Norskelt

This is what angers me. Here your step dad paid for materials and put his time into the work...his time is of value and he has to pay his employees. Some people don't realize, they can place many men out of work and lose a business. Some people have no conscience. (Mar 14, 2009 | post #6421)

Now that's strange. It would make more sense if they stated whether it was physical or mental health. They research everything over here...even if it's the most absurd subject matter. Some research is private and some our tax dollars. They should publicly print what research is public and private and let us vote on it. (Mar 14, 2009 | post #6420)

Mike has a construction company to. Business is not doing so well here. Illegals are a big problem in NY. He's wanted to leave Long Island for a long time but, he's talking about selling off the business. He wants to move badly and I think I have no choice but, to give in. He wants to get out of the business all together. It was very good to us at one time but, in the past couple of months it hasn't been. And last evening he discussed that he will have to take some personal funds of ours and place it into his business. I didn't know he was having a hard time. He tends to keep things to himself. (Mar 14, 2009 | post #6419)

I sure hope he didn't inhale on those cigars after he used them. (Mar 14, 2009 | post #6417)

LOL-Sounds like the cars Mike use to drive when we first starting dating. Oh have to tell you this one. When we were dating...he was a commercial shell fisherman. He had a truck that was a big old hunk of junk. He would put unwashed nets with dead fish and shell fish in the back of his truck. My dad would yell at him to park it down the block because every fly in the neighborhood was swarming in front of the house. I made him pull over a few times on dates so I was able to throw up! No lie. After the first month of dating...we started taking my car out instead. (Mar 14, 2009 | post #6416)

Our government would have to figure out who the lazy individuals are that take advantage of incentives. I don't know how they would do that but, it would help greatly. I find with my husbands customers...middle class never argues payments and pays contracts on time. His wealthy clients try and chew down pricing and usually skate around contract payments. Today (Saturday) he has a wealthy client that has avoided his bill for three weeks. He's finally agreed to meet Mike this morning to make payment. Hooray! (Mar 14, 2009 | post #6413)

I forgot to add dental and vision are included in my health plan. I'm going to drop Mike and I dental because we don't use it that much. We'll pay for cleanings or fillings ourselves and save roughly $80 per month. We'll keep the kids dental. People with chronic illness have a hard time acquiring coverage. Another shouldn't be. We only have a life insurance policy and 529 plans (college fund) for the boys. No retirement. I withdrew my 401k back in 1998 to help buy our first home. Mike has a business and if he failed at it, we would have no coverage. I would have to go back to work and carry the coverage...which I intend to do soon anyway. They payment into health insurance should go according to salary. I think when a woman is pregnant...they should pay more into health insurance for the first two years. This the only thing I can think of that will help the elderly by keeping the cost of theirs down. Oh if they don't use it often, the elderly should be reimbursed because the younger generation is healthy enough to work. (Mar 14, 2009 | post #6412)

A vintage fight over wine

I should rephrase what I stated about the grocery stores putting the small mom and pop shops out of business. They aren't solely the culprits. High rents, shady leases and LIPA helped to contribute to the problem. (Mar 13, 2009 | post #7)

A vintage fight over wine

This is only my opinion. I believe die-hard wine lovers and collectors will not buy wine from the local grocery stores. They simply won't be able to carry the large selection that a boutique carries. I'm not a wine drinker but, my sister is and she is very selective about the bottle she buys. It is very important that you as a business owner, continue to keep the public aware of this. Large grocery chains have put bakeries, card shops and possibly other small mom and pop shops out of business throughout all of New York. (Mar 13, 2009 | post #6)

kentucky hillbilly

I forgot to mention a couple of other important sights...Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the top of the Empire State Building to get a birds eye view of the city, the Grucci fireworks over the Hudson on the Fourth of July and the Grand Central Terminal has been restored back to it's former beauty...it's like taking a step back into time. (Mar 13, 2009 | post #63)

kentucky hillbilly

No, she doesn't represent NY at all. Only her section of NY looks like that.-LOL. There are many parts of the city that are nice. The buildings are rich in history and are considered artwork in themselves. Many museums, shows, plays, good food and great people. The parks are a delight. You can sit in Bryant Park, play a game of chess or checkers, read a good book while enjoying your tea or coffee and check out the summer film festival. Central Park has a fabulous bike path and you can even take a horse and buggy ride to view the park. The NY Public Library is incredible and is something to be seen, more books than you can ever imagine. The parades are great to visit as well, especially the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as the St. Patrick's Day Parade. NY has a lot to offer. And no, I'm not a travel agent. As far as the subways...I must admit I do shower myself after using them. (Mar 13, 2009 | post #62)

SNJ Forgot to add...Lately how I see things to be...If you work hard all your life and own things, you are treated less kindly by government in U.S. If you don't own things..And there are some people who do work very hard but, have fallen on hard times, however, their are other individuals who don't care to work..Anyway, If you don't own things the government treats you better and there are many incentives for these individuals. I don't know how this came to be but, people feel as if they have been scolded by government for doing the right thing. The middle class here has been paying the most into government. It doesn't seem right. (Mar 13, 2009 | post #6405)

Oh boy, lots of questions with different answers. It's not a nosey question at all. There are different types of health insurance, different companies and different types such as HMO and PPO. We had PPO in case we traveled we were covered out of network, it became to expensive and now we have an HMO. I have a family of 6 and it costs $845 per month. Some friends of mine pay more with less family members. We have $100.00 deductible for medications, which is good here in NY. I think I may change that to save some cash. Everyone's plan is different when it comes to meds. Copayment's are $20 and $30 for a specialist. ER visits are $50 and admission into the hospital has gone up to $250 but that will cover most treatment while you are in the hospital. I've heard of families receiving surprise bills for admission in the hospital and had to fight their insurance company because of these claims. There are many claims against insurance companies in the U.S. that have ruined families credit. For recreation or physical therapy, you would need a referral approved through the insurance company and they can deny you treatment for any reason they feel. Lifelong compensation? No health insurance company carries that. You must have separate type of insurance for that. Loss of work no coverage, education no coverage, death separate insurance. Disability is given by the state. I don't know much about it. As far as education, there are sports and academic scholarships, pell grants, loans (you have to give up your eye teeth for the interest rates) and we have a 529 plan for the kids. They take a little out of our checking account each month to save for college. If they don't use it, Mike (husband) and I can retire with some extra funds. Each year the health insurance and copayments go up. It's all so corrupt. (Mar 13, 2009 | post #6404)

Yes, right now it's 8% and they say it won't be long before the end of the year, that it may reach 10%. I can only hope it doesn't go above that. (Mar 13, 2009 | post #6403)