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La Ley y Usted click here to watch video
Click here to renew your P.R. birth certificate.
Puerto Ricans will need new birth certificates
February 1, 2010
Orlando Sentinel: Hispanic Affairs Blog
If you were born in Puerto Rico, you may want to write this on your calendar.
Starting July 1, 2010, Puerto Ricans born on the island will need to apply for new birth certificates for any official transactions requiring that document, such as requesting drivers licenses or getting new passports.
The older birth certificates that have been issued in Puerto Rico will be invalidated as of that date, as the government moves to implement security measures to avoid identity theft and U.S. immigration fraud.
The birth certificates of Puerto Ricans are desirable to many from elsewhere in Latin America who seek to pass themselves off as Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens. Those birth certificates were selling for $5,000 to $10,000 and accounted for 40 percent of birth certificate fraud in the United States, said Puerto Rico Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock.
In addition to the new documents, which will have security markings to prevent fraud, Puerto Rico now bans for anyone other than the person named in the certificate from keeping a copy of the original.
"We had a bad habit through the decades that people had to give their original birth certificates in order to register for day care, for elementary school, for middle school, for high school or college, even to enter little league or sign up to a ballet class or register in summer camp, and as a consequence we had thousands of student records containing birth certificates that remain valid," said McClintock.
Many of those certificates were being stolen and sold in the black market, McClintock said.
"This change will benefit Puerto Ricans; first, because we are taking steps to protect their identity and, second, because instead of getting 20 copies of your birth certificates at $5 each, now they will be able to obtain one and, if it's well-cared for, it could be good to show for any of those transactions."
The changes were made, McClintock said, after the federal government approached island officials to tell them of growing fraud and identity theft with those documents. There had also been incidents of burglars breaking into island schools to steal birth certificates.
After July 1, Puerto Ricans will still be able to apply for new birth certificates by mail and the cost will remain at $5 each.
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From the desk of Gary Lesser
Hello,
I have some news I wanted to share with you. One of our attorneys, Daniel Lustig, has launched a new public service series La Ley y Usted (The Law and You) on WWHB-TV/Azteca America 48 on Comcast channels 230 and 611 that began on Thursday, September 3, 2009 with subsequent airings on the City's government access channel WPB-TV (West Palm TV) on Comcast Channel 18. The segment series are in Spanish during airings of the popular news program Enfoque Comunitario that is produced and hosted by Carlos Mahecha.
During the legal educational series, Daniel provides viewers with important legal insight on topics that have a daily impact in our community. Some of the topics he discusses include:
• I've Been in an Accident, Now What?
• Automobile Insurance 101. The Need for Proper Auto Insurance.
• Uninsured Motorist Coverage. What Is It and Why Do I Need it?
• PIP Insurance.
• Insurance Bad Faith Law - Making Insurance Companies Live Up to Their Promises.
In order to meet the Firm's mission to be truly community serving, La Ley y Usted will also address other important issues facing the Hispanic community, such as one's rights as a non-citizen and related issues. Our goal is to be educational and helpful to the community.
Produced to serve the growing number of Hispanic residents and businesses in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, and the Treasure Coast, WWHB-TV's Enfoque Comunitario focuses on issues facing Hispanics, offering information about many services and city resources available to the public and features interviews with interesting local personalities and government officials.
Daniel's segments will be featured during the following airings of Enfoque Comunitario:
Comcast Channels 230 and 611
Thursdays: 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. to Midnight
Fridays: 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 11:30 a.m. to Noon
Comcast Channel 18
Saturdays and Sundays: 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Please click here to view one of these educational segments. And feel free to forward this email to your friends by clicking on the "Forward email" link below.
Enjoy!
Gary S. Lesser
Managing Partner
Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith, PLLC
(561) 655-2028
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"November - Discovery of Puerto Rico Month"
Friday, July 10, 2009 - 10:30am
Tampa Port Authority,
1101 Channelside Drive - Tampa, Florida 33602
TAMPA, FL.
In a public forum the Honorable Senator Nancy Detert will be presenting
"Discovery of Puerto Rico Month" Proclamations to the
Puerto Rican Business Roundtable, other VIP's and organizations. As the Puerto Rican Business Roundtable lobby the state governmental and business agencies to start moving products made in Puerto Rico to the state of Florida.
Hosting the event is the Tampa Port Authority. The Roundtable will be holding a national press conference to announce the importance of the "Discovery of Puerto Rico Month", the benefits of imported products from Puerto Rico, a new infusion of commerce and revenues between Florida and Puerto Rico, opening the doors to investors, new jobs, and customers who desire to purchase products not found in Florida.
The Honorable Governor Charlie Crist of Florida acknowledges over one and a quarter million Puerto Ricans in the state of Florida, who have contributed to the growth and commerce of this state. Additionally honoring those Puerto Rican men and women who have served and are serving in our armed forces. Because of this the honorable Gov. Crist has designated November as "Discovery of Puerto Rico Month"!
The Puerto Rican Chambers of Broward, Palm Beach, Sarasota/Manatee and Polk County will be presenting an aggressive campaign to consume products made in Puerto Rico to empower Florida's and Puerto Rico's economy during the month of November, in Florida. By standing behind local merchants in promoting the consumption of products from the enchanted Island they will create interest for products to be displayed and new ones to be imported to Florida to meet the demand of the fast growing Puerto Rican community during the month of November "Discovery of Puerto Rico Month". This campaign will include internet, radio, TV and press exposure. With programs that will include everything from investing in consumers necessities to showcasing Puerto Rican products in cultural community events throughout all of Florida.
Puerto Ricans are the fastest Hispanic/Spanish speaking Americans in growth in the state of Florida, with an estimated 1 ¼ million Puerto Ricans which are part of a large consumer base. Because of this growth and acknowledgement, the Puerto Rican Business Roundtable has developed the concept of
"Buy Puerto Rican during the Month of November".
This is a great opportunity to show the need and demand that the Puerto Rican community bring with their growth by promoting Puerto Rican products. In November with this campaign, state merchants will experience a consumer explosion in Puerto Rican consumers alone.
A similarity shared with other Latino/Hispanic consumers.
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June 2,2009
La Administración de Pequeños Negocios (SBA) está facilitando un nuevo préstamo para ayudar a los pequeños empresarios afectados con la crisis económica.
El préstamo llamado ARC Loan tiene un máximo de $35,000 esta 100% garantizado por el SBA y no conlleva intereses. El propósito del préstamo es financiar seis meses de pagos recurrentes a préstamos, notas y tarjetas de crédito.
Es decir una empresa que tenga pagos mensuales a préstamos, notas y o tarjetas de crédito de $2,000; recibiría un desembolso de esa cantidad ($2,000) por seis meses para pagar estos pagos recurrentes. Esto equivale a aumentar la liquidez de la empresa por $12,000.
El préstamo está garantizado por SBA y SBA le pagaría los intereses al banco para aliviar a la pequeña empresa. El préstamo se empezaría a pagar a las 12 meses.
Para solicitar este préstamo deberá primero solicitarlo a su Banco Primario u a otros Bancos si su Banco Primario no participa en el programa.
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Read President Obama's letter to Governor Luis G. Fortuño!
Click here.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The director of the U.S. Mint on Thursday unveiled the first U.S. coin with an inscription in Spanish, a quarter honoring Puerto Rico as the "Isla del Encanto" — or "Island of Enchantment."
The coin presented at a ceremony in the Caribbean territory's capital is the latest in a series that already has recognized all 50 states and, like the others, it depicts the traditional profile of George Washington on one side.
But the reverse side shows a sentry box on a Spanish colonial fort and a hibiscus, the U.S. island's official flower, along with the phrase: "Isla del Encanto."
At the presentation in San Juan's colonial district, U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy said the U.S. coin is the first to circulate with a phrase inscribed in Spanish. He said the quarter will be an ambassador for the "marvels" of Puerto Rico.
Gov. Luis Fortuno, whose party favors making this Caribbean island the 51st U.S. state, dismissed any suggestion that the inscription highlights Puerto Rico's cultural differences with the mainland.
"The reality is the United States is one of the biggest Spanish-speaking countries in the world, with 45 million citizens of Hispanic descent," Fortuno said, adding that the use of Spanish represents "the integration of a great nation" that has room for many languages.
The Puerto Rico quarter entered circulation on Monday. A quarter for the District of Columbia debuted earlier this year, and the Mint is also rolling out others this year for Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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March 2009
Information of interest about driver licenses and
identification cards
NEW REQUIREMENTS: Florida now requires additional documents for people renewing or obtaining their Florida driver license or identification card. Everyone must provide one proof of residential address; and one form of proof of social security number. The changes are required to bring Florida into compliance with the Real ID Act of 2005.
To renew or obtain a license or identification card, residents must now have one form of proof of residence such as:
• Deed
• Monthly mortgage statement
• Residential rental / lease agreement
• Utility hook-up (or work order) dated within 60 days of the application
Minors, students, or others without those documents can use school related information
Proof of having a Social Security number must be provided by presenting a:
• Social Security card
• Tax return
• W-2 form
• Pay check stub
• DD-214 (military discharge document)
• School record
To get a license or identification card for the first time residents also must have proof of identity such as:
• Valid passport
• Out-of-state driver license
• Original or certified birth certificate (name on each document must match exactly or be accompanied by an official marriage certificate or court order) Minors also may use a written statement from parents
Non-U.S. citizens must provide additional documents such as:
• Valid permanent resident card
• Employment authorization card
The Department provides a list of acceptable documents online at www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/address.html.
REAL ID – WHAT TO EXPECT: Florida will begin issuing Real ID driver licenses and identification cards no later than January 1, 2010. Information on the implementation of Real ID follows:
• The Real ID Act became effective nationwide on May 11, 2008. Florida has received a compliance extension that pushes the date to January 1, 2010.
• Your current, unexpired, Florida driver license or ID card will continue to be valid as identification for federal purposes until December 1, 2014 for individuals born after December 1, 1964, and December 1, 2017 for everyone else.
• After the 2014 and 2017 dates, Federal agencies will no longer accept a driver license or ID card unless it is Real ID compliant. This means you will not be allowed to board commercial flights or enter federal facilities unless you have a Real ID compliant document.
• Florida already meets many of the Real ID requirements. We are on track to meet the remaining mandates and begin issuing Real ID compliant documents by January 1, 2010.
For more information about Real ID, please visit http://www.flhsmv.gov/realid/
DHSMV PARTNERSHIP WITH AAA: The Department has formed a partnership to provide driver license services potentially in ten AAA offices around the state. This cooperative agreement with AAA allows the department to expand driver license services at no cost. The first three offices will be open in the next three months and will be in Ft. Myers, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg.
HIGHWAY FATALITIES ARE DOWN IN FLORIDA: Florida ended 2008 with 2,986 traffic fatalities, the lowest the statistic has been in eight years according to preliminary data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The last time Florida’s total number of fatalities was less than 3,000 was in 2000 when there were 2,999 fatalities. State traffic deaths were down by 235 in 2008, a seven percent reduction, from 2007 when 3,221 people died and 325 fewer than the five-year average of 3,311 deaths. While the numbers of fatalities are similar for 2000 and 2008, the Sunshine State’s population grew by more than 2.8 million, an increase of nearly 18 percent.
ORGAN DONOR REGISTRATION INITIATIVE: DHSMV recently partnered with Donate Life Florida to identify effective strategies to increase organ donor registry enrollment. Last year DHSMV selected 30 driver license offices to strive to increase organ donation rates through a targeted educational initiative and this program is continuing this year. DHSMV is dedicated to pursuing this very important endeavor to increase the number of organ donors in Florida. For more information, please visit http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/organ_donor.html
SIGHT SAVER EFFORT: The Division of Driver Licenses team members across Florida raised $290,953.41 during the month of January to benefit the Florida Prevent Blindness campaign by encouraging their customers to contribute to its fundraising effort. Thank you Floridians for your generosity!
QUEUING SYSTEM: An automated queuing system will be fully operational in 53 driver license offices by April 2009. The queuing system will allow management to assign examiners to specific duties and to adjust those assignments based on changing customer needs throughout the day. The customer will check in with the receptionist, who selects the customer’s service need and prints a ticket. When the appropriate examiner station is available, the customer will hear their number and examiner station, which will also be displayed on an LCD monitor. Customers will benefit from the service as they will be able to sit and wait for their number to be called, negating the requirement to stand in line. Additionally, improvements in office efficiencies will decrease the length of most visits.
EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION: This service will allow you to provide emergency contact information to law enforcement in the event of an emergency. This information may save crucial time if ever it becomes necessary to contact family members, or other loved ones. This service is only available to individuals holding a current Florida Driver License or Florida Identification Card. To record your information please visit: https://www6.hsmv.state.fl.us/dlcheck/findcustomer
OUR OFFICE SCHEDULE: Driver license offices in Florida are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. New testing guidelines, that continue to provide excellent customer service, call for the start of the last oral examination and CDL test each day to be at 3:30 p.m. The last written examinations and driving tests each day start at 4:30 p.m.
The following DL Offices are open from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Saturdays: Jacksonville-Wilson Office, Duval County; North Orlando, Orange County; Tampa ML King Office, Hillsborough County; Lauderdale Lakes Office, Broward County; Opa Locka Office, Miami-Dade County; Miami Central Office, Miami-Dade County.
Please check our website at www.flhsmv.gov/offices/ for the most up-to-date information on office locations and schedules.
FIRST, GET AN APPOINTMENT! We urge all customers who must visit one of our offices to renew, replace, or file a change of address to their driver license or identification card, to secure an appointment prior to their visit. Connect via Internet at http://www.flhsmv.gov/oasis for an appointment to greatly reduce the length of the visit. Then link to the on-line pre-application and complete it before coming to one of our offices.
DRIVER LICENSES AND IDENTIFICATION CARDS FEES
Class E (original) $27.00 CDL (renewal) $67.00
Class E (renewal) $20.00 ID Card (original) $10.00
CDL (original) $67.00 Endorsements $ 7.00
Buckle up your seatbelt!
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ATTORNEY'S ADVICE -- NO CHARGE
Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer
to it someday.
A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his
company. Maybe we should all take some of his advice!
1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID
REQUIRED".
2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts,
DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead,
just put the last four numbers. The credit card company k nows the
rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as
it passes through all the check processing channels won't have
access to it.
3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone.
If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you
do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS#
printed on your checks
(DUH!). You can add it if it is necessary but, if you have it
printed, anyone can get it. < /SPAN>
4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both
sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had
in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to
call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a
photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've
all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in
stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards,
etc..
Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my
wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an
expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit
card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received
a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information
online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the
damage in case this happens to you or someone you know.
5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately.
But the key is having the toll-free numbers and your card numbers
handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.
6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your
credit cards, etc. were stolen. This proves to credit providers you
were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if
there ever is one).
But here's what is perhaps most important of all (I never even
thought to do this.).
7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to
place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security
fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by
a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made
over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that
checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have
to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the
theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the
credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I
knew about before placing the aler t. Since then, no additional
damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this
weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead
in their tracks.
Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your
wallet, etc, has been stolen:
1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
3.) Trans Union : 1- 800-680-7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
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Changing Your Money Mindset
by Mike Peterson Never spend your money before you have it. –Thomas Jefferson
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In order to secure your financial future, sometimes you need to change your money mindset. The road to financial security can be daunting, but with just a few simple rules to help you get started, you can change the way to think about money and get yourself on the path to financial independence.
Rule #1: Think in Years, Not Months
You probably like to think of your budget (when you think of it at all) in terms of months. You make X amount per month, therefore you can spend X amount per month.
So, then you think about what you can afford, you think in terms of payments and sales prices, but not what things will cost you once you’ve finished with 30 or 60 or 90 or 1000 monthly payments. You have to start thinking about your income and expenses over the long haul. Why is that so important? Because. . .
Rule #2: Paying Interest is Bad.
Let me give you an example: you decide to buy a stereo. You scour the sales, read the consumer reports, even visit several stores. You find the best deal on a system you know you’re going to love.
You can’t believe the bargain you’ve found! The $4,000 system you want is reduced a full grand, and you can put it on the store credit card for a minimum payment starting at only $60.00 a month. You don’t like to think in years, so you never bother to figure out how much that stereo will actually cost you. Out comes the credit card and home goes the stereo system. No big deal, right?
Now let’s see what that stereo system is actually costing you. Paying the monthly minimum, at 18% interest—not bad for store credit—you would pay over $7,900 in interest over the next 37 years. That’s a total of over $10,900 for that $3,000 stereo system. Of course, by that time, you would have needed several new stereo systems, which you would also be paying for.
Well, who cares, right? So you pay a ton more, but that’s what credit is all about. You pay them extra money so you don’t have to pay all of that money upfront. But did you ever think about what else you could do with that money? That is, did you ever think about what that money could do for you if you were making interest on it instead of paying interest with it?
Those minimum payments every month may not seem like much, but if you took the money you spend on interest and spent it in investments instead, you could easily have made over $12,000 during the time you paid out well over $7,000!
So how do you avoid paying interest? By following. . .
Rule #3: Control the Consumer in You.
Learn to distinguish between wants and needs. Cutting a little bit here and there can make a big difference to the amount of financial freedom you are able to enjoy. You need the milk on your grocery list. You want the People Magazine in the impulse aisle. You need to pay the phone bill. You want call waiting and caller ID and voicemail. Does that mean you should turn off you caller ID and that you can’t ever buy a magazine from the checkout aisle? No. What it means is that it’s important to recognize those things for what they are: small luxuries. Enjoy your small luxuries, but deny yourself every once in a while as well. It will make an amazing difference to the bottom line—to the amount of money you have for big purchases at the end of every year. And you’ll appreciate your small luxuries that much more when you indulge.
There’s another bad habit that most of us have when making purchases, and that’s the natural human tendency to do optimistic. Yes! In this, even pessimists are optimistic. We all think we’ll have more money tomorrow than we have today. Which leads us to. . .
Rule #4: Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch.
It’s one of the most common (and the worst) money managing habits out there: buying things based on future income—and salesmen bend over backwards trying to get you to do it. How many promotions have you seen in the last month: 0 down, 0% financing until next year. What’s your impulse? “Sounds great! Buy now. Pay later. What could possibly go wrong?”
Well, there are, of course, the catastrophes: you lose your job, you become ill, or your house burns down; but barring those, these are still plenty of reasons you should think twice about taking advantage of one of those deals.
Putting off payments is not necessarily a good thing. It just means that you’re doubling up on payments later. After all, if you wait until next Christmas to start paying off stuff that you buy this Christmas, does that mean you’re going to skip Christmas next year? No. You’ll buy more stuff next Christmas and your payments will start piling up. Pretty soon you’ll find that your debt is out of control, and trust me, when you’re still paying for that entertainment system you bought five years ago, those pure tones that the salesman raved about won’t sound so sweet.
Here’s another common scenario, “The Promotion You’re Sure About.”
You’ve been promised a promotion in January, so you decide to celebrate with a hip new ride. But all the sales on this year’s models are in December, and you don’t want to miss out. The Lexus dealership is offering $0 down and 0% interest for six months. The payments are a little bit more than you can really afford on the year’s salary, but after the promotion and the fat pay raise, you won’t have any problems with them at all. Right?
What happens? The office upstart gets the promotion instead, leaving you no choice but to trade in your new car for an older model when the payments come due. To make matters worse, when you go to trade it in, you discover that you’re upside-down on the car (having never make a payment, but having put plenty of miles on it), and you’ve got to shell out a couple of grand just to get rid of the thing. Why didn’t anyone tell you that your car would lose 20% of its resale value in the first year?
The moral of the story is that you can have hope and positive expectations, but you cannot risk making assumptions about things you simply aren’t sure of, especially when it comes to your finances.
Rule #5: Being Wealthy is About What You Save, Not What You Have.
It’s a natural tendency to want to appear wealthier than you are. But what most people don’t realize is that being wealthy is about what’s in the bank, not about how much stuff you have. A fancy car and a big stereo may make you look wealthy, but when your bank balance is zero, you’re actually one step away from poverty.
What’s the definition of rich? Is it having a big house? No. It’s having money, which means cash. If you are always maxing out your monthly living expenses trying to appear rich, then you’ll always be nothing more than a member of the economy assembly line—working, making money, and passing it down, without ever keeping any for yourself. And what do you get at the end of the road? A big fat zero in the bank account.
Let’s recap:
• When you think about how much things are costing, add them up in cost per year or cost per decade, not cost per month.
• More of your money goes to interest than you realize. Paying interest is the number one reason most Americans will never become financially successful.
• Learning to distinguish needs from wants and avoiding impulse purchases will go a long way towards helping you save enough money to meet your life goals.
• Never purchase based on future income.
• In order to be wealthy, you must have money in the bank or in investments. Simply appearing wealthy does not make one wealthy.
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Mike Peterson is a senior certified counselor and co-founded the American Credit Foundation, a non-profit credit counseling organization. He is the author of Reality Millionaire, from which this article is excerpted.
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TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground
temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their
storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the
gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon
or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum
business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel
and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.
A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the
service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast
mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low,
middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby
minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at
the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some
other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being
sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less
worth for your money.
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL
or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank
the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you
can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This
roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it
minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every
truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is
actually the exact amount.
Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage
tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is
being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some
of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you
get the most value for your money.
DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!
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May 21, 2008
From: Florida Governor Charlie Crist Health Care Legislation
Dear Friends,
This week I have signed several important pieces of health care legislation. Today, I signed Senate Bill 2534 that will provide affordable health insurance options to Florida’s 3.8 million uninsured individuals. Currently, one in five Floridians goes to bed at night worried about how to pay for medical care. Now, because of the great work of the Florida Legislature this year, Floridians will have options that will go a long way toward freeing them from worry about health care.
Based on the bill I signed today, Floridians ages 19 to 64 who have not had coverage for at least six months will qualify for the Cover Florida plan. Coverage will cost about $150 per month, and benefits will include regular medical check ups. The plan is designed to focus on primary and preventive care to discourage unnecessary and costly visits to the emergency room.
Available as early as January 2009, benefit plans will include coverage for preventive services, screenings, office visits, outpatient and inpatient surgery, urgent care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, and diabetic supplies.
Additionally, the legislation provides opportunity for insurers, doctors and other medical providers to offer medical care through an open, transparent “marketplace.” The marketplace will provide Floridians other options to meet their medical needs.
By negotiating with health insurers – and allowing them to compete for our business – the people of Florida will be the winners. Families and individuals who have sacrificed health insurance in exchange for college tuition or buying a home will now have hope. The time has come to do what is right. We live in the most prosperous nation, but to think that nearly four million Floridians go to sleep without health coverage is unconscionable.
Thanks again to our great Legislature, we will negotiate with insurance companies to provide access to health care. This simple approach will provide coverage, but more importantly it will provide peace of mind.
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This site was developed by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted. This is another tool we can use to help us keep our kids safe. Please pass this on to everyone!!!
www.FamilyWatchDog.us
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Harvard University
Harvard University announced over the weekend that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families will pay no tuition. In making the announcement, Harvard's president Lawrence H. Summers said, 'When only 10 percent of the students in Elite higher education come from families in lower half of the income distribution, we are not doing enough. We are not doing enough in bringing elite higher education to the lower half of the income distribution.'
If you know of a family earning less than $40,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to Harvard for free...no tuition and no student loans!
To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $40,0 00 a year visit Harvard's financial aid website at: http://www.fao.fas.Harvard.edu/ or call the school's financial aid office at (617) 495-1581.
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