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Post by trubble on Feb 5, 2009 19:52:44 GMT
[ EVERY american corporation that has a call center or any other part of its business that should be in america, and isn't, shouldn't be allowed to conduct ANY business in america same should apply to the uk...i am sick of talking to people i cannot understand..and how they cope with a brummy or geordie acent i really dont know I have used a call centre from Scotland where the accents baffled me, and I had a Glasgow Grampa so I shouldn't have been as baffled as all that. I'm in Dublin but I can't understand some Cork and Donegal or Cavan accents. The accents aren't a geographical argument because we could be at a loss with our own regional differences. Perhaps there should be a certain amount of effort made to ensure all phone operators have a more neutral than exaggerated accent, no matter where they are. As for Chefmate's echoy phones, that's cost cutting and shoddy equipment, you should complain really.
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Post by beth on Feb 7, 2009 3:31:43 GMT
Looks like they may have reached the necessary compromise this evening. Moderate Senators Ben Nelson (D), Joe Lieberman (I), Arlen Specter (R), Susan Collins (R) and Olympia Snow (R) have led the current paring down of a number of funding specifics. Many of the cuts were in education assistance, which I, personally, don't like, but perhaps they can be picked up at a later date with a separate bill. If the Senate can manage to put this version over the top (60 votes) before they recess on Monday for the Presidents Day break, almost everyone will be relieved. www.msnbc.msn.com/
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Post by iamjumbo on Feb 7, 2009 12:24:49 GMT
[ EVERY american corporation that has a call center or any other part of its business that should be in america, and isn't, shouldn't be allowed to conduct ANY business in america same should apply to the uk...i am sick of talking to people i cannot understand..and how they cope with a brummy or geordie acent i really dont know actually, the same should apply to EVERY country. NO business in one country has a right to hire anyone in another country as long as there are citizens of their own country willing to do the job, for any reason, but especially not to increase profit.
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Post by iamjumbo on Feb 7, 2009 12:28:13 GMT
THe phone company that does the prison collect calls has a call center in South America and you can't understand the people, the phone echos, and a supervisor is never available. I found the American based call center and use that one rather than deal with the out of country one anymore and am alot happier. i see that it's an outfit called global tel now, and they aren't charging as much as mci, but, have you noticed that they try to charge you almost as much for the universal service fund fee as they do for the call? of course, i fixed their wagon. i have lifeline, and it's illegal to charge me the usf. they also charge a buck and a half for putting it on your pac bell bill, but, i let that one slide
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Post by iamjumbo on Feb 7, 2009 12:30:12 GMT
Our telephone information service is out of India. If they don't find the listing in the immediate city, they try to give out "near-by" area listings. Trouble is, their "near-bys" are several hundred miles off the mark. The other day, the service person "helping" me BELCHED in my ear! did you say something appropriate, such as, "at least that sounds better than your speech", or something even more humorous?
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Post by iamjumbo on Feb 7, 2009 12:37:51 GMT
Looks like they may have reached the necessary compromise this evening. Moderate Senators Ben Nelson (D), Joe Lieberman (I), Arlen Specter (R), Susan Collins (R) and Olympia Snow (R) have led the current paring down of a number of funding specifics. Many of the cuts were in education assistance, which I, personally, don't like, but perhaps they can be picked up at a later date with a separate bill. If the Senate can manage to put this version over the top (60 votes) before they recess on Monday for the Presidents Day break, almost everyone will be relieved. www.msnbc.msn.com/ there are a lot of things in it that shouldn't be there. the bill is to create jobs and stimulate the economy, and anything that doesn't specifically do that, such as the education assistance, smoking cessation, std prevention, and the other garbage shouldn't be there
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Post by cammie on Feb 7, 2009 22:51:57 GMT
The bill should provide that flagship corporations who operate in America should not be allowed offshore headquarters to avoid taxes. Such as Pepsico.
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Post by beth on Feb 8, 2009 3:57:26 GMT
The bill should provide that flagship corporations who operate in America should not be allowed offshore headquarters to avoid taxes. Such as Pepsico. I think so, too, cammie. BTW, here are the items that have been cut - in part or wholly - from the bill since it reached the senate. I find the last cancellation troubling. The states are hurting. Partially cut: • $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion) • $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million) • $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million) • $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million) • $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million) • $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million) • $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million) Fully eliminated • $55 million for historic preservation • $122 million for Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters • $100 million for Farm Service Agency modernization $50 million for Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service • $65 million for watershed rehabilitation • $100 million for distance learning • $98 million for school nutrition • $50 million for aquaculture • $2 billion for broadband • $100 million for National Institute of Standards and Technology • $50 million for detention trustee • $25 million for Marshalls Construction • $300 million for federal prisons • $300 million for BYRNE Formula grant program • $140 million for BYRNE Competitive grant program • $10 million state and local law enforcement • $50 million for NASA • $50 million for aeronautics • $50 million for exploration • $50 million for Cross Agency Support • $200 million for National Science Foundation • $100 million for science • $1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees • $4.5 billion for General Services Administration • $89 million General Services Administration operations • $50 million from Department of Homeland Security • $200 million Transportation Security Administration • $122 million for Coast Guard Cutters, modifies use • $25 million for Fish and Wildlife • $55 million for historic preservation • $20 million for working capital fund • $165 million for Forest Service capital improvement • $90 million for State and Private Wildlife Fire Management • $1 billion for Head Start/Early Start • $5.8 billion for Health Prevention Activity • $2 billion for Health Information Technology Grants • $600 million for Title I (No Child Left Behind) • $16 billion for school construction • $3.5 billion for higher education construction • $1.25 billion for project based rental • $2.25 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization • $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project 8 housing • $40 billion for state fiscal stabilization (includes $7.5 billion of state incentive grants) www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/07/stimulus.cuts/index.html
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Post by beth on Feb 10, 2009 19:53:03 GMT
Differences in the house and senate bills are interesting. I'd choose the one that just passed the senate IF the inclusion of funding for "health research" means the same as "medical research". Senate passes Obama's economic recovery plan WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan has passed the Senate and is on its way to difficult House-Senate negotiations. Just three Republicans helped pass the plan on a 61-37 vote and they're already signaling they'll play hardball to preserve more than $108 billion in spending cuts made last week in Senate dealmaking. Obama wants to restore cuts in funds for school construction jobs and help for cash-starved states. Those cuts are among the major differences between the $819 billion House version of Obama's plan and a Senate bill costing $838 billion. Obama has warned of a deepening economic crisis if Congress fails to act. He wants a bill completed by the weekend. The bill backed by the White House survived a key test vote in the Senate Monday despite strong Republican opposition, and Democratic leaders vowed to deliver legislation for President Barack Obama's signature within a few days. Monday's vote was 61-36, one more than the 60 needed to advance the measure toward Senate passage on Tuesday. That in turn, will set the stage for possibly contentious negotiations with the House on a final compromise on legislation the president says is desperately needed to tackle the worst economic crisis in more than a generation. The Senate vote occurred as the Obama administration moved ahead on another key component of its economic recovery plan. Officials said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would outline rules on Tuesday for $350 billion in bailout funds designed to help the financial industry as well as homeowners facing foreclosure. Monday's vote was close but scarcely in doubt once the White House and Democratic leaders agreed to trim about $100 billion on Friday. As a result, Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania broke ranks to cast their votes to advance the bill. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., battling a brain tumor, made his first appearance in the Capitol since suffering a seizure on Inauguration Day, and he joined all other Democrats in support of the measure. "There is no reason we can't do this by the end of the week," said Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. He said he was prepared to hold the Senate in session into the Presidents Day weekend if necessary, and cautioned Republicans not to try and delay final progress. He said passage would mark "the first step on the long road to recovery." Moments before the vote, the Congressional Budget Office issued a new estimate that put the cost at $838 billion, an increase from the $827 billion figure from last week. "This bill has the votes to pass. We know that," conceded Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican who has spoken daily in the Senate against the legislation. As if to underscore its prospects for passage, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a prominent and powerful business group, issued a statement calling on the Senate to advance the measure. Even so, in the hours before Monday's vote, Republican opponents attacked it as too costly and unlikely to have the desired effect on the economy. "This is a spending bill, not a stimulus bill," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. All 36 votes in opposition were cast by Republicans. The two remaining versions of the legislation are relatively close in size—$838 billion in the Senate and $819 billion in the House, and are similar in many respects. Both include Obama's call for a tax cut for lower-income wage earners, as well as billions for unemployment benefits, food stamps, health care and other programs to help victims of the worst recession in decades. In a bow to the administration, they also include billions for development of new information technology for the health industry, and billions more to lay the groundwork for a new environmentally friendly industry that would help reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil. At the same time, the differences are considerable. The measure nearing approval in the Senate calls for more tax cuts and less spending than the House bill, largely because it includes a $70 billion provision to protect middle-class taxpayers from falling victim to the alternative minimum tax, which was intended to make sure the very wealthy don't avoid paying taxes. Both houses provide for tax breaks for home buyers, but the Senate's provision is far more generous. The Senate bill also gives a tax break to purchasers of new cars. Both houses provide $87 billion in additional funds for the Medicaid program, which provides health care to the low income. But the House and Senate differ on the formula to be used in distributing the money, a dispute that pits states against one another rather than Republicans against Democrats. There are dozens of differences on spending. The Senate proposed $450 million for NASA for exploration, for example, $50 million less than the House. It also eliminated the House's call for money to combat a potential flu pandemic. On the other hand, the Senate bill calls for several billion more in spending for research at the National Institutes of Health, the result of an amendment backed last week by Specter. www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D968RSN00&show_article=1
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Post by beth on Feb 14, 2009 3:16:16 GMT
The revised bill has passed the House and is moving to the Senate on greased grooves. Hopefully, it will soon be signed into law. (fingers crossed that it helps - a lot)
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Post by chefmate on Feb 14, 2009 14:11:24 GMT
The revised bill has passed the House and is moving to the Senate on greased grooves. Hopefully, it will soon be signed into law. (fingers crossed that it helps - a lot) I wish there had been more tax cuts; that is the way to get people spending again isn't it?
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Post by beth on Feb 14, 2009 20:49:07 GMT
Here's some information, Chris. I took it from FOX, so that if it leans, it leans right. What bothers you in reference to the tax issues in the bill? RAW DATA: Stimulus Bill -- Who Gets What? An examination of how the economic stimulus plan will affect Americans Taxes: The recovery package has tax breaks for families that send a child to college, purchase a new car, buy a first home or make the ones they own more energy efficient. Millions of workers can expect to see about $13 extra in their weekly paychecks, starting around June, from a new $400 tax credit to be doled out through the rest of the year. Couples would get up to $800. In 2010, the credit would be about $7.70 a week, if it is spread over the entire year. The $1,000 child tax credit would be extended to more low-income families that don't make enough money to pay income taxes, and poor families with three or more children will get an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit. Middle-income and wealthy taxpayers will be spared from paying the Alternative Minimum Tax, which was designed 40 years ago to make sure wealthy taxpayers pay at least some tax, but was never indexed for inflation. Congress fixes it each year, usually in the fall. First-time homebuyers who purchase their homes before Dec. 1 would be eligible for an $8,000 tax credit, and people who buy new cars before the end of the year can write off the sales taxes. Homeowners who add energy-efficient windows, furnaces and air conditioners can get a tax credit to cover 30 percent of the costs, up to a total of $1,500. College students -- or their parents -- are eligible for tax credits of up to $2,500 to help pay tuition and related expenses in 2009 and 2010. Those receiving unemployment benefits this year wouldn't pay any federal income taxes on the first $2,400 they receive. Health insurance: Many workers who lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs will find it cheaper to keep that coverage while they look for work. Right now, most people working for medium and large employers can continue their coverage for 18 months under the COBRA program when they lose their job. It's expensive, often over $1,000 a month, because they pay the share of premiums once covered by their employer as well as their own share from the old group plan. Under the stimulus package, the government will pick up 65 percent of the total cost of that premium for the first nine months. Lawmakers initially proposed to help workers from small companies, too, who don't generally qualify for COBRA coverage. But that fell through. The idea was to have Washington pay to extend Medicaid to them. COBRA applies to group plans at companies employing at least 20 people. The subsidies will be offered to those who lost their jobs from Sept. 1 to the end of this year. Those who were put out of work after September but didn't elect to have COBRA coverage at the time will have 60 days to sign up. The plan offers $87 billion to help states administer Medicaid. That could slow or reverse some of the steps states have taken to cut the program. /snip www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/14/raw-data-stimulus-gets/
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Post by drewsmom595 on Feb 15, 2009 10:26:12 GMT
It's not a bad plan...but it's not great either. But I guess it's better than nothing.
After reading the your summary post of the plan, Beth, the only thing that will directly affect me is the extra $13 in my weekly paycheck. Whoo boy! Now I can afford a couple more cans of peas! Not much of a stimulus for me at all. How wild am I going to be with an extra $50 a month?
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Post by chefmate on Feb 15, 2009 13:25:54 GMT
It's not a bad plan...but it's not great either. But I guess it's better than nothing. After reading the your summary post of the plan, Beth, the only thing that will directly affect me is the extra $13 in my weekly paycheck. Whoo boy! Now I can afford a couple more cans of peas! Not much of a stimulus for me at all. How wild am I going to be with an extra $50 a month? the extra money will provide the raise our company isn't going to give. my health insurance rates dropped in half so that covers the increase in rent and the other will soon be sucked up with the other rising prices so I'm not in much better shape like I thought this would be Our management took a ten to fifteen percent pay cut but they failed to mention at Christmas they just received a bonus of around five grand so they really didn't lose like we will as their salaries are higher.....they depend on non thinkers to pulll the shyt they play
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Post by iamjumbo on Feb 15, 2009 13:34:59 GMT
The revised bill has passed the House and is moving to the Senate on greased grooves. Hopefully, it will soon be signed into law. (fingers crossed that it helps - a lot) obviously, the very worst that it can do is a million times better than anything the republicans can regurgitate
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Post by beth on Feb 15, 2009 21:03:23 GMT
The revised bill has passed the House and is moving to the Senate on greased grooves. Hopefully, it will soon be signed into law. (fingers crossed that it helps - a lot) obviously, the very worst that it can do is a million times better than anything the republicans can regurgitate Agreed, Jim. Besides wanting good things for the country, the Obama team knows improvement, even success, is highly in their best interest. I'm confident we'll be in better shape before long. Just hope the tide continues. Chris, it had not occurred to me to see what personal benefits we might receive from this package 'til I read your post. As far as I can tell, we'll be a little better off via the tax breaks. One thing I almost missed is the nice bonus for making the home more energy efficient. Just this past week we contracted for new EE windows to be installed on a sun porch. I'm very glad to see we'll get a tax credit.
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