pic by waspy2006

The Massachusetts legislature recently tried to pass legislation to improve the protection of vulnerable populations from sexual abuse.  The resulting response was a strong negative reaction.

Sexual exploitation happens to the disabled and elderly and the laws are not sufficient to provide adequate protection.  The intention for change must be commended.  Those whom found fault with the bill need to be forth coming with language that adds the needed protection and provides the adequate safe guards of a persons rights.

Complaining does not protect the vulnerable.  Providing positive suggestions to create better legislation is the best solution.

pic by 7ups

I find actions by the Treasury, Federal Reserve and the SEC of keeping information private in order to not adversely effect the market, very disturbing.  By keeping information private they are manipulating the market and therefore the news that investors have must be considered suspect and not the whole truth.   However, information is now internal to the companies involved and some of the larger investors.  Thereby, giving certain financial institutions and large investors inside information.

I find that the cartoons circulating can sum up the Government and Wall Street being a bunch of clowns just trying to entertain everyone to keep their mind off the real problem.  This provides Government and Wall Street the opportunity to do little and keep it more or less the same.  It is time to be open, honest, enforce the rules and make everyone accountable to the same rules.

However, the SEC has the time to make waves about Corporate Blogs and Twitter posts which are much more public.  Companies making public statements and letting the public decide how to utilize the information from companies is what investing is about.  The SEC job is to enforce whether the information is truthful or not.

The courts have repeatedly shown that stating information as a current fact when it is known to be lacking other facts that would otherwise influence an outcome can be considered fraud.  Those companies that have been shown to perform intended manipulation to gain an outcome are those companies that are severely punished for years by investors.

While the truth hurts in the short run it is more important that all investors can trust the information  they use to make informed decisions.

From what I am  reading, hearing and seeing organizations and individuals are growing tired of the lack of transparency and have acted accordingly.  Thereby, creating the wide swings in the market.

post from Flickr by Collabexchange

Fast tracking health care reform just might help us all financially before next years annual enrollment.  The time of price increases and higher deductibles.

Three ideas to consider.

1. Allow the FSA flexibility spending plans to be across two years.  The requirement of “use it or lose it” forces families to spend out to ensure costs incurred up to the amount in the account and not wait for insurance payments to know what is.  Thus, always spending out of pocket.  It further ensures that spending has to occur in order to be ensured that money does not revert.  I have noticed as a parent that my sons need a baseline of dollars for medical expenses.  However, I am prevented from creating a pool of tax free funds for emergency or planned medical care.  The policy of use or lose of Medical FSA funds is bad policy.
2. The inability of non-married individuals from being part of the others health care insurance needs to be changed to allow those committed to each other to have the ability to care for their loved ones.
3. Aged based insurance is discriminatory.  We made a comparison of several employees buying individual policies and found that group policies are better priced.  Individual health care premiums leave little option for individuals  not to go into debt, skip health care, scale back care, skip prescriptions and decrease benefits.

From Flickr by You Saawan

My friends and I invite you to join in making nature a place for us all. 

cartoon by froggypapa

Technology advances usually result in lower prices, more for the same price or better outcomes.  However, in the medical field that has not happened.  Depending on how you ask the question or whom you ask you will get a different answer.

To adequately add the 46,000,000 uninsured individuals to the health system of care can only happen once there is control over spending.  Evidence base practices are the only way to go, but it requires data that can be used for comparison analysis.

The power of change for health care needs to realign incentives towards those innovations that make patients better and health care cheaper.  It is time to stop listening to the medical industries next best treatment and make financial decisions based on facts.

Supporting the federal governments push for the electronic medical record is a positive direction for representing your interests.  The electronic record is just the first step towards collecting data to increase the value of the dollar spent in the medical field.  Data is the best avenue for organizations and individuals to gain control over medical costs.

Pic by bcanada92

The US government owns 80% of AIG.  However, the power to vote rest with three individuals being paid $100,000 a year whom are not accountable to anyone but themselves.  The New York Fed recruited them but wanted non-controlling control over AIG.  The US government is about to take a 36% ownership position in Citigroup.

Federal and State governments have required increased accountability of nonprofits boards but has failed to follow its own rules for over sight with billions of taxpayer funds.
Nonprofits Boards are not allowed to delegate their responsibilities.  The US government must not delegate its ownership responsibilities.

It is time to appoint Warren Buffet to represent the interests of the US tax payers to maximize their value as owners of any financial institution.  Only then, can the nonprofit community and individual investors TRUST to put their money back into the stock market.

cartoon by wster2

Promising financial assistance if you lose your job and bought their product.  The word “recession proof” is being used to make consumers think the business your buying from really cares.  It should really say buyer beware, read the fine print.  With the hype that is focused on changing the consumer’s behavior to buy, guarantees are about changing the mindset of the buyer not about protecting the consumer from job loss.

The national savings rate has hit record highs.  The building of financial reserves is a positive action that both businesses and individuals have neglected for a long time.  Easy credit only made it easier for outside influences to affect businesses and individuals. 

Savings is the root difference for providing the means to decisions occurring within ones own control.

I know how you guys think that picking up garbage is Stinky but it helps the Earth. My grandmother always pick up garbage because she wants to save the world. She is way too old but she helps a lot . Recycling is the best thing to help the Earth. Just recycle and recycle till you have nothing left. I know it’s dirty work but it’s not about us it’s about the world. We are from the sun and earth.   When we build it has to be with our friends the Sun and the Earth.

My Papa calls it sustainable growth.    Using Flickr I found this picture by YR4 and it is what will happen if you do not help.

pic by moranga

Art provides an opportunity for self expression.  

Art provides an opportunity for creative expression. 

Art provides an opportunity for stimulating thought.

However,  students of the public education system are being deprived said opportunities under the excuse of insufficient funds.  There are thousands of nonprofits whom are specifically in the field of the promoting the arts.  It is time that each public school open its doors and be associated with these organizations to enrich the education of all students.  The emphasis of No Child Left Behind being academic achievement was not meant to create a mandate that Art curriculum’s needed to suffer. 

cartoon by dro-mo

There are many voices and opinions on why there is a failure to educate students.   I find it unacceptable that a large segment of government has been stating that during times of economic hardship one should not support education reform and competition by Charter Schools. I find the statement “it will further harm students in the public system if more money is given to Charter schools” a failure to communicate facts and just down right ridiculous.  For those districts and schools where students are failing, which there are many, the budget is not an appropriate excuse to delay providing students an education to enable them to obtain their diploma.

If the school is failing to communicate and create that education connection with a student in order to accomplish the objectives necessary to graduate, the school district needs to let go and allow others to educate the student.

One positive fact I would like to point out that No Student Left Behind has produced is the ability to more quickly identify and communicate where there is failure and allowed for correction.