The Health Care Conflict of Interest

Over time I will have a lot more to say on Health Care and Health Care reform. Right now I want to focus on the conflict of interest that exists in the current system. The very nature of the For Profit industry conflicts with the needs of the insured. A For Profit organization has the inherent goal of bringing in money and spending as little of it as possible. In this case, the Insurers sell policies to pay for medical costs. When the customer uses the policy, the Insurer pays out, lowering the profitability of that policy. The conflict of interest has been set in motion.

In order to maximize profits, the Insurer will resist paying out benefits and leaving the customer with expenses that they expected their policy insurer to pay. We have seen more and more Insurers decrease coverage while raising rates. They then deny coverage to those most in need of medical care because it hurts their profits.

The primary way in which Americans receive health care insurance is through their employer. When people change jobs, there is often a delay in receipt of new coverage from the new employer. Many times there is no coverage for "pre-existing conditions" that were treated under the old policy but not covered by the new insurer. Many employers don't offer health care to their Part-Time employees at all. There is also a dearth of privately available policies, and these come with higher rates and are harder to get if you have any health issues.

This formula has lead us right into the current health care crisis. We have millions of Americans who can not afford health care or are not offered it through their employer. It is not in the interest of the Insurer to cover those most in need. This conflict of interest can only be stopped when primary health care is no longer under the control of a For Profit provider. These providers are not interested in what benefits the customer, but only in what benefits the company.

This is why a public option is the only real option for serious care. When medical decisions are made solely between the patient and the doctor, with no interference from a third party company who stands to lose money, then care is genuine and beneficial. When all Americans can receive care, we will have a healthier nation more able to function and increase performance in the work place. When we reduce the cost of medical care to the people there is more money for savings and, ultimately, to spend. It also allows people to have greater freedom in pursuing better employment because health care is no longer a consideration.

Whenever a company has a conflict of interest with its customers, the company benefits and the customer loses. Health care is not just a service, but a vital part of our national welfare. We can not afford any conflict of interest in keeping our people healthy and well.

Obama isn't a citizen?

I am incredulous that this belief is actually growing. What is more shocking to me is that the scope of the conspiracy believers is growing. At this point they have to actively believe that the Great State of Hawaii is in on it and that a local news paper that announced the birth of the eventual President was in on it, 50 years ago. Never let the facts get in the way of a delusion.

With Lou Dobbs of CNN giving these "Birthers" credibility by joining them, we are only going to see a rise in the number of people who have been tricked into believing this. I don't want to say that it's racial bigotry that is the source of the belief, but given that this is an extension of the non-sense we saw during the campaign about the President being "a Muslim" it is clear that it is.

While I doubt it is likely that any Birther can have this non-sense cleaned out of their heads, I think it's worth giving it a try when you find one who isn't utterly hysterical. After all, there is a bill in the House to require all future Presidential candidates to publish their birth certificates. A few tools to fight this idiocy would be very helpful.

There are two principles that are used to decide citizenship. Some nations use one, others use both. We are a nation that uses both. These are the "Rule of Soil" and the "Rule of Blood." The Rule of Soil says that anyone born on a nation's land is a citizen of that nation. The rule of blood says that the child of a citizen is a citizen, regardless of where in the world they were born.

Most of these Birthers are fixated on the Rule of Soil. They consistently tout that the President wasn't born in America and therefore can't be an American. This is utter non-sense but you can't argue with them because they believe there is a conspiracy to make it look like he was born in Hawaii. Using the Rule of Soil as the basis of an argument will never work. They willingly disbelieve the facts. So we need to move on to the second rule.

Much has been made of the President's paternal heritage, especially the fact that he wasn't an American. After all, if his daddy wasn't red, white, and blue then he must not be. Foreign imposter, they proclaim. But what about his mother? There can be no argument that she was an American woman. This is a detail that got some discussion when talking about how the President was a bridge between worlds. The Rule of Blood states that the child of an American citizen is automatically an American citizen himself. Where in the world the child was born is not a factor. It's that simple. His mother was an American, so he is an American. It's automatic.

Now, I'm a bit ashamed to have to even write about this, because it's nothing more than distraction. This is another method of turning the American People against themselves and directing their attention away in a sleight of hand effort that can only be used against us. It serves to enhance the polarization in this country that undermines the welfare and value of the People. I hope that by being able to articulate a solid argument that destroys this Birther Conspiracy non-sense that we can take a step towards turning the People away from this self-destructive behavior. We can not allow ourselves to be turned against each other by a controlling elite. To do so would mean our enslavement.

Unemployment enhances economic depression, not solves it.

Somebody needs to explain to me the wisdom of Chrysler plants being shut down. I understand the company was so utterly mismanaged that they are bankrupt. What I don't get is what happened to all the bail-out money and why those who are not responsible for the screw-ups are the ones paying the price. By cutting more jobs, Chrysler is adding to the problem of unemployed workers falling flat on their faces. What they should be considering about their own bottom line, which is all they ever care about, is that if people don't have jobs they don't have money. If they don't have money they don't buy your product.

Michael Moore has posited quite rightly that these plants should not be allowed to be shut down and the jobs destroyed. Instead, the costly but long term more beneficial choice is to retool the plants for manufacturing new good. Don't make cars, but make something else. It would be unreasonable and untenable to rework them into factories for warfare, but all of that hardware and the skilled labor force could be used to make other goods that Americans do need. In a single stroke you make the company viable through the manufacturing of goods that we need, you keep people from drawing on Unemployment, and you keep money circulating through the economy at a time when it is needed most.

What bothers me about the way the Obama administration has been handling the auto and banking bail-outs is that they clearly favor those who have done wrong by us, the people. I'd like to know where the change is. What I see is business as usual. The fat-cat robber-barons live high on the hog while we drown in a mire of filth that is their making. In a time of radical change we need genuine leadership. We need a new way of thinking and doing. What we have is a president who has done so little for the people that it becomes hard to trust him that "change is coming."

What we need to see is the creation of good wage paying jobs with benefits that would actually make some sense. The American Worker is neither lazy nor stupid, but the American Worker can not afford to be taken for granted either. With the export of so many of our jobs to foriegn lands, it is critical that we revive the manufacturing of goods and provide reasons for business to keep jobs in America. Without good pay, fair hours, decent benefits, and job security along with an ethically run and responsible employer we can fight back the economic decline that serves to do nothing more but eradicate the middle class and elevate the elitists to a position of divinely inspired authority under a fuedal system.

You call that stimulus?

So, after Texas governor Rick Perry, who has repeatedly threatened secession from the United States and rejected out-right the stimulus money, he has decided to accept at least a portion of it after all. About $11 million of it. What does he plan to spend the money on? Rebuilding the governor's mansion. Seriously?

I can not think of a more insulting gesture to the people of Texas. Perry wants to deny them the money that would be used to benefit the entire state, but he wants some of it to rebuild an ultimately unnecessary structure. The governor can perform the functions of office from the capitol building.

This is such a glaring example of the abuses of the elite. Such actions do not benefit the people of Texas in any way. Such actions place a burden upon the entire nation and benefit us not one bit. I am genuinely befuddled by the workings of this man's mind.

Memorial Day Matters Now More Than Ever

Our country is in trouble. After 8 years of right-wing foolishness, we now face the very serious matter of fixing what the Bush administration broke; the Constitution. Today we get to take a day off work in remembrance of the brave men and women who gave their lives for this country. Most of us will celebrate with cook-outs and swim parties, but we must not forget why we are enjoying ourselves today.

The lives spent for our freedoms were not spent cheaply, and this is something we must endure to remember. These lives were given for a great cause, freedom and the rule of law. The Bush administration violated those freedoms with the Patriot Acts and the torture of illegally held prisoners of war. The rights of Americans and non-Americans alike were violated and war crimes were committed in our names.

The single most important principle of our legal system is that all men are equal before the law. This includes the President and the Vice-President. When crimes are committed by these austere offices and they go unpunished, no clearer evidence do we have that the People are held in contempt by the wealthy and powerful elites.

Let us not quibble about what "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" means. It is fascist double-speak for torture. In addition to waterboarding, other acts of torture were committed, including "stress positions." For the entire history of civilization, these methods have been used to torture prisoners. They are illegal under American and international law. We convict civilians and law enforcement officers who use these methods.

Contrary to what former Vice-President Cheney wants us to believe, torture does not work. It does not provide valuable or reliable information. Torture does not protect American lives. In truth, it endangers us because the information is unreliable. The victim can and will say anything, anything at all, to make the torture stop. These are facts. There can be no debate about these facts by clear-thinking minds.

The men and women we honor today died so that these methods would not be used against people. The men and women we honor today died so that the rule of law would reign supreme over all Americans and all actions by American officials. Their sacrifice has been cheapened by the Bush administration's actions and the self-serving and lie-filled speeches of the former Vice-President. Their sacrifice continues to be dishonored by President Obama's refusal to hold accountable the perpetrators of these war crimes and his intention of indefinite detainment of terrorists from Gitmo without trial.

I understand that President Obama has been handed a raw deal. He did not create this situation and he is tasked with cleaning it up. We can only urge him to abide by the laws of this nation when fulfilling the task we have assigned him. But we must stress that the law is superior in all things. While the evidence against these monsters may be tainted by the crimes of the Bush administration, there can be little doubt that there is ample evidence of merit that exists without taint. We simple need to work harder to clean it up.

Please remember these things today while you are enjoying the freedoms we still have. We honor the lives of those whho died establishing and protecting these freedoms not by having a cook-out and swim party. We honor their lives by upholding the values and principles for which they gave their lives.