- Show:
- Comments
- Liked Comments
By LD on The Cost of Things in Qatar
This is fantastic. Let's get more from this guy!
3
By salmonsaladsammich on Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program
Oh good, Terry Richardson is making music videos now.
1
By blueblazes on How Much is That Procedure?
@Dont Move to Finland — So... I work at a hospital that offers estimates. We have a hotline and everything. The challenge is that a lot of consumers think that "estimate" is the same as "guaranteed price," then get upset and consult their lawyers when their real bill arrives. :) So the nice ladies in our medical billing office could estimate that a hip replacement will cost $11,000, but if anything even slightly out of the ordinary happens (say, the patient has clotting issues, which is a very common side-effect) the price can end up doubling or tripling because of the longer hospital stay and the additional cost of rehab. The thing about buying healthcare is that our STUPID system in this country (there, I said it!)is not all-inclusive. So you get a separate bill from the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the hospital/facility for administration and supplies, the rehab facility, the ambulance company... the list can get pretty long. Plus, each of those entities sets its own prices and negotiates different prices based on income and insurance. So when you call the hospital and ask for an estimate, it will by necessity be a REALLY ROUGH estimate. Even those of us who work here know how crazy-messed-up this is, but we don't have the power to change it without Washington's help.
2
By velveeta chz on Logan Saw a Dude Steal Some Coffee And Said Nothing And Mike Is Like, That's Wrong
I'm a public defender, so I'm with Logan here. The criminal consequences of a theft of even a minimal amount can be severe for someone who is already on the fringes. In MD, theft under $100 carries a potential penalty of 90 days in jail, with additional penalties possible if the person has prior convictions. I have seen people who stole less than $10 worth of stuff go to jail, even when the complainant got his or her money back. Sometimes people have mental illness, sometimes they have substance abuse issues, sometimes they're just poor and trying to make a little cash on the side. I know a lot of people have more sympathy for the guy stealing lunch than they do for the guy lifting DVDs from walmart, but I have to say, having had both those clients, often their lives are equally unstable. This isn't to say that I think theft is okay, or that the law shouldn't prohibit it, but once someone gets brought into the machine of the criminal justice system, it brings about a whole host of consequences, some very far-reaching, that are often disproportionate to the offense. I just think the criminal justice system is horribly, terribly unfair to poor people, which for me is best encapsulated in this quote, "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12, 23 (1956) (quoting Anatole France).
9
By Reginal T. Squirge on Is There Anyone on Earth With As Much Debt As Me?
"Here at Gaye, Green & Franklin, we practice the more soulful side of law."
9
By Beezus on A Thing for You to Buy, if You Are Needing to Buy a Thing
Library! What about the LIBRARY? I just put a copy on hold at the Seattle Public Library. /smug comment is smug
2
By DON on Our Woman in the Senate Banking Committee
@louisb@twitter If you are a person, rather than a financial institution, Warren is on your/our team.
4
By Markham on Skipping College, Two Ways
Quick thoughts: I'm a college drop-out who got the high paying job in the tech industry.... ...BUT... I went to a really good school, I had an intense Engineering program with 19-21 credits a semester. When I got my first Mgt. Consulting job they picked me over a guy with a degree from a state school whilst snearing at his state school and big uping mine. I've been in the tech world for over ten years now. I work on the business and management side of things, I haven't met anyone else between Seattle and Silicon Valley without a degree who works at my level. In fact people just assume I MUST have a MBA. I do meet people without degrees who work in lower level and/or technology focused roles, QA, Support, Hardware, some programmers. But for the most part, nearly everyone has a degree. The fact that there people without degrees belies the fact that they're rare. In the end most start-ups fail so much so that there are people who just seem to make a career of going from failed start-up to failed start-up, and most tech people are just working jobs like everyone else. I'd say the ratio of degreed folks to non degreed is 80/20 at BEST and probably closer to 90/10.
1
By Bill Fostex on Let's Negotiate!
Logan pays me in candy. For my last post I got eight Tootsie Rolls, and for the one before that I got a mostly-empty tub of fruit punch Laffy Taffy. I use the empty tub as a change jar, which is a cool conversation piece (with my cat; no one ever visits me).
6
By redheaded&crazy on Should Your Wedding Gift Cover Your Meal?
@Catface does this sacrifice involve sex? I'm just asking for a friend who bought these crest whitestrip thingies...