Monday, July 20, 2009

Kindle

Musings on the Kindle


Wonderful feature is the instant download of emergency book supplies and the readable format. I can read faster on the Kindle and find it light and easy to handle.

A download containing charts and graphs had good text quality but the figures were unreadable. This book is formatted for print media. An alternative would be to autoformat the charts into a larger font size. Formatting for Kindle would contain the chart or graph on one frame along with the caption, in a readable font size.

Learning from experience formatting for the Kindle, I came up with the following formula to produce a readable product:

For e-mail or Kindle format

Set line spacing at 1.5

Under Format:
Paragraph Paragraph spacing set at Before=12 or 6, check sample
Set line spacing at 1.5
General Alignment Left, Outline level Body Text

This will produce a readable copy for Kindle, with 1.5 line spacing and more than that between unindented paragraphs

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Ask For an FBI/CIA Investigation

A criminal investigation into the ascendency of certain brokerage/bank institutions is merited by the emerging knowledge that the housing economic bubble was based on wholesale fraud made possible by well intentioned individuals who thought the poor should have a chance at home ownership.

If somebody cannot pay for a debt incurred then that individual should not be loaned money. Seems logical but the optimal outcome for this housing loan activity was only to be able to market the debt at an instant profit for the broker, not to ensure eventual repayment of the loan. Nobody gave a shit if the loans were repaid. These kinds of loans were then bundled together and sold as AAA rated ‘securities’ to investors looking for safe investments. Two more frauds added to the original appraisal fraud, liars at the loan company, loans with inconsistent payments, inflated housing prices, a triumvirate of developer, broker and lender all cooperating to drive housing prices up and sell more housing by enabling incompetent buyers. Who cashed out?

Yet the USA taxpayer is bailing out all these people who perpetuated and made money on this fraud. Why not just give the towns and states and retirement funds and private accounts their principals back? This would stimulate the economy by aiding distressed states. Stop the AIG, CITI etc. payouts. Let them sue for the money. Did they think the insurance on the debt they bought should bail them out of a bad investment? Or was the insurance on the CDOs (collateralized debt obligations) known to pay off due to the poor quality of the mortgages all this was based on? You and me been had. Why would the SEC allow mortgage derivatives they did not understand?

It’s time for an investigation and indictments in the private and public sector…..this public/private partnership did not benefit the taxpayers, who worry about medical costs while these frauds receive billions and more.

Why are all these contracts and ‘securities’ legally binding when it was all based on fraud? Who made the decision to cover this free enterprise bilking by going through the lenders and brokers doing the bilking? The people being bilked, the bilkees should have first shot at the bailout money, not the moneylenders. Let these institutions built up too big to fail on fraudulent schemes based on subprime loans go under. Work with the investors and forget propping up these people who caused the problem. This will get actual money in circulation instead of tying it up. Local lenders who also service the loans can loan to locals to buy homes. No more mortgage derivatives. Mortgage derivatives are like an exported disease and bailout money proves that it isn’t free enterprise either. Let’s separate the housing/loan market from the debt export scene. The purpose of housing is housing, not to be used as a gambling chip.

Free enterprise when profitable but socialized when taking bailout money. Private profit and bailout for losses. Good odds for somebody while the rest of us pay and pay and pay. This horseshit began under President Bush and is happily continuing under President Obama.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

MANDATORY INSURANCE RIPOFF!

The rush to insurance during this healthcare summit seems to make many presumptions, such as that price fixing is good for one industry but not good for another. I am sure that the lobbyists are leading the charge to mandatory insurance for individuals and businesses, letting Congress take control of providing customers for these private businesses through mandates that take civil rights away from the taxpayers.

Being forced to buy anything is not freedom. Price fixing with a guaranteed ever increasing percent of income in perpetuity for insurance companies will not bring health care costs down. Allowing government and insurance companies an automatic draw on paychecks will not bring health care costs down. Freedom of choice and cash in hand will bring health care costs down.

Oh, but the debt load on the medical profession is huge and there is all that malpractice insurance to pay for and these payments must continue….Perhaps more structured bankrupt medical debtors this time, instead of just auto manufacturers. Where is the debt load? Who are the creditors? Should foreign companies be able to own our insurance pools?

Establish low cost clinics in neighborhoods for routine medical visits covered or not by insurance. Reasonable, available low cost health care, payment in cash or card or insurance, but always at a low cost, payment now or jump through social services hoops.

Facilities for these clinics exist in many cities in the form of unused commercial space, empty government buildings, repossessed homes and unused school space.

Insurance companies are tying up huge sums and then using these sums to get tax money to pay off their gambling losses. Now they want to mandate the continuance of this forced obligation so they can take even more money out of the system. Let government, and private enterprise offer non-mandatory insurance choices and allow the individual to seek out low cost heath care on the open market. Use stimulus money to establish the clinics and man them. Give the people the right to buy or not to buy.

Figure it out! A small clinic operating 24 hours a day would see a patient every half hour average @ $10 a visit, $4800 would be generated or $9,600 @ $20 a visit. Enough money to pay a small staff and what a boon to the neighborhood it would be.

Give the people a real chance to choose healthcare, not a series of predesigned choices that enrich others. This is far more important than more roads.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Womens Rights and Mandatory Insurance

Mr. President: I am pleased that you are an advocate of civil rights, including those of women. My mother was born before suffrage for women in the USA and I came to adulthood amid prejudice against women. I learned along the way to make my own choices, sometimes at odds with male dominated society. Forced choices do not freedom make.

In regards to insurance, I remember disliking Ms. Clinton because she would mandate I buy something, anything, but in this case it was insurance. As a free market advocate, the price fixing brought in by mandatory insurance is dangerous for the economy. As a parallel, possibly it would be decided that all must buy a car, with the prices set by the industry and the government. Let the assessments begin.

Government insurance? Go for it!
Private insurance? Let’s have it!
Mandatory insurance? Cancel it! Let the prices of health care fall to the housing levels. Use stimulus money to establish low cost clinics in neighborhoods.

A post boom-time pullback in expenditures per item. All sectors are influenced by the assumed derivative debt, not just housing. Propping up outlandish medical charges and huge outlays for malpractice insurance by mandating insurance while not allowing the direct pay preference is allowing a few to control huge sums of cash. Direct pay at a low cost in local conditions would free up all the cash held by insurance firms into the economy. Let the free market work.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Arizona State University Commencement

Dear President Obama:

I attended the ASU graduation of my son in law with the greatest pleasure in your speech to the graduates. Thank you.

The economic worries here have created much discussion at local political clubs. I have written my ideas on health care insurance reform, hereupon forwarding them to you from the great state of Arizona…

Healthcare reform can attract votes and free up capital

Healthcare insurance reform is happening. The political parties must assist in the creation of a new system of ideas. The way to achieve influence will be through the possession of new ideas and new solutions to current problems in the healthcare system. The nation must have some ideas that depart from the practices of the past that are proven business failures.

Bipartisan discussions are necessary. Respecting others opinions within the party is necessary. Ideally, individuals who prevent voices from being heard should be relegated to observer status while others discuss these critical issues. Since this is not an ideal world, politicians must have some good health care insurance reform ideas that will garner attention and votes in order to assist in the reform process. From a financial standpoint, considerable capital could be freed up to circulate in the economy, jobs would be created and the employed would have control of their insurance funds in the form of cash if all this required insurance money were turned over to the private sector.

Call for position papers on health care insurance reform. This is not the only idea out there. Campaign contributors cannot control this reform process. Proponents of some reform ideas predicate insurance. Choice of offered plans is not freedom of choice.

An analysis of the present healthcare insurance system reveals some basic facts:

Insurance concerns collect huge sums of cash from the populace
Insurance concerns pay out some of the cash for medical expenses
Insurance concerns invest large sums of cash
Some insurance concerns have required bailout cash from the Feds
The Feds offer medical insurance now

Malpractice insurance is expensive
Insurance takes a discount from stated medical rates
Insurance can pay less or more for a given procedure than is charged the cash customer
Fraud and inflation of costs have been problems in the present system
Mandatory insurance takes several forms: health, automotive, home…
Mandatory health insurance: offered through the employers who must pay for it or pay for a portion of it
Mandatory automotive liability insurance: passed by legislature
Mandatory car and home insurance at the insistence of lienholders
Insurance companies and medical personnel have agreed to slow down rising costs

Now back to ways to attract votes.

Business leaders may be glad to dislodge health insurance requirements from the workplace. Forcing businesses to provide health insurance is tying up huge sums of cash that could be circulating in the economy. Let me say that individual choice is the most sustainable way to have an insurance program. Business votes.

So say that business is relieved of the responsibility of providing health insurance providing the payment that had gone to the insurance company now goes into the worker’s pay as a raise. The worker will have the power to decide to buy insurance or to patronize low cost walk in clinics situated in neighborhoods. The government offers a low cost insurance for claims exceeding x amount, which would leave the patron with a substantial deductable to meet, but the low cost clinic format allows for affordable health care. Private insurance could operate just as now, except that employers will not be obligated to provide customers for them. Private insurers could compete in rates and coverage, just as now. Clinics could compete for customers as well.

The business benefit of this plan is that wages and salaries once again become a predictable expense instead of expenditures at the mercy of insurance companies who now promise to slow down the pace of cost increases. The establishment of low cost walk in clinics has already begun in many neighborhoods. This idea could be expanded to private enterprise and public health clinics through the government. People could purchase health care when needed or would rely on private insurance plans or opt for the low cost, high deductable health care program through the government. There would be choice on the part of individuals and businesses, which should drive the costs down in both insurance and health care.

The costs of malpractice insurance has become self defeating in that the cycle of inflation in health care costs is bolstered by these huge lawsuits. Perhaps legislation can be passed that enables patients to sign legal waivers or limits in lieu of paying exorbitant malpractice insurance rates. Some element of trust should remain between doctor and patient. Once again, the patient is not permitted to decide whether or not to buy malpractice insurance. Patients are forced to pay for it as expressed in the high service rates charged.

This is leading up to the idea of “personal insurance”. Individuals should be able to buy
insurance on themselves (and dependents) that covers various scenarios like accidents, malpractice, cancer and any other insurance they deem necessary. Patients insure themselves or not, as they choose. Doctors are free of insurance demands. Healthcare and insurance costs go down. People regain the right to choose. Government and private enterprise offer affordable routine health care.

Entering indigent care would be like bankruptcy and individuals who claim indigent status will be the subject of social services investigation and payment plans will be developed if warranted. The expense of indigent care will always be there and must be absorbed, just as it now. A forward looking taskforce to avoid increases in indigents must be developed. Claiming indigent status in order to claim free health care is not to be a frivolous step easily taken.

As far as automotive insurance goes, the legislature in Arizona requires it of all motorists. I suggest that free choice be such that an individual can buy or not buy insurance on themselves and dependents to cover accidents, repairs, theft and so on. Auto loans and lienholder agreements on insurance are private enterprise.

The problem with insurance today is the huge sums the insurance institutions are controlling. Abuses of the system include various schemes aimed at ‘investing’ premium money, loses of investor money, high paid executives, bailouts and the taxpayers paying to reimburse the insurance companies for the premium money lost gambling. Mandatory insurance equals loss of control of your own money. Pooling money is a good idea but not if the holding company only has to keep less than 10% of it on hand, while gambling the rest away.

Return the money spent on insurance to the people to invest in what healthcare they need on a cash basis or to purchase healthcare insurance. The money now controlled by insurance companies would be reduced. The consumer would have more disposable income to circulate. Businesses would be free of paperwork and obligation except for industrial insurance.

Business opportunities in the form of low cost health clinics would prosper. A labor pool exists from laid off healthcare workers, job freezes in the healthcare field, plus new graduates who cannot get a job. Private insurance would have opportunities to form money pools addressing the high deductable cost of government insurance. Private insurers could open their own clinics.

Private enterprise would prosper under this plan.

Crucial elements in time order:

Use stimulus money to refurbish vacant buildings into low cost health clinics located every x number of population near transit lines. This action would have several needed results, the establishment of more clinics plus short term construction jobs and long term health care jobs plus utilization of vacant properties. Clinics must be in place, either government or private enterprise, before the rest of the plan is implemented.

Develop guidelines for personal insurance in various categories. Rescind mandatory insurance and watch the market adjust to the new conditions of more circulating capital and more freedom of choice in business and for the individual. The clinics accept business and the people get affordable health care.

Attracting votes with policy change is an old ploy but this reform idea would attract votes from businesses struggling under an insurance load, the worker who wants more money in his pocket, the voter who wants freedom to choose on insurance, unemployed healthcare workers, people who do not have insurance and civic leaders who favor clinics. This could be a popular idea. Did I say the populist word?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Healthcare Insurance Reform

Healthcare insurance reform can attract votes and free up capital

Healthcare insurance reform is happening. Republicans must assist in the creation of a new system of ideas. The way to achieve influence will be through the possession of new ideas and new solutions to current problems in the healthcare system. Republicans must have some ideas that depart from the practices of the past that are proven business failures.

Bipartisan discussions are necessary. Respecting others opinions within the party is necessary. Ideally, individuals who prevent voices from being heard should be relegated to observer status while others discuss these critical issues. Since this is not an ideal world, Republicans must have some good health care insurance reform ideas that will garner attention and votes in order to assist in the reform process. From a financial standpoint, considerable capital could be freed up to circulate in the economy, jobs would be created and the employed would have control of their insurance funds in the form of cash.

Call for position papers on health care insurance reform. This is not the only idea out there. Campaign contributors cannot control this reform process.

An analysis of the present healthcare insurance system reveals some basic facts:

Insurance concerns collect huge sums of cash from the populace
Insurance concerns pay out some of the cash for medical expenses
Insurance concerns invest large sums of cash
Some insurance concerns have required bailout cash from the Feds
The Feds offer medical insurance now

Malpractice insurance is expensive
Insurance takes a discount from stated medical rates
Insurance can pay less for a given procedure than is charged the cash customer
Fraud and inflation of costs have been problems in the present system
Mandatory insurance takes several forms: health, automotive, home…
Mandatory health insurance: offered through the employers who must pay for it or pay for a portion of it
Mandatory automotive liability insurance: passed by legislature
Mandatory car and home insurance at the insistence of lienholders
Insurance companies and medical personnel have agreed to slow down rising costs

Now back to ways to attract votes.

Business leaders may be glad to dislodge health insurance requirements from the workplace. Forcing businesses to provide health insurance is tying up huge sums of cash that could be circulating in the economy. Let me say that individual choice is the most sustainable way to have an insurance program. Business votes.

So say that business is relieved of the responsibility of providing health insurance providing the payment that had gone to the insurance company now goes into the worker’s pay as a raise. The worker will have the power to decide to buy insurance or to patronize low cost walk in clinics situated in neighborhoods. The government offers a low cost insurance for claims exceeding x amount, which would leave the patron with a substantial deductable to meet, but the low cost clinic format allows for affordable health care. Private insurance could operate just as now, except that employers will not be obligated to provide customers for them. Private insurers could compete in rates and coverage, just as now. Clinics could compete for customers as well.

The business benefit of this plan is that wages and salaries once again become a predictable expense instead of expenditures at the mercy of insurance companies who now promise to slow down the pace of cost increases. The establishment of low cost walk in clinics has already begun in many neighborhoods. This idea could be expanded to private enterprise and public health clinics through the government. People could purchase health care when needed or would rely on private insurance plans or opt for the low cost, high deductable health care program through the government. There would be choice on the part of individuals and businesses, which should drive the costs down in both insurance and health care.

The costs of malpractice insurance has become self defeating in that the cycle of inflation in health care costs is bolstered by these huge lawsuits. Perhaps legislation can be passed that enables patients to sign legal waivers or limits in lieu of paying exorbitant malpractice insurance rates. Some element of trust should remain between doctor and patient. Once again, the patient is not permitted to decide whether or not to buy malpractice insurance. Patients are forced to pay for it as expressed in the high service rates charged.

This is leading up to the idea of “personal insurance”. Individuals should be able to buy
insurance on themselves (and dependents) that covers various scenarios like accidents, malpractice, cancer and any other insurance they deem necessary. Patients insure themselves or not, as they choose. Doctors are free of insurance demands. Healthcare and insurance costs go down. People regain the right to choose. Government and private enterprise offer affordable routine health care.

Entering indigent care would be like bankruptcy and individuals who claim indigent status will be the subject of social services investigation and payment plans will be developed if warranted. The expense of indigent care will always be there and must be absorbed, just as it now. A forward looking taskforce to avoid increases in indigents must be developed. Claiming indigent status in order to claim free health care is not to be a frivolous step easily taken.

As far as automotive insurance goes, the legislature in Arizona requires it of all motorists. I suggest that free choice be such that an individual can buy or not buy insurance on themselves and dependents to cover accidents, repairs, theft and so on. Auto loans and lienholder agreements on insurance are private enterprise.

The problem with insurance today is the huge sums the insurance institutions are controlling. Abuses of the system include various schemes aimed at ‘investing’ premium money, loses of investor money, high paid executives, bailouts and the taxpayers paying to reimburse the insurance companies for the premium money lost gambling. Mandatory insurance equals loss of control of your own money. Pooling money is a good idea but not if the holding company only has to keep less than 10% of it on hand, while gambling the rest away.

Return the money spent on insurance to the people to invest in what healthcare they need on a cash basis or to purchase healthcare insurance. The money now controlled by insurance companies would be reduced. The consumer would have more disposable income to circulate. Businesses would be free of paperwork and obligation except for industrial insurance.

Business opportunities in the form of low cost health clinics would prosper. A labor pool exists from laid off healthcare workers, job freezes in the healthcare field, plus new graduates who cannot get a job. Private insurance would have opportunities to form money pools addressing the high deductable cost of government insurance. Private insurers could open their own clinics.

Private enterprise would prosper under this plan.

Crucial elements in time order:

Use stimulus money to refurbish vacant buildings into low cost health clinics located every x number of population. This action would have several needed results, the establishment of more clinics plus short term construction jobs and long term health care jobs plus utilization of vacant properties. Clinics must be in place, either government or private enterprise, before the rest of the plan is implemented.

Develop guidelines for personal insurance in various categories. Rescind mandatory insurance and watch the market adjust to the new conditions of more circulating capital and more freedom of choice in business and for the individual. The clinics accept business and the people get affordable health care.

Attracting votes with policy change is an old ploy but this reform idea would attract votes from businesses struggling under an insurance load, the worker who wants more money in his pocket, the voter who wants freedom to choose on insurance, unemployed healthcare workers, people who do not have insurance and civic leaders who favor clinics. This could be a popular idea. Did I say the populist word?