It is my opinion that, evolutionarily, the Ewok species would have been taken out of the gene pool almost as soon as it entered. Aside from a tendency to worship shiny objects (which is a trait that has survived predominately in the ADD population), the species has no positive genetic traits which would promote it's survival. They are two feet tall, have no knees, and are most likely highly flammable (judging from their appearance). They are completely ignorant to technology(the helmet, for example), and have no apparent scientific community(as can been seen in their use of the "poke it with a stick" method of trauma assessment). So unless the Ewok evolved on a planet where the most dangerous predator was a bunny(which they didn't, since they demonstrate an inherent fear of anything larger than themselves) they would be a severely challenged species.
This is just another example of something that could have been really cool, yet hit a major road block from idea to implementation. Should have used the wookies man...and someone should have informed Harrison Ford that the pimp coat was not the best costume choice for those scenes...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
No doctor for you
John McCain has completely lost touch with the average American. This can be easily seen in his health care reform plan. There are currently two major problems with health care. Problem #1: Insurance is too damned expensive. My wife and I pay $600 a month for decent insurance. My family pays almost $2,000 a month, and still has $100 dollar co-pays and ridiculous deductibles. Problem #2: You can only get health insurance if you are healthy. Which makes perfect sense to me from a humanitarian and health care viewpoint.
So lets take a look at these problems. While the first problem is more widespread, it is the second that I find the most disturbing. Many people with potentially benign conditions are routinely denied health insurance simply because the insurance companies have determined that they are less profitable to cover. Health insurance operates based on one simple principle: the majority of people are healthy. To restate, people generally don't all get sick at the same time. The problem with sick people is that they don't fit this mold, and thus cause the health insurance company to actually pay for care. This cuts into profits, and God forbid we put people before a CEO's multimillion dollar salary. The worst part of all this is that financial advisers begin to make medical decisions. For example: Ulcerative Colitis is a disease in which ulcers in the colon cause bleeding, as well as other gastrointestinal distress. This disease is easily controlled, however, by medications (Asacol, Azulfidine, etc...). So why is it that Ulcerative Colitis is an automatic disqualification (preexisting condition) for almost every major health insurance company in the United States? Because its curable. The cure? A full colostomy. That's right, the complete removal of the colon and insertion of a tube (which penetrates the abdominal wall) and an external fecal collection bag. Speak with an insurance agent sometime about the matter, they will happily tell you that if you would kindly undergo major surgery(without insurance at this point I might add) and poop into a bag through a tube in your stomach for the rest of your life then they would happily insure you. THIS IS RETARDED. The insurance company is doing this to maintain their profit margin, and your medical decisions are being based on their ability to make money. No doctor who wants to keep their license would suggest surgery for an easily controlled condition! So why the hell should an insurance companies accountant tell you its required?
There is a potential solution to this, however, which allows insurance coverage for everyone while also allowing the insurance companies to maintain their profit margins. The solution is the creation of a national group health program. Not a program paid for by the government, but a group(just like the group you would be in through your employer) that is large enough to incorporate preexisting conditions and still maintain the "lets not everybody get sick at once" rule. This solution should, theoretically, be the best for both parties as well. For the democrats it provides universally available health care (not the same as universal health care) and for the republicans it encourages market competition by forcing insurance companies who do not participate in the national group program to become more competitive. This competition will eventually, through close regulation, bring prices down as well.
John "The Deregulator" McCain does not understand these ideas. McCain want to give every American a $5000 tax refund to pay for health care (while taxing employer paid health benefits). A $5000 dollar tax rebate will not do anything for the average person struggling to pay for health care, because it still requires you to have $5000 dollars to spend upfront. Tax rebates are never flat either, they are always based on income. So $5000 tax rebate almost certainly means "up to $5000" which means that, just like with the 2008 economic stimulus package, those who have more money will receive more money from the government. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Why don't we throw in some oil subsidies while we are at it. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with a company being profitable or people being wealthy. I just think we should focus government resources on the people that actually need help.
The other blaring problem with McCain's plan is that it does absolutely nothing to help people with preexisting conditions obtain health insurance. The United States contains one of the most unhealthy populations in the world, yet we also spend more than almost anyone else on health care. Why is this? Because we don't take care of the sick. We don't cover preventive health care. We exclude people from coverage because they need to see a doctor. We bang our heads against a wall in an attempt to cure a headache. Great plan Napoleon.
Obama's plan, however, will work. It will allow people with preexisting conditions to obtain health care, and will regulate the market to put a stop to price gouging. It will also, through the emphasis on preventive health care, lower health care costs in the long run. Check out his website, read the ideas, compare them to McCain's. Then go out and vote. We can't afford Johnny McBush leading health care farther down the crapper.
So lets take a look at these problems. While the first problem is more widespread, it is the second that I find the most disturbing. Many people with potentially benign conditions are routinely denied health insurance simply because the insurance companies have determined that they are less profitable to cover. Health insurance operates based on one simple principle: the majority of people are healthy. To restate, people generally don't all get sick at the same time. The problem with sick people is that they don't fit this mold, and thus cause the health insurance company to actually pay for care. This cuts into profits, and God forbid we put people before a CEO's multimillion dollar salary. The worst part of all this is that financial advisers begin to make medical decisions. For example: Ulcerative Colitis is a disease in which ulcers in the colon cause bleeding, as well as other gastrointestinal distress. This disease is easily controlled, however, by medications (Asacol, Azulfidine, etc...). So why is it that Ulcerative Colitis is an automatic disqualification (preexisting condition) for almost every major health insurance company in the United States? Because its curable. The cure? A full colostomy. That's right, the complete removal of the colon and insertion of a tube (which penetrates the abdominal wall) and an external fecal collection bag. Speak with an insurance agent sometime about the matter, they will happily tell you that if you would kindly undergo major surgery(without insurance at this point I might add) and poop into a bag through a tube in your stomach for the rest of your life then they would happily insure you. THIS IS RETARDED. The insurance company is doing this to maintain their profit margin, and your medical decisions are being based on their ability to make money. No doctor who wants to keep their license would suggest surgery for an easily controlled condition! So why the hell should an insurance companies accountant tell you its required?
There is a potential solution to this, however, which allows insurance coverage for everyone while also allowing the insurance companies to maintain their profit margins. The solution is the creation of a national group health program. Not a program paid for by the government, but a group(just like the group you would be in through your employer) that is large enough to incorporate preexisting conditions and still maintain the "lets not everybody get sick at once" rule. This solution should, theoretically, be the best for both parties as well. For the democrats it provides universally available health care (not the same as universal health care) and for the republicans it encourages market competition by forcing insurance companies who do not participate in the national group program to become more competitive. This competition will eventually, through close regulation, bring prices down as well.
John "The Deregulator" McCain does not understand these ideas. McCain want to give every American a $5000 tax refund to pay for health care (while taxing employer paid health benefits). A $5000 dollar tax rebate will not do anything for the average person struggling to pay for health care, because it still requires you to have $5000 dollars to spend upfront. Tax rebates are never flat either, they are always based on income. So $5000 tax rebate almost certainly means "up to $5000" which means that, just like with the 2008 economic stimulus package, those who have more money will receive more money from the government. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Why don't we throw in some oil subsidies while we are at it. Don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with a company being profitable or people being wealthy. I just think we should focus government resources on the people that actually need help.
The other blaring problem with McCain's plan is that it does absolutely nothing to help people with preexisting conditions obtain health insurance. The United States contains one of the most unhealthy populations in the world, yet we also spend more than almost anyone else on health care. Why is this? Because we don't take care of the sick. We don't cover preventive health care. We exclude people from coverage because they need to see a doctor. We bang our heads against a wall in an attempt to cure a headache. Great plan Napoleon.
Obama's plan, however, will work. It will allow people with preexisting conditions to obtain health care, and will regulate the market to put a stop to price gouging. It will also, through the emphasis on preventive health care, lower health care costs in the long run. Check out his website, read the ideas, compare them to McCain's. Then go out and vote. We can't afford Johnny McBush leading health care farther down the crapper.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Holy crap, I killed Pepsi
Pepsi-Co announced today that their Q3 earning are down 9.5%. In an unrelated story, I stopped buying soda to drink at home about that same period...
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