I guess it's official, Delphi, my former employer, is out of bankruptcy. Four years.
They really went into their final approach this past February when they asked the courts to let them cancel the health care and life insurance of their salaried workers. We, I'm one of them, received a Fed-Ex package almost to the day of their IPO status of 2/5/99. We were given 30 days to make life changing decisions, to find alternate plans and policies for our health care, life insurance and extended care coverage. Those of us that had pre-existing conditions had no choice. Pay the full bill, which there are many who already pay these high fees but we weren't use to this. Some would never have life insurance again, pre-existing conditions make this financially impossible to have. We were never asked to pay more if needed, the bill just went up. But to go up almost 1500% in your budget, in one month, was very hard to handle. We were promised, in a handshake agreement, that we would have these benefits until we reached 65 when medicare kicks in.
We were told we would have supplemental pension monies until we turned 62 and then you would file for social security. On July 31 Delphi and the PBGC decided that the pension should be in the hands of the PBGC which means those not old enough to draw SS were going to loose even more, maybe as much as 50% of their income. Someone that was anywhere from 55 to 62 was going to have a problem. Most of those that were in the youngest group were not ready to retire. They were forced out and hadn't found work yet. This is the economy from hell. They could possibly have kids in college, mortgages, trying to find healthcare, etc.
Well, those that were in charge fared very well with their special retirement packages. They were charged with crimes but got off with slaps on the wrist. They have large homes which are in their wives names. They have even had the nerve to ask the courts to have Delphi pay for their legal fees. They requested approximately 10 million dollars in aid.
Now Delphi is out of bankruptcy, most likely with the help of taxpayer monies through GM. Now, we have an American company with no manufacturing plants in the United States. They will be supplying GM with parts for the cars that are made stateside and off shore. Unfortunately, more and more of the GM brands are being made off shore. Unfortunately GM has even helped some of our tire companies close or have lay-offs this year because they have chosen to buy foreign (Chinese) tires to put on their automobiles. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer.
If you want to know who or what Delphi is, google Delco Products. Home of the first shock absorber. Founded in Dayton, OH. This was their name before being split off from GM. They were also Harrison Radiator, the maker of the automobile air conditioner. Inland, two locations in the Dayton area, made the interiors and safety devices for GM. Delco Moraine supplied the brakes. Fractional electric motors as well as electromotive motors for the railroad trains were made in Kettering, OH, another Dayton suburb. Other suspension parts came from Michigan and the list goes on and on. Delco was a big part of GM.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Must appologize
Wow, I didn't remember to update the posting of the project. I'm not going to put the picture up because, well no one has posted a question as to what it is. Just in case someone does read this and wants to know, it was a tote designed as a tool box. The board with the hole in it is the top board and the hole is nothing more than a finger hole for pulling it out to get to the items in the bottom part. The pieces that look like the end of a house are the ends of the box. Two pieces look similar are the sides and then the odd large piece is the bottom. I cut a hole in the ends and put a 3/4" dowel rod in for a handle.
If I still have a picture or get in the mood I will put a posting of the finished product up.
Also, just for info, two people got close in guessing and one actually called it a tool box.
Purpose, to be able to put a few tools and helpful parts in it for working around the house. I have tools in the basement and in the garage but I hate to have to walk to get the most common thing that I should have with me but my hands were too full to carry everything.
No excuses now.
If I still have a picture or get in the mood I will put a posting of the finished product up.
Also, just for info, two people got close in guessing and one actually called it a tool box.
Purpose, to be able to put a few tools and helpful parts in it for working around the house. I have tools in the basement and in the garage but I hate to have to walk to get the most common thing that I should have with me but my hands were too full to carry everything.
No excuses now.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Newest hint
One of the look alike parts that doesn't really match and the hole is not the problem. I have had CD/DVD holder a bird house and an rc flight box mentioned. The closest thing is the word hobby but it isn't a hobby in particular.
The flight box was mentioned twice, once by my daughter and once by super pilot Gene. If he was in a NASCAR race he would have done just fine, turn left. Maybe I should have given him a new nick name......Turn Left or TL for short. I gave my son-in-law a nick name once....sparky. That's another story. He's a good kid so we will leave it there.
New guesses needed.
The flight box was mentioned twice, once by my daughter and once by super pilot Gene. If he was in a NASCAR race he would have done just fine, turn left. Maybe I should have given him a new nick name......Turn Left or TL for short. I gave my son-in-law a nick name once....sparky. That's another story. He's a good kid so we will leave it there.
New guesses needed.
Responses to the project
Well, I have had only two responses to the question of "what is it" on my project. My daughter and my friend Gene's wife. The first was a bird house and the second was an addition to my above ground square foot gardening project. The answer to both is, no.
I gave hints on FaceBook but probably only the daughter will have any luck with them. The first is; I had two of these. The second is one of them was useful in my hobby of radio control flying.
Gene had a plane, never got it off the ground, but the point is he would have needed one if he really got into the flying thing. He flew my plane one time. When you fly at a designated field you are suppose to stay out in front of the pit area over the field. Gene likes to use all the air space he can so instead of flying left to right and back or up and down in elevation changes, he used the 360 degree method. You stand still and turn and turn and turn and turn until the plane is again back over the field. He did real good for his first time.
Well, getting back to the project I will say this as another hint. There are 6 larger pieces in the photo. Of these, two are very similar. Of the remaining four, they are similar but only two are exact which leaves two that there is some sort of difference. Of these two I made an alteration yesterday when I was sanding and assembling it. Also, one of these pieces, the one altered, incorporates the four real small look alike pieces. One last thing, I still need to purchase one very critical part.
Maybe a picture will show up tomorrow as another hint.
Only two guesses tells me I'm really watched, lol.
I gave hints on FaceBook but probably only the daughter will have any luck with them. The first is; I had two of these. The second is one of them was useful in my hobby of radio control flying.
Gene had a plane, never got it off the ground, but the point is he would have needed one if he really got into the flying thing. He flew my plane one time. When you fly at a designated field you are suppose to stay out in front of the pit area over the field. Gene likes to use all the air space he can so instead of flying left to right and back or up and down in elevation changes, he used the 360 degree method. You stand still and turn and turn and turn and turn until the plane is again back over the field. He did real good for his first time.
Well, getting back to the project I will say this as another hint. There are 6 larger pieces in the photo. Of these, two are very similar. Of the remaining four, they are similar but only two are exact which leaves two that there is some sort of difference. Of these two I made an alteration yesterday when I was sanding and assembling it. Also, one of these pieces, the one altered, incorporates the four real small look alike pieces. One last thing, I still need to purchase one very critical part.
Maybe a picture will show up tomorrow as another hint.
Only two guesses tells me I'm really watched, lol.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
New Project
I have a new project in the works and I am going to show it here but I can't reveal what it is. I have a neighbor that slipped into my garage and when he spotted it he knew exactly what it is. I have posted this picture on Facebook with the same question, what is it. I will put some more pictures up as I go but to me I can't put too many up because it isn't that complicated. I can give hints but not at the present time. Tomorrow I will start the coloring process, then the gluing and anchoring of the parts will come into play.
A joke about healthcare and the insurance companies
This isn't about me but about the fallacy in what health care pays.
Last February I was informed by my former employer that my former promised coverage of health care would be dropped and I would have to find new coverage or pay for the same coverage through them with full payment. Well, having pre-existing conditions took out the option of finding my own so I had to elect to do the "self-pay" plan. This would make my costs go from $143 a month to $1495 a month in just thirty days. I had no choice and was somewhat nervous because things had to fall into place or I could be out on a limb and the saw would be cutting behind me. I have a pacemaker and I knew I was due a new one because the battery were running down. No plug in hybrid here. No recharge.
In March, about one week before the insurance needed to transfer to solely me, I got the pacemaker. This, as you can imagine, set me up in the 'you met your quota or you're payed out' for the year situation.
Now we will get to what this is all about. Had I had to change insurance companies I would have been turned down by all. Too many pre-existing conditions, heart, cancer et, al. Under the law of Ohio I do believe I could get insurance but the insurance company is totally protected in that they can charge you somewhere north of $3000 or $4000 a month. Another fluke to insurance companies is that if I did not have these conditions and I developed some sort of condition afterwards, there is a clause that lets them drop you like a hot potato(e), your choice on spelling. If they don't drop you and you contract something like cancer, it is up to them as to what drug you can take or not have access to. All this is a cost savings effort on their part to make the insurance cost effective. Or you can say it is a way to not payout funds that would cut into the profits. After all, they are in the business of gambling on your health and they have the guns to roll the dice as needed.
Well, they just showed me that all they say about watching the costs and the fighting with hospitals is really a big fat hoax. I just received a EBO showing what has been paid and there was an entry for $72. At first I ignored it because I didn't owe anything. I had been to see a doctor at Kettering Medical Center recently but I had never seen this before. Curiosity always gets the cat. The better half of this couple called to get an answer from the doctor and ended up calling the hospital. Come to find out the insurance company is willing to pay for my use of the doctors office because it helps the hospital. I have seen this doctor maybe four or five times before this and this bill has never been there. At the end of this visit he asks us if we would like to see him at a satellite office. We said yes because it is about 2 miles vs. 10 miles and much easier to get into. We think he knew about the bill but didn't say anything.
We were never informed of this potential bill by the hospital or the doctor. In talking to a neighbor we find that this is a standard practice that has been going on. I can't say whether I would pay to protect my credit or that I would tell them to find the turnip and get the blood from it. This hospital is building a new wing (huge) and since it is named after an individual I would assume that the costs are covered somehow. Maybe the office charge is for the increased parking areas required but to charge me fees to walk into a facility, sit in a waiting room and then leave fifteen minutes later is not acceptable. If I have to see a doctor in a medical facility in the future I will be asking if there is a charge to me for this 'privilege'. I am now wondering what the doctor has to pay for this office space.
Next time you go to the doctor in a hospital, ask the question, is there a seperate charge for the use of this office to me. Always get an itemized statement from a hospital if you need to use one and look it over. Question everything that you don't understand. It takes time but you can possibly save money you owe this way. They will cut deals if needed.
Last February I was informed by my former employer that my former promised coverage of health care would be dropped and I would have to find new coverage or pay for the same coverage through them with full payment. Well, having pre-existing conditions took out the option of finding my own so I had to elect to do the "self-pay" plan. This would make my costs go from $143 a month to $1495 a month in just thirty days. I had no choice and was somewhat nervous because things had to fall into place or I could be out on a limb and the saw would be cutting behind me. I have a pacemaker and I knew I was due a new one because the battery were running down. No plug in hybrid here. No recharge.
In March, about one week before the insurance needed to transfer to solely me, I got the pacemaker. This, as you can imagine, set me up in the 'you met your quota or you're payed out' for the year situation.
Now we will get to what this is all about. Had I had to change insurance companies I would have been turned down by all. Too many pre-existing conditions, heart, cancer et, al. Under the law of Ohio I do believe I could get insurance but the insurance company is totally protected in that they can charge you somewhere north of $3000 or $4000 a month. Another fluke to insurance companies is that if I did not have these conditions and I developed some sort of condition afterwards, there is a clause that lets them drop you like a hot potato(e), your choice on spelling. If they don't drop you and you contract something like cancer, it is up to them as to what drug you can take or not have access to. All this is a cost savings effort on their part to make the insurance cost effective. Or you can say it is a way to not payout funds that would cut into the profits. After all, they are in the business of gambling on your health and they have the guns to roll the dice as needed.
Well, they just showed me that all they say about watching the costs and the fighting with hospitals is really a big fat hoax. I just received a EBO showing what has been paid and there was an entry for $72. At first I ignored it because I didn't owe anything. I had been to see a doctor at Kettering Medical Center recently but I had never seen this before. Curiosity always gets the cat. The better half of this couple called to get an answer from the doctor and ended up calling the hospital. Come to find out the insurance company is willing to pay for my use of the doctors office because it helps the hospital. I have seen this doctor maybe four or five times before this and this bill has never been there. At the end of this visit he asks us if we would like to see him at a satellite office. We said yes because it is about 2 miles vs. 10 miles and much easier to get into. We think he knew about the bill but didn't say anything.
We were never informed of this potential bill by the hospital or the doctor. In talking to a neighbor we find that this is a standard practice that has been going on. I can't say whether I would pay to protect my credit or that I would tell them to find the turnip and get the blood from it. This hospital is building a new wing (huge) and since it is named after an individual I would assume that the costs are covered somehow. Maybe the office charge is for the increased parking areas required but to charge me fees to walk into a facility, sit in a waiting room and then leave fifteen minutes later is not acceptable. If I have to see a doctor in a medical facility in the future I will be asking if there is a charge to me for this 'privilege'. I am now wondering what the doctor has to pay for this office space.
Next time you go to the doctor in a hospital, ask the question, is there a seperate charge for the use of this office to me. Always get an itemized statement from a hospital if you need to use one and look it over. Question everything that you don't understand. It takes time but you can possibly save money you owe this way. They will cut deals if needed.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Just fooling around with Adobe software.
This is several shots taken at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH on Aug. 8th. Some were taken during the rain in practice and others were taken during the race when it dried out. I believe there are 6 pictures here. I have downloaded the Adobe Illustrator 7.0 trial version to see if I like it. So far, for the money, it isn't all that bad. I have another program that I really like but it doesn't work with Vista 64 yet. Anyway, I was just playing around and did this. I like it. Don't ask me to point out the individual pics.
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