Concerned neighbor (and the greatest thread hijack ever)

[britisher]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

No monthly fee that I am aware of here.

For anyone who cares about healthcare, I would heartily recommend watching Michael Moore's 'Sicko'. Whilst I appreciate he is an acquired taste, the movie, which highlights the healthcare systems of the USA, Canada, UK, Europe and finally Cuba is a real eye opener.
The British National Health System (NHS) was the original model and the Canadian system borrows from it and modifies it. I am from the UK and also as the UK is part of European I am also by default a citizen of Europe. That gives me freedom of movement to live and work anywhere within Europe without hindrance and health care is provided to me by whatever country I am in under the Treaty. In the UK you pay a National Insurance Contribution each week. The payment is on a sliding scale based on your earnings. The payment goes into the National insurance Fund and pays for your old age pension for you and the wife, covers your medical provision (General practitioners, Consultants, Hospital, ER, etc). Prescriptions you have to pay a contribution per item (about $18.00 I think), but prescriptions are free for kids and seniors.
Our 2 kids were born in the UK. Kid #1 cost us $135.00 as we paid for a private room for the missus. Kid #2 cost was zero and they had no room available. All pre-natal care, the birth and post natal care are all provided free.
On Sicko, a funny moment was in the UK where Moore was trying to find where to pay for the treatment in the hospital and eventually found the Cashier's window. Ah eh said, here's where I pay. No. It was actually where they reimbursed travle costs to the hospital for those who needed help!! The saddest part was in Cuba where he took several first responders to 911 who were now suffering with medical issues from breathing in the toxic debris. The US system was failing them through excessive cost, withdrawing help, etc. In Cuba, they were checked out and treated for free as all their citizens are. They compared the cost of the drugs they were being prescribed in the US with the Cuban cost (that was appalling) and most importantly they discovered that some of the responders were being over-prescribed for over-priced drugs in the US. That is just plain wrong IMHO.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

'Been kinda' hesitant to dive in, myself ? but maybe we can merge back to this:

My southern neighbors; is the US in a depression... or economic turmoil or no?

The original question is two-fold: 1.) is there a depression, and 2.) is there economic turmoil or no?

There is not currently a Nation Wide U.S. depression. What we're experiencing is not to the levels of what we called the depression of the 30's, and (in some senses) isn't technically much worse than much of what we went through in the 70's. Some of the concerns you may read from the "high economics" side are really looking at the potential damage we MAY have if we maintain present course in one or more economic segments (a la housing bubble). And I think the last few years make it pretty evident that there's always risk of that sort of thing - especially with too many "hands on" the economy (politics, special interest, corporate scheming, etc.).

There is certainly economic turmoil. More so in some regions of the U.S. than others. Here in TN, for example, in most areas we're in pretty good shape on the overall. HOWEVER, all of us live not so much in a depressed or faulty economy, but rather in a NEW type of economy. Business and the flow of money has changed in what has emerged as an economy, and it is a difficult change for many of us. We all have to work harder for less, costs are continuing to rise and value is continuing to fall.

The fix? Most likely what it's always been: lotsa' hard work, frugal spending and wise savings. But too many people/companies/governments would rather not work so hard, still buy the stuff they want when they want it and worry about savings later ? much later ...

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

It saddens me that we cannot have a reasoned discussion or chat in a section designated as 'Dockside Chat', which by inference is a varied topic area. As adults, we all know the boundaries

But we can, just not politics or any subject that is controversial. Why? Because people are passionate about their views. This leads to arguments 9 times out of 10. That's just human nature......

Yes, "most" members do know the boundaries , but still choose to cross them.

Also, if you have questions or advice on how this forum is moderated, please contact a mod(s) via a pm as this discussion cannot take place within the forum..........

Have a great day!

 

[agallant80]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

Hey I don't believe much of anything from the media these days...
My southern neighbors; is the US in a depression... or economic turmoil or no?
Hard to get the facts these days...

It depends. Americans have had such a good economy for a long time they tend to think a correction to bring things back in norm with reality is a major financial event. If you work in the service industry (construction, restaurants, etc) it may not be the best time for you. If you work for a big international company than you more than likley have not noticed much of a change. My salary has nearly doubled in the past 5 years along with most people that do what I do. My brother-in-law just lost his midle management job at a restaurant and was able to find a job as a baggage handler at the airport. It all depends on where you work and what you do. It alse depends on if you live in middle america or not. The coasts are less likley to feel a hit when the economy hits a bump.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

What do you do agallant? It seems to be one of the few bright spots.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

Things are doing pretty well here.

Howard County households are among the most prosperous in the nation, according to results from a recently released survey.


Income data from the American Community Survey, an annual data collection project run by the Census Bureau to supplement the once-a-decade census, shows that Howard County has the second-highest median household income in the nation. At $108,844 in 2012, Howard County's median income was second only to Loudoun County, Va.,


Economists attributed Howard's prosperity to a variety of factors, including its suburban nature, proximity to federal jobs in Washington, D.C. and strong educational system.


Anirban Basu, an economist at the Baltimore-based Sage Policy Group, called Howard County's ranking "impressive."

"For Howard County to rank second in the country tells us a lot about Howard County and its broadly shared prosperity," he said. Basu laid out five factors that he thought played the greatest role in Howard County's economic stability:


? Suburban character: "One of the reasons that suburban counties often have higher median household income relative to cities is that cities tend to have at least some degree of concentration of poverty and there's relatively less of that in suburbs."


? Nature of the housing stock: "If one observes the housing stock in Clarksville, Ellicott City or elsewhere, a lot of the housing is single-family residential. And homeowners, on average, tend to have higher incomes than renters."


? Large workforce of federal employees: "Federal workers tend to be highly educated and their compensation reflects, at least in part, their education. Howard County is also the community of choice for people who work for government contractors, including those located in neighboring jurisdictions in Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties."


? Renowned public school system: "Howard County has the reputation of having the finest public schools in Maryland, and Maryland has the reputation of having the finest public schools in America. This status attracts the types of people who are affluent enough that they can choose what kind of community they live in, and they disproportionately select Howard County because it gives them an opportunity to provide their children with the best public education possible."


? Concentration of successful technology companies: "Howard County has established itself as a technological hub? Sometimes these businesses aren't always as obvious as one might expect because they're not the Microsofts, Facebooks or Twitters of the world. In their locations, those businesses are often unnoticeable, [but they're there]."


Taken together, these factors are "working in the same direction and all positioning Howard County to be among the most prosperous in the nation," Basu said. In 2011, Howard County ranked fifth in median household income among counties nationwide, at $98,953, which would seem to suggest its fortunes took a leap last year.

 

[britisher]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

Things are doing pretty well here.

Howard County households are among the most prosperous in the nation, according to results from a recently released survey.


Income data from the American Community Survey, an annual data collection project run by the Census Bureau to supplement the once-a-decade census, shows that Howard County has the second-highest median household income in the nation. At $108,844 in 2012, Howard County's median income was second only to Loudoun County, Va.,


Economists attributed Howard's prosperity to a variety of factors, including its suburban nature, proximity to federal jobs in Washington, D.C. and strong educational system.


Anirban Basu, an economist at the Baltimore-based Sage Policy Group, called Howard County's ranking "impressive."

"For Howard County to rank second in the country tells us a lot about Howard County and its broadly shared prosperity," he said. Basu laid out five factors that he thought played the greatest role in Howard County's economic stability:


? Suburban character: "One of the reasons that suburban counties often have higher median household income relative to cities is that cities tend to have at least some degree of concentration of poverty and there's relatively less of that in suburbs."


? Nature of the housing stock: "If one observes the housing stock in Clarksville, Ellicott City or elsewhere, a lot of the housing is single-family residential. And homeowners, on average, tend to have higher incomes than renters."


? Large workforce of federal employees: "Federal workers tend to be highly educated and their compensation reflects, at least in part, their education. Howard County is also the community of choice for people who work for government contractors, including those located in neighboring jurisdictions in Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties."


? Renowned public school system: "Howard County has the reputation of having the finest public schools in Maryland, and Maryland has the reputation of having the finest public schools in America. This status attracts the types of people who are affluent enough that they can choose what kind of community they live in, and they disproportionately select Howard County because it gives them an opportunity to provide their children with the best public education possible."


? Concentration of successful technology companies: "Howard County has established itself as a technological hub… Sometimes these businesses aren't always as obvious as one might expect because they're not the Microsofts, Facebooks or Twitters of the world. In their locations, those businesses are often unnoticeable, [but they're there]."


Taken together, these factors are "working in the same direction and all positioning Howard County to be among the most prosperous in the nation," Basu said. In 2011, Howard County ranked fifth in median household income among counties nationwide, at $98,953, which would seem to suggest its fortunes took a leap last year.

I think para 3 says it all 'proxemity to federal jobs'. Underpinned by the government aka the taxpayer. Having been a government employee in the UK, I can honestly state that depressions, recessions, economic downturns pass by public employees with little or no impact. Meanwhile the rest of the working population......

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

No monthly fee that I am aware of here.

....well its been 15+ years since I moved from Ontario and there might not have been one to my recollection. The company I worked for picked up whatever was along those lines.
Here in B.C....Rob's numbers for health costs are correct, we do have a monthly fee as he listed here in BC.
Its definitely not free tho' (common misconception south of the border)...nor should it be because it would be impossible to fund. A basic continuing pre-payment tho' to everyone up front helps mitigate the costs should something bad happen.
The upside is when something bad does happen and you end up at the hospital (for days?) or you need an operation or a cast, etc, etc.....its literally taken care of....but its $15 a day for the TV in your room LOL.
Generally there is nothing or very little in the Canadian psyche about a serious sickness, injury, condition or surgery rendering any financial bad news, loss of savings or bankruptcy, etc to the victim....other than the time he/she has away from their profession.
My cousin was in the hospital a few years ago for a heart surgery upgrade or event or ? (stint? stent?). Well he was out within the week (luckily) and he joked his bill all in was something just over $100...mostly due to the in-room tv rental LOL. Basically the operation, medication, the room, nursing care, etc was all taken care of by the system.
Its sort of similar version of paying for other common services like a community school(s) or common roads, police dept.....basically stuff we all use its just that this particular public funded building (hospital) has doctors instead or police or fireman in it.
Heres a humourous idea, imagine having to pay the fireman/brigade per fire right at the scene.....ie "Its going to cost you $4500 bucks cash to put out your house...pay up, and you should hurry on that"...LOL.

On the economy question originally put out there by Magster...I was under the impression that things were starting to bounce back a bit in the U.S at the moment. I think a lot of investors have started returning to U.S based stocks/bonds, etc to my loose understanding. I know my U.S investments are up in value and the other barometer for us up north is that our dollar has dropped in comparison the U.S dollars....we are now something like .95 against the U.S buck....which is actually good for business up here.

All Good
BP

 

[dingbat]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

I think para 3 says it all 'proxemity to federal jobs'. Underpinned by the government aka the taxpayer. Having been a government employee in the UK, I can honestly state that depressions, recessions, economic downturns pass by public employees with little or no impact. Meanwhile the rest of the working population......

Only 20% of the residents are federal (9.5%), State (3.8%) or Local (6.3%) government employees. The vast majority are employed in the private sector.

Howard County's biggest asset is it's people. 95% of the population has a high school diploma or higher. 58% of the population has a Bachelors degree and almost 30% of the population has a professional or graduate degree. "White collar" employment is at 90.5%.

The majority are employed in the health, education and human services. The top 5 employers in the county are either high tech, healthcare or education related. The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is the the top employer followed by Verizon Wireless and Lorien Health Systems. The 4th and 5th spots are held by education establishments, Howard Community College and Howard County Public schools.

Says something about the priority/emphasis given to education when 3 out of the top 5 employers are educational institutions.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

Only 20% of the residents are federal (9.5%), State (3.8%) or Local (6.3%) government employees. The vast majority are employed in the private sector.

I wonder how that compares with other regions in the country.

We will never really know what the true unemployment figures are since they don't count people that lost their job and didn't get another one after they have stopped looking for work.

Why The 'Real' Unemployment Rate Is Higher Than You Think - Forbes

 

[nwcove]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

i find the quoting of statistics in this thread amusing!! we all know that 98.736% of all statistics are just made up.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

I think it is safe to say that our economy is better than some people think and worse than others think.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

I think its going to be a long slow recovery because many of the jobs lost won't be coming back.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

I wonder how that compares with other regions in the country.

As a Washington suburb, the percentage of fed employees in HC is higher than most but not as high as some of the surrounding counties.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

I think I am going to avoid commenting on this thread more then I would a root canal.


Have at it fellas....


Mods, your welcome LOL!!

 

[Grandad]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

I think it is safe to say that our economy is better than some people think and worse than others think.

Hi aspeck. That sounds like a politically correct comment. - Grandad

 

[mscher]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

They cant build fast enough (mostly commercial), in Indiana and the edge states surrounding it. Companies are advertising for workers on billboards and the side of their buildings.

They are begging for truck drivers, nearly everywhere, even offering paid CDL training.

Great times? hardly, but no one is selling apples on a street corner, either.

 

[mscher]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

Hey I don't believe much of anything from the media these days...
My southern neighbors; is the US in a depression... or economic turmoil or no?
Hard to get the facts these days...

Don't worry, we'll be all right.

Remember, the media sees absolutely no value, in positive news - unless it's a lost puppy, that was found.

The Company I work for, sells locomotive diesel fuel, to many of the major railroad yards, in IN, Northern KY and OH. We are extremely busy, just keeping up with their demand for fuel. The yards are completely empty one day and then full the next.

Our highways are choked with semi tractor-trailers (many from Canada), while truck stops and rest areas, are overflowing with trucks, every night.

Struggling Americans recently paid $86 million dollars - in two days, to see the new Disney movie, "Thor".

We are doing about the same as Canada. Getting by.

 

[magster65]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

Edit: Sorry too political

This thread has been over the politics line pretty much the whole time. Let's let her die, guys.

BTW, Hey Mags,

Howzit? I don't recall you getting that ride. She is sweet!! This was after the 290? How's your boy doin'?

 

[magster65]

Re: Concerned neighbor

Re: Concerned neighbor

Edit: Sorry too political
This thread has been over the politics line pretty much the whole time. Let's let her die, guys.
BTW, Hey Mags,
Howzit? I don't recall you getting that ride. She is sweet!! This was after the 290? How's your boy doin'?

Hey I don't edit your comments! :joyous:
Things are pretty good QC... thanks for asking.
A nice fella' from the mainland bought the 290. I'm glad it went to a good home cuz' I got kind of attached to that thing. I see it occasionally... what a great boat.
No regrets though. We spent an entire season boat shopping... which was a ton of fun! When I win the lotto I'm going to be a full time boat shopper (and retire from political threads) lol We looked at hundreds of boats up and down the coast. Every time something came up we turned it into a mini-vacation. In the end I found this one only 25 miles from home... go figure. The previous owners did their maintenance but weren't much for tlc. I've been completely through it since I got it. She sparkles and everything works properly now.
Being a Sea Ray guy (had 6 of them) for all these years I was kind of determined to buy another but after looking at a bunch in the 35' - 40' range... you get way more boat for the money in a Bayliner. It was an easy decision.
My 'chatting' kind of drifted over to the Sea Ray site while I had the 290 but now that I've gone to the dark side, they won't talk to me lol
I'm back.
Things are well with you I take it?