Leeches, Health Care & the Tax Code

The fight over President Obama’s health care overhaul, the so called Affordable Care Act (ACA) has reignited the wide divide between current political ideologies in America. That divide was always just beneath the surface but has become painfully evident since we had the audacity to send an African American to the White House.

But analyzing the law and its underlying intent merely through the eyes of politicians and special interest groups on either side of the aisle is disingenuous to all interested parties and especially those of us in need of affordable health care.

One side may offer silly arguments about family values and religious freedom, while the other points to fairness and equal justice for all but neither side can win an argument and stand up to 100% scrutiny.

The religious freedom people, with the most vocal being Christians, say they do not want this form of health care because it goes against their religious training and heritage.  But they lose as soon as someone gives them the old WWJD argument as in what would Jesus do?  Clearly their savior was for healing the sick regardless of their ability to pay.  And what would he think of the greedy insurance companies etc. but enough of that for now.

And as for the 'equal justice for all' camp I agree but still say that many people, by their own actions or lack thereof are not deserving of constant coddling.  You must at least attempt to take an interest in your own well being to earn our care and respect in return.

But I digress and will not argue those points here because no matter what is debated in the halls of government everything always boils down to costs and who will be paying.

Pay Your Fair Share!
Unless You're Extremely Wealthy!

The wealthiest of the country feel they should never have to pay for anything, including taxes on the money they make or inherit. They do not wish to part with a penny if it will not come back as two cents for themselves or their family. Sadly the poor, even if employed, generally do not have two pennies to rub together and can not afford to pay for services they so desperately need.

As with all social services in civilized countries taxes pay for the needs of the many. And taxes are levied on all citizens with varying degrees of tax rates depending on their income.

In America we have inverted the fair tax code and it seems to be an impossibility to come up with a system that understands two plus two equals four!

Warren Buffet attempted to make it simple by telling the country it is unfair that his tax rate is lower than that of his secretary. Naturally Mr. Buffet could rectify that by adding a few zeros to the end of her paycheck but that is between those two and not up for discussion.

Mr. Buffet is not alone in his legal gaming of the system even though he decries its inherent unfairness.

One need only look at the absurdly low tax rate Presidential candidate Willard Mitt Romney is asked to pay and with which he all too gladly complies.

Obviously this incredibly wealthy man does not wish to see the tax code changed and will most likely continue to do everything in his power toward that end.

God Save the Queen
And The Caymans

He and his idle friends who add nothing to society but sound-bites and pink slips will do this while laughing all the way to the bailed out banks of America and the tax haven ones of the Cayman Islands and beyond.

The tax code may have started out as a great idea with fairness toward all in the beginning but it has been changed, altered, rewritten, reinterpreted and cut to pieces so often through the years that there are more loopholes in it than actual tax rates and the current incarnation has made the nation loopy!

Mr. Romney’s “carried interest income” which earned him millions over the years is not levied as regular income in the tax code but rather at the lowest allowable rate of 15%.

A family of 4 could comfortably live on that income for decades.

Cheesy way to hide income!

Mr. Romney also conveniently forgot to disclose that aside from his hidden Cayman Island bank accounts he earned quite a handsome sum of loot from his Swiss Bank accounts!

I am using Willard as an example but he is by no means the only one, nor is he the worst offender when it comes to screwing America and Americans out of much needed tax revenue.

Bane of our Existence

Mr. Romney is but an example of how the wealthiest of the country plan to stay in that elite club every day of their lives.

I sometimes wonder if everything they do or say is done with an eye toward keeping or making more money.

“Sir, would you like to wear the red or the blue tie today?”

“Which one will get me more money, Jeeves?”

So if we still wish to help Americans in need of some form of affordable health care and, assuming we will not be able to pry any more pennies from the cold brain-dead hands of the wealthy by way of the skewed tax code, then we must look toward streamlining health care costs.

The wealthy turn the argument in that direction every chance they get using phrases such as “Fee for Service!” (They also say Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid every chance they get but that makes even less sense so we’ll let that go for now.)

These greedy anti-social beings boldly claim that as long as you allow doctors and hospitals to charge fees for every service, test or procedure they perform health care expenses will needlessly rise through the roof.
They naturally hide the fact that they themselves demand payment for every service or rather disservice they perform each and every day!

They further posit that insurance companies are the guardians of our nation’s money constantly pushing back and fighting the evil hoards of medical mercenaries in their pursuit of endless wealth.

Saying the above with straight faces is quite impressive not to mention totally hypocritical since many of them are directors on the boards of those faceless insurance behemoths.

In the end however there may be a glimmer of truth as some doctors can be unscrupulous.  After all they are human and as such err.

But I hazard to say there are far more bean counting insurance accountants with no medical training or knowledge doing the evil than doctors since their salaries and future employment depend on profit.

And in the end it is we the public who pay for this back and forth game of he said she said which inevitably kicks the can down the road on solutions.

Hey SCOTUS
Are Leeches People too?

Many years ago the medical industry used leeches to bleed the sick. The idea was to rid the body of bad blood by using those low cost creatures.

Today’s leeches are the insurance companies who survive by sucking out the life blood of our economy.

The difference is the current parasitic creatures are killing more people than they are saving and getting wealthy along the way.

For years insurance companies have been raising their rates, charging more and more for less and less and using their obscene profits to fund vacations, private jets, and bonuses. But more importantly a significant amount of that ill-gotten cash has found its way into and through the hands of lobbyists and into Congress in order to keep the status quo!

Those of us who have insurance payments deducted from our salaries by our employers pay on average $10,000 per year for healthcare insurance.  But the cost is actually double that because insurance is partly covered by our employer.

If they had to pay less to the leeches we might actually be able to negotiate raises. (Pie in the sky perhaps but worth noting.)

Pray for Health?

We pay all this money for the pleasure of being told by those insurance carriers that much of what we need is not covered and that that which is covered comes with a $50 ‘co-pay,’ a $100 ‘co-insurance,’ a $500 ‘deductible,’ and a cap of $1,500 for any particular occurrence.

I Guess So!!!

And in some States you may also be forced to listen to lectures  in an attempt to shame you out of whatever it is you need to have done!

These insurance industry made-up words could add up to as much as $30,000 per year for a normal HEALTHY family of four.

But for arguments sake let's say it's only 10% of your income.

SO the question we should all be asking ourselves is this:

If I have to pay 10% of my income for good health care and a chance at longer a life to whom would I prefer giving that money?

A. An insurance broker trained in the fine art of bean counting and ledger-keeping whose main job is to make more money for the corporation who hired him

OR

You'd be in good hands
WITHOUT Insurance Companies!

B. A staff of board certified medical professionals and personnel trained in the art of keeping humans alive and healthy?

It is quite apparent that we need regulations but shouldn't we rid ourselves of the leech mentality from the dark ages?

Can we not do without the useless insurance industry entirely and instead regulate and fine-tune the medical industry.

In the long run our tax dollars would go further and the economy as well as ‘we the people’ would all be healthier.

Silence is Not Always Golden

Why is the she silent majority still silent?

In America it’s important for all voices to be heard.

It’s also always a fact that a few bad apples can ruin the batch.  And those rotten to the core apple types seem to have the loudest, most annoying, and most constant voice!

A recent study about stadium drunkenness shows that on average only 8% of attendees were considered legally drunk as they left the stadium.  And in fact 60% of the people leaving registered a zero on alcohol testing devices such as Breathalyzers.

And yet that tiny 8% minority can wreak unbelievable havoc and dangerous fights throughout the stadium.  So imagine how much trouble a minority that’s in the 40% neighborhood.

Sadly we don’t have to tax our brains too hard since America just lived through that kind of period for the last two politically unproductive and dangerously provocative years.

Groups such as the Tea Party are not in the majority yet they just caused tremendous change in the landscape of the House and Senate.  Unfortunately they prove the point that ‘change’ is not always good!

The Republican Party was in the minority yet they held up most of the potential progress the majority desired.  Incredibly they were rewarded by gaining ground in the latest elections as if the ability and desire to do nothing was something to aspire to!

And they now claim that the elections of 2010 gave them a clear understanding of what the people want.   They say the people want them to take control and continue their agenda. They say they listened to the people and will do that which the people want.

But were they deaf in 2008 when a huge majority rejected their agenda or merely dumb? Why did they stall and block everything that majority wanted at the time as shown by that landslide?

Could it be they only listen when their backers speak?  Isn’t that sort of like preaching to the choir?

However there is both truth and hypocrisy in their message.  Many Americans were against the health reform act of 2010 and many still are.

But the fact of the matter is most of the people who were against the health care bill held that stance because they felt it did not go far enough to stop the all-out greed of the insurance industry. The feeling among the dissenters was they wanted more and many even held out for the so-called public option or single payer plan.

So to say that the new majority in the House is doing what the voters want them to do is disingenuous at best and an out and out lie at its core.  And to make matters worse, THEY KNOW IT!

And after not getting their way on the ‘for show only’ vote in the House of Representatives to repeal the bill they love to call Obamacare look for them to continue their child-like tantrum by taking away the ball so the rest of us cannot play.

The House Republicans are promising to de-fund any program aimed at helping the individual in his or her quest to gain better more affordable healthcare.  They will systematically break apart the hard fought health care reform act that would not only save the lives of many Americans but also billions of tax payer dollars as well.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, our non-partisan fiscal watchdog group (aka CBO) the actual number may vary but the consensus is the reform act will significantly decrease the deficit, something the so-called fiscally responsible Republicans say they want.  Sadly actions speak louder than false promises and in that respect the opposition party is quite silent.

They say the reform act is job killing and have the nerve to use that offensive and false title in their absurd repeal bill!

But whose jobs will be killed, the board of directors of some of the health insurance behemoths?

The facts show that more jobs have already been created in the health care industry as a result of the landmark bill that Congress passed over the vehement objections of the ‘fully covered for life’ minority party.

This study made public last year predicted job growth but was conveniently overlooked by the then minority party and sadly not touted by the majority party.

The silent majority must not remain silent anymore.  And certainly they must not sit at home when it comes time to let their voices be heard through the ballot box!

We will already have to sit through 2 years of silly ‘do-nothing’ posturing by the Republican Party and their Tea Party adjuncts while the rest of the world moves forward.  America currently ranks so low on the scale of national health care for its citizens as to be an embarrassment.  But that equates to an embarrassment of riches when translated into the coffers of the heath care insurance industry.

We must resolve to show the Republicans that they misunderstood our voices and most assuredly our votes and that we can no longer trust them to handle our futures with such aplomb.

Let us finally become the non-silent majority.

Law and Oughta

In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two sides…

We’ve all heard that phrase many times.  Did I say many times?  This is the proverbial phrase to use with the saying, “If I had a nickel for every time…”

But the people are not only represented by two sides there are several levels within each side that affect decisions made on their behalf.

One major level is that of intent.  This is purely subjective as it is hard to fully ascertain the intent of every criminal.

Take murder for example.  It is a heinous crime in and of itself and should be dealt with harshly.  But throw in the claim of ‘self-defense’ and it becomes a gray area.  The other side of the coin could be the prosecution’s addition of the words bias motivated more commonly known ‘hate crime.’

It is the ‘hate crime’ part of murder that always amuses me in a sort of black comedy way.  In the end the victim of the hate crime is no better or worse off than a victim of a regular one.  I mean if you are dead do you care if the guy who killed you hated you or not?

So why the distinction?

Do we really need another level of bureaucracy on everything?  And if so why not follow it through to all crime?

It all boils down to intent.  If we can find the true motivation behind anyone’s actions then we may finally see the entire picture and be able to make fair judgments accordingly.

Simply stated we define the death of a person that is caused by the actions of another to be murder.
The legal nuances that ensue can and do manipulate society’s mandated punishment for the crime.  But the basic feeling is that if someone is convicted of murder, of any kind and for any reason other than pure self defense that person must be punished.

Without a fair and just penal system a free Democratic society cannot operate.

Unfortunately all of the above is not as easy as it seems.  A criminal, or to keep the analogy going, murderer will naturally try to hide his guilt.  He may hire a dream team group of high-paid defense attorneys to blur the facts and deflect the eye from the truth.

In our country we are fortunate to have laws that allow everyone, “the right to an attorney… if you cannot afford one…”

So what’s the problem?

What if the attorneys are the ones committing the crimes?  Or a corporation or group of corporations is committing the crime?  It becomes almost impossible to ferret out a fair and just conviction.

Such is the state of our current health insurance system.

By their very open and defiant actions the industry is denying coverage to millions of Americans thus putting them in mortal danger.  When a poor person is without health care and gets sick the odds are that person will die.

But instead of changing their ways or softening their policies these super large corporations are raising rates thus adding more people to the list of endangered humans.

This indifference also has a level within our criminal justice system and is appropriately known as, ‘criminally negligent homicide’ or ‘criminal indifference.’

The statute on this type of murder implies that the guilty parties stood by doing nothing while fully aware that their inaction would cause the death of another.  And that they were fully capable of changing the outcome without suffering themselves.

Naturally extenuating circumstances may be used to defend the alleged criminals in such cases but if it is determined that their inaction was the reverse of their normal action then they will most likely be found guilty.

Our government is locked in a debate over reforming our health care system.  But the industry has employed a dream team of their own; lobbyists who have purchased Senators and Representatives to actively block any reform.

These elected officials, our Congressmen are thus defending the industry’s criminally negligent inaction with their own depraved indifference.

Perhaps we should send this case over to the justice department.

Pawns R Us

Chess is a game anyone can play.  It is both simple and complex.  Each side has sixteen pieces which they can move on a fixed checkerboard of sixty four squares.  Yet the combinations of those moves are nearly infinite.

Chess is also the most strategic of board games.  Players maneuver and plot in order to gain ground and eventually corner their opponent’s king.  This ultimate victory is signaled by the checkmate.

The piece of least value is the pawn, yet they number half the pieces on either side.  But if any one pawn can reach the opposite end of the board, the eight row it is transformed into the most powerful piece, the queen.  This rare happenstance is quite often followed by victory.

The most important part of any scheme is secrecy.  One cannot allow his next move to be known lest it become impotent.

A dangerous yet compelling tactic in chess is the sacrifice of a valuable piece.  A player may offer up his queen or even force the opponent to take it with a future winning move in mind.

In every strategic way this process is similar to any political negotiation.  But one of the most glaring differences between the two is that in real life it is the pawn that usually gets sacrificed.

And for those of you unwilling to make the short leap into reality, we are the pawns!  We the people are the least powerful piece in this game.  And even though we number in the millions we are moved around the board by the 500 plus members of Congress.

Take the current game of chess surrounding the health care reform debate.  I use the term debate loosely since in order to have a real debate both sides must actually listen to the other.

The Republicans have rallied around their ‘King’ which in this case is the health insurance lobby.  They have performed a move called ‘castling,’ where they place the king in an unreachable position guarded by a very strong piece.  They are willing to sacrifice any and all of their pawns to keep the king untouched.

Both sides have taken to moving their pieces back and forth while basically staying in the same place.  This delaying tactic could result in a stalemate with the end game of the November elections looming large.

The Democrats have not yet attacked the stronghold of their opponent.  And they have not advanced their pawns toward the eighth row so we remain impotent.

Sensing this inherent weakness the Republicans have even been able to take several TEA breaks while the game plods along.

So who will win this time?  Will Bobby Fisher unleash a tremendous attack on Boris Spassky’s king?  Will Mr. Spassky sacrifice a piece or two in order to defeat Mr. Fisher?

In chess it is usually Black vs. White.  In the current fight it is mostly Blue vs. Red.  But this game has real life implications that no color can replace.  It is rather a life and death game for the “We the Pawns” of America?

Hypocrisy from A to Z

Actually the title should be Hypocrisy from AZ since I am talking about AstraZeneca!

For months those of us who don't change the channel when commercials intrude on our lives have been witness to a tremendous series of ads from this pharmaceutical giant. At then end of each of these self-serving missives we are told that if we cannot pay for their product, "AstraZeneca may be able to help."

Aside from the fact that most of us have never heard of the drugs they speak of before the ad the best part of the spiel is the long list of possible side-effects. One such drug supposed to treat depression has as one of the known side-effects strange or scary dreams and suicide!

I don't know about you but I would rather be depressed than dead.

But the reason for this post is to point out a news item that appeared in the paper today (1-8-2010.) It was tucked away on the bottom of page 46 and was most likely only noticed by the most ardent of readers.

The article is about a little purple pill called Nexium and it is a gold mine for AZ.

You may click the above link to read the entire article but here are the basics:

1 AZ, who routinely offers to help those of us who cannot afford the ridiculously high price of drugs that could be bought outside the US for a fraction of the cost is willing to chip in occasionally to help some people pay for the product.

2 AZ will do everything in it's power to stop generic companies from offering the same drug at lower prices in the US.

3 AZ does not give a rat's ass about anything but their bottom line so the last words of all their TV ads IS A LIE!

As with everything involved in the hoax known as Health Care Reform in America companies such as AZ routinely fork over millions of dollars to keep the status quo.

The health care industry that includes Big Pharma has spent hundreds of millions of dollars rather than lower their prices. It may sound counter-intuitive but the money has been well spent. They are about to have their Congressional puppets mandate that everyone purchase insurance.

You may argue that they need the extra money for research and development but there should be a limit to their greed.

There is also a word for an organism that feeds of the host body to within an inch of its life knowing when to stop for fear of killing it. I used to think it was a parasite but I was wrong - from A to Z.

Low Hanging Fruit

The phrase above is used to describe an easy win; one that was almost a foregone conclusion. The fruit bearing tree is right there in front of you and the fruit thereupon is hanging shoulder high. It is ripe and tasty and will make you a hero to whomever you share it with.

But occasionally the phrase could bring to mind the allegory of Tantalus for whom the word tantalize was coined. Tantalus was being tortured by the furies of mythology by being placed neck high in a river of water with wonderful fruit hanging low above his head. Each time he would bend his head down for a drink the river would recede and whenever he reached up for a tasty treat the tree would lift it's limbs high.

The two paragraphs above being played out of play these days in a farcical way with the main character being the United States Government. And the stars are those warring factions of hypocrites commonly known as Congressmen.

In the first case where the fruit is easily within our reach the Government has shown it's disdain for a giant company subverting all attempts at stopping their monopolistic practices by suing them. The company is Intel and the claim is that they have hobbled competitors in the semiconductor business by using illegal sales practices.

One may argue that that is exactly what a company in a free enterprise system is supposed to do and their competitors must try harder if they feel they are number two. We have seen this happen before and it will continue.

So what is the problem here?

The problem is consistency.

If our elected official feel it is prudent to go after Intel, a move which although justified may in the end cost the consumer more for computer products then why stop there?

Why not also go after a much larger sector of criminals who are subverting our very lives?

Why not at the very least remove the anti-trust exclusion for the insurance industry?

The cold hard fact has to do with cold hard cash. The cash our leaders are reaping by stringing us along in a dog and pony type show of ongoing debates.

Will we get health care reform?

Will we get a lowered age for Medicare?

Will the public ever be allowed to shop for alternative lower cost insurance?

Since our Government is so hell bent on making Intel allow the public to have options then why not also sue the far more costly insurance industry???

American citizens are drowning in a river of debt with the low hanging fruit of affordable health care closer to our reach than ever before. But the furious silent behind the scenes furies of the insurance lobbies continue to pull the branch away.

Congress has the solution within their reach but they are being weighed down by their pockets filled with campaign donations from the very industry they claim to wish to reform.

Is there a way to reconcile the differences between the two opposing sides? Some say 'reconciliation' is the way and some form of reform would pass with a mere 51 - 49 vote in the Senate.

But the truth is neither side wants that.

As long as the debate continues and there is the slightest glimmer of hope that Congress will do the right thing the insurance lobbies must continue to pay them to rethink. Congress will never kill the Golden Goose no matter how many polls or e-mails beseech them to do so.

So where is our knight in shining armor?

Where is the Champion of Change?

Since Congress has been blinded by bullies without borders when will OUR President show the strength of character and proper power we need him to exert?

It is way too long past the point of no return. For if the majority in power today cannot reach high enough to grab this low hanging fruit from the bastardized branches of the insurance cartel then they shall surely not return in 2010 or 2012.

Who is in Charge?

New guidelines for old problems are usually good things. After all we are always trying to improve and move forward, right?

I mean when you see an advertisement on television it doesn't say, "Old and unimproved" does it?

So why should we not be embracing the new medical guidelines coming down from high concerning mammograms or cervical cancer screening? These edicts say that women don't need to be screened for possible life threatening diseases as often as they have in the past.

Going to a doctor is an inconvenience, right?

So women should be happy to skip their yearly trek to have their breasts uncomfortably squashed and examined or push back that embarrassing position in the stirrups for the pap smear.

This is a good thing, right?

NO, it's not.

Why?

Because we should not be naive anymore!

In this day and age and certainly in this country big business controls our lives. Insurance companies already tell us what doctor to see when we are sick and limit our intake of necessary drugs to those they get kickbacks on.

The ulterior motive here is not so ulterior! The fewer times women go to the doctor the fewer bills the insurance companies have to reject! Rejection takes time and clerks!

If the number of claims submitted to the scum of the Earth, I'm sorry I mean insurance companies were reduced to a bare few they could lay off thousands and just have a stay at home house wife in India rubber stamp every claim, "Rejected."

And what better way to reduce the number of claims than to push off the expense on the coroners?

The time has come for women to rise up and join the fight against the scourge of life known as big insurance. It is clear that Congress does not have the balls to do so.

But luckily it does not take balls to put these inhuman bastards in their place, only common sense and solidarity. Lech licked the odds in Poland and women should be able to do so in America.

If all the women were to get together and JUST SAY NO to the health insurance companies and their puppets in congress maybe we could get true reform. Even Nancy Reagan would like that slogan!

America was once the greatest nation in the world. Don't allow greedy corporations and special interest groups to continue our current path into third world status.

"Little Me" wants health care

Pardon me miss
But health care has me pissed
At the high - high cost

I can't afford more
Than what I paid be-fore
My saving's lost

When will our Congress a so-lution find?
Or give us what you have please make up your mind

Don't let insurance take over the world and become so strong
Or we won't live long


Back in the old day
I think that we could say
The system's fine

The thing about health care
Was it was al-ways there
My doctor's mine

Now I must visit some stranger; some man
I do not know him but he's in your plan

I want the freedom of seeing the guy that I know - and knows me
Oh dear Congress hear my plea.


My teeth and body will both surely rot
The health care I need is available - NOT

It costs so much for my family and me
When it all - Should be free!

Oh dear Congress hear my plea!

Is Everything Up To Date in Health Care City

Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote many great musicals with messages for the ages as in South Pacific's controversial song, "You've Got to be Taught." But a different song title has come to mind when thinking of the 'not so loyal' opposition to Health Care Reform these days; "All er Nothin'"

Ever since President Obama and the Democrats have started the ball rolling on reform the Republicans; Conservatives and the so-called 'Blue Dog' conservatives of the Democratic Party have been going nuts trying to derail the thing. They have gone off the deep end with nonsensical "Tea Party" rallies with paid participants carrying offensive posters and photos.

These pro insurance groups have spouted lies such as, "Reform is going to kill Grandma" and "Reform will exclude Republicans." But every time they come up with another stupid slogan or ridiculous reason as to why we should continue shoveling money into the pockets of Big Insurance they fail to prove their point and the argument disappears in the light of truth.

So now they are changing their tactics by saying that they cannot vote or support any of the reform measures because they don't go far enough!!! In other words if you are going to institute real health care reform you must get it right immediately or go back to the drawing board.

Not surprisingly this all or nothing tactic has been picked up and run with like a loose ball on the three yard line. It is the same type of hard to refute argument as the age old question, "When did you stop beating your wife?"

Please sing to yourself the following refrain from Oklahoma but change the word Romance to Reform:

(With me it's all er nuthin'.
Is it all er nuthin' with you?
It cain't be "in between"
It cain't be "now and then"
No half and half romance will do!)

If we were to use this same logic with every law that came up for discussion in front of our dysfunctional Congress we might never get anything done.

Oh wait, Um, right! WE DON'T!

Since the Party of NO believes that the 'farmer and the cowman' can not be friends then I say they've 'got to be taught.' The way they have treated the citizens of America, well 'it's a scandal, it's an outrage.'

And like Jud before 'poor health reform is dead' we must act now. If we are ever to get true affordable universal health care to come 'out of my dreams' and into the arms of all Americans then we need 'many a new day' where the opposition will finally change their tune to, 'I can't say no!'

And when and if that ever happens - 'Oh What a Beautiful Morning' that will truly be!!!

Majority Rule?

FEMALES MAKE UP FIFTY ONE PERCENT OF AMERICA.

I felt it necessary to say that right off the bat since many of the people in power like to say that they have our best interest in mind when they decide what laws should be written and which should then be defended. But the facts are that too many of the laws are being decided by and for men.

I am a man but I am also a human being. And what I see coming out of the mouths of some of our lawmakers leads me to believe I may in the minority in BOTH counts.

How can these leaders say that they want to allow citizens of this country to have control over their bodies and then legislate against personal control?

Unless I went to sleep and woke up in the middle or dark ages America still has the verdict re Roe v. Wade on the books. Abortion may be anathema to some but it is allowable under the law with certain restrictions. If so called wing nuts wish to assault that law then they have a right to do so. But that right is also controlled by our legal system. They cannot and should not do an end run around the law.

Bishops and other religious leaders this week reiterated their stance that no government tax dollar should go toward funding abortions.
BUT THEY DON'T PAY TAXES!!!
PUT UP OR SHUT UP!!!
IF YOU DON'T PAY - YOU DON'T PLAY!!!
Or to put it succinctly - SHUT YOUR FACE!!!!!

The phony separation of church and state cannot stand the light of day. In fact many people continue to call America a Christian society. But they continue to use only the parts of their religion that helps their cause.

Okay then a question for these hypocrites - When it comes to universal health care WWJD?

Another wonderful disconnect with the thinking of the 'wing nut' group is "Keep government out of my life."

Really?

So you don't want police to assist you in time of need?

DONE!

Sign here and we'll exclude you from all the services the rest of us rely on.

A short list of those services:
Homeland Security
Police
Fire
Medicare (IT'S GOVERNMENT RUN GUYS!!!)

Women and men should be incensed by the addition to the latest non health care insurance reform bill that the House passed. Not just because it lacks real choice and affordability but because it blatantly attempts to overturn the Supreme Court's decision on abortion.

If this is allowed to pass then the slippery slope starts and individual rights will disappear. These same idiots will soon say, 'there are more straight people than gays so let's outlaw homosexuality.'
Well remember the first line of this post and think about it.
How long before women outlaw men? I'm just sayin...

No Health Care for YOU

Anyone interested in the health care insurance reform debate going on in Congress these days is probably so confused by now that they don't have any idea what's right; what's wrong; what's good; or what's bad. And the funny thing is, that's just what the doctor ordered.

We have an incredible disconnect in this country when it comes to so-called experts. We want to believe that someone smarter than us knows what's best for us. This 'Father Knows Best' syndrome makes for great television (well it was a great show back in the day) but should be viewed skeptically in the real world. And in fact that old TV show had mom as the smarter parent but that's another story.

Yes there are always going to be smarter folk somewhere but why do we believe they have our best interest in mind? Simple logic would say that those in power want to stay there and they do it by pleasing the electorate that elected them. But you need only delve a tiny bit below the surface to find the truth.

Just as beauty is only skin deep so too is loyalty. Our Congressman, and nearly any elected official down to state and city office must play the game of politics in order to stay in office. That means they must trade or give in on many issues lest they be doomed to sitting on the bench for the duration of their time in office.

We just saw that happen in the latest watered down version of a health care reform bill that is slowly but surely becoming an instrument to help only big insurance companies make more money.

Compromise is always a good idea when it is needed for the greater good but when it is used for self-serving means by a small number of people in power it is awful.

We trust our officials to take care of us. Trust is good. So what is anti-trust? It sounds bad but wait, not so fast.

A law that has it's birth dated back to the 1890s (see the Sherman anti-trust act) but its spirit even older is aimed at stopping monopolies from performing acts and practices that are harmful to the consumer. The theme was enhanced years later with the Clayton act.

In other words if you felt that the price of bread was too high at $20 a loaf but found that every market was selling it at that price you would be stuck. The fact that the cost to the manufacturer might be 10¢ would not help you. Well the law states that the producers of bread (to keep the analogy going) would be guilty of price fixing and consumer gouging and would be subject to fines. The Anti-Trust laws keep the fair practice of open competition alive and at least the possibility that items will be priced fairly.

And the law works well, at least in some cases. The funny thing is if you were to open a store in your hometown and have two competitors in that town selling the same items AND then you got together with the two other owners to raise all the prices in tandem the law would be all over you.

BUT one industry has been exempted from this law. Irrational as it may be that industry is the Health Care Insurance Industry. The wall that has been placed around these controllers of life and death harbors the true heads of the infamous death panels. They decide whether or not you shall live and if so how much money it will cost you to do so.

And to paraphrase some words famously uttered by the Republican God Ronald Reagan (I'll pause here so the 'Right' has time to genuflect) CONGRESS TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!


Every argument that is used to show the insurance companies are acting in harmony with each other and practicing unfair anti-competitive policies is met with lies. These lies are at times eloquently delivered by insurance lobby puppets such as the traitor to the people Joe Lieberman or not so eloquently mouthed when it comes to the embarrassingly ignorant Michele Bachmann or other "Rogue" morons. These people have their own agenda and crave the attention they otherwise would never get. And they care not who dies as a result.


And yet the less informed among us continue to rely on their opinions without question. The country has prospered on the tenets of free enterprise so why not have our illustrious insurance companies join that arena?

Since our Government does not seem to have the cojones to make that industry comply with the Anti-Trust LAW a public insurance option would be a great first step.

So why is it not happening?

GREED!!!

Big insurance has made so much money from their unfair practices that they are able to throw around millions upon millions of dollars to keep the status quo. And when millions of those ILL-gotten dollars find their way into the pockets of our congressmen it is easy to see why the fight rages on against reform.

And the most annoying part of the entire ballet between battling talking heads in DC is the fact that the ones who are deciding whether or not you and I will be allowed to have true affordable universal health care ALREADY HAVE IT!

Just like father deciding if we can have another candy or stay up to watch just one more TV show Congress holds our lives and future in its hands. Please daddy? Can I please have affordable health care insurance.

No! Now run along. And don't forget to floss.

Oh well, you know best.

We The Idiots...

The definition of an idiot is someone who continues to do the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. But I think we can not make that assumption a constant. Or at least we must add a disclaimer that reads, "In many cases" or, "4 out of 5 doctors..."

For more years than I'd care to remember we the people have been pushing, wishing and hoping (sorry Dusty) for a reform in the health care system. We continue to believe that our leaders, the ones we really elect and the ones that get into office by other than legal majority rule methods will do as we ask.

Year after year we the sheep are led to the proverbial slaughter by double-talking politicians speaking out of several sides of their mouths at the same time.

Many of these Congressmen have a valid excuse for allowing our complaints to go in one ear and out the other, they have nothing between the two to hinder their progress!

And yet we continue to beg hoping this time for a different outcome. Yup, you guessed it, we're idiots!

Now for the disclaimer side of the issue.

For all the years we have naively done what we do honest and compassionate people have run for office with dreams of fairness in their hearts. But in order for these "Mr. Smith" wannabes to get elected they must beat the machine. So very few of them are able to do so and end up owing their positions in Congress to one or more "Special Interest Groups."

The term 'Special' as used above should in no way be confused with the term 'Good' as in what a daddy calls his children but rather 'Elite' as in 'just me and my friends.'

The newly elected officials join their brethren in double-speaking; double-dealing ways and lead us on right until the moment when they pull the rug out from beneath us. They are not hurt because they are not standing on the rug at the time but rather at another fund raiser hosted by the Lobby Du Jour.

So they continue to do the same thing year after year but expect the same result. AND THEY GET THE SAME RESULT! And therefore by definition they are NOT idiots.

And to make matters worse We the Idiots have been doing the same thing all our lives! So guess what? By a definition used by another one of those lobbies that own our Congressmen, "if it is something we have had all our lives - IT'S A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION!"

So even if by some miracle we ever get the option to have a fair health care system none of us IDIOTS will be covered!

Send Out Da Noise - Let's Lose Our Funk

America needs to get rid of it's funk. But it cannot do so while all this nonsensical chatter continues. It is hard for us to think with all the yelling going on.

We are stuck in a childish political name-calling fight that is taking our eye off the target.

But there always two sides to every story and the good new - bad news scenario of the current health care debate is no exception. Unfortunately the good news side is helping the same people who should not even be in the discussion.

Instead of getting down to work and getting our health care and health insurance system fixed or at least off life support our leaders are engaged in infighting the likes of which have not been seen since the last time the Republicans were not fully in control. (See the Clinton years.)

Let's get one thing straight America was conceived to be a country governed "OF - BY - AND FOR THE PEOPLE." Now corporations, while made up OF people are NOT people in and of themselves. They are entities that have taken on a life all their own and like other organisms they desire to thrive even at the expense of their surroundings. In that respect they are quite similar to parasites but worse.

Parasites have to make their living off the body to which they are beholding for life. They feed off that body and suck as much of the life out of it without killing it for that would actually be suicide.

Our corporations do not see that death as a limit. Killing the host is but a step forward in their evolution. They will stop at nothing to gain their holy grail; unlimited, unfettered profits.

These corporations and their lobbies are making tremendous noise these days. The noise must not be confused as grass root discontent but rather paid for advertisements against the citizens of this country.

If the men and women of our government finally stopped collecting bribes from the parasite community and came up with regulations setting up a health care system for everyone the result might be the lowering of profit margins at many current insurance companies and the saving of our nest eggs and our health.

Would big insurance go out of business?

Not unless they refused to give up a portion of their obscene profits and start competing in a fair and equitable way.


What exactly is the definition of insurance?

It has two definitions depending on which side you ask.
To normal humans it is a bet we make and pay for up front hoping never to win. But if we need to tap into the funds we have paid in advance in the event of a health care need or an accident we have the peace of mind knowing that the money is there for us.
To Big Insurance it is a bet that they accept knowing in their heart of hearts that they cannot lose since they are the foxes and you are the hens. They have the peace of mind knowing that no matter what ills befall you they and their team of lawyers can find a loophole you missed.


Would they be forced to lay off thousands of workers to compete?

Again, only if the CEOs of those companies decided that it was more important for themselves and their ten or twelve board members to continue making between $10,000,000 and $30,000,000 per year than to have 4,000 employees making $50,000 per year. (Hey guys, can you live on, say $2,000,000 per year?)


Would America go deeper into debt as a result of any plan?

Not necessarily. And individually we would all be better off immediately.


How is it possible that we as individuals would gain?

The average American is paying in the neighborhood of $25,000 per year for health insurance right now. They may not be paying directly from their wallet but it is being paid to the insurance companies by way of payroll deductions and lower salaries due to that cost factor. In other words whether you realize it or not you are paying!

If the Government were to offer an option - OPTION! - that made it possible to get out from under the thumb of a $25,000 per year bill but in doing so caused an increase in your taxes of $10,000 per year would you take it? Do fish swim?

The current health insurance way of doing business is to first deny and then perhaps give in if you are persistent. You also have to pay higher and higher deductibles on what they deem to be allowable. Your costs on drugs is and will continue to increase forever under their plan. There is also a limit on the amount you are allowed to even charge your insurance company within a given year. And make a mistake on a claim form and it's almost as though you committed genocide. And all these decisions are not being made on a personal basis by an informed doctor but by an accountant whose job it is to make the parasite more money!

A true Government regulated health insurance plan would not be run by the beaurocrats in DC but rather by a reputable company within guidelines set forth by our representatives without an eye toward obscene profits. Your costs would be far less than they are now and your health, not their well being would be job one.

The noise that is being heard around the halls of Congress may be coming from the mouths of our so-called leaders but they are only the speakers in a sound system plugged into the stereos of big insurance.