Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Tea Party "Christians"

I saw, on TV, "Christians", who when asked if a 30 year old man, who decided not buy health insurance, should be allowed to die if he was in a severe accident and needed treatment. These Tea Party "Christians" shouted "Yes".

When it was mentioned that Rick Perry had been the Texas Govenor during the execution of 234 men, a cheer went up from the same Tea Party "Christians".

Now I am not what I would call highly religious, although I do consider myself a Christian, but I do have a problem with associating myself with these people who call themselves Christians. This is a different kind of Christian that I have ever been associated with or understood Christians to be.

Something is wrong somewhere.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Easy question.

I have an easy quiz for you. Just one easy question, here goes.

You hire a contractor, he does the work, lets say he puts up 10 feet of fencing. He then bills you for 50 feet of fencing!

Now for that easy question, "Would you hire him again?"

I am going to assume that you answered correctly, and the same as I did - "No"

Well now, here is the interesting thing, a lot of large corporations that are hired by the Federal Government cheat them, or to put it another way, commit fraud! Now wouldn't you think that would make them ineligible to do work for the Federal Government again? Well you would be wrong. They might get a fine, but they can keep right on bidding and working for the Feds!

You probably read about a couple of the local cases recently. Maxim Health in Columbia Md. stole $60 MILLION from the Federal Government (Hey, that would be us wouldn't it?) They paid a fine, and they are back to work. I wonder what the Federal Government would do if I stole $60 million from them? Do you think I'd be welcome to keep on working for them, or would I be in jail? Then there was St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Md. they billed the Government and Insurance companies for 600 Stents that, "Were unnecessary", Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury Md. did the same for 200 stents - are they a smaller Medical Center or just not so bold as St. Joseph?

One of St. Josephs doctors gave lessons, paid for by the stent manufacturer, on how to sell stents to patients. Apparently he was highly sucessful, as I seem to remember that at least 90% of the stents he sold and installed were unnecessary!

I guess my question is, why is this allowed to happen? Wouldn't it stop if they were struck off, and not allowed to do any work for the Federal Government if they deliberately cheated them. (Us) Others see that you only get a slap on the wrist if you are caught, and then you can go right back to the same old, same old, not much of a deterrant.

By the way as`you heard Mitt Romney say, and the Supreme Court too, "Corporations are people." They are happy to be treated like people, because as "people" they can own property, seek redress in courts and in Congress (where all their friends are!), and, of course they can make huge political contributions. (See one line above - Congress, where all their friends are!) Now, when it comes to being "people" who cheat/steal from the Federal Government they are suddenly treated differently to real people, like you and me, all of a sudden Corporations can't go to prison. They can't even be banned from working for the very government that they stole from!! (Like you and me undoubtedly would.)

Does anyone know why Corporations are treated differently, as in much more leniently, than real people? They say they want to be treated like people, the courts say they are people, even Mitt Romney says they are people, but when it comes to punishment they are not so real after all!

Could it have anything to do with having friends in Congress? No, surely not! Just because as real people they are allowed to give HUGE contributions to politicians, that wouldn't make a difference would it?

No, I didn't think so.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Profit over patients.

The American health INDUSTRY continues to put their Profits above the interests of Patients. You will no doubt have noticed that I put Health INDUSTRY, as opposed to what every other civilized country in the world calls their Health SERVICE.

That is because that is exactly what the American Health INDUSTRY is - an INDUSTRY, interested in nothing except their profits. That is why the cost of health care in this country is at least double that of every other country in the world - bar none. In fact some countries health care is even less than half the cost of ours, even as much as one quarter as much. AND as good, or better. Don't believe it when the Health INDUSTRY here tells you the health care in this country costs more because it is better, That is simply not true.

It is no more true than statements like, "We have to best road system" - not true, as anyone who has been to Europe, the UK or even Croatia can tell you! "We have the best Financial system." Really, really long, long pause here while I laugh!!! We may have the richest Bankers and Wall Steet types, because they have stolen so much from us that everyone except them is now poor. "Best cars"? Once maybe, but not anymore - drive a Japanese car and see. "Best drugs"? Have you read the reports lately about the drugs that do nothing, but have to be put out there so that the drug companies can "Recover their costs". How many drugs have you read about that have had to be recalled? Or the manufacturers are being sued, because they not only did not help, they damaged and even killed people?

Well guess what - that is what the Health INDUSTRY is doing, killing us, for profit. Stents are being put into thousands of people. Some reports say that there are ten times too many put in, some say a hundred times too many! Multiply that by 10 and a 100 different operations and treatments and you get the idea that the only thing the health INDUSTRY is interested in is PROFIT, at our expense. Almost every treatment used is way over used. We are operated on because they can collect money for it, not because it will help US - because it will help THEM.