DIGGING DEEP

The Federal Government has dug deep into their pockets recently, $900 billion deep according to Bloomberg television in the bail-outs of AIG, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The American tax payers should be feeling pretty wealthy, we now all own a portion of two investment banks and an international insurer, it’s our nation that bought them, so why do I feel so broke?
The United States apparently also still has the money to spend in Iraq restoring a government and economy that we blasted into the dark ages. Uncle Sam also found a billion to send to Georgia, not the state, but a country I’ll admit I didn’t know existed until Russia decided to step into its territory. We’re looking to dig deeper now.
If you weren’t scared before, you should be now. I saw the look on George’s face when he addressed the nation earlier this week. The worried furrow brow plastered on his face made me want to attack him with botox and freeze that look off his face. Can’t he fake some confidence? Women do it all the time.
If the United States was my husband, I would separate our bank accounts. I would drag him by the ear to couples counseling. You would probably see us on the Dr. Phil show discussing our credit card debt and how it’s ruining our family. You would also see me hollering about how he’s spending all our money on exotic mistresses.
Here’s a concept I’ll call the “Arm Candy Index.” Unlike the Dow and S&P, which deal in numbers, this deals with the behaviors of our megarich men. If you were forty-fat, bald stockbroker who was chronically trying to impress all those people who picked on you in school, what would be the final budget cut as you were losing your wealth?
My guess would be your twenty-something model trophy girl. No more Tiffany’s, no more Mr. Chows, no more envious glances. The high maintenance mistresses are getting sent packing, according to several advertisements on Craigslist from these dropped bombshells, and I don’t have access to the sites specifically dealing with relationships between the wealthy and gorgeous. I am making a trip to NYC this weekend. Maybe I should do some research myself.
I've heard we need to change, and I agree, but what exactly are we changing? Before we start changing and possibly digging ourselves deeper, we need to know what exactly we want.
I know what I want. Whenever I have a problem, a major crisis, I go back to the basics.
I want Americans’ basic needs met. We have an American dream to tout to the rest of the world, but not all of our citizens have healthy food, safe housing, quality education, and first world health care. We should have these things before going around and trying to supply them to the rest of the world. This is America people.
I want to know what we would do with these businesses we’re trying to bailout. Are the American people getting the assets or would we eventually liquidate and get reimbursed? The problem is too big. Turn the abandoned houses and ghosts towns into housing for our poor and needy. Could we turn some over to non-profits to manage. On a local level, giving these properties to the poor would alleviate other social problems. It could be manned by local leaders. Participants who receive the help could be subject to stimulations, such as contributing to society through volunteering, to receive help. It’s a concept that’s been murmured for years. We are only as good as our weakest citizen. Our richest have failed us by becoming consumed by their greed. I want accountability for these businesses. Who really knows where our money went and is going?
I want health care for health care for the sick, poor, and disabled, not bailouts for the rich. I can’t possibly solve ALL our nation’s problems, so I’ll start here, since the major roadblock to universal health care has been “lack of money.” Now, obviously, this is not true, because we’re talking numbers, in trillions, to bail out the economy.
Sen. Ted Kennedy called health care a “right,” and I agree. It’s stated pretty clearly in the constitution that we all have a “right to life,” and denying life saving health care procedures for any reason other than the risks out weighing the benefits seems to be contrary to this statement.
If you don’t think this happens, work in any emergency department for a week, talk honestly with the staff, everyone knows the little dirty secret of America’s health care system. It’s time to start screaming about the injustice. If terrorists were killing 565,000 people yearly on American soil the news reports would be reeling.
Cancer is set to outpace heart disease as the nation’s largest killer. One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer, one in four of us will die, and one in five of us will use all our savings accessing health care.
How are we going to fix this? I know my ideas may not be popular. They may sound downright un-american but they are common sense. Here are some simple suggestions from a lay person, who also happens to be a registered nurse and a professional cancer patient:
Anything that taxes the body should be taxed for healthcare. This includes cigarettes, alcohol, and fatty foods.
Increase taxes for big businesses. These numbers should be equal to the largest percentage of income that the average citizen pays. Ivy league colleges, recognizing that college can bankrupt people, have tuition based on a percentage of income that does not include non-liquid assets. I think the government could follow suit with health care.
While we’re at it, make taxes for all based upon a percentage of income. There is no reason Warren Buffet should pay less taxes proportionately than his secretary. Our health care costs are the same no matter the income, though the poorer you are the poorer your outcome is likely to be. This will not increase taxes for the poor or middle class.
Enforce a polluting penalty. If you’re disturbing our environment, and therefore our health, you’ll have to pay. Polluters increase health care costs, they should make up the difference.
Seeing as these suggestions won’t ease all the financial hurt of illness, maybe we should stop giving pharmaceutical companies sole rights to their drugs and encourage the use of cheaper generics. Profiting off illness and the misfortune of others is wrong.
We could always look at how we provide healthcare for our prisoners for solutions. Our murderers, rapists, robbers, and arsonists all get to see a licensed or registered nurse for a hang nail, but if a law abiding citizen shows up at the wrong ER with the wrong insurance for a stomach ache ( or a perforated bowel) they could be sent away.
Health care reform does not need to be all or nothing. Children and senior citizens should have universal health care provided for them. For the others that are able to work, but become ill and may not be able to afford health care, there is a theory of “In and Out Medicaid.” This insurance is based on illness and the ability to work to secure insurance and not based on assets.
This would have solved my family’s crisis of having two disabled working adults at the same time. Our family could have been placed on Medicaid, instead of paying for a COBRA, when my husband and I were both disabled.
Instead, we had to solve our problem by forcing my husband to continue to work. My husband is an aerospace engineer. Next time you step on a plane, I want you to wonder if he oversaw the production of your engine while he was hopped up on pain killers.
So there you have it. Some simple solutions for a huge problem our nation is facing today. Need evidence that this crisis is real? Keep reading. I will find others in my situation. Remember, these are real people. Help solve this problem before that real person is you.