Walmart to leave its employees healthcare up to the ...

I am on good terms with jpete so a little jab is an attempt to lighten up the mood in here. I don't mind when people zing me good either.

Kevin

KLook wrote:I am on good terms with jpete so a little jab is an attempt to lighten up the mood in here. I don't mind when people zing me good either.

Kevin

I'm surprised you have not called me a "flatlander" or "land lubber" or something of the such being a downeasta' and all!

Oh, I've had my tiffs with you potato heads. Randy Harris down in Lee comes to mind. Even people up there hate him. Funny that there is such a distinction between the coastal people and the interior people. Never had much come of it traveling all over the state every weekend to play softball for many years.

Kevin

More prisons will be great.

I can't wait for the day that 50% of the people are guarding the other 50%.

Rwalker wrote:I often wonder if tomorrow one of your sons signed a 100 million dollar contract to throw a football in the NFL, if you would piss and moan that they were making too much money, or you would be estatic? The fans pay that salary with their hard earned money, much like taxes...

football games are my choioce to decide taxes are not

bigstick6017555 wrote:

Rwalker wrote:I often wonder if tomorrow one of your sons signed a 100 million dollar contract to throw a football in the NFL, if you would piss and moan that they were making too much money, or you would be estatic? The fans pay that salary with their hard earned money, much like taxes...

football games are my choioce to decide taxes are not

Is being a citizen of this country a choice?

football games are my choioce to decide taxes are not

Sure they are. Dont work. Dont live where you live. Dont own a house. Live off the grid.

As I have said before, I dont mind losing $400 a paycheck to taxes when the roads are nice, the state parks are nice, and the State Police and Prisons are handled well. I do mind when I am feeding and giving health care to those who chose not to work and *censored* out kids every year.

Here is a great way for all of you to beat the system. Most states pay their half-way houses a stipen for every inmate they house that gets out on parole. I think it is something like $100 or so a day here. There are a ton of sex offenders that can't get approved home plans and are costing you tax payers $30,000 a year to keep in the clink. Offer up your house and take some of them in. Make an extra $100 a day, per inmate, to offset those pesky taxes.

It is the internet Kevin. I dont take any of it seriously. I actually like my job and I dont ask for what I get paid, they pay me what they pay me. I enjoy the work I do and I come home every day to my awesome wife and kids with a smile on my face knowing my family can handle what ever is thrown at us. I dont expect a certain amount of money, and I have never once sat in on a union meeting or refused a contract. I am grateful for what I have and what I make. When you have health problems like I do and 2 kids who spent 2 weeks in the NICU, you are pretty happy with excellent health benefits too.

I also think it is bullshit for a company that grosses BILLIONS of dollars to not take care of their employees with at least health insurance. By Wal-Mart not giving their employees insurance it is costing us more in taxes because we have to support their government paid insurance. So in the end, you break even. You saved $1 on your Cheerios and your taxes increased. There are companies out there that appreciate and take care of their employees. I support those companies fully. If more companies took care of their workers, our taxes would go down.

Rwalker wrote:

football games are my choioce to decide taxes are not

Sure they are. Dont work. Dont live where you live. Dont own a house. Live off the grid.

As I have said before, I dont mind losing $400 a paycheck to taxes when the roads are nice, the state parks are nice, and the State Police and Prisons are handled well. I do mind when I am feeding and giving health care to those who chose not to work and *censored* out kids every year.

Here is a great way for all of you to beat the system. Most states pay their half-way houses a stipen for every inmate they house that gets out on parole. I think it is something like $100 or so a day here. There are a ton of sex offenders that can't get approved home plans and are costing you tax payers $30,000 a year to keep in the clink. Offer up your house and take some of them in. Make an extra $100 a day, per inmate, to offset those pesky taxes.

It is the internet Kevin. I dont take any of it seriously. I actually like my job and I dont ask for what I get paid, they pay me what they pay me. I enjoy the work I do and I come home every day to my awesome wife and kids with a smile on my face knowing my family can handle what ever is thrown at us. I dont expect a certain amount of money, and I have never once sat in on a union meeting or refused a contract. I am grateful for what I have and what I make. When you have health problems like I do and 2 kids who spent 2 weeks in the NICU, you are pretty happy with excellent health benefits too.

I also think it is bullshit for a company that grosses BILLIONS of dollars to not take care of their employees with at least health insurance. By Wal-Mart not giving their employees insurance it is costing us more in taxes because we have to support their government paid insurance. So in the end, you break even. You saved $1 on your Cheerios and your taxes increased. There are companies out there that appreciate and take care of their employees. I support those companies fully. If more companies took care of their workers, our taxes would go down.

I like the way you think!

I also think it is bullshit for a company that grosses BILLIONS of dollars to not take care of their employees with at least health insurance. By Wal-Mart not giving their employees insurance it is costing us more in taxes because we have to support their government paid insurance. So in the end, you break even. You saved $1 on your Cheerios and your taxes increased. There are companies out there that appreciate and take care of their employees. I support those companies fully. If more companies took care of their workers, our taxes would go down.

There, sounds like we are nearer to the same page as I assumed.
However, health care costs are driven by the gov. That is why it is so expensive. There is no free market in healthcare or costs would come down. Gov. involvement ALWAYS makes things cost more even if it is well intentioned and all the crap. Those companies(that take care of their people) are going to be faced with the reality of what is happening soon. It is the socialist plan to have NO private insurance, only gov. run plans.
I don't know where to find it but maybe someone does. What is the profit of Walmart compared to worldwide assets and expenses? What is the margin or profit and loss statement. Anyone?
Keep doing what is right for you and your family, I don't place blame on anyone for that.

Kevin

Kevin,

If everyone paid for their own health care out of pocket like the Amish in my community...do you think this would force the medical community to adjust costs to a more affordable level?

Northern Maine wrote:

bigstick6017555 wrote:

Rwalker wrote:I often wonder if tomorrow one of your sons signed a 100 million dollar contract to throw a football in the NFL, if you would piss and moan that they were making too much money, or you would be estatic? The fans pay that salary with their hard earned money, much like taxes...

football games are my choioce to decide taxes are not

Is being a citizen of this country a choice?

Ah...nationalism. Slip into it like your favorite pair of slippers.

Northern Maine wrote:Kevin,

If everyone paid for their own health care out of pocket like the Amish in my community...do you think this would force the medical community to adjust costs to a more affordable level?

Nah, they'd be deemed "too big to fail" and get a bailout.

If everyone paid for their own health care out of pocket like the Amish in my community...do you think this would force the medical community to adjust costs to a more affordable level?

Yes, and I would be even more sure of it if Tort reform was tried. As a non-union carpenter/independent builder, I had to charge what the market would bear to work. When i incorporated and hired "employees" and had to have bookwork, payroll, and accounting, my costs went up AND my workman's comp. insurance was killing me. $17.25/$100 and went up to over $19/$100. $31,000 in 12 months. Equal to what I made the previous year GROSS. MEMIC did not care and the little snippet of a girl down in Portland told me I wasn't charging enough per hour! I told her I had to compete to work! Anyhow, I had much more responsibility. I had quality issues with employees. I had much higher tool and materials costs due to neglect and stupidity. And at the end of the year after increasing my business by 2 fold(cash flow), I made $31,000! I fired them all and went back to producing quality work for the right price dependent on the clients ability to pay and what I thought I could get to do the job. Free market at work. I will never try to run a business again.
Doctors are no different and are subject to the same free market forces. My latest National Geographic features an article about Cuba. The taxi driver is a Doctor because the pay for being a doctor is so low under the gov. that he makes far more money driving. In another thread recently someone was talking about superior health care in Cuba. I don't think so.

Kevin

My wife is a hospital accountant, so I have a fair idea what is going on regulation wise in health care.

KLook wrote:

If everyone paid for their own health care out of pocket like the Amish in my community...do you think this would force the medical community to adjust costs to a more affordable level?

Yes, and I would be even more sure of it if Tort reform was tried. As a non-union carpenter/independent builder, I had to charge what the market would bear to work. When i incorporated and hired "employees" and had to have bookwork, payroll, and accounting, my costs went up AND my workman's comp. insurance was killing me. $17.25/$100 and went up to over $19/$100. $31,000 in 12 months. Equal to what I made the previous year GROSS. MEMIC did not care and the little snippet of a girl down in Portland told me I wasn't charging enough per hour! I told her I had to compete to work! Anyhow, I had much more responsibility. I had quality issues with employees. I had much higher tool and materials costs due to neglect and stupidity. And at the end of the year after increasing my business by 2 fold(cash flow), I made $31,000! I fired them all and went back to producing quality work for the right price dependent on the clients ability to pay and what I thought I could get to do the job. Free market at work. I will never try to run a business again.
Doctors are no different and are subject to the same free market forces. My latest National Geographic features an article about Cuba. The taxi driver is a Doctor because the pay for being a doctor is so low under the gov. that he makes far more money driving. In another thread recently someone was talking about superior health care in Cuba. I don't think so.

Kevin

My wife is a hospital accountant, so I have a fair idea what is going on regulation wise in health care.

I personally would rather pay direct and cut out the "middle man" so to speak...but the problem is "everyone would have to do it". I pay direct for dental care and wish they would discount it for paying cash, but they won't.

Yes, and I would be even more sure of it if Tort reform was tried. As a non-union carpenter/independent builder, I had to charge what the market would bear to work. When i incorporated and hired "employees" and had to have bookwork, payroll, and accounting, my costs went up AND my workman's comp. insurance was killing me. $17.25/$100 and went up to over $19/$100. $31,000 in 12 months. Equal to what I made the previous year GROSS. MEMIC did not care and the little snippet of a girl down in Portland told me I wasn't charging enough per hour! I told her I had to compete to work! Anyhow, I had much more responsibility. I had quality issues with employees. I had much higher tool and materials costs due to neglect and stupidity. And at the end of the year after increasing my business by 2 fold(cash flow), I made $31,000! I fired them all and went back to producing quality work for the right price dependent on the clients ability to pay and what I thought I could get to do the job. Free market at work. I will never try to run a business again.

I still dabble in clinical development, my younger wife takes the load these days. We are consultants/research developers for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies out there. We could quintuple our business tomorrow morning just by picking up the phone, of course I would have to hire more people who are there unemployed (MDs/PH.Ds). The simple fact is I would make less money and have a pile more aggravation. So it's horse playing time and a lot less work for more money. Go Obummer.