You got your bloodless revolution, right here.

[omega minimo]

You have had the power all along. PURCHASE POWER. Vote with your dollars, the ones you have left.

Whether you have been conscious of this power and actively using it for decades or come to awareness
kicking and screaming, suffering conspicuous consumption withdrawal, NOW you are thinking about the fact:
You vote, you endorse, you support, you enable that which you spend your money on.

There are many alternatives and choices to how you spend your dollars.
You may be reexamining those options right now, maybe for the first time.

It seems like things didn't have to get THIS bad to get people's attention, but apparently, they did.

Are you feeling the power? Are you reconsidering how you use that power? Have you thought about organizing that power?

Consumers who are being told their jobs are outsourced, wonder how corporations expect them to buy their product.
Will those citizens flex the only muscle they have and send a message to the corporate leeches:
that they won't be bled into oblivion by false needs and marketing traps?

[msongs]

1. lol thought u were referring to the conservatives hijacking the democratic party nt

[omega minimo]

6. !

:yoiks:

[begin_within]

2. I would love to stop writing a $503 check to Blue Shield every 3 months

but I don't see an alternative right now... if only they would just go ahead and establish Single Payer now, or at least Medicare-for-all, or at least a real public option, then I would have an alternative. But as I see it now I would be just jumping from a frying pan into the fire if I switched from one private insurance company to another.

[omega minimo]

7. yes that would send a message

but you need that now. It's fortunate you have the coverage and at this point that rate sounds fortunate also.

It's the other purchases we may have more control over where and how much we spend .........

[begin_within]

8. It's for bare-bones coverage though.

$2,900 deductible, $40 office visits, 40% copayment for hospital, $100 + 40% for ER, generic drugs only. Does not seem like a good deal to me, but that is the cheapest monthly plan they offer me. $167 per month now, $177 per month premium starting in March. For what?

[omega minimo]

9. yikes!!

[begin_within]

10. It does have a maximum out-of-pocket of $5,900/yr

So that if I had a million-dollar hospital bill in one year, I wouldn't be on the hook for $400,000. Just $5,900. But I'm paying more than $2,000 per year for this. I guess it's worth it in the big picture, but even a $5,900 bill would be a strain on my finances. But even for little things it seems like I keep having to pay every time I do anything.

[timeforpeace]

22. You'll only pay $800 a month under HCR...hey, wait a minute! You got a deal!

[babylonsister]

3. Do you have any concrete ideas? afaik, spending was up this year

for the holidays. :shrug:

[omega minimo]

5. I know options are different for different folks and certain locales

We've had some good discussions here, in answer to your question, about options.

I'm curious about how people view this now ......

[dysfunctional press]

4. in a global economy, that power is extremely diluted.

people in the u.s. aren't buying this month...? we'll make it up in europe and asia.

just like dorothy during her visit to oz- you're dreaming.

[omega minimo]

11. .

[bvar22]

12. We are learning to Live Well on Less.

We moved to The Woods in 2006 and planted a BIG garden.
We "BUY" almost nothing "NEW".
What we can't make ourselves,
we buy or barter 2nd hand or salvage
and make it work...
or do without.

Wall Street can live or die without our money or concern.
Our "Taxable Income" is low,
yet we live and eat well.

We grow a good percentage of our own food,
Veggies, Fruits, Chickens, and HoneyBees.
Next year, a cow or Nanny Goat.

What we can't produce ourselves,
we try to buy in bulk,
and cook from scratch.

We are still on the Corporate Hook for some things,
but we are learning as we go.
Next year, we will "consume" even less.

It is not for everybody.
We realize we are very fortunate to be able to do so.
We are both strong and healthy without dependents,
and have a compatible skill set that makes this fun.
We are using what we learned in the 60s. :hippie:



If the Democratic Party is going to Keep the Elective WARS going,
INCREASE Military Spending while Americans are homeless and without Health Care,
and Continue to "Bail out failed Millionaires" (including Health Insurance Cartels),
They can do so without our money and votes too!

Our focus has become local Humanitarian Issues.
Now, if I can just walk away from my DU addiction.....

[omega minimo]

13. Thank you for sharing that bvar22

and we share your addiction :evilgrin: Yours is a great example AND shows options to consider -- there's a wide range of what's possible for each person's situation. Your gardens are lovely. Happy New Year, may it be healthy, peaceful and prosperous.

[bvar22]

14. Thanks for your kind words.

Our only real concern is Health Care.
THAT is the one thing beyond our control.

We really believed that the Democratic Party was going to expand MediCare.
Now we are going to be faced with a difficult decision.
We are currently uninsured, and absolutely HATE being forced to BUY from a For Profit.
We even qualify for a good "subsidy", and STILL HATE the idea.

[omega minimo]

16. Those who remember the promises of Bill Clinton in '92

and find the same game being played now .... it's a shame. And so damn In Yer Face, aren't they? Taking us all for a bunch suckers. :thumbsdown:

It's also a shame that self appointed threadkillers won't allow open discussions -- even in designated forums -- of the sort of healthy, free alternatives for maintaining health that more folks will be interested in and will NEED to know about, as health care becomes more and more UNobtainable.

The "lucky ones" already know having health insurance doesn't mean you can afford to use it and pay the extras for health care.

[laughingliberal]

15. I can only think of those ideas discussed before

Move your money to local banks or credit unions.
Scale back to, mostly, necessities.
When possible shop with locally owned merchants.
If there is a Costco in town they trump Walmart or Sam's Club. Nice to their workers, etc...

Depending on how drastic your circumstances are and the laws where you live:

Consider walking on your mortgage if you are upside down and rents in your area are much cheaper than your house note. Will put some money in your pocket right away. With your new found frugality you can save some of that money to make your escape to a sane country.
If you are young enough, investigate countries in which you would like to live and what their occupations of preference are. Use any resources you can to get training in one of them and emigrate. I know it sounds drastic but I am kicking myself for not looking into this in time. I am trained as an RN and could have gone anywhere. It didn't occur to me until Bush got the White House in 2000 that we really might not ever turn this tide around. I started looking around then and was too old by 1 year to emigrate under occupations of preference. If you have any thoughts you would like to get out do it now. If things don't go so badly here as it looks like they will, you can always come back.

[omega minimo]

17. Great post

Should we google: "occupations of preference"?

[laughingliberal]

18. Glad you liked it.

I would start with googling departments of immigration in countries that interest you.

Here's one to get you started:

http://www.immi.gov.au/

RN's have a good shot almost anywhere so long as in good health and under 40, some countries 45. Accounting tends to be another occupation for which Australia has a preference.

We may also have some helpful DUers in other counties who may shed some light on moving. (hint hint)

[omega minimo]

19. Thanks for the link.

;-)

[truedelphi]

20. Great post. Sorry I didn't see it in time to rec.

I persoanlly think that the Powers that Be intend to fracture this nation beyond redemption.

No nation has ever had a democracy when the middle incomed are destroyed.

And our Congressional "servants" must know this, but pretend that they don't.

[omega minimo]

21. At least we know now what to hang off of our hats

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7473312



I agree with your assessment. I can't relate -- after years of shouting into the wind -- now that people think it's time to START to organize to respond to correct this debacle. I wish them luck and I wish even more they had the sense to prevent the dismantlement of our nation while it was occurring.

Too little too late. I wish them luck.