Things should never get this bad !

[RickB]

That happened less than 15 miles from where I sit making this post.

 

[20 20]

Reminds me of what happened up here in the 80's when the farmers were being screwed then

 

[scesnick]

I hate stories like this. I'm sure he had a family. My heart and prayers go out to them.

 

[devildog1]

OMG!
I just read this in our morning paper, so sad for that the poor farmer and his family. It's just not right on how the farmers are being taxed, can't be sure it was part of issue but they do have it hard.
DevilDog

 

[radioman]

it is sad. another dairy farmer bites the dust. My uncle who had my great grandfather farm is no longer farming and he is struggling to eat.

 

[Western]

I read that on Fox this morning, hard to understand what drives a person to that point, sure is sad.

Note what the neighboring farmers said "It's hard to be a farmer these day's" made me think about the thread on here of that young fellow that wanted to start up a dairy...

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

My high school friends back home are farmers. She has a degree, he does too, but really no good jobs locally, she works at the library, but I think she enjoys that as much as for any income. She told me their health insurance premiums rose again, $7,300 for 6 months now, they are both nearing age 60. She said her husband said, just be thankful we make enough to pay them. And we don't need health care reform.

 

[SARG]

And we don't need health care reform.

But the sad reality is that those that currently pay .... will end up paying even more to provide some type of coverage for the deadbeats.

 

[pennwalk]

Sad story. You have to wonder about a country that won't pay farmers but throws money at bankers. The head of our home town bank makes over a million a year!

Chris

 

[sellercreek]

But the sad reality is that those that currently pay .... will end up paying even more to provide some type of coverage for the deadbeats.

That is true but the deadbeats are going to the ER now and everybody else is picking up the tab anyway. The other drain on the health care system is the insurance companies, who simply act as a middleman and provide no medical care, are raking 30-35% off the top.

You are right. We are in a mess.

 

[brin]

Remember back as recently as the late 70's - health care was no big deal..I remember my son had an accident on the farm and hurt his foot and we took him to the ER and I paid it out of my pocket ..didn't even file an insurance claim. This whole thing with health care being employer and insurance company based gives no one the incentive to shop for prices or think twice before going to the doc. or the ER since they just think in terms of co - pay not actual cost and that flys in the face of our competitive economic system. People go to the doc and the er now for anything since they are not paying for it...not really...the way they see it just the small co pay. It is a mess..people need to take responsibility for their health care under a new system that does not include the government deciding when and what kind of care they get..

 

[devildog1]

It is a mess..people need to take responsibility for their health care under a new system that does not include the government deciding when and what kind of care they get..[/quote]
Amen to that, people have to take responsibility for their own well being, not sit back and wait for the government and other working people to take care of them. Deadbeats, have money for cells, i-pods, vacations, and cars. Things just have to be prioritized.

 

[dave1949]

Remember back as recently as the late 70's - health care was no big deal..I remember my son had an accident on the farm and hurt his foot and we took him to the ER and I paid it out of my pocket ..didn't even file an insurance claim. This whole thing with health care being employer and insurance company based gives no one the incentive to shop for prices or think twice before going to the doc. or the ER since they just think in terms of co - pay not actual cost and that flys in the face of our competitive economic system. People go to the doc and the er now for anything since they are not paying for it...not really...the way they see it just the small co pay. It is a mess..people need to take responsibility for their health care under a new system that does not include the government deciding when and what kind of care they get..

The old days may come back Brin. I saw an article not too long ago about a few doctors opting out of the insurance merry-go-round. They treat you, you pay cash. These aren't the boutique doctors either, just regular docs.

I also don't think it makes any sense for health care or insurance costs to be paid or partially paid by an employer. That system may have made sense when people often worked the same place for 20-30 years. One big family type of thing. Now, most jobs don't last that long and in some technical professions, working for the same employer 3-5 years is about the norm.

The insurance companies are a joke. Anthem/Blue Shield - Blue Cross of Maine just requested a 23% raise in the price of non-group high deductible policies - that's just nonsense. In response to criticisms, they said their costs for those policies were 104% of premiums paid. So, what is the other 19% for? That isn't chump change - well maybe it is
Dave.

 

[RickB]

Talk about thread creep!

 

[dave1949]

Talk about thread creep!

I know Rick. BTW thanks for the wet/dry clutch write up.

I was thinking about this poor guy and how he must have felt trapped in some corner of he** in his own mind at least. He could have been someone who would have benefited from counseling or care of some sort. Maybe he had some, maybe he didn't. But, that's how I got to where I was.
Dave.

 

[beenthere]

Regards the farmer, and the cows.....
One really doesn't know if it had to do with farming at all. It could have been a bad relationship with his wife and he wasn't going to leave her with cows to care for (or to be able to sell) after he was gone. Just never know.

 

[etcallhome]

OMG sorry for the families loss ...So many farmers are feeling the pinch...I would say the largest dairy farmer here in this area closed there doors a few months ago. There great grandfather is probably turning over in his grave...

Sad

 

[Ken]

Sad Story although if a newspaper reporter really wanted to find the real events that took place before this story.
Dairy farms all across the US is being shut down due to cost of feed.When the monthly feed bill exceeds the milk check. the banks wants faster payback on loans.
Dairy factorys in the western states with thousands of cows and sitting next to the crops have lower per animal cost to produce. The small Dairy farmer has no choice but to shut down the farm. Wisconsin Dairys closed because there is a large house built next to the barn and the city worker smell the barn and complains. Dairy is shut down.Doesn't matter if 2nd. or more generation of farm.

Just a start to the problems.
ken

 

[Pirate]

But the sad reality is that those that currently pay .... will end up paying even more to provide some type of coverage for the deadbeats.

Not sure how to take that statement. Are you saying that those that can't afford health care are deadbeats? Plenty of people work real hard and work a full work week and still can't afford health care. It is a problem with our country. Our country has no moral base. A country that lets it's citizens lose their homes in order to get health care is sick itself. You either have it in this country or don't. Please don't call the don't have it's deadbeats.