Wow.
"While Aetna was shedding those eight million men, women and children, by the way, it also reportedly shed 15,000 of its employees. Wall Street likes it when insurers dump employees, too, because the workers who don't get the ax have to assume the responsibilities of their laid-off colleagues."
-You fail to mention the men, women, and children quite likely got coverage elsewhere. You also fail to mention the 15,000 employees shed probably didn't retire. They got a job somewhere else(and health coverage). Who would have thought?
-Regarding Wall Street, you fail to mention that investors generally applaud ANY layoffs assuming the business is going in the right direction. Investors want the workers of a solar panel company to be more productive. I don't see how this is any different.
"he taps on his keyboard to see whether some of the health insurer's members are visiting emergency rooms too much for nonemergency reasons, such as for the flu or a sprained ankle"
-Is it wrong for the head of a life insurance company to sit tapping his keyboard hoping that 80% of his policy holders don't die? This is how insurance works. See link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance .
What is wrong with a CEO getting paid millions of dollars? This person is the face of a company representing thousands of employees. Should he not be compensated for leading a company to generate billions in profits? Should the CEO of Caterpiller or Disney not be compensated for their work?
Just think of how many health insurance workers will be laid off if we go to socialized medicine. 15,000 workers will seem like nothing.
God Bless the USA
I got my insurance premium down from 900 ish to around 300/ mo.
With the new 10k deductible it covers practically nothing but it was all I can afford.
Unless work improves, I may have to let it go.
I love my country and this situation is just horrible.
<blockquote>The emphasis on carbon, one of the most common elements in life on this planet, as the main bad guy is absurd and scary. </blockquote>
So, carbon is harmless because it's such a common element?
Okay then, let's combine an atom of carbon with one of another very common element, nitrogen, which comprises 78 percent of the earth's atmosphere. Then tack on an atom of the most abundant element in the entire universe, namely hydrogen.
Take a deep breath -- you've just made hydrogen cyanide!
I agree, expressions like "carbon footprint" can be confusing -- they've apparently confused you. We're really talking about carbon dioxide, CO2, which is necessary in minute quantities, but will do us in unless we rein in our runaway production of it.
As for PR campaigns, it's the deniers who are spending the big bucks on "obscuring the reality of our situation and the steps we need to take to protect and promote life on this planet."
The [http://www.pennenergy.com/index/articles/display/8566601484/s-articles/s-oil-gas-journal/s-general-interest/s-government/s-articles/s-industry-groups_condemn.html Oil and Gas Journal] has a round-up of industry responses to the Waxman-Markey bill:
“At a time when America is trying to recover from a serious recession, the House has approved legislation that would cost energy uses billions of dollars and add new stress to the economy," said [[American Petroleum Institute]] Pres. [[Jack N. Gerard]].
[[Independent Petroleum Association of America]] Pres. Barry Russell said the bill "skews energy policy away from clean-burning natural gas. Second, it imposes new limits on gas and oil trading that will cripple independent producers’ access to commodity markets.”
National Petrochemical and Refiners Association Pres. Charles T. Drevna criticized “the unfair burden placed on American refiners by the mandated responsibility for emissions resulting from the use of their products, including home heating oil, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and industrial fuels."
I have followed this case for the last three years and I am amazed on how the government can lie to get a search warrant, threaten a witness, prevent other witnesses from testifying and being interviewed by defense counsels even though the government was allowed to interview the same witnesses, allow the government to use perjured testimony, the prosecutor lie to the jury, and then for the Judge to find the defendants guilty of a crime not charged in the indictment. This is substantive proof of a corrupt judicial system in the Middle District of Florida.
The [http://www.pennenergy.com/index/articles/display/8566601484/s-articles/s-oil-gas-journal/s-general-interest/s-government/s-articles/s-industry-groups_condemn.html Oil and Gas Journal] has a round-up of industry responses to the Waxman-Markey bill:
“At a time when America is trying to recover from a serious recession, the House has approved legislation that would cost energy uses billions of dollars and add new stress to the economy," said [[American Petroleum Institute]] Pres. [[Jack N. Gerard]].
[[Independent Petroleum Association of America]] Pres. Barry Russell said the bill "skews energy policy away from clean-burning natural gas. Second, it imposes new limits on gas and oil trading that will cripple independent producers’ access to commodity markets.”
National Petrochemical and Refiners Association Pres. Charles T. Drevna criticized “the unfair burden placed on American refiners by the mandated responsibility for emissions resulting from the use of their products, including home heating oil, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and industrial fuels."
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