Slashdot Mirror

I've read allegations that he completely dismisses witnesses and demands pictures for cases to go forward. Basically, unless you have a picture or a video of child abuse, he'll let the abusive parent go free and keep custody of the child, no matter how many witnesses you have.

After reading how many people think this video is "child abuse" when the US attorney's office reviewed the video and found no offense.

Clearly people think things are abuse that are not abuse.

I think it has less to do with their beliefs than it does with making sure Obama doesn't get re-elected at any cost to the people, the worse the consequences the better. Many have no problems admitting exactly that. I can hope it will bite them in the ass, but unfortunately I don't have much faith in the U.S. voters.

And the day you are stricken low by a chronic condition, or indeed simply grow older? Will you then be satisfied in paying increased premiums for the rest for your life?

I thought I was pretty clear. It's fine to be charged higher premiums if you're DOING something risky. That is, you can chose it. So if the chronic condition was brought about because I was acting irresponsibley, then sure, charge me a higher premium. If I was doing what was considered healthy, then no. AFAIK, you can't control your age, so again no, no higher premiums simply for being older.

This is the important point about insurance. Instead of spreading costs evenly across the system, so that people who are better off now support those in hard times (this is the whole theory of insurance), we instead simply pass on all the burden to the people who can't afford it and who need the most help.

Really? Because EVERY OTHER KIND OF INSURANCE is based on risk. Live in an area with a high flood risk? You pay more. Drive recklessly and rack up tickets or accidents? You again pay more. Smoke or skydive for a living? Your life insurance COSTS YOU MORE. See the pattern? The costs are usually tied to things you can control. Regarding health insurance, I think its reasonable to ONLY base premiums on things you can control, because now we're talking about people's lives. At the same time, I don't pity someone who's reckless with their own life.

This situation has come about because we invited risk based premiums in the door when we allowed smokers, obese people and similar people to be charged higher rates. You can justify it any way you want, but it was based more on righteousness more than hard facts.

You're wrong; smokers and obese peope right now are NOT charged higher premiums.

If we really based risk assessment on facts, we'd have situations where groups like West Africans and Ashkenazi Jews were charged higher premiums because of hereditary disorders like Sickle Cells disease and Cystic fibrosis. But, we don't do that because it would be socially and morally unacceptable and repugnant.

I am drawing a line between things beyond an individuals control and those things which ARE under and individuals control. And if you look at health care costs and the leading causes of death, the majority today in the US is not sickle cell or CF, its obesity related diseases. In other words, people are making choices contributing as much as 10% to the cost of health care, more than any other single cost. Look at this and tell me again if you think your lifestyle shouldn't be a factor for health insurance: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158948.php

It's good that you keeper yourself healthy. And you currently enjoy windfalls because of that. It would be nice if you could be healthy forever. But sooner or later, time will take its toll, and when it does the insurance system which you now support will seem a lot less friendly and rewarding, and a lot more harsh and punitive.

You act as if its inevitable to become unhealthy as you get older. You really know nothing of fitness and healthy living. Studies have been showing exercise can help with artiritus, mental disorders, bone density problems, ciruclation problems, an a host of other problems. http://www.thirdage.com/exercise-fitness/strength-training-the-best-anti-aging-remedy-ever There's much more out there, go look. No, you'll not live forever, eventually everything dies... but your assemsement that we are helpless to rapidly decay is simply not true.

I'm nearsighted and I make it a habit to not wear my glasses when I'm at the computer, the upshot being my vision has actually improved slightly over the years. I also try not to stare at the monitor for extended periods; about every 5 minutes I let my eyeballs to break the lock on the monitor.

Hopefully you can find some of that useful. I'd also suggest looking at this artcile, which contains helpful suggestions.

• http://www.21stcentury.co.uk/robotics/dyson_dc06.a sp
  
• http://www.fp.rdg.ac.uk/equal/AT/reki/REKIslides/R EKIADCttATS/sld018.htm
  
• http://www.thirdage.com/news/archive/991218-02.htm l
  
• And more on Google
  

That other, oh-so-successful company Myfamily.com, the creepy Mormon company that tried to corner the geneology market. The only reason they are still around is that they purchased and gutted another dot com, which they ditched after laying off over 90% of the people and walking off with more cash and equipment than they payed in (worthless) stock.
He's essentially a corporate serial rapist.

Seems like I've been reading about this for years. Glad to see it finally becoming reality.

Drink plenty of good clean water (minimum of 2 litres per day for an adult). This is VERY important as we have found that most ES people we have seen are chronically dehydrated.