Month: June 2013

Some thoughts on online calculators that save you money

I like this site: Washing Machines: Cost per load of washers — Ask Mr. Electricity

It gives you an online calculator and shows you how much you can save by changing the way you do laundry.

A good exercise would be to have an entire list of such calculators, run them all, and total up how changing a few simple behavoirs can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The accumulation would really impress people, I think.

Dedicating a tree or bench in Toronto

The City of Toronto has a great program that allows you allows you to pay tribute to someone or some event by purchasing a park bench or tree for installation in a public park through their Commemorative Tree and Bench Program. The details are here. It’s a wonderful way to be remembered, I think. Check out the link to find out more.

(Blog post text partially taken from their site.)

Father’s Day Gift Ideas….

…can be found at many places online, but Pinhole Press has some really good ones. Since a lot of father’s are into beer making these days, why not make Dad some sharply branded labels for his best concoction, such as these?

At this link,

Cheers To Dad | Pinhole Press

, you can see they have labels for beer, wine, and more.

Pinhole Press makes great looking products. Even if you don’t have a Father in your life, I recommend it.

How some on the right wing distort the discussion on Health Care in the United States

First off, here’s Avik Roy’s recent article in Forbes, proporting to show how Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is terrible: Rate Shock: In California, Obamacare To Increase Individual Health Insurance Premiums By 64-146% – Forbes. I know about this, because I read Paul Krugman on it, here: We Are Not Having A Serious Discussion, Obamacare Edition. Between that and this piece by Ezra Klein, here (The shocking truth about Obamacare’s rate shock), you can see how the right uses distortions to argue against the ACA.

It is good to be skeptical and concerned about big changes in government programs. And despite what the left might say, there is sufficient waste to be gutted, such as these conference expenses, Report finds IRS spent $50M for conferences, according to House panel, not to mention things listed here, Government Spending Waste: 25 Wasteful Items – Business Insider. But critics should be honest and forthright in their criticism. That is in everyone’s best interest.

Healthcare is a complex topic. It’s important to get it right and to explain it clearly. I think that even with the ACA/Obamacare approach, Americans aren’t going to have the best system in the world. But it will be better than it is before, and the way to it improve it and keep it in check is with honest disagreements, not distortions.