Just Wow

[spenser1058]

1 minute ago, jack said:

I am not sure about the math in those two examples. I am not saying it is wrong but it does seem on the low side. Especially the 27c per Big Mac. 

Seems in line with Papa John’s estimate over a decade ago for insurance/pizza.

But therein lies the problem. It’s the same brainwashing we’ve all been subject to by the Reaganites since 1980. “We’d love to fix that but we just can’t afford it, even though every other developed democracy has.”

Edited January 12, 2021 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

To be clear, I am not against a minimum wage increase and I'm not even dead set against the $15 an hour figure.

But as I've stated before.... 16 year old suburban high school kids do not need to make $15 an hour for operating a cash register and flipping burgers at McDonald's after school.

Put a minimum age on the minimum wage along with a minimum number of hours.

Like  minimum 21 years old and 30 hours per week.

Also, take into account the size of the company. 

Small mom & pop businesses that are barely getting by should not be forced to shoulder that burden.

[spenser1058]

It seems ex-governor Snyder of Michigan is being charged in the Flint water scandal. We’re finally getting accountability in some of this nonsense instead of letting the same old bac actors get away with nonsense. Hopefully, Florida is next.

[jack]

4 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Seems in line with Papa John’s estimate over a decade ago for insurance/pizza.

But therein lies the problem. It’s the same brainwashing we’ve all been subject to by the Reaganites since 1980. “We’d love to fix that but we just can’t afford it, even though every other developed democracy has.”

Those are two different issues. For McD's, they would argue they can't afford it which I have no idea. As to our government, we cannot afford it but it is about priorities. I would also point out that spending at the federal and state level for healthcare is not that far behind compared to other western countries. We just have way worse outcomes for what we pay. That is a cultural problem, not a spending problem. 

[spenser1058]

12 minutes ago, jack said:

Those are two different issues. For McD's, they would argue they can't afford it which I have no idea. As to our government, we cannot afford it but it is about priorities. I would also point out that spending at the federal and state level for healthcare is not that far behind compared to other western countries. We just have way worse outcomes for what we pay. That is a cultural problem, not a spending problem. 

It also doesn’t cover the whole population unlike other countries, mostly because of the intransigence of one political party. And as to not being able to afford it, that’s because one political party keeps giving away trillions in cuts, 90% of which went to billionaires. That’s redistribution of income to the rich if you’re not keeping score at home.

[JFW657]

55 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

It also doesn’t cover the whole population unlike other countries, mostly because of the intransigence of one political party. And as to not being able to afford it, that’s because one political party keeps giving away trillions in cuts, 90% of which went to billionaires. That’s redistribution of income to the rich if you’re not keeping score at home.

On this we can agree.

Rick Scumm.... er.... Scott, and the goons in the GOP controlled state legislature back around 2013, refused to accept the Medicaid expansion portion of Obamacare, (even though the Feds were going to pay for 90% of it) after the SCOTUS ruled that states could decide for themselves. And Will Weatherford, the House Majority Leader at the time, led the charge in that body even though as a child, his own family benefitted from Medicaid when his brother was battling cancer.....

Quote

 

Will Weatherford Admits Medicaid Helped His Family, Stands By Speech Against Florida Medicaid Expansion

 

Weatherford told legislators expanding Medicaid benefits to about 1.3 million poor Floridians “crosses the line of the proper role of government.” But he did express support for a safety net in general, sharing the story of how his uninsured family was helped when his brother Peter succumbed to cancer as a toddler.

“Peter lost his battle with cancer, and my father found himself with a mountain of medical bills that he could never afford to pay,” Weatherford told the House of Representatives. “It was the safety net that picked my father up. It was the safety net that picked my family up.”

When reporters asked for particulars of the program that helped his family, Weatherford didn’t answer directly, saying, “I don’t want to get into the specifics of what my parents had to deal with.” A spokesperson later called the Palm Beach Post to say the assistance had come from a hospital charity.

But when reached by the Times/Herald, Weatherford’s father said Medicaid paid for more than $100,000 of the family’s medical bills. Weatherford reportedly told the Times/Herald again that Medicaid had not paid the family’s bills and that he thought his father was mistaken.

Wednesday, Weatherford released a statement acknowledging that it was the Medicaid-backed Medically Needy program that helped his family. The Department of Children and Families, who administers the fund, identifies Medically Needy as a shared-cost Medicaid program for families whose assets are over the limit for standard Medicaid benefits.

 

 

[spenser1058]

Hmmmmm.....

https://twitter.com/smotus/status/1349152467183824897

 

 

Sent from ProtonMail Mobile

[jack]

18 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

It also doesn’t cover the whole population unlike other countries, mostly because of the intransigence of one political party. And as to not being able to afford it, that’s because one political party keeps giving away trillions in cuts, 90% of which went to billionaires. That’s redistribution of income to the rich if you’re not keeping score at home.

You are making a good point that I missed. We (the government) spend a massive amount on healthcare and it does not even cover everyone. Imagine if it did. Even if we could afford it, I am not sure we should do it until the culture changes.  

To bring my point home about culture, did anyone see a riot breakout recently in any nordic country? No, because they do not do stupid sh*t. 

17 hours ago, JFW657 said:

On this we can agree.

Rick Scumm.... er.... Scott, and the goons in the GOP controlled state legislature back around 2013, refused to accept the Medicaid expansion portion of Obamacare, (even though the Feds were going to pay for 90% of it) after the SCOTUS ruled that states could decide for themselves. And Will Weatherford, the House Majority Leader at the time, led the charge in that body even though as a child, his own family benefitted from Medicaid when his brother was battling cancer.....

 

I think, unfortunately, your example is part of the reason why expansion has been difficult. Certain people justify benefiting from a system and turn around it deny it for others. Or in other words, Don't tread or me, but you can tread on thee. 

17 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Hmmmmm.....

https://twitter.com/smotus/status/1349152467183824897

 

 

Sent from ProtonMail Mobile

He is most of his kind are pretty trashy people. He is indicative of our culture swirling around a toilet bowl. What happened to real men? 

[nite owℓ]

8 minutes ago, jack said:

To bring my point home about culture, did anyone see a riot breakout recently in any nordic country? No, because they do not do stupid sh*t.

There was a riot in Denmark just a few days ago:  https://www.thelocal.dk/20210110/nine-arrested-in-denmark-after-anti-lockdown-violence

Idiots exist in every culture.

 

[jack]

6 minutes ago, nite owℓ said:

There was a riot in Denmark just a few days ago:  https://www.thelocal.dk/20210110/nine-arrested-in-denmark-after-anti-lockdown-violence

Idiots exist in every culture.

 

We are exporting out craziness around the world, lol.

Seriously, every negative metric for wealthy countries, we are on that back end of the rankings. Gun deaths, duo's, od's, obesity. Everything. 

[AmIReal]

The category: American cities for 400

“The Magic Kingdom South, it was once known as Jernigan but got a name change in 1857 and a Wet ‘n Wild water park, a bit later.”

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/os-et-jeopardy-orlando-clue-ken-jennings-20210113-3ic7cvcxm5gyfb6cr6cv5nuyoe-story.html

[spenser1058]

Thank goodness- the downtown Y is finally going to be open on Sunday again (albeit only 12-4) and M-T-W-R hours will extend to 9 pm again.

During COVID, it had been hard getting my workouts in with the short hours.

[spenser1058]

Oh, dear God, Rick Scott AND Urban Meyer? What in the world has become of Florida?

[spenser1058]

@jgardnerucf, tell us a story!

[jgardnerucf]

Bah.  Too much typey. Just got in from dt and tp.

[spenser1058]

Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with Joy Wallace Dickinson’s great feature on a salute to UCF/Valencia’s salute to Parramore at DPAC (in Callahan):

Glass wall of remembrance illuminates Parramore’s past 
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-fe-joy-wallace-dickinson-20210117-oozmomlptber5mjw5pvrm2sale-story.html

From The Sentinel 

[spenser1058]

Sooooo... thanks to COVID, Stetson is playing a spring football schedule. Let’s head on out and check out some big time football. GOOOO HATTERS!!!!!

Stetson among FCS teams preparing for spring season
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college-gridiron-365/os-sp-stetson-fcs-schedules-0118-20210117-6tswnu4v7jc37m5oo4kft3xic4-story.html

From The Sentinel 

 

We’ll stop and pick up @orange87 in DeBary on the way....

[spenser1058]

MS Senator Roger Wicker to DOT Secretary-designee Pete Buttigieg:

“You enjoy actually traveling on Amtrak?”

Pete: “I do.”

Everybody sing: “There’s something about a train...”

[JFW657]

I enjoy it too.

Travelled to NYC that way a couple of times.

It's fun.

[spenser1058]

The future has arrived! There’s now a small private field near Polk City called the “Orlampa Airport”. Who knew!?!

[spenser1058]

The other day, one of our fine contributors suggested that politics often don’t play a role in everyday decisions. Here, in something as mundane as building a home, we find out that politics does, in fact, make a huge difference. Even if there’s not a party label on it, the “professionals” are often looking to make choices which are not in the best interests of end users. When they try to “work the refs”, we have to have our elected officials making strong choices in their regulatory appointments to push back for citizens:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/opinion/homes-climate-change-building-codes-biden.html?referringSource=articleShare

From The New York Times 

 

 

 

[spenser1058]

#15 THE Ohio State takes out #10 Wisconsin today. I think it’s a vast @HankStrong and @AndyPok1 conspiracy! *giggles*

[jgardnerucf]

9 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

The future has arrived! There’s now a small private field near Polk City called the “Orlampa Airport”. Who knew!?!

Been there forever.

[spenser1058]

1 minute ago, jgardnerucf said:

Been there forever.

Thankfully, I don’t go to Polk City much. I’d rather go to Oviedo and do the FunkyChicken!

[jack]

On 1/23/2021 at 6:10 PM, spenser1058 said:

The other day, one of our fine contributors suggested that politics often don’t play a role in everyday decisions. Here, in something as mundane as building a home, we find out that politics does, in fact, make a huge difference. Even if there’s not a party label on it, the “professionals” are often looking to make choices which are not in the best interests of end users. When they try to “work the refs”, we have to have our elected officials making strong choices in their regulatory appointments to push back for citizens:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/opinion/homes-climate-change-building-codes-biden.html?referringSource=articleShare

From The New York Times 

 

 

 

Meh, you will always have push in pull from regulators to builders. The ICC live in theory, builders live in the real world. And just because they propose a rule, does not make it the best idea. Mandating prewiring for charging stations is a great example of regulators overstepping their boundaries. 

The key is to balance theory and real world application.