There is something fundamentally wrong when Congress passes a Bill, piece of legislation, that approaches or exceeds 3000 pages in length. No Congressmen, albeit Representative or Senator, would be willing to swear under oath and penalty of perjury, that he or she read each and every page, paragraph, sentence and word of such a Bill, yet Obama Care [ Affordable Health Care Act ]was just such a Bill. Obama Care is and was nothing short of a political power play complete with “earmarks” [ special strokes for a select few special interests ] that had and have little to do with health care.
Health care is a concern of very citizen. There are reasonable and rational ways of addressing the issue that are compatible with the expectations of main street-USA and not disruptive to the existing systems of health care delivery. Obama Care is neither; and, if ever fully implemented, Obama Care will destroy the existing standards of heath care now available in the U.S., add trillions in costs to the national debt, and destroy the quality care now available in the U.S.. Obama Care will result in increased medical care costs for middle-class citizens and an increase in individual income taxes for the middle-class. Rhetoric aside, Obama Cares principle objective was to provide free health care to those in the U.S., including non-citizens, who are below the Federal poverty line; in short, welfare legislation.
U.S. citizens are beginning to wake up to the reality that their elected Representatives and Senators don't actually write the Bills and legislation they vote on. Legislation, including Obama Care, is drafted and written by unelected, and invisible persons, many who are not government employee's. The more pages in a Bill the more cooks, or crooks, bake the cake that Congress and Presidents, foist on the U.S. population. Obama Care is not the answer to providing affordable health care and presents a paradigm for revision. Hopefully, some form of sanity will be restored by the 112th Congress, and serious dialog addressing the particulars of health care will begin.
Pointing a gun to the head of every U.S. citizen and forcing them to buy health insurance, is not the American way. Dictatorship is not acceptable to main-street. The carrot, not the stick, is the best approach. Individual and Company tax incentives are the better way. Let's be honest, individual taxpayers are going to pay for health care, be it Obama Care or an alternative. Obama Care means the burgeoning HHS bureaucracy in Washington D.C./Virginia, will eat up over 85% of Health Care dollars in administrative costs, giving the actual Health Care provider $0.15 cents on the dollar for individual health care. $0.85 cents of every dollar will go to pay the salaries, benefits and retirements of government HHS employees. Big government flourishes on inefficiency, but that gives the U.S. taxpayer, little bang for every buck. In addition to a “standard deduction” on Federal taxes, individual taxpayers should be allowed to establish, fully deductible, “personal health accounts” of up to 8% , or $12,000.00 per year, of adjusted gross income. Employers should be allowed to contribute to “personal health accounts”. The direct payment from PHA's for private health care insurance, HMOs', doctors, hospital and prescription drugs, would cut out the HHS middleman. This would be one approach to the health care dilemma that would preserve individual choice and avoid unnecessary bureaucratic administrative costs.
Congress and the President must abandon the “...pie in the sky...” health care for the world approach that is the centerpiece of Obama Care. Popular on the hill or not, Congress and the President must face economic reality. First and foremost, we must take care of our own, that means U.S. CITIZENS. Laws providing that emergency room care for anyone and everyone must be repealed. U.S. institutions providing “..free..” care to non-citizens, should be cut off and precluded from receiving Federal and/or State reimbursement funds. Obama Care provides for health care to non-citizens under the code word “resident”. “Resident” is the lawyer' s semantic slight-of- hand so that 30 million undocumented/illegal aliens and their of spring are provided health care at U.S. citizens and taxpayer expense. This inclusion in the current Obama Care legislation is one of the reasons why Obama Care is not economically sustainable and one of the many reasons why it should be repealed and/or replaced.
The Obama Administration has failed to recognize the unique and special needs of our military personnel. Currently, under Obama Care, the administration is in the process of integrating TriCare, a medical and health care program designed to address the special, unique and circumstantial needs of the U.S. military and retirees [ administered by the Department of Defense] into Obama Care. This callous disregard the unique service related needs of U.S. military personnel should not be allowed to go forward. Under the Obama Care law, wounded and maimed soldiers, would be treated no differently then a “ resident ”, i.e., undocumented/illegal alien. The fact is, that many, perhaps the majority, of those in Congress, and our current President, have never served in the U.S. military. Except for pretty words and speeches, most politicians think of U.S. military personnel as expendable, cannon fodder, who are not entitled to special consideration for their service. Congresses attitude to U.S. military personnel, retirees and veterans must change. What should change is VA health care; veterans health care should be integrated into TriCare and TriCare should stand alone as the health care provider for military personnel, military retirees, and military veterans.
Congress needs to recognize the significance and value of actuarial data. This is particularly true when it comes to pre-existing health issues. It is irresponsible, to provide coverage to virtually every “resident” for pre-existing conditions. The U.S. has virtually eradicated many diseases and conditions that remain prevalent in other countries; polio is one example. Is it fair or prudent for U.S. taxpayers to pay for imported diseases and conditions requiring hundreds of thousand of dollars a year to treat one individual ? Citizens, except for military personnel who should remain covered by TriCare, who have continuously resided within the U.S. for seven (7) consecutive years should be entitled to coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions, but subject to a per year dollar limitation on coverage. A sound and sustainable actuarial health care program will have yearly dollar caps, otherwise only a very select few individuals will eat the pie that could otherwise feed thousands. Congress needs to get real, U.S. CITIZENS ONLY.
Existing laws preventing individuals from the option to obtain prescription drugs from outside the U.S. , and laws preventing health care providers, employers and unions from forming drug purchasing collectives, need and should be repealed. Laws preventing companies, unions and other groups from forming collectives to bargain for health care services also need to be repealed. Congress has gifted the drug companies with a monopoly for furnishing prescription medications in the U.S. This pay-for-play is one of the primary reasons why health care costs in the U.S. have skyrocketed. The blame for high prescription drug costs should be placed where it is due, on Congress and the President. Obama Care is one of the worst offenders of pay-for-play when it comes to paying off drug companies. The drug companies profit handsomely from Obama Care.
One of the more difficult matters for Congress to face, is the reality of mortality. On average, the greatest health care expenditures are made during the last three months of a persons life. Spending money is not going to stop the inevitable. Here again, any sound actuarial health care program should address dollar limitations/caps on end of life health care services. Dying with dignity, should not be a dirty word in political circles, nor should criminal penalties exist for those who assist the terminally ill. Death is a fact of life. Politicians and Judges are not Gods.
The concerns outlined above highlight a few of the thousands of flaws contained in Obama Care. Thousands of flaws intentionally included to preclude individual discussion on a point-by-point basis. Obama Care is flawed beyond repair and unless repealed will reduce health care in the U.S. to that available in Third World countries. Reasonable, practical, and beneficial alternatives to Obama Care are available. The real question is: do Congress and the President have the integrity and political will to admit that there are viable alternatives to Obama Care; alternatives that would provide true improvements to the U.S. health care system and the delivery of quality and affordable care to U.S. citizens. The 112th Congress and President need to get to work and clean up the Obama Care mess.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
ARIZONA REPRESENTATIVE SHOT - ISSUES OVERLOOKED
The media has jumped all over this tragic event, and, by innuendo suggest censorship is needed. Local power brokers, and many in Congress are hinting that censorship may be an answer. There used to be old, long forgotten, saying :
“ Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”
Sometime during the 1970's the Judiciary and Courts, jumped in and started giving relief to those claiming they were injured by “ names ”; thus changing the landscape of the U.S. forever by a back door compromise of the 1st Amendment. Vitriol ( name calling ) has been part of the U.S. landscape dating back to the days before the Declaration of Independence. Whether here in the U.S. or in other parts of the world, one unintended consequence has been bloodshed to one degree or another. Many governments suppress vitriol by force often resulting in the killing of many countrymen with opposing views. The founders of the U.S. were well aware of the consequences of adopting the 1st Amendment,but believed it a necessary price to pay for open government. Hopefully, today’s lesser minds in Congress and the Courts, will heed the wisdom of the founders of this nation, and not allow this isolated event to cloud their judgments.
There are second notes to the Arizona circumstance that the media and politicians have overlooked: the U.S. is not a democracy, it is a republic, where citizens have no direct say in the Federal government. In spite of the rhetoric by media, pundits, universities, politicians, including President's, main street U.S.A. and citizens have no U.S. Constitutional right of INITIATIVE, so are cut out of any direct way of enacting laws for their governance. Tough economic times, magnify this flaw in the U.S. Constitution, that is otherwise highlighted by the disconnect between Washington, D.C./Congress, and the people.
The media have also overlooked it's conduct in ascribing major national significance to what otherwise is a local matter. For the past 65 years the Federal Government of the U.S. has maintained a policy of killing the messenger. WWII: U.S. and Japan, President Truman, enamored with Winston Churchill’s concept of “ unconditional surrender ”, orders the atom bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing well over one-hundred thousand Japanese civilians. The U.S. has been at the forefront of first demonizing leaders and nations with opposing views, then classifying them as “ enemy ”, then attacking and killing: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the U.S. is working it's way to engage Iran and North Korea. Remember the “ trickle down” theory; it's application to economics is misplaced; does one even dare to suggest the Government's penchant for killing, just may have “ trickle down ” ramifications when it comes to the general public ?
The media, politicians and powers that be, need to take off the rose colored glasses, and take a good look in a mirror. Decades ago, Erich Fromm penned a book: “ The Sane Society ”. In society, the actions of individuals, reflect the inflictions of the whole.
“ Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”
Sometime during the 1970's the Judiciary and Courts, jumped in and started giving relief to those claiming they were injured by “ names ”; thus changing the landscape of the U.S. forever by a back door compromise of the 1st Amendment. Vitriol ( name calling ) has been part of the U.S. landscape dating back to the days before the Declaration of Independence. Whether here in the U.S. or in other parts of the world, one unintended consequence has been bloodshed to one degree or another. Many governments suppress vitriol by force often resulting in the killing of many countrymen with opposing views. The founders of the U.S. were well aware of the consequences of adopting the 1st Amendment,but believed it a necessary price to pay for open government. Hopefully, today’s lesser minds in Congress and the Courts, will heed the wisdom of the founders of this nation, and not allow this isolated event to cloud their judgments.
There are second notes to the Arizona circumstance that the media and politicians have overlooked: the U.S. is not a democracy, it is a republic, where citizens have no direct say in the Federal government. In spite of the rhetoric by media, pundits, universities, politicians, including President's, main street U.S.A. and citizens have no U.S. Constitutional right of INITIATIVE, so are cut out of any direct way of enacting laws for their governance. Tough economic times, magnify this flaw in the U.S. Constitution, that is otherwise highlighted by the disconnect between Washington, D.C./Congress, and the people.
The media have also overlooked it's conduct in ascribing major national significance to what otherwise is a local matter. For the past 65 years the Federal Government of the U.S. has maintained a policy of killing the messenger. WWII: U.S. and Japan, President Truman, enamored with Winston Churchill’s concept of “ unconditional surrender ”, orders the atom bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing well over one-hundred thousand Japanese civilians. The U.S. has been at the forefront of first demonizing leaders and nations with opposing views, then classifying them as “ enemy ”, then attacking and killing: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the U.S. is working it's way to engage Iran and North Korea. Remember the “ trickle down” theory; it's application to economics is misplaced; does one even dare to suggest the Government's penchant for killing, just may have “ trickle down ” ramifications when it comes to the general public ?
The media, politicians and powers that be, need to take off the rose colored glasses, and take a good look in a mirror. Decades ago, Erich Fromm penned a book: “ The Sane Society ”. In society, the actions of individuals, reflect the inflictions of the whole.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
U.S. DEFICIT REDUCTION – START WITH THE OBVIOUS
President Obama, and the leaders in Congress on both sides of the isle, recognize that the U.S. is in a BAD place. The U.S., like many individuals, has spent far beyond it's ability pay. Stripped of fancy rhetoric, the U.S. is BROKE. There are many obvious steps that can be taken to reduce U.S. debt; the real question is, does Congress have the will to confront the reality the USA is broke, and do something about it. Past Congresses and Administrations stuck there heads in the sand, raised the national debt limit, and have keep spending as if there were no tomorrow. The 112th Congress can no longer pass the buck by raising the national debt limit, now set at $14.3 TRILLION dollars.
The President as well as Congress have equal responsibilities to cut spending and reduce the debt. The Federal government is the largest employer in the U.S., if not the world. The President should require that ALL Federal employees who are eligible to retire, be required to retire NOW, or else loose all government benefits. This step, requiring all eligible Federal employees to retire now, would reduce the government workforce by 12% ( savings of roughly $37 billion ) and save the government billions in future costs.
Next on the President's list should be to close all military facilities the U.S. maintains in some 150 foreign countries. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are fully capable of deploying needed forces without shore based facilities. And remember, the most effective fighting tool today, is the predator drone, controlled from Nellis AFB, Nevada. This would yield a savings in the neighborhood of $220 billion, and save billions in future costs. Vacating Iraq and Afghanistan would save another $25+ billion in annual costs.
Undocumented and illegal immigrants cost the Federal government [ vis-a-vis reimbursed benefits to States ] around $30 billion a year. By eliminating all benefits to undocumented and illegal immigrants and their offspring, including health care, schooling, and welfare, this would save the Federal and State governments, collectively, another $40+ billion a year.
Foreign aid: it is absurd for the U.S. to borrow money, to give to foreign governments whose leaders pocket it, build private mansions in safe haven counties, and leave the U.S. holding an empty bag. You don't hear much about U.S. Foreign aide except for the occasional leak. The U.S. Government intentionally obfuscates foreign aid accounting and expenditures so both Congress and the U.S. Public have no concrete idea of how many taxpayers dollars are involved, but estimates range from $22 billion to $40 billion; lets go with $25 billion, which is likely an underestimate.
Then there are the “territories”: Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Am. Samoa and the Northern Marianas. These tiny islands are subsidized by the U.S. Taxpayer to the tune of $10 billion a year.
The budget is within the President's purview. The President/Executive Branch prepares it, and presents the budget to Congress. If one just adds the items outlined above: roughly $360 billion, it would be one small step in the right direction to get the U.S. back on a sustainable financial track. In the event the President does not have the guts to eliminate these needless expenditures and waste from the budget, Congress should bite the bullet, not authorize funding of the 2010-2011 budget, and, at a minimum, cut the above items and amounts from the Federal budget.
The President as well as Congress have equal responsibilities to cut spending and reduce the debt. The Federal government is the largest employer in the U.S., if not the world. The President should require that ALL Federal employees who are eligible to retire, be required to retire NOW, or else loose all government benefits. This step, requiring all eligible Federal employees to retire now, would reduce the government workforce by 12% ( savings of roughly $37 billion ) and save the government billions in future costs.
Next on the President's list should be to close all military facilities the U.S. maintains in some 150 foreign countries. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are fully capable of deploying needed forces without shore based facilities. And remember, the most effective fighting tool today, is the predator drone, controlled from Nellis AFB, Nevada. This would yield a savings in the neighborhood of $220 billion, and save billions in future costs. Vacating Iraq and Afghanistan would save another $25+ billion in annual costs.
Undocumented and illegal immigrants cost the Federal government [ vis-a-vis reimbursed benefits to States ] around $30 billion a year. By eliminating all benefits to undocumented and illegal immigrants and their offspring, including health care, schooling, and welfare, this would save the Federal and State governments, collectively, another $40+ billion a year.
Foreign aid: it is absurd for the U.S. to borrow money, to give to foreign governments whose leaders pocket it, build private mansions in safe haven counties, and leave the U.S. holding an empty bag. You don't hear much about U.S. Foreign aide except for the occasional leak. The U.S. Government intentionally obfuscates foreign aid accounting and expenditures so both Congress and the U.S. Public have no concrete idea of how many taxpayers dollars are involved, but estimates range from $22 billion to $40 billion; lets go with $25 billion, which is likely an underestimate.
Then there are the “territories”: Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Am. Samoa and the Northern Marianas. These tiny islands are subsidized by the U.S. Taxpayer to the tune of $10 billion a year.
The budget is within the President's purview. The President/Executive Branch prepares it, and presents the budget to Congress. If one just adds the items outlined above: roughly $360 billion, it would be one small step in the right direction to get the U.S. back on a sustainable financial track. In the event the President does not have the guts to eliminate these needless expenditures and waste from the budget, Congress should bite the bullet, not authorize funding of the 2010-2011 budget, and, at a minimum, cut the above items and amounts from the Federal budget.
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