6 US soldiers killed over the weekend by roadside bombs in Iraq.
Thought I might throw that in there as something to consider as more direct evidence of terrorists "winning", as opposed to imagined scanarios of Spanish fecklessness.
From the NYT:
In the videos and advertisements, the government urges beneficiaries to call a toll-free telephone number, 1-800-MEDICARE. People who call that number can obtain recorded information about prescription drug benefits if they recite the words "Medicare improvement."
See, this is the sort of insane genius that results in some maniacs running the world, while other maniacs are just left to bitch and moan.
The Decemberist has a post that says that American companies will do anything to avoid hiring a permanent employee, and by that he means employees with benefits.
This reminded me of a conversation my sister and I had about three weeks ago. We were evaluating our benefit plan going into the new year(complicated business arrangements where she works for the company I own, and her and I both work for my parent's company). We take advantage of the original Medical Savings Accounts, rolled out as a test-bed in the late 90's.
I said that if my daughter could manage her own healthcare, then it might make her more appealing as a new hire in the future. My sister laughed, and said it was more likely that in the next few years medical care would just disappear as a real benefit of employment, as it already has in many cases for dental care.
So, the new policy in our house is going to be as follows;
1) You, the employer will not provide us, the employees, with medical or dental care benefits.
2) You, the employer, will not be deducting income taxes from our, the employees, paychecks.
3) You, the employer will be paying half of our Social Security taxes and deducting payroll taxes from our paycheck, as we are employees, not contractors.
4) You, the employer, will not arrange, manage, or force a retirement plan upon me, the employee.
5) The money saved by the employer by not having to provide health care benefits, retirement fund management, and calculating and processing income tax payments will be delivered into my paycheck as wages. This is the price for forcing me to do all the legwork and paperwork necessary for me to maintain my health care and retirement funding.
In return, I, the employee, will show up every day, work conscientously, and will be sober, honest, and productive.
This is the part where most of the rest of the free-marketeers end up getting their lunch money taken by insurance companies, tax preparation firms, and brokerage houses and mutual funds, to say nothing of corporate dentistry.
I, on the other hand, have always managed my stuff this way, so though I will take no great joy in watching fair weather Republicans get reamed by the free market("fresh chickens, engage Pluck-o-tron 2000!"), I will not deny there will be some sense of sadness, as those who hollered "Meritocracy Now!" find themselves doing the yelling from their backs, on the shearing room floor.
For here we are, in 2004, and it is every man for himself. You are about to be required to defend everything that is yours 24/7/365.