Kennedy Helthcare Bill
Senator Edward Kennedy came up with a healthcare plan just recently. Two comittees have been working on the 600 page bill to fine tune the details. It's hoped to be bipartisan with both sides of the isle adding their ideas. The fly in the ointment so to speak is that the republicans (The No Party as I call them) has brought up 388 amendments to the bill. Each of those amendments must be debated and voted on. As slow as congress is this could well take years to hash out. The problem is that we don't have years to fix this problem. For those of you out there who are too greedy of selfish to consider insurance for the poor or uninsured and refuse to pay for someone else, stop to consider that you are already paying for them when they must head to the emergency room because they have no other choice. And like it or not taxes will have to be raised even if nothing is done because more people are losing their jobs along with their healthcare. Then there's the medicare issue. It won't be long before the money going into that system will fall as the population ages leaving a major shortfall.
As for whether I'm for being a part of a public or private plan frankly I really don't give a damn as long as I have decent coverage. Most companies go with the cheapest insurer anyway. If one insurance company becomes to expensive the bean counters always convinces the CEO to switch insurers and plans to save a buck.
So what happens now. If the republicans win and nothing is done (they just love things as they are, call them the stagnant quo) more will be without insurance causing those with insurance to pay more, a lot more. Those without insurance will be a drain on the state and federal governments. We're already seeing that now with some states that are in big trouble economically. California and Michigan come to mind immediately.
Someone said that it will take a decade to fix the mess Bush left us. I'm now starting to believe that. The No Party continues to say that this is Obama's fault. No dummies this was Bush's fault and will continue to be Bush's fault until the problem is solved.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Will the last person leaving Detroit... turn off the lights!
I've seen this before. It happened in Seattle in the late 70s. Back then it was a different story. It was based on the aircraft industry that goes through booms and busts. I came out here in the early 80s when I heard that the Steel mills of the rust belt were shutting down. It wasn't an easy start but I knew that the area would come back stronger as airline orders picked up and the economy here expanded with high tech and computer industries. For the most part things have been okay until now. There was always some work to be had even in the depths of the recessions of the 80s 90s and for a time around 2000. So I can feel for the people of Detroit. Like the steel mills of the past car companies won't be comming back. And with the auto companies down many other support companies have left that area. Want to buy a cheap house? Then Detroit is your place. But don't expect to pop down to the local supermarket for groceries because they're gone. I can only imagine the crime rate there as desperate people vie for any scraps of work left. I recall back in the 80s one gal offered to scrub the streets with bare hands if someone would just hire her.
So where are we now? It's been reported that unemployment claims are leveling off. That may be true but I question that. Is the real unemployment rate really going down or are people who have been on unemployment so long that their claims are running out? The maximum was 26 weeks with two 13 week extentions. This all started in December of 2007. The door on construction slammed shut. I feel sorry for those that thought it was going to be a short recession. Many of them are part of the homeless camps now and I think we'll see more as things continue. We'll also see the other ugly side of a down economy, more banks robbed, more home invasion robberies, more violence and theft. But that's not the worst part of it. The worst part is the waiting. Hoping that some company will call back with a job that might come up in the future. And then there's the companies that sit waiting and hoping for business. They've put out their ads, made their cold calls and hope for better times. They've cut their costs to beyond the bone. So with no government or corporate spending yet we sit and wait and hope that we've saved enough.
So where are we now? It's been reported that unemployment claims are leveling off. That may be true but I question that. Is the real unemployment rate really going down or are people who have been on unemployment so long that their claims are running out? The maximum was 26 weeks with two 13 week extentions. This all started in December of 2007. The door on construction slammed shut. I feel sorry for those that thought it was going to be a short recession. Many of them are part of the homeless camps now and I think we'll see more as things continue. We'll also see the other ugly side of a down economy, more banks robbed, more home invasion robberies, more violence and theft. But that's not the worst part of it. The worst part is the waiting. Hoping that some company will call back with a job that might come up in the future. And then there's the companies that sit waiting and hoping for business. They've put out their ads, made their cold calls and hope for better times. They've cut their costs to beyond the bone. So with no government or corporate spending yet we sit and wait and hope that we've saved enough.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Awards day
With so many graduations happening around the country and we all know what that means. Plenty of long winded speeches and of course awards. So with that in mind I'd like to take this opportunity to give out a few here at the old waste drum.
The Golden Hypocrisy Award goes to: Senator John Ensign republican senator from Nevada. Who has admitted to having an affair with the wife of one of his campaign workers. Ensign was at the forefront calling for president Clinton to resign as well as Larry Craig for his indescretion. Ya think maybe he should take his own advice and step down? In the process of issuing an apology Ensign missed an important senate vote that would have helped increase tourism in his state. Oh the Casino boys are not going to be happy with you now senator.
The What Do You Mean I Can't Just Make Up Rules Award goes to: John Yoo the legal advisor who came up with the rules on torture. Seems John forgot a couple of things before penning the green light for torture like our constitution and international laws that state it's illegal. Yoo is being sued by Jose Padilla the alledged "dirty bomber" for an amount of $1 for violating his constitutional rights. Gee John if you don't think what you wrote about was torture you wouldn't mind being interrogated using the same methods would you?
The Media Whore Award goes to: Sarah Palin who has managed to stay in the news way beyond any news cycle for a bad joke by David Letterman. Thanks Sarah, I think you've just given David's career a big boost while once again shown America what a big boob you are.
Last but not least.
The Wet Blanket Award goes to: Suzanne Lukas school superintendent of the Bonny Eagle High School in Maine. She denied a student there his diploma when all he did was blow a kiss to his parents. A note to Ms. Lukas: The Taliban are looking for a new social behavior enforcer, I think you should apply.
Update:It seems that Sen. Ensign has resigned just as I was posting this so I change his award to: Don't Let the Door Hit You In The Ass Award.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Cheney wants another Al qaeda attack?
Dasterdly Dick
Nothing like wanting your own country to fail. He must have just loved it when the planes flew into the WTC. First cowering in the bunker under the white house then realizing that he could use that to his advantage and gain more power than any executive branch in U.S. history. Now he wants a repeat so that he can say I told you so. This man is pure evil. Little does Dick know that fear only works for so long then it is of little value for getting what you want. We saw how this worked with McCarthy and the fear of a commie under everyone's bed. Could we just declare him an "enemy combatant" and have him sent to Gitmo to be waterboarded? Oh that's right the adults took office and eliminated that term and are going to close Gitmo. Too bad Dickey no more Spanish Inquisition for you. And even though our national security isn't perfect it's still better than when you were in office. I know this from personnal experience. And because now we have some competent people in those positions and not a bunch of your cronies.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Iran - what a mess and we made it
It's hard to say what will happen with Iran now that Ahmadinejad has declared himself the victor. But a little background history to show the mess we created. Back in 1951 Iran had elected a fairly progressive and popular leader Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh. There was one problem, Mossadegh nationalized the countries oil fields. This was at a time that communism was becoming the evil government that the republicans feared. Britain put an embargo on Iranian oil then invited the U.S. to assist in the overthrow of the elected government in Operation Ajax which was approved by Eisenhower. ( That's a tale of bribery and corruption worth looking into.) After which the Shah was installed. The Shah increased the nations infrastructure over the years but quelled any political opposition. In 1963 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became a critic of the Shah and was imprisioned for 18 months. Later the Shah exiled him where he landed up in France. In 1978 was the start of the Islamic Revolution. Much to the surprise of the world the country voted for a theocratic constitution in 1979. Just ten days after the Ayatollah returned from exile the Shah was out of power. It was just a few months after that that students took over the U.S. Embassy. They accused the people there of being CIA and held them hostage for some 444 days.
Now I'm sure the U.S. was selling arms to Iran when the Shah was in power. When things changed Rumsfeld was busy selling arms to Sadam to fight the Iranians. But then we have Iran contra affair where they were selling arms to both sides right in the middle of the war. ( aren't these republicans just wonderful people? )
After the Iran- Iraq war Akbar Rafsanjani became president. And things were slowly shifting to a more moderate position. But you must remember Iran is governed not by just the president but a supreme Islamic leader as well along with a rather large elected Islamic council much like a parliment. That was our biggest mistake during the hostage situation. Not realizing that the country was not being run by a secular government but by the Ayatollah at that time under the Islamic revolution.
Presidentially speaking things in the country were shifting to a more progressive open society under Mahammad Katami, Rafsnajani's sucessor. Then there was a shift to the conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I'm guessing that the clerics were beginning to fear that they would lose more power had a moderate or progressive gained power.
So now we have Mir-Hussein Mousavi who was approved by the Islamic Counsil which is somewhat odd because he was there during the times of the Islamic Revolution in the late 70s early 80s. I'd guess that his positions have shifted with the times to a more moderate and progressive. That makes me wonder what's going on in the background. The U.S. hasn't had relations with Iran since the 70s. We know that their nuclear technology came from Russia and North Korea (That's a strange relationship considering the religious nature of Iran). Again I'd have to say that the clerics were afraid Mousavi was too liberal.
What will happen next at this point is anyones' guess. The Suprime Islamic Leader and counsil still holds most of the power but you have the bulk of the population being very young with high unemployment. Then there's the nuclear issue. Contrary to popular belief Iran will continue to build power plants because their oil is starting to run out and we know it. Remember they've been pumping oil for over 60 years now and their reserves aren't as large as the Saudis. So will there be another revolution in Iran? Hard to say.
Now I'm sure the U.S. was selling arms to Iran when the Shah was in power. When things changed Rumsfeld was busy selling arms to Sadam to fight the Iranians. But then we have Iran contra affair where they were selling arms to both sides right in the middle of the war. ( aren't these republicans just wonderful people? )
After the Iran- Iraq war Akbar Rafsanjani became president. And things were slowly shifting to a more moderate position. But you must remember Iran is governed not by just the president but a supreme Islamic leader as well along with a rather large elected Islamic council much like a parliment. That was our biggest mistake during the hostage situation. Not realizing that the country was not being run by a secular government but by the Ayatollah at that time under the Islamic revolution.
Presidentially speaking things in the country were shifting to a more progressive open society under Mahammad Katami, Rafsnajani's sucessor. Then there was a shift to the conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I'm guessing that the clerics were beginning to fear that they would lose more power had a moderate or progressive gained power.
So now we have Mir-Hussein Mousavi who was approved by the Islamic Counsil which is somewhat odd because he was there during the times of the Islamic Revolution in the late 70s early 80s. I'd guess that his positions have shifted with the times to a more moderate and progressive. That makes me wonder what's going on in the background. The U.S. hasn't had relations with Iran since the 70s. We know that their nuclear technology came from Russia and North Korea (That's a strange relationship considering the religious nature of Iran). Again I'd have to say that the clerics were afraid Mousavi was too liberal.
What will happen next at this point is anyones' guess. The Suprime Islamic Leader and counsil still holds most of the power but you have the bulk of the population being very young with high unemployment. Then there's the nuclear issue. Contrary to popular belief Iran will continue to build power plants because their oil is starting to run out and we know it. Remember they've been pumping oil for over 60 years now and their reserves aren't as large as the Saudis. So will there be another revolution in Iran? Hard to say.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
How did we get here?
Health care seems to be the major topic of the day so let me throw out a little history to see exactly how we ended up in this sinking boat. Some time ago schools required students to participate in gym class at least three days a week. They also encouraged after school sports. This was at a time when TV was so new that it wasn't on most of the time so kids would grab a football or baseball and head to the streets to play before dinner. In the summer it was out to play some more after dinner. Hide and seek, stoop tag and army were some of the favorites back then. All involved a great deal of running. Meals were different then too. Fast food was something that was relegated to special occasions when you went to the roller rink or ball game which wasn't very often. Soda came in either 8 or 12 oz bottles. If it was 12 you only got to drink half because you had to share it with a brother or sister. Milk or juice was the beverage of the day back then. No fried or high carb foods were served back then unless it was chicken or spaghetti and even then there was a salad or green veggie that went with it. Desert in summer was fruit. Schools had no vending machines and the only beverage they sold at lunch was a half pint of milk.
So now we contrast that with what's happened. Kids hunker down to watch their favorite cable movie or hit the web to IM their friends. And let's not forget the snacks. Grab a twenty four oz. cola and a bag of chips so you can eat with one hand and type with the other. That's three times the cola and about six times the chips (bags used to be 1 oz.) than were eaten in the past with no offsetting exersize to burn it off.
How did the health care system get where it is now. I may have mentioned this before but I'll repeat it. Our system back in the fifties was mostly non profit as were the insurance companies. And stop to consider this was at a time when we had a baby boom so hospitals were in the process of expanding. It wasn't until the coming of HMOs started by Nixon that there was any strain on the system. There were entire charity support groups who volunteered their time and raised money to help offset some of the costs. Doctors back then did something unheard of in today's market. They charged their wealthy patients a bit more to cover the costs for those who couldn't pay. There was also grants and special loans and payment terms. All you had to do was stop by the billing department and they would set you up with a payment plan (with no interest charges by the way). And that was true up through the 70s.
The cost of going to an ER wouldn't scare you to death like today. Even private hospitals back then would accomodate most people even if you weren't J. Gotrocks Jr.
So where do we go from here. At present this country spends $2 trillion dollars on health care each year. If we can get that figure down to $1.2 trillion then it would amount to about 10% of our GDP which is a managable figure. To do that we'll need to eliminate the many layers of administrators and bean counters who do nothing more than add to the cost. Patient info could be kept safely on a portable flash drive or card with biometric security. That would save a ton of money right there. A copay by working people of $50 for a doctors vist or $100 for emergency room visit would help pay a bit of the costs.
At present we pay well over $6000 per year per person for health care. It's Obama's hope to get that down to $4500. Here's an idea. Have the employer pay 1/3 of that which would cut his costs by 2/3. All workers would be charged 1/3 as a payroll deduction much like medicare and social security and that would cover him when he out of work as well as covering the uninsured. The final 1/3 could be covered by a small federal sales tax. That would fill in any gaps. It works out to $30 per week for a worker and I don't know where you could get any type of insurance for that little right now.
There should be a public option and if it works out right unions just might switch to it if the insurers they have now don't become more competetive.
Well it's a thought.
So now we contrast that with what's happened. Kids hunker down to watch their favorite cable movie or hit the web to IM their friends. And let's not forget the snacks. Grab a twenty four oz. cola and a bag of chips so you can eat with one hand and type with the other. That's three times the cola and about six times the chips (bags used to be 1 oz.) than were eaten in the past with no offsetting exersize to burn it off.
How did the health care system get where it is now. I may have mentioned this before but I'll repeat it. Our system back in the fifties was mostly non profit as were the insurance companies. And stop to consider this was at a time when we had a baby boom so hospitals were in the process of expanding. It wasn't until the coming of HMOs started by Nixon that there was any strain on the system. There were entire charity support groups who volunteered their time and raised money to help offset some of the costs. Doctors back then did something unheard of in today's market. They charged their wealthy patients a bit more to cover the costs for those who couldn't pay. There was also grants and special loans and payment terms. All you had to do was stop by the billing department and they would set you up with a payment plan (with no interest charges by the way). And that was true up through the 70s.
The cost of going to an ER wouldn't scare you to death like today. Even private hospitals back then would accomodate most people even if you weren't J. Gotrocks Jr.
So where do we go from here. At present this country spends $2 trillion dollars on health care each year. If we can get that figure down to $1.2 trillion then it would amount to about 10% of our GDP which is a managable figure. To do that we'll need to eliminate the many layers of administrators and bean counters who do nothing more than add to the cost. Patient info could be kept safely on a portable flash drive or card with biometric security. That would save a ton of money right there. A copay by working people of $50 for a doctors vist or $100 for emergency room visit would help pay a bit of the costs.
At present we pay well over $6000 per year per person for health care. It's Obama's hope to get that down to $4500. Here's an idea. Have the employer pay 1/3 of that which would cut his costs by 2/3. All workers would be charged 1/3 as a payroll deduction much like medicare and social security and that would cover him when he out of work as well as covering the uninsured. The final 1/3 could be covered by a small federal sales tax. That would fill in any gaps. It works out to $30 per week for a worker and I don't know where you could get any type of insurance for that little right now.
There should be a public option and if it works out right unions just might switch to it if the insurers they have now don't become more competetive.
Well it's a thought.
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