Second cup of Coffee Talk

[jstewismybastardson]

Food is much more expensive here than it is there, FWIW.

Things in Canada are always overpriced compared to their American counterparts (thus jstew's garbage bags of Washingtonian gasoline and milk) and to top it off our taxes are higher overall than most states, both income and sales.

Which is why when people go on about Canada's healthcare system being so great I cringe.

we're not perfect ... we pay a shit tonne in taxes like you say and there is definitive waste in the system that needs some serious correction but thank fuck we have it

people dont like to hear anecdotal stuff because theyd rather form opinions/perceptions around stereotypes of the bad that they may hear because the horror stories are the ones that make headlines ... my dad had a pretty serious stroke in Sept 2016 and I dont have 1 complaint about the care he has gotten ... am I lucky? ... has our experience been contrary to the norm? ... could be ... was the karmatic timing of things about as good as when i bought my house ? lol perhaps

the system is not all roses of course ... for example, in his reexamination for his drivers license they discovered he should probably have cataract surgery ... both eyes ...wait list? a year ... he was booked for July 23rd 2018 ... they told him not to worry ... there would be a cancellation ... He got the right eye done June 5th

i need to buy more lottery tickets, i guess

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Yeah minimum wage is always going to be a tightrope walk. It's easy to say just bump it up to $15 an hour. But the blowback will be, for example, Wendy's unveiling machines to take your order. Machines are cheaper than people. If not machines companies will look for other ways to cut costs.

It could also set the bar lower for certain folks. Why work a 9-5 job making $30k a year when you could get a significantly easier job for $25k per year?

A lot of moving parts on this, sucks.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Yeah minimum wage is always going to be a tightrope walk. It's easy to say just bump it up to $15 an hour. But the blowback will be, for example, Wendy's unveiling machines to take your order. Machines are cheaper than people. If not machines companies will look for other ways to cut costs.

It could also set the bar lower for certain folks. Why work a 9-5 job making $30k a year when you could get a significantly easier job for $25k per year?

A lot of moving parts on this, sucks.

thats all coming (and is here) regardless of minimum wage though

 

[Darkstone42]

Yeah minimum wage is always going to be a tightrope walk. It's easy to say just bump it up to $15 an hour. But the blowback will be, for example, Wendy's unveiling machines to take your order. Machines are cheaper than people. If not machines companies will look for other ways to cut costs.

It could also set the bar lower for certain folks. Why work a 9-5 job making $30k a year when you could get a significantly easier job for $25k per year?

A lot of moving parts on this, sucks.

Honestly, though, that $30K job should also see a wage bump. It probably should have already, in all honesty.

Money/wealth/resources are aggregating in too few places in general. Anything to change that would be good.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Honestly, though, that $30K job should also see a wage bump. It probably should have already, in all honesty.

Money/wealth/resources are aggregating in too few places in general. Anything to change that would be good.

yep ... if the goal is to truly make america great again govt might want to have a mechanism to shift that somehow

/COMMIE TALK !!! (not comie talk)

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

we're not perfect ... we pay a shit tonne in taxes like you say and there is definitive waste in the system that needs some serious correction but thank fuck we have it

people dont like to hear anecdotal stuff because theyd rather form opinions/perceptions around stereotypes of the bad that they may hear because the horror stories are the ones that make headlines ... my dad had a pretty serious stroke in Sept 2016 and I dont have 1 complaint about the care he has gotten ... am I lucky? ... has our experience been contrary to the norm? ... could be ... was the karmatic timing of things about as good as when i bought my house ? lol perhaps

the system is not all roses of course ... for example, in his reexamination for his drivers license they discovered he should probably have cataract surgery ... both eyes ...wait list? a year ... he was booked for July 23rd 2018 ... they told him not to worry ... there would be a cancellation ... He got the right eye done June 5th

i need to buy more lottery tickets, i guess

Hope your dad recovered well.

I won't start but I've had issues with both my parents and my brother when it comes to our healthcare. It's pretty sad that my old man went back to Portugal and had doctors there in a matter of weeks fix what doctors here initially caused and then spent 10 years either not being able to or not being competent enough to fix considering how much more advanced Canada is and the higher standard of living here.

I just feel like for what we pay in tax we should be getting a better bang for our buck.

 

[forty_three]

It’s not that people should be defined by their skin color, gender, or who they love. But in this case, these details are important enough to focus on for a moment.

Capitol Police special agents Crystal Griner and David Bailey are widely credited with saving Republican lawmakers and staff during the horrific shooting in Alexandria, Virginia that left Representative Steve Scalise in the hospital in critical condition.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said of them during a House floor speech, “We are, as ever, awed by the tremendous bravery of the Capitol Police.”

Both Griner and Bailey were wounded.

Both Griner and Bailey are minorities.

Crystal Griner is a female minority, who just so happens to be married to a woman. Griner married Tiffany Dyar in 2015.

As ESPN’s LZ Granderson pointed out, Griner saved the life of Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is opposed to same-sex marriage

When I kept seeing the sound bite of Paul Ryan posturing with that whole "You attack one of us, you attack all of us" and I thought it was empty bravado considering the systemic attacks against some of "us" outside the government he and his people have carried out over the years.

I guess there is some poetic justice in the fact that their lives were saved by some of the very people they had been working against. If only it led to some sense of understanding in government circles about how, for some people, duty and respect for your fellow man (or woman as the case may be) is the prime reason to carry out your duty to the best of your ability regardless of silly prejudice.

And then I see people like Steve King talking...

I am all for higher wages but that comes with downstream costs...

Because no CEO on earth would keep his job if he stopped delivering profits for people who are looking to replace the marble floors in the bathrooms on their kids' private jet.

What would it take? 10% less personal profit for a shareholder or executive for some people to live life a bit better? Companies paying the taxes they are expected to pay (instead of dodging it) so some cancer patients survive or some person who may have the cure for cancer someday can afford college?

Doesn't it feel rather disingenuous to lay all the responsibility on the impacts of higher wages on the people who hope to be receiving them? When you hear a report of how higher wages are going to destroy everything, just remember you are hearing it from media outlets.

The kind of media outlets that are owned by people like Rupert Murdoch (12.4 BILLION) and Ted Turner (7 BILLION).

Wendy's CEO made 21 Million last year. How many people who work for him and made it possible for him to make all that money could live a little better if he "only" made 10 million?

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Hope your dad recovered well.

I won't start but I've had issues with both my parents and my brother when it comes to our healthcare. It's pretty sad that my old man went back to Portugal and had doctors there in a matter of weeks fix what doctors here initially caused and then spent 10 years either not being able to or not being competent enough to fix considering how much more advanced Canada is and the higher standard of living here.

I just feel like for what we pay in tax we should be getting a better bang for our buck.

yup ... the crappy experiences exist and it sucks your dad had to go through that

my moms first phone call was to me when he had his stroke ... i yelled at her to call 911 ... I live close ... got there in 7 minutes ... ambulance was there in 9 ... when the paramedic wheeled my dad out of his front door I thought that was it for him .. i didnt know they were going to administer that cdn developed post stroke drug in the ambulance ... who knows if that saved him because it was in the trial period and hell it could have actually been a placebo lol ... when we were at his side in emerg the nurse showed me the tiny vial of tpa that they were administering in the iv and iirc he said it cost around $5K ... i cant even imagine that feeling of ongoing strain medical costs would add to the physical strain of someone in a critical health state

/we can tell my dad has lost some cognitive stuff ... along with right hand use ... but its just amazing how much better hes gotten

 

[DragonfromTO]

When I kept seeing the sound bite of Paul Ryan posturing with that whole "You attack one of us, you attack all of us" and I thought it was empty bravado considering the systemic attacks against some of "us" outside the government he and his people have carried out over the years.

I guess there is some poetic justice in the fact that their lives were saved by some of the very people they had been working against. If only it led to some sense of understanding in government circles about how, for some people, duty and respect for your fellow man (or woman as the case may be) is the prime reason to carry out your duty to the best of your ability regardless of silly prejudice.

And then I see people like Steve King talking...



Because no CEO on earth would keep his job if he stopped delivering profits for people who are looking to replace the marble floors in the bathrooms on their kids' private jet.

What would it take? 10% less personal profit for a shareholder or executive for some people to live life a bit better? Companies paying the taxes they are expected to pay (instead of dodging it) so some cancer patients survive or some person who may have the cure for cancer someday can afford college?

Doesn't it feel rather disingenuous to lay all the responsibility on the impacts of higher wages on the people who hope to be receiving them? When you hear a report of how higher wages are going to destroy everything, just remember you are hearing it from media outlets.

The kind of media outlets that are owned by people like Rupert Murdoch (12.4 BILLION) and Ted Turner (7 BILLION).

Wendy's CEO made 21 Million last year. How many people who work for him and made it possible for him to make all that money could live a little better if he "only" made 10 million?

Very brief research suggests that Wendy's has about 35k salaried employees. So even if 2/3rds of those employees are not the people you're specifically talking about and won't get raises we're still only talking about less than 20 bucks a week per employee, no?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

yup ... the crappy experiences exist and it sucks your dad had to go through that

my moms first phone call was to me when he had his stroke ... i yelled at her to call 911 ... I live close ... got there in 7 minutes ... ambulance was there in 9 ... when the paramedic wheeled my dad out of his front door I thought that was it for him .. i didnt know they were going to administer that cdn developed post stroke drug in the ambulance ... who knows if that saved him because it was in the trial period and hell it could have actually been a placebo lol ... when we were at his side in emerg the nurse showed me the tiny vial of tpa that they were administering in the iv and iirc he said it cost around $5K ... i cant even imagine that feeling of ongoing strain medical costs would add to the physical strain of someone in a critical health state

/we can tell my dad has lost some cognitive stuff ... along with right hand use ... but its just amazing how much better hes gotten

Strokes and brain hemorrhages are the two most terrifying things to me. One minute you're fine and the next...nope.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Strokes and brain hemorrhages are the two most terrifying things to me. One minute you're fine and the next...nope.

that tpa drug they adminstered when he got to emerg ... the one thats $5000 per teeny tiny vial ... its a clot buster ... within a minute of it being adminstered my dad started bleeding ... like heavy bleeding .. from his mouth and gums and into the catheter bag ... was very terrifying to witness

 

[Comeds]

When I kept seeing the sound bite of Paul Ryan posturing with that whole "You attack one of us, you attack all of us" and I thought it was empty bravado considering the systemic attacks against some of "us" outside the government he and his people have carried out over the years.

You all know me, I am pretty anti-violence(except for inside the squared circle) but one could argue we are living in a plutocracy right now. One in which our wealthy and well taken care of leaders seem to frequently look down at us with disdain.

If it continues, at some point something big is going to happen.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

You all know me, I am pretty anti-violence(except for inside the squared circle) but one could argue we are living in a plutocracy right now. One in which our wealthy and well taken care of leaders seem to frequently look down at us with disdain.

If it continues, at some point something big is going to happen.

YOU LIVE IN FEAR!!! calm your jets and apply for a job in the burgeoning coal industry!!!

 

[Comeds]

YOU LIVE IN FEAR!!! calm your jets and apply for a job in the burgeoning coal industry!!!

I live in fear and I am apparently miserable too. Sucks to be me.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

that tpa drug they adminstered when he got to emerg ... the one thats $5000 per teeny tiny vial ... its a clot buster ... within a minute of it being adminstered my dad started bleeding ... like heavy bleeding .. from his mouth and gums and into the catheter bag ... was very terrifying to witness

It's kinda funny - you're terrified but the personnel trying to save him are all like

 

[dash]

I live in fear and I am apparently miserable too. Sucks to be me.

Comeds, they are still looking for help at the Oasis Car Wash in Burnaby - You'll look smashing in the orange jumpsuit that all the attendants wear.

 

[RobBase]

You all know me, I am pretty anti-violence(except for inside the squared circle) but one could argue we are living in a plutocracy right now. One in which our wealthy and well taken care of leaders seem to frequently look down at us with disdain.

If it continues, at some point something big is going to happen.

More playing the victim. A lot of people are wealthy who aren't your "leaders". This is America, where you're doing something wrong if you've never made 100k + a year.

 

[RobBase]

This kind of stuff only works on the low informed "I don't care" crowd:

MSM's new favorite thing to do: Tweet an absolutely false headline, then issue a correction an hour later. The fake story gets circulated, the correction doesn't. • r/The_Donald

 

[RobBase]

Wendy's CEO made 21 Million last year. How many people who work for him and made it possible for him to make all that money could live a little better if he "only" made 10 million?

Too bad business doesn't work like that. There is an old saying that goes like this - Businesses never pay more taxes. The consumers do. And the employees do. Because when businesses are hit w higher taxes, they simply make up the cost either with lay offs, or increasing the cost of their product.

So your idea that the CEO of Wendy's would or should just hand over 11 million dollars to his workers just because - is fantasy, and exactly the kind of stress that leads to depression in folks who have trouble understanding this stuff.

 

[Comeds]

Heart story.


I was the dumbass who thought he was having an anxiety attack and went to Patient First (Urgent Care). Last year, two Wednesday mornings in a row I had what I assumed was an anxiety attack. Both days I was in a good mood, unstressed, and feeling good.Then my heart just starts racing. It did not hurt, but it beats so hard and fast it’s hard to ignore. Also having a heart monitor on my wrist that showed it was getting close to 200 bpm so that made me nervous. The first week it lasted almost 2 hours. The second week after an hour and a half I went to Patient First thinking they would give me a sedative.


Bad idea. They think I am having some kind of major heart event and the doctor tells me to remain calm while his team gets to work. Then they call an ambulance to be on standby. They get a syringe full of stuff and explain they are going to inject me with something then immediately flush it from my system. They also bring in some kind of recording device and start it right as they give me the shot. They give me the injection and squeeze an IV bag into me. I feel a pressure in my chest for 10-15 seconds. Not pleasant. They start talking to me like I was a child so I know it’s not good. The doctor says I need another one then I have to go to the ER. I’m terrified at this point. They give me the other shot and the pressure is worse and last longer.


By the time the pressure subsides the paramedics are there and they insist on wheeling me out. Thankfully one of them who was kind of cute and very goofy*. First she whispered asking what the hell I was thinking going to a Patient First for a heart issue. Then when we were in the ambulance she laughed and asked what the injection felt like. I couldn’t explain. She asked if it felt like my heart stopped – because that’s what they were doing. She seemed to enjoy telling me that my heart may have been stopped for 15 seconds to a minute each time. The idea being that they stop it, then when it restarts hopefully it starts normally. I ask what if it didn’t restart and she smiled and answered “paddles of life”. I guess I looked terrified and she explained that my BP was normal the whole time so they were ‘pretty sure’ it would start again.


After 6 hours at the ER I check out fine but they want me to see a cardiologist. I was scared when they told me they could fit me in the next morning thinking they were fitting me in before it was too late. I met with the cardiologist and he told me right away that from looking at the EKGs they did he could tell I was fine. He told me I have an arrhythmia that might occur from time to time for no reason at all. I asked what I should do, and he said to ride it out. That someone my age having that heart rate for a couple hours is no big deal. Then he told me Patient First should have known better and never done the heart restart thing.


Since then I have taken more pleasure out of life. Stopping to smell the flowers, enjoying a beautiful sunset, trying to enjoy an older woman in a prono whereas before I would have looked passed her to the younger more attractive woman. I am a changed man.



*meant in a wonderful way, I was terrified and she reassured and distracted me.