Who IS this guy?!
Political Talk Show Host and Internet Radio Personality. My show, In My Humble Opinion, aired on RainbowRadio from 2015-2017, and has returned for 2021! Feel free to contact me at niceguy9418@usa.com. You can also friend me on Facebook.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Showing posts with label coverage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coverage. Show all posts
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Friday, March 30, 2012
A Great Victory!
So I bought MY lottery ticket (64 in total, actually, including the pools I'm in), and before anyone talks about the "tax on people who are bad a math" (a sentiment I'd typically share) let me just say that I've calculated MY odds of winning at least a share of the jackpot at 1 in 2.75M (much better than the official, single-ticket odds of 1 in 176M) and the expected value of a ticket right now, given the lump-sum, after-tax jackpot payout is around $2.63. So this is one of those rare times that the $1 ticket price is actually a good deal. (Hey: If Vegas had a game that paid out $2.63 on average and only charged a buck to play, it would be dead broke in no time!)
But I couldn't care less if I win or not, because earlier today I ALREADY won: The Michigan State House passed the Autism Insurance Reform Bill and starting October first, my two sons will have their speech and language therapy covered under my BCBS plan.
I would like to thank our REPUBLICAN Governor, Rick Snyder, for making this a legislative priority (even though it was the REPUBLICAN-controlled State Senate who stalled the bills, back in 2010, after it was passed by DEMOCRATICLY-controlled State House!) and also to everyone who sent emails, made phones calls, wrote letters, walked for autism, signed petitions, donated money or in any other way supported this incredibly important legislation and cause.
But there remains much more work to do: Twenty States remain that still allow Insurance Companies to discriminate against Autistics, seven of which have legislation pending votes later this year. For more information about Autism Insurance Reform in YOUR State, go to www.autismvotes.org. Working together, we CAN make a difference, and my State is now part of that example!
But I couldn't care less if I win or not, because earlier today I ALREADY won: The Michigan State House passed the Autism Insurance Reform Bill and starting October first, my two sons will have their speech and language therapy covered under my BCBS plan.
I would like to thank our REPUBLICAN Governor, Rick Snyder, for making this a legislative priority (even though it was the REPUBLICAN-controlled State Senate who stalled the bills, back in 2010, after it was passed by DEMOCRATICLY-controlled State House!) and also to everyone who sent emails, made phones calls, wrote letters, walked for autism, signed petitions, donated money or in any other way supported this incredibly important legislation and cause.
But there remains much more work to do: Twenty States remain that still allow Insurance Companies to discriminate against Autistics, seven of which have legislation pending votes later this year. For more information about Autism Insurance Reform in YOUR State, go to www.autismvotes.org. Working together, we CAN make a difference, and my State is now part of that example!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Utopia, Chapter One, Cover Page Posted
I guess this means I've officially started, even if it IS just the cover page. I'll link to the new pages from here, but if you're interested, you can see them all (rigth now, just this one) over at: http://niceguy-eddie.deviantart.com/. (For now. I don't know if I'll stick with Deviantart or not.)
The comic is titled, "Utopia." The complete (and more pretentious) title is, "Utopia: What Would You Do with Absolute Power?"
Anyway, here's the cover page for Chapter One:
(click to enlarge it)
I DO have to fix the lettering, and probably add a border I guess, but this is the picture anyway. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The cover pages will typically (always?) feature some piece of architecture, with the Title and Chapter Number placed somewhere on it. There will also be a quote, which sets up the theme of the chapter. This is a representation of an anceint set of chortens, from Nepal. The royal family once worshiped at the particular one I was using for inspiration. The quote, in case you live under a rock, is from The Lord of the Rings.
The comic is titled, "Utopia." The complete (and more pretentious) title is, "Utopia: What Would You Do with Absolute Power?"
Anyway, here's the cover page for Chapter One:
(click to enlarge it)
I DO have to fix the lettering, and probably add a border I guess, but this is the picture anyway. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The cover pages will typically (always?) feature some piece of architecture, with the Title and Chapter Number placed somewhere on it. There will also be a quote, which sets up the theme of the chapter. This is a representation of an anceint set of chortens, from Nepal. The royal family once worshiped at the particular one I was using for inspiration. The quote, in case you live under a rock, is from The Lord of the Rings.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Just when I think I'm out... they DRAG ME BACK IN!!!
This is NOT another post on the health care bill. I've said my piece, and my opinion hasn't changed.
I want to USE a provison of the health care bill, and another moronic email I got from a certain conservative I know to do a little good old fashioned ranting, and demonstrate once more that while the truth depends on your point of view, some of us have a far more defensible point of view!
Background: I have two autistic sons. If you weren't aware of how insurance companies largely treat autsim, here's a clue, from another Michigan parent of 2 autie's, that I've linked to before, that I think that sums it up pretty nicely. That was pretty much MY experience, almost word for word, anyway.
Now... in this new health care bill there is some stuff concerning this very issue. You can read the details here but basically: plans offered by state-based exchanges will have to cover speech/behavioral therapy for autism, and plans offered in the individual and small group markets outside the exchange will also have to cover autism.
I will say this right up front: This bill does NOT help ME. My family is insured by a LARGE group plan, through my employer and, like most people in Michigan and about 34 other states, will continue to see their childeren discrinimated against, and refused coverage for necessary, scientifically proven and medically necessary speech and behavioral therapy. (And for the record, I am NOT an anti-vaxxer, and I do NOT practice ANY FORM of 'alternative medicine.' IMHO, if 'alternative medicine' was worth a damn, it would be called "MEDICINE." And I have little patience for arguing with those who believe otherwise so, please, DON'T BOTHER.) In any case, my children will continue to face this discrimination. And yeah: I'm disappointed. (Like everyone else, for one reason or another.)
However... my opinion of the provisions IN the bill, largely reflect my opinion OF the bill: They don't go far enough but, compared to the status quo, we (the autistic communtiy) are better off now than we were a week ago.
And Autism Votes felt that, despite being disappointed that the bill didn't end autism discrimination one and for all, they should recognize the hard work that was done on our behalf by three member of congress in particular:
Representative Mike Doyle, DEMOCRAT, PA
Senator Robert Menendez DEMOCRAT, NJ and
Senator Chris Dodd, DEMOCRAT, CT
And what to my wondering eyes did appear in my inbox, from the most conservative, Republican man I know?
W. T. F.?! WHO DROPPED THE BALL?!
Even if, as ClassicLiberal pointed out, the biggest insurance company recipient in terms of dollars is Max Baucus, the fact is the Republicans didn't offer a damn thing! NOT. A. SINGLE. BLOODY. THING!
They locked themsleves out of the debate completely and sat on their hands with their thumbs up their asses doing nothing but saying no to everything and lying about the whole thing from day one!
Riiiight. The failure was on the part of the Democrats. Well... it was, I guess: They kept trying to please the REPUBLICANS and get any one of those bastards to vote for these needed reforms!
That being the case, I'll be dancing naked in the 9th circle of hell before I'll accept a conservative blaming any of this bill's shortcoming on the Democrats.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the interest of full disclosure, I will have to point out that the majority of States that mandate insurance coverage, about 2/3 of them, are traditionally RED STATES. (Not surprisingly, CT, PA and NJ are among the few Blue States that do.) So I'm plenty pissed at some of these STATE legislatures, like Michigan's, who are run at least in part by Democrats and/or have a Democratic Governor, and haven't passed this no-brainer yet.
But I still know who our friends in CONGRESS are!
I want to USE a provison of the health care bill, and another moronic email I got from a certain conservative I know to do a little good old fashioned ranting, and demonstrate once more that while the truth depends on your point of view, some of us have a far more defensible point of view!
Background: I have two autistic sons. If you weren't aware of how insurance companies largely treat autsim, here's a clue, from another Michigan parent of 2 autie's, that I've linked to before, that I think that sums it up pretty nicely. That was pretty much MY experience, almost word for word, anyway.
Now... in this new health care bill there is some stuff concerning this very issue. You can read the details here but basically: plans offered by state-based exchanges will have to cover speech/behavioral therapy for autism, and plans offered in the individual and small group markets outside the exchange will also have to cover autism.
I will say this right up front: This bill does NOT help ME. My family is insured by a LARGE group plan, through my employer and, like most people in Michigan and about 34 other states, will continue to see their childeren discrinimated against, and refused coverage for necessary, scientifically proven and medically necessary speech and behavioral therapy. (And for the record, I am NOT an anti-vaxxer, and I do NOT practice ANY FORM of 'alternative medicine.' IMHO, if 'alternative medicine' was worth a damn, it would be called "MEDICINE." And I have little patience for arguing with those who believe otherwise so, please, DON'T BOTHER.) In any case, my children will continue to face this discrimination. And yeah: I'm disappointed. (Like everyone else, for one reason or another.)
However... my opinion of the provisions IN the bill, largely reflect my opinion OF the bill: They don't go far enough but, compared to the status quo, we (the autistic communtiy) are better off now than we were a week ago.
And Autism Votes felt that, despite being disappointed that the bill didn't end autism discrimination one and for all, they should recognize the hard work that was done on our behalf by three member of congress in particular:
Representative Mike Doyle, DEMOCRAT, PA
Senator Robert Menendez DEMOCRAT, NJ and
Senator Chris Dodd, DEMOCRAT, CT
And what to my wondering eyes did appear in my inbox, from the most conservative, Republican man I know?
"Looks like our Democratic congress dropped the ball on Autsim again!"
W. T. F.?! WHO DROPPED THE BALL?!
Even if, as ClassicLiberal pointed out, the biggest insurance company recipient in terms of dollars is Max Baucus, the fact is the Republicans didn't offer a damn thing! NOT. A. SINGLE. BLOODY. THING!
They locked themsleves out of the debate completely and sat on their hands with their thumbs up their asses doing nothing but saying no to everything and lying about the whole thing from day one!
Riiiight. The failure was on the part of the Democrats. Well... it was, I guess: They kept trying to please the REPUBLICANS and get any one of those bastards to vote for these needed reforms!
That being the case, I'll be dancing naked in the 9th circle of hell before I'll accept a conservative blaming any of this bill's shortcoming on the Democrats.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the interest of full disclosure, I will have to point out that the majority of States that mandate insurance coverage, about 2/3 of them, are traditionally RED STATES. (Not surprisingly, CT, PA and NJ are among the few Blue States that do.) So I'm plenty pissed at some of these STATE legislatures, like Michigan's, who are run at least in part by Democrats and/or have a Democratic Governor, and haven't passed this no-brainer yet.
But I still know who our friends in CONGRESS are!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)