Did you ever own a fully restored classic car? No? Me either....they were always waaay above my pay grade. But I have known people who did, and they all told me their restoration was a gradual, evolutionary process that took years before their cars were trophy winners.
First they disassembled everything to see what needed to be done. Then they rebuilt the engine and transmission while the body was being repaired and repainted. Finally everything was put back together, with new re-chromed wheels and appropriately sized tires. With a new convertible top and upholstery, it was ready to meet the show judges.
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Stay with me here....Now that a replacement for ObamaCare has fizzled it looks like we're stuck with the old ACA, and that's a problem. By all accounts it's failing fast. There are too few insurance companies to choose from in many areas, premiums are rising, and deductibles are so high many people can't afford to actually use the insurance they're paying for. So instead of just walking away from it and watching it wither, and killing people (literally) in the process, why don't reasonable people work together to FIX IT?
Just like with a classic car, first you see what needs to be fixed. Then piece-by-piece you clean it up and keep what you can, buy new, better parts as needed, and finally reassemble it to become something that actually works. It's an evolutionary process, not an overnight quick fix.
They say there isn't enough competition between insurance companies, so why not allow them to compete across state lines? The GOP campaigned on that idea, and if it can bring down premiums, why would the Democrats object? (They've always said insurance companies were their archenemies, right? Here's their big chance to spank 'em!) Except for the health insurance company CEO with a mega-bonus at stake, why would anyone object to companies competing for your business? Am I missing something?
They say the pharmaceutical companies are screwing us blind, which is another reason insurance costs are so high. The Democrats on the Left and now the Tea Party on the Right have always wanted to come down hard on them, so why can't they bury the hatchet long enough to give Big Pharma an ultimatum? "Get your prices here in America in line with the international market, or we'll free up consumers to legally buy their prescriptions overseas. No more official government cover."
Line-by-line, read the ACA, keep it if it's working, and change it if it isn't. Have an ongoing amendment process that keeps constantly striving to improve it. The old system (pre-ObamaCare) was slowing failing us, so it was just a matter of time before something new had to be tried.
They say if everyone walks away from a negotiation just a little miffed, it was probably a fair deal. Forget the concept of "all or none". It's time for some give and take. Americans seem pretty fed up with the extremists after their sorry debacle last week, so this might be a good time for moderates to get something done.
We have us one helluva mess. Something has to change.
S
When I look at the issues that have our country tied in knots today, it seems to me that every single one can be traced straight back to income inequality. Its beginning predates Citizens United (the court ruling allowing unlimited political contributions by corporations), it didn't get this way overnight, and we won't get out of it with just a few new Executive Orders. It's WAY more complicated than that.
Without doubt my all-time favorite corporate CEO was Herb Kelleher, the (now retired) Chairman of Southwest Airlines. His business model was simple: "Take care of your people first, your customers second, and your stockholders last." If you take care of your people first, they will be happy and give impeccable, smiling service to your customers. Happy customers will come back time and again, ultimately giving your stockholders a handsome return. Win-win-win. While the airline industry has been in constant turmoil for years, with bankruptcies, mergers, and layoffs common, Southwest has had an unbroken string of profitable years with no layoffs, ever.
That's Herb in the red shirt with some of his ramp employees, and the photo was not staged. He would on a daily basis walk around and greet his people, swap a quick joke, do some back-slapping (the ladies got a kiss on the cheek....times were different then!), and just in general tell them how much he appreciated them....and they worked their asses off for him!
In
1965 the average CEO made 20-times as much as his average employee. By
2015 the average CEO made 303-times as much as his average employee.
(source: Fortune magazine)
Here's where I'm going with this: While most airline CEO's of the day were making handsome 7-figure salaries, Herb kept his salary at around $350K (?) per year. He was seen by his people as well paid, but still with his feet on the ground. He made sure that ALL Southwest employees received yearly profit sharing, real health insurance, a generous 401K, and stock options. (That's where Herb made his very sizeable fortune.) If the company made money, so did he, and his model worked....there was never an unprofitable year.
This is critical....right after 9/11, when planes were flying virtually empty and other airlines were laying off as fast as they could, top executives at SWA said they would work without pay until the crisis was over, while their employees were never asked for any wage concessions. THAT'S how you show solidarity with your people! (As I recall, American Airlines was at the time cutting employee pay, all while they were quietly giving generous bonuses to upper management. The rank-and-file found out about it and the s__t hit the fan!)
Today we have a dangerous divide between workers and the "One Percent". The upper class has never had it so good, while the middle class is actually shrinking. Their inflation-adjusted income has been stagnant for 25 years. Too many don't have health insurance, or if they do, they can't afford the deductibles. Large companies are generally not expanding here, and many are moving operations overseas. Employees are scared. Small companies are where new jobs are being created today, but many of those have modest or even no benefits.
Too many of our new jobs that we use to pump up our high employment figures are low-paying positions. Part-time or contract workers are popular because they allow companies to skirt offering benefits, among other things. Workers feel estranged from their bosses, and bosses can't empathize with their workers. Distrust and hostility is the norm. This income inequality/attitude now permeates how our country operates from top to bottom, and it's unhealthy.
I'm not looking for some sort of instant Robin Hood "rob from the rich/give to the poor" income redistribution scheme, for that, too, would cause resentment. But our rigged tax laws and subsidies and sweetheart breaks for the rich need to be reversed. We all need to be on a level playing field, where everyone feels like they're getting a fair shake.
All I'm hearing from our leaders is promises. The "haves" are trying to get even more for themselves by taking away what little the working class has left. This is not good. We should look to Herb Kelleher as an example of how we can ALL thrive if we pull in the same direction.
S
