First step would probably be to decouple healthcare from being company, so people realize how expensive their health plans are and how much they pay for stuff most people don't end up needing. Pretty sure for most people it's more expensive than their single yearly checkup would be out of pocket.
Then, make state-wide and state-owned insurance plans that are capped in profits, so the rates have to match the true cost of things.
Let it simmer for a bit, get people to get used to the idea that the government provided service is actually good and cheaper for once.
Then make it mandatory for every state resident to be covered by it.
The big problem with universal healthcare in the US is the strong individualistic mindset, those that go "but I don't want to pay for other people's hospital bills". Ease all those people that think they'll suddenly be paying way more to subsidize other people's health care into realizing it ends up cheaper because the costs are amortized over way more people. It needs to be spun up as a benefit to them, they're getting a better deal on their health insurance. Because they simply don't care about other people's problems.
One thing that struck me living in the US is just how much distrust there is for anything government operated, even though it's usually the companies they love so much that nickel and dime them. Although seeing how the politics are going right now, I kind of understand that sentiment. And pretty much every company does try to squeeze you out of your money, which makes people want to screw the companies over. Land of the fees.
Low(er) flow faucet aerators & shower heads (don’t have to get crazy but try a few at different flows to see if you can go any lower without it being obnoxious, I stopped at 1.5gpm as the 1gpm restrictors felt like a stingy public bathroom)
Adjust water heater to a cooler temp (at 125-130F I can still get the shower as hot as I need just by turning it close to full hot)
LEDs in all light fixtures, I usually calculate lumens per watt to get the most efficient I can find while still having ~80+ cri and a 2700-3000k temperature (colder temperatures are usually more efficient but I’m not about living in blue light)
IR reflecting window film for the summer and draft-reducing film for the winter
Weather stripping to fill any drafty gaps
Make sure HVAC filter is changed on time and not restricting air flow
Simply let it get a bit warm in the summer and a bit chilly in the winter, use eco modes if your thermostat has it
It’s a substitute for chemical fertilizers which would otherwise go to landfill. It also improves soil quality rather than producing dead “dirt” that is dependant on chemical fertilizers. Plus, no more transportation involved in disposing of the food scraps to landfill, producing and packaging fertilizers, etc.
You can use it for any kind of gardening really, including growing your own veggies and herbs.
Finally, it reduces food waste by recycling food scraps rather than sending them to landfill when they could be used to produce more food or replace more energy-intensive fertilizers.
Christ Jesus, 500 a month? I might not even pay that much and I literally drive the work day (Amazon flex, Uber eats, etc) for my job. Do you know how to drive gas efficient? If your RPM’s never pass 2K and you cruise to stop lights etc you can still drive a decent speed and get much better gas mileage. Stop idling at long lights - if you’re going to wait more than 10 seconds, shut the car off. Perhaps invest in some fuel injector cleaner as a cheap alternative to a proper tune up.
unless you drive for a living you should definitely get that way down, (unless you live in california AND commute 3 hours a day or something, in which case you have bigger problems)
yes, but not global in this case, I saw their unit of currency was dollars and was correct to narrow it down to North america. my flaw was assuming the US and ruling out our friendly neighbors to the north
New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Brunei and even Cuban and Chilean peso use $ symbol. It’s also common to use dollars to explain a quantity of money in general if you’re not from Europe. “I pay 500$ for gas” is simply the easiest way to say “I pay this amount of money for gas” in a conversation where the audience is global.
this is probably gonna sound subtly racist but, with everything taken together, including their use of the English language it just made most contextual sense that it was an American. I’m still trying to normalize the fact that some cultures call it petrol.
I should have specified that wasn’t in freedom dollars, $500 Canadian. So moneys worth probably only like $300USD and gas up here costs over double, if what someone else in the thread said is right.
oops, my bad. how Yankee of me to assume you were down in the states.
300 USD still sounds pretty high to me for someone who doesn’t drive for a living but I don’t know what the petrol situation is up there for y’all right now.
IMHO handhelds are truly a gem to be kept, and until streaming gaming (appears to be “the future”) is widely available for everyone we are better with the retro gaming community.
Honorable mention to larger handhelds such as the Switch or the Steam Deck…
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