Have they factored the costs of retaliatory workplace arson into these "forcing employees to quit smoking will save money" scenarios?

Yeah. But do I want to work here for the rest of my life? The rest of the year?

They start firing people for obesity, and my workplace would be but good and empty, starting from the execs down.

I'm not sure I need to punished for my genetics. ( You don't get diabetes if it isn't in the genes- unless you lose or damage your pancreas)

or that someone needs to be fired for non-work habits /ways of living that don't effect productivity.

I've always been very healthy. this year I was sick for a month and a half. I missed 4 days of work. Mostly trying to keep my germs home.

I just reread Vortex's post. Even with being that sick and diabetes I have been to the doctor 6 times this year(2004). 3 were regular planned checkups.

I am more expensive than I used to be, but not nearly as expensive as other people I know that don't have chronic diseases, but just happen to get sick a lot.

Lee, my family has a thing similar to your guy's Sam thing. Only ours is Fred, and not limited to living things. Anything that needs a name is Fred (for example, the virus on our computer.)

Except the girlfriends of the former theatre teacher at my old HS (with whom we still socialize). We call them Darcy.

Pointing fingers is RUDE.

hey, I wasn't talking about anyone is particular. Are you maybe feeling guilty? hmmmmmmmmmm? :)

My father's nickname is Sam. For the life of me, I can't figure out how they got that from his actual name, Martino.

I posted the Cheney link very late last night, Allyson. It still makes me mad. Did you read what he said at Auschwitz earlier that day? Try taking a look in the mirror, buddy...

I just dream of health insurance. At the rate things are going I'm never going to have any. If I get sick I go bankrupt.

Are you maybe feeling guilty? hmmmmmmmmmm? :)

I'd only feel guilty if I actually stayed home when I was properly sick. I'm one of the other employees, the one more likely to come in and infect people than stay home (though mostly it's headaches and random uninfectious stuff).

However much they say employers don't want sick employees in ... who gives enough sick time for one good cold and one migraine?

Even worse was the fact that, Joliet being a relatively small town despite its official population, Mom knew the family, as did others on the hospital staff.

One of my friends from high school became a paramedic. He was first on the scene for the two separate-by-a-year car accidents which killed his brothers. So freaking unlikely you couldn't put it in a work of fiction without destroying its credibility.

Oh, Hec, that's terrible.

Unrelatedly: custom fit clothes from Target.