The government makes treatment demands and then doesn't cover the costs: ER care is mandated but not paid for by the government. This puts a huge strain on hospitals, especially in poor areas, and so you have them closing.
The government subsidizes health care plans for the more affluent via their employers. Employers find that employees prefer plans that insulate the employee from actual costs of care, so no one shops on price.
The government subsidizes health care for the poor and elderly through a single-payer system that under-reimburses care givers, misses important opportunity for cost reduction through negotiation, and has poor incentives for preventative care.
The government subsidizes health care for veterans via a completely separate health care system that is periodically underfunded.
I'd say fixing any of those things is a good start:)
individual health insurance policies may become basically unobtainable - either priced into the stratosphere due to adverse selection and/or because insurance companies exit that market.
I think you are mistaken. Back in the 90s when the Obamacare was still called "the Republican health care plan", it was pointed out that a huge portion of the "uninsured" are actually healthy young college students. Further, many uninsured cannot afford to pay at all and force those with healthcare to basically subsidize emergency rooms. Forcing everyone to buy healthcare is a windfall for the insurance companies, and if anything rates should come down.
A couple of reasons. First, because the dipshit with no helmet gets expensive emergency care that he likely can't pay for. Second, the dipshit without he helmet makes my insurance more expensive. Third, some compassion for the first responders. No one likes to clean up brains. It's also more expensive. Finally, the stupid dipshit probably had a family and orphaned some kids that are now on public assistance. I'm all for individual rights, but one must be pragmatic.
Heh, you are preaching to the choir. She likes the predictable rush of insulin. And it seems so does most of the American audience. We're in the minority, but there are still plenty of films out there for us.:)
You aren't alone, but it's just personal preference.
I like unpredictability and misery in my movies. I like my comedies dark. I am a big fan of unhappy endings.
My wife likes predictability.
To me, her movies seem like watching the same movie over and over. To her, she can't possibly see why I'd want to watch something that isn't relaxing and removed from reality.
Other than causing endless conversations about how much each other's tastes suck, it's not a big deal. Just taste.
There's absolutely no reason why policy makers wouldn't push for it in the west, yet it's not happening.
I agree that electric bikes should be encouraged - but I still have to insist that safety licensing needs to happen. They are just like mopeds, but they are silent. In my state (PA), they are treated as such (under 1.5 HP, under 25MPH). You register them for $9/year, you don't need a helmet, but you do need to be 16 and have a driver's license.
If I ruled the world, you'd have to wear a helmet, but otherwise the PA rules seem reasonable to me.
Pushing for a tax on CO2 emissions by vehicles is only part of the needed regulation, and we're skipping all the part that makes it possible to afford having electric.
I don't think you'll get very far arguing for Chinese road-safety standards. The fact is you can only average about 15MPH (depending on the rider) on a road bike, and the mass is fairly small. If you hit anything, you might get hurt but it's unlikely that anyone will die as a result of your incompetence. An electric scooter can do at least twice that, sustained. It also weights a great deal more. If it hits someone, they may very well die. You should be just as regulated as you are on a gasoline device with the same capability.
This is a necessary result of depending on a bank to create new money instead of simply trusting interest-free IOUs from the other participants in the economy.
Maybe in La-La land, but in the real economy there are many types of debt instruments. Even interest-free IOUs are common in the business world - we call them purchase orders, and it is common not to get paid in 45 days or more. Vendors get really pissed off when you effectively borrow money from them with no compensation, but they go along with it so that they can keep your business.
Banker says 1.05 units of credit please. Glassier pays 1 unit leaving a debt of 0.05 units, Glassier cannot pay, so he defaults on the rest and loses his house.
That's because Glassier didn't do anything to make money - he just borrowed money. In real life, the Glassier would either need to have an income stream, or use the loan to start an income stream. Otherwise, yes, it's time to give up the collateral.
You can get rid of the dinners, and they will sweeten the deal some other way - sales is an art, and it works. Everyone should try to learn a little about how to make themselves a salesman, even if they aren't naturally good at it.
You seem smart... Why hasn't anyone devised an email system that let's me send internal emails that are very very large? It could do something like put the big file on a public (internal) FTP with a secret key password or something, and sub references to the file with an FTP link. Instead, I get berated for sending kitten videos. Again, that attitude is why you see outsourcing.
OTOH, who usually cleans up any messes that happens with it?
Yeah, but that happens after the sale. So if you are IT and your attitude is like the AC I responded to, you will get stuck cleaning up messes instead of delivering solutions because you are a poor salesman.
This is where we all run out and bought thumbdrives so that when we share files we aren't limited by the retarded 10mb email limit, we don't have to wait for the network if it is slow, and we don't have to pre-arrange a network share where we all have read/write permissions.
Congrats! You've pretty much illustrated exactly what this article is about!
Think of yourself in terms of having a customer and your competition is the cloud. Do you think the "cloud" provider is rude and surly? Do you think that they push back and make it seem like this whole idea is putting them out and making their life harder? I'm pretty sure they cheerfully offer services and then negotiate a price. Might even buy you dinner.
Slashdot Mirror
WTF is wrong with us?
Many, many problems.
The government makes treatment demands and then doesn't cover the costs: ER care is mandated but not paid for by the government. This puts a huge strain on hospitals, especially in poor areas, and so you have them closing.
The government subsidizes health care plans for the more affluent via their employers. Employers find that employees prefer plans that insulate the employee from actual costs of care, so no one shops on price.
The government subsidizes health care for the poor and elderly through a single-payer system that under-reimburses care givers, misses important opportunity for cost reduction through negotiation, and has poor incentives for preventative care.
The government subsidizes health care for veterans via a completely separate health care system that is periodically underfunded.
I'd say fixing any of those things is a good start :)
individual health insurance policies may become basically unobtainable - either priced into the stratosphere due to adverse selection and/or because insurance companies exit that market.
I think you are mistaken. Back in the 90s when the Obamacare was still called "the Republican health care plan", it was pointed out that a huge portion of the "uninsured" are actually healthy young college students. Further, many uninsured cannot afford to pay at all and force those with healthcare to basically subsidize emergency rooms. Forcing everyone to buy healthcare is a windfall for the insurance companies, and if anything rates should come down.
My imaginary, never-been-implemented ideology is better than your imaginary, never-been-implemented ideology.
many films are being geared to be friendly to the Chinese audiences - Hollywood knows where the money is.
Well, they'd love that... but China only lets in 20 Hollywood movies per year!
A couple of reasons. First, because the dipshit with no helmet gets expensive emergency care that he likely can't pay for. Second, the dipshit without he helmet makes my insurance more expensive. Third, some compassion for the first responders. No one likes to clean up brains. It's also more expensive. Finally, the stupid dipshit probably had a family and orphaned some kids that are now on public assistance. I'm all for individual rights, but one must be pragmatic.
Heh, you are preaching to the choir. She likes the predictable rush of insulin. And it seems so does most of the American audience. We're in the minority, but there are still plenty of films out there for us. :)
Yeah, it does. What are the chances?
You aren't alone, but it's just personal preference.
I like unpredictability and misery in my movies. I like my comedies dark. I am a big fan of unhappy endings.
My wife likes predictability.
To me, her movies seem like watching the same movie over and over. To her, she can't possibly see why I'd want to watch something that isn't relaxing and removed from reality.
Other than causing endless conversations about how much each other's tastes suck, it's not a big deal. Just taste.
Hmmmm, someone probably shouldn't be reading the "entertainment" section...
There's absolutely no reason why policy makers wouldn't push for it in the west, yet it's not happening.
I agree that electric bikes should be encouraged - but I still have to insist that safety licensing needs to happen. They are just like mopeds, but they are silent. In my state (PA), they are treated as such (under 1.5 HP, under 25MPH). You register them for $9/year, you don't need a helmet, but you do need to be 16 and have a driver's license.
If I ruled the world, you'd have to wear a helmet, but otherwise the PA rules seem reasonable to me.
I'm picturing a knife flying through the air, hitting a guy in a labcoat in the back.
The narrator says "Debate," in a thick, masculine Aussie accent.
Then, "Fosters. Australian for beer."
Pushing for a tax on CO2 emissions by vehicles is only part of the needed regulation, and we're skipping all the part that makes it possible to afford having electric.
I don't think you'll get very far arguing for Chinese road-safety standards. The fact is you can only average about 15MPH (depending on the rider) on a road bike, and the mass is fairly small. If you hit anything, you might get hurt but it's unlikely that anyone will die as a result of your incompetence. An electric scooter can do at least twice that, sustained. It also weights a great deal more. If it hits someone, they may very well die. You should be just as regulated as you are on a gasoline device with the same capability.
But it's the world's best goldfish bowl.
That's awesomely awesome.
This is a necessary result of depending on a bank to create new money instead of simply trusting interest-free IOUs from the other participants in the economy.
Maybe in La-La land, but in the real economy there are many types of debt instruments. Even interest-free IOUs are common in the business world - we call them purchase orders, and it is common not to get paid in 45 days or more. Vendors get really pissed off when you effectively borrow money from them with no compensation, but they go along with it so that they can keep your business.
What do you think the infinite oil fields are lined with?
Rush Limbaugh's pill bottles?
"intensive purposes" signifies acceptance of current practice regardless of past intents
It signifies that someone didn't read enough in high school.
Banker says 1.05 units of credit please. Glassier pays 1 unit leaving a debt of 0.05 units, Glassier cannot pay, so he defaults on the rest and loses his house.
That's because Glassier didn't do anything to make money - he just borrowed money. In real life, the Glassier would either need to have an income stream, or use the loan to start an income stream. Otherwise, yes, it's time to give up the collateral.
You have a pretty dim view of management if you think they don't understand that new stuff costs money.
You can get rid of the dinners, and they will sweeten the deal some other way - sales is an art, and it works. Everyone should try to learn a little about how to make themselves a salesman, even if they aren't naturally good at it.
You seem smart... Why hasn't anyone devised an email system that let's me send internal emails that are very very large? It could do something like put the big file on a public (internal) FTP with a secret key password or something, and sub references to the file with an FTP link. Instead, I get berated for sending kitten videos. Again, that attitude is why you see outsourcing.
OTOH, who usually cleans up any messes that happens with it?
Yeah, but that happens after the sale. So if you are IT and your attitude is like the AC I responded to, you will get stuck cleaning up messes instead of delivering solutions because you are a poor salesman.
Isn't this where . . .
This is where we all run out and bought thumbdrives so that when we share files we aren't limited by the retarded 10mb email limit, we don't have to wait for the network if it is slow, and we don't have to pre-arrange a network share where we all have read/write permissions.
Congrats! You've pretty much illustrated exactly what this article is about!
Think of yourself in terms of having a customer and your competition is the cloud. Do you think the "cloud" provider is rude and surly? Do you think that they push back and make it seem like this whole idea is putting them out and making their life harder? I'm pretty sure they cheerfully offer services and then negotiate a price. Might even buy you dinner.
I just sink all of my money into bubbles!
Hoarding is not the same as investing.