Isomorphisms

While the implementation of ObamaCare is moving forward, the rules are about as clear as mud and many of the regulations are being written on the fly.  On top of that, there have been many surprises for both businesses and health care providers.

For many businesses the costs associated with the new health care law are far beyond what they were paying for their employees health care before the law passed.  The new law requires expanded coverage in many areas and this has of course driven up costs.  While businesses are used to seeing annual increases in premiums, new plans are far more expensive than those covered in the past.  This is a result of the plans covering so much more than before.

While one can argue that this is better for the employee, and certainly this is the Obama Administrations take, what actually happens is that employers end up dropping employees from coverage altogether and pay the mandated fine.  The employee is then forced to seek a plan from one of the state sponsored insurance exchanges.

One current frustration is that very few states have actually set up these exchanges.  In fact the Federal rules for the exchanges aren’t even completed at this point, and most likely won’t be ready for at least another year.  This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone give how inept the government is at doing anything.  But to attempt to reorganize 1/5 of the U.S. economy is a blunder of historical proportions.

It’s not just businesses that are being drastically affected by the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act.  Doctors and health care facilities are feeling the pinch as well.  Many hospitals and clinics that see Medicare patients have recently discovered they’re reimbursements will be dropping as one of the cost saving measures of ObamaCare.  This has lead to clinics turning away Medicare patients because they can no longer afford to provide them care and stay in business.

Salary levels will most likely also be affected for health care professionals.  Much of the bills cost savings come from relying less on specialists like radiologists and more one primary care doctors.  These physicians will then make requests for imaging  and diagnostics directly from technologists.  X Ray Tech Salary Guide has a wealth of information on how the changes in the bill will affect radiographers and other technologist salary levels.  This site also has a good deal of information on ways to find jobs in a tough economy.

Undoubtedly this is just the beginning of the issues involving Medicare.  So much smoke and mirrors were used to get the law passed in the first place, that there are sure to be more surprises for businesses and doctors in the near future.

Of course average citizens are now feeling the pain of the increased taxes that are a part of the method of payment for this behemoth of a bill.  Some recent estimates have said that it will end up costing TRILLIONS more than was originally advertised.

 

Whether you’re going on a long trip, or just a quick weekend excursion, there are a couple things you should keep in mind when you choose the type of bag you should purchase.

Length Of Stay

Obviously the length of your stay will be a major determining factor in the size and even the style of bag you buy.  A 3-day weekend trip doesn’t require you to bring along too many items.  You’ll want a bag that can accommodate a couple pairs of shoes, a few outfits, and all of your toiletries.  Most bags will have pockets for separating these items.

Type of Travel You’ll Be Doing

The type of travel you’ll be doing should also be a consideration when looking at purchasing a new bag.  If you plan to travel by air, you’ll want to consider a few things.  First of all, will you be checking your bag?  Or will you be carrying your bag on the plane with you?  If you’re planning on handing your bag over to the airlines for transport to your destination, you’ll want to look at bags that have a good reputation for reliability and toughness.  Airline baggage handlers are notorious for destroying bags that aren’t up to snuff.

On the other hand, if you plan on carrying your bag on the plane with you, a nicer material such as leather might be an option.  Since you’ll only be passing your bag through the X-ray machine at security, it shouldn’t have to endure to much wear and tear.  Of course keep in mind that you might end up having to place this bag under your feet or possibly in an overhead compartment.  So make sure the size enables you to do that.

Business or Pleasure

Will you be traveling for business or for pleasure?  Obviously both types of trips require you to bring different items.  If you’re on a business trip you might be required to bring along a laptop.  It can be very convenient to have a bag that can accommodate both your clothes and your work materials.

A couple bags you might want to check out would be messenger bags and weekender bags.  Both of these types of bags offer features that are well suited to both business and leisure travelers .

 

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘history repeats itself’.  Most of the time we think very little of this.  But every once in a great while events transpire that are dramatic enough to force us to examine the truth in this statement.

Over the past several decades there have been numerous comparisons between Rome just before the fall, and the United States.

Though the Roman Empire was the dominant power in the world for hundreds of years, corruption, greed, and the thirst for power assured it’s demise.  The Roman system of government was somewhat similar to ours.  It gave Roman citizens the right to vote for their representation in the Roman Senate.

The Senate then passed laws based on what their constituents wanted.  And for a long time this worked.

But gradually over time the Senate began programs of social welfare.  An elaborate system of handouts was developed to appease the masses.  From food, shoes, and clothing to elaborate sporting events the public, often referred to as the mob, came to expect more and more handouts from their government.  And the more the government gave, the more the mob expected.

Eventually Rome had to turn to greater and greater outward expansion to finance their welfare society.  New lands and peoples had to be conquered and plundered to pay for the massive entitlement programs of the day.

Unfortunately for Rome, the core of their society was becoming decayed.  As fewer and fewer paid taxes, the burden upon those that did pay became excessive.  And more and more of the wealthy looked for ways to avoid paying.  This put further strain upon the system.

Even in Roman times there were those that recognized that their system had become unsustainable in its current form.  Cicero was one of these.  He recognized not only the corruption of the Roman Consuls, but also the corruption of the entire system.  The people of Rome no longer cared anything about how they were ruled.

They were willing to throw away their historical right to self government for the next handout.  Cicero fought against this decay and tried to repair the Rome of old, but for him and for Rome it was far too little and too late.

So how does this relate to the problems we have now in the United States?

Are we so different from Rome right before the fall?  Our welfare entitlement system is the largest the world has ever known.  Not only are more than 50% of Americans on some sort of government support or handout, we export our handouts around the world.

And just like in Rome, the people of America have come to expect this from their benevolent government.

Looking back at our history, we are one of the great stories of history.  From our founding until the 1920′s there has never been a more meteoric and spectacular rise experienced by one country.  More innovations and wealth were created during this time period than in any other in the history of the human race.

So what happened to change all of that?

Up until the Great Depression, Americans expected to have to work hard to earn anything.  One man changed all of that.  And set us on our current course.  Whether FDR truly wanted to enslave millions of people to the government is hard to say.  But his policies have created the modern welfare state that we know today.

Here is an interesting quote that I’ll leave you with…

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

Very prescient.