles in Nebraska. These pipelines transport about 730,000,000,000 barrels of crude oil across the aquifer – each year, including nearly 100,000,000 barrels of crude oil transported across the aquifer in Nebraska
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Are you saying the article is lying about the number of miles of pipeline? LOL
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
http://www.theodora.com/pipelines/united_states_pipelines_map.jpg
http://www.theodora.com/pipelines/united_states_pipelines.html
I think Canada is very close to building the pipeline to the Coast for sale to China. China is putting up the money. Only one tribe out of 20+ is holding out for more money. That line will get built.
If I was Canada I would not trust the simpletons we elect to do what is logical and good for both nations.
We need more of you.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My thinking is we buy oil from Canada, refine it and sell product we create good paying permanent type jobs. If Canada builds a pipeline and loads it onto ships for China it does NOTHING for our economy.
The UAW (remember them?) supported Obama's decision not to allow the pipeline as presently proposed.
First of all its no slam dunk that even if China pays (and I question with that kind of money and political fight that China won't try and wiggle out of some or all of it and I think Canada is leery too) it will be built. As for the refineries in the US, there could be some jobs involved, but be careful of incremental accounting. If the refineries are not exporting diesel distillates they may be refining gas or diesel fo the US market, so its not an all or none proposition. Most of those jobs are going to exist one way or the other, just the physical location in the US may vary depending on the outcome. The number impact is probably being heavily exaggerated by the oil industry. Let me tell you a little story about that biz. You're old enough to remember the Arab oil embargo of the Carter and Ford years and all of the gas stations running out of fuel. Well, I ran into a guy back then in Texas who was flying thermal sights for testing. If you are not familiar, these are night vision devices that work on ambient temperature differentiation rather than starlight and as a consequence can often detect things behind walls. He told me about flying around the gulf part of Texas one night and lo and behold, a lot of those oil storage tanks were pretty full despite the supposed industry lack of supply. Remember what Ronald Reagan said "trust, BUT verify"! Canada wants that pipeline into the US because it is safer and easier dealing with the US and Europe. The US wants it too, but its an election year. The Republicans deliberately backed Obama into a short corner on the issue where he had to either cave into them or say no, while the Dems want to make a political issue on the environment. Both parties suck and are being self serving on this issue. I think it gets built in 2013 regardless of whether Romney or Obama wins and gets a slightly altered routing. Oh, and let's not give Wall Street speculators a pass either - ever notice that when we are in an oil supply shortage here, the price of gas is based on US Cushing prices. But when we are OK on oil like these days it changes to Brent Crude because its a global market??? Couldn't be shifting around to gouge consumers now could it?
Their ability to produce good strategic opinions is pretty much in the dumper, so that doesn't mean much.
Damned perfectionist...
Wonder if they are going to make the parts in Korea or Alabama though? (wardsauto.com)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/31/us-skoreas-hyundai-idUSTRE80U08B201201- 31?type=companyNews
UAW Applauds Passage of U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement
Free trade agreements will lose more votes for Obama than just about anything he has done.
In any event, auto worker jobs in the US are up, and many of those jobs are UAW ones. For example, Chrysler adds 1,800 jobs to build Dodge Dart. (USA Today)
Since Illinois is now a right to work state, the question will be how many of those Dart workers will continue to pay their union dues.
It is Indiana that just went RTW.
Speaking of FIAT(chrysler) how is that any different than buying a Toyota, VW or Hyundai built in the USA? Profit ends up in Italy.
The Federal Election Commission has qualified its first 2012 presidential candidate for receiving matching federal funds: Buddy Roemer.
Roemer went from being governor to running The Sterling Group, which focuses on trade between Louisiana and Mexico. Free or Fair? :shades:
Buy some Fiat stock and you'll be an owner. And you'll enjoy being on the other side of those UAW contracts too, lol.
No thanks on Fiat. I contributed to them with my son's Spyder. :sick: :sick:
I know on some blogs it is more "if the car is made by UAW" it is somehow more American than when it is made in Alabama by Non-Union Pukes. I look at content as a more important factor. A Volt with 30% US content is not nearly as good for our balance of trade or workers as a Sequoia with 80% US Content. I also wish they would break down that content beyond North American. That includes Canada and Mexico.
Have to wonder how the existing UAW workers and new hires in Belvedere Illinois feel about building a foreign Italian car with an American name. That area of Illinois has been very pro-US, anti foreign for a number of decades.
I'd guess they really don't care as they're likely happy to be building something. They didn't have any problem building Mitsubishis, why not Fiats?
-Rocky
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/304590-5
-Rocky
Now that's a laugh: the great revisionist criticizing others and taking credit for having given money from bondholders to the unions in the bankruptcy. Almost like the money games for contributors in Solyndra where the government's (taxpayers') money would be lost before the company investors would lose theirs.
We all know his big goal is to use the unions to contribute to his campaign in return for taxpayer money and favored status in the legal structure.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Who are you listening to? Who is giving you this misinformation? The stockholders elected the board executives and tanked the company! They have nobody else but themselves! My family that works at GM, had to all take pay and/or benefit haircuts!!! My retired dad included who has no dental or eye care! He lost it to save GM!!!
I'm gonna post a video and I want you to watch it especially the end! Do you know that German union workers make 2x as much as UAW workers? Seriously you are believing a lie. The same lie since 2004/2005 when I met you! :confuse:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/28/1049409/-German-auto-manufacturers-high- - -profits-and-high-pay-show-why-U-S-labor-laws-need-to-be-stronger
-Rocky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4le8kXSZ7Q&feature=youtu.be
-Rocky
More and More Leave Germany Behind
Faced with poor job prospects, high taxes and an intrusive bureaucracy, more and more Germans are choosing to emigrate. Most of those who leave, though, are highly qualified -- which could mean devastating economic consequences.
They are tired of living in country where landing a job is like playing the lottery, a country where not even half of citizens live from gainful employment and a country in which even academics in their mid-40s are already considered problem cases when it comes to job placement. In other words, they are fed up with living in a country where all opportunities already seem to be taken: opportunities to succeed in one's career, to own property and to achieve prosperity.
That is why they want to leave -- as fast as they can, in fact -- and move to places where they believe there is hope for a better future. One of those places is the Third World -- India, to be more precise. René Seifert, 35, still raves about Bangalore, India's booming metropolis, where young computer programmers spend their nights crowding into the city's dance clubs and where, during the days, cars share the streets with rickshaws and cows. And where, despite the seeming chaos, every thing has its place. "I'm fascinated by the pulse of Asia, the upbeat prevailing mood and the wealth of opportunities," he raves.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,446045,00.html
-Rocky
2006? Someone is really digging lately.
2006? Someone is really digging lately.
To Rocky & Fintail, the article shows that Germany has been on the skids for some time longer than the USA. I see nothing wrong with retiring to a warm climate. You all may feel the same way when you get tired of the crappy weather where you both live. I just got my Costa Rica news. The lead article is about a couple that moved there from Canada last year. They wished they had made the move sooner.
Germany has a very large group of expats in CR.
-Rocky