bigduke

The Fatal Flaw in Healthcare Reform

We have coverage under Kaiser. Best of both worlds. Pension is billed for the monthly fixed fee.

Advantage is that almost all needs are in house. Others are paid when needed.

Eight million members use this system. It started in War II to keep shipyards workers healthy. Prevention kept the yards working, rather than waiting until the person was ill. It still works.

It is not available in all states, but where it is look into coverage for your health care. And not all employers will offer it.

And the whole system is on computer records. So any treatment is recorded in a way that the primary MD can review specialists treatments. Each exam room has a terminal where data is entered or reviewed.

No unreadable paper scribbles for medical records. Rx can be sent direct to the pharmacy. Any system pharmacy can refill same. Copay for refills can be done on line at less cost than the live person dispensing. This saving is now two dollars each refill. Not much, but saves gas by a phone or on line refill that arrives in a few days.

We would not consider living where this or a similar system is not available. Prevention pays!

Should Bernie Madoff Be Given A Jail Sentence He Might Survive?

The other life sentences should be applied to the "supervisory" agencies who should have caught the @#$@%^^ early on his greedy and foul path.

Shale Gas: Promises, Promises, Promises

As one who was in high school when the local utility converted from manufactured gas to pipe line fuel, I have seen conversion from one fuel that was toxic to another which is finite no mater how much is still in the formations waiting extraction.

One must not forget that each CH4 molecule produces one more C O2 released to the atmosphere after combustion. And water as well from the hydrogen.

When will we learn to really conserve for future generations?

Last evening on local education channel we were informed what Denmark is doing to reduce burned fuel for transport and electric generation. It uses wind power to "fuel" electric cars. And a lot of use of bikes for short commutes beyond walking distances.

Berkshire Could Hit $200K Within Two Years - Barron's

Amazing that so many want to copy the method, when one can buy either A or B shares with the whole package in the original stock.

So much of value is entirely owned by Brk or one of its offspring mentioned above.

duke

Betrayed By Buffett? No Need to Be Shocked, The Game Is Indeed Rigged

As a long term investor I wonder how long the critics hold their shares?

My first shares were bought in the early fifties, and since then that purchase was the only one that I have sold! In large part because I was drafted into the US Army.

Further purchases had to wait until I finished college and was earning money.We still hold most of these purchases. Ten percent of total purchased companies went belly up. Invest for long term is one path which doesn't enrich the brokers! Most reinvestments are free of costs when dividends are converted into shares.

Obviously we reinvest when possible.


On Aug 07 09:50 AM Steve in Greensboro wrote:

> It doesn't bother me that Buffett works the system. What annoys
> me about Buffett is that he expresses an ideological preference for
> an immoral death tax regime that he so obviously benefits from.<br/>
>
> Buffett thinks confiscatory death taxes. Never mind that death taxes
> (unless provided for by life insurance) often force the survivors
> to liquidate a business to pay them.
>
> But it just so happens that he sells life insurance to the small-time
> entrepreneurs in order to allow the heirs to avoid having to sell
> the business at fire-sale prices to pay the confiscatory death taxes.
>
>
> And it also just so happens that Buffett can snap up the businesses
> at fire-sale prices if they didn't buy his life insurance.
>
> How convenient for the hypocrite!