scoutldr

As one who deals in federal regulations every day...I will wait with baited breath to see the "regulations" that come out as a result of HR 3200, if passed into law. For example, the OSHA Act of 1970 is relatively short and nebulous...if an OSHA compliance officer cannot find a regulation specific to what he thinks is wrong, he can cite the "General Duty Clause", section 5(a)(1) of the Act..."employers shall furnish a workplace that is free of recognized hazards". But the "regulations", published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) give details such as: "Each end of a platform 10 feet or less in length shall not extend over its support more than 12 inches (30 cm) unless the platform is designed and installed so that the cantilevered portion of the platform is able to support employees and/or materials without tipping, or has guardrails which block employee access to the cantilevered end." and: "Reductions from nominal diameter of more than one-sixty-fourth inch for diameters up to and including five-sixteenths inch, one-thirty-second inch for diameters three-eighths inch to and including one-half inch, three-sixty-fourths inch for diameters nine-sixteenths inch to and including three-fourths inch, one-sixteenth inch for diameters seven-eighths inch to 1 1/8 inches inclusive, three-thirty-seconds inch for diameters 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches inclusive;" So...even if the "Healtcare Reform Act" is passed, it will mean nothing until we see the regulatory details. They will probably even specify what color and diameter your Viagra needs to be to meet govt specifications.

Excited me is.

After having to watch both my parents die in 1995 (mom from diabetes, and dad from lung and colon cancer), I made the decision that, if faced with a "terminal" prognosis, I would want no extraordinary measures taken to gain a few extra months of "life", filled with pain, emotional suffering, or a morphine-induced stupor. After my FIL died of kidney cancer in 2000, and now watching my MIL struggle for every breath (COPD) as she continues to fight for every minute of life she can grab, regardless of expense or emotional toll on loved ones, my decision is even more entrenched. I do not plan to be selfish and continue living artificially. When God wants me, He can have me. Death is hard on your loved ones, but prolonged dying is even worse.

I had diverticulitis surgery last year...an abdominal CT with contrast was billed at $1500. And every time I had one, I got charged for two views..."abdominal" and "pelvic", or $3000. My co-pay with Blue Cross/Blue Shield was 10% or $300. During the 3 month ordeal, I was on the CT table 4 times...or $6000 ($600 out of pocket). Not sure what the hospital accepted as payment, but it wasn't nearly what they billed. I'd have to go back and check my statements. Was it worth it? Well, I'm alive and feeling good, and it didn't bankrupt me. I pay nearly $400 a month in premiums.

SOunds good to me. It's really up to the discretion of the SM as to what he/she will accept (within reason, of course).

Are you sure that's not just the old ODL design? They've always been available in poly/wool. Looks like it to me.

Unit "tenure" is listed on your charter roster printout at the top (in months). Be aware that if there was ever a lapse in the charter, the clock starts over. If in doubt, a phone call to your Council registrar should answer the question.

Silo, wilkum! (Is that correct?) Your English is perfect!

With all due respect, state laws must be different. When my wife, the school nurse, takes a sick day and a sub cannot be found (a frequent occurrence), the office staff dispenses the meds. It's apparently legal in this state.

Welcome. counsellor. Interesting handle. This topic has been discussed here ad nauseam...just do a search on "meds" or "medication". Sounds like your camp has pushed the responsibility back to the units. In our camp, ALL medications, youth and adult, are to be turned in to the camp medical person during check-in, and must be in their original containers with name and dosage thereon. In recent years, they even required a SEPARATE permission slip for EACH dose, signed by the parent. The unit leader's responsibility is to ensure the scout reports to medical for each dose. NO medications were to be kept by the scout or the unit, except for rescue inhalers or epi-pens. My wife is a school nurse, and her day used to be nothing but handing out doses of Ritalin. With the new long-acting drugs, it's not as much as a problem, since they only take one dose before coming to school. Our previous discussions here drew the consensus that it's up to you to choose whether to accept the responsibility or not. You are certainly under no obligation. If the behavior of the scout is not acceptable, then address it accordingly without regard to medications. I hate it when ADD/ADHD is used as an excuse to get away with bad behavior.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

"So, how long have you been in Scouting?" Just look at my yellow, green, red and blue Service Stars!

If "the hat" (or any official hat) is an official uniform item, why would it not be "approved" for WB21, and who is empowered at the council level to decide that an official uniform item may not be worn? Sheesh. Another reason not to sign up.

Donating your own money to help others is charitable. Confiscating MY money to give to others is thievery. I am quite capable of being charitable, as my tax return shows.

My only objection is to knots that can be had by stroking a check. I refuse to buy one of those. Those who put in hundreds hours working with boys or contrbute dollars at the unit level are equally, if not more, deserving of recognition. But miss a few roundtables and "no knot for you!"

I wouldn't call 35% a "mandate for change", even if it is "up" from before. That means that 65% think we are NOT going in the right direction. That's the context.

As I said...if the law was broken, then arrest and take them to trial. Even in the great Commonwealth of Virginia, possession of weapons on school grounds is illegal, as it is in establishments which serve alcohol. We have an annual "Harbor Fest" here, and a man was arrested for legally open carrying a weapon, which made people nervous. He was subsequently released, and issued a profound apology from the city, and presumably the police officers were sent for remedial training.

From the Rasmussen Report, an independent polling agency: Favor single payer healthcare program: 32% for 57% against 51% fear Govt more than insurance companies 54% oppose more money for "Cash for Clunkers" (We the People lost) 54% favor middle class tax cuts over more healthcare spending Only 35% say US is heading in the right direction Of PA residents, 42% favor healthcare plan, 53% oppose And in MASS, which has a mandatory health insurance law: Only 26 percent of likely voters in Massachusetts believe health care reform has been a success and just 21 percent believe reform has made health care more affordable, according to newly released poll results," The State House News Service/Boston Herald reports. "The Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely Massachusetts voters, taken in April, also found only 10 percent said the quality of health care is getting better under the reform law rules here." "The poll was taken before talks stirred in Washington about a national health care reform push and before a wave of news in Massachusetts about difficulty affording the coverage expansions authorized under the 2006 reform law" (6/29). THAT's why we're angry. Our representatives are NOT representing the will of the people. (This message has been edited by scoutldr)

OK...I'll take a 5-way. As soon as my bank loan is approved.

OK, deep breaths...like OGE says. Dan, your personal experience certainly helps us understand your views, and I can't say that I blame you. However, if the man were within the law, he has a right not to be harassed, regardless of how nervous it makes people. I think the Octomom is "stupid" and showed "bad judgement". But as far as I know she didn't violate any laws, and there's nothing I can do except watch my tax money transferred from my wallet to hers. If we don't agree with laws, then we work to change them. Not sure what all this has to do with the healthcare debate anyway. I just heard on TV that 83% of Americans are satisfied with their healthcare. Why don't we focus on the other 17%, instead of making 100% unhappy. Focus on the waste and fraud. Cut Medicare? There's plenty that could be cut without affecting health outcomes. As the caregiver to an elder parent, I see it firsthand.

Stupid...maybe. There's no law against stupid. But are you advocating the suspension of a Constitutional right as a condition of being allowed your right to petition your Government and to debate your elected official's actions? That's really scary, Dan. Perhaps we should instead examine why these "discussions" are so "volatile". COuld it be because the citizens feel this is being rammed down our throats without proper study, discussion and analysis? There's nothing "urgent" about fixing the healthcare system...except for campaign schedules. scoutldr in Va. (another "open carry" state).

I assume you are referring to GTMO. The SCOTUS remedied that in Bumediene v. Bush in 2008, thus granting OUR constitutional rights to those enemy combatants who would rather see us and our children dead and who recognize no law or morality other than Sharia Law. Obama promised to close GTMO, but that's another promise we're waiting to have fulfilled while he tries to run the Auto, Banking and Healthcare industries all at the same time. I am all for a speedy trial. And swift and sure punishment for the guilty. I'm not defending Bush...or any President. I was/am against the Iraq war. It had nothing to do with 9/11 and everything to do with oil, ego and jingoism on the part of Bush and Rumsfeld. But BOTH parties voted to go with it. I believe the Iraqis should rise up and kill their own dictators. I have sworn an oath to defend the Constitution, which gives no power to the Government save that specifically granted by the people.

So which of the other Constitutional rights should we make "optional" if they don't seem "right" to someone? Speech? Assembly? Religion? Once you open that box, it will be VERY hard to close again. I understand your point, and I don't disagree. He was making a statement, and I hope the SS and FBI did their jobs. But sometimes Liberty makes people uncomfortable. As it should.

Can't. The Chicoms already own it along with most everything else.

Why am I suspicious? For one, I work for the federal govt and see first hand how regulations and policy are made. Kinda like making sausage. Tom Daschle is one of BHO's top advisors on this and his plan called for a "quality panel" similar to what they have in Britain. Expensive treatment modalities are subjected to a cost-benefit analysis. For example, my MIL receives an IVIG treatment to the tune of $7 grand a month, paid for by the taxpayer (Medicare). Is it improving her quality of life? WHo knows? She's still alive with severe COPD, but can't do much. Will it continue to be approved under Obamacare? Who knows? (I know what I would decide.) Another example...my 88 year old Uncle with congestive heart failure and kidney failure was just buried. With two brand new knees that had just been replaced...for the THIRD time. Sorry, folks, but with limited resources, when do we say "enough"? Should the taxpayer be asked to fork over money so that someone can be kept alive artificially with no quality of life? (Hence the counselling). The counselling is just a tactic to get people to agree ahead of time to the rationing that will inevitably take place because there simply won't be enough health care available to give everyone what they want. But again, this is nothing new. A few years back, the GOV decided that performing mammograms on women under age 40 was not productive enough to justify the cost. Do women under 40 get breast cancer? Sure. But not enough that we should pay to screen them all. That's not comforting if you are a 28 year old who is diagnosed too late. Just like the upcoming Swine Flu shot campaign. Wait till all the seniors realize that they are at the bottom of the priority list. (The top of the list is school kids, pregnant women, and healthcare providers). That's healthcare rationing and it's already coming to a neighborhood near you.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

As I said, I have read the bill, and no, there are no "death panels". There is a provision for "end of life counselling" to be paid for every 5 years as a benefit under the plan. The counselling is in the form of "ya know, maybe you should think about an Advance Directive, or Healthcare Power of Attorney, so your loved ones know what your wishes are, and we can help explain all of your options." Having had surgery last year, and having a MIL in and out of hospital several times a year, this is no different that what's done now...except it will allow providers to bill for it as a separate service. Not sure how that benefits anyone, except the providers. As to rationing health care, that is a separate issue, which is not addressed in the bill. But that's also being done now. I also frequent an Elder Care forum, and the horror stories there will make your skin crawl. Like convincing a 96 year old woman to go to the Doc for a mammogram and Pap test....now the results of the test will not change the treatment plan or the outcome either way...but they can bill Medicare/Medicaid and milk the system. Many seniors gladly bounce from doctor to doctor, scheduling several appointments per week, running us caregivers ragged, because it's a way to get out of the house (or nursing facility) and get attention. And the stupid GOVERNMENT pays for it. Is it medically necessary? I agree with those who say it depends on the age. Does an 80 year old man need a PSA test every year? What for? Just so the medical community can document that "we did all we could for you." That needs to be stopped. It's things like this that have me convinced that the Govt needs to stay out of the healthcare business...Medicare/Medicaid is a horror story frought with waste, fraud and abuse. If they get that system under control, then they can worry about the speck in MY eye. As a Reagan Conservative and budding Libertarian, I do think that the media hype is over the top...on both sides. People have a responsibility to read and think for themselves before going to a rally and yelling like fools...regardless of which side they are on. UNfortunately, the majority of the voting public is incapable of doing that. There. "Fair and balanced".