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[starise]

No comment.....

[Just1L]

I agree about the health insurance. I do think if you're going to drive you should be forced to have insurance but for one reason and one reason only. With health insurance, not having it technically could only hurt you (although taxpayers/those insured do pay for it … but we do regardless.) With car insurance, not having it not only can hurt you, but more importantly it hurts the people that you crash into. Think if some uninsured, relatively poor person crashed into your car and totaled it. They won't be able to pay for your car even if it was parked in the street, you had nothing to do with it and it was 100% their fault. Unless of course you hire a lawyer and go through that rigamarole. And that'll cost you. I'm just waiting for the day auto insurance catches on, and up, with health insurance and they decide they need to double or triple their premiums. As I see it, there's no real reason not to. Arghhhhhhhhhh

[starise]

This was precisely the argument that was used to pass the legislation that made auto insurance mandatory.

The compromise was " no fault" insurance. This is insurance that only covers the person that might be injured by the negligence of another driver. If you have this insurance and you're in an accident you will loose your car because it isn't covered and any injuries to yourself are probably on you if you're at fault. This isn't a perfect solution, but it's better than no solution. The end result is that now lawyers can go after insurance companies instead of individuals making the whole thing lucrative for lawyers. 

On one hand I think negligence should be dealt with swiftly, but I also believe that accidents will obviously always happen in an imperfect world. People will make honest mistakes.

There are laws to deal with anyone who is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It usually involves loosing your license permanently and even prison time.

I think it's a great idea to be covered in case something like Just1L mentioned happens. In reality though no amount of insurance or legislation can keep a dishonest person from making life bad for the rest of us. What tends to happen here in the states is that some of the people who can't afford  insurance will drive illegally without it. The might try to forge documents, steal another persons license plate, borrow a friends car, steal a car, etc....so we are back to square one. 

The same thing happens with any attempted gun control legislation. Only the people who are law abiding won't have guns. All the bad guys will always find a way to have a gun collection.

I personally want insurance as long as I can afford it, but I don't like being told I have to have it   At least this protects me and anyone I might accidentally hurt. It isn't much help to my personal safety if some clown texting or drinking alcohol drives right into me. My views tend to be more libertarian. 

I remember a horrible incident here several years back...a truck driver was tired at the wheel and didn't see  traffic had come to a halt up ahead. He rear ended a small compact car with a whole family in it. The car caught fire and incinerated all of them. The driver got 10 years for manslaughter. 

A co worker of mine had a son who was about 18 and on a motorcycle. he was also at the rear of stopped traffic and along comes a girl high on pot...she drove right up over the top of him. I'm not sure what they did to her, but nothing can bring him back.

[TapperMike]

Laws very from state to state.  If your part time state legislators are receiving kickbacks from insurance companies then yeah they'll make it a law.

My health insurance is like hi risk no fault. It doesn't cover anything without outrageous deductibles paid first.  And it only lasts for six months at which time I have to pay more from them or someone else.  

Doctors at the top make all the money.  I knew a brain surgeon who made $1.2 million a year. His contract specified that he only perform surgery 8 times a year.  He would put in less then 10 hours a week of office time.  With the occassionally surgery which could last longer.

The only big difference between for profit and ngo hospitals in the US is where / how they spread the money. An NGO cannot show a profit ergo they work hard at hiding profits via investments.  More property then they'll ever need, not all of it going to satellite operations.  

My sister is a hospital administrator.  You wouldn't believe how much they jack up everything (not just the meds).  But hey they have you were they want you.

Doctors regularly prescribe medicines that have no effect whatsoever in regards to the ailment simply to help out big pharma.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZ2UeOTO3I

In regards to accidents.... I was walking on the side walk in front of a strip mall with a bar years back.  Some drunk woman who didn't have her headlights on decided to pull into the parking lot without bothering to use the entrance.  Instead she does a lawn job and hits me.  All I can remember about it was that she was blond and her car was newer and red. ( these two as my face bounced on the hood to look up at her as I was projected away from the car.  I didn't have insurance and she vanished into the night (hit and run) I got up and felt scared and the energy level fooled me as to the damage.  I walked home and it took two days before I could lift myself up.  I couldn't identify the woman or the car.  I couldn't afford an ems / ambulance and I couldn't afford a visit to the emergency room.  Guess what,,, Now that I have insurance I still can't because the deductibles are too damn high.

 

 

[Rudi]

2 hours ago, TapperMike said:

Laws very from state to state.  If your part time state legislators are receiving kickbacks from insurance companies then yeah they'll make it a law.

My health insurance is like hi risk no fault. It doesn't cover anything without outrageous deductibles paid first.  And it only lasts for six months at which time I have to pay more from them or someone else.  

Doctors at the top make all the money.  I knew a brain surgeon who made $1.2 million a year. His contract specified that he only perform surgery 8 times a year.  He would put in less then 10 hours a week of office time.  With the occassionally surgery which could last longer.

The only big difference between for profit and ngo hospitals in the US is where / how they spread the money. An NGO cannot show a profit ergo they work hard at hiding profits via investments.  More property then they'll ever need, not all of it going to satellite operations.  

My sister is a hospital administrator.  You wouldn't believe how much they jack up everything (not just the meds).  But hey they have you were they want you.

Doctors regularly prescribe medicines that have no effect whatsoever in regards to the ailment simply to help out big pharma.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZ2UeOTO3I

In regards to accidents.... I was walking on the side walk in front of a strip mall with a bar years back.  Some drunk woman who didn't have her headlights on decided to pull into the parking lot without bothering to use the entrance.  Instead she does a lawn job and hits me.  All I can remember about it was that she was blond and her car was newer and red. ( these two as my face bounced on the hood to look up at her as I was projected away from the car.  I didn't have insurance and she vanished into the night (hit and run) I got up and felt scared and the energy level fooled me as to the damage.  I walked home and it took two days before I could lift myself up.  I couldn't identify the woman or the car.  I couldn't afford an ems / ambulance and I couldn't afford a visit to the emergency room.  Guess what,,, Now that I have insurance I still can't because the deductibles are too damn high.

 

 

Mike,

You paint a stark picture of the seedy side of capitalism.

When I visited the US in my 20's I had medical insurance. I got sick in San Fransisco but could not pay in advance as I had hardly any money. This meant no treatment. To really rub salt into the wounds, the nurse was British who had moved to the US because she said that "the UK National Health Service doesn't work".

I suppose she meant that she didnt get paid enough. I was lucky. I got better.

Only rich people love money.

Good luck my friend.

[TapperMike]

Thanks, at least I have my health.  I've had more than one friend who's had the same experience at hospitals as you did.  And I had a minor stomach infection which all it took was some antibiotics to cure.  But I had to wait 8 hours in an emergency room and it took me years to pay off the debt.

One thing I learned 12 years ago.. There is a large black market for prescription drugs to those who need it but can't attain it via regular methods and it's not surprising why.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/d-brad-wright/the-price-of-prescription_b_379918.html

[TapperMike]

13 hours ago, Just1L said:

I agree about the health insurance. I do think if you're going to drive you should be forced to have insurance but for one reason and one reason only. With health insurance, not having it technically could only hurt you (although taxpayers/those insured do pay for it … but we do regardless.) With car insurance, not having it not only can hurt you, but more importantly it hurts the people that you crash into. Think if some uninsured, relatively poor person crashed into your car and totaled it. They won't be able to pay for your car even if it was parked in the street, you had nothing to do with it and it was 100% their fault. Unless of course you hire a lawyer and go through that rigamarole. And that'll cost you. I'm just waiting for the day auto insurance catches on, and up, with health insurance and they decide they need to double or triple their premiums. As I see it, there's no real reason not to. Arghhhhhhhhhh

Okay.

Get this.  about 25 years ago my PL/PD (no fault) car was legally parked along the street.  Multi-car accident and my car is near totalled. I talk to the cop about getting all the information because I wanted to make a claim.  He was hesitant and finally agreed.  I went to the insurer for the person at fault.  They claimed that the damage to my car was only worth 1000 though it was considerably more.  Further they claimed that because it was a multi-car collision that I would have to go after each of the other four drivers for the rest of the money.  I got $200 from the insurance company of the person responsible and I got zip, zero, zilch from the other drivers insurance. The car was worth about 3K and the work easily would go over 3k.  

[starise]

Some days you're the bird and some days you're the windshield...and some days the bird weighs 10 pounds and you don't have a windshield. It seems as if you have been the windshield way more than the bird. I hope the world opens up for you in a good way. Maybe we could start a windshield washing service in high bird traffic areas. If I had the opportunity to be a bird I wouldn't use that power for harm.

[TCgypsy]

The bird and the windshield, lol. This sounds like a transmogrification of the 'hammer or the nail' - we are all nails, get used to it, lol.

Peace,

TC

[starise]

I try to look on the bright side. If pigs could fly we would have a more serious problem....or we could have been this poor fellow.

 

[starise]

That was an accident, but this wasn't...is there a song in here somewhere?

http://www.robcooper.com/funny/dont-complain-about-your-job.html

[TapperMike]

Good news.  I finally have my car back after almost 4 weeks of being in the shop.  Double good news It cost me $400 for labor

[Rudi]

11 hours ago, TapperMike said:

Good news.  I finally have my car back after almost 4 weeks of being in the shop.  Double good news It cost me $400 for labor

Great! Its so easy to take your wheels for granted. It feels like you've lost a limb when it aint there though.

[TapperMike]

Well, it was mighty depressing at the time.

For the last 8 years I was content to live without a car.  I got this one and it lasted me exactly one week before it stopped working.  For all the time they had it I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to afford to pull it out of the shop.  Nevermind the fact that as my software job is disappearing quickly and my cooking job isn't giving me enough hours or money to pay the bills.

Now atleast I have a car to look for a second job.

[TapperMike]

A mad dash to sea and sun.

 

A long time back I lived in the Fort Myers area.  I lived there for about 5 years.  I kept on saying to myself someday I'd return.  Someday never came.

 

As my cooking job has me down to 4 days a week right now. I've asked for an additional day off.

I'm driving down to florida (it's an 18 hour drive) staying for two days and driving back. It's going to be a very condensed vacation on the cheap.  I've booked a room at a cheap hotel more in the mainland so it'll be about a half an hour drive to the beaches.

 

While I'm there I'll also be scouting housing prices and job opportunities.  It may be a year before I move.  I'm tired of Michigan.

The pay for cooks is higher in florida and the housing is actually cheaper then what I'm paying now.  I'm no where ready to move right now.  But in a year I'll be more then ready to go.

 

 

[TapperMike]

Well that car didn't last long.

 

The head blew.  It's cost $1500 for a repair which is more then I'm willing to spend.  As well other issues developed along the way (exhaust, struts, brakes)   Too much to throw good money after band on.

 

I'm waiting a month before doing anything.  Good thing I didn't by that Variax guitar I wanted or the Kurzweil PC3

 

[john]

Well that bites the big one, Mike! You might have been better finding a cheap runner to get about. There comes a point in a cars life when it just eats money with an endless list of repairs. Fingers crossed it stays on the road for a good long time with no real expense.

[TapperMike]

The last one was cheap the next one will be twice the price and still cheap.  I don't have the credit to buy or lease.

 

All said I spent as much as I would have for a lease with the exact same end value. 

[starise]

I get the feeling you may feel caged in by circumstances, but circumstances can change and you might have a hand in changing them. Cars are certainly expensive now...but here's the thing. The less complicated cars sometimes have less to go wrong. The  more expensive cars have more technology to go wrong and therefore more expense, so it can make perfect sense to get a car reported to have a good maintenance record but not be overly loaded up with gizmos.

We just picked up a Nissan Murano a few years old. It is fully loaded up. I thought the power lift gate was cool...touch a button inside the car or on the dash and the rear hatch goes up. When our temps here got to 15 below zero fahrenheit  for weeks the rear power door lock jammed and I had to get inside and free it up. This is just one small example of what can happen. Who knows? Maybe next time the sunroof will seize or the the power seats won't work. More to go wrong and more maintenance. I love the car though. Just a lot of headaches.

[starise]

Hey Mike when you get to the point of looking again I highly recommend either the Toyota Corolla or the Honda Civic. I've had both and they are some of the most inexpensive cars to run and maintain. Great on gas too. I'm running a Corolla as a beater/commute vehicle right now and you can't beat the mileage they get at 38mpg. Nothing fancy but it's get you there and back reliably. Even the base model had A/C power windows and cruise control. It now has close to 200,000 miles on it and I've had no serious problems. I replaced the battery just because it was starting to age. Keep the oil changed in these and they keep on going.

Honestly though I like the Honda civic more. Same mileage, better handling ( has a tighter turning radius). The car just feels better to drive. I wish I still had that car. 32mpg.

You can find these older for not a lot of money. The pick up trucks still pull up on your back end and try to intimidate you on the expressway. Little penis syndrome...as long as they don't hit me I'm ok with it. They're getting like what 10-15mpg?

 

I'm not sold on the hybrids.  When we bought the Corolla we looked at the Prius and it was 10,000 dollars more. There's simply no way the economy of the car would offset the cost of fuel in the Corolla over the same length of time. You would never make that up with gas here in the states being at around 2.50 a gallon.