Obama's Health Plan and ERISA...

...is not a very good mix for those of you who may be enrolled in an employer sponsered health plan. It would seem that the Obama administration is in the process of flat out trying to do away with ERISA altogether. This is not good for you.

The reality is that the House health bill, which the Administration praised to the rafters, will force drastic changes in almost all insurance coverage, including the employer plans that currently work best. About 177 million people—or 62% of those under age 65—get insurance today through their jobs, and while rising costs are a problem, according to every survey most employees are happy with the coverage. A major reason for this relative success is a 1974
federal law known by the acronym Erisa, or the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
Erisa allows employers that self-insure—that is, those large enough to build their own risk pools and pay benefits directly—to offer uniform plans across state lines. This lets thousands of businesses avoid, for the most part, the costly federal and state regulations on covered treatments, pricing, rate setting and so on. It also gives them flexibility to design insurance to recruit and retain workers in a competitive labor market. Roughly 75% of employer-based coverage is governed by Erisa’s “freedom of purchase” rules.

Economy

Okay, here's the deal people. I'm at a library on one of their computers. I have a fifteen minute time limit on this thing so there will not be a post today. One more week and my own stuff will be ready to go again. YES!
I'll have a few things tomorrow to say about Obama's health care plan, and it will not be to nice.
Have a great day!!

Tampa Homeless/ Police Harassment

Yes, it has been a few days since I last posted anything. There is a very good reason for that, trust me. How about a case of pneumonia? I've been laid up and feeling very miserable for just over a week. Being a diabetic doesn't help, either.
Anyway, on to the topic at hand. This will be the shortened version.
I've been in Tampa for slightly more than 6 weeks, and I've been stopped by the police on the North side of town for a total of 5 times already. Five fucking times! For what? How about for just hanging around and talking to some of the homeless people out on the streets, who have happened to be drinking at the time. Open containers of beer or whatever are a crime in the city of Tampa. Apparently, so is being around someone with a container in their hand or close by.
I'll have a story for you the next time that I post which will show you just how hard up the Tampa Police Department is in writing tickets and arresting citizens for having an " open Container." One officer tried his best to get me to say that an empty bottle belonged to me. This was after the real drinkers had told the idiot that I do not drink! Stay tuned!

Tampa Economy: Unemployment Up...

...and that comes as no surprise to me and many others trying to make a living in this over sized town.
The unemployment rate for June was 10.6% statewide,and the rate sits at 10.7% for the Tampa/Hillsborough County area. That is up some 0.5% from May.
Some more numbers of notice:
392,800
Number of jobs Florida has lost over the past year

88,500 Lost jobs in professional and business services

86,300 Lost jobs in trade, transportation and utilities

80,400Lost jobs in construction

10,000 Added jobs in health care and social assistance, the state's only growing sector

$100M Amount in extended unemployment benefits paid out to Floridians as of Friday

31,513 Number of Floridians expected to exhaust extended unemployment benefits through September.

131,893 Number of Floridians expected to exhaust extended unemployment benefits through December.

Sources: Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation; Florida Employment Law Project

The government and other agencies which keep track of such things keep telling you and I that this recession is easing up a bit. That may be true in other areas of the United States, but that isn't happening in the state of Florida. It appears to be getting worse here as the weeks go by, and many of the residents of this state are paying the price.
Unless you are one of those wealthy retiree's that the state is catering to, stay the hell out of this state. You will not find any real work here if you are an hourly worker. You will certainly not be able to live here in any manner to which you may be accustomed. Times are very tough in this area. You'll do better elsewhere.