Archive for October, 2009
I am driving to Lubbock through Boise and Salt Lake and probably Albuqurque. Want to drive 8 hours a day and relax in a hotel at night or sightsee along the way. Is there anything to see along that route? I’m going to be on I-84 for 555 miles and I-40 for 255.
Asked by:Andilynn
Like the college football player Ian Johnson of Boise State proposes to his girlfriend (now wife) on National TV after he scored the game-winning conversion. Ian is black and she is white. Now that’s ***********. Voice your opinion about this question and I’ll return your favor.
Asked by:Omegle.com
With several health care reform bills making their way through congressional committees, many Valley employers are worried how the outcome will affect their financial future.
Already facing increased health insurance premiums, businesses also are concerned about being required to provide health coverage for all workers and how a government-run option might affect their costs. One proposal that has benefits consultants wringing their hands is an excise tax on insurance plans that cost a family more than $21,000 a year.
Kathryn Bakich, national director of health care compliance at the Segal Co. in Washington, said lawmakers must be careful not to do something that will create bad consequences for employer plans.
Most plans cost $15,000 to $18,000 a year, she said, including both the employer and employee portions. With a couple of years of inflation, some of those plans will hit the $21,000 cap and be open to additional taxes on employers.
“Many times they call it a Cadillac tax, but these are not Cadillac plans they are taxing,” Bakich said. “That’s a big problem.”
She said she hasn’t seen any consensus from employers about which plans seem to be most employer-friendly. She said some employer groups don’t like any of the proposals, while others might like a single aspect of a complex plan.
“Everyone is looking to see what the Senate Finance Committee comes up with, which will combine with the Senate Health Committee bill,” she said.
Employer-based coverage
Dennis Hoffman, professor of economics at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, said the U.S. is one of the only countries that relies on employers to provide the bulk of health insurance. That practice originated after World War II, when the government imposed wage and price controls on companies. As a result, employers — beginning with the auto industry — offered health benefits to entice high-quality employees.
“In terms of basic economics, the labor market would be much more efficient if people were free to seek jobs and they could separate insurance coverage from employment,” Hoffman said. “Businesses could feel free to hire and fire people without concerns about insurance implications, pre-existing conditions and lawsuits around health insurance.”
Hoffman, who receives comprehensive benefits from the state, said he is satisfied with his coverage. The state of Arizona recently awarded $750 million in contracts to several health plans, all of which compete to sign up an estimated 135,000 members. Hoffman chose the Boise, Idaho-based AmeriBen plan, which is using the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona provider network.
“I don’t have any complaints about my particular benefits package per se, but it still does cost the state and myself a lot of money,” he said.
Hoffman would rather have the state exclude health benefits and put that money in his paycheck so he can buy his own health coverage.
Jack Lunsford, president and CEO of Westmarc, a West Valley economic development coalition, said a government plan could destroy the employer-based coverage system that works for many Americans. Yet he also said a tax on small businesses for not offering insurance to employees would hurt them.
Lunsford is grateful for Westmarc’s coverage through Health Care Group, which provides a safety net for small businesses that have trouble finding affordable health plans in the commercial sector.
“We were not able to offer health insurance to our staff until we qualified under Health Care Group,” Lunsford said.
Businesses fear mandates
Employers such as Marwan Madanat, who hire independent contractors and don’t provide health insurance, say an employer mandate would be “devastating” to his company, Alphamed Solutions Inc. in Chandler.
Alphamed has four workers in Arizona and 16 across the U.S. who provide medical transcription and billing services for doctors’ offices. All are home-based independent contractors, which means they are responsible for their own insurance.
Madanat hopes to expand his business into the growing electronic medical records segment, which many say ultimately will help lower medical costs.
“In my opinion, we have got the best medical treatment in the whole world,” said Madanat, who was born in Jordan and became a U.S. citizen in 1994. “This is where I’m coming in with the technology. At the end of the day, we can help reduce the cost of providing services and hope the doctor will reduce their fees. This would have a ripple effect.”&
Stand up America! It’s time to support the good men and women of the United States Military! The time is long overdue for a radical protest against the filth and corruption that has infested the United States Government. This is about the lies of 911, the illegal war in Iraq and bringing our troops home to their loved ones. If you are a true American Patriot you will join in and become a part of this wonderful event that is about to take place.
The U.S. antiwar movement and the impeachment movement are becoming entwined, just in time for the March 17 rally at the Pentagon. Here’s the best part! You don’t have to travel all the way to D.C. to perform your Patriotic Duty to America. There will be hundreds of Anti-War protest happening across the Nation. Los Angles is having a massive protest Saturday, March 17th 2007 at Noon. Other locations include…
Phoenix, Arizona Monday, March 19th 11:30 am
San Diego, California Monday March 19th 3:00 p.m.
San Francisco, California Sunday March 18th 12:00p.m.
Denver, Colorado Friday March 16th 5:30 p.m.
Boise, Idaho Sunday March 18th 1:00 p.m.
Chicago, Illinois Tuesday March 20th 6:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids, Michigan Saturday March 17th 12:30 p.m.
Minneapolis, Minnesota Sunday March 18th 1:00 p.m.
Kansas City, Missouri Sunday March 18th 1:00 p.m.
Las Vegas, Nevada Saturday March 17th 2:00 p.m.
New York, New York Sunday March 18th 1:00 p.m.
Portland, Oregon Sunday March 18th 12:00 p.m.
Salt Lake City, Utah Monday March 19th 11:00 a.m.
These are just a few of the locations….
To find a location nearest you…Google… ‘United for Peace : Events’
I support our troops 100% and it’s time to bring them home.
As Americans it is time to make our stand to protect the Constitution and Fundamentals of what this Great Country was founded on.
Asked by:Ginger
Who’s Firing is a weekly survey of organizations announcing (or rumoring) layoffs. Not only is this valuable for job seekers, but for business analysts, corporate strategists, marketers, salespeople, investment analysts, financial advisers, and others who are interested in companies that are contracting.
Inclusion on this listing doesn’t mean the entire industry is down, as many from the same sector appeared on the “Who’s Hiring” article published 10/12/09. It is interesting to note that while Federal hiring is on the rise, a number of State and Local governments face continued cutbacks. Also, Verizon has led the top hiring lists, but is also announcing a number of layoffs. Boeing made the layoff list, while competing aerospace manufacturers top the Who’s Hiring lists.
Job seekers: You might want to look in greener pastures than these companies.
Layoffs announced and rumored this week were in the Government, Manufacturing, Automotive, Technology, Publishing and Energy sectors.
Organizations announcing or rumored layoffs week ended 10/16/09:
AM General (250)
State of Massachusetts (up to 2K)
State of Iowa (1000)
Standish Max Prison (Michigan) (100)
Smiths Medical PM Inc. (100)
The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation (260)
Boeing Corp. (200-300)
City of Spokane, WA (200)
SunTrust Bank (YTD 100)
Wilsonart International (120)
Moog Aircraft Group (220)
Onondaga County, NY (133)
State of New Hampshire (300)
Country Financial (400)
Kohl’s Corporation (250)
Team Broadcast Services (96)
HNI Corporation (150)
State of Vermont (160 total jobs lost)
Verizon Communications (200)
City of Moraine, OH (187)
Solvay Pharmaceuticals (450)
Steifel Laboratories (200)
Pilgrim’s Pride (GA) (100)
Hamilton County Public Library (250)
Oral Roberts University (124)
NYC Dept. of Education (714)
Albany County, NY (109)
Bestop (140)
Flour Energy Corp. (500)
Valero Energy Corp. (250)
Boeing Corp. (130)
D&E Communications (280-290)
United States Postal Service (650)
Lafayette Caterpillar (106)
American Cancer Society (140)
Canron Western Constructors Inc. (106)
Fluor Corporation (100-150)
Redcats USA (490)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (150)
Kent County, MI (145)
Boise Cascade (130)
Dell (905)
L.L. Bean Call Center (700)
Sunoco Inc. (400)
ATK Space Systems (550)
Hilton Reservations and Customer Care (176)
Thermo Fisher Scientific (130)
Conde Nast Publications (180)
Atlantic City Casinos (1067)
Metavation (120)
Prairie Correctional Facility (120)
University of California Riverside (425)
Pilgrim’s Pride (640)
Emerson Network Power Connectivity Solutions (135)
United Space Alliance (258)
Dow Roofing (100)
Tomasco Mulciber Inc. (213)
Delta, Eagan, MN (unknown)
Aramark Health Support Services, Huntsville, AL (163)
Chevron Mining, Gallup NM (80)
Electric Boat, Groton, CT (96)
Sylvania Yarn Systems (145)
Trojan Battery Co., Sandersville, GA (50)
HON Co., Owensboro, KY (144)
Aramark Sports & Entertainment, Deer Creek Resort, Mt. Sterling, OH (112)
Phoenix Health Systems, Pittsburgh, PA (50)
GE Oil & Gas Operations, Bethelehem, PA (81)
Parsons, Pittsburgh, PA (90)
Alliance One Inc., Trevose, PA (63)
Richfield Hospitality, Charlottesville, VA (146)
FreightCar America Inc., Roanoke, VA (33)
Lockheed Martin, Fairfax, VA (65)
Educational Credit Management Corp., Richmond, VA (60)
Wells Fargo Mortgage, Kirkland, WA (60)
Brandrud, Auburn, WA (104)
Corhart Refractories, Buckhannon, WV (26)
Care Wisconsin First, Madison, WI (77)
Eppendorf Inc., Westbury, NY (44)
Avant-Garde Optics LLC, Washington, NY (137)
Matthews International Corp., Seneca Falls, NY (33)
Tavern on the Green LP, NYC (405)
Dominion Enterprises DBA Interco Print, Ontario, CA (31)
Telecare Corp, Lemon Grove, CA (102)
Duane Morris LLC, Carpinteria, CA (126)
USS-Posco Industries, Pittsburg, CA (827)
Bassett Furniture Industries Inc, Bassett, VA (45)
Summit Holdings, Lakeland, FL (70)
Frontier Oil C
The U.S. impeachment movement has arrived, just in time for the March 17 rally at the Pentagon. Here’s the best part! You don’t have to travel all the way to D.C. to perform your Patriotic Duty to America. There will be hundreds of Anti-War protest happening across the Nation. Los Angeles is having a massive protest Saturday, March 17th 2007 at Noon. Other locations include…
Phoenix, Arizona Monday, March 19th 11:30 am
San Francisco, California Sunday March 18th 12:00p.m.
Denver, Colorado Friday March 16th 5:30 p.m.
Boise, Idaho Sunday March 18th 1:00 p.m.
Chicago, Illinois Tuesday March 20th 6:00 p.m.
Kansas City, Missouri Sunday March 18th 1:00 p.m.
Las Vegas, Nevada Saturday March 17th 2:00 p.m.
New York, New York Sunday March 18th 1:00 p.m.
Portland, Oregon Sunday March 18th 12:00 p.m.
Salt Lake City, Utah Monday March 19th 11:00 a.m.
These are just a few of the locations….
To find a location nearest you.Google.‘United for Peace : Events’
I support our troops 100% and it’s time to bring them home.
As Americans it is time to make our stand to protect the Constitution and Fundamentals of what this Great Country was founded on.
I encourage everyone to copy and paste this information and post it as often as you can until the March 17 protest begins.
Thank you…together we can make a difference… happy protesting!
Asked by:Ginger