2009 in review, thoughts etc.

[Stewart G Griffin]

2009 in review, thoughts, the future, etc.:

1) prius is the new rabbit, sort of.

2) alcohol, not electricity is the answer to the energy "problem."

a) i'm not even sure we have a "problem."

(much more on #2, 2a later)

3) Obviously, i was not happy with the way GM handled many things---pontiac being one of them.  i think gm is still in trouble, grave trouble.  Will elaborate later.

4) 2009 was very much like 1979---just different style to deal with the same problems.

5) much more to talk about later.

[Grover 1]

We have enough oil under the ground in this country to last 40 years.  The energy crisis is contrived, so is global warming.  2009 was scary, too much government, 2010 will be worse - don't get me started...

[Stewart G Griffin]

RE: '10 getting worse:

i did alot of flying at my last job, so i'm kind of more familiar than average, let's say, about being scrutinized from a security standpoint.   i was often singled out at random for a check at the gate in front of all the passengers or thru the "regular" line----just because....

It's getting to the point where we're all going to just come in to the security area naked and your baggage and person are going to be inspected fully and assessed.

The latest recent 2 breaches of security are an atrocity and will contribute to my above prediction, or at least will point it in that direction.

[cjizzz]

We have enough oil under the ground in this country to last 40 years.

The cost efficiency is just not there to reach the oil even though it sounds stupid thats the reason we don't drill on our own ground...

[4x4orbust]

2009 in review, thoughts, the future, etc.:

1) prius is the new rabbit, sort of.

2) alcohol, not electricity is the answer to the energy "problem."

a) i'm not even sure we have a "problem."

(much more on #2, 2a later)

3) Obviously, i was not happy with the way GM handled many things---pontiac being one of them.  i think gm is still in trouble, grave trouble.  Will elaborate later.

4) 2009 was very much like 1979---just different style to deal with the same problems.

5) much more to talk about later.

man, i agree with all those.   except the 1979 thing,   there weren't as many hippies in 2009.      

[Blazin]

The hippies were there, but they were still being hippies not politicians!

[bobcooter]

I've worked in the offshore oil industry for the last 28 years now and I'm telling you there is plenty of oil right here in the US. The good people in California and Florida need to lighten up a bit on offshore drilling. It's not as bad as they think it is. Anyway, I think the whole US Energy plan is to burn everyone else in the wolrd's oil first and then we will still have ours. Sounds too simply and stupid to be true but I swear that's what's going on. Our current administration is trying to regulate us right out of Gulf of Mexico as we speak. Going green is OK, but yyou can't do it overnight.
 One more thing, the Healthcare problem did not become an issue until unemployment became one. It's not a healthcare problem, it's a job problem. If you have a decent job, chances are you have insurance. I wish for once when they show the unemployment figures on the evening news they would specify how many jobs were lost because companies could not make it in this enconomy vs. how many jobs were lost because the company moved overseas and left the US. That's what happening to most of our jobs.
  Until we start manufacturing things we use everyday in America again it will only get worse. Obama wants to invest in companies that make double pane insulated windows of all things, but who can afford them? And, if we do all end up frying chicken or flipping burgers, who's gonna buy them?

[jaredts]

Right on the money, Bobcooter!

[Stewart G Griffin]

6) The following people disappointed me in 09,   Tiger woods, Serena williams, myself and there are many others but i can't think of them right now.   i will post as it comes to me.

7) i discovered a very good podcast if you are hardcore into cars---Adam corolla's Carcast.

http://www.adamcarolla.com/CarCastBlog/

This is one of the very few automotive podcasts and automotive shows in general that actually goes into detail about the subject matter.

To reiterate more on the previous topics that were brought up, i still feel the internal combustion engine is the better/best way.   We just need to explore different fuels if indeed, there is a problem, which i'm so sure we have a problem.  But this is opening up a real can of worms.........

[Lt.Del]

The following people disappointed me in 09,

politicians, lawyers, politicians who are lawyers, lawyers who are politicians, lawyers who are judges, judges who are lawyers.  

This healthcare "issue" does not have to be a "problem".  Period.

Put a cap on malpractice lawsuits.  Mistakes happen.  They are unfortunate.  True. But, no sense in raping the wallets of everyone who goes to the doctor because the doctors have to pay 30% of their salary for malpractice insurance.  Mistakes happen.  

The solution:

Keep a national database for every licensed MD, RN, LPN, Pharmacist, etc...These people make mistakes, their population are no different than any other population like cashiers, police, or Walmart greeters who, too, make mistakes.   If a database of these "professional" jobs is maintained, like that of the BBB, Better Business Bureau, which keeps track of complaints or lawsuits, which people should pull up before having, say, a contracter work on your house, to see if they are good at their profession and check out complaints before any contract is signed or call made for their work, the bad doctors, pharmacists, RN's, etc. will be weeded out due to no one using them or hospitals hiring them.

But, no, working on one's back porch is more important than working on your appendix, apparently.  

Keep a freakin' database on these healthcare workers.  After three strikes---three lawsuits that resulted in a civil lawsuit against them in which the plaintiff prevailed (or one criminal conviction), their license is pulled.   There would then be motivation to do a good job.

In my line of work, if I get any criminal conviction, any lawsuit that is successful against me in the performance of my job, I am history....no longer in law enforcement...period.   Why won't we hold doctors to the same standard?

By doing this, lawsuits can be capped.  If a doctor misdiagnoses an ailment, and the patient then suffers moreso than normally, they should not be able to sue for $15 million dollars and prevail.  Mistakes happen.  Keep track of the doctor where everyone can pull up the info before they use that doctor.  A cap of $100,000 should be all anyone can sue for to keep medical costs low.

It's not just costs of malpractice insurance that this would reduce.  A reduction in the number of wasted medical tests will result--thus cheaper hosptial visits.  When you go to the ER for a spranged ankle, you should NOT have to go through a MRI, Blood work, Sleep test, cholesteral check, eye test, EKG, etc... for a simple sprang.  An Xray should be the only test. These doctors order all these tests, which raise the costs through the roof, to protect from possible lawsuits.  We need common sense, people!!!!

But no, these politictians, attorneys, and judges DO NOT WANT TO CAP LAWSUITS!! Because these attorneys get 33% of all monetary judgements....why would they be motivated to reduce their own possible income?  Yeah, when they are politicians they take an oath to uphold the constitution and do what is right for America as a whole, but, we know that isn't happening. They are selfish.  

So, healthcare costs will not decrease.  period.  With a Nat'l Healthcare System that China will have to finance, because the Feds have no money, is another example of selling our kids' future for the benefit of right now.  World War III will soon be upon us when we can't pay China what we owe them and they demand payment.   Our payment will have to be via nukes.  Of course, the politicians on Capitol Hill won't care, they are all in their 70's now and won't be around then.  They only care about being reelected now, not 10-15 yrs from now.  

[smitty77]

The following people disappointed me in 09,

It's not just costs of malpractice insurance that this would reduce.  A reduction in the number of wasted medical tests will result--thus cheaper hosptial visits.  When you go to the ER for a spranged ankle, you should NOT have to go through a MRI, Blood work, Sleep test, cholesteral check, eye test, EKG, etc... for a simple sprang.  An Xray should be the only test. These doctors order all these tests, which raise the costs through the roof, to protect from possible lawsuits.  We need common sense, people!!!!

This is no joke, and too stupid for me to make up:  When my wife was pregnant with our first child, she suffered terribly form "morning sickness" early on.  It was really an all-day sickness, and she lost so much fluid through vomiting that she ended up in the ER for IV fluids (at the suggestion of her doc).  We were walk-ins, waited our turn, and gave them a very thorough medical history - telling them we knew she was pregnant and it was confirmed by her OB-GYN whose office is in the same hospital's medical building.  And they ran a pregnancy test anyway!  and charged my insurance company $85 for the same pee-on-a-stick test you can get at the hospital pharmacy down the hall for $12 for a 2-pack.  When I challenged this, they said "It's standard procedure."