Now, I don't mean this to be a blanket indictment, but I've gotta say I don't have much faith in ANYTHING our federal government does. Or should I say TRIES to do. Yes, I'm sure there are some successes that go unreported, but when taken as a whole, our government does NOT impress.
Think about it: Natural disasters strike, and the boondoggle they call FEMA swings into action. They send in their army of bureaucrats and set up registration stations where the affected can sign up for gubment help. "Your gubment trailer is on the way!" *pay no attention to that outgassing thing that makes them dangerous to live in* "Oh, and feel free to help yourself to a complementary bag of ice."
And for our veterans, the ones who put their life on the line for us, the ones we solemnly promised to take care of if they were injured....do I need to list all the shortcomings of the VA? (It would fill multiple volumes.)
For a decade prior to 2008, up to this day, even, our federal financial regulators turned a blind eye to the unprecedented con job the banks were doing on the American people. "So you're broke? And you want a bailout? Sure....happy to help. Here's a coupla hundred billion bucks, and another few billion to fund a nice bonus for you fine gentlemen, too." Nice job guys. Thanks for looking out for the American people.
The DOJ developed a half baked idea to see where the Mexican drug cartels are getting their guns BY SELLING GUNS TO THEM OURSELVES. DUH!
Now Ebola has made it to our shores and the CDC tells a Dallas nurse on the Ebola-watch short list, "Aww, go ahead, get on the big 'ol jet plane and go visit mama in Cleveland. Never mind that pesky little fever." BRILLIANT!
I honestly believe the people we have working for us on the government payroll are the labor pool "B" "C" team. The really sharp people go to work in the private sector, the left-overs going on to government service. For others it's the allure of essentially lifetime employment, "help yourself to the cash register" pay, lots of perks, and an early, absurdly generous retirement plan. Some can do an adequate job, some (most?) not. *sigh*
The Peter Principle is alive and well. Can we just fire them all and start over?
S
Ours was a "near miss". In the spring of 2007 Kelly was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. She had just started a new job, but her diagnosis came during the 90 day probationary period before her insurance became effective. What to do? Fortunately (?) she was a disabled veteran and was entitled to treatment through the VA. To their credit, the Dallas VA immediately got her into surgery, then promptly followed up with radiation and chemotherapy. Their facilities are first class and the doctors are the residents and professors at the UT Southwestern Medical School. She received excellent care, responded well, and is cancer-free today. Without the VA we'd be many hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and probably bankrupt. *whew*
Several weeks ago I was with K at the VA for her bi-annual check-up. While she was being seen I began visiting with another veteran waiting his turn to see the oncologists. He told me that he had been fighting cancer off-and-on for over 10 years. He once owned a successful small business and had insurance for himself and his family. When he was diagnosed with cancer he utilized his insurance for treatment. Trouble was, his policy had the standard $1M lifetime policy limit. Within just a few years he had maxed out his $1M limit and his insurer said, "No more. Bye-bye."
No longer able to work and completely uninsurable he went through his savings and eventually sold (or lost) his home, and he and his wife began living in a small motor home. His wife worked but on one income they barely got by. Being a veteran and now destitute he went to the VA for help, which is where I met up with him.
I think it's safe to say that his story could be anyone in middle class America today. You can have a good job, insurance, savings, and do all the right things, but a single catastrophic illness or accident can immediately and permanently condem you to poverty. That's why I say something MUST be done to address problems like this. I don't have an answer, but we must all pull our heads out of our asses the sand and face it.
Here's an idea: You've heard of not-for-profit hospitals? Why not have not-for-profit insurance companies...sort of like co-ops? They could be in the market along side traditional insurance companies just like member-owned credit unions compete with banks. Does anything like that exist today?
S
