Online Test Drive

Has anyone else seen this new service Mitsubishi is offering? For a new car model they are giving everyone a chance to test drive it online. This an amazing new feature that opens up a whole new world of opportunity.

But is this a good idea? How safely can someone drive a car online? Is this something likely to catch on or not?

The Real Health Care Overhaul

McDonald's will be dropping it's insurance plan for 30,000 workers if there isn't a change in the health care overhaul according to Wall Street Journal.  Now that all of the politicking of the Health Care Overhaul is done, the real effects are beginning to appear.  I don't think anyone which a conscience can say they would like to deny anyone health care who really needs it.  And I also think no one can say they'd wish a horrible cancerous death on anyone, but are we plucking the cigarettes out of American's mouths??  No we are not, in fact the cigarette industry is still one of the most powerful in the nation and coincidentally has one of the biggest lobbying groups in Washington.  So obviously, if you want something done, you need a lobbyist.  Then how did the poor Americans who couldn't afford health care find a lobbyist?  They voted one into office, which is the American way.  They wanted a change and did something about it, and this separates our country from many others around the world.  The people truly do make things happen.

So, I believe it is good that these people finally have a voice in Washington to look out for them.  And now that Health Care has been lobbied for and won over in Congress all the work is over right??  Wrong, the real work starts now because no one in Washington actually read the bill, it is up to the American businesses and American people to learn this bill so they can be prepared for the effects.  Those in Washington and also Nebraska(because of some great politicking by the Nebraskan politicians), aren't going to be paying for this bill and probably won't have to receive the service that results from this bill, we are.  McDonald's biggest issue, is that they have to pay 80-85% of premium revenue on Health Care according to the bill.  So since it is their choice they can just pull the health care coverage they give to their employees.  That's 30,000 people who were already covered now in jeopardy of losing their current coverage, and now must join the U.S.A. health plan.  They were previously paying McDonalds $14-$32 a week for coverage up to $10,000.  Now they are paying who knows how much in taxes they must pay to join this coverage.

So McDonald's is dropping their plan, why do we care??  Well also in the same 80-85% bracket as McDonald's and other large corporations are colleges.  I'm sure by now you've heard of LSU's budget cuts.  I think the last thing they need now is to have to worry about is how much more they will have to spend on medical benefits or face the choice of cutting them altogether.  Obviously this bill is not going to go over well with everyone in the country.  It may be a stretch but is it possible we just appeased the 30 million Americans who didn't have health care by "change"ing the coverage of the other 300 million Americans??

My issue isn't with the idea of the bill, my issue is with the bill itself.  Instead of forcing it down and passing it as quick as possible to add another notch to your politicking belt I wish we would have spent time making sure this bill was passed correctly.  And we are paying congressmen and women $174,000 a year not to mention all the other perks they receive(such as being immune to this bill which they signed), they should at least be doing a good job with legislation correct??  They said publicly they had not even read the bill.  All I ask is that if you are going to pass a bill, read it!