Jo's Cafe

Welcome to the weekend! I actually feel like putting a blog post together (yipppeee)! But don’t let me lay down for a nap – the feeling might go away. I really do need to get my ass in gear and start blogging about something – even if its about my new bra (just kidding). I never really did establish what this blog was suppose to “only” be about, so I guess bras would work uh? (Watching the two guys that read this flee).

This was a particularly sad week for us at my workplace. A well-loved co-worker, 26 years old with two beautiful girls (one not yet a year old), lost her husband to a massive heart attack Sunday morning. He was only 32. Yes, 32. I know you’re heart just stopped. I didn’t learn of that tragedy until Monday morning at the dentist office when another co-worker phoned me. The dentist people knew him and her also so they cried with me. I have asked many times, “God why?” but know there will be no answer soon – if ever – and his hands are always there. They buried him Thursday. I went to the visitation, as funerals ( like most folks ) make me really uncomfortable. I did not “know” him personally, only through his wife. She is a lovely women. We began work on the same day and although we are 30 years apart in age, have always gotten along well. Both families are HUGE and the friends numerous. The walls of the funeral home had to be expanded (they do that) for the crowd that showed for the funeral. Over the open casket they played a slide show of their life together. I remember her engagement, the wedding preparations, the first child, then the second. As I looked into her eyes – I saw the medication given to help her get through this and knew I would have done the same thing. My heart broke when I held her. She is too young to experience such loss. When you talk to God next time, ask him to send Lesley, Ava and Presley comfort and a couple extra angels to get them through this.

We were notified last week at work that our health benefits (insurance) plan is changing. Geez, surprise surprise uh? Not only are we dealing with the attempted take-over of 1/6th of the economy by a fucking socialists agenda, our company’s health insurance premiums went UP! Okay, so we as a company had a 175% loss ratio – but geez Louise! The people who deal with that for the company spread the word out and asked for someone to come to our rescue and we did have one carrier step up to the plate. The plan is a High Deductible Plan with a Health Savings Account. This was something I was going to do anyway, so bonus. BUT – the whole company has to go to it, which made a lot of folks understandably nervous. On Friday we had a meeting with the HR people, who wonderfully explained all the ins and outs of the program. I am amped about this program. Freedom to decide what I pay for medically and a back up for catastrophes. Now I completely understand what Hannity & Rush have been saying. “I” have control over expenses and I can negotiate with my doctor about fees, and approach him about prescribing cheaper medications (if I can take them), to save on cost. As it stands, those with insurance never ask about the cost, but just pay our co-pay and go away. Now we have to be pro-active in our health maintenance and I think it will make us all better consumers and healthier in the end!

So, for years women have been pounded over the head to get base-line mammograms at age 40 (raises hand – I did) and pap smears yearly (whistling and looking away). NOW the people behind all those statements have decided that nah … we don’t have to be that pro-active about this stuff. I mean – you can wait until your 50 now to get your first base-line mammogram, and since cervical cancer spreads so slowly, just don’t worry about those pesky uncomfortable pap-smears until your 21 and then only every other year. Fucking hypocrites!!! Rationing of health-care has started and Obama-care hasn’t even been enacted yet! Oh – did you know that you (you and me) and all other tax-payers will have to pay for this government program for FIVE Years before the benefits even kick in? Like Rush said, its like buying a house and making monthly mortgage payments for five years before you can move in. Bet the lame-stream media didn’t tell you that right?

I the fact that Lindsey Gramhanesty finally found a set and went after Holder on bring an admitted terrorist to NYC for his trial. w00t!! There is hope!

Picked up Sarah’s book “Going Rogue: An American Life” and am thoroughly enjoying it. Of course the lame-stream media is having head-explosions over it with the AP assigning 11 reporters to fact check the book. How transparent in their hate they are and making such fools out of themselves.

Speaking of being transparent — how is that Hope & Change working out for you uh? Did you know there are numerous taxes in this bill (that remember you are paying for for five years with higher taxes before benefits kick in) and they will blow your mind. For example, from Americans for Tax Reform (who has the whole list of more taxes here, just a few are:

Employer Mandate Tax (Page 348/Sec. 1513/$28 bil): If an employer does not offer health coverage, and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit, the employer must pay an additional non-deductible tax of $750 for all full-time employees. Applies to all employers with 50 or more employees.
HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike (Page 1998/Sec. 9004/$1.3 bil): Increases additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent. (Go back up to my paragraph on our company going to HSA’s and High Deductible Insurance – this is in part “my” money being put in that account. This also goes in “my” account pre-tax. This is the governments way of making up for the pre-tax contribution to that account. Sure, I can wait until I’m age 65 and take it out then and only pay the taxes on it, but if I need it in an emergency I can take it out earlier.)
FSA Cap (Page 1999/Sec. 9005/$14.6 bil): Imposes cap on FSAs of $2500 (now unlimited).
Tax on Innovator Drug Companies (Page 2010/Sec. 9008/ $22.2 bil): $2.3 billion annual tax on the industry imposed relative to share of sales made that year.
Tax of Medical Device Manufacturers (Page 2020/Sec. 9009/$19.3 bil): $2 billion annual tax on the industry imposed relative to shares of sales made that year. Exempts items retailing for <$100.
Tax on Health Insurers (Page 2026/Sec. 9010/$60.4 bil): $6.7 billion annual tax on the industry imposed relative to health insurance premiums collected that year.

These are just a few of the items out of the many taxes in the bill. Why are they going to tax Drug Companies and Medical Device Manufacturers? They are going to be punished for medical advances to save lives. You know the answer? The less innovations to save lives, people won’t live as long, therefore not having to use the Government Run Health-care program. In other words: Death By Government Taxes.

Have a great weekend!

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