Yes, I know someone who had some money in his Flexible Spending Account that was going to go away January 1st because that's what happens with FSA's. So he went to his doctor and said "I've got this money until Jan. 1, so run whatever tests might be helpful."
This is something I don't understand, why don't be promote the HSA (Health Savings Accounts) instead and make them easier to attain, use and manage? The HSA is like the FSA, except it is NOT a use it or lose it thing...it can continue to grow year after year after year!!
I set one up when I was contracting through my own company and it was great. I got a high deductible insurance policy ($1200 deduct....for emergency care only) and I maxed out pre-tax contributions to the HSA. I used the HSA funds for my routine medical visits and meds.
This should be the model we use....save pre-tax for routine medical costs...insurance ONLY for catastrophic medical emergencies (heart attack, etc)...and costs would go down everywhere. Make the individual responsible for their own health...make insurance back into what it used to be known as..."major medical".
Want to lose weight and have a healthy diet? A varied Low GI diet is good, but you also need to control your calories - if you take in more energy than you burn in a day - even if those calories are magical "Low GI" calories - you WILL gain weight.
Actually, it is pretty sound advice starting off...I and many others have found, that starting off..don't worry so much about the calories, but stay away from the carbs.
What we find is...that once you do this, and get your insulin levels stable...the fat and protein in your diet..keep you satiated for longer, and you actually aren't as hungry as you used to be, and you will naturally start eating less on the caloric side of the equation.
I also found that eating 4-5 times a day also helped keep me from getting ravenously hungry and that also helped keep caloric intake down.
So, when starting out...it isn't a bad thing to start out with the "all you can eat" protein and fats thing...it will naturally lead you to eating less as you progress.
Or maybe it could be used in a Humaine country to further reduce health care costs and extend longevity.
Yeah...but those countries are gonna get fewer and further in between, as that so many of them are going broke and can't afford to pay for everyone to have all the health coverage they desire.
I just throw everything in the trash can, and the city picks it up. From food to computer monitors...all goes in the trash. No rules that I know of....
If you are so worried about time, then surely public transport can be a winning option. I take the train to work from the 'burbs into the city. I read the news, answer emails, post here on slashdot, watch TV, and when I am really bored I actually start work on the train. If you make sure that you send work related emails then you can justify leaving work earlier (if you have a good boss).
Sorry, but public transportation like you describe is NOT available in most US cities.
I live in New Orleans which actually does have a pretty widespread bus system, and some streetcars.
But even here...(and I just recently moved a bit further from work than last apt)..my 11-14 minute drive to work vastly offsets the 2-2.5 or so hour ride I'd have to do to get on a bus, and transfer a bunch of times....and still wouldn't let me off right at my work or home's door step.
And with summer heat, humidity and rain coming up...no thank you. I have to look at least somewhat professional when I arrive at work.
My council won't take energy saver lightbulbs in my recycling, so I have to drive somewhere to dispose of them...
I'm guessing by 'my council' you mean your garbage pickup service...
I'm curious, how the hell would they know what you're throwing out (CFL bulbs or whatever)? I mean, do they open up all your trash bags and sort through them to see what you throw out??
It would cost a lot less if, instead of publishing the documents, they stored them in some kind of machine-readable form, and used automatons to fetch, copy, and deliver responses to requests made using a standardized set of machine instructions....
LOL...you really do have a bit too much faith in the abilities of the fed and state governments. It takes years, research, committees and miles of red tape just to approve the official design of the cheese sandwich in the cafeteria downstairs.....multiply that by 20x or more and you'll start the ball rolling on the system you described.
And that's not taking into account any malice they might have towards creating such a system to more easily make their work and actions more transparent.
People have a very screwed up mindset in this country where they refuse to take the bus because they might have to run into "other people," don't talk to their neighbors, and so on. It's not healthy for anyone.
Err...most every city I've lived in...the bus, or any other form of transportion just isn't practical. Not that many routes and the ones that do, neither pick up or drop off are anywhere near my house or destination....
And by bus people...well, yes...the times I've been on a bus, I find most of them are NOT people I'd really care to be around much....hygiene does not seem to be the #1 priority with the bums and lowlifes you usually encounter on a bus.
I do talk to and know my neighbors...we get along well, I just prefer NOT to share a wall with them.
They won't require it. They'll just threaten to withhold interstate funding from any state that refuses to comply.
You know...at what point are the people and the states going to get pissed off and put a STOP to us giving so much $$ to the Feds only to allow them to used it to blackmail us?
mortgage is actually cheaper where I live then rent... figure that one out.
Well, that's easy, the people renting the places out want to make a bit of money out of the deal, so, they charge rent in excess of the mortgage they are paying on the house. Pretty simple really, I mean...they aren't buying and renting properties out of the goodness of their hearts...they want to make a profit like anyone else doing a business.
Actually there is some economic research suggesting that as cities grow, the resources required to maintain them grow less than the population increases. In this regard cities are more efficient than urban, suburban, or exurban living.
First, you hear your neighbors. Every fight and so on.
Second you have to deal now with the neighbors kids as well. Screaming Crying etc.
And in the off chance you want to be a good neighbor yourself, you can't do things YOU enjoy...like playing the stereo if you have a good one. Hell, when my Khorns and sub are switched on...just listening to the Flintstones can shake the floors.
And you can't ever have fun playing your guitars 'cause you can't turn your amp up to 11...where the sweet spot for overdrive is....or your disturb everyone around you.
Screw that...I don't want to share walls anymore....just cramps life.
Hey...I guess the context to me more or less summed up by something Dennis Miller said awhile back..
"I don't really care who comes into the country, just make sure and sign the fucking guest book on the way in...ok?"
Really...go through the process and do it legally. Anyone that broke that law...should be shipped back and try again the right way.
And why the federal govt. is being lax in their duty (one of their enumerated jobs to do in the constitution IS to protect and manage the borders)...I have no idea, but it is causing more and more problems.
I thought the "no borders" was more of a "global free trade" thing (for various definitions of free).
I think most of us consider "no borders" to be related to the "no we don't need to protect our borders and let every illegal alien possible in through the Mexican border...let's keep it open, if you are against that, you are a racist type thing.
I am curious, how is it that people in US get worse treatment from call centers in India, than people living in India itself. Personally I have not really had any bad experience with Indian call centers(though for some reason calls to MS seem to be routed to a US based call center from India.. weird)
I'm guessing the main reason is..that if you're from India, you can likely understand what the fuck they are saying to you on the support end of the line.
To an American...it is often VERY difficult to figure out they're speaking English, much less understand what they're trying to say.
They might say their name is "Bob"....but anything they say after that is often unintelligible.
I think you misunderstood my subtilty...I meant is she doesn't like it...tell her to go into the other fucking room and watch what she wants if she doesn't like what I'm watching.
My house....my rules. If she doesn't like it...there's others out there...always...
Yeah, that's why all our police departments and the State DA protested the DoT's "Drink. Drive. Go to Jail." ad campaign, as it might reduce the amount of drinking and driving arrests they are able to make.
I meant, that's why the court house, with assistance by the local PD, hosts MADD meetings within the building to "scare people sober" with horrific stories of drunk driving accidents.
If they were really worried about it...they'd just ban the sale of alcohol in establishments like bars and restaurants,and only allow you to drink at home.
I mean...all those people in bars filling the parking lots...they certainly aren't there to have one drink and just chat all night drinking water the rest of the time.
Actually...MADD would really love to just turn back the clock to prohibition.
These days...pretty much ALL traffic enforcement is more towards revenue generation than safety. I'd not be surprised if they start treating DWI like the stoplight/speed cameras..where they actually print on the ticket "this is not a moving violation and will not go on your record"...??
Seriously, I say lets take all the fines for traffic violations, and rather than give them to the police or govt....let's pool it and redistribute it BACK to the citizens at EOY that haven't committed any infractions, as a type of reward.
I'd love to see how much enthusiasm and vigor law enforcement would continue to be for these type of stake outs, speed traps and checkpoints then when they didn't get any money out of it.
Frankly, I'd rather give bounties and rewards for preventing hard crimes like murder....I'm much more worried about that than some traffic infractions.
Don't get me wrong, if you're driving poorly and too inebriated to operate a vehicle safely, get them off the road, but other than that...go out and hunt REAL criminals.
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This is something I don't understand, why don't be promote the HSA (Health Savings Accounts) instead and make them easier to attain, use and manage? The HSA is like the FSA, except it is NOT a use it or lose it thing...it can continue to grow year after year after year!!
I set one up when I was contracting through my own company and it was great. I got a high deductible insurance policy ($1200 deduct....for emergency care only) and I maxed out pre-tax contributions to the HSA. I used the HSA funds for my routine medical visits and meds.
This should be the model we use....save pre-tax for routine medical costs...insurance ONLY for catastrophic medical emergencies (heart attack, etc)...and costs would go down everywhere. Make the individual responsible for their own health...make insurance back into what it used to be known as..."major medical".
Actually, it is pretty sound advice starting off...I and many others have found, that starting off..don't worry so much about the calories, but stay away from the carbs.
What we find is...that once you do this, and get your insulin levels stable...the fat and protein in your diet..keep you satiated for longer, and you actually aren't as hungry as you used to be, and you will naturally start eating less on the caloric side of the equation.
I also found that eating 4-5 times a day also helped keep me from getting ravenously hungry and that also helped keep caloric intake down.
So, when starting out...it isn't a bad thing to start out with the "all you can eat" protein and fats thing...it will naturally lead you to eating less as you progress.
Yeah...but those countries are gonna get fewer and further in between, as that so many of them are going broke and can't afford to pay for everyone to have all the health coverage they desire.
I just throw everything in the trash can, and the city picks it up. From food to computer monitors...all goes in the trash. No rules that I know of....
Sorry, but public transportation like you describe is NOT available in most US cities.
I live in New Orleans which actually does have a pretty widespread bus system, and some streetcars.
But even here...(and I just recently moved a bit further from work than last apt)..my 11-14 minute drive to work vastly offsets the 2-2.5 or so hour ride I'd have to do to get on a bus, and transfer a bunch of times....and still wouldn't let me off right at my work or home's door step.
And with summer heat, humidity and rain coming up...no thank you. I have to look at least somewhat professional when I arrive at work.
I'm guessing by 'my council' you mean your garbage pickup service...
I'm curious, how the hell would they know what you're throwing out (CFL bulbs or whatever)? I mean, do they open up all your trash bags and sort through them to see what you throw out??
Bring back the muscle cars!!!
Actually, part of the problems we're living with today, is because government has been over stepping its mandate by the constitution.
It is NOT the job of the government to "solve social issues" in America. That's not one oif its enumarated limited powers or responsibilities.
Are you serious?
I'd not heard that one before...
LOL...you really do have a bit too much faith in the abilities of the fed and state governments. It takes years, research, committees and miles of red tape just to approve the official design of the cheese sandwich in the cafeteria downstairs.....multiply that by 20x or more and you'll start the ball rolling on the system you described.
And that's not taking into account any malice they might have towards creating such a system to more easily make their work and actions more transparent.
Err...most every city I've lived in...the bus, or any other form of transportion just isn't practical. Not that many routes and the ones that do, neither pick up or drop off are anywhere near my house or destination....
And by bus people...well, yes...the times I've been on a bus, I find most of them are NOT people I'd really care to be around much....hygiene does not seem to be the #1 priority with the bums and lowlifes you usually encounter on a bus.
I do talk to and know my neighbors...we get along well, I just prefer NOT to share a wall with them.
You know...at what point are the people and the states going to get pissed off and put a STOP to us giving so much $$ to the Feds only to allow them to used it to blackmail us?
Well, that's easy, the people renting the places out want to make a bit of money out of the deal, so, they charge rent in excess of the mortgage they are paying on the house. Pretty simple really, I mean...they aren't buying and renting properties out of the goodness of their hearts...they want to make a profit like anyone else doing a business.
Efficiency of living != Quality of life
And in the off chance you want to be a good neighbor yourself, you can't do things YOU enjoy...like playing the stereo if you have a good one. Hell, when my Khorns and sub are switched on...just listening to the Flintstones can shake the floors.
And you can't ever have fun playing your guitars 'cause you can't turn your amp up to 11...where the sweet spot for overdrive is....or your disturb everyone around you.
Screw that...I don't want to share walls anymore....just cramps life.
What part of the constitution gives the Federal Govt. the power to require all of this?!?!?
How are they going to bastardize the interstate commerce clause to force this piece of shit regulation on the states and the citizens of each state?
Hey...I guess the context to me more or less summed up by something Dennis Miller said awhile back..
"I don't really care who comes into the country, just make sure and sign the fucking guest book on the way in...ok?"
Really...go through the process and do it legally. Anyone that broke that law...should be shipped back and try again the right way.
And why the federal govt. is being lax in their duty (one of their enumerated jobs to do in the constitution IS to protect and manage the borders)...I have no idea, but it is causing more and more problems.
I think most of us consider "no borders" to be related to the "no we don't need to protect our borders and let every illegal alien possible in through the Mexican border...let's keep it open, if you are against that, you are a racist type thing.
I'm guessing the main reason is..that if you're from India, you can likely understand what the fuck they are saying to you on the support end of the line.
To an American...it is often VERY difficult to figure out they're speaking English, much less understand what they're trying to say.
They might say their name is "Bob"....but anything they say after that is often unintelligible.
My house....my rules. If she doesn't like it...there's others out there...always...
Hmm..doesn't she have her OWN tv to watch??
No matter how many cops you see in front of you, make sure and talk to the one in the middle.
That is most likely the real one.
If they were really worried about it...they'd just ban the sale of alcohol in establishments like bars and restaurants,and only allow you to drink at home.
I mean...all those people in bars filling the parking lots...they certainly aren't there to have one drink and just chat all night drinking water the rest of the time.
Actually...MADD would really love to just turn back the clock to prohibition.
Seriously, I say lets take all the fines for traffic violations, and rather than give them to the police or govt....let's pool it and redistribute it BACK to the citizens at EOY that haven't committed any infractions, as a type of reward.
I'd love to see how much enthusiasm and vigor law enforcement would continue to be for these type of stake outs, speed traps and checkpoints then when they didn't get any money out of it.
Frankly, I'd rather give bounties and rewards for preventing hard crimes like murder....I'm much more worried about that than some traffic infractions.
Don't get me wrong, if you're driving poorly and too inebriated to operate a vehicle safely, get them off the road, but other than that...go out and hunt REAL criminals.
Really?
I'd guess that likely would add to the game as a selling point. I find it refreshing to find something that isn't 100% fucking Politically Correct.