Does Congressman Cao Agree With President’s Health Care Plan?

I talked to Congressman Joseph Cao yesterday, and I’m still not sure where he stands on the president’s drastic overhaul of the health care system.  He says congress must do more to expand health insurance to all Americans,  but is the republican congressman going against the GOP and supporting the president’s idea?   In Utopia we would all have fantastic health care and we wouldn’t be  in a record national debt (in the trillions). But the president’s drastic plan is argued to have drastic consequences for the country.  The Republican party is  strictly against it arguing universal health care will put private carriers out of business and lower the quality of care everywhere by rationing care through a quick and flawed system.  

 And then there’s the looming question…  with the government in major debt already, where would the money come from to fund this plan? I just wanted some perspective from one of our New Orleans reps in Washington but Congressman Cao hasn’t been clear on his stance except to say he wants universal health care and doesn’t quite know the best way to accomplish that.

Watch interview with Congressman Cao
   By the way, Congressman Cao is hosting a health care initiative in New Orleans July 1 at Grace Episcopal Church.  Screenings and preventative education will be available.

Have You Used Zicam?

I’ve used the nasal spray several times and never had a problem, I definitely still have my sense of smell.   But the FDA is warning consumers to stop using the over-the-counter cold remedy because researchers say there’s evidence Zicam nasal gels and related products could be causing people to lose their sense of smell.  The FDA has received more than 130 reports from consumers who say they lost their sense of smell after using Zicam.  Zicam’s manufacturer, Matrixx Initiatives, has been told to stop marketing the product and if they wish to continue marketing it to apply for FDA approval.  Many people who experienced a loss of smell said the condition occurred with the first dose. Others reported a loss of the sense of smell after multiple uses of the products.

Will Tobacco Tax Stop Smoking?

What do you think?  Hike the price of cigs? 

A bill to raise a tax increase on tobacco products by 50 cents in Louisiana is being reintroduced to a house committee today.   The amount is a decrease from the originally proposed $1.00 tax.   The “Louisiana Healthier Family Act” (House bill 889 read here) was originally introduced to the House Ways and Means Committee back in April (it failed 7 to 11).

Rep. Karen Carter Peterson continues fight to raise tobacco tax in LA

Money raised with the new taxes would go to health care programs, with half going for payments to providers in the
state Medicaid program.

Smokers out there- would this get you to quit smoking?  Do you think your children will be less likely to smoke with a higher price to pay?

 After a recent federal hike, CDC says a 10 percent increase in cigarette costs reduces consumption by up to 5 percent.

Check Off This Hurricane List!

Another blog about hurricane season beginning Monday!   Don’t ignore the prep time…

Do you need flood insurance? (click here for story, coming soon)

Other than getting flood insurance, there are several things you can do to minimize losses in your home and ensure your family’s safety.  Here is  a checklist (from Floodsmart)

1. Safeguard your possessions.

• Create a personal “flood file” containing information about all your possessions and keep it in a secure place, such as a safe deposit box or waterproof container. This file should have:
• A copy of your insurance policies with your agent’s contact information.
• A room-by-room inventory of your possessions, including receipts, photos, and videos.
• Copies of all other critical documents, including finance records or receipts of major purchases.

2. Prepare your house.

• Make sure your sump pump is working.
• Clear debris from gutters and downspouts.
• Anchor any fuel tanks.
• Raise your electrical components (switches, sockets, circuit breakers, and wiring) at least 12 inches above your home’s projected flood elevation.
• Place the furnace, water heater, washer, and dryer on cement blocks at least 12 inches above the projected flood elevation.
• Move furniture, valuables, and important documents to a safe place.

3. Develop a family emergency plan.

• Create a safety kit with drinking water, canned food, first aid, blankets, a radio, and a flashlight.
  Post emergency telephone numbers by the phone and teach your children how to dial 911.
• Plan and practice a flood evacuation route with your family. Know safe routes from home, work, and school that are on higher ground.
• Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to be your emergency family contact.
• Have a plan to protect your pets.

For more information on emergency preparation, talk to your insurance agent or visit www.Ready.gov.

Click here to view flood maps for your area

Click here for FAQs about Flood Zones

Save on Hurricane Supplies This Weekend

Hurricane season begins Monday, and it’s time to stock up!  At least if you do it this weekend you can save a little bit.  The state’s annual sales tax holiday for purchases of hurricane preparedness supplies is set for Saturday and Sunday.  It’s a 4 % state sales tax for purchases made from 12:01 a.m. Saturday through 11:59 p.m.   Local and municipal sales taxes must still be paid.

During the two-day holiday, tax-free purchases are allowed for the first $1,500 of the sales price of each of the following items:

• Self-powered light sources, such as flashlights and candles
• Portable self-powered radios, two-way radios, and weather-band radios
• Tarpaulins or other flexible waterproof sheeting
• Ground anchor systems or tie-down kits
• Gas or diesel fuel tanks
• Batteries – AAA, AA, C, D, 6-volt, or 9-volt (automobile batteries and boat batteries are not eligible)
• Cellular phone batteries and chargers
• Non-electric food storage coolers
• Portable generators
• Storm shutter devices – Materials and products manufactured, rated, and marketed specifically for the purposes of preventing window damage from storms (La. R.S. 47:305.58)
• Carbon monoxide detectors
•  Blue ice products

The tax holiday doesn’t extend to items purchased at airports, hotels, convenience stores or entertainment complexes.

For more information, please call the Louisiana Department of Revenue Public Affairs Division at 225-219-2156 or 225-219-2158.

 Louisiana Department of Revenue

Swine Flu, Would You Have Gone?

Swine-Scared Bride and Groom

They tried to make light of the situation when they lost about 20 of their wedding guests in Mexico to a swine flu scare.  Courtney and Brandon Jiura  got married in Cabo a few weeks ago amid a media-frenzied fear of the deadly swine flu circulating.  Courtney grew up with my husband in Denver, so when I saw these pictures, I had to ask if she minded me sharing them!  One of her bridesmaids made these masks for the trip.

Brave Wedding Guests in Cabo San Lucas

 

Fortunately none of the wedding guests got sick, nor did they wear these masks for anything other than pictures.  Those who went all say they had a blast, but  the other wedding guests who cancelled their flights are among many Americans still taking the scare quite seriously.  Companies are still cancelling any and all flights for employee trips and are giving a paid week off to any employee who has been specifically to Mexico.  And the number of U.S. cases is growing.

The World Health Organization says swine flu has sickened more than 10,000 people in 41 countries and killed at least 80.

Here’s the latest from the CDC on the Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection in the U.S. (As of May 22, 2009, 11:00 AM ET)
States*/ Confirmed and Probable Cases/Deaths
Alabama- 66 cases 0 deaths
Arkansas- 3 cases 0 deaths
Arizona- 520 cases 2 deaths
California- 553 cases 0 deaths
Colorado- 59 cases 0 deaths
Connecticut- 81 cases 0 deaths
Delaware- 94 cases 0 deaths
Florida- 129 cases 0 deaths
Georgia- 27 cases 0 deaths
Hawaii- 33 cases 0 deaths
Idaho- 18 cases 0 deaths
Illinois- 877 cases 0 deaths
Indiana- 106 cases 0 deaths
Iowa- 71 cases 0 deaths
Kansas- 34 cases 0 deaths
Kentucky- 22 cases 0 deaths
Louisiana- 86 cases 0 deaths
Maine- 9 cases 0 deaths
Maryland- 41 cases 0 deaths
Massachusetts- 197 cases 0 deaths
Michigan- 176 cases 0 deaths
Minnesota- 39 cases 0 deaths
Mississippi- 7 cases 0 deaths
Missouri- 24 cases 1 deaths
Montana- 10 cases 0 deaths
Nebraska- 29 cases 0 deaths
Nevada- 32 cases 0 deaths
New Hampshire- 23 cases 0 deaths
New Jersey- 47 cases 0 deaths
New Mexico- 97 cases 0 deaths
New York- 327 cases 1 deaths
North Carolina- 12 cases 0 deaths
North Dakota- 5 cases 0 deaths
Ohio- 14 cases 0 deaths
Oklahoma- 50 cases 0 deaths
Oregon- 101 cases 0 deaths
Pennsylvania- 73 cases 0 deaths
Rhode Island- 9 cases 0 deaths
South Carolina- 36 cases 0 deaths
South Dakota- 4 cases 0 deaths
Tennessee- 89 cases 0 deaths
Texas- 900 cases 3 deaths
Utah- 122 cases 1 deaths
Vermont- 2 cases 0 deaths
Virginia- 25 cases 0 deaths
Washington- 494 cases 1 death
Washington, D.C.- 13 cases 0 deaths
Wisconsin- 766 cases 0 deaths
TOTAL*(48) 6,552 cases 9 deaths
*includes the District of Columbia
**one case is resident of KY but currently hospitalized in GA.

NOTE: Because of daily reporting deadlines, the state totals reported by CDC may not always be consistent with those reported by state health departments. If there is a discrepancy between these two counts, data from the state health departments should be used as the most accurate number.

You Need More Postage and Less Hydroxycut

Postage prices go up today … the damage is 2 cents this time.    First Class Mail has jumped from 42 cents to 44 cents.  The designers at SpudArt.org have translated the increase over the years below… (yes, just for my blog, just kidding)

Graphic created by: Spudart.org

 

The increases apply to services as well. Click here for details.

 Now to the weight losers and metabolism boostes…

FDA Recalls Hydroxycut

My friend Randi Rousseau is particularily upset about the recently discovered side effects of Hydroxycut.  She took the dietary supplement every morning (one reason she is always so peppy, but now she’s thinking of coffee instead).   The FDA has recalled 14 Hydroxycut products citing serious liver injuries and even death in at least one person.

Click here to read details on Hydroxycut Recall from the Food and Drug Administration

Prime Goes Down and Our Cost Goes Up!

As many of you, I made the mistake of thinking when the prime interest rate went down- so would my credit card interest rate… ha! Wrong.  But about a year ago, when I was still in California and still paying off a credit card, my (now) husband suggested I call my credit card company and ask for a lower interest rate. I thought he was kidding, but he had just done the same. Ask and it shall be granted? Too easy.  Sure enough though, I got my interest rate cut almost in half… just by calling and asking!  Good things come to those who know about them. .. and don’t take no for an answer.

Watch story here: Lower your credit card interest rate

Once you get your credit rating, you can find out online if your credit score qualifies you for a lower rate. Click here for CardTrak.com

Consumer Reports has some good credit card advice here

I Took a Break To Get Married;) -BTW Wedding Consumers Are Nuts…

 

Wedding party after mass at St. Patrick’s Church on Camp St. (Photo courtesy John Alwert Photography)

 Hi Ya’ll!   I got some of the best emails while I was gone for a couple of weeks, thank you if that applies to you!  After a beautiful honeymoon on St. Thomas it’s so good to be home with my new husband Tyson Shinaut, in my new home, and back at WDSU.

Now, along with a few pictures just for fun, I have a few wedding consumer thoughts for you before I return to credit card rates, gas prices and  contractor problems…

First, brides can be some nutty, nasty consumers.  They could put filthy rich clowns getting bailouts to shame.  I remember how many times I felt horrible for my seamstress as I heard bridezillas come in and out of the dress shop.  The ladies who run these shops are angels going to heaven (The ones at mine were anyway, Bustles and Bows on Severn- they were fabulous! It’s owned by a Dominican Grad, go figure:).  How those employees keep smiles on their faces for every bride is beyond me.   

My big New Orleans Fam (Photo John Alwert)

I’ve been a bridesmaid just about every year for the past decade so I thought I would just whip this wedding up in no time.  But I had a typical Catholic, large New Orleans family wedding with many many out-of-town guests also from Tyson’s native Colorado and our former home California, where Tyson and I met.  The whole thing was much more time-consuming than I thought, thank God for my mother and her planning techniques…

Tip: Our website www.MelanieAndTyson.com helped tremendously for traveling guests. (Wedding website are usually very easy to create and many are free)

Here’s some of the WDSU Gang (Roop introduced us for the first time)

Ty and me with early morning friends Roop Raj, Ken Jones, Vicky Prunty (Photo Courtesy John Alwert Photography)

Anyway,  I have to share this with you… I wasn’t that picky about my vendors. It really came down to scheduling first since we selected the date before anything, and recommendations second.  But my photographer John Alwert was AMAZING and made everything so easy for all of us.  I asked him to be bossy and have fun- and he did well beyond belief!  And true to New Orleans, it’s a family affair with his son Scott directing the videography, and his other son Andy on the candid shots (like this one here of our morning gang).

Tys and me with WDSU Gang Randi Rousseau, Travers Mackel, Greg Shepperd, Fletcher Mackel (Photo Courtesy John Alwert Photography)

And- Mr. Gene Capdeboscq- what a class act!  Capdeboscq Catering, another incredible vendor for us, is also a family business.  Turns out I went to elementary school with Mr. Gene’s granddaughter Angela (you know how it is here).  After 34 years in business Mr. Gene still conducts wonderful taste testing in a full suit, serving wine and delicious foods to select.   We had a blast! They were easy to work with, and organized beyond belief.   Ms. Joyce made sure we ate well, and she packed food for the horse and buggy after:)

Oh, and our band Alley Cats… So entertaining! Tyson’s long-time friends James and Kate Schlatter in Denver actually picked our band for our New Orleans wedding!  They happen to be good friends with the lead singer Brett Thomassie and have been bragging about their New Orleans friends and the Alley Cats since I met them.  The only complaint I have is ”Sweet Home Colorado” was louder by the crowd than ”Sweet Home Louisiana!”  But Brett was a blast, came down in the crowd, and I don’t mind mentioning he is quite easy on the eyes

You have my word I have not gotten nor are getting any ‘benefits’ for my words – I just wanted to pass on my experience to you because I know these decisions are very difficult for many brides.    I’ve heard some real horror stories, and not everything was easy for us either so I wanted to pass on what helped to make our day.

Our Wedding Party (Photo Courtesy John Alwert Photography)

 SellTheBride.com  reports during an average 13 month engagement (ugh, we did it in 6 1/2), eight hours a week are spent planning, and 48% of brides wish they can take a leave of absence from work to be able to plan their wedding on a full time basis.  Wouldn’t that be nice…

 In 2009, The Wedding Report estimates the average wedding cost to be between $21,000 and $25,000… not exactly chump change, but a number that is slowly decreasing in the midst of the economic recession. If you’re looking for creative ways to save money in a wedding, you might find this as interesting as I did.  A Colorodo couple explains how they got married for $2,000!

Some other interesting links I have come across not connected to the popular “Knot” or “Wedding Channel” websites include: Top 10 Bridal Scams to Avoid , Should You Buy Wedding Inurance? , www.theWeddingReport.com

 

And, if you can swing it… a “spa morning for the bridesmaids” is the way to go on wedding day.   Instead of a traditional bridesmaid tea, my mother hosted one at Spa Atlantis on Gravier.  For groups they do chocolate fountains and champagne, yum… We also had our hair and makeup done there by Mindy Laborie from The Cut Hair Salon on Vets.  It was the perfect relaxing ladies time before the whirlwind began.

Tyson & Melanie Shinaut

Feel free to share your feedback, I’d love to hear it. Happy Planning!

For me things are finally back to normal…

~Melanie Hebert Shinaut

Gain Rewards From Credit Cards

I’ve had the same “rewards” credit card for about 10 years.  Last year I checked to see how many rewards I gained and it was about $25 bucks. THAT’S IT!  I put everything on this credit card for years to earn ”rewards” and that’s it?  Well, I also got a Visa United Mileage Plus card and I have to say I have earned several flights by making all my purchases on that card, which is worth it to me because I fly quite often.  Certain cards can really be helpful to you, even in this tough economy.  Consumer reports put together a list of the best rewards cards. Click here to read.