The totally off-topic thread

[anat0l]

Maybe they should do it like in Switzerland. Everyone here, with few exceptions, must purchase a health insurance policy. You cannot be refused basic health insurance cover, irrespective of your medical history. (You can be refused any cover for extras / supplementary cover).

That said, many of the health insurance companies are owned by governments (cantons). They definitely don't all offer the same premium, even though the law mandates the cover that must be provided with a basic policy.

There is no "Medicare" government health insurance here; that said, there is a referendum (which I believe the voting of which has just closed) which is asking if the Swiss population would prefer only one medical insurance policy / company rather than the something like close to a hundred there are right now. The hunch is that the new idea will be defeated.

 

[Cossie]

So they are now a profitable organisation.

Still don't understand the need to sell. Sounds like CBA, SYD airport etc all over again.

As well as selling off all the government owned buildings in Canberra and having to lease them back....

 

[serfty]

Is that a bit like some of the white goods health insurance products out there?

I get worried when I see a cheap health insurance product and it is underwritten by a holding company operating out of a 1 room office in Sydney that feels like someone operating from their backyard.

I would not describe HCF as "white goods".

 

[Cossie]

If you need the money there's not a lot of options unless you raise more taxes. Or cut spending. But then you have to deal with Pups.

So how about making multinationals pay their fair share of tax, and what is wrong with raising taxes, or at the very least removing some of the lurks in the present system?

 

[anat0l]

So how about making multinationals pay their fair share of tax, and what is wrong with raising taxes, or at the very least removing some of the lurks in the present system?

Now how is the government possibly going to do that without being crucified from both the population and the minor supporting parties (or at least one "big" one, figurative and literal)?




Just got a notice in my email box from Boost Juice (yes, I'm aware of the lack of nutritional value) that it's name day tomorrow, and my name is on there. Of course I'm not in Australia to be able to take advantage of it..... exactly the same as when my birthday this year fell on a public holiday which I had to work through anyway.........

 

[medhead]

I would be happy with 10% - rounded up to the nearest US$1,000 of course.

Sounds like my broker. 2% or $1000, whichever is higher.

 

[Pushka]

So how about making multinationals pay their fair share of tax, and what is wrong with raising taxes, or at the very least removing some of the lurks in the present system?

Various iterations have tried doing just that. By their very nature multinationals won't have much investment in Australia but in tax havens. Lurks in the current system? They are everywhere but move just slightly towards cleaning that up and all hell breaks loose and the Palmers of the Parliament grandstand and block. Raise taxes? Increasing the GST would go a long way towards fixing the issue but the States won't touch it.

But even so, why should a "private" health insurance system be contained within a Government?

 

[amaroo]

So how about making multinationals pay their fair share of tax, and what is wrong with raising taxes, or at the very least removing some of the lurks in the present system?

The A team is well ahead of the pack....

A GLOBAL crackdown on tax evasion will help to add “substantially” more than $480 million to the federal government’s coffers each year, according to new estimates of the impact of a deal at this weekend’s G20 finance summit in Cairns.
Joe Hockey urged a major agreement on tax during the talks and declared it “absolutely essential” that leaders from the world’s 20 biggest economies commit to acting against tax cheats when they meet in Brisbane in November.

 

[JohnK]

I would not describe HCF as "white goods".

Nor would I. That is one of the trusted health insurance providers.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people purchasing health insurance from companies they do not know and I would not trust those companies to be able to provide the services of the well known health insurance providers.

 

[straitman]

A great day was had by all our mob today.
A visit to the ExxonMobil helipad at Longford finished the afternoon off nicely.
Dinner at the Star Hotel in Sale (winner of the best regional bistro in Australia 2014) completed the day.

 

[drron]

Well today I visited San Juan,San Antonio and San Jose then drove down Broadway ,through Times Sqare past Central Park before going back down 8th Ave to Canal street.And all in the USA.
Well Saipan and Tinian anyway.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Well today I visited San Juan,San Antonio and San Jose then drove down Broadway ,through Times Sqare past Central Park before going back down 8th Ave to Canal street.And all in the USA.
Well Saipan and Tinian anyway.

Vegas?....

 

[whatmeworry]

But even so, why should a "private" health insurance system be contained within a Government?

Most people could sell their assets and be a millionaire tomorrow, but it would be an idiotic thing to do. But somehow when the Liberals do it, people think they're economic geniuses.

 

[Deleted member]

Most people could sell their assets and be a millionaire tomorrow, but it would be an idiotic thing to do. But somehow when the Liberals do it, people think they're economic geniuses.

And when labor do it, they are what?

 

[JohnK]

But even so, why should a "private" health insurance system be contained within a Government?

And why should "private" be a restriction?

I know some people are against the idea of governments running businesses but I am more against the idea of allowing private enterprise to gouge and make obscene profits when the governments can do that just as easily.

CBA, SYD Airport, Telstra are just a few that come to mind. Why would you sell a fully profitable business?

Because capitalism implies that governments should not be in the business of running businesses? Totally wrong.

 

[markis10]

Thumbs up to VA for getting us in fifteen early, thumbs down to VA ops who feel two aircraft can share a gate, getting rid of a lot of the time saved.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Thumbs up to VA for getting us in fifteen early, thumbs down to VA ops who feel two aircraft can share a gate, getting rid of a lot of the time saved.

On my trip to LHR recently we landed 20 mins early into DXB on QF9. The gate we were allocated was still occupied and the gate adjacent was vacant. Initial announcement was that we were likely being switched to the empty gate. A short time later the pilot announced with a healthy dose of scepticism that despite intial instructions from ATC that we were being switched to the vacant gate that it was no longer possible. The reason being that the adjacent gate wasn't able to accept the "engine configuration of the QF aircraft". We would need to wait (at this point the wait had been greater than 20mins) for the occupied gate to be cleared. The pilot asked us not to be upset if in the interim an EK A380 with the correct engine configuration pulled into the adjacent empty gate whilst we were being held on the taxiway.
I'm not making this up, the entire episode could be clearly viewed from the Tail Cam on the IFE.
We eventually stopped at the gate first allocated to us that was occupied upon our arrival.

 

[JohnK]

Thumbs up to VA for getting us in fifteen early, thumbs down to VA ops who feel two aircraft can share a gate, getting rid of a lot of the time saved.

Touched down in BNE at ~9:00am this morning which is close to on time. Did not get to the gate until ~9:20am. Gate congestion? Not good enough VA.

 

[QF WP]

A great day was had by all our mob today.View attachment 35397
A visit to the ExxonMobil helipad at Longford finished the afternoon off nicely.
Dinner at the Star Hotel in Sale (winner of the best regional bistro in Australia 2014) completed the day.

I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to tour the facilities and talk to a number of the helo pilots AND get to see two departing helos from the control tower.

Damn that was a nice meal - well worth it considering the kids ate free:

Chili and garlic prawns


(warm) Chicken Salad with citrus twist


Well we had to take advantage of this:



so we then indulged with 2 pieces of Lemon Meringue for $9.95 which we opted to take away and bring home to eat whilst watching Franki Valli and then The Eagles, whilst opening a bottle of red post dinner

 

[robd]

Went to my first NFL game last night - Dallas Cowboys v New Orleans Saints. The USA do these events so well. It was AWESOME! If only the AFL ....