#Servicing that many loans costs the government a lot of money and it will KEEP costing the government a lot of money ongoing

[thepioden]

One thing that is often overlooked with federal student loan forgiveness is that for every outstanding loan, the federal government is giving taxpayer money to a massive private fintech contractor to service that loan. It actively costs the government money to have loans outstanding. It is more expensive for the government to have someone who is on a low or no-pay income driven plan sit on that debt for 20 years than it would be to just forgive it outright today.

So like. Your tax dollars could go to relieving the debt burden of some struggling millennial OR they can line the pockets of Aidvantage's CEO, but that money is being spent either way.

[anthonybialy]

Mob Misses

Money isn’t the only thing inflated.  Joe Biden thinks the term means its value increases, which is desirable just like it is for balloons.  A professional clown made him a squirrel.  As an amateur, he makes cash as worthless as his reputation.

The amount of sheer scumbaggery exhibited by our leader is the only thing exhibited in abundance.  America struggles to escape the influence of a limp crime boss who gets his cut from every industry.  The nation he rips off endures exactly what everyone who believes in properly-restrained government said would happen when it went unlimited.  A full-time dirtbag who rips off resources is bound to think it’s common behavior.

The messenger is suitable for the message.  Only Biden would think he’s being praised.  Exploiting authority that was never his to seize is as shameless as deciding debts don’t need to be repaid because he proclaims it.  

A criminal and criminally inept administration uncannily pimps policies that serve his crackhead brat’s shady deals. Haruspicy doesn’t require animal entrails.  Nobody can afford bacon.

Personal grift is accompanied by other kinds of overreach.  The ostensibly beneficial interference is the precise opposite, but we’d enjoy peaceful prosperity if it worked like smug dolts imagined.  Those forced to pledge allegiance don’t even get benefits out of putting up with a bumbling godfather.

It’s unsurprising that Biden family capos can’t even invent clever schemes.  Enriching himself by using a Chinese laundry is the worst sort of stereotyping.  Taking classified documents and leaving them laying about was so blatant that it seemed like a sting.  Meanwhile, his son who’s legitimate in one sense makes deals with the sort of rogues’ gathering from the opening of The Naked Gun while Daddy just happened to stop in and say hi.  Life is full of coincidences.  Don’t forget to notice the magic of the everyday.

Ineptness while corrupt will have to qualify as balance.  There’s not a pleasant aspect about Biden’s personality or results.  It’s not like he’s a jerk who gets things done, or at least good things.  Confusing activity for progress isn’t a sign that Biden is declining, as he began his political career declined.

You have to take it.  There’s never been a better case against coercion for supposed progress than a garbage presidency staffed by terrible people who are so unwilling to help others voluntarily that they can’t imagine anyone decent enough to do so.  A lack of empathy explains a lot, including why pushy liberals explain constantly that they really care.

Sucking at making anything people want is a common characteristic amongst uncommonly useless White House underlings.  A service rendered costs money, which offends defenders of thieving.  Shoplifting is flourishing just like not paying back loans.  This would be a good time to finally concede that government shouldn’t have our money or trust.

Unaffordable fuel might be by design if that assuages the inability to get anywhere more than figuratively.  You can have all the solar power you want just like the free money that somehow isn’t worth that much.  Democrats dream of taxing the Sun.

As for life on this planet, crazy prices on energy that actually makes things go keeps everyone idling.  Dystopian science fiction where everyone’s trapped inside is too rosy.  The commodity that literally fuels civilization getting more costly prompts everything else to become even pricey.  Other items don’t need the assistance.

Paying like the mob is taking its cut is something those shaken down aren’t supposed to notice.  Your precious free speech prevents your protection.  Government already hassled reflexively before we got stuck with a president who serves as the bagman for his crime family.  Nobody’s watching a mob movie that’s a documentary featuring no loyalty.

The president has done so little in so many years.  A person with a paucity of life experience as Biden is bound to think everyone else acts like he does.  Lame projection is merely one more dire consequence.  The incumbent is dedicated to service if skimming to pay his bills count.

Policies that enrich him personally are surely coincidental.  Biden sees thriving corporations with rich executives and figures government works the same.  Going soft on the commie plague-spreaders who control China because he can make a couple yuan off them at least means he’s not this weak on purpose.

The most painfully obvious abuse comes naturally to a sleaze who got into government in lieu of learning skills.  Possessing endless examples of why to properly limit the executive branch isn’t worth today’s misery.

Being a prototypical politician is not a compliment.  The incumbent cant even fake well.  A guy who’s spent his life preparing for this role bumbles in a way that’d make trainees shake their heads.  The head of state is the worst at the only thing he knows.  Biden’s last boss Barack Obama and the male in the Clinton marriage could at least con suckers into thinking they cared.  

It’s not like we can exactly say the economy’s terrific.  Finding a dollar that’s worth something is as tricky as identifying an honest one Hunter’s made.  We endure an awful business environment in a diminished America, by at least the president’s unscrupulous.  Biden can’t sympathize with your bitching while he’s doing so well.

[homebusinessmagazine]

How to Start a Home Renovation Business in 5 Easy Steps

Deposit Photos

A home renovation business works with existing properties to repurpose or redesign their structure, architecture, function, or design. There are many types of renovations, from single rooms to entire homes. Like other construction ventures, home renovation is in high demand, particularly with real estate investors and new homeowners. Home renovation isn’t easy work; it requires a lot of manual labor, planning, permits, and teamwork. You’ll need to follow the proper procedures to ensure your prospective renovation business can get off the ground successfully.

1. Start a Business Plan

A business plan solidifies your company’s goals, purpose, ideas, and operation policies. If you haven’t figured out how your renovation business will operate, now is the time. A business plan will identify your company size in terms of employee count and locations, your financial goals, who your ideal client base is, and the types of renovations you’ll get. As the business’s owner, what is your role in the company? Will you also be renovating, or will you oversee all operations without fieldwork? It’s up to you, but consulting with business partners, investors, and financial advisors can help create a solid and successful vision. Marketing plans, executive summaries, lists of services, and market analyses are all part of an ideal, thorough business plan.

2. Plan Your Budget

Starting your home renovation business will cost a lot of money. You’ll need equipment, employees, marketing, a physical location or office, utilities, internet service, tools, and more. These costs will be in addition to your expenses, as your business won’t be profitable yet. Starting a budget is a great way to calculate finances for your business. Subtract your potential costs from your total income. You can see how much money you’ll need to start your business and how much will come from external sources such as loans, grants, or investors. Before taking out loans, look into business startup grants from your local government or investment funds from friends, family, or potential business partners.

3. Create an Online Presence

It’s tough for any business, including renovation, to be successful without adapting to the modern world. Creating an online presence allows more people to locate, research, and review your business. Create social media profiles for your business where applicable. Renovation businesses can provide home renovation tips and videos on social media platforms like Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok, and YouTube. More importantly, creating a website for your business so potential customers can find out more about you and submit inquiries is ideal. Your website should be simple but attractive. Creating a Google Business Profile will allow people to see your website, physical location, phone number, photos, reviews, and more. These factors contribute to a thorough online presence that can grow your client base.

4. Register Your Business

To legitimize and file taxes with your business, you must register it with your local and federal government. You will choose a name and a business structure (LLC, corporation, sole proprietorship, etc.) You’ll also need to receive an employer identification number (EIN) for financial purposes. You will provide documentation about the owner, address, and business plan to register it. You will need business registration information to obtain essential credentials like licenses, so keep all copies of paperwork for multiple purposes (including for yourself and other partners).

5. Obtain Licenses

You need a business license in most states to operate a commercial venture. You also may need building permits depending on the type of renovation you cover. Additionally, since renovation is a part of the construction industry, you or any relevant employees will need a general contractor license. Plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians will need additional licensing if applicable. Securing a license is a relatively straightforward process, and it typically involves providing business registration documentation, proof of insurance, passing an exam, and paying licensing fees. However, where you live will significantly determine licensing laws and requirements. Below are some examples of state policies for contracting licenses. Here is related information on 3 key states, for example.

Oregon

In Oregon, you must hold a general contractor license to perform any type of commercial construction on a property, and this can include renovations. Oregon contractor license requirements involve a mandatory pre-licensing course and state exam, so preparation and studying are essential.

Florida

In Florida, contractor license eligibility relies on credit checks in addition to passing an exam. You’ll also need fingerprinting, proof of liability insurance, and worker’s compensation. Once you obtain a general contractor license, you can get specialty licenses, such as plumbing or electric.

California

You need proof of four years of work experience in California to obtain a contractor license. You’ll also need to pass a two-part state exam. Many applicants will utilize pre-licensing training and exam preparation courses to ensure they only have to take this lengthy exam once. You can get your license after paying licensing fees and submitting the proper paperwork.

Conclusion

There are many steps and factors to starting a home renovation business. These companies are in high demand but require hard work and determination for success. Before opening your doors, you will need to create a business plan, register your business, get licensed, and budget for your startup. Creating an online presence can also boost your brand identity and improve your chances of success.

About The Author:

HOME BUSINESS MAGAZINE is loaded with content to help you start-up and succeed in a home-based business. HOME BUSINESS is an advanced community for home-based entrepreneurs and business owners; people who work from home; and telecommuters. Content uploaded daily. For ADVERTISING visit: HomeBusinessmag.com/Advertise

[sillyplasm]

TurboTax is a company that basically has spent a bunch of money claiming that they make filing American taxes super duper easy and approachable and it only costs you (a very amount of money to use their services) - the IRS is the tax collection agency for the USA Federal government, and there's sort of a fear mongering about them chasing people down if they're off by a tiny amount in paying their taxes. (Idk if you know much about income tax, but basically you tell your employer how much you want to not get on your paycheck, that will be contributed to various programs/the fed govt for its budget. If you're self employed, you have to pay/set aside Some Amount Every 3 Months in lieu of not working at a company that handles this for you.)

Every January-ish, workers have to file their taxes, which consists of reporting how much you made, how much you already "paid" the government for the last calendar year (via income tax or self employment taxes) and whatever deductions you have (called such because you deduct An Amount from the amount you will be actually paying) which is based on things like having kids, university loans, charity donations, etc. (There's also a Standard Deduction, which is some amount that you can choose to essentially go "just take off this chunk amount of money, I don't want to list out all that info ") If your deductions are lower than what you should have been paying, you have to pay the government the extra money you should have been paying the past year, all at once, which, have you see the economy? But if your deductions are higher, then the government has been taking more from you than they should have, and they will send you money. But you have to collect all the information and fill out the paperwork.

So, to recap, you have to tell the IRS: what you made (which they know, because your employer tells them), what you paid in taxes (again, they already know this), and what deductions you have (they already know this because of paperwork you do when setting up how much you will be paying) - AND in order for them to chase people down for being wrong (called auditing), they need to know this information anyway. But you need to fill out the forms to tell it to them just to be sure. (Many other countries, the government sends people the information and they either pay it or wait for a check)

So, the forms to file all of this information are a little dense with instructions and legalese, and TurboTax has spent an inordinate amount of money to keep them complex, and also market their services as making things easy for people so they can continue to make a shit load more money.

But! Now! There is the Free File services offered by the IRS if you make under a certain amount (I looked earlier and as of 2024 (the 2023 tax year) there are various options if you make under $79,000/yr) which means that there is a free software (as in beer, meaning it does not cost you anything but you still can't know how it's made or do whatever you want with the software) way for people to file their taxes easily as if they had used turbo tax, but not paying their nonsense fees

Thank you for letting me infodump in your inbox I hope it was a helpful explanation lol. I go eat dinner now. :p

That was... a lot. But I seriously appreciate it because this information should absolutely come in handy. I have the reading comprehension of a toaster so I'll need to study this very heavily to actually understand it in full, but really, thank you. PS, I enjoyed my dinner somewhat, even though I can't quite remember what it was.

[mybiggreenfleetltd]

Learn Why Leasing a Commercial Vehicle Is the Best Option

Do you operate a company and need a quick and affordable solution to your transportation issues? Van rental services are what you need. Leasing a van can be the most astute choice you make for your organization in the realm of transportation. In addition to the monetary gains, your company can also reap the benefits of tax savings and operational leeway. So let's go into the realm of van leasing in UK and find out why it's the best option for UK businesses. We can help you get the greatest discounts on automobile leases or on leasing vans in general.

Van leasing can save you money in the long run.

Cash flow is the first thing that springs to mind when one considers the financial benefits of business van leasing in UK. Buying a car the conventional way usually involves taking out a sizable loan or making a sizable down payment. But with van leasing, you may pay only a small deposit and manageable monthly installments, keeping your out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum.

Van leasing is advantageous since you save money by not having to account for depreciation. We're all aware that cars depreciate in value over time. If you lease a van instead of buying one, you won't have to worry about depreciation. This implies that you can hand back the keys at the conclusion of your lease without worrying about the car's residual value.

Maintenance and repairs are also simplified when you lease a van for your company's transportation needs. Standard leases offer warranty protections for your peace of mind. If something breaks down while you're leasing the car, the manufacturer's warranty will likely pay for the repairs.

Van Leasing's Tax Advantages

Every dollar matters when it comes to operating a business. For this reason, making the most of tax breaks is essential. And leasing a van is one solution.

First and foremost, the monthly lease payments on a leased van can be written off as an operating expense. This implies that the rent you pay each month can be deducted from your income and used to lower your tax bill.

The value-added tax that is normally paid on lease payments can be deducted instead. If the car is utilized only for business, you could get back the entire amount of VAT you paid on it.

There are additional possible tax benefits if you lease a vehicle that emits few or no emissions, such as an electric van. Incentives like lower road tax rates and reduced company car tax rates are provided by the government to encourage businesses to purchase environmentally friendly automobiles.

The Practical Benefits of Renting a Cargo Van

We've discussed the tax and financial advantages of van leasing for UK firms. We have also discussed the practical advantages of van leasing over outright van purchase.

Businesses can save a lot of money by choosing van leasing. Paying less out of pocket initially and having consistent monthly payments makes budgeting and resource allocation much simpler. Companies also benefit from not having to pay depreciation because they are not responsible for maintaining an item that will gradually lose value over time.

Furthermore, van leasing has various tax benefits. If a company uses the car exclusively for business, it can recoup some of the value-added tax (VAT) paid on the monthly payments and the expense of keeping the vehicle running. As a result, costs are lowered and profits are raised.

Flexibility is essential for operational benefits. Leasing a van is a great option for businesses since it gives them access to a fleet of cars without the hassles of ownership. It enables businesses to swiftly modify their fleet size in response to shifting demands.

Leasing a van offers many advantages over buying one, including the fact that servicing and repairs are taken care of without your having to lift a finger. Lease agreements typically include services like warranty coverage and roadside support to ensure your vans have little downtime.

Leasing also provides security in the face of inevitable technological progress. Vans with integrated GPS systems and other modern safety features are becoming increasingly common, and leasing allows firms to simply upgrade their fleet at the end of each contract term rather than having to liquidate unused cars.

[mariacallous]

When around 50 country leaders gather in Paris on Thursday and Friday for the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, the main question on their agenda is a familiar one: how to tackle climate change and global poverty. Yet the summit is less conventional than it first appears: France and Barbados, the event’s co-organizers, seek to advance these goals through new rules for restructuring developing countries’ debt, a prerequisite for giving them more fiscal space to help their populations. This focus is unusual, and it shows that aid is becoming the next battleground in the competition for global influence between China and the West.

Indebtedness in the global south has reached alarming levels in recent years. The trend emerged following the triple shock of the COVID-19 pandemic (which sank growth and fueled a rise in health care expenses), rising U.S. interest rates (which hit developing markets’ currencies and added to debt-servicing costs), and the war in Ukraine (which fueled a rise of commodity prices and thereby inflated the import bills of many developing countries). Just like a private household in dire financial straits, many of these countries had no option but to take out loans to stay afloat and keep paying their bills.

The problem is that many developing economies are now struggling to pay back their piled-up debt. Statistics are disturbing: The world’s 91 poorest countries are spending an average of more than 16 percent of their fiscal revenues on debt servicing, roughly a threefold rise compared to 2011. Some cases are jaw-dropping: Nigeria, for instance, spends approximately 96 percent of its tax receipts to service debt. Sky-high debt is fueling poverty: Because they spend so much on paying back lenders, many low-income countries have little left to finance education or health care. One data point says it all: Since 2020, African countries have spent more on debt servicing than on health care.

To make matters worse, a lot of this debt is owed to Beijing. Pakistan, Kenya, Laos, and several other developing countries owe more than 30 percent of their external debt to China. This is not surprising: China is today the world’s largest creditor, with a loan portfolio larger than those of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and 22 major rich-country governments combined. African countries have been among the biggest recipients of Chinese money over the past decade: According to the China Africa Research Initiative, a research program at Johns Hopkins University, African countries signed up for Chinese loans totaling $153 billion between 2000 and 2019. (The exact amount may well be higher, given that around half of debt owed to China is not publicly reported.)

In theory, financial support from China should not be a problem; evidence of debt-trap diplomacy, whereby Beijing supposedly uses debt to seize poor countries’ resources and entrap them politically, is scarce. Yet it is clear that China is hardly the most flexible of creditors when developing economies struggle to repay loans. Zambia is a good example of this: In the 2010s, the country borrowed billions of dollars from China to finance infrastructure projects. Like many economies, Zambia was hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the country asked China if it could suspend interest payments. China refused, leaving Zambia with no choice but to default on its debt—including nearly $7 billion owed to China. Zambia is no exception; the year 2022 recorded the highest-ever number of sovereign defaults. Experts fear there will be many more defaults by next year as repayment costs keep rising.

This backdrop is bleak, but it presents an opportunity for Western countries to benefit from growing resentment in the global south against Beijing’s lending practices. The two objectives of Western countries at the Paris summit this week are all about countering China. Their first goal will be a short-term one: ensuring that they have a seat at the negotiating table when emerging markets’ debts are restructured, even when Beijing is the lender. There is virtually zero chance that China would agree to cooperate with the Paris Club, the group of 22 rich countries that handles debt restructurings on behalf of official creditors. Instead, Western states will promote the G-20 Common Framework for Debt Treatment, a new policy tool that seeks to ensure that indebted countries are not left alone with China and can benefit from a G-20-designed set of common rules when they need to renegotiate their debts.

So far, this instrument has proved disappointing. Zambia was supposed to be a test case for the new arrangement, but debt restructuring negotiations have stalled. Beijing has a responsibility for this failure, since it refused to enter discussions, let alone make financial concessions, under the G-20 arrangement. Ethiopia and Ghana have also applied for the G-20 scheme, with a similar lack of results so far. By refusing to show some goodwill, China is making its stance clear: Beijing does not want the West to meddle in its financial affairs in developing economies. Instead of collaborating with the G-20 and working according to multilaterally agreed rules, China intends to control the process and renegotiate debts behind closed doors on a case by case, bilateral basis. That leaves indebted countries in a much weaker bargaining position.

For Western countries, focusing on debt restructuring is a smart strategy: At a time when their fiscal room for maneuver is limited, restructuring has no immediate impact on taxpayers and actually increases the chance that official lenders will get their money back. Rich countries also believe that now may be the perfect time to strike back against Beijing’s financial largesse, for two reasons. First, China is facing economic difficulties: The post-COVID rebound is disappointing, the financial sector is wobbling, and local governments are weighed down by debt. In light of these challenges, Beijing has focused its efforts on reviving the domestic economy at the expense of international outreach. Second, Beijing is facing a growing backlash in indebted countries amid fears of corruption and predatory lending. In Pakistan, for instance, these exact concerns sparked protests against a Chinese-backed port project earlier this year.

As a result of these factors, China’s formerly grandiose Belt and Road Initiative is now only a shadow of its former self. Beijing has downgraded its ambitions and pivoted toward “small and beautiful” investments abroad: As opposed to previous grand development schemes, these projects are of only short duration and focus on key natural resources and the transport infrastructure to access them. Data illustrates this pivot. Since 2019, developing countries have been repaying more money to Beijing than they have received in new Chinese loans.

Western countries hope that China’s difficulties will give impetus to their second, longer-term objective, which is to reassert the position of the World Bank and IMF as the world’s leading multilateral institutions for development finance. In doing so, the United States and the European Union want to undermine the competition from the two non-Western development banks headquartered in China: the New Development Bank (also known as the BRICS bank) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (whose Canadian global communications director has just resigned, citing alleged Chinese Communist Party interference). Curbing Chinese financing will be a key way to bolster the IMF’s global role. Data from Boston University shows that for each 1 percent of its GDP that a country borrows from China, it is 6 percent less likely to ask the IMF for a loan. One reason might be that Chinese money is pulling these countries closer into Beijing’s orbit and away from Western lenders.

There is a lot to do to revive multilateral lending. As a first step, Western countries hope that a reform of the IMF’s governance—which is also on the Paris summit’s agenda—can help address developing countries’ concerns over how the fund makes decisions. The IMF was created nearly 80 years ago, and voting rights in its decision-making bodies reflect the long-gone post-World War II economic landscape dominated by the United States and a handful of Western countries. The distribution of power within the IMF is no longer in line with current population figures or economic clout: Rich countries account for only about 15 percent of the world’s population and around 40 percent of global GDP in terms of purchasing power parity, but they hold about 60 percent of the IMF’s voting rights. Progress on IMF reform will be slow, though, as convincing Washington to give up voting shares will be easier said than done.

Like so many other summits, the Paris gathering will probably produce lots of cheery promises that will never be implemented in practice. But it may be the summit’s symbolic meaning that really matters. After many years of inaction, rich countries are finally striving to respond to China’s growing influence in the global south. This highlights how aid is fast becoming another battleground for influence between China and the West. The upshot is that low-income countries could well benefit from the trend, assuming that they are willing and able to seize this opportunity to play China and the West against each other.

[rajat32]

What causes such high credit card interest rates?

Interest rates on credit cards have long been a source of anxiety for consumers. Why these rates are generally higher than those provided for mortgages or auto loans, for instance, baffles many people. Understanding the reasons behind high credit card interest rates is crucial for anyone trying to effectively manage their finances and use credit cards responsibly. Read More

Credit card lending has a higher default risk than other types of loans because it is unsecured and unbacked by any assets. Higher interest rates are used to offset possible losses when debtors are at danger of payment default.

Cost of Funds: To fund their business operations and extend credit to consumers, credit card issuers borrow money. The costs associated with borrowing money from different sources, like deposits or bonds, have an effect on the interest rates levied. Higher interest rates are the effect of increased funding costs for credit cards.

Operational Costs: Credit card firms spend a lot of money on things like customer support, marketing, preventing fraud, and upkeep of the payment system. The cost of providing these services is covered by include these costs in the interest rates.

Regulation Requirements: Government regulators impose compliance fees and regulatory guidelines on credit card issuers. Consumer protection regulations and risk management guidelines are only two examples of measures that may raise expenses and have an effect on interest rates.

Market Competition: Interest rates are affected by market forces because credit card firms operate in a cutthroat industry. If one issuer raises rates, others might do the same to keep profitable. Higher interest rates might also result from weak market competition or market concentration.

Conclusion

Finally, a variety of variables contribute to credit card interest rates that are so high. The need to pay potential losses and the default risk associated with unsecured lending are what drive up rates the most. Credit card firms’ cost of money, which includes borrowing charges, affects the interest rates that cardholders pay. Higher rates are also a result of the operational expenses incurred by credit card companies, such as fraud prevention and customer service. Regulations put in place by the government increase operating costs and affect interest rates. Market competition is also a concern since issuers alter their rates in reaction to changes in the market and factors that affect profits.

[n0nsensew0rds]

Again, the premiums you're referencing are taking into account specific demographics-- usually the average 27-year-old white male. As a woman my premium was innately higher than a man's living in the same area. Looking at the full demographic average is more important than looking at the lowest possible number; we've all seen sales 'starting from' a particular price and know that, in practice, nobody is getting away that cheap.

Additionally, my issue with the cost is also based on that base cost. I think it's a better situation for everybody to pay less on average than it is for some people to pay nothing while others are paying out the nose for an equivalent product. Of course there are always going to be discrepancies between the needs of demographics and the cost of insurance should be adjusted because of it-- that same 27-year-old man is much less likely to use his insurance for ongoing health care than a 60-year-old man.

However, two 27-year-old men with different income levels shouldn't be paying such a massively different price. The ACA's subsidies (for a Bronze tier plan) will cover the full cost of insurance up to 150% of the poverty line-- currently $22500 for a single individual. Once you start making more than that the subsidies rapidly drop off and the premiums rise, which is the 'donut hole' I referred to earlier-- people making enough money that they no longer qualify for subsidies (thus eating the full cost of the premium) but for whom spending an extra $400 a month on insurance is still untenable. Between grocery shopping, utilities, credit card bills, loan payments, and rent/mortgage, that $400 is a lot of money going toward a service they might not want or feel they need.

Regarding the foundational costs--

We have issues with both the cost of health insurance and the underlying cost of health care. As far as the cost of insurance:

Government guarantees -- when the government guarantees payment then there's no incentive to keep cost down. When you're dealing with individuals you have to make sure your services are affordable to as many people as possible within your target demographic (in this case, you're appealing to every adult in the country). When the government assures you that they're good for payment, you have carte blanche to charge pretty much whatever you want because the government will just make money happen. On the front end this is fine for people who qualify for assistance, but if you don't, you're now saddled with the inflated cost.

Limited Competition -- This is in regards to both overall competition and to the plans offered by each provider. Health care could only be sold within state lines, limiting the available competition off the bat and limiting it even more when smaller companies collapsed when the ACA went into effect, limiting marketplace options to only a couple of providers or, sometimes, only one, meaning there was no competition and no need to offer better services or better prices.

Limited Options -- The options for plans were reduced; where a healthy young adult could previously buy low-deductible disaster insurance (no coverage for doctors or meds but good coverage for emergency hospitalizations) or somebody with a severe condition could get a plan that was specifically made to cover the needs of that condition, the ACA enforced bare minimum coverage. You can no longer buy an emergency plan; you must pay for a plan that will (eventually) cover doctors and medication when you reach the (very high, for Bronze plans) deductible. Women are also forced to buy plans that cover maternity and child care, even if they won't or can't have children, increasing the cost of insurance. Limited options were generally an issue before the ACA s well, as most providers have package deals for plans instead of letting you customize according to your needs, but the government mandates restricting these options even more didn't help.

As for the cost of health care:

Limited Competition -- Again. Only certain drug manufacturers in the US are allowed to manufacture certain drugs. While there are obvious safety concerns to be taken into account to make sure medications are as safe as possible for as many people as possible, in practice this often results in favors being done for a small number of manufacturers, authorizing them to produce medications while preventing competition. Insulin, for instance, is actually a very cheap thing to produce, and we've known how to produce for a century now-- but only one manufacturer was allowed to produce insulin in the United States, allowing them to charge exorbitant rates because they were the only option. The solution here isn't necessarily deregulation (of all the things that have high regulation, medicine definitely needs it) but looking into why only certain manufacturers are given the right to produce these medications and making avenues for others to do the same.

Subsidizing Other Nations -- There's an international drug pricing index that the vast majority of industrialized nations are part of. This index regulates the cost of drugs and caps them at a certain level. For some reason, the United States is not part of this index, meaning that the drug companies make up the profit they're losing in other countries by overcharging the US consumer. I don't know if you recall this but Trump was trying to actually get the US signed on this scheme, which would have dramatically lowered the price of drugs in the US in exchange for raising it in other countries. (The German Prime Minister actually cried about how unfair this would be.) I remember talking about this to a pharmacy wholesaler around 2018-2019 and hearing about Trump's intentions shortly thereafter, so if I'm being charitable it was probably disrupted by COVID. Why it wasn't revisited afterward, I can only speculate.

Doctors are Expensive -- And there are multifaceted reasons for this. Part of it is that the up-front cost of becoming a doctor and opening a practice is very high, between the rising cost of medical school and the regulations that have to be followed to do so, meaning that doctors have to pass their own costs on to consumers. (Another point where regulation and certification are obviously extremely important, but the costs should be easier to mitigate-- but the obscene price of higher education is its own issue.) This winds up also contributing to not having enough doctors for the population at large; offices are packed with people and doctors basically have to address a conga line of patients through the day, leading to higher costs, less specified care, and a probably knock-on effect of sick people not seeking help early in their illness, when it would be easier to deal with, causing greater complications and an increased strain on resources.

General Issues with Individual Health -- We have an unhealthy population and a lot of people actively pushing for people to be and remain unhealthy, which causes an increased strain on resources and leads to overall higher costs. This is a bit more esoteric, but I think we would go a long way toward improving both costs and general health by teaching proper nutrition and cooking to a broader sect of the population. Fixing people's underlying health reduces pressure on the system and mitigates the need for more medical intervention.

We Need Less Medical Intervention -- Kind of related to the above but we also have an over-reliance on medication to fix problems. Reducing a reliance on medication when other options are available should be prioritized. I think this partially ties in to how we have too many patients per doctor; it's easier to throw pills at somebody than to assess their individual needs.

Follow the Money -- This ties in to everything, on every level. A lot of issues are caused by a prioritization of money over health. This can't be entirely avoided and I don't really begrudge manufacturers from wanting to make a profit (especially because R&D is extremely expensive and if they don't recoup the costs, guess what? No more medicine), but there are incentives and blockades up and down the chain that must be addressed. From the aforementioned companies that have exclusive manufacturing rights to government incentives prioritizing medical intervention and higher-cost treatments, there are loads of pressure points where money is used as an incentive to force more expensive (and ongoing) care.

Retail Rates -- This is wildly variable but during my pharmacy work I got to see the price of drugs, from wholesale to retail. My favorite places to work were the ones where I saw both simultaneously. Most common drugs have a minor markup. More specialized drugs might see a markup between 50% and 700%. Some markup is necessary -- you have to compensate for the cost of the distributor buying the drug, transporting it, storing it, the labor involved in processing, it makes sense -- but more specialized drugs almost universally are outrageously expensive on the consumer side. The pharmacy techs would often be appalled when I asked for a price reference. And the reason they can do this?

Obfuscation -- I think this is maybe the most insidious. The fact is, people don't know what health care actually costs. During my work in pharmacies I would see the difference between what a person was paying versus what the drug cost. There's a huge difference in attitude when you see "You pay $0" versus "Your insurance saved you $1970"; they both mean the same thing in this case, but the latter really makes you wonder why is it so expensive? This applies to things like ER stays and testing. How expensive is an ultrasound? An MRI? An EKG? I've recently gone through an extensive gauntlet of medical testing and I have no idea what it cost because my insurance pays for it and we say nothing else. Even my doctors have no idea what it costs. This is almost certainly by design; if everybody knew what the underlying cost of their treatment actually was, they would be furious. That said, I have overheard some of the reasons things cost so much, and one of them surprised me.

Foreign Nationals Getting Elective Surgery -- I believe this only applies to specialized and elective surgery, but we as a nation have many of the best medical facilities in the world. Many foreign nationals prefer to have their surgeries done by doctors in the States than in their own countries. To dissuade this, the base cost of these surgeries is made prohibitively expensive, with the understanding that foreigner trying to use our resources will have to pay the full cost of the surgery while our own citizens who are seeking these services will have them covered almost entirely by insurance. This one I'm less familiar aware of than anything else on this list, but given the above tendency for obfuscation I can believe it. This is probably a pretty minimal issue in the grand scheme, but it does explain why certain procedures have such a high up-front cost when it seems like it shouldn't be necessary.

Finally:

People Taking Advantage of the System -- I don't mean the downtrodden of our own country. Apparently there's an issue near the border where foreign nationals will cross over the border and take advantage of our emergency rooms (where you cannot be denied treatment even if you cannot pay). What I heard specifically is that thousands of people use this to get free dialysis treatments-- done three times a week for thousands of dollars each session. Because it's done through an emergency room there's no up-front payment, because they aren't citizens they don't have social security numbers to track, and because they just run back into Mexico they can't be tracked down and charged. This is tens of millions of dollars every year being bled from these facilities, and the cost winds up being put on our own citizens to make up the difference. I'm sure this is taken advantage of all across the nation in different ways, so the people who play by the rules wind up paying for those who refuse to.

I actually put this at the bottom of the list because, while it's certainly a problem, it's hard for me to justify refusal of medically necessary services to those who can't afford them. While I think that not letting people run across the border to take advantage of our services would be, you know... great... you wind up with situations like how would you enforce that? If a foreign tourist suffers a heart attack do you deny them service because they aren't a citizen, even though they're here legitimately? Do you make people provide some kind of collateral? Do they have to have an address to bill? Then then you can't help the homeless. On and on and... maybe there's a way to address this in a humane and sensible way. Maybe.

However, the addressing the bevy of other reasons that health care is so expensive (and I'm sure this list isn't exhaustive) would go such a long way to helping regulate costs that it would make eating the costs of those abusing the system would be much more tolerable. If treatment itself cost half of what it does now then that's already half the cost mitigated.

And all of that said, I don't think the ACA was an unmitigated disaster. Removing the individual mandate went a long way to easing the burden on people. I think making it illegal to deny coverage for people with preexisting conditions is fantastic. I think that subsidies should be available under certain conditions, but as a separate program rather than baked into the system (to discourage people taking advantage of government guarantees).

But the actual scope and implementation of the ACA was a bandage applied to a snake bite. You're covering up a wound when you need to drain the venom.

[missmentelle]

Just some small ways that the system keeps people down

When we think about social justice, we often think about it in terms of huge, sweeping reforms that happen on a national level: the nation-wide legalization of gay marriage. The end of segregation. Loving v Virginia. Roe v Wade. Many people only vote in federal elections and only keep up with federal politics, thinking that the federal government is what “really matters” when it comes to progress and human rights. 

Federal-level politics and landmark court rulings are important, but oppression often happens in much smaller, less obvious ways. It’s in the fine print of the eligibility criteria for disability benefits. It’s in municipal zoning laws. It’s in bank mortgage eligibility policies. It’s in the enforcement of public park bylaws. The things that make life difficult for marginalized communities often come from local bureaucracy, and look something like this: Disabled people effectively do not have the right to marry. 

In the United States, when a disabled person marries a non-disabled person, they gain a spouse, but they risk losing something immensely important - namely, all of their benefits. Currently, the government assumes that a non-disabled spouse takes full responsibility for all of their disabled spouse’s needs; it becomes their job to provide the disabled spouse with healthcare, housing, basic needs and assistive devices that they require, regardless of their ability to actually afford any of these things. Obviously, this is completely out of the question for most couples. Medical costs for a person with complex needs can be exorbitant, and the average person just cannot provide things like private home health services and out-of-pocket medical expenses for their spouse. 

Unless a disabled person is marrying someone who is independently wealthy, marriage is often out of the question. 

As a result, many disabled people simply have no meaningful access to marriage or the legal benefits and protections it provides. Without a wedding certificate, your partner cannot stay with you in the hospital, access your medical information or make decisions for you while you are incapacitated - something that people with complex medical issues may desperately need their partner to be able to do. International couples may have no means of being able to live in the same country. It may not even be possible for couples to live together at all, as the state may decide that that’s a “common-law” situation and strip away disability benefits even without a formal certificate. The people who are most in need of companionship and legal protection are denied access to it because of cruel and outdated laws that were designed with the false assumption that disabled people cannot desirable partners for non-disabled spouses. 

Domestic violence victims can be evicted for being abused. 

Some cities across America have implemented “nuisance laws” - these are laws originally designed to punish “slum landlords” who don’t try to stop criminal activity or loud parties in their buildings. In cities with nuisance laws, the city tracks how many 911 calls are made to (or about) each address in the city; if an address goes over their yearly limit of 911 calls, the city goes after the property’s landlord, fining them or even threatening them with criminal charges if they don’t make the calls stop. The point of the law is to encourage landlords to keep an eye on their tenants and evict “problem” tenants that disrupt the neighbourhood, and these policies have definitely resulted in a lot of 911-related evictions. And that’s a problem. Because you know who calls 911 a lot? Domestic violence victims. 

These laws have made it so that many people experiencing domestic violence have to choose between “help” and “housing”. If your partner is violently attacking you but your landlord has told you “one more 911 call and you’re out on the streets”, what do you do? How do you navigate such an impossible situation? Many victims simply hold off calling for help unless they’re reasonably certain that their partner is going to kill them, which is incredibly and almost indescribably dangerous, and still results in threats of eviction. Even victims who never call for help themselves can still find themselves out in the cold because of these policies - nuisance laws count any 911 calls made about an address, which means that a well-meaning neighbour calling the cops because they hear screams can cost you your housing. The end result is that an already-vulnerable population are either losing their housing or losing access to lifesaving emergency services, and everyone is worse for it. 

It’s worth noting that these policies also disproportionately affect disabled, elderly and chronically ill people. When you are medically fragile, you tend to have increased medical emergencies and a decreased ability to safely transport yourself to the hospital without an ambulance. So if 80-year-old diabetic woman uses her LifeAlert bracelet to call 911 three times in a year because she’s fallen down or having a hypoglycemic episode, she could face eviction for going over her 911 limit and being a “nuisance” to the city. 

Redlining has shut black people out of wealth-building for decades. How do you build wealth in America? You need credit. If you want to achieve real financial security, you need to convince someone to loan you large amounts of money at a low interest rate so you can use that money to purchase something that will build wealth for you. Let’s say you only have a little bit of money - you go to the bank and convince them to give you a mortgage (which is effectively just a large low-interest loan) so you can purchase a house for yourself. Once you’ve paid off the mortgage and showed the bank how reliable you are, you can go back and ask them for another loan against your house, and use that loan to buy a business, or a second house to rent out for income, or just save your money while your paid-off first house continues to increase in value. When you eventually die, your kids get all the property you amassed with those loans, and they start life in an even better financial position than you did - they can use that property to get even more credit and invest in even more businesses and property. This is how most American families clawed their way into the middle class after the Great Depression - your great-grandfather buying a house in the 1940s is the reason your parents could afford to pay for your college today. 

But there is one group that have been systemically left out of that process for decades, thanks to a practice called “redlining”. 

Banks decide whether or not they are going to loan you money by deciding how much of a “risk” you are. In the 1930s, bankers determined risk by looking at maps of their cities and drawing lines around particular neighbourhoods to determine how much of a risk they were. Bankers would draw red lines around predominantly-black neighbourhoods to signal that people who lived in those neighbourhoods were not eligible for credit - this was done regardless of their income. Poor white neighbourhoods could get loans, but middle-class black neighbourhoods could not. This meant that black people could not improve their situations - they could not afford to move out of cramped black neighbourhoods, they could not get the money to start a business, and they could not afford to renovate their houses to sell them at a profit. They were effectively shut out of opportunities that their white peers were granted. 

Redlining has been illegal for decades, but the cumulative impact of generations of redlining persist to this day. Experts estimate that an average black homeowner today has missed out on $212,023 in personal wealth because of the impacts of redlining.   “Zero-tolerance” policies have harmed marginalized and neurodivergent children without making schools safer. 

If you’ve attended or worked in a grade school in the last 20 years, you’re probably familiar with so-called “zero tolerance” policies. These policies emerged as a result of the 1999 Columbine school shooting, and are pretty much exactly what they sound like - in the wake of Columbine, schools began taking an extremely hardline stance against violence and bullying, assuring worried parents that they would not tolerate even the smallest hint of violence. In schools with zero-tolerance policies in place, punishments are extremely harsh - just about everything will get you suspended at a minimum. Get in a fistfight at school? Doesn’t even matter who started it, everyone involved is suspended. Throwing food? Suspended. Shouting at someone? Suspended. It doesn’t tend to matter if you were joking around or if you'd been pushed to the brink by a student who has bullied you for months - “zero tolerance” means absolutely zero tolerance, and you are suspended. 

But if you ever actually attended a zero-tolerance school, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that these policies don’t actually have any impact on school safety. What they do accomplish is higher rates of school failure and worse overall student outcomes, especially for marginalized students. 

And it makes sense. Which students are the most likely to be acting out in school? Students with ADHD, autism and learning disorders. Students with turbulent home lives. Students in foster care. Students dealing with abuse or trauma. These are the students who need to be in school the most, and need extra support from staff and teachers - instead of getting that support, though, zero-tolerance policies send them away from school for several days at a time, where they are unable to access support and fall further behind their peers. School quickly turns into a vicious cycle; students act out because they’re frustrated, they get suspended, they fall behind in class, which leads to more frustration, which leads to more acting out, which means more suspensions, which puts them further behind, etc, etc. Eventually they become so disillusioned that many of them leave school altogether, putting them at a permanent increased risk of unemployment, poverty, and incarceration.

Parking requirements are making cities unaffordable and unlivable for the poor.

Many cities - like Toronto and Vancouver - have mandatory minimum parking requirements written into their city zoning laws. These policies usually require that all residential buildings have at least one parking space available for every unit of residential housing - if you build a 60-unit apartment building, you need to make sure that you also buy enough land for a 60-stall parking lot or build a 60-space underground parking structure. 

When you think about the reasons that housing is unaffordable, “parking” might not be one of the first things you think of, but these laws have huge impacts on the cost of housing, and they negatively impact both the city itself and the working-class people who live there. Parking spaces are not free, especially in major cities like Toronto where land is at a premium - an above-ground parking space in a city costs an average of $24,000, while a below-ground space costs $34,000. Every unit of residential housing has $24-34k in parking costs tacked onto it - whether the tenant needs a parking space or not - and you can bet that landlords and developers are passing every penny of that cost onto their tenants. 

Parking requirements also decrease the number of units available, which is a problem, because the best way to keep housing affordable is to make sure that you have a lot of it available. A developer who might want to build a 300-unit apartment complex has to factor in the cost of creating at least 300 parking spaces.... so they might scale back to a 100-unit complex instead. Downtown areas that have huge demand for housing and low demand for residential parking are being underutilized because of zoning laws that were created decades ago and no longer reflect today’s reality. Young people, elderly people and urban poor people are increasingly unlikely to own a car, but they are being priced out of walkable neighbourhoods with good public transit for the sake of unwanted parking spaces.

Food safety laws and public property usage laws are making it illegal to feed the homeless. 

“Feeding the homeless” should be one of the most uncontroversial things you can do. Giving food to a person who is hungry is one of the most basic ways that humans care for one another. Everything from cheesy Hallmark movies to the Bible reinforces the importance of giving to others in need. But in dozens of cities across America, you can be fined, arrested or even jailed for giving out food to the homeless. 

Cities use different justifications to shut down or even arrest community service workers for trying to feed the homeless. Some pass increasingly restrictive “food safety laws”, stating that charities are only allowed to give away hot food, or that they are only allowed to give away sealed and individually-packed meals, or that they are only allowed to feed homeless people indoors (something that community organizations like mine do not always have the resources to do). Restrictions continue to get tighter every year in some places, despite the fact that there are virtually zero recorded cases of a homeless person being harmed by food they received from a registered charity. Food safety laws can also force restaurants and stores to destroy their unsold food instead of passing it out; some have to go as far as pouring bleach over the food they throw out in their dumpsters. 

Other cities have used public property bylaws to ban food-sharing on public property, forcing charities to apply for permits to hand out food (which are rarely granted). Justifications for these bylaws vary - some cities give vague excuses about “safety” while others admit that they’re trying to drive homeless people out of their cities - but the end result is the same. Cities are so desperate to be rid of their homeless populations that they’ll criminalize trying to help the homeless, rather than offering stable, affordable housing solutions. 

[whentherewerebicycles]

i am not reblogging this post from OP (posted 2 days ago, with 4,400 notes and counting) because i know that often people are just making their own vent posts on their blogs and maybe don’t expect them to circulate widely outside of their small tumblr circle! and i don’t mean to like, jump on someone who is just commenting on something and then going on with their life. but i feel like i keep seeing versions of this sentiment on leftist twitter too and i really think it is a gross misrepresentation of the bill that passed earlier this month - which is due in part to social media’s intense focus on the “stimulus check” part of the bill. but the bill was not called “the stimulus check” act! it was called “The American Rescue Plan” and it was specifically geared towards providing desperately-needed relief to the American middle & working classes. the $1400 direct payments to individuals was just one small portion of the bill. here are the far more important parts:

in addition to receiving a $1400 direct payment themselves, individuals with children receive an additional $1400 check for each dependent

college students who are still listed as dependents on their parents’ tax forms (typically so they can retain health insurance benefits under the ACA) can more easily claim stimulus money - which is huge for college kids who may be helping to financially support immediate or extended family members

unemployment benefits have been extended from March 31, 2021 (their original expiration date) to September 6, 2021

unemployment benefits will be supplemented with a $300 weekly payment (ie $300 on top of what people are receiving from their state government)

unemployment benefits received in 2020-21 are tax-exempt (a retroactive change that means people who are unemployed won’t receive a surprise tax bill counting their unemployment money as “income”)

a substantial tax credit for employers who offer paid sick leave and paid family leave benefits (ie creating a direct incentive for employers to authorize emergency paid leave)

15% increase in food stamp benefits and extension of eligibility

child and family tax credit benefits!!!! this is the part that people are describing as one of the most significant anti-poverty initiatives in American history. families are eligible for a tax credit of $3600 for each child under the age of 6 and $3000 for each child between 6-18. people can also claim a child and dependent care credit with a maximum benefit of $4000 for one eligible dependent and up to $8000 for two or more. it also expands the earned income tax credit and lowers the age limit to 19. dems also pushed to get at least 50% of the tax credit money to people this year instead of making them wait for their 2021 tax return. this calculator allows you to calculate how much families will receive. if you make $50,000 a year and have four children, you will receive $13,200 through the child tax credit alone, paid out in monthly payments of $1,100 from July to December 2021 + an additional $6,600 lump-sum payment when you file your 2021 tax return early next year. there are also some additional dependent-related tax credits things that I don’t fully understand but that seem to indicate people are eligible for even more money.

forgiven student loan debt is made tax-free (a necessary prerequisite for future efforts to cancel/forgive student loan debt)

huge expansion of grant benefits to small businesses, including $28.6 billion specifically for bars and restaurants; $15 billion for low-interest, long-term replayment emergency disaster loans; and $7 billion more for the paycheck protection program (which can only be used on payroll expenses and makes it possible for small businesses to keep workers on payroll even if they are operating at lower capacity). you can describe this as “for the economy only” if you want, but I sure feel like it will alleviate a whole lot of human suffering by allowing people to keep their jobs & paychecks even if their workplaces remain partially shut down. my dad is a small business owner and has been able to keep his entire staff on payroll through the entire pandemic. the bill also includes billions for airlines and concert venues, which will again! means people won’t lose their jobs!! plus it allocates $175 million to fund a Community Navigator Program that reaches out to eligible businesses and helps guide them through the application process—ie making it possible for small businesses to actually take receive these benefits.

$350 billion to state, local, and tribal governments

$130 billion for K-12 schools to improve ventilation, reduce class sizes, purchase PPE for employees and students, and hire support staff; of this money, 20% must be dedicated to programs designed to counteract “learning loss” from students who missed school during the pandemic

$40 billion for colleges and universities, at least $20 billion of which must go to emergency grants to students (our university has been giving regular emergency grants throughout the pandemic to students to help cover rent, unexpected medical expenses, costs related to family emergencies or lost family income, tuition bills that they suddenly can’t pay, fees associated with wifi or purchasing tech equipment so they can learn virtually)

a HUGE amount of money four housing benefits!!!! i keep seeing people yelling about how $1400 won’t cover their rent but THAT’S WHAT THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ARE FOR. $21.6 billion in rent and utility assistance, paid directly to states and local governments so they can disburse it to eligible households!!! plus $5 billion to Section 8 housing (which “must go to those who are or were recently homeless, as well as individuals who are escaping from domestic violence, sexual assualt, or human trafficking”).

$5 billion to support state and local programs for homeless and at-risk individuals (can be used for rental assistance, homelessness prevention services, and counseling; can also be used to purchase properties that will be turned into permanent shelters or affordable housing for people who are homeless). plus an additional $120 for housing counseling.

$4.5 billion earmarked for a special assistance program that helps low-income households cover costs of heating and cooling and $500 million to cover water costs

$750 million in housing assistance for tribes and native Hawaiians (who are also eligible for other benefits through the rental assistance and direct tribal government grants described above)

and then BILLIONS of dollars to support FEMA, the Veterans Affairs’ healthcare system, the CDC, and state, local, and territorial public health departments for all things related to: COVID testing, contact tracing, vaccine production and distribution, vaccine outreach, PPE, and public health education. this includes (among many, MANY other things), $5.4 billion to the Indian Health Services (division of the Department of Health and Human Services that specifically provides health services to Native people and tribal territories), $200 million for nursing loan repayment programs, $80 million for mental health training, $3.5 billion in block grants specifically geared towards community mental health programs and substance abuse/prevention/treatment programs

$86 billion for a rescue package for pension funds (esp union-sponsored pension funds) that are on the verge of collapse - collectively covering 10.7 million workers.

billions of dollars for public transit programs (and sure, public transit is important to the economy, but access to regular, reliable, affordable, and safe public transit is HUGELY important to human health and well-being! it is how many people esp in urban areas access grocery stores, health care, their jobs, childcare facilities, etc.

$10.4 billion for agriculture, of which $5 billion is specifically earmarked for socially disadvantaged farmworkers. to quote wikipedia: “Experts identified the relief bill as the single most important piece of legislation for African-American framers since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

tons of money to fund 100% of premiums for COBRA (health insurance for people who have unexpectedly lost or had to leave their jobs) through October 2021. COBRA is hella expensive and experts estimate that 2.2 million people will need to enroll for COBRA benefits in 2021. there are also various provisions that expand Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (a program targeted at uninsured children in families who don’t qualify for Medicaid but may not be able to afford adequate healthcare coverage. it also fixes some things with the ACA that could’ve led to people getting surprise bills due to fluctuating income or unexpected changes in employment status.

i am SO OVER the so-called ‘progressive’ rhetoric that no good can ever come from the government, or that all politicians (dems or republicans) are basically the same level of evil and incompetent, or that ~mutual aid~ (ie small payments made between individuals in a community) is the only thing we can count on or should count on in times of crisis. no!!!! fuck no!!!! like mutual aid is great but America is an INSANELY WEALTHY country and it is such bullshit to act like we can’t or shouldn’t expect our government to take care of the people who live here. and i am also just GRAHARRGHGHH at people who are completely disengaged from politics offering their jaded and hyper-cynical hot takes on things they don’t! actually! know! anything! about!!!!!!! and in the process making other people increasingly jaded and cynical about the possibility of electing a government that actually prioritizes the needs & well-being of its citizenry!!!

ugh i’m just TIRED of leftist political cynicism y’all especially when it comes from people who have absolutely no understanding of how much WORK it takes to make huge things like the American Rescue Act happen (work that includes not just the immediate negotiation of the bill but also the years of organizing & voter recruitment work it took to get a narrow democratic majority in the senate so that we could pass things like this!!!!). I’M DONE WITH BEING CYNICAL!!!! i feel, in a totally earnest and unjaded way, that it’s absolutely incredible that dems were able to write, negotiate, and pass this bill, and i feel so so so relieved to be currently living under an administration that is flawed in many ways but is at least actually and earnestly TRYING to reckon with unprecedented “suffering in an actual human scale” (to quote OP) and is even using this crisis as an opportunity to advance major anti-poverty initiatives that will have a LASTING IMPACT on actual human lives. as opposed to our previous administration, which was made up of thousands of people who woke up every single day and asked themselves “what can I do today to further dehumanize & inflict needless suffering upon millions of people?”

PHEW!!!! SORRY!!!! JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS I GUESS!!!!!!!!

[rapeculturerealities]

For millions of working women, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered a rare and ruinous one-two-three punch.

First, the parts of the economy that were smacked hardest and earliest by job losses were ones where women dominate — restaurants, retail businesses and health care.

Then a second wave began taking out local and state government jobs, another area where women outnumber men.

The third blow has, for many, been the knockout: the closing of child care centers and the shift to remote schooling. That has saddled working mothers, much more than fathers, with overwhelming household responsibilities.

“We’ve never seen this before,” said Betsey Stevenson, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan and the mother of a second grader and a sixth grader. Recessions usually start by gutting the manufacturing and construction industries, where men hold most of the jobs, she said.

The impact on the economic and social landscape is both immediate and enduring.

The triple punch is not just pushing women out of jobs they held, but also preventing many from seeking new ones. For an individual, it could limit prospects and earnings over a lifetime. Across a nation, it could stunt growth, robbing the economy of educated, experienced and dedicated workers.

Inequality in the home — in terms of household and child care responsibilities — influences inequality in the workplace, Misty L. Heggeness, a principal economist at the Census Bureau, concluded in a working paper on the pandemic’s impact for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Without a more comprehensive system of support, she said, “mothers will forever be vulnerable to career scarring during any major crisis like this pandemic.”

The latest jobs report from the Labor Department showed that some of the damage was reversed last month as the service industry revived, nudging down the jobless rate for women to 6.5 percent, slightly below men’s. But there were still 4.5 million fewer women employed in October than there were a year ago, compared with 4.1 million men.

And according to the Census Bureau, a third of the working women 25 to 44 years old who are unemployed said the reason was child care demands. Only 12 percent of unemployed men cited those demands.

Laci Oyler has felt that pressure. Her husband, employed by a large printing company, was already working from home when the pandemic shuttered day care and schools in Milwaukee. But after two days of taking care of their two young sons, “he said, ‘Absolutely no way,’” Ms. Oyler explained. So she cut her weekly hours as a mental health counselor for Alverno College, a small Catholic institution, to five from 32.

In August, when she learned that public schools would continue to offer only online classes for the fall, Ms. Oyler decided she had little choice but to take an unpaid leave.

This month, she decided to resign.

“Work is so much more than what you’re taking home as payment,” Ms. Oyler said. “But when you look at that bottom line of risk versus reward, it doesn’t seem worth it,” she added, referring to the cost of child care combined with the possibility of coronavirus infection for her or her children.

As a licensed professional, Ms. Oyler does not expect to have difficulty returning to the work force when she is ready. But for most working women, dropping out to take care of children or other family members exacts a sizable toll, several studies have shown. Rejoining is hard, and if women do, they generally earn less and have less security. And the longer someone is out of work, the tougher it is to get back in.

Claudia Goldin, an economics professor at Harvard, said this was the first recession where the economy was so intertwined with the network of child care.

“During the Great Depression, no one cared about the care sector,” she said. “Women weren’t in the labor force, and they weren’t supposed to be.”

One reason that Congress started giving financial assistance to poor households headed by women in the 1930s, under a program originally titled Aid to Dependent Children, was so they could stay home with their children and not compete with men for jobs, Ms. Goldin said.

Only during World War II, when women were urgently needed in factories and offices to replace men who were in the military, did the government establish a far-reaching federally subsidized network of nurseries and child care centers in nearly every state. Once the war ended, so did the support.

“You cannot have a contented mother working in a war factory if she is worrying about her children, and you cannot have children running wild in the streets without a bad effect on the coming generations,” Senator Carl Hayden, an Arizona Democrat, testified in 1943.

Women make up roughly half of the country’s work force. They range from entry-level to professional, they live in urban, suburban and rural areas, and they often care for toddlers and teenagers. But the burdens of the pandemic-induced recession have fallen most heavily on low-income and minority women and single mothers.

Members of these overlapping groups often have the most unpredictable schedules, and the fewest benefits, and are least able to afford child care. They fill most of the essential jobs that cannot be done from home and, therefore, carry the most risk for exposure to the virus. At the same time, they make up a disproportionate share of the service industries that have lost the most jobs. The jobless rate is 9.2 percent for Black women and 9 percent for Hispanic women.

When the pandemic caused housecleaning jobs to dry up, Andrea Poe was able to find cleaning work at a resort in Orange Beach, Ala., about a 45-minute drive from Pensacola, Fla., where she and her 14-year-old daughter, Cheyenne Poe, had moved in with an older daughter, her fiancé and their five children.

The families were behind in the rent and threatened with eviction when Hurricane Sally ripped through the coast in September. To escape the floods, they piled into two cars, drove to Biloxi, Miss., and spent five nights in a Walmart parking lot.

Now Ms. Poe and Cheyenne, who has turned 15, are in Peoria, Ariz., living in a room in her mother’s trailer.

She said she was applying for jobs every day, so far without luck. And the bills keep coming. Ms. Poe has missed two consecutive loan payments on her car and worries that it will be repossessed.

“I’m just hoping my unemployment checks come through so my car doesn’t get taken away,” she said. “If I lose my car, I’ll never be able to get a job.”

Women with more resources are in a better position, but they struggle in other ways.

When the pandemic ripped through Seattle and compelled Kenna Smith, 37, to work from home, she initially saw one upside — a chance to spend more time with her 3-year-old son.

“At first, I thought I’d just focus on my child,” said Ms. Smith, who had just started a branding and design company, Wildforth Creative. “It was fun for a while, but then the stress was intense.”

Like many families who were worried about the risk of infection or short of money and space, Ms. Smith and her husband let their son’s nanny go. Her husband, project manager for a general contractor, worked out of their bedroom.

“I’m not sure why it totally fell on me,” Ms. Smith said of child care. “I’m out in the living room, dining room area with a whole bunch of toys strewn about, with my laptop, trying to run my business.

“I was wanting to work and wanting my business to succeed so badly,” she said. “I didn’t realize. …” She paused, interrupted by a voice: “Mommy, I want some applesauce.”

The couple recently decided to hire a part-time nanny, concluding that despite the expense, it was the only way both could keep working. (Ms. Smith’s sister is also helping out.)

From 2015 until the pandemic, women’s increasing participation in the work force was a primary driver of the economy’s expansion, said Ms. Stevenson, the Michigan economist. “It’s why the economy grew the way it did, why employers could keep hiring month after month,” she said.

Since February, women’s participation in the labor force has been falling, with the biggest decreases among women without college degrees who have children.

Changes forced on women by the pandemic elicit a mixture of anxiety and hope.

Many women worry that the changes will sharply narrow women’s choices and push them unwillingly into the unpaid role of full-time homemaker.

And the impact could stretch over generations, paring women’s retirement savings, and reducing future earnings of children now in low-income households.

“We are creating inequality 20 years down the line that is even greater than we have today,” said Ms. Stevenson, who was a member of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. “This is how inequality begets inequality.”

Yet there is also the possibility that the mounting pressures could create momentum to complete the unfinished project of fully integrating women into the work force by providing a system of family support — like affordable child care and paid parental and sick leave.

“I think we’re really at a crossroads,” said Julie Kashen, director for women’s economic justice at the Century Foundation and one of the authors of a new report on the pandemic and working women. “We’ve never built a workplace that worked for people with caregiving responsibilities.”

[nemodeutopia]

This is basically a 1000-word essay, so I’ll put this up here, but do encourage you to read, especially if we disagree and someone sent this to you in a desperate gamble to make you understand.

TLDWR: capitalism does all the ooga-booga that people say socialism does anyway, and the failings are all exactly the same and happens regardless of what economic system you use. Call it what you want, but make living independently actually possible, and the village people will be much less likely to come at you with our fucking pitchforks you idiots.

The reason I believe minimum wage is insufficient and the rich would be fine if they were more heavily taxed:

A lot of these numbers have been simplified to make it easier to follow, but other than the hypothetical 10% tax, they are all roughly accurate to what I could find researching.

If my tax rate is 10% and I make $300 dollars a week, then that leaves me with $270 a week. Take out for groceries at an average of $50 I have $220. Assuming that I don’t have any prescriptions, or rent, or cable, or gas, or utilities, or really anything else considered mandatory for adulting, then that’s not bad, right? But, most people do have those other things, so that’s not so good. So, instead, we make cuts here and there, eat less healthy, decide we probably don’t need to go to the doctor for that pain, because maybe it isn’t something serious after all, and if it is serious, we may have to miss work, and then we may get fired.

If the rich have a tax rate of 10% and make 5,000 dollars a week that gives them 4,500. They would pay more a week in taxes then I make in a week. But they would still have plenty of money to live comfortably.

Rounding down on most things here, but average rent for America is ballpark $1000 a month, mortgage rates I found reported around the same. And that is of course assuming that you qualify. Bear in mind that apartments can require that you make, for example, double the cost of living there as a security measure, and banks will turn you down if they believe your income is too low for a loan. Phone $100. Medical I won’t even presume to make an average on because insulin costs more than most gaming consoles. And I highly doubt the richest of executives is buying one of those every month. I also won’t touch cars, as gasoline prices fluctuate and mpg varies. A monthly pass for public transport, if you’re lucky enough that your city has reliable transport, averages at about $60, but closer to $100 isn’t super unusual for big cities.

So, changing that weekly take home of $270 to a monthly of 1,080 and check it against those prices. Assuming that utilities is included, which covers things as basic as trash disposal and plumbing, we are in pristine health and insurance is paid for and half way decent, which is not a given, as well as no student loans since we’re working on federal minimum wage here, we get to keep negative $80. It costs $80 more than you make at federal minimum wage to live for a month as an independent human being.

Reminder, the -$80 average I found does not include: Food, any form of health care, any utilities, clothing, internet or entertainment outside of what comes with your phone plan, transportation outside of public infrastructure, any surprise fees or expenses of any kind.

I am not touching education costs, including the additional cost of public school. I could make a whole post off the cost of public education without the rest of this depression inducing rant.

At above what Obama wanted to define as wealthy you could do that working one week a month and still have money to put back in the economy.

I grant that this was done off (just above) the federal minimum wage, so most people are probably making more money than this, especially if they’ve been in the same job for a while. But I also took the national average costs for most of the expenses. And anyone working for tips can very easily be making about half that. You also may have noticed that I didn’t include grocery in my monthly figure, because while everyone eats, the cost varies widely, and you can get free food if you need it from banks, churches, your job if you’re in that area of the service sector and lucky, etc.

Yes, if you just start printing money and handing it out, inflation is going to ruin life. But, if you redistribute existing wealth instead of letting it amass and be hoarded by a handful of individuals who basically just pass it around among themselves if they do anything, while still collecting more, then instead there would be a still largely constant amount of wealth, but it would be used instead of artificially rarified (now) or drastically devalued (creating new currency and adding it to the pile).  The people who say we can’t just pay people more willy-nilly aren’t wrong unfortunately. And I can certainly understand how someone who has their life style assured struggles (whether through managing to claw up, surviving to the point where it assured by government support paid by with taxes, or some combination) to understand the plight of those who don’t without realizing the climb keeps getting steeper.  Presently, people who are actively doing and creating are inevitably passing the money they earn back up to the people who do not, who pass a fraction of it back. Instead of just increasing the amount of currency, now largely a digital entity, so at least we don’t have to trade our wallets for wagons, we need to ensure circulation and assess distribution.

A lot of people don’t like the “s” word, even people on social security will talk about how socialism would destroy this nation. There are also people who believe minimum wage raising would destroy industries. They don’t think it’s fair that the rich should have to pay more. But, if the rich paid 10 cents on every dollar they brought in, they honestly might not even notice. If a person working minimum wage pays 10 cents on every dollar they make then they probably need to live with other people and pool all their recourses in a communal setting while politicians and the wealthy eat expensive meals, spend extravagantly and don’t suffer in the least, like in *insert current socialist or communist boogeyman state* but with the “average” person being aware people are living like this and not personally seeing it.

MacKenzie Scott has proven that the ultra-wealthy would not suffer from increased taxation by, essentially, cutting out the middle man and almost privatizing socialism, as absurd as that sounds. Dolly Parton is also an individual who proves that obnoxious levels of wealth are still possible while distributing wealth to those who don’t have it, though I don’t know as many of the particulars with her. I do know they both, as well as others I do not know, choose to redistribute their wealth to lower social rungs and are still fabulously wealthy.

[webullreview]

Latest webull review [2021]: Starting with a $1 investment.

Latest webull review [2021]: Starting with a $1 investment.

Webull provides a multi-features experience for investors and all in one solution.

Webull review at a Glance:

Webull is founded in 2017, and it is a mobile app-based brokerage that features commission-free stock and exchange-traded fund trading. It runs by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Webull trading platform is designed for beginner, intermediate and experienced traders.

 Where is webull based: Webull is an American broker-dealer headquartered in New York City

 Webull is safe because it is regulated by top-level financial authorities.it provides a maximum of $500,000 investor protection, including a $250,000 limit for cash under the Securities Investor Protection Corporation's (SIPC) protection scheme. It is part of Webull Financial LLC and is licensed to carry out brokerage activities in all 50 United States.

 Is webull good for trading?

Webull doesn't have a minimum deposit requirement to get going. You can join Webull and start investing with just a few dollars. Webull offers some of the most competitive margin rates in the industry. And unlike main rival Robinhood, Webull doesn't require a subscription. Many brokers' website offer cash bonuses for new account creators, but that only after users meet certain minimum deposit requirements. Webull gives free stocks to customers with small deposit thresholds. These stocks are worth anywhere from $2.40 to $1,500 per share. Currently, just $100 is required for the best bonus. It will offer you a unique community experience.

Eligibility of Joining Webull:

1. Webull only accepts account applications from U.S. residents. 2. You will need to be at least 18 years old to create an account. 3.you have to verify your US identity and residency status. 4.YOU have to upload a copy of your government-issued ID, and your social security number.

 How to create or open an Account on Webull?

You must open an account on the app>Then Choose your account>make sure you have selected the right type of brokerage account>Add personal info >Identify yourself >Seal the deal>Fund your account>enjoy.

 How long does webull take to approve?

Most account applications will approve within one hour. It might take more time if your application needs further verification.

  Advantages and disadvantages of Webull:

 Advantages:

1. Webull offers commission-free US stock, ETF, and options trading with no inactivity fees. 2. No minimum deposit requirement 3. Zero commissions on trades 4. Several asset classes available to trade 5. Cryptocurrency trading 6. After-hours trading available 7. Advanced charting 8. Level 2 data from NASDAQ available. 9. Traditional, Roth, and rollover IRAs available 10. App, web, and desktop platforms available Paper trading.

 Disadvantages:

1. Does not support trading in mutual funds 2. Does not support trading in bonds 3. Does not support trading in OTC stocks

Webull’s total Commissions and Fees: Webull is Really Free!

The enticement of fee-free trading in the online investment space has seen a big change in the industry. Traditional brokers are now being challenged by start-up platforms that have found a way to make money without charging their investors. Webull users can connect real-time U.S. market data completely free. This indicates not only real-time price quotes but income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow reports. Minimum Deposit-$0.00 Stock Trades -$0.00 Stock Trades (Per Share)-$0.00 ETF Trade Fee-$0.00 Mutual Fund Trade Fee- free Base Fee-$0.00 Exercise Fee-$0.00 Assignment Fee-$0.00 Per Contract-N/A Broker Assisted Trades Fee-N/A

 Webull and others:

Robinhood is Webull’s main competitor. Both companies are trying to be Walmart brokers by offering the lowest price possible to those looking for bargains. Those bargain-seekers are by and large millennials, this is why both companies took a mobile-first approach and only developing desktop and web apps after establishing themselves in the trading industry.

Another one is TD Ameritrade. After testing 11 of the best online brokers over the years, TD Ameritrade is not better than Webull. Webull delivers $0 trades, fantastic trading platforms, excellent market research, industry-leading education for beginners, and reliable customer service.

Webull vs. Robinhood: Commission and Fees

Undoubtedly, commissions and fees are a big part of the whole picture. We compare Webull and Robinhood wide open in order to evaluate both.

 Webull’s Fees:

Webull has no fees or commissions on any stock or ETF trade. All you will pay is the spread and SEC transaction cost, those are the portion of a copper penny. You can transfer money in and out of your account without fees using ACH, as domestic wire transfers cost $8 per deposit and $25 per withdrawal.

Global wire fees are $12.50 and $45, respectively. Margin rates start are 6.99% for up to $25,000.

 Robinhood’s Fees:

Robinhood is also commission-free on all trades, including options and cryptocurrency trades. Surplus is available over Robinhood Gold, but there’s a $5 monthly fee.

The first $1,000 of margin can be borrowed interest-free, and you will get it as a bonus. After $1,000, rates are 5% only. Only ACH transfers are permitted to fund your account, so there will be no fees on deposits or withdrawals.

 Webull’s finest Customer Support:

 Webull’s customer support is often accessed through email, which is not that the only method mentioned on its website, but also there is an online web chat option or telephone number. Moreover, Webull’s customer service does reply within 1 hour of a question.

Only Webull’s help page offered any sort of customer support, then only within the sort of FAQ.

Webull’s FAQ page does offer you detailed information on opening an account and therefore the funding and transfers of money and stocks. It also features a Trading on Webull section with information about commissions and costs, tradable assets, and order types.

The FAQ sections found on the assistance page can answer your basic questions. Email Webull for more details or to talk with a Webull agent for more information or further assistance.

 Webull referral system:

Along with their account creation promotion, Webull additionally offers a Refer-a-Friend form of program. However, this small little bit of promotion is slightly less simple in terms of the manner that their directions are read.

Unfortunately, you won’t receive any free stock just because an addict you refer exposes a replacement account. This friend can get to deposit a minimum of $100 among the first thirty days of their account being open for you to reap the rewards.

A decent side to the current incentive is that you simply will repeat it indefinitely, with decreasing returns when the first 2 referrals have met completion requirements.

In keeping with their terms and conditions, which are additional clearly worded than the promotion itself, the benefits of the referrals are as follows:

Upon completion of your first undefeated referral, you'll receive four free stocks.

Your second successful referral can award you with seven free stocks.

Every resultant referral will award you two additional stocks.

This stock choice pool is analogous to the one antecedent represented among the account gap promotion. They're aiming to be from firms listed on the New York Stock Exchange or information system that are U.S. based mostly and have a minimum market cap of $2.5 billion.

However, not like the account gap promotion, there will appear to be a one/50 or 1/100 likelihood to accumulate securities from bound companies. however, it does follow identical odds to your initial $100 deposit.

Odds of stock valued at $8 to $30 approx. 1 in 1.02

Odds of stock valued at $30 to $100 approx. 1 in 52.63

Odds of stock valued at $100 to $200 approx 1 in one,111.11

Odds of stock valued at $1,000 to $1,600 approx 1 in 10,000

 FAQs for Webull

 How does Webull make cash?

Webull doesn’t make money from trade commissions that makes many of us surprise, however, the corporate makes money. Webull makes money from the subsequent revenue streams:

Margin rate: This represents interest paid to Webull once people borrow money to invest.

Stock loans: Webull might lend securities and make the most of loaning those securities. Your securities are still out there if you wish them.

Interest on free credit balances: money sitting in your account doesn’t pay interest to you, however, Webull will earn interest on it.

Is Webull smart for beginners?

Webull might be a good choice for lettered beginner investors that perceive investments in construct however haven't started commercialism yet. New investors who are learning the way to invest cash would probably be higher suited by different platforms that provide a lot of instructional resources. Fully new investors might like Robo-advisors that guide them through the finance process.

Is Webull legit and reliable?

Yes, Webull is a legitimate brokerage you'll use to take a position in stocks, ETFs, crypto, ADR's, and options. It's registered with the SEC and is a member of FINRA, SIPC, NYSE, NASDAQ. Webull’s customers rise up to $500,000 of coverage just in case the brokerage fails, and your securities go missing.

  A final thought about Webull:

 Webull is a well capable brokerage app for North American country traders. The app offers absolutely commission-free commerce with no account fees, so it’s really a cheap choice for purchasing and merchandising stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrency. We also like that Webull provides traders access to almost the whole US stock market, with the notable exception of penny stocks.

What really sets Webull different from other brokerage apps is that it offers a big variety of advanced charting and analysis features. You'll read extremely customizable technical charts for any plus furthermore as fully customize any of fifty popular indicators. Webull conjointly permits you to import Level a pair of Advance knowledge from the information system, so you'll track order flows through the market.

In addition, the app includes analyst recommendations and worth targets for many widespread stocks. A basic social network lets you see what different traders place confidence in different assets and swap ideas.

Webull is rising as a legitimate challenger and various to Robinhood, growing its client base to a possible variety of two spots among online brokers serving retail traders. This relative newcomer within the zero-commission online commerce world endlessly broadens its merchandise to satisfy its clients and leverage its commerce platform. Webull brokerage is best for those who will handle their own customer service and have some investment information and experience. If this looks like you, positively take into account giving Webull a try and take the benefits of webull.

[custom-made-mirrors]

Tips For Finding the Best Personal Loan For Home Improvement

Home improvement, home remodeling, or renovation is the act of making additions or renovations to one's house. In its most basic sense, home improvement means making your house better than what you currently have it. The act of improving a home could be anything from putting a new coat of paint to fixing your roof. Home improvement could also mean incorporating some type of garden feature such as a pool or a garden shed. It could also include building new homes or adding on to an existing one.

There are now literally billions of dollars being spent each year in the United States on home improvement projects and renovations. Home renovation is a billion dollar industry with homeowners all across the country spending thousands of dollars on minor renovations. Home improvement contractors and services are required to meet a plethora of government regulations. These regulations are in place to prevent the unnecessary waste of money and protect the consumer.

As stated above, home improvement projects and renovations are required by law and they must be done properly and responsibly by qualified professionals. The contractors must adhere to regulations such as those set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). When homeowners begin searching for a home improvement contractor, they must be sure they are hiring a professional who has the proper training and insurance. This ensures that the project will be completed safely.

For smaller home improvement projects and renovations, homeowners should try to coordinate with friends, family or neighbors who may have some extra knowledge and skills that can help improve the appearance of their home. The cost of the project will often depend on the extent and scope of the work needed. Many times these tasks do not require the purchase of expensive materials and supplies. In fact, many times a simple thing such as a new nail or a bolt of hardware can make a huge difference in the look of a room.

There are many job websites and blogs dedicated to helping homeowners plan their next remodel or renovation. In addition to home improvement job sites, many homeowners also choose to post videos of their renovation on YouTube. Videos posted on YouTube can reach millions of viewers worldwide. Videos of a home renovation are often the first introduction people get to a new remodeling project. Click over here frameless bypass shower doors

If you decide to remodel or renovate your home yourself, you should plan carefully. Home improvement loans can give you the funds you need, but they come with a lot of interest. Interest rates for a home improvement loan are often very high. Before you apply for a home improvement loan, take a good look at what interest rate the lender is offering. You may also want to request free quotes from several lenders in order to determine which lender offers the best interest rates and terms.

Most home improvement loans are secured with your home equity. This means that if you cannot make payments on time the lender will take your home equity and use it to pay off your home improvement loan. If your home equity does not increase enough during the time of your loan, you may still be able to pay off your debt. But remember that interest rates for a home improvement loan are based primarily on your credit rating and your debt to income ratio.

Be sure to keep up with your payments. Always pay your bills on time, even after you receive your home improvement loan. It is better to overpay for your personal loan than to fall behind and have to wait until your payment is due again. If you are struggling with debt, talk to a credit counselor to find out what options you have for working to reduce your debt. With some responsible money management and the correct perspective, it is possible to find low interest rates on your home improvement loan.

[kuthuk]

Samecoin

Samecoin - unlock potential rewards

More and more people are choosing to leave the jurisdiction of conventional banks because they want more control over their money. Leaving banking is a growing movement, but people no longer keep their money under their mattresses - they hold cryptocurrencies. In particular, the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) coin. Taking full control of your money and working with DeFi coins has many advantages over traditional currencies.

But there is another area where traditional banks have an advantage - savings. When you deposit your money in a bank, you usually earn interest. While crypto has investment potential, this growth usually only occurs when your assets are sold at a profit. Just keeping bitcoins won't give you anything until you sell them. There is no interest rate on hodling. Fortunately, things are changing with the Samecoin ecosystem, and owning the Samecoin ($SAMA) utility token can be a very profitable investment with recurring payments - whether you have banking services or not.

Stablecoin Functions

The Samecoin protocol provides smart deposit contracts that help holders to earn excellent interest income. If someone like Bob decides to keep their Samecoin stablecoins, like SameUSD and SameEUR, the smart contracts will automatically deposit the coins they support (like USDC) into an approved app like Compound. It brings regular interest to users.

Holding Samecoin also unlocks potential rewards. These utility tokens can not only be used to pay for reduced fees, but can also be used to choose the future governance of the platform by betting on vSamecoin (the governance token for the Samecoin ecosystem). As the value of Samecoin looks set to grow in the future, you will see how the entire ecosystem benefits people like you and Bob in both growth and revenue.

Samecoin Features:

1. Stable

The Samecoin family of stablecoins is focused on providing everyday users with the perfect cryptocurrency for their everyday digital payment needs, just like Satoshi's vision in the original Bitcoin whitepaper.

2. Decentralized

Samecoin combines the benefits of decentralization with developing an economy that is self-governing and not controlled by a select few.

3. Payment driven

The Samecoin ecosystem is focused on providing the most intuitive and accessible payment infrastructure, thanks to stablecoins and reliable crypto payment products.

4. Verifiable

Samecoin's stablecoin reserves can be verified by anyone, making it a completely untrustworthy and decentralized form of money.

Base

The Samecoin token is the medium through which the protocol enforces governance, rewards users, incentivizes activity, and provides a medium for raising capital.

Governance -   Samecoin is a governance utility token that manages the Samecoin Protocol and ecosystem. Samecoin is a token created by the developer, enabling token holders to help shape the future of the Samecoin Protocol. Holders of the Samecoin at stake can exercise their right to vote or propose new ideas that can be used to improve the Samecoin Protocol. Samecoin holders can also influence decisions regarding the project by proposing or making suggestions for new features and even changing the governance system itself. The number of Samecoins a node has is one of the factors that determine its reputation.

Liquidity Rewards -   Samecoin is earned by performing critical platform functions (  Mint ,  Save  ,  LP Stake  and  Governance  ), and promoting the liquidity of the Samecoin Protocol. Samecoin can also be purchased directly from liquidity providers who sell their Samecoin, along with decentralized exchanges such as Uniswap or centralized exchanges such as Binance. Samepay like a wallet can also help users access Samecoin easily.  

Gas Fees -   Samecoin derives its value from its ability to successfully execute the Samecoin protocol Smart Contracts. Most notably, Samecoin is built into the network itself and is the only currency that can be used for the main network operations. For example, Samecoin is used to pay for node operators that fetch data. In this way, it also plays an important role in moderating the interactions among users of the Samecoin protocol.

Smart Contracts and Defi Samecoin smart contracts work together to print and burn currencies, make loans and pay interest on savings. Bob can now enjoy all the benefits of the DeFi coin that brought him to cryptocurrency for the first time, as well as take advantage of the savings he would receive by leaving his funds in a traditional bank. This is why more and more people are choosing to participate in the Samecoin ecosystem, and you should too.

Let's think of a name like Peter. That's when Peter heard about Samecoin. After doing a bit of research, he was pleased to learn that Samecoin is much easier to understand than a lot of other things in the crypto world. He was relieved. He also found that the Samecoin ecosystem really outperformed all other options in terms of the real currency he could use day in and day out. He realized that it was better than Bitcoin, better than Ethereum, and even better than other stablecoins in transactional utility. This is because the Samecoin family of stablecoins, such as SameUSD, are even more stable than other stablecoins because they are pegged to a basket of other stablecoins instead of just one. And one SameUSD is always equal to one US dollar, so Peter is always easy to understand. He loves spending his SameUSD wherever he can find it, and more and more online stores are ready to accept SameUSD soon. He knows how much it costs and he doesn't have to worry about investing in his bitcoins if they grow in the future.

Converting

Users can redeem their SAME stablecoin at any time based on below steps:

Step 1: Select a stablecoin & enter the amount they want to receive

Step 2: Smart Contract calculates and shows real-time mint rate

Step 3: Confirm & send transaction

Step 4: Users receive stablecoins in their wallet

2. Save

The Samecoin protocol also provides a “Save Smart Contract” which earns a sizeable interest rate. Whenever a user chooses to keep their SAMA stablecoin, the smart contract will automatically deposit the backed stablecoin (e.g., USDT/USDC...) into a market-proven DeFi app like Ellipsis or PancakeSwap for income (Other sources of income, such as liquidation). tokens, will also be included).

3. LP betting

Samecoin Protocol provides LP Stake Smart Contracts that encourage users to become liquidity providers. For example, you can deposit  Samecoin  and  SameUSD  into the liquidity pool created on PancakeSwap to receive SAME-SUSD LP tokens   .

After that,  install the SAMA-SUSD LP  token   into the LP Stake pool to immediately get the Samecoin reward.

4. Governance

Under update

Detail Token Samecoin:

Ticker: Samecoin (SAMA)

Contract Address (BSC):  0xd53f8bd5e8e6114a29d12dfe264f2a565c18b825

Alamat Kontrak (HSC):   0x3f9b86987b96db944b34a6a2483d488369a41e3f

Chain:

1. Binance Smart Chain (BEP20)

2. Smart Chain Hoo (ORC20)

Total Supply: 100,000,000

Distribution

Like many other cryptocurrencies, the supply of Samecoin tokens is limited. This means, according to Samecoin Protocol rules, there will only be 100 million Samecoins.

64% of it will go to the community (Liquidity Provider & DAO), 36% will be distributed to Investor Seed Fund, IDO, IEO, advisor and team.

Community (Liquidity Provision)

Since this is a Defi project, 32% of Samecoin is dedicated to those who contribute to the community. Based on different smart contracts, the distribution is also different.

Mint 4,8%

(4.800.000 SAME)

Save 9.6%

(9,600,000 SAME)

LP Bet 17.6%

(17,600,000 SAME)

The 3 parts of this bounty will be released linearly in 4 years, which means that the release rate of Samecoin will be adjusted once a year:

first year - 34%

2nd year - 28%

3rd year - 22%

4th year - 16%

Roadmap

Q3 2021   --Samecoin IDO  

Q4 2021 -  SamePay Release on Android

Q1 2022 -  SamePay Release on iOS

Q3 2021   --Samecoin IDO  

Q4 2021 - SamePay Release on Android

Q1 2022 - SamePay Release on iOS

Q     3 2021   --Samecoin IDO  

Q4 2021 - SamePay Release on Android

Q1 2022  - SamePay Release on iOS

our team

Robert Sils - Head of marketing

Vladimir Lisichnik - Chief Financial Officer

Mr. KEY - Advisor

Kurt Farrugia - Product Leader

Robert Sils - Head of marketing

Conclusion

Blockchain technology has disrupted several industries, especially the financial industry. Cryptocurrencies account for a large number of world assets with a total market capitalization of $2.3 trillion. Therefore, there is a need to facilitate payments made with stablecoins and SamePay Samecoin — the payment gateway of the Samecoin ecosystem has managed to offer a viable solution.

Useful links to projects:

Website : https://samecoin.com/

Twitter :   https://twitter.com/SamecoinCom

Facebook :   https://www.facebook.com/SamecoinCom

Media :  https://medium.com/samecoin

Telegram :   https://t.me/Samecoin

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/samecoinofficial

Username: Kuthuk

Bitcointalk Url:https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=3357707

[aargoev]

Benefits of EV Charging Business

EVs can also reduce the emissions that add to environmental change and smog, improving public health, and reducing ecological damage. Charging your EV on sustainable power, for example, solar or wind minimizes these emissions even more. See the difference in emissions between a conventional vehicle and an EV utilizing the calculator on the right.

Tax Advantages and subsidies-

According to a statement by the Finance Ministry, the GST rate on EVs will be reduced to 5% from 12%. The government will provide an additional income-tax deduction of ₹1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loans taken for the purchase of EVs. This amounts to a benefit of around 2.5 lakh over the loan period to the taxpayers who take loans to purchase electric vehicles. In order to make infrastructure for EV affordable, the Council also decided to lower the GST rate on the charger or charging stations for EV to 5% from 18%. Also, to make EV popular for public transportation, the hiring of electric buses (of carrying capacity of more than 12 passengers) by local authorities will be exempted from GST.

Attract and Retain High-quality employees-

Adding EV charging stations to company buildings is a huge advantage for employees— it encourages and facilitates their experience using EV vehicles. Think about the number of hours an employee parks in your lot. All of those hours could be utilized for charging their car, which is a significant advantage, particularly for employees who might not have a home charger.

This advantage can help decrease commute times in territories where EVs meet all requirements for carpool paths. All of this implies that the expansion of an EV charger can be a ground-breaking negotiating tool in retaining and holding talented workers. proprietors express strong interest in work environment charging, and numerous businesses already see the importance of introducing charging stations.) As an added bonus, if your organization’s premises service clients face to face, charging stations offer a special incentive for them to pay you a visit.

Promote Sustainability-

If your business is pushing a sustainability strategy, adding EV charging stations is probably the simplest step you can take. By adding charging stations, you demonstrate to both your employers and customers that you are taking action to promote sustainability and do your part in reducing emissions. In the event that you want to include EV charging as a feature of corporate sustainability strategy, it is easy to go with a smart EV charging infrastructure. Smart EV charging frequently incorporates a dashboard.

Entice Customers

Adding charging stations can help you entice customers in two key ways- Build Goodwill-Consumers, especially millennials, increasingly care about associating with corporations that promote sustainability. They are more motivated to work for a company that produces a product or service they believe in and also create it in a responsible way.  Attract customers with EVs- Charging stations can also attract new and loyal customers eager to patronize businesses that are supporting the transition to electric mobility. If you run a restaurant or a hotel, you might entice customers with your charging stations who might otherwise go somewhere else.

Increase your Footfall-

Using Apps, EV drivers can discover areas to charge their vehicles. If you introduce an EV charger on your business premises, it will feature on these applications and could increase the probability of visitors to your business. A significant number of these visitors could be local, yet some may be basically passing by and need to stop and charge. EV chargers could expand your brand awareness and these visitors could quit charging their vehicle and become one of your customers.

2. Generate revenue through selling electricity-

By installing an EV charging point outside your business, you could generate additional revenue by selling the electricity to the EV driver. Businesses can retain a profit on the price the driver pays to charge their vehicle, so the more EV charging points you have the more revenue you could generate.

Benefits of EV charging stations at various business centers-

Restaurants

Visitors will stay longer-Electric cars typically need to be charged for at least an hour, which means that any visitors who are using your charging station will stay in your facility for at least that time. That means they’ll be more likely to opt for dessert, drinks, or coffee. Will attract repeat customers-A restaurant that offers EV charging stations is very likely to attract repeat customers. Electric car users will know that your facilities are able to accommodate their needs, and they’ll be more likely to choose you over competitors.

It will be recognized as environment friendly-Many consumers are very concerned with the environmental impact of their choices, and if your restaurant has an EV charging station, it will enhance your company’s image. When consumers are looking for an environmentally friendly choice, they’ll choose your restaurant.

Hotels

Profit from Fee-based charging or offer as a complimentary service.

Attract new Ecotourism and electric car driving premium guests.

Increase revenue per available room.

Get higher ratings and positive reviews on popular travel sites.

Get your Hotel featured in map services and navigation systems.

Hospitals

The presence of EV charging stations gives the hospital or medical office a modern and sustainable appearance that fits the overall image that healthcare facilities typically portray: healthy living, scientific achievement, and cutting-edge patient care.

Why Should Healthcare facilities install EV charging stations-?

Providing valuable amenities for doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors who drive EVs.

Improving air quality and reducing emissions near sensitive communities.

Enhancing the visual appeal of the facility with high-tech charging stations.

Adding a “Green” dimension to the overall perception of the hospital.

Benefits of EV charging Station in Shopping Malls and Multiplex:

Shopping Malls and Multiplex

Attract EV Drivers-

Many individuals drive and park for their retail shopping trips—so many that the quantity of vehicles in lots is being utilized to anticipate the market performance for retail organizations. EV drivers clearly need to stop, as well, and they want to do it where they can charge. As the EV industry continues developing, EV charging will turn into a key investment for retailers that need to draw in EV drivers.

Increase Customer Spend-

Charging not only attracts customers and keeps them around longer, but can also increase the amount of time and money they spend in a store. One major retailer found that shoppers spent about a dollar for every minute they were in the store. By adding EV charging, the retailer tripled time in-store and, as a result, tripled customer spends. Now that’s a good deal.

Put your Store on Map-

EV charging also puts stores on the map—in a real sense. EV drivers depend on EV charging applications like Charge Point’s mobile application to rapidly discover places where they can charge. At the point when drivers search for spots to charge in our application, they can easily discover retail locations that offer to charge for their vehicles. Since EV drivers tend to charge their vehicles while they shop, having charging accessible can persuade drivers to pick a store over a competitor’s area.

Create Customer connections-

With smart EV charging that lets drivers interact with stations online or in a mobile app, retailers can create virtual “Connections” to drivers who use their stations. This just requires drivers to submit a simple connection request in the app and allows retail organizations to learn more about who’s using their stations and when giving them new insight into their customers.

Offer Special Deals to EV Drivers-

Retailers can build on these customer connections by developing loyalty programs that cater to EV drivers. Giving EV drivers special deals can bring them back to charge (and shop) even more often. Some sample offers that companies have created include free charging, free stays at hotels and even free wine tastings.

Corporate Parks

Customers stay for long-

Retail businesses benefit from EV charging stations. They motivate customers to remain and browse for more with straightforward parking facilities that can at the same time give charging benefits. Longer browsing increases the shopping basket.

2. Keeping employees happy-

Employees who feel valued by the business and whose needs are more engaged and productive. Providing essential electric charging for employees demonstrates a responsive and committed employer. Demonstrating environmental commitment and supporting brand value- Social responsibility is key for businesses today and enabling greener vehicles is a significant part of that. EV charging at the work environment sends a reasonable and clear message about where the business stands regarding reducing the ecological impact of its operations and personnel.

3. Improving efficiency and cutting costs-

Electric charging points at work may make life easier for employees; reducing time spent seeking out where to charge, for example. For companies where vehicle fleets are part of the business, there are opportunities to save on fuel and maintenance costs.

4. Providing convenience for clients-

Clients make decisions about which companies to partner with on the basis of a wide range of factors – and convenience is one of the most important. EV charging stations on the premises will be attractive as clients can simply fill up with charge while attending a meeting or site visit.