RANT: The marketplace is Lady Liberty’s friend

Sunday, August 26, 2007

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/08/26/casinos_and_the_american_way/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+–+Jeff+Jacoby+columns

Casinos and the American way
By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist | August 26, 2007

*** begin quote ***

So it goes, year after year, in state after state: Entrepreneurs and investors who ought to have the same freedom to operate a casino as they would to open a shoe store or start a newspaper are forced instead to run an exhausting and expensive political gauntlet, often with no guarantee that casino gambling will even be permitted, let alone that they’ll win a license to build one. How many other peaceful businesses offering a popular form of entertainment face such formidable legal and political barriers to entry?

*** end quote ***

It’s that the politician want more “slush money”. Usually Jeff is more perceptive about motivations. Motivations of politicians are very transparent — more. More control of the people. More money to “do good”. Of course, if along the way a little change falls into the pockets of their friends, family, and themselves, so much the better.

Argh!

The marketplace is Lady Liberty’s friend. It makes everything transparent. If we had truly free markets in gambling, then the politicians would be able to steal from either your losings or your winnings. If we had a free market in drugs, there’d be no collateral damage. If we had a free market in products, everything would be cheaper. If we had a free market in money, there’d be no inflation tax. And on and on and on.

See the free market is like a global election with every small purchase. If we had free markets, how would politicians “save” us? They’d have to go find honest work!

# # # # #


RANT: Docs are not “gods among men”; just people who have seen a lot!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

FROM A POSTING:

*** begin quote ***

I am really, really skeptical and as of right now, I am scheduled to get vaccinated tomorrow. Honestly, I’m a little worried and I still think this may have been a screw-up. I’d prefer that they do the blood test again but I don’t want to seem like an asshole. I’m also not sure if that’s even an option.

*** end quote ***

Dear XXXX,

Please don’t worry about being an a double q!

(Us old fogeys are uncomfortable using rough language around ladies; any minute we expect the sky to open and one of the good Nuns or Brothers of our past to administer an “reminder” painfully somewhere on our anatomy!)

Ever hear of the fable of the pig and the chicken? No! In a ham and egg breakfast, the chicken is involved, while the pig is committed. In this case, the doc is the proverbial chicken. Guess your role?

If you are in doubt, stop. It’s the Universe and your gut warning you that something is wrong. Humans didn’t survive long in the wild by not listening to your instincts.

You have every right to determine what gets done with your tush!

If you want a repeat blood test before proceeding, demand it! If the insurance doesn’t want to pay, pay for it yourself and fight with them later.

Get a second, independent opinion! Open the phone book, look up the nearest teaching hospital, call them, and get an appointment with the head chickenpox guy or the youngest girl doc in the department tomorrow! Don’t take the “barbara streisand” that there are no openings. I use the line “if your Mom was sick would he have an opening. Yes! Good news, your Mom’s not sick. Give me her slot!” :-) (It works once in each office!)

I’ve been thru a ton of stuff with my wife over the years. Docs are nothing more than “good guessers”. 95% of the time they are running fixed plays right out of the playbook. UofK, UCLA, Joslin, and Mayo even have their handy dandy diagnosis decision trees in pdfs on their website. When my wife was in real trouble, I printed the cardiology one from Duke and stuck it under her cardiologist’s nose and made him explain every thing again in little words. While not pleased, he did it. (She’s snoozing on the couch now rather than in a coffin!)

Please do what you need to assure yourself that your getting the correct treatment. If the doc kills you, or worse disables you (i.e., there are real horror stories about medical blunders), the doc will say “Ooops! Next patient!”. You’ll be cleaning up his mess forever.

I can NOT afford to lose any fellow XXXXX that know how to blog!

# # # # #


RANT: federal, state and local governments are among the biggest employers of “illegals”

Saturday, August 25, 2007

http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070823/NATION/108230096/1002

Bush hit over jobs for illegal workers
By Stephen Dinan
August 23, 2007

*** begin quote ***

If President Bush is serious about getting tough on U.S. employers who hire illegal aliens, he can start with his own administration, which employs thousands of unauthorized workers, says the top Republican on the House immigration subcommittee.

A 2006 audit showed federal, state and local governments are among the biggest employers of the half-million persons in the U.S. illegally using “non-work” Social Security numbers — numbers issued legally, but with specific instructions that the holders are not authorized to work in the U.S.

*** end quote ***

You know how I love it when the gooferment looks foolish!

Like who’s the biggest polluter, yet we get the EPA. Like ICE raids businesses! Like ribbon cuttings aot maintenance.

Here’s one for that file!

Wake up sheep. The gooferment is the problem.

# # # # #


RANT: anything on whatever property he owns

Friday, August 24, 2007

http://south-brunswick.blogspot.com/2007/08/thank-you-planning-board.html

So you are suggesting that anyone be allowed to do anything, or build anything on whatever property he owns?

*** begin quote ***

Well, if it is not a deed-restricted community where the buyer was aware of the restrictions and agreed in advance, then yes. If it’s your property, then yes you can do what you want. You have to live with your neighbors so being a “good neighbor” is like the golden rule. In the Matrix situation, it’s the after the fact begging for the komisars to permit the serf to use the “common”. And you thought when you bought something, it was “yours”. Silly taxpayer! You’re just renting it from the gooferment and have to kow tow to their diktats. I feel sorry for all of us at becoming such slaves.

*** end quote ***

# # # # #


RANT: Baseball needs a mercy rule … … for the fans

Friday, August 24, 2007

http://www.haloscan.com/comments/irisheagle/4732432862564584667/?a=40594

*** begin quote ***

I heard that result. Incredible. I was listening to the Met game and the announcer said “And, in Baltimore, Texas has added another touchdown – they missed the extra point – in the 9th to make it 30-3.

Baltimore was up 3-0 in that game after three innings. Hard to believe they scored all those runs in 4 innings (failed to score in the fifth and seventh innings).

*** end quote ***

And doesn’t everyone agree that (1) the ball is different; (2) the strike zone is smaller; (3) the players are on steroids; (4) the ball parks are smaller; (5) the pitching is poorer; (6) the bats are “livelier”; (7) the owners are raking it in; (8) so are the players; AND (9) the “stars” have a feeling and give off an air of entitlement. Makes me lot less of a fan!

# # # # #


RANT: Two jokes but not on the comics page

Friday, August 24, 2007

http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007708230320

POLICE BLOTTER

*** begin quote ***

NORTH PLAINFIELD

# DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED, 4:07 a.m. Aug. 12: Juan Cruz-Canterero, 27, of North Plainfield was charged with driving while intoxicated after police said they found him in a parked car at the Quick Chek parking lot and, upon questioning, determined that he was intoxicated.

MONTGOMERY

{Extraneous Deleted}

An officer traveling south on Route 601 and directly behind the car driven by Mertz detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the car

{Extraneous Deleted}

*** end quote ***

DUI of a fellow in a parked car?

Smelled from the car behind?

Either badly written or really stupid laws.

# # # # #


RANT: Ron Paul Wins Five Straw Polls

Thursday, August 23, 2007

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/014853.html

August 23, 2007
Ron Paul Wins Five Straw Polls, Mainstream Media Remains Silent
Posted by Chris Brunner at August 23, 2007 05:28 AM

*** begin quote ***

Whether it’s Washington, Alabama, New Hampshire, or South Carolina, the message is the same. We want our freedom, our rights, our money, and our country back, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Thousands are driving from all of their states to show support resulting in straw poll victories for Ron Paul with percentages as high as 81%. Dr. Paul has placed in a total of 16 straw polls now, tying him with Romney and thrusting him far beyond Giuliani in terms of visible support, and not a word about the trend can be heard from the mainstream media. To put this into perspective, there were over 4,800 articles in the mainstream media about the Iowa straw poll in which Mitt Romney spent over $200,000 ensuring his win, while there are a whopping 162 mainstream articles combined from all five straw polls in which Ron Paul was victorious. Most of these mentions are no more than a one-senence blurb incorporated into an article about a more general topic.

*** end quote ***

Argh!

# # # # #


RANT: Had to settle but argh!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

My, now in a nursing home, aunt got services from Visiting Nurse Service of Central Jersey. Under advice from my lawyer, it was cheaper to settle than to fight.

Argh!

Here’s the rest of the story.

My aunt needed home health aide services for four hours per day. This was arranged between her and Saint Peter’s hospital. I was involved as my aunt’s health care proxy. So everything was OK. Then, my aunt became lax about paying bills so as her HCP/POA and “favorite relative”, I started running her finances. We gave VNANJ her credit card and they started charging it for time billed. The aide was not the best, and that is another whole story, but there was not much I could do. I didn’t care for the arrangement especially since I wasn’t in the paperwork circle except as it pertained to the checking account. I asked verbally for them to cc me on the stuff but they cited “privacy”. Now I should have smelled a rat and raised a fuss then but I had a lot going on at that time.

Fast forward a few months and my aunt falls, breaks a bone, and goes from hospital to nursing home. First thing after the fall I (personally) call and stop the service.

But they keep billing. So I politely, at first, gripped.

Then, after a few MONTHS, they start dunning me for the accumulated balance. WT … … what kind of “barbara streisand” is this?

It appears that they “underbilled” my aunt for hours provided and “accrued” her payments.

I told them that wasn’t my problem.

Long story short, my lawyer can’t prove my side based on what I have and urged me to settle.

Against my better judgment, I did.

But I am definitely off the charts on this one.

Lessons Learned:

  • All agreements must be in writing.
  • All elder arrangements must be carefully supervised.
  • All elder finances must be carefully documents.
  • VNA Central Jersey is not to be trusted. They may have to be used but plan to watch them as you would a convicted felon counting money!

I just paid 5k$ of my aunt’s money for a very expensive lesson.

I heard that the aide sued VNACJ for a pay dispute. I wonder if I just got a certain end of the stick from that?

Please learn from my “mistake”. You don’t have to pay tuition at every school to learn.

# # # # #


RANT: Government policies have crippled American health care

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

http://action.downsizedc.org/wyc.php?cid=78

Join our campaigns to Downsize DC . . .
Health Care: No Monopoly – No Fascism

“Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, ‘See, if it wasn’t for us, you couldn’t walk.’” — Harry Browne

The above quote hits the nail on the head — especially with regard to health care. Government policies have crippled American health care. This crippling has then been used as a justification for creating government crutches. And these crutches have caused our health care system to atrophy still further. The trend is not good.

*** begin quote ***

I strongly oppose any additional funding for personal health care expenses at the federal level.

My personal comment to you:

As a matter of fact, I want you to begin the process of unwinding the Federal Government’s intrusion into the heathcare and drug marketplace. You can start by:

(1) changing the non-deductibility of health care premiums for ALL taxpayers (this would end the ww2 wage and price controls tax preference for employer sponsored benefits which are tied to a job).

(2) free the drug manufacturers from the FDA regulatory processes (Compensate by CLOSING the federal courts to damage claims for adverse results when a drug is used without an FDA seal of approval. Thus making the FDA more like Underwriters Laboratory).

AND

(3) End the phony “War on Drugs” and return drug regulation to the various States and the free market.

ASAP!

signed,
Ferdinand Reinke

*** end quote ***

What a mess! And, the gooferment’s gonna save us from … … the mess they made?

# # # # #


RANT: REALID — what duty do we have to this fraud

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/08/us_government_t_2.html

Schneier on Security
A blog covering security and security technology.

August 20, 2007
U.S. Government Threatens Retaliation Against States who Reject REAL ID

*** begin quote ***

REAL ID is the U.S. government plan to impose uniform regulations on state driver’s licenses. It’s a national ID card, in all but cosmetic form.

*** end quote ***

Not that New Jersey would grow a set and stand up to the Federal Gooferment like NH and others, but if they did then the poor taxpayer might show a “profit”. Last time I looked it was estimated that we get back a supposed 86 cents in “federal benefits” for every 136 cents we sent to the Rat Hole on the Potomac. So if we rejected Real Id, do we have to pay Federal Taxes? That begs the question if the definition of citizen is allegiance for protection AND if the Federal Courts have rule the gooferment has no specific duty to protect you (as if they could), THEN what duty do we have to this fraud? Now where is my torch and pitchfork? Time to ride the crooks out on a rail. BTW in case someone couldn’t guess I’m a Ron Paul contributor and will vote for him if I get a chance. Not that it will make much difference in the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee!

# # # # #