The Truth About SOPA: How the Corporate Lobby’s Argument Doesn’t Add Up

Don’t be fooled by its seemingly straightforward title: SOPA is one of the greatest challenges to a free and open web that we’ve ever faced. Ultimately, it’s a right step, but in the wrong direction. SOPA’s original intention was to protect intellectual property created by American artists, yet the result is something much different: an unfair restriction on many American websites, like YouTube and Reddit, that we’ve come to love.

read the full article here

Apple iTunes store values customer satisfaction at less than 99 cents

Recently, I accidentally downloaded an iPad app; I have an iPod Touch and this app will not work on it. So, I contacted iTunes customer service and explained what happened.  Here is the exact reply from”Matt”, in iTunes Store “Customer Support”:

“Dear David,
I’ve carefully considered your request for a refund. While I understand this purchase was unintentional, your iTunes Store history shows a previous refund for an accidental purchase. Because the iTunes Store has already made an exception to the Terms of Sale for you, I cannot grant you a refund for this purchase.”

The app cost 99 cents. iTunes was aware the purchase was in err. The “exception” he referred to occurred so long ago, I don’t remember when.

I have spent over $100 on apps, as well as purchasing 3 new iPod Touch devices, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations.

Nonetheless, Apple is content to create a negative experience over 99 cents – FAIL. In the end, it’s not about the money, it’s about how you treat your customers. Time to go Android.

 

Comprehensive Affordable Universal Health Care is not possible

Updated: Oct. 26, 2009

Well, not in the USA. Although “health care reform” has become law, the Republicans in Congress are hard at work dismantling it. In order to gain enough votes from those opposed to Comprehensive Affordable Universal Health Care (CAUHC) for passage by both chambers of Congress, the bill merely serves to make the appearance that Congress is serious about health care reform. Even so, it is unacceptable to the conservatives in Congress. It will be repealed or defunded before the 2012 elections.

What kind of country gives tax breaks to those with jobs who have employer-provided health insurance, while leaving millions of poor, unemployed and underemployed without health insurance of any kind? To answer that, read more about the opposition to health care reform.

Health Insurers Show Their True Colors

Can you believe it? Now that the public option is no longer a threat, the insurance companies are free to extort the public with lies about health care reform. Support has suddenly vanished and is replaced with a full court press to completely destroy health care reform by attempting to convince the insured that health care reform will cost them thousands of dollars in additional insurance premiums.

Ironically, this could backfire by making the public option much more attractive. Contact your Congressional Representative and Senators – let’s make sure the public option is in the final bill. The reason is now suddenly crystal clear.

That will silence Big Insurance and their threats.

Delay in healthcare reform is deadly

Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year primarily because they lack health insurance and can not get good care, Harvard Medical School researchers found in an analysis released on Thursday. According to the study, American adults age 64 and younger who lack health insurance have a 40 percent higher risk of death than those who have coverage. Every 12 minutes, the opponents of universal healthcare have more blood on their hands. How many more must die? [full story]

Doctors support public option in healthcare reform

Opponents of healthcare reform oppose the public option as means to insure more Americans. They would have you believe that public option is a socialist left-wing attempt to have government control healthcare. Furthermore, they would have you believe they reflect public and professional opinion. They are wrong on both counts.

The New England Journal of Medicine (not exactly a left-wing organization), revealed data today that shows that first of all, 52 to 69% of Americans support such an option, and furthermore, in a poll of several thousand physicians, 62.9% favored both a public and private option, 9% favored a public option only (single payor), and just 27.3% favored just the private insurance option alone.

See the complete story here: Doctors on Coverage — Physicians’ Views on a New Public Insurance Option and Medicare Expansion

The Best Health Care – For Those Who Can Afford it

At my last visit to my Doctor, he informed me that he was no longer going to provide services to most of his patients who, like millions of others, can barely afford health care. He is going to transition to an executive-style medical practice. For a charge of $1500 a year, patients have unparalleled access to their physician, the best specialists and “Medical Centers of Excellence”. The annual physical is like the kind given to corporate officers. The best of everything.

You are thinking “a year of health care for $1500? that’s a good deal”. Not so fast.

The $1500 is a membership fee that really only covers the annual physical and enhanced access to health care. You still have to pay (or submit to your insurance) all the normal charges – visits, lab work, specialists, hospitalization. In other words, what you are paying now plus $1500.

This is indeed superb care, and my doctor is exceptional, so he will have no trouble recruiting the 600 patients he will limit his practice to. Multiply the 2 numbers here and you’ll see why this is attractive to doctors. But ask yourself, how many people do you know that can afford to pay an additional $1500 a year for essentially better service.