Secular Confessions

[Bridget]

That is funny. Good thing I don't have soul than, I'll shop at WM as I please

ETA: I prefer to view WM on a smaller scale. WM provides a lot of jobs to people locally and when I shop there (if I have to shop there) I consider myself to be supporting those employed by WM, not WM itself. If that makes sense.

It does make sense, except that WM is known for not using the mass amounts of money they make to pay the employees or provide them with good benefits. Also was listed as one of thetop five companies that are unsupportive of gay rights. But I digress. I'm the only person I know irl who doesn't shop there as a general rule. I read a book called How Walmart is Destroying America like 2 years after I graduated from highschool so I've been on this train for quite some time now.

[Suja]

I don't shop WM unless I absolutely have to. I don't like their business practices, and they treat their employees like absolute crap.

[Ky'sMom]

Mine are pros at cooking. Savana has created a few of her own recipes. Kai stands at the stove and helps me make dinner all the time and it encourages him to eat what we're having too. It's the cleaning up, helping Sawyer out when my hands are full, holding the door for the person behind you...they won't do it without being asked and sometimes not even then. It sucks.

I am jealous of Savana's cooking skills! Recipes! She needs to come over here and make us supper LOL! I actually did cook for my family (whole meals) when I was 7 which is why I never think kids are incapable of learning to cook at a young age. That is really impressive though she can make up recipes! And I hear you on the cleaning thing....Ky STILL hates cleaning up. Luckily I think I have put it in his thick skull enough now that he doesn't give me too much trouble about it. I am kind of anal and can freak out about everyone thinking I am a maid and even though my freak outs aren't all crazy, yelling, psyco-mom-ish, I can go on and on about how I'm not their maid and how I should stop doing things I don't want to do because I don't enjoy them and I will even stop doing things for a day or two (like cooking dinner especially, or grocery shopping) and he will always apologize and tell me he knows he shouldn't gripe so much and that he does appreciate the things I do that I don't want to do and he should be more grateful...BUT he still doesn't like to (insert any cleaning chore) lol!

Katy - Actually I do have a very nice savings right now, about two years' salary (not counting my retirement fund), which is one of the things that makes leaving my job even a possibility. You are so right, and that is exactly what I keep telling DH - if I keep doing the same thing, I'm never going to feel comfortable or secure career-wise. This is something that really is necessary to secure my future earning potential. I'm likely to be working for another 30 years. I think it's worth a short-term amount of discomfort to get into a career I'd be happy in for those 30 years.

I also think you should go for it! I feel in a similar predicament, except I don't have 2 years worth of savings and even though DH makes enough to support us, I don't feel it is fair to ask him to do so since he did support us financially when I went back to school in 2006 to finish my bachelor's degree. I would like to get a Master's and then a PhD, which would take at least 5 years to complete (probably 6). I also work in a field that I was just thrown into at my job and make a decent salary but I feel that I could be doing more and could enjoy my work more if I was in a field of my choosing so I understand you desire to be in something you are passionate about. And you are right that companies are more willing to let someone go who doesn't have higher education, sometimes no matter how well you do at your job. They also are more apt to pay you less and use your lack of education as a reason even if you are a superior worker, which is craptastic IMO.

Erin

[Ky'sMom]

I am so bad as even though I don't like WM very much, I am happy they are profitable because I have a lot of their stock in my retirement accounts. They are a very reliable business and I usually invest in large reliable companies, even those I rarely frequent (like WM and McDonalds) because I like to see my retirement accounts grow. Luckily even with the downturn a few years ago, I didn't really lose much money. I think a couple thousand (based on overseas investments) but our domestic funds and stocks did well because I keep our money in big, reliable corporations.

I sometimes feel hypocritical about it though, because I don't really shop WM especially, I don't like how a majority of their items are from China (I won't get into my views on Chinese business practices but for me "made in China" is a label is just something that burns me up due to their business imperialism around the world - especially many African countries now and the fact that they try to wiggle around fair trade laws/agreements, but that would be a whole other NET). But I am making money off of them. One thing I am considering next year for my birthday resolution is to go through all my accounts and seek to move money to other companies that don't rely so much on Chinese manufacturing/goods, even though that will probably be nearly impossible.

Erin

[MashedUp]

You guys inspired me to really let macie help me make dinner last night. She loved it! I gave her a butter knife and she cut up a bunch of mushrooms for me. She just turned 3.

[Smplyme89]

It does make sense, except that WM is known for not using the mass amounts of money they make to pay the employees or provide them with good benefits. Also was listed as one of thetop five companies that are unsupportive of gay rights. But I digress. I'm the only person I know irl who doesn't shop there as a general rule. I read a book called How Walmart is Destroying America like 2 years after I graduated from highschool so I've been on this train for quite some time now.

The many WM employees that I know are actually paid higher than minimum wage, for minimum wage labeled jobs. The benefits are no better or worse than most other retail businesses I am familiar with. The insurance is a joke, but they get holidays/sick/vacation time which is more than I can say for many.

I don't agree with their business practices as a general rule though and buy local almost as often as I shop at WM (I loathe going into WM-the people that shop there annoy me).

ETA: I did not know they were not supportive of gay rights Than again, neither is the country as a whole, so I shouldn't be surprised

[Smplyme89]

I keep telling DH that I want to rebel against America and become a Canadian. He's not goign for it so far

[Ky'sMom]

Just read that the Supreme Court upheld Obama's healthcare individual mandate. Saw it on a political forum I frequent. I figured they would due to the tax clause. A lot of people are POd!

Individual Mandate Upheld

[Smplyme89]

Just read that the Supreme Court upheld Obama's healthcare individual mandate. Saw it on a political forum I frequent. I figured they would due to the tax clause. A lot of people are POd!

Individual Mandate Upheld

I really need to educate myself more on this. I haven't paid much attention (I know-bad Christina ), because with all the back lash it has been getting I didn't think it would go anywhere.

[Ky'sMom]

I really need to educate myself more on this. I haven't paid much attention (I know-bad Christina ), because with all the back lash it has been getting I didn't think it would go anywhere.

I hadn't really paid much attention to it either until April when they were arguing before the court. After looking at the various sides and learning that congress can create taxes, basically if it is passed as a tax, then it can't be overturned it is constitutional and would be upheld, I pretty much knew that it would be upheld due to that. The SC cannot negate taxes passed by Congress. The scenario is very similar to Medicare and Social Security, and how they got started in this country.

Erin

[missychrissy]

Just read that the Supreme Court upheld Obama's healthcare individual mandate. Saw it on a political forum I frequent. I figured they would due to the tax clause. A lot of people are POd!

Individual Mandate Upheld

I'm so happy!!!

[AbbeysMom]

I'm so happy too!

I remember watching a documentary on Walmart that talked about how the company changed after Sam Walton's son took over in the 90's... prior to that employees were treated really well and thanks to profit sharing and stock there were many people on minimum wage who retired wealthy. Once his son took over the company (after the dad passed away) he basically threw out any employee protections and began to push to import cheaper and cheaper products (prior to that the had a policy to keep as much as possible Made in the US).

He was/is really ruthless, even targeting mom & pop businesses to put them out of business (by selectively lowing prices and carrying cheaper versions of stock) then raising prices on the products they undercut once the business closed.

[Cosmosmom]

I'm happy too. I had thought that they would probably overturn it but hadn't paid much attention to the legality of it all.

I don't have a huge opinion on walmart. I will shop there but I don't do it often. I don't see much difference between them or target. Certain canned foods, I will go there and stock up on because it is cheaper than my grocery store. I have to say that our walmart is very clean, the people are nice and friendly and it's not an unpleasant experience.
I also shop Sam's club....we don't have a costco.
Though mostly if I am going to go for box store stuff, I like shopko.

We only have Menards in town (no home depot or lowes) but one thing I do like a lot about Menards is that they definitely feature made in the US products and try to make those stand out.

[Smplyme89]

I hadn't really paid much attention to it either until April when they were arguing before the court. After looking at the various sides and learning that congress can create taxes, basically if it is passed as a tax, then it can't be overturned it is constitutional and would be upheld, I pretty much knew that it would be upheld due to that. The SC cannot negate taxes passed by Congress. The scenario is very similar to Medicare and Social Security, and how they got started in this country.

Erin

Yeah.... you lost me. I am politically ignorant, I will admit.

So the Healthcare is going to be funded by an additional tax/tax increase?? That's a good thing??

[dana_renay]

I'm happy they upheld, but honestly, the law is not the greatest and I believe the situation may get worse before it gets better. But this is just jumping off point, I believe, for reforms. It's drawn real attention to the healthcare problem in this country, and people are finally starting to really talk about and understand a situation that's been abyssmal for a long time. Say what you will about the administration; at least they did *something*.

I don't shop at WM either, but I don't judge those who do. Everybody has thier own pet causes, kwim? I can't join every crusade, and neither can you.

[missychrissy]

I'm happy they upheld, but honestly, the law is not the greatest and I believe the situation may get worse before it gets better. But this is just jumping off point, I believe, for reforms. It's drawn real attention to the healthcare problem in this country, and people are finally starting to really talk about and understand a situation that's been abyssmal for a long time. Say what you will about the administration; at least they did *something*.

ita with you. I'd like much more than what we got, but this is better than nothing. It's a small step in the right direction.

[missychrissy]

And Christina, I don't mean to ignore you...I'd love to explain it all, but I'm really, REALLY swamped at work. All hell is breaking lose here.

[Smplyme89]

And Christina, I don't mean to ignore you...I'd love to explain it all, but I'm really, REALLY swamped at work. All hell is breaking lose here.

No worries! I am googling info as I have down time at work. It's just SO much of what I am finding is opinions and not facts. It's really hard to sift what is what.

[dana_renay]

So, the big issue has basically been the individual mandate - whether congress can force you to buy health insurance. SCOTUS says yes they can if they force you by means of making you pay a tax if you do NOT buy it. What that boils down to is that effective 1.1.2014, you're going to either have to carry health insurance that meets a minimum standard, or you will owe the federal government a fine payable to the IRS.

*This has a big impact on my job, and it helps me understand it to distill it down for somebody else.

[dana_renay]

There are lots of other provisions to the act but that's the big one that was being decided today.

[Suja]

I hadn't really paid much attention to it either until April when they were arguing before the court. After looking at the various sides and learning that congress can create taxes, basically if it is passed as a tax, then it can't be overturned it is constitutional and would be upheld, I pretty much knew that it would be upheld due to that. The SC cannot negate taxes passed by Congress. The scenario is very similar to Medicare and Social Security, and how they got started in this country.
Erin

Well, the administration's argument was very poorly done, IMO. They focused on the commerce clause, and Roberts basically (in his decision) told them what they should've focused on, so to speak. At least he found a way to side with the liberal justices. It just boggles the mind that Roberts was for and Kennedy was against the decision. This is a definite win for the administration.

And now the Superpacs can go to town on mischaracterizing what the ACA actually does. I sure hope the Democrats get their act together and come up with a coherent message that an average person can actually understand.

Christina, the tax is only imposed on individuals that do not comply with the individual mandate, I believe. I personally do not see that this is any different from my state imposing an 'uninsured motorist fee' for people that fail to carry insurance on their cars.

[Smplyme89]

So, the big issue has basically been the individual mandate - whether congress can force you to buy health insurance. SCOTUS says yes they can if they force you by means of making you pay a tax if you do NOT buy it. What that boils down to is that effective 1.1.2014, you're going to either have to carry health insurance that meets a minimum standard, or you will owe the federal government a fine payable to the IRS.

*This has a big impact on my job, and it helps me understand it to distill it down for somebody else.

Ok, so wrapping my head around this a bit.

So either I buy this healthcare they are offering (assuming I don't have health insurance, I don't have a job that offers it, and make too much money to qualify for other types of state aided insurance) or I pay a fine??

[Smplyme89]

Christina, the tax is only imposed on individuals that do not comply with the individual mandate, I believe. I personally do not see that this is any different from my state imposing an 'uninsured motorist fee' for people that fail to carry insurance on their cars.

That's a pretty simplistic way of looking at it. I'm just a bit worried about how much the healthcare is going to cost and how much the fine is going to be. Most of the people i know who don't have health insurance are fairly paycheck to paycheck families and on the hand will it even be worth having? I pay for Insurance that I don't use, because I simply can't afford to go to the doctor.

Not asking you specifically, just thinking "out loud"

Plus DH is uninsured right now (since like I said my Insurance at work is awful) so I guess I need to pay more attention than I thought

[Inca]

What about someone who is unemployed but not even on unemployment? Dbf has no job aka no money to pay insurance, and I'm not sure what this means for him.

[Smplyme89]

What about someone who is unemployed but not even on unemployment? Dbf has no job aka no money to pay insurance, and I'm not sure what this means for him.

I think technically, since he has children, he should qualify for Medicaid than.

I would imagine there has to be some sort of provision for people who do not have jobs.

[Ky'sMom]

Yeah.... you lost me. I am politically ignorant, I will admit.

So the Healthcare is going to be funded by an additional tax/tax increase?? That's a good thing??

No it is not funded as a tax, but if people don't have insurance the penalty they will be assessed will be a tax penalty imposed by the IRS. Because of that, the penalty (I think it is $95 a year for individuals not sure though as read that info a while ago) is considered a tax. Ironically, even though I agree that this bill was a good compromise, I don't like it due to the fact that it will benefit insurance companies (as now everyone is required to purchase private insurance if they are not covered by a government plan) moreso than the general public. But I feel it is a start and hope that it will decrease costs in the future since more Americans will be covered and we who have private insurance will have less due in premiums because more people will be covered and we won't have to pick up the cost that ERs have when providing services to uninsured individuals.

Healthcare is an interesting political discussion, though it can get complicated. I never thought much about it really in a political sense, but through researching the bill and looking up a history of healthcare in this country, I found out that we are already paying taxes (a portion of FICA) for medical care for others - our "public healthcare expenditures." Basically you are paying for Medicaid and Medicare already for the poor and elderly and some of the amounts left over from ER expenses when uninsured patients can't or don't pay. Most people also purchase policies themselves - private healthcare expenditures. So in this country we are required to pay for healthcare twice, which is why our healthcare costs are so much more than other countries with single payer systems (universal care, they only have the "public expenditure"). They only get taxed once and everyone's money pays for everyone else. One of the largest public expenses in our country's budget is Medicare/Medicaid payments and the taxes that we pay for those (and all of us can't even use them) is pretty significant. For instance, my family's health insurance is around $4000 a year for the plan we have. So my family pays the $4000 for that, plus co-pays/Rx costs out of pocket. A percentage of our income is also taken by the government, and the amount for public health expenditures is pretty much the same $4000 as our private plan, so we are paying $8000 a year for insurance. It is an interesting subject, but like I said complicated so won't go into it that much as it would take up too much space and time.

[Ky'sMom]

What about someone who is unemployed but not even on unemployment? Dbf has no job aka no money to pay insurance, and I'm not sure what this means for him.

He would be able to get on a public plan like Medicaid to be insured.

[dana_renay]

Ok, so wrapping my head around this a bit.

So either I buy this healthcare they are offering (assuming I don't have health insurance, I don't have a job that offers it, and make too much money to qualify for other types of state aided insurance) or I pay a fine??

Christina - You have to buy SOME health insurance; it is regular insurance companies, not the government, offering it. The law also allows for the expansion of the health insurance marketplace through something called "exchanges". This is supposed to bring the cost down for individuals (people/families who don't get coverage through an employer)

Lizzo - Presumably, your Dbf would then qualify for MediCaid under the Medicaid expansion, which is another part of the act. Medicaid is supposed to be expanded to anyone making <133% of the federal poverty level. The SCOTUS ruled that states can't be forced to expand Medicaid by losing their current federal entitlement if they refuse, but the govt can offer additional grants and funding conditional on the expansion of the program.

BTW, this is strictly my interpretation. Opinions expressed here are not the opinions of my employer blah blah in case anyone ever found out where I worked. Policies, you know...

[Suja]

I believe that part of the healthcare law is that the states have to put together health exchanges that pool people that aren't covered through employer insurance and such, and then offers them affordable rates through the power of numbers. There are exemptions for people that cannot afford it, and help for people that have trouble making the premiums. This simplifies it a bit:

http://healthreform.kff.org/the-basi...flowchart.aspx

The idea is to have people that can afford to buy insurance either buy it, or pay a penalty so that when they end up in the hospital and the rest of us have to pay for their care, they've already paid for that eventuality.

[dana_renay]

I believe that part of the healthcare law is that the states have to put together health exchanges that pool people that aren't covered through employer insurance and such, and then offers them affordable rates through the power of numbers. There are exemptions for people that cannot afford it, and help for people that have trouble making the premiums. This simplifies it a bit:

http://healthreform.kff.org/the-basi...flowchart.aspx

The idea is to have people that can afford to buy insurance either buy it, or pay a penalty so that when they end up in the hospital and the rest of us have to pay for their care, they've already paid for that eventuality.

Exactly so.