Off on a different tangent today, how about TV Shows?
We all have our own opinions on what's good and what's bad, but did you know there's a place to cast your vote? Simply go to http://richlabonte.net/tvvote/ to cast your vote for which shows you think are the best. The main page consists of shows currently in the "Top 40" of all time. On this page you can vote for up to 5 different shows, every 60 minutes. There is also a link near the bottom where you can 'nominate' a show and vote for it. After a 'nominated' show recieves 100 more votes than the bottom "Top 40" show, then there is a new entry on the "Top 40".
I've been voting on the site ever since Jericho was cancelled after the first season. I've watched it go from merely a 'nominated' show to #8 in about one year. That's pretty good for a show that only had one season, then was cancelled by CBS, then resurrected for another 7 episodes by fan power alone. Kind of makes you wonder hwy CBS cancelled it in the first place, and even how accurate the Neilson ratings really are.
Now, if only there was a place to vote for the worst TV shows of all time, so I could cast my votes for "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars".
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
"Health Care"
Well, for my very first blog post, I guess I'll write about something that has totally irked me for I don't know how long.
Who else has noticed that here in the US, health care costs and premium payments have been skyrocketing, while benefit coverage has been plummeting? We are now paying more for our share of the premium payments (which have also gone up, to make our share even higher), while we see our benefits decrease (so we pay more once again to receive the same benefits we had a few years ago).
During this same timeframe, the CEO's of the various health 'industries' seem to have their salaries skyrocket also. Their paychecks and other benefits have continued to climb as fast as our payments have. Then they (through their company spokesmen) claim that they (the company) aren't making as much for their stockholders and need to raise the premiums while decreasing coverage yet again.
There are a whole slew of various reasons why these companies in the health care industry aren't making enough money. The biggest though seems to be just plain old greed and stupidity. The health care industry makes more 'profit' than the oil and gas industry which everybody is complaining about. They pay their CEO's roughly the same (millions upon millions of $$$ each year), expense accounts (what, they can't afford the mortgage with their salary?), and far better benefit packages than any 'regular' working employee will ever receive from that company.
Add to this mix of reasons why costs have continued to soar, the cost of advertising. First off, why does a health insurance company need to advertise? It seems (at least here in the Denver metro area), that you can't have the radio or tv on for more than 30 minutes without hearing at least one commercial for Kaiser Permenente.
Has anybody else ever wondered why? It seems to me that if their 'care' was good, or even decent, then plain old word of mouth would be all the coverage they'd need. Instead, it seems that spend millions of dollars just here in the Denver metro area advertising how great their coverage is and how they they want everyone to be healthy.
NEWSFLASH - How about quit spending so much money trying to convince people how great your coverage is and spend that money actually improving your level of care? Being convenient to your customers? Quit paying the top layers of management so much? Do this and people would actually tell others how good you are, then you'll get more customers, and make more money. Your shareholders will be happy, customers will be happy, costs don't rise so much so fast, and your competitors either have to make the same changes or lose customers, hence health care costs become slightly more affordable.
It's plain old common sense, but the health care industry doesn't have plain old common sense. The health care industry is probably of the largest 'groups' of lobbyists in Washington DC. They want to promote a 'healthy' country, so they can continue to bilk us of our money for as many years as possible. They don't care if people suddenly start outliving their retirement plans.
If everybody starts outliving their retirement plans, then there are more people who will suddenly become dependant upon family and/or the government. They will need more intensive (and therefore expensive) medical treatment to keep them alive longer. And who benefits from this? Why yes, it's none other than the health care industry.
The "Health Care" industry plays upon people's desire to live longer so they can continue to make money and live extravagent lifestyles. The longer we live, the more money we are likely to send their direction.
Personally, I'd rather die sometime in my 70's. I'll have had enough time spend a big portion of my retirement plan. What I don't spend, I can leave to my two sons, to help them along in life. Perhaps they can pay off some bills and enjoy themselves while they're still young enough to enjoy life. In my 70's, I'll be old old to enjoy many things in life. I don't want to try to travel and see places if I have to rush to keep up with a tour group or whatever. Ever see the old folks who try this and how everybody else on the tour keeps getting annoyed with having to wait around for the 'old folks'? Some sights get cut short to make up for the time lost waiting on the 'old folks'.
At that age, what can I seriously do without being an inconvenience to many others? Sit around and read books, watch tv, continue paying money to the health care industry? I'd rather let my sons have the money and do something useful with it and enjoy it. By the time I'd hit my eighties, I'd start to really become a liability to those around me. Most of my monthly income would be spent on something associated with the health care industry, leaving very little for what I'd care about most, my family.
Wake up America. Forget all this hogwash about "being healthy", just enjoy your life for whatever time you have. Forget about living into your 90's or longer. What's the point, to allow some CEO in the health care industry to afford a new swimming pool? What about your kids or grandkids? Couldn't they enjoy it more? They even know your name.
Who else has noticed that here in the US, health care costs and premium payments have been skyrocketing, while benefit coverage has been plummeting? We are now paying more for our share of the premium payments (which have also gone up, to make our share even higher), while we see our benefits decrease (so we pay more once again to receive the same benefits we had a few years ago).
During this same timeframe, the CEO's of the various health 'industries' seem to have their salaries skyrocket also. Their paychecks and other benefits have continued to climb as fast as our payments have. Then they (through their company spokesmen) claim that they (the company) aren't making as much for their stockholders and need to raise the premiums while decreasing coverage yet again.
There are a whole slew of various reasons why these companies in the health care industry aren't making enough money. The biggest though seems to be just plain old greed and stupidity. The health care industry makes more 'profit' than the oil and gas industry which everybody is complaining about. They pay their CEO's roughly the same (millions upon millions of $$$ each year), expense accounts (what, they can't afford the mortgage with their salary?), and far better benefit packages than any 'regular' working employee will ever receive from that company.
Add to this mix of reasons why costs have continued to soar, the cost of advertising. First off, why does a health insurance company need to advertise? It seems (at least here in the Denver metro area), that you can't have the radio or tv on for more than 30 minutes without hearing at least one commercial for Kaiser Permenente.
Has anybody else ever wondered why? It seems to me that if their 'care' was good, or even decent, then plain old word of mouth would be all the coverage they'd need. Instead, it seems that spend millions of dollars just here in the Denver metro area advertising how great their coverage is and how they they want everyone to be healthy.
NEWSFLASH - How about quit spending so much money trying to convince people how great your coverage is and spend that money actually improving your level of care? Being convenient to your customers? Quit paying the top layers of management so much? Do this and people would actually tell others how good you are, then you'll get more customers, and make more money. Your shareholders will be happy, customers will be happy, costs don't rise so much so fast, and your competitors either have to make the same changes or lose customers, hence health care costs become slightly more affordable.
It's plain old common sense, but the health care industry doesn't have plain old common sense. The health care industry is probably of the largest 'groups' of lobbyists in Washington DC. They want to promote a 'healthy' country, so they can continue to bilk us of our money for as many years as possible. They don't care if people suddenly start outliving their retirement plans.
If everybody starts outliving their retirement plans, then there are more people who will suddenly become dependant upon family and/or the government. They will need more intensive (and therefore expensive) medical treatment to keep them alive longer. And who benefits from this? Why yes, it's none other than the health care industry.
The "Health Care" industry plays upon people's desire to live longer so they can continue to make money and live extravagent lifestyles. The longer we live, the more money we are likely to send their direction.
Personally, I'd rather die sometime in my 70's. I'll have had enough time spend a big portion of my retirement plan. What I don't spend, I can leave to my two sons, to help them along in life. Perhaps they can pay off some bills and enjoy themselves while they're still young enough to enjoy life. In my 70's, I'll be old old to enjoy many things in life. I don't want to try to travel and see places if I have to rush to keep up with a tour group or whatever. Ever see the old folks who try this and how everybody else on the tour keeps getting annoyed with having to wait around for the 'old folks'? Some sights get cut short to make up for the time lost waiting on the 'old folks'.
At that age, what can I seriously do without being an inconvenience to many others? Sit around and read books, watch tv, continue paying money to the health care industry? I'd rather let my sons have the money and do something useful with it and enjoy it. By the time I'd hit my eighties, I'd start to really become a liability to those around me. Most of my monthly income would be spent on something associated with the health care industry, leaving very little for what I'd care about most, my family.
Wake up America. Forget all this hogwash about "being healthy", just enjoy your life for whatever time you have. Forget about living into your 90's or longer. What's the point, to allow some CEO in the health care industry to afford a new swimming pool? What about your kids or grandkids? Couldn't they enjoy it more? They even know your name.
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