I don’t see this discussed much, but with all the opinions and plans flying around, I feel compelled to mention something.

In all of human history, there is only one thing that makes the price of something go down (supply and demand being constant) and that is competition.

There are plenty of providers out there - doctors, diagnostics, labs, outpatient centers, hospitals… You’d think with those numbers there would be healthy competition.

There are also a lot of insurance companies. Yet, they are already highly regulated in what plans they can offer and where they can offer them.

What is broken is that the end user, or consumer, has no price ’skin in the game’. I’ve (involuntarily) availed myself to a host of medical services, some quite expensive. I have NEVER cared about how much the actual cost of the service or product was.

Why? Because we have become accustomed to lavish insurance that supplies us fantastic care - all for an easy payroll deduction and a $15 co-payment. Whether it’s company-provided insurance or government Medicare, Medicaid and all the state programs, we just don’t care how much something actually costs.

I’m scheduled for a CT scan soon. I’ve had many of them. I have no idea how much they cost nor do I have any idea if the facility to which I go is cheaper or more expensive than the 3 or 4 other places that have a CT machine within 15 minutes of where I live. I DON’T CARE BECAUSE I DON’T PAY FOR IT! Directly, that is.

What would happen if the price really did matter to me? Well, where do you shop for groceries? Or oil changes? Or even electricity? You don’t have comprehensive insurance on all those things, do you? No. You pay for them and that means you find the best product/service for the least amount of money.

That’s what needs to happen. Government needs to get out of the health business and insurance needs to be deregulated so companies, co-ops, whatever can have the freedom to design policies that reward the discriminating healthcare consumer.

Once the consumer cares about price, they will go to the lower-priced provider. That means providers will have to be price-competitive, which means the price will go down even more.

“But Glenn, the insurance companies are raking in the dough! They need oversight so they don’t make so much money on the backs of sick Americans!” Well, if that’s true, more government regulation ain’t gonna fix it. More competition will. Do you think Dell Computer has fantastic margins on PC sales? No. Their margins are wafer-thin because computers is the most competitive product in the world. I paid $1500 for a PC 15 years ago. I can get a PC which is hundreds of times more powerful now for a third of the cost.

The company that can freely design, market and sell an insurance plan that rewards consumers for low-cost consumption of medical services is going to be the company that is the next big success story. But companies aren’t allowed to do that right now. This isn’t about rewarding people for being healthy - that has no effect on the cost of medical services. In fact, heavy smokers are cheaper to insure in the long run because they die younger and quicker. It’s the pricing of what is consumed that affects the total cost of healthcare.

Competition is the only answer.

The Situation

The top legislative priority for organized labor and their allies in Congress is the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), also known as “Card Check.” EFCA is an enormous power grab by big labor bosses that would strip workers of their right to decide by private ballot whether to join a union, and their right to freely negotiate their contract. Instead of a secret ballot election, workers would be asked to publicly sign cards in front of union organizers, potentially subjecting them to harassment or intimidation.

Simply put, EFCA is a threat to workers’ rights. This campaign is not anti-union; in fact, we believe that workers have the right to organize, but they must be able to vote in secret.

Our polling shows that the American people are firmly on the side of supporting a worker’s right to a secret ballot election. In fact, the tri-partisan agreement to defend this right is overwhelming, as 77% of Republicans, 82% of Democrats, and 79% of independents believe in protecting private ballots. Support for private ballots is so broad it also spanned union households and every subgroup examined, including majorities of every age, race, geographic group and both genders.

Threat to Worker Rights and the Economy

The rights to a private vote and to freely negotiate contracts are fundamental American principles that must be protected. By stripping American workers of these rights, freedom would be supplanted by fear, force and intimidation.

Moreover, with business owners struggling to keep their doors open, the last thing they need is more costly bureaucratic red tape and federally imposed work rules that will reduce competitiveness in the workplace. Forcing workers to join a union will kill jobs in America at a time we can’t afford to lose them.

The Opportunity

With public opinion overwhelmingly on our side, American Solutions will organize an internet-based, grassroots effort to engage citizen activists on this issue so Members of Congress will face enormous constituent pressure to oppose this anti-democratic bill.

We hope that you’ll join our “Save American Jobs Project” by signing the petition and communicating with your elected representatives your opposition to EFCA.

Sign the Petition

American Solutions

That’s what a Google litigation paralegal asked the judge in a Palo Alto small claims court judge this week. The judge ruled in favor of an AdSense publisher who brought a suit against Google for canceling his account without giving reason - and not paying up.

It’s a tale that has been repeated on blogs and forums across the internet, and it’s a problem that Google is notorious for being secretive about.

Aaron Greenspan signed up for AdSense in March 2008 in order to make a little money off of his site, Think Computer Corporation. Nine months later, Google canceled his account with no warning, no reason and no payment of the $721 Think Computer’s site had earned.

Greenspan emailed and phoned a slew of people at Google only to learn there was no customer service for AdSense and no one that could give him an answer to why his account was canceled.

Many times, this kind of cancellation results when site owners use AdWords to send traffic to an AdSense-laced page. Greenspan had tried AdWords, but stopped the campaign months before he tried AdSense.

After getting nowhere with Google, Greenspan tried the justice system. Since lawyers aren’t allowed in small claims court, litigation paralegal Stephanie Milani was sent by Google. When asked, she could give no reason why the account was terminated. Milani said that the $721 was refunded to the advertisers and reiterated Google’s policy - that any publisher can be terminated at any time for any reason.

The judge asked if an account could be terminated because of their eye color. He then ruled in favor of Greenspan.

Enter Milani’s question, “What if everyone whose account was canceled sued Google?” That sounds like a question for Google, not a small claims court judge.

Searchenginewatch.com

Eight years ago :
1. Outgoing President Bill Clinton schedules two separate radio addresses to the nation, and organizes a public farewell speech/ rally in downtown Washington D.C. scheduled to directly conflict with incoming President Bush’s inauguration ceremony.

January 20:
2. President Bush leaves office without issuing a single Presidential pardon, only granting a commutation of sentence to two former border patrol agents convicted of shooting a convicted drug smuggler. He does not grant any type of clemency to Scooter Libby or any other former political aide, ally, or business partner.

Eight years ago :
2. President Clinton issues 140 pardons and several commutations of sentence on his final day in office.
Included in these are: billionaire financier, convicted tax evader, and leading Democratic campaign contributor Marc Rich; Whitewater scandal figure Susan McDougal; Congressional Post Office Scandal figure and former Democratic Congressman Dan Rostenkowski; convicted bank fraud, sexual assault and child porn perpetrator and former Democratic Congressman Melvin Reynolds; and convicted drug felon Roger Clinton, the President’s half-brother.

January 20:
3. The Bush daughters leave gift baskets in the White House bedrooms for the Obama daughters, containing flowers, candy, stuffed animals, DVD’s and CD’s, and heartfelt notes of encouragement and advice for the young girls on how to prepare for their new lives in the White House.

Eight years ago :
3. Clinton and Gore staffers rip computer wires and electrical outlets from the White House walls, stuff piles of notebook papers into the White House toilets, systematically remove the letter “W” from every computer key-pad in the entire White House, and damage several thousand dollars worth of furniture in the White House master bedroom.

Headlines 4 Years Ago:
“Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops Die in unarmored Humvees”
“Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times”
“Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft”

Headlines this year:
“Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $170 million”

“Obama Spends $170 million on inauguration; America Needs A Big Party”

“Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate”

“Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama Inauguration”

I built this music workstation PC in February. Intel Quad core, three HDs, 4G RAM. A few weeks ago, it goes on the fritz. After a bunch of troubleshooting, I send the motherboard in. Two weeks later (yesterday) it comes back. Same problem. They issue me a new RMA and now I have to send it in again.

I won a Sony Playstation Portable at a trade show last year. American Airlines decided to drop an anvil or something on my suitcase and it shattered the LCD. Called Sony, sent us a box and for $80 they’ll send us a refurbished one - no repair. The new one (refurbished) arrived and the optical drive doesn’t work. Sending out another box to send that one in.

Bought a Logitech Harmony remote. My daughter knocked my glass of water onto it. Now it uses up its batteries in one day. No repair option.

Blackberry started shutting down a few days ago after calls and won’t fire up unless I plug it in. Took it to two AT&T stores yesterday - no ability to diagnose at all. Go to the Apple store, thinking maybe I just buy an iPhone. None in stock. If I want one, line up at 7am the next day for the special 8am opening just for iPhone purchases that has been going on for a month. Forget that, no way I’m getting that close to all those Apple freak/poseur/loser/Obamaniacs. Purchase a new battery for the Blackberry, but they have to order it because nobody carries Blackberry Curve batteries (?!?). Get a note this morning that the battery is backordered.

I bought this “Invisible Shield” case for my iPod and Blackberry. Thin sheets of plastic you apply to protect them. Put it on the iPod, click wheel no longer works. Go back and forth with them and they will take no responsibility. Can’t repair iPod because it’s old and they no longer repair those iPods. But Apple will give me 10% off the purchase of a new one! You know where they can stick that apple. Start using Amy’s iPod, another device I won at work and then that one stops working. Hard drive. Don’t make those hard drives anymore. So I pry open both iPods and swap hard drives for one working iPod. That’s my best tech story in a year. Whoopee.

Montana. Log cabin. Lantern. Pen and paper. I’m sure I have a manifesto in me.

I just hope my brother doesn’t turn me in.

NASCAR is finally getting it right - the Indy tire debacle is merely a cover. They are experimenting with a format change that will ultimately take all their races down to a 10-lap shootout. Race day schedule would look like this:

6am - Beer concessions open
7am - Gates Open
8am - Morning invocation, playing of country song from one of the following artists (current rota): Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Brooks & Dunn.
8:30am - Monster Truck exhibition
9am - Concert by one of following washed up/poseur modern rock bands (current rota): Three Doors Down, Daughtry, Sammy Hagar, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi.
10am - Morning prayer, beer concession restock
11am - “Best 3-Car Shrine” contest winner announced
12pm - Porta-potty maintenance, beer concession restock
12pm - Country/Pop music concert from one of the following artists (current rota): Trace Adkins, Kelly Clarkson, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker.
12:30 - John Deere Tractor Parade
12:50 - Invocation, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” plays
13:00 - Start engines, flyover
13:05 - Green Flag, 10 lap race
13:07 - Mandatory competition yellow, lap 3, no laps scored during caution
13:30 - Green Flag, lap 4
13:35 - Forecast caution, red flag - inspect tires, clean track, repair SAFER damage - NASCAR leads in safety and through their innovations the best drivers in the world are totally, completely safe.
14:15 - Green Flag
14:20 - Mandatory competition yellow, lap 6, no laps scored during caution
14:30 - Porta-potty maintenance, beer concession restock
14:50 - Green Flag, lap 7
14:55 - Forecast caution, red flag - inspect tires, clean track, repair SAFER damage - NASCAR leads in safety and through their innovations the best drivers in the world are totally, completely safe.
15:20 - Green Flag
15:21 - Forecast caution, red flag - inspect tires, clean track, repair SAFER damage - NASCAR leads in safety and through their innovations the best drivers in the world are totally, completely safe.
15:55 - Green/White/Checkered policy in effect, Green Flag
15:55:31 - Caution - Field Frozen
15:58 - Checkered Flag
16:00 - Burnouts, tributes, fence climb, flag-waving, someone is looking out for us from above, etc.
16:30 - Winner Determined, hopefully same guy who did burnouts
16:10 - Victory Lane ceremony for Designated Winner
16:15 - Fireworks, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” plays
16:30 - Porta-potty maintenance
16:45 - Track cleanup (Talladega only)
17:00 - Flag take-down ceremony. U.S. Flag north of Mason-Dixon Line, Confederate Flag, south. “God Bless America” by Martina McBride plays north of Mason-Dixon line, except for Indiana (Allstate 400 at the Brickyard) which gets “Small Town” by John Mellencamp. South of M-D, “White Lightning” by George Jones, except for Alabama, which gets “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynard Skynard.
19:00 - Gates close

Look at that, a full day’s race-related activities with only 10 laps!

To: Jill Edwards, Student, University of Washington

Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

Miss Edwards, I read of your student activity regarding the proposed memorial to Colonel Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive many angry emails from conservative people like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen, on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may be that you are simply a sheep. There’s no dishonor in being a sheep, as long as you know and accept what you are.

Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people, not capable of hurting each other except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

Then there are the wolves who feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

Then there are sheepdogs and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence and you are a healthy productive citizen, you are a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the unchartered path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

We know that the sheep live in denial - that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kid’s schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard. So they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go Baa. That is, until the wolf shows up, and then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough, know-it-all high school students, and under ordinary circumstances would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them.

This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.

Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter. He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day.

After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said ‘Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.’ The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, ‘Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.’ You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that would destroy 98 percent of the population.

Research was conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said they specifically targeted victims by body language: Slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs. Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents - from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

Edmund Burke said ‘There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men.’ Here is the point I want to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They don’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you.

If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors and the warriors started taking their job more seriously.

It’s OK to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the sheepdog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from ‘baa’ to ‘thanks’.

We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. Just like the sheepdog, we in the military just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained protecting the sheep.

And, when our number is called by The Almighty, and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

What is it?

Here is a good definition on about.com:

Twitter is a mini-blogging platform that you can use to send messages of 140 characters or less to family, friends, or just the general Web community at large.

You can also choose to follow other Twitter community members’ posts, either by navigating directly to the Twitter site, subscribing to that particular Twitter RSS feed, or getting Twitter posts sent to your mobile device (text messaging fees will apply for this option; check with your provider).

Like some other people I had talked to on the web, I first thought ‘what would I do with this’? But I have to say it’s not only addictive but a great way to meet new people and network.

Give it a try: You can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kennethholland

See you there!

Here’s a quote from Techcrunch.com:

[Trent] Reznor [Nine Inch Nails] called for it today, saying “I think if there was an ISP tax of some sort, we can say to the consumer, ‘All music is now available and able to be downloaded and put in your car and put in your iPod and put up your a– if you want and it’s $5 on your cable bill.’”

Yes, you guys got it now!  Force people to pay for music they may or may not want! In the immortal words of that little English paper cutout guy on the Guinness commercials…Brilliant!

I (and many people before me) have said for years that the Music Industry refused (refuses!) to open their eyes to what was coming in the digital age and that they would have to totally reinvent their business model to survive and prosper in the future.  So did they close their eyes and hope it would just go away?

I don’t think so.   I worked in a friggin’ mailroom at a music magazine and figured this out.  They didn’t see this coming?

Sure they did.

Ego.

Big STUPID ego.

That’s why they’ve done nothing.  And now they’re screwed.

Not that I care too much.  There were a great bunch of people I knew and worked with who had to change careers because of this monumental paradigm shift and I feel for them.  They got screwed.

As for the rest of you in the industry who made your living screwing others…and you know who you are…

Up yours.

You get everything you deserve.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22576504/

I don’t care if you’re rich and want to spend $10,000 a month on blessed water (even if you are a little loony) but this piece of work is known for berating America’s wealthy for their ‘wasteful spending habits’ and that we’re too selfish to help anyone.

I really wish she would stay in England!