Farmers And Ranchers Are Completely Screwed By American Healthcare

Farmers And Ranchers Are Completely Screwed By American Healthcare

"A new USDA-funded study led by researchers at the University of Vermont surveyed a thousand farmers and ranchers scattered among ten representative states (CA, WA, UT, NE, MI, KY, MS, PA, VT, MA). The survey aimed to find out exactly what the realities and concerns are among workers in the agricultural field about their healthcare in order to better understand the impact of the Affordable Care Act on farmersβ€”and help inform policy going forward."

"The findings are pretty grim. Twenty-four percent of farmers aged 18 to 64 purchased a plan on the healthcare exchange, which doesn’t sound like all that much until you learn that 72 percent of farmers are forced to get a second job, primarily for healthcare purposes. With a whopping 64 percent of farmers and ranchers reporting a pre-existing condition, the state of that provision within American healthcare is paramount; almost half of all the farmers and ranchers surveyed are concerned they’ll have to sell land or equipment to pay for healthcare."

Endangered Karner blue butterfly exceeds recovery goals

NY: Endangered Karner blue butterfly exceeds recovery goals

"The Karner blue butterfly has exceeded recovery goals in the rare New York habitat where it was discovered by Russian author Vladimir Nabokov in the 1940s, officials announced Thursday."

"The butterfly, federally listed as endangered 25 years ago, is doing well in the sandy pine barrens west of Albany, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission said. The population has grown from less than 1,000 to more than 15,000 in 10 years."

"The 2003 federal Karner blue recovery plan for the 3,300-acre Albany Pine Bush Preserve set a goal of 3,000 as the minimum population for survival."

S-Town Podcast

S-Town Podcast

Last night I started to listen to the Shit Town podcast. I can see why it's likely to be the most listened to podcast of 2017 as it tells the sad story of small town eccentric in rural Alabama.