Mandatory Health Insurance

A PRECEDENT FOR MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE

This legislation seems to be an in-place example of (and template for) a governmental entity requiring its citizens to purchase insurance coverage, or pay a penalty.  How is it different from the suggested Federal mandate that healthcare insurance be required on a national basis?  Insurance is insurance.  Mandatory is mandatory.  Penalties are penalties.   Or isn't it?   I am not taking a position pro- or con- the current healthcare reforms.  I am just noting that the government has required people to purchase items and attached penalties to their refusing to do so.  And that the requirements have not, so far, led us down some slippery slope as others have predicted.

Here is a segment of Virginia requirements:
Commonwealth of Virginia Manadatory Motor Vehicle Insurance
http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/citizen/vehicles/insurance.asp

"Virginia has a financial responsibility law, Motor Vehicle Code 46.2-706(*), that requires all Virginia registered motor vehicle owners to have motor vehicle liability insurance or enough money to pay for any losses that may result from an automobile accident."
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(*) Ref: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+46.2-706.1
"§ 46.2-706.1. Insurance and surety companies to furnish certain insurance information.
Any liability insurance information relating to individually identified vehicles or persons, received from such companies under this section, shall be considered privileged information and not subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§ 2.2-3700 et seq.).   Such information shall be used in conjunction with information supplied under § 46.2-706 to verify insurance for motor vehicles certified by their owners to be insured."

"Insurance companies licensed to do business in Virginia shall provide to the Department monthly electronic updates of insured information and vehicle descriptions required by the Commissioner when they:
   (i) cancel liability insurance for vehicles registered in Virginia,
  (ii) add liability insurance for vehicles registered in Virginia, or
 (iii) provide liability insurance for vehicles registered in Virginia newly satisfying financial responsibility requirements.
(1993, c. 949; 1996, cc. 474, 489; 2009, c. 419.)"
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Uninsured Motor Vehicle Fee
http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/citizen/vehicles/uninsured_fee.asp

"The Virginia Uninsured Motor Vehicle (UMV) fee allows a motor vehicle owner to register an uninsured motor vehicle. At the time of registration, the motor vehicle owner must certify whether the vehicle is insured or uninsured.  If the vehicle is uninsured, the motor vehicle owner is required to pay to VA DMV a $500 uninsured motor vehicle fee in addition to normal registration fees. Payment of the $500 fee does not provide the motorist with any insurance coverage. If involved in an accident, the uninsured motorist remains personally liable. This fee is valid for twelve months but may be prorated for a shorter amount of time."

Penalty for Falsification of Insurance Coverage
"Motor vehicle owners who falsely certify that they have insurance and are found by VA DMV to be uninsured face stiff penalties. In addition to facing suspension of all driver and registration privileges, compliance includes payment of a $500 statutory fee, a $145 reinstatement fee and filing proof of insurance for three years. During the three-year period, insurance companies cooperate with DMV by providing notification if a policy is canceled. This requirement to maintain proof of insurance enables DMV to ensure that these motor vehicle owners maintain liability insurance on their registered vehicles."


Added info: Ref: FORBES Magazine, March 14, 2011, page 89, "Healthcare - Looking Ahead," OBAMACARE LIVES?
Congress passed the reform bill  and "... determined that the insurance market would collaps if Congress forced insurers to cover everybody without requiring everybody to buy insurance." 
["Insurer UnitedHealth Group reported last month that its first-quarter profits this year had exceeded those of the same period the previous year (2010) by 13 percent."  Ref: bshelly@kcstar.com, column for May 18, 2011, reprinted in the Virginian Pilot Online.]  UHC apparently hasn't collapsed yet.


Forbes article goes on to say: "Critics of ObamaCare ... including federal judges in FL and Virginia ... say ... for the first time Congress has ordered citizens to buy something instead of telling them what they can't do."  That may be true for US Congress, but it is incorrect in Virginia (you would think the VA judge would know) where the legislators have not only told residents what they have to buy, but also what they cannot do (i.e., drive without some sort of coverage or pony up funds for an escrow account if they are uninsured).

You say Hanlon, I say Heinlein

Hanlon's Razor 

(possibly a corruption of "Heinlein's Razor") 

defined as variations on:

"Never attribute to malice that which can be 

adequately explained by stupidity,

but don't rule out malice."

----------- ALSO  -----------

 There is always one more imbecile than you counted on
and 
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

Why Pro Sports Have Not Embraced Reptile Mascots

In the third and final (for the moment) exploration into alternative Professional Team Naming Systems, I have discovered an here-to-fore unexplored solution: use reptile names.  These animals possess all of the innate characteristics of pro-sports team members: they are cold-blooded, dangerous, will kill you if given the chance, and are self-centered and single-minded in their approach to surviving by winning.  How much more could life imitate professional sports?

I believe these would be the best names for the various teams:

Atlanta Alligators

Baltimore Boa Constrictors

Boston Bushmasters

Charlotte Camans

Chicago Bullfrogs

Cincinnati Centipedes

Dallas Dimondbacks

Denver Pythons

Detroit Dragons

Houston House Geckos

Indianapolis Iguanas

Jacksonville Jackarundies

Kansas City Cobras

Los Angeles Lizards

Memphis Morays

Miami Mambas

Minnesota Mosquitos

New York Jewel Wasps (Jets)

New York Gila Monsters (Giants)

Oakland Snapping Turtles

Orlando Stingrays

Pittsburgh Pit Vipers

Portland Platypuses

San Francisco Garden Snakes

Seattle Salamanders

St. Louis Sidewinders

Tampa Bay Tiger Snakes

Washington Watersnakes

Suggested match-ups could include (with descriptions):

Dallas Dimondbacks vs. New York Jewel Wasps: 

           “Winner and loser both sparkle in this face-off!”

Baltimore Boa Constrictors vs. Denver Pythons: 

           “Boas Put The Squeeze on the Pythons!”

Headlines might read:

Memphis Morays vs. Miami Mambas: 

           “Morays Electric as they Dance the Mamba all over Miami”

San Francisco Garden Snakes vs. Pittsburgh Pit Vipers: 

           “SF Blooms Early, then Falls into the Pit”

Summary of Pro Sports Team Alternative Naming System

Whatever naming system is used, there is one thing we should all remember: “It’s just a game.”   

The Roman Gladiators went into the Coliseum with the lions to save their own lives, not to make a statement (other than “I would like to come out of this alive!”)  The pro athletes go onto the field and do it for the money.  Not to “make a statement” about whatever your personal heritage happens to be.  Don’t take it personally, whatever your ethnic background.  Take a tip from the reactions of the fish and insects and reptiles who were interviewed extensively: they just didn’t care whether the teams used them as mascots or not.  They just swam or jumped or crawled away and went about their business, leaving me with their non-verbal assessment of my research: a little white trail in the water, a couple of small brown marbles on the ground or a string of little black droppings marking their trail back to their hole under the kitchen sink.  

 NOTE: I actually think I did hear one interviewee say something like: 

           “Sticks and stones will break my bones … ” … but now I’m really not sure.

Why Pro Sports Have Not Embraced Insect Mascots

In the on-going saga of the formulation of an alternative Team Naming System, we continue our exploration of mascots other than ethnically-slanted and personally demeaning names.

Although the first attempt (to use aquatic creature names) went swimmingly, I have chosen to remain:

1. Unsatisfied with primary attempts; and,
2. Steadfast in my conviction that more satisfactory, and also more extraordinary substitutes exist.

This, the second, in-depth phase of this extensive exploration involves the substitution of insect creature's names for the various pro sports teams.  In a fashion similar to the manner in which aquatic creatures were tested for sensitivity to the use of their names as team mascots, I personally assessed the reaction of each of the beasts below.  At no time during the testing did any of them react to repeated, ear-splitting shouts of “Dump the Dung Beetles!” or “Go You Grasshoppers!”  or “Beat their butts you Bumble Bees!”  or “Washington Waterbugs are Wimps!”  In fact, as far as I could tell even the roaches, which have been around even longer than the Native Americans for whom some teams have been named in the past, never even lifted ONE of their many legs in a derisive gesture of dissatisfaction at any time during the testing. 

Therefore, I proceeded with the insect phase in the following manner.  Team names might include:

Atlanta Aphids

Baltimore Black Widows

Boston Bumble Bees

Charlotte Hornets (OK, that's what they already were)

Chicago Bull Ticks         

Cincinnati Caterpillars

Dallas Dung Beetles (a true cattle-country team)

Denver Deer Ticks

Detroit Dog Fleas

Houston Head Lice

Jacksonville Jumping Spiders

Kansas City Crickets

Los Angeles Angleworms

Memphis Millipedes

Miami Mexican Poppy Bugs

Minnesota MicroMites

New York Jelly Fire Bugs (Jets)

New York Grasshoppers (Giants)

Oakland Oven-cleaners (Roaches)

Orlando Opium Bugs

Pittsburgh Parasites

Portland Praying Mantises

San Francisco Fruit Flies

Seattle Silverfish

St. Louis Scorpions

Tampa Bay Termites

Washington Waterbugs

Headlines might read:

Boston Bumble Bees vs. Detroit Dog Fleas:
           “Fleas and Bees itching to buzz each other”

Baltimore Black Widows vs. St. Louis Scorpions:
           “Somebody’s going to get stung in this one”

Boston Bumble Bees vs. Detroit Dog Fleas:
           “Fleas Dog Boston as the Bees Bumble their chances”

Memphis Millipedes vs. Los Angeles Angleworms:
           “Memphis too Sure-footed for the Worms”

Portland Praying Mantises vs. San Francisco Fruit Flies:
           “Fruit Flies Eaten by Mantises”

? Have a favorite team ?  Comment on a potential headline ...

Why Pro Sports Have Not Embraced Aquatic Mascots

In view of the sensitivity of Native Americans (vis-à-vis teams such as the Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins, etc.) and other cultural and ethnic groups, we endeavored to formulate an alternative Team Naming System. 

The first phase of this exploration involves the substitution of marine - aquatic creature's names for the various pro sports teams. 

Future discussions may focus on alternative names based on Bugs, Birds or Reptile Designations.  Our first cut is outlined below:

Atlanta Anchovies

Baltimore Blowfish

Boston Blennies

Charlotte Shad

Chicago Shiners

Cincinnati Sea Bass

Dallas Damselfish

Denver Pikes

Detroit Dogfish

Houston Halibuts

Jacksonville Jewfish

Kansas City Catfish

Los Angeles Lungfish

Memphis Mulletts

Miami Mudpuppies

Minnesota Mackerels

New York Jetsam

New York Needlefish

Oakland Opahs

Orlando Octopi

Pittsburgh Pufferfish

Portland Porgies

San Francisco Flotsam

Seattle Salmon

St. Louis Scrod

Tampa Bay Toadfish

Utah Urchins

Washington Wrasses

Sports Writers might then be covering, as examples, the following contests:

     Baltimore Blowfish vs. Pittsburgh Pufferfish

     San Francisco Flotsam vs. New York Jetsam 

Headlines might read something like these:

     Baltimore Blows the Puffers Out of the Water

     Flotsam Sinks the Jetsam

     The Toadfish Prove that Utah Players really are Urchins

     NY Needles the Scrod in all-out Upset

     LA Lungfish Breath a Sigh after Near Loss to the Blennies

     Kansas City Catfish vs. Detroit Dogfish: “Fur was Really Flyin'!”

     Portland Porgies vs. Boston Basses: “Classic, four overtimes”

     LA Ladyfish vs. Damselfish: “Prim & proper, played like gurls.”

     Cinci Sea Squirts vs. BAL Blowfish: "Squirts Conquer big Fish"

     Houston: "HOU Loses: Halibut Was They Blew 21-point Lead!"

     Dallas: "Dallas Looked Like Damsels in Distress!"

     Atlanta Anchovies: "Anchovies Go Sour in 4th Quarter"

     Detroit: "Dogs' Bark Worse Than Bite in 27-point Loss"

Player-trades could include:

     "Three Urchins Traded for Flotsam QB"

     St. Louis & Chicago: "Scrod Get Two Shiners from Chicago"

     NY Needlefish & Oakland Opahs: "Needlefish Stick it to the Opahs"

We are continuing the pursuit of additional naming conventions and will post those in the near future.

Genius, Stupidity and The Infinite

From a genius (Albert Einstein) about being (or not being) one:

"... you all know the difference between genius & stupidity:

there is a limit to genius."
                                          Ref: http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/3834

"Only two things are infinite, the universe & human stupidity, 
and I'm not sure about the former."
                               Ref: http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/1349

"It's too bad that stupidity is not painful."
                                 Ref: Anon.

Freudian Slip as Indicator of Change

I never, I mean never, during all the time I was in active practice, left home without my cell phone.  I have concluded that in the past six weeks I have really come to terms with being Retired.  Not Part-Time, not Semi-Retired, but really Retired. 

I arrived at that conclusion because I have, with increasing frequency, left home to run errands with Fran (or to do whatever) and left my cell phone at home in the charger and not realized it until we were way too far from the house to go back and get it.

Or maybe not even realized it until I got back home and saw it sitting there, charging.  Just a little slip  indicating a major internal shift toward being comfortable while being "out of touch."