Why Healthcare Is Killing America
by Bud Conrad, Editor, The Casey Report
Healthcare is the biggest segment of our economy. In the debate over who should pay for what or, increasingly, for whom, most people don't stop to understand just how large a portion of our society's money is dedicated to healthcare.
For some perspective, as a share of GDP, the U.S. spends about twice that of other advanced nations. This is an important reason why the U.S. is increasingly uncompetitive in global manufacturing. It is, for instance, the most important factor (besides poor management) that General Motors and Chrysler are going bankrupt.
Going forward, the situation is guaranteed to get worse. The Obama administration is committed to major reform to cover the 40 million people not now covered by insurance. Once everyone has insurance, with many paying nothing at all for coverage, patients won't care what it costs, and the system will quickly spin out of control.
And it's already out of control. I recently spent one day in the hospital due to a broken arm, which cost on the order of $100,000. Remarkably, that eye-opening amount still doesn't include the ambulance, the doctors, the x-rays, the CT scans, or the anesthesiologist. I'm still getting bills. The system is far more broken than is widely understood, unless you have had a recent bad experience.
Projections for healthcare are particularly problematic because of the demographics of so many people born just after World War II. Soon, there will be less than three people in the workforce for each retired person. That will result in huge taxes on the few workers to supply the expensive end-of-life medical care for the retirees (and it is in the latter years where medical expenses really begin to rack up).
This bubble was predicted and a government trust fund was set up. Unfortunately, as is typically the case, the government couldn't keep its hands off the money, and so it has already been spent. The outlook is not good. In fact, in just over 10 years from now – by 2020 – the demands on the government for Social Security and Medicare will get so high that they cannot be met. And it gets worse from there.
It's a safe bet, based on history, that the government will once again try to print its way out of the problem – but all that will do is further destroy the dollar and drive interest rates up even more. Just to be clear, this is not just about a government program gone awry, but as much or even more so a demographic problem – which makes it all the more intractable.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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How Will You Finance Your Life Overseas?
By FutureExpat, on September 9th, 2009
Write Anywhere!
In our recent poll, we discovered that most — at least 80% — of our readers will have to generate some income when they move overseas. None of them plan to hold an overseas job with their current employer, but half intend to develop some kind of self-employment income. This will be the first in a series of ongoing articles that may give you some ideas about your overseas self employment.
Since it’s what I plan to do, and what I know best, let’s start with writing. Writing is probably the most portable profession there is. You don’t need much equipment — these days, a laptop and an internet connection are all it takes. You don’t need a special office. You can write in a hotel room or a cafe, or even in the park. Of course, you need to be able to put together grammatically correct sentences. Assuming you can already do that, you may need some special training for a specific type of writing.
Write Anywhere!
In our recent poll, we discovered that most — at least 80% — of our readers will have to generate some income when they move overseas. None of them plan to hold an overseas job with their current employer, but half intend to develop some kind of self-employment income. This will be the first in a series of ongoing articles that may give you some ideas about your overseas self employment.
Since it’s what I plan to do, and what I know best, let’s start with writing. Writing is probably the most portable profession there is. You don’t need much equipment — these days, a laptop and an internet connection are all it takes. You don’t need a special office. You can write in a hotel room or a cafe, or even in the park. Of course, you need to be able to put together grammatically correct sentences. Assuming you can already do that, you may need some special training for a specific type of writing.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Hot Topic: Mail Order Brides – Exploitation or an Equal Partnership
Monday, September 7, 2009
Hot Topic: Mail Order Brides – Exploitation or an Equal Partnership
Is a mail order bride a prostitute selling her body and her relative freedom for a ticket to a wealthier life in the West? Some seem to think so and go as far as claiming that a ‘mail order bride’ as a concept amounts to nothing more that people trafficking.
However, those who have availed themselves of the growing number of agencies and websites offering introductions between beautiful women from nations as diverse, culturally speaking as Russia and Thailand, would strongly disagree of course.
Many men cite their main reason for choosing a ‘wife’ in such a way as being because they find women from their own home nations such as the US and the UK unapproachable and too masculine in their drive, ambitions and general attitudes in life. So perhaps Western women are responsible for the increase in the numbers of men seeking their partners and their pleasures elsewhere?
But really, come on, isn’t the concept of a mail order bride all about exploitation: exploitation both of the women and perhaps even the men who ‘purchase’ a partner over the Internet too? After all the women just give themselves - body and soul - in return for a visa, a passport, cash and a one way ticket out of their old life…and the men must surely give up at least their pride and their status amongst friends and colleagues when they’re seen around town with an obviously bought bride on their arm. Or do you strongly disagree and feel that actually it really is more about a meeting of minds in an equal and open arena that no longer exists in the bars and nightclubs of the West?
No matter who you ask about this topic, opinion is always as strong as it is heavily divided. For many of us the concept of buying a bride over the Internet is comical at best, seedy at worst and something we try not to really think too seriously about. After all, who wants to imagine a fat, old, balding and sad American man lusting after a tiny and pretty Filipino girl a third of his age? But having known men who have bought in to the concept – and indeed bought themselves a wife - it is fascinating to learn what they think about the entire process.
Many men see ordering a bride as finding an ideal partner without the risks associated with chatting up strangers and dating women who may turn out to be bunny boilers. They can pick a woman purely based on her looks and how demure and ‘willing to please’ she is, and all they have to do in return really is fork out cash. They will not be challenged financially speaking, they not be answered back to or argued with in their own home, and if they’re really lucky they’ll get an angel for their kitchen and errm – well, a whore for their bedroom.
But can such relationships work? What about the language barrier for a start? And in a marriage built from a contract of paying for and providing a service, can love blossom and can a harmonious partnership prevail? In answer to this question one has to look at the statistics of marriages that last longer than it takes for the woman to either get her passport or her first beating…and surprisingly, some partnerships do work and they do last. Those that survive on a relatively equal footing have the benefit of partners who make an effort on the language and the cultural front, who are interested in more than just the basics of the partnership contract, and who are truly looking to find a partner for life.
So perhaps mail order bride sites and agencies do have a place in the world after all, and they aren’t just about exploitation – it’s just the people who use them that you have to worry about
Hot Topic: Mail Order Brides – Exploitation or an Equal Partnership
Is a mail order bride a prostitute selling her body and her relative freedom for a ticket to a wealthier life in the West? Some seem to think so and go as far as claiming that a ‘mail order bride’ as a concept amounts to nothing more that people trafficking.
However, those who have availed themselves of the growing number of agencies and websites offering introductions between beautiful women from nations as diverse, culturally speaking as Russia and Thailand, would strongly disagree of course.
Many men cite their main reason for choosing a ‘wife’ in such a way as being because they find women from their own home nations such as the US and the UK unapproachable and too masculine in their drive, ambitions and general attitudes in life. So perhaps Western women are responsible for the increase in the numbers of men seeking their partners and their pleasures elsewhere?
But really, come on, isn’t the concept of a mail order bride all about exploitation: exploitation both of the women and perhaps even the men who ‘purchase’ a partner over the Internet too? After all the women just give themselves - body and soul - in return for a visa, a passport, cash and a one way ticket out of their old life…and the men must surely give up at least their pride and their status amongst friends and colleagues when they’re seen around town with an obviously bought bride on their arm. Or do you strongly disagree and feel that actually it really is more about a meeting of minds in an equal and open arena that no longer exists in the bars and nightclubs of the West?
No matter who you ask about this topic, opinion is always as strong as it is heavily divided. For many of us the concept of buying a bride over the Internet is comical at best, seedy at worst and something we try not to really think too seriously about. After all, who wants to imagine a fat, old, balding and sad American man lusting after a tiny and pretty Filipino girl a third of his age? But having known men who have bought in to the concept – and indeed bought themselves a wife - it is fascinating to learn what they think about the entire process.
Many men see ordering a bride as finding an ideal partner without the risks associated with chatting up strangers and dating women who may turn out to be bunny boilers. They can pick a woman purely based on her looks and how demure and ‘willing to please’ she is, and all they have to do in return really is fork out cash. They will not be challenged financially speaking, they not be answered back to or argued with in their own home, and if they’re really lucky they’ll get an angel for their kitchen and errm – well, a whore for their bedroom.
But can such relationships work? What about the language barrier for a start? And in a marriage built from a contract of paying for and providing a service, can love blossom and can a harmonious partnership prevail? In answer to this question one has to look at the statistics of marriages that last longer than it takes for the woman to either get her passport or her first beating…and surprisingly, some partnerships do work and they do last. Those that survive on a relatively equal footing have the benefit of partners who make an effort on the language and the cultural front, who are interested in more than just the basics of the partnership contract, and who are truly looking to find a partner for life.
So perhaps mail order bride sites and agencies do have a place in the world after all, and they aren’t just about exploitation – it’s just the people who use them that you have to worry about
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Real Estate Investment in St Lucia set to Boom
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Real Estate Investment in St Lucia set to Boom
Demand for property in St Lucia is set to skyrocket following news that new direct flights from both the UK and the USA are set to take off from October this year - making access to the Caribbean island far quicker and easier - and when coupled with the country's tax holiday on rental income, St Lucia is looking a solid bet for investors and holidaymakers alike...
In a bid to attract more tourists to the island, the St Lucia Government has introduced a new rental income tax holiday which will help international investors who have purchased holiday properties which they let out.
The banana trade in St Lucia has declined rapidly of late, so the island has had to look for new ways to boost the economy - and this tax holiday looks set to boost interest in buying second homes and investment properties.
Any country that offers special tax rates or incentives at the moment will be especially popular with those in the higher tax bands here in the UK, as the rate of tax has risen to a whopping 50 per cent.
Alongside St Lucia's tax break, there is also no VAT on property on the island, no capital gains tax and no inheritance tax.
Improved access to a country will always boost its property market and increase the number of visitors holidaying there. St Lucia is about to benefit from new direct flights from the UK, as British Airways has announced that it is increasing its direct flights to the island from three to five times a week as of October this year.
There is also to be a new service from Frankfurt, operated by Condor from 1st November this year.
Across the pond in America, Jet Blue has announced a new service from New York to St Lucia with three weekly flights from 26th October this year.
And that's not all for St Lucia. International investors who inject more than £213,000 into a property on the island could become a resident under new immigration laws that are currently being decided upon. Being a resident will bring other tax benefits for foreigners.
Related articles:
New Lots in the Bahamas - No Name Cay
The Bahamas Sun, Sea and Stars - Lots $14,000+
Real Estate Investment in St Lucia set to Boom
Demand for property in St Lucia is set to skyrocket following news that new direct flights from both the UK and the USA are set to take off from October this year - making access to the Caribbean island far quicker and easier - and when coupled with the country's tax holiday on rental income, St Lucia is looking a solid bet for investors and holidaymakers alike...
In a bid to attract more tourists to the island, the St Lucia Government has introduced a new rental income tax holiday which will help international investors who have purchased holiday properties which they let out.
The banana trade in St Lucia has declined rapidly of late, so the island has had to look for new ways to boost the economy - and this tax holiday looks set to boost interest in buying second homes and investment properties.
Any country that offers special tax rates or incentives at the moment will be especially popular with those in the higher tax bands here in the UK, as the rate of tax has risen to a whopping 50 per cent.
Alongside St Lucia's tax break, there is also no VAT on property on the island, no capital gains tax and no inheritance tax.
Improved access to a country will always boost its property market and increase the number of visitors holidaying there. St Lucia is about to benefit from new direct flights from the UK, as British Airways has announced that it is increasing its direct flights to the island from three to five times a week as of October this year.
There is also to be a new service from Frankfurt, operated by Condor from 1st November this year.
Across the pond in America, Jet Blue has announced a new service from New York to St Lucia with three weekly flights from 26th October this year.
And that's not all for St Lucia. International investors who inject more than £213,000 into a property on the island could become a resident under new immigration laws that are currently being decided upon. Being a resident will bring other tax benefits for foreigners.
Related articles:
New Lots in the Bahamas - No Name Cay
The Bahamas Sun, Sea and Stars - Lots $14,000+
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Costa Rica Tops The Polls
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2009
Costa Rica Tops The Polls
Costa Rica was ranked 5th in terms of global environmental performance in 2008 in the annual EPI (Environmental Performance Index) compiled by Yale and Columbia Universities but Costa Rica is on a path of constant improvement and has now been ranked number one by the Happy Planet Index in June 2009. This index measures the happiness of the nation’s people in comparison to their ecological footprint and Costa Rica was the clear winner.
Costa Rica’s plans to be carbon neutral as a nation by 2021 will ensure that that they will be hard to shift from this number one spot.
Meanwhile, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Costa Rica as the 7th most politically and socially stable county in the world in March of 2009. A good safe place for foreign investment? IDF magazine (Financial Times Publishing Group) agrees and ranks Costa Rica as the second most attractive country in Latin America and the Caribbean for Foreign Investment (Costa Rica was just pipped at the post by Puerto Rica)
The Latin Business Chronicle ranks Costa Rica as the second most globalised nation in Latin America on the basis of six criteria - imports, exports, tourism receipts, foreign direct investment and remittances.
So Costa Rica is good for the environment and good for business.
An attractive place to retire to?
1% of the population is already North American and Canadian retirees and expatriates and retiring to Costa Rica is a straightforward process.
It is estimated that 100 million baby boomers will retire over the next two decades and some projections estimate that 10% of them will seek to live outside of North America.
With its low cost of living, excellent health care and safe beautiful environment Costa Rica looks likely to attract many of these retirees.
Costa Rica Invest specialises in environmentally friendly, ethically responsible, high yield investments, primarily in Costa Rica. Finca Di Pacifico Dos is Costa Rica Invest's current project which gives the security of a teak investment combined with the potentially spectacular returns of development land banking in the no. 1 emerging economy in Central America - Costa Rica. With land prices projected to soar as demand from Baby Boomer retirees increase – this is an excellent opportunity to benefit from the increasing land prices with the additional security of teak growing on your land.
Related articles:
Expat Daily News: Costa Rica - A Dream of a Business for $1 Million
Expat Daily News: Investors and Businesses in Costa Rica to ...
Expat Daily News: What sets Costa Rica Apart?
More articles:
Expat Advice - Expat Finance - Expat Health - Invest Overseas - Live Overseas - Real Estate Overseas - Retire Overseas - Work Overseas - Hot Topics
Costa Rica’s plans to be carbon neutral as a nation by 2021 will ensure that that they will be hard to shift from this number one spot.
Meanwhile, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Costa Rica as the 7th most politically and socially stable county in the world in March of 2009. A good safe place for foreign investment? IDF magazine (Financial Times Publishing Group) agrees and ranks Costa Rica as the second most attractive country in Latin America and the Caribbean for Foreign Investment (Costa Rica was just pipped at the post by Puerto Rica)
The Latin Business Chronicle ranks Costa Rica as the second most globalised nation in Latin America on the basis of six criteria - imports, exports, tourism receipts, foreign direct investment and remittances.
So Costa Rica is good for the environment and good for business.
An attractive place to retire to?
1% of the population is already North American and Canadian retirees and expatriates and retiring to Costa Rica is a straightforward process.
It is estimated that 100 million baby boomers will retire over the next two decades and some projections estimate that 10% of them will seek to live outside of North America.
With its low cost of living, excellent health care and safe beautiful environment Costa Rica looks likely to attract many of these retirees.
Costa Rica Invest specialises in environmentally friendly, ethically responsible, high yield investments, primarily in Costa Rica. Finca Di Pacifico Dos is Costa Rica Invest's current project which gives the security of a teak investment combined with the potentially spectacular returns of development land banking in the no. 1 emerging economy in Central America - Costa Rica. With land prices projected to soar as demand from Baby Boomer retirees increase – this is an excellent opportunity to benefit from the increasing land prices with the additional security of teak growing on your land.
Related articles:
Expat Daily News: Costa Rica - A Dream of a Business for $1 Million
Expat Daily News: Investors and Businesses in Costa Rica to ...
Expat Daily News: What sets Costa Rica Apart?
More articles:
Expat Advice - Expat Finance - Expat Health - Invest Overseas - Live Overseas - Real Estate Overseas - Retire Overseas - Work Overseas - Hot Topics
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