If A = B

and A = C,

Then B = C

Instead of ranting and raving illogically at various town hall meetings, let’s try using a little good old-fashioned logic (that we were all bored-to-death with in high school, but, let’s face it, can come in handy now and then).

Now consider the following statistics:

When asked in a new Harris Poll how strongly those polled support 14 different government services, five services receive strong, or a fair amount of support, from about three-fourths of all adults or more. The five most popular services are The National Parks Service (85% support), Crime-fighting and prevention services (77%) Medicare (76%), Social Security (76%), and Unemployment benefits (74%).

Medicare came in with a strong 76%, over 3 out of 4 people polled by Harris.  (REMINDER: Medicare is a “single payer” system, with the government as the payee).  I think it is safe to say that overall, Medicare is a success, and, if we can say that success is “good”,  it logically follows that:

Medicare (A) = Single-payer System (B)

Medicare (A) = “good” (C)

then, Single-Payer System (B) = “good” (C)

Now, that wasn’t so painful was it?

Today's crowded emergency room

At least 80% of Americans don’t really have any health care insurance.  This implies that,  given some unfortunate event, you will still have health care coverage.  What they do have,  those that are now fortunate enough to have a job, and less and less frequently, a job that also provides health insurance, is a “heath related benefit”.

According to Wikipedia, an “employee benefit” is defined as:

various non-wage compensations provided to employees in addition to their normal wages or salaries.   Where an employee exchanges (cash) wages for some other form of benefit, this is generally referred to as a ‘salary sacrifice’ arrangement.

The problem is, coverage is tied into whether or not you have such a job, and a job where your salary was negotiated to contain such a “benefit” (this is entirely up the the employer.  They are not mandated to provide you with a health care related benefit).

Many things can disrupt this tidy arrangement, such as:

Your company could drop its health plan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of the population covered by employer-based health insurance has fallen every year since 2000, from 64.2% to 59.3%.

You could lose your job. I don’t think I need to tell anyone what the unemployment rate is these days.**

You could voluntarily leave your job, for example because you have to move to take care of an elderly relative.

You could get divorced from the spouse you depend on for health coverage.

So, you don’t really have health coverage, you have a health related benefit that depends, very heavily, on your employment.

Let’s look at another Wikipedia definition, this time for “insurance”

Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss.

So you don’t even really have “insurance” because the risk of loosing your job provided health care  isn’t mitigated by the “insurance”.  I.e., loose your job, loose your health benefits.

Of course, we have been “privileged” to have the option to receive coverage through the COBRA plan, for up to one year.  COBRA health insurance is available to anyone loosing their job.  The thing I guess we’re all supposed to get excited about is that this coverage is available in spite of any pre-existing conditions.  Of course, you have to pay through the nose for it, usually somewhere between $500 -$1000/month depending on how many family members you wish to include.   If you are average, you will probably get something like $1200 a month in unemployment benefits.  So, that leaves you a whopping $500 or so per month for rent, food, transportation, clothing, etc.  Such a deal!

According to a New York Times poll, “69 percent of respondents in the poll said they were concerned that the quality of their own care would decline if the government created a program that covers everyone.   My attitude is, let any one of those 69 percent experience joblessness for a little while.  Their concern about “decline” becomes a joke.  How about having ANY health care at all .  Please!

The Car Allowance Rebate System is a US federal program that helps US citizens to purchase a new, more fuel efficient vehicle when trading in a less fuel efficient vehicle.

Thousands of Americans are rushing out and trading in their old cars to receive a $3500 or $4500 discount towards the purchase of select new cars. This may sound great at first but there are many hidden facts the majority of the population may not be aware of.

• The program is designed to get old cars up to 25 years old with under 18 MPG off the road and replace them with brand new cars that have a higher MPG rating.
• Depending on the age of the vehicle you will ether qualify for $3500 or $4500 off of the purchase price of the new car.
• The old car must have been owned, registered, and insured for the past year.
• The dealer is required to disable the old cars engine by draining the oil and replacing with a water and silica solution, permanently destroying the engine.
• The old car must the crushed and the engine and drivetrain cannot be sold for parts, this prevents the sale of the car in the United States and elsewhere as a vehicle.

Many of the cars being turned in as “Clunkers” to this program are still perfectly fine and are being turned in just so the owner can get a new car, but because the car is required to be destroyed hundreds maybe even thousands of cars are being destroyed. But is this really the best way to get people to buy new cars? Why go to the effort to destroy perfectly fine cars that may only be 4-5 years old.

Let’s say all the cars that went to the program that were newer then say 1998 were taken into a low income car program, helping get the “real clunkers” off the road.

It could work as follows:

• The total household income is less then a certain level.
• Each household would qualify for only one vehicle trade.
• The traded vehicle must need more then $500 in repairs to qualify.
• The car must be less then 35 years old, but mileage does not matter.
• The car must be owned for the last year but is not required to be registered or smogged.

This would help get the “real clunkers” and unsafe cars off the road and help clean up the roads. But why was this not the way the Cash for Clunkers program was designed? We can only guess that it has to do with the fact that the Government has recently bailed out both GM and Chrysler. By requiring people to purchase a new vehicle they are protecting there investments.

Another theory about why they don’t want to have a low income program is “Keep Them Stupid and Poor” consperacy that has been floating around the internet. I think the government has been brainwashing the population, there is so many stupid laws and programs right now and the majority of the population appears to be going along with it.

I see this first hand as I am an unemployed, student. Like many others I have been in search of a job for many months, but because of the current economy there has been very little interest. Another major issue is the cut to education budgets, just this summer I had a class I was attending get canceled after the first week was over because they were two people short of the twenty person quota. I feel that as an American I am not getting what I should, if I pay my taxes I should be able to use that money, and I feel it unfair to allow this program to only benefit the people capable of making monthly car payments. What about the rest of the population?

Interesting idea, but why hasn’t it worked?  The answer is simple; Greed.    The majority of a corporations profits go to the top executives for allocation.  That part works fine.  But then, IT STAYS THERE!  NO WAY DOES IT “TRICKLE DOWN”!

It’s no secret about  the enormous salaries, bonus, and benefit packages received by the top guys and gals in major U.S. corporations.  Ex-Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina comes to mind.  She got a severance package worth about $21.4 million, but stood to get another $21 million after she was forced out by the company.  Nice pay for messing things up royally (consider the logic of such packages: the board hires a CEO, gives them an incredible golden parachute.  If they fail and are thrown out, they get rich.  If they succeed, they get rich.  What a Motivator!).

I was a first hand witness during that time, working for HP as a consultant, and it was a blood bath.  I’ll never forget the pain she caused thousands of employees as she ruthlessly changed HP’s gentle and relatively caring culture to a culture of “the bottom-line”.  What did she bring to HP as a result of all that pain (besides a lighter corporate pocketbook as she exited stage left): nothing.

Of course our more current stories come from Wall Street and the banking industry, and of course good ol’ AIG.   The Feds pump millions into these companies to cover for basic failure in their management, and, of course, the ravages of Greed.

I also witnessed Greed at work first hand, when working for a small tech firm in Colorado.  When I first joined up, the company was small, with only 5 of us working hard to build up the business.  The owner at that time, was very humble, and appreciative of our efforts.  What profits we did have, he shared generously.  However, over the years, he (the CEO/President), changed.  As his own personal fortune grew, he grew more and more reluctant to share the wealth with the rest of us (“exit strategy”?, what exit strategy?  Stock?  No way!).  Getting a raise was like pulling teeth, and he became unilateral in his decision making, not wanting to make things messy by input from “the rabble rousers”.

To add insult to injury, he was from India, and got most of the companies work through a federal program that gives minorities a competitive edge during the bidding process for federal contracts.  His “payback” to America?  Keep the majority of profits for himself and his family, send massive amounts back to family members in India, and what was left, might, if it was a good year, result in a 1 or 2% raise for us working-stiff American citizens.  “Much thanks America!  Adios!”

Greed is the sand in our industrial wheels.  Unfortunately, it is now up to government to come to our rescue and regulate against one of the worst of the “7 deadly sins”, greed, and with these insane bailouts,  to regrease the wheels in hopes we can live for another day.

PS for MBA Students: Case Study: “The Carly Strategy”:  Come into the organization like a whirlwind.  Be authorative.  Create massive amounts of smoke, dust-in-the-air, and fire people so that no one (esp. the members of the board) can tell that you have no clue what you are doing.  Rape, pillage, and create massive amounts of personal wealth for yourself.  Exit.  Write a book telling the world how tough it is to be you.

Introducing Republican Minority Leader John Boehner.  Now here’s an example of what NOT to look like in 21st century America.  You republican dudes would be way better off with some badly dressed geeky looking person as your spokesperson.

Sorry John, I’m not available right now to help you update your image.

By the way, when he speaks, he sounds as dumb as he looks.

Christian Conservative Right, would you like to get back in the game? Maybe win a few elections? Have some significant influence over frail humans? Then you need to change your mindset. The recent presidential election shows us that most Americans are tired of fear, intimidation, and most of all, anger. We don’t want it anymore. It is destructive, and ultimately self-defeating. In other words, it is a waste of time, and time is what we are beginning to run out of.

Molly next door is thinking of getting an abortion. Guess what, God doesn’t care. Get over it. GOD DOESN”T CARE! Such thinking is full of human conceit and a mindset that suggests HE is up there watching every little move you, or any of us make. And further more, if we don’t follow all these “rules” that we seem to make up on his/her behalf, that we will somehow get struck down by and angry God and surely go to the fiery depths of hell. Sorry, not true. Such thinking is relegated to human thought, not something that fits well with a supreme force. If an abortion will ultimately help Molly reach her personal spiritual actualization, then so be it.

Why are you beginning to lose elections? Well, for one, the Republican “core” that politicians seem to keep bowing to, are changing demographically and philosophically. The ones that adhere to a ferocious damning God are dying off, and younger, more enlightened individuals are taking their place. Have you noticed that people describe themselves these days a “spiritual”, as opposed to “religious”? Why do you think that is? Old fashion religion is fundamentally judgmental and damning, and fraught with so many “rules” its hard to keep track off. Religion says “do it my way (if you can figure out what that is)….. or else!”. Spirituality suggests an inner voice within each of us. It is our individual “guiding light”. No more dictates from various “religious leaders” telling us what is right or wrong, it is our OWN voice, our own dictates that must be followed in order for us to gain spiritual enlightenment (one soul at a time).

4) Replacing the UN’s role of preserving and extending international order

Bare in mind that figures for the regular military budget exclude the costs of the current wars that the United States is engaged in. A proposed supplemental appropriation to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq of $141.7 billion brings proposed military spending for FY 2008 to $647.2 billion, the highest level of military spending since the end of World War II – higher than Vietnam, higher than Korea, higher than the peak of the Reagan buildup. There will also be a proposed supplemental of $93.4 billion added to this year’s (FY 2007) budget, bringing the total for the year to $622.4 billion. (Of course, George also tried to eradicate the current social security system, but failed there. Oh well, NeoCon dudes, can’t win them all!) Over all though, his enormous defense spending should make the NeoCons very pleased in regards to their #1 agenda. Yeah, Go George!

Numbers 2 and 3 are obvious NeoCon successes. We’ve gotten our greedy fingers (and sadly many boots, thousands that are now empty) in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iraq of course was a “preemptive” strike, giving Georgie W. an extra gold star for NeoCon agenda number 3!

As to number 4, putting John Bolton in for our Ambassador to the U.N. was most likely punishment and damaging enough to get George at least a silver star in that department. Of course pretty much ignoring the U.N. during the buildup to Iraq also put a few feathers in his cap.

And if you think McCain would be any different, guess again. McCain has surrounded himself with the best and brightest from the now-defunct Project for the New American Century: Randy Scheunemann, one of its directors, is serving as McCain’s top foreign policy advisor. He is joined by PNAC’s founder, Bill Kristol, along with Gary Schmitt (President), Robert Kagan (director), and James Woolsey (signatory).

The NeoCons have made huge advances in their agenda over the past 8 years. They will not “go gently into that dark night”. Lets see what dirty tricks they can pull off tomorrow to retain their now global power.

If their exists any doubt that the Republican party is dominated by the NeoCon philosophy, John Dean, in his new book, “Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches” puts it to rest. In a recent web article Dean remarks:

Republicans’ authoritarian rule can also be characterized by its striking incivility and intolerance toward those who do not view the world as Republicans do. Their insufferable attitude is not dangerous in itself, but it is employed to accomplish what they want, which it to take care of themselves and those who work to keep them in power.

The NeoCon primary directive is to “rape and pillage”, figuratively if not literally (although some of the literal does take place as “collateral damage” to their agenda, i.e., endless war). The organization that embodies the NeoCon movement is called “The Project for the New American Century” and their agenda can be summarized as follows:
1) Increase an already enormous military budget at the expense of domestic social programs
2) Toppling of regimes resistant to our corporate interests
3) Forcing democracy at the barrel of a gun in regions that have no history of the democratic process
4) Replacing the UN’s role of preserving and extending international order

Their exists a mentality amongst certain people who are terrified of choice, they consciously or subconsciously want life choices made for them. Many prisoners are or become like this, and would rather stay in prison than have to face an existence in the outside world. Are the majority of Americans of this frame of mind? How about you “Joe the Plumber”? We’ll find out in a few days if Americans want control of their lives, or to be controlled by an increasingly authoritarian government.

if Obama is elected President, he would funnel needed support to “green” business, such as solar, clean coal, and other companies that will do their best to get us out of our OIl Habit. Maybe a better move for Joe the Plumber would be to reinvent himself, and become “Joe the Solar Guy”. I should think plumbing skills would transfer nicely to such businesses. We don’t need another plumbing business, we DO need something that will help Joe as well as help get America out of the Oil Ditch. With Obama’s plan Joe would likely get the “tax break” everyone is so excited about, AND probably some low-cost federal “start up” funding to boot.

A new paradigm, “thinking outside the box”, is what this country needs, not another plumbing business. I could listen and watch news about “Joe the Solar Guy” until the cows come home.

I have two words for McCain: “Who Cares!!”? A number of third countries, the majority being allies of the U.S., including Canada, France, and England, have what most would consider “socialist” programs. And guess what, they work, they work well, and they have worked well for decades.

The obvious example is Health Care. While our health care system is coming apart at the seams, the countries sited have a reasonably smooth running, decent quality, and relatively inexpensive health care program. If you don’t believe it, ask their citizens. Better yet, ask an American that has been living in one of those countries for a number of years. In interviews I’ve seen, they of course miss America, but they LOVE the ability to get good local quality health care without having to hoc the house. Our system isn’t working. Theirs is. It’s a no brainer.

Higher education is another area that lends itself well to federal subsidization. Most of us struggle to send our kids to college. In many European countries, where the government assists those wanting to go to college, this is not a problem. Sure, in most cases taxes are higher in these countries, but analysis suggests with these two major costs covered, the average European ends up much better of financially than the average American. And they don’t go through the financial up, downs, and sideways gyrations that we, as Americans, seem to have to endure. Aaaahhh. Wouldn’t that be nice!