SO true. From someone in Houston! Avery At 12:12 PM 4/13/2006, you wrote: >And don't forget to add that health care IS free, as well as a whole >host of other services; all you have to do to qualify is cross our >"border" illegally! > >Terry Peterson > > > >----Original Message Follows---- >From: "Dean May" <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com> >Reply-To: deanmay at pianorebuilders.com, Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org> >To: "'Pianotech List'" <pianotech at ptg.org> >Subject: RE: Health Insurance for RPT's? >Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:04:52 -0400 > >If you want to talk about health insurance, fine. I've done it before >myself. But if you advocate a political solution you are talking politics >and religion. > >What is being advocated basically is that there is a whole group of people >that are stuck when it comes to health care unless the state god intervenes >and saves them. So we should all contact our senators immediately to resolve >the problem. > >Such is the nature of our state worshipping society today. Every societal >problem can only be solved by yet another piece of legislation. Legislative >bodies churn out new code by the tens of thousands of pounds of paper every >year attempting to fix problems. In the end it usually only makes the >problems worse. > >Health care is no exception. The reason health care is so expensive today is >people won't take personal responsibility for their own health care. As a >result they look to the government to protect them. Every industry the >government regulates becomes more expensive to the consumer. And health care >is one of the most heavily regulated. > >And every service the government makes "free" to qualified people becomes >even more expensive to those who don't qualify. Plus the only way the >government can make it free is by stealing bread out of the mouths of my >children. And if you are advocating more government involvement and >regulation you essentially are advocating more stealing of bread from my >children. I take that personal. > >So drink your sodas, eat that sugar, consume factory raised hormone laden >meat products, treat yourself to bottom feeding sea foods, oh and write to >your senators and demand health care legislation that will make sure you >live to a ripe old age at no expense to you. > >Now are we going to talk politics and religion or get back to pianos? > > > >Dean >Dean May cell 812.239.3359 >PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272 >Terre Haute IN 47802 > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Mark Schecter [mailto:schecter at pacbell.net] >Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 11:31 PM >To: deanmay at pianorebuilders.com; Pianotech List >Subject: Re: Health Insurance for RPT's? > > > >Dean May wrote: > > This is a very political topic, not piano related. > >Hi, Dean. > >Well, you may have already deleted this, but I hope you'll go just a few >paragraphs with me. Please understand that, in what I say below, I mean >no offense to you or anyone, no matter what their beliefs or positions. >I just beg your indulgence in a topic that has a lot of meaning for me, >and I suspect, for quite a few other piano technicians as well. > >As _piano_technicians_, we are, for the most part, self-employed. Some >of us have the good fortune to either be employed by a school or shop, >or to ride on our spouse's coattails into their employer's health >insurer. Many of us, for various reasons, can't do either of those >things. Some of us have only two possibilities for health coverage: >self-paid, or no coverage at all. I think (!) you'll agree that no >coverage is the least desirable choice. > >For those of us who have to pay for our own health coverage, the size of >the hit can be anywhere from mildly painful to extremely difficult, >depending on several factors that are largely out of our control. I >would be surprised if there are not piano technicians who have left the >field, simply because the only way they could acquire health coverage >was to go get a job somewhere in an unrelated field. Maybe this is not >piano-technical, but it sure is piano-technician-al. > >Today, Massachusetts passed a law providing health coverage to most of >the people in that state who are currently uninsured. I think that's a >good thing, but only time will tell how it all works out. > >California is currently debating a bill that would allow groups, such as >PTG, to band together to purchase health insurance at reduced group >rates, just as a business can do for its employees. > >I think being able to purchase reasonably priced health coverage through >the Guild is a very desirable benefit to offer members. I think it would >encourage people to join the Guild, and would be utilized by many >members, present and future. Would you not agree? > >But, the Guild can't offer group rates on health insurance because state >laws, which are heavily influenced by for-profit HMOs, won't permit it. >This needs to change, for the good of the people, even if that means >money out of the pockets of the HMOs. OK, yes, it's political, but we >are not just technicians, we are humans who need health care, and we are >business people who have enough on our plates with our craft and our >clienteles, not to also burden our families/ourselves with onerous >insurance payments or unlimited risk. > >So I hope you have the good fortune to have the coverage you need. For >those of us not that fortunate, this is really important. There is a >window of opportunity right now to change things for the better, and I >think it's a perfect use of this list to inform readers that things are >happening which need their input. If it doesn't apply to you, it might >apply to your friend. And, you can always just hit delete. > >If this is too off-topic for this list, I expect you and/or others >and/or the moderator will so inform me. Thank you for allowing this much. > >-Mark Schecter >Oakland, CA
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