In the news…

A bit of a news focused rambling for today…

First up is this article.  (Full Disclosure: I work for a Health Insurance company)  I can\’t understand why health insurance companies get such a bad rap when it\’s Doctor\’s fees (which is really the fault of the Malpractice Insurance industry), overuse of unnecessary procedures (radiology is a huge culprit here, you sprain your ankle and you get an MRI instead of just taking an aspirin), and the pharmaceutical industry.  The amount of administrative fees that an insurance company charges hasn\’t dramatically increased, but the medical costs certainly have.  That article is a great example of why health care is so expensive.  When a company charges $2000 when a $100 alternative might provide the same benefit, who picks up that cost?  We all do.  Health insurance is a socialist system of shared risk.  Us healthy folks pay more than we use to support those who aren\’t as healthy.  And for those folks who point to folks like Dr. Bill McGuire as the poster boy for why health care costs are increasing, you couldn\’t be more wrong.  Dr. Bill pocketed the money of investors.  His monster stock options didn\’t take a dime from the premiums that are paid by the millions of people who are covered by UnitedHealth Group, it was money that was invested in the company from the millions of shareholders.

Next is this article.  For those not aware, 6 years ago Souksangouane Phengsene had a few too many drinky-drinks and ended up driving the wrong way on Hwy 100 and crashed head on into a car driven my Minnesota Timberwolves Guard, Malik Sealy; who happened to be driving home after hanging out with KG on his birthday, KG hasn\’t been the same person since.  First, how did this guy only get 4 years in prision for DWI that resulted in vehicular manslaughter?  4 years???  Are you kidding me?  Even for a first offense 4 years seems a bit light.  Second, after being caught again, he\’s only facing 4 more years?  I can understand for a first offense someone getting off relatively light, on most charges; but along with that wouldn\’t it make sense to put someone on probation?  You get 4 years in prision for driving drunk and killing someone, when you get out you\’re on probation for another 6 years where if you are convicted of DWI or a felony you go right back to jail to serve the rest of your sentence (which for vehicular manslaughter/DWI should be at least 10 years… minimum).  I just don\’t understand the legal system where you get more jail time for carrying marijuana than you do for killing another person.

The next one might be my favorite of the day.  The short version is that local televangelist Mac Hammond (seriously… his first name is \”Mac\”???) endorsed Michelle Bachmann for congress during his service, which is a big no-no from an IRS perspective (who knew!!!).  Bachmann went on to speak about how God told her to run for office.

Last, but not least comes to us from Madison Wisconsin.  You can\’t make this sort of thing up.  Only in Madison do they teach you in high school how to function when you are absolutely shitfaced.  Kudos to the Wisconsin high school system!  Huzzah!