Healthcare, Hyper-Partisanship & What Larry Winget Believes About Nearly Everything
Healthcare.
I believe that basic healthcare is the right of every citizen. I think we have a moral obligation to help people who are sick regardless of what made them that way or whether they have any money or not. If we have the medical ability and expertise to do it, we should do it. It is the right thing to do. That said, I don’t want my tax dollars to pay for people who knowingly ruined their health by eating themselves into diabetes or other obesity related conditions. I also don’t want to support folks who smoked their 3 packs a day and got emphysema or lung cancer or other smoking related condition. They knew what there were doing was stupid and we shouldn’t have to support them. But you can’t exclude them either. I am a mean SOB in many ways but I can’t let people who are sick just die because they were stupid. I just can’t. If you can look sick people in the eye and tell them “no healthcare for you!” I don’t understand you. I can let stupid people who bought more house than they could afford be foreclosed on but I can’t let sick people die. Especially over politics or money. It’s not right.
I don’t believe we can afford to tax ourselves any more in order to pay for the proposed healthcare plan. That will only put a burden on small businesses that will contribute even more to our economic problems. We should be doing whatever it takes to help small businesses, not hinder them. Taxing people and businesses more is not the way to fix this problem. I don’t want more taxes period right now. You can’t tax or spend your way out of an economic mess.
I am also worn out from listening to people talk about the healthcare system in Canada or Europe. I am aware of the waiting for care and the substandard care provided in comparison to American healthcare standards. But for basic healthcare, it is better than what we have here in the USA and it is more humane to cover people who have nothing even if the care is not A+ than it is to abandon them. And for those who want to call it socialized medicine: One more time I want to remind people that we already have socialized medicine. It’s called Medicare. Medicare is socialized medicine. Ronald Reagan gave an anti-Medicare speech many years ago clearly labeling it socialized medicine. Yet, there are many older right-wing Republicans who hate Obama for wanting to establish what has been labeled once again “socialized medicine” when they are already receiving the benefits of it. And for all you other extremists who are opposed to any type of universal healthcare initiative, I want you to ask your parents or grandparents if they are ready to abandon their own socialized healthcare plan (Medicare) in favor of . . . let me see . . . nothing! I promise they won’t want to give up their socialist plan. Without Medicare, many of our elderly would die. Call it whatever you want to call it; socialist, communist, stupid, imperfect, wrong, outdated, ridiculous, dumb, whatever . . . for some folks it is ALL they have. They call it “necessary” and “life-saver.”
It is the right thing to do to offer basic healthcare coverage to every American. It is the wrong thing to implement a system that costs a trillion dollars in taxes. To find a plan that works, everyone is going to have to sacrifice. Everyone in the medical profession, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, hospitals, clinics and other care providers in addition to government officials, elected officials and every day folks. We are all going to have to come together to find a “best” answer to this problem. It won’t be a perfect answer. It will cost some more than others. Abuse will occur. Injustice will be a part of it. Someone will still get left out. But no perfect plan will ever exist. There are absolutely zero perfect plans in any system. However, we can find a better system than we have now.
Moving on from healthcare.
Hyper-partisanship.
A two party system is a good thing. It provides a system of checks and balances. Yes, the Democrats have a majority right now but I predict that will soon be corrected during the next election. And when I say, “corrected” I am using that term to say that we need to find more balance in the system i.e. a correction. (You know, that thing that is happening in the housing industry; a correction.) There is never a time when in politics or a well-run government when either side having an overwhelming majority is a good thing.
In all things, when the pendulum swings, it inevitably swings too far. It swung too far with the Bush-Cheney regime and it swung too far back the other direction with the Obama-Biden regime. Both extremes have their own unique set of problems. In my opinion, the Bush-Cheney Era could be called the Arrogance of Ignorance, while the Obama-Biden Era could be called the Ignorance of Arrogance. But the biggest problem that occurs when the pendulum swings too far in one direction or the other is hyper-partisanship. When hyper-partisanship is at play, we reach a deadlock and can’t move forward. That’s where we are now. Good ideas from both sides fall away and an attack of personalities takes over. You know what I’m talking about – just watch a little television news and you will see it.
We have reached the point where if a point is made on anything that effects the country, the first question asked in response is “Who said it?” People want to know who said it before they are willing to weigh in. The issue isn’t whether it is the right idea or the wrong idea for our country. Instead, it has come down to whether it originated as a Democratic idea or a Republican idea.
Though I am not sure we have any true Republican ideas at this point, we seem to only have Anti-Obama ideas. Yeah, that’s a slam. But the slams swing like the pendulum; both ways. If Pelosi said it, it’s stupid. Even if she did have a good idea (which I admit would be a slim chance) she would never get her good idea through because she is the one who came up with it. Same for Obama. Same for What’s His Name on the Republican side. You know who I mean . . . the head Republican guy. If he said it, then it has to be wrong. We no longer seem to care what gets said as much as whether it was our side who said it. We don’t care if it is good for the country, our party didn’t say it so we are against it! What are we for? We don’t have a clue. But if Obama said it, then we’re against it. Same for ol’ Republican What’s His Name!
An aside on this subject: I would say that I am more aware of politics and what is going on than 95% of the country and I am hard pressed to come up with the name of any real Republican leadership. It’s a damn shame when the leaders of the conservative movement are not political figures but instead are entertainment/news commentators/talking heads. Most Republicans, and self-proclaimed conservatives/right-wingers can’t tell you the name of the House Minority Leader, the Republican Whip in the House, the Senate Minority Leader, or the Republican Whip in the Senate. I could tell you right here as I do know, (though I had to check one of them and he’s from my own state) but you should work to look it up yourself. While I am convinced that most conservatives and Republicans don’t know their own party leaders by name or what they stand for, they know every bit of drivel coming out of Beck’s mouth. They watch Hannity every day. They know exactly what O’Reilly said and his Patriot/Pinhead of the day. They listen religiously to Rush. They don’t have a clue what their party leaders believe or are proposing or even what their names are but they know what the entertainment/news talking heads have to say. Sorry, but that’s pitiful.
To be fair, it’s just as ridiculous to blindly go where Olberman or Maddow lead or Wolf or Lou Dobbs.
What is the solution? First, know what you’re talking about. That means do some real research. By the way, MSNBC, FOX News and CNN are not research. I watch them all. I am a fan of FOX News. I think Cavuto, Shepherd Smith and Brit Baier are truly informative news programs and I genuinely like each of these guys personally and professionally. I like Huckabee even though I don’t agree with some of what he says but I enjoy his demeanor and find him a pleasant guy who knows what he believes and why he believes it and can express himself calmly without being mean or demeaning. (FOX also has the best financial news programs being aired today, especially on FOX Business.) I also get a kick out of Chris Matthews over on MSNBC. I certainly don’t always agree but I enjoy his perspective. CNBC also has some good financial stuff. I watch all of them. I get good information from all of them too. Yet I am also smart enough to know better on some of it! I also go to the next level and read some about it. I Google the topic and read a variety of things from both sides before I form an opinion. I suggest you do the same. Do some real research. Then form an opinion based on what makes sense to you. Don’t decide whether an idea is a good idea or a bad idea only based on whether it is a Republican or Democratic idea. Be an independent thinker instead of a shill for any political party. Be smart enough, well-informed enough and independent enough to form your own opinion, your own ideas and then vote accordingly – regardless of party affiliation.
What Larry Winget believes.
I agree with about half of what the Democratic party stands for. I also agree with about half of what the Republican party stands for. However, I am truly a Federalist/Libertarian Independent in my heart. I can be all of these things based on my research, my own personal beliefs, my feelings about what is best for the country and more.
I am a gun-toting, pro-gun, anti-NRA, pro-choice, socially liberal, fiscally conservative American who doesn’t care if gay people marry. I believe in capitalism, a free market, stem-cell research, the death penalty in some cases and not in others, a flat tax, and some form of basic healthcare for every one. I am anti-bailout, pro-business, anti- government waste, and believe in term limits for all elected officials. I am pro-cigar, anti-cigarette and believe that if a bar owner wants his bar to be either a smoking establishment or a non-smoking establishment that is his personal choice for his business and if you don’t like it, don’t walk in the front door. I don’t believe that the government should cap the earnings of any individual or any business. I believe that is what stockholders are for. I believe that the market should determine who wins and who loses in business, not the government. I believe in putting more power back in the hands of the state (thus a Federalist) and if I don’t like what my state chooses to be right for me, I can move to another state where my beliefs are in alignment with those I choose to live among. I believe in strong parenting, discipline, parental involvement, public schools, and that teachers should be paid more than politicians – that’s for damn sure! I would also do away with tenure in order to fire teachers who don’t teach their students what they are supposed to learn. I believe you should take care of your mama and daddy. I believe in defending all I stand for and believe in but will also defend your right to believe what you believe even when we don’t agree. I believe in protecting myself, my family, my property and my country against those who want to do me harm. I believe in God but think that most religious organizations should be ashamed of themselves for brainwashing people into believing their own personal version of what they consider to be what God wants. I believe the Bible is a fine book but I don’t believe it is perfect or historically factual or that it is the only great spiritual book ever assembled. I don’t believe we are punished for our sins but instead believe we are punished by our sins. I believe that the only really important universal spiritual teaching is “Love Each Other.” And I believe sometimes that love is “tough love.” I believe in helping those who can’t help themselves but not so much those who won’t help themselves. I believe in teaching people skills so they won’t get in trouble and teaching them the skills to get out of trouble when they find themselves in it. I believe in reading. I don’t believe that America always has the best idea or is always right. I don’t believe that we have to play Big Brother to the rest of the world and I don’t believe that we need to stick our noses in the middle of every squabble that happens in the world. I believe in strong borders but believe we should welcome all people who want to come to our country the right way. I believe in honesty, integrity, keeping your word at any cost, doing your best and hard work. And for the most part, I like people’s dogs better than I like the people who own the dogs. And if you don’t like animals, then I don’t like you.
I know many of you will pick apart what I have said and want to argue various pieces of it with me. That’s not going to happen. You will point out many contradictions among my positions. Yep, there are some contradictions – in your mind they don’t make sense – but for me, every position I have makes perfect sense. I don’t’ feel the need to defend what I have said or what I believe because I actually know what I believe and why I believe it. No one made up my mind for me. I made up my own mind on everyone of these beliefs and positions and I feel good about it!
I hope you can say the same thing for every one of your beliefs!
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Great Blog enjoyed reading it as you are right on as always.
I was JUST talking about this the other day.
I am a Canadian and sick to death in hearing people from the States use us or Europe as an example of how AWESOME universal healthcare is.
IT ISN’T.
It sucks here too, and I feel gypped for having to pay so much out of my income for a system I don’t really use.
All I can think of as a single, solid reform is to make people save a mandatory percentage of their income into healthcare savings accounts
Like they should have done for retirement accounts as well.
Check out the healthcare in Singapore (been reading up on different countries). It seems feasible and they only spend around 1.3% of their GDP on healthcare and has a wonderful system rated #4 by the WHO. That is UNBELIEVABLE!
Anyway, who’s going to put in all this reform?
Not anyone who has any ideas worth implementing because the people who make it into power are those who can talk a good game and shake hands to get the votes while pilfering the government accounts with the other hand.
Wow, Larry. Just…WOW. I’ve been reading your books and blogs for a few years now and I thought I had come to know what you’re about fairly well. With this one blog I learned a whole lot more about you than anything previously suggested in your writings.
I don’t agree with everything you’ve written here and what I disagree with really doesn’t matter. I love the fact that you are one of the few people in the world that has the guts to put forth your beliefs without apology, without sanctimony and stand by them with conviction because they work for you.
Keep it coming. Please, just keep it coming.
Larry,
We all have differences and believe our approach is the best resolution to an issue. However, to call someone an extremist that disagrees with your political point of view makes you look like the extremist. Please respect other opinions even if you strongly disagree with them. If everyone agreed about everything all the time then I would be very concerned for our country. Disagreement and debate is healthy for a democracy and a free Republic. Furthermore, the fact we can do this without bloodshed is a testament of our strength and not a weakness. Just my two cents.
Larry
This is the best piece of yours I’ve read, you toned down the sarcasm, and turned up the calm, confident tone. Was nothing of your ‘entertainment’ image in it. I know it will be worth my time to hear what you have to say from now on. Consider me an official fan.
Larry,
I wouldn’t argue or try to pick apart anything you have said about your beliefs as they are mine also.
Good job with your blog
ps: say hi to rm for me
Larry,
Medicare as socialized medicine – the AARP may picket you – but you are correct. When I hear others debate, I try to educate folks on the origin of Medicare. When it passed, life expectancy in the U.S. was between 67-70. So, to make it work, Medicare eligibility needs to be raised to age 80 today. No politician will introduce that bill because they would be guarenteed to be voted out. The solution – one term and done.
Two words – Ron Paul
His book ‘The Revolution – A Manifesto’ should be required reading for all Americans (along with yours of course).
The problem is we really only have a one party system, a system where the people in power want nothing more than to stay in power and will lie, cheat and steal to do so.
Now, while I do agree that we need some better way for providing healthcare, it should not involve the government. They were the ones who screwed things up in the first place by mandating HMO’s in the 1970’s. Now they are going to fix the system that they themselves broke. Boy, do I feel much better.
But what do I know, I’m just another Federalist/Libertarian Independent.
Chris, I agree with you on Ron Paul…….. however, it will sadly never happen. He isn’t “presidential” looking, acting or talking. He is a quirky, weird little guy who isn’t all that articulate or well spoken. Not that those qualifications matter much since we did elect Bush and he is anything but articulate or well spoken. But he had the last name and the money. And I agree about Paul’s book. The problem is what many people run into – he makes too much sense!
I read your blog Larry,and there is one point in it I don’t understand.You wrote that you are a gun toting,pro gun kinda guy,but you are anti NRA.Why is that?[just want your view as to why]
Also I love your blogs,but I don’t always agree with you.However I have read a few of your books and they have helped me get my life back on track.Thanks Dana
Glad you don’t agree with all of my blogs Dana. I mean that! My goal is for people to know why they believe and think and vote and act they way they do. My blogs are my opinions and are written to get people to THINK, not agree with me all the time. I don’t really want to get into a debate on the NRA however, I will say this: The NRA has become a right wing institution (I belonged for years) and they forget that there are many of us on the other side of the aisle that believe in gun ownership, use and the right to carry and protect ourselves and what is ours. I think that sadly they (NRA) have make it about politics instead of about the second amendment. All the best to you.
Larry
The reason no one knows the republican leadership or “leaders” is simple to figure out. There are none. All have joined the political elite club. What is the old saying about power? That’s right, the only thing these folks are concerned about is “power”. Power to run the lives of others – good or bad – that is the goal of politics.
Why is basic healthcare a right?
Isn’t food more important than healthcare?
Why isn’t the government putting together programs to ensure that every citizen has food?
In my not so humble opinion, Larry, there is a difference between a civil constitutional right and a moral obligation (i.e., healthcare). Moral obligations can be met by charitable giving, while consitutional rights entail legislative imposition. Don’t get be wrong, I don’t want people going without care or dying of hunger or any such horrendous calamity. I simply don’t have faith in the government’s ability to perform such acts of humanity with an acceptable degree of effectiveness or efficiency. Healthcare is predicated on the individual’s particular state of health. There is no true standard when it comes to people’s health. That’s why its the doctor and the patient who need to make the decisions. Some treatments work for some people, while others with the exact same ailment respond better to alternative treatments. The problem with the government acting as the arbitor of such choices based on cost vs. benefit derived from statistical evidence involving treatment costs, national morbidity or mortality findings is absolutely ludicrous and potentilly lethal.
Regarding medicare, I live in Florida where medicare has a higher presence than in most areas of the country. I have a client who is an auditor for medicare, and according to her, S. Florida has a 60% fraud rate. That’s 3 out of every 5 claims. How can we open the flood gates to taxpayer funded healthcare on a universal scale with that kind of peformance track record? We’d have to be nuts or stupid, don’t you think?
I wish there were away to track and manage healthcare on a performance basis, but I know its not possible.
Congress says that tort reform is not a big deal since malpractic awards only amount to 0.046% of the cost of healthcare. They do not count, however, the number of additional tests doctors feel compelled to have performed on their patients to minimize liability. Also, they don’t add up the cost of healthcare provider’s premiums for malpractice insurance.
A doctor goes to scchool and doesn’t actually start practicing medicine until he or she is about 32 years old. In the process, the doctor has run up a education bill of about $300,000-$500,000. To be admitted to medical school in this country, you have to meet some pretty high standards of academic excellence. How likely are we going to be able to attract the best and brightest to become doctors if the cost vs. benefit is no longer an incentive. The majority of medical students pursue the field because of their genuine commitment to heal the sick and make a difference, but let’s not blow smoke. It’s a business, and businesses need to be able to turn a profit. Moreover, the time in school is sweat equity.
The stock market has been climbing of late, but its not because we are making and selling more widgets. The increase in earnings per share are the direct result of bailouts and cutbacks. We are not out of the woods by a longshot.
Unfortunately, unless some really tough decisions are made with respect to spending and accountability, and the people who have perpetrated deliberate betrayals of the public trust are brought to justice, I don’t see how we as intelligent Americans can continue to allow our government to waste the sweat of our labor and the futures of our children.
We need an anti-encumbent movement. Term limits for Congress is a must, in my opinion. The founding fathers never intended for politics to be a career field, and all it has created is a breeding ground for corruption and greed. I dream of a fleet of Greyhound buses with bars on the windows pulling up to the Capitol building, and for all these alleged “shovel ready” infrastructure projects to be manned by chain gangs of convicted public officials.
This healthcare initiative is a scam, just like the so called stimulus program, the cap and tax initiative and the TARP program. None of it has anything to do with parties. There all in bed with each other. They spend their days arguing in front of cameras, and at night there all attending each other’s cocktail parties. It’s mass manipulation and a an ununconscionable power grab.
I’ve lived in 23 countries (many were incredibly beautiful, others were not), and this is by far the best. For all its flaws, the US is the cradle of freedom and opportunity and sits at the very top of the heap. I’ve been around enough to know that everything in life is a privilege. The concept of a human right is illusory. These privileges swing on a pendulum: if they swing in favor of the people, they are considered a right; if they swing in favor of the government, they are called a power. Freedom entails the constant struggle to preserve the people’s rights and restrain government’s power. As for right and left, that’s just a game. Ultimately its about power.
One more great blog post – a total deviation from the norm. Probably hard words for a lot of people (yep…the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off…heh), but they’re all about honesty, integrity, keeping your word at any cost, doing your best or to say it a bit different…a calling for all of us to become nothing less than the best of what we can be.
Medicare here in Australia works really well.
Come and visit, you’ll love it!
I welcome the ‘BELIEF’ statement and has prompted me to make my own.
Duncan.
PS… gun ownership here is pretty restricted. Very little gun crime. In saying that, I love to shoot hand guns & clay targets
I don’t get people who oppose socialized medicine. “Socialization is horrible and doesn’t work.” Well, it seems to work okay for police and fire protection. And it USED to work for public education (and can again if TPTB will only get some common sense).
For me, health insurance is how I support my counseling practice, so it was very important for me to know how it was going to affect my business. I couldn’t trust the pundits to tell me what it meant, I had to find out for myself. So I read the bill. I encourage others who are concerned to do the same instead of just listening to the talking heads.
I’m glad you feel strongly about your core belief system. Having differences is what makes this country great.
Jim
Interesting. I was just reading your “what I believe” section, and I agree with almost all of it. And I’m totally with you on the politics. I go one step farther, I agree with the Austrian school of economics, though I think it’s a pipe dream to ever expect the government to shrink itself enough to get out of the market’s way.
Good piece. It’s great that someone is willing to speak his mind without apology. Wish more people would.
nice. through your work, many are given pause for thought, and inner reflection. like a tuning fork, more resonate, more and more. this is good. all that has been repressed and suppressed can be no more. everyone feels it.
beliefs. i immediately respect anyone that can know what they believe, and why. some have a hard time even thinking about what they believe. some cannot explain why they hold a belief.
most,,,,,if they are able to explain a held belief, run into walls when questioned further, and deeper, to the core beliefs, which is where creation dawns.
i believe that beliefs are fine. they all serve a purpose. but beliefs are just that. beliefs
BUT, the only way to know something (to truely know)
is by experience.
and everything else,,, EVERYTHING else, is just a belief.
and poetically speaking,
May many blessings befall you, things such as this:
Speak your heart, and mind. With calmness, comes Bliss.
And drop all the old ways of being, For now, they can no longer be.
Let out your light. Embrace your own simple divinity.
So stand up for the self. And to the self be true.
In any conversation, or act it is, that you do.
toss away these thoughts
go mr winget, go
trust the self
Larry,
You make a good sounding argument. But let’s break it down.
First of all, it is not the job of the government to provide health care, it is not in the Constitution, the man, (Madison) that wrote the enumerated rights, (the gov. job description) said so. I know we lost that battle a long time ago, but just because something sounds like a good idea, does not make it something that should be done or can be done. I am not an “old” right winger, and I give to charity, volunteer, have been bankrupt, divorced, with out insurance, etc… A lot of that I caused, and never asked for the gov. to help. I did receive help from those around me. But I still believe as did the Founding Fathers in rule of law, and that when we can justifiy taking by force to give to others even if it sounds good, than we open up and have opened up the government to spending and doing everything for us. I do not want the government that can not handle a simple CARS bill, medicare, Soc. Security, protect our borders, find 16 mil illegals, run the post office and on and on. I want my choice for my family. That is why the argument truly is, ” it is not the governments job!”
Why is basic health care a right? When did that happen? When you claim a right, you put a claim on someone elses resources and productivity. Doctors have invested money, lots of time, research that costs money, and effort to provide the system we have. Do you provide your services for free? And how would that benefit anyone. There are problems and there are solutions that are more effective than blowing up all the good parts and creating a mediocre system run by the government.
No one is denied care. Many abuse the system using ER’s as personal doctors. If you really want people denied services, than go ahead with this. Read the bill. It will ration, it is a Trojan horse for ultimately a single payer system. (Obama has said that, Barney Frank just said that) So everyone will get mediocre health care. No thanks Larry, if that makes me some kind of mean right winger so be it. But I and others are not fooled by emotion and good intent. Again, what makes health care a right? If it is define the quality you have a right to? When men define and assign right status to the fruits of other peoples labor and discoveries, that is socialism, and that is tyranny. and is trading a little security for liberties that are only God given. So, if that makes me mean SOB, so be it. I believe in taking care of yourself and helping those that truly need help, but not charity at gunpoint. Look at the real and bigger issues here.
Larry,
I am a fairly new reader and I find your books very well done but more importantly this is the second blog I have read and could not agree more.
I used to think I was a Republican but I have come to find out I am independent.
I agree with your opinion on the NRA and I love to shoot. I also believe AARP and other organizations are just as self serving.
Our country is owned by big special interest groups and politicians and common sense is hard to find.
Mi Amigo,
While the percentage is certainly small, there are people like you who watch more than one channel, then research some more on the internet, then read and then come to a conclusion. I like to think I’m in that group. And because of that, we have ideas on different subjects that go back and forth across the aisle and seem contradictory when really they aren’t. I think that the hyper-partisanship that has taken over the media, politics and the entertainment industry just makes us seem like walking contradictions and I’m proud to be in that group. For example, I think that Fox news get a bad rap because of hyper-partisanship. People don’t know the difference between a news program and an entertainment program. Shepard Smith reports the news, Sean Hannity is an entertainer whose job is to keep people riled up. Yet most people look at Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy and Ed Schultz as journalists and take their opinions as fact. I miss Walter Cronkite. I never knew his politics until long after he retired. And because he was not on 24/7, he reported solid news and not mindless drivel and opinion over and over.
As for healthcare, I’m the first to admit that the system needs to be revamped. It may need to be dismantled, hosed out, sprayed with Lysol and put back together BUT, I think that allowing politicians to rework it is a huge mistake. Government never does anything more effectively or cheaper than the private sector. These poor fools don’t seem to know a thing about business and can’t even do basic math. Let’s look at very recent history: Cash for Clunkers.
I know that when this first was announced you did some very fast basic math in your head Larry and probably just shook your head. I know that because I did too and I failed math all the way through school! They allocated a billion dollars, WOW! Oh yeah, except that there are over 200 million licensed drivers in this country. At $4000 a pop that allows 250,000 drivers to take advantage of the program. With every car dealer pumping the program on TV to sell more cars, did no one in Washington “ball park” these numbers and figure out that this was going to crash in a few days? Look at the highways Washington, do you think one out of every 800+ cars might be a “clunker” that someone wanted government money for? It was supposed to last months and it crashed in 4 days because no one seems to understand basic math.
It really scares me when I think of these knuckleheads in charge of the medical industry (1/7 of the U.S. economy). Absolutely lets redo it, but put people in charge with a better track record in business.
Keep it coming buddy,
Skip
That was a strong entry. Thank you for putting those thoughts into words. I am sure it resonated with others as it did with me. Looking forward to the next.
Ok, I generally don’t believe I should need to take care of someone who has abused their body. And to a point I also believe we need to take care of the older people.
But, I am not going to take care of a person who drank themselves into a treatment center, or drank themselves into needing a new liver. I also don’t want to pay for all of the Obesity related treatments that are really only just band aids for the real problem that the medical doctors Do Not have a solution for!
This is coming from a person who has had to overcome a life of adversity.
We have to stop treating people like victims!
They are not victims!
I was never a victim even though in the past I have felt like one. Or even thought of myself as one. This just kept me dependent upon others.
I am surprised that you haven’t mentioned Dr. Regina Benjamin. I am disappointed that President Obama chose her. Actually I am not since he drinks and smokes.
But, Dr. Regina Benjamin is over weight and like you said in your book Larry- Don’t pick a doctor that is overweight.
Why would I? If I appoint someone it will be because they clearly are leading by example.
This is a partial rant Larry.
I would like to see you blog a bit more on this.
Also, You look a bit overweight 20 lbs or so. What are you doing about it?
Larry,
Well said….agree with most of your “beliefs” statement…amazingly ‘down the line’….could it be that we grew up less than 100 miles apart (FS, Ark)??
I believe Henry Pedroso (above) has captured a lot of truth in his remarks as well.. hats off to you both.
Thanks for putting some good stuff ‘out there’ for us to ‘shoot at’.
Well done.
Jim
Great Blog Larry. I also read both sides of the debates. My only conclusion is that all of the politicians are self serving. They have forgotten who they work for.
Also I know, A Government big enough to give you everything you need, is strong enough to take from you everything you have.
Don’t spread my wealth….spread my work ethic !
Conservatives want to help teach people to fish so they can eventually have as many fish as possible (the American Dream).
Liberal Democrats want to give out a fish a week (in exchange for a vote) and make people dependent on the Govt to give them their weekly fish.
Exactly how did Bush-Cheney swing too far? Do we have a radically limited government because of them? Nope!
Did they institute huge programs favoring major conservative causes? Nope!
Did they expand government in many wyas, the same thing Obama-Biden wants to do. Yep!
It looks like we just have more of the same now, just more of it. Far from the “pendulum shift” we constantly here about and more like a “somewhat fast” versus “very fast” expansion of the government.
The problem with being “fine” with taking other people’s stuff to do good things is that you can’t stop at any fixed point, so eventually those who “know better” are the ones making the decision.
Freedom goes out the window as bureaucracy takes over.
Enjoy the slavery you are advocating for Larry….
Brad
Brad….. “Enjoy the slavery you are advocating for Larry” has to be the dumbest thing ever said regarding anything I have ever written and believe me, that takes a lot!
Congratulations!
Larry,
If I were not already a fan, your stance on healthcare would make me one. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for sticking to your it’s-about-doing-what-is-right stance.
–De De
In Alberta we have government run “Health Care”, or at least that is what it’s called. Not long ago our political masters became confused about what “Health Care” really meant in this context. They started preaching to the public about their life choices, as if they knew better than the citizens. They began to think of our money as their money and our questionable choices as affecting their finances. They forgot their mandate was to provide care to the sick and injured, regardless of circumstances. They spent our money lecturing to us and still do.
So the people who have a problem with socialized medicine have a point. When governments take over the delivery of heath care services they soon forget what the original reasons were… the altruistic, the sensible… and begin to intrude on other aspects of our lives. This problem might be solved in part by losing the label “Health Care” and replacing it with “Medical Services” or simply “Medicare”. “Health Care”, you see, is too broad a description, and gives a government the opening to overstep the real mandate and start to be our conscience as well.
Wastefulness, bureaucracy, greed and incompetence we know are not restricted to one or the other of either government or the private sector. Hence, the solution is not an either/or choice either, and as long as the debate remains one of either/or the outcome will not be an optimum solution for anyone. Much smarter people than I have noticed that large pools of money (like taxes and insurance premiums) are temptations for many and a monstrous challenge to spend wisely.
George Daly in Calgary.
Wrong on many level with weak arguments.
1) Health care is NOT a right. There is no Constitutional article. There are many reasons for lack of 100% but you rant the same liberal Utopian argument that can NEVER be fulfilled on this earth. Humans are just that and many simply do not want to take care of their own business period.
2) Poor Canadian/British model acceptable so one can say that 100% are covered is poor logic. say Larry and you others try this. Take the millions and billions you liberals use to advertise for Marixist reditribution and simply go out and buy the health care for those lacking and leave the erst of us alone! Liberls are very generous with other people’s money.
3) Fix medicare, Medicaid, the VA system and SS and eliminate entitlements to 14million illegals and Tort Reform so the open free market can flourish. Yes with it’s own foibles and faults but not to the extent as our own corrupt government that has $50 Trillion in debt in the Medicare/caid/SS system.
4) Conservatives cross party lines. The GOP is nothing more then Demopublicans lite….both parties are Progressives with the roots deep in Marxists ideology………
5) Both corrupt parties need to be booted out and government downsized like the erst of corporate Amerika…………
I don’t care for supporting the illegals they are Balkinizng this nation, come over her in a legal manner quit sucking down our infrastructure and services. For those that may respond to my post a hate I submit to you in advance that you are very ignorant or uneducated about the precepts of our founding documents and every nation that has openly had chain migration has had near fiscal social collapse and near loss of social identity. If you want to live here great learn our language and customs and keep your to pass on to your family generations.
The failures of both parties come from Progressivism, it has failed our schools, and now we want affirmative action doctors not the best qualified woo-hoo…..
Study and rot out progressives and start using sound money and economic principles and allow me to keep what I earn so I can invest, contribute and risk for profit as I see fit. That is when our economy will return.
Look at history folks every country that has centralized government planning means loss of liberty and a failed economy. The French and the Russians come to mind.
No Larry health care and other entitlements are just that and that is wealth redistribution you are flat out wrong. You think it’s morally right maybe so in your view but guess what when you de-incentivize people you enable them to continue to be slothful in their lives.
Don’t provide them health care, provide them a competitive market where they can shop for affordable coverage after getting the thousands of government regulations off the books.
Government rules strangle growth, open market promote growth.
thanks …….
Yet another excellent blog;
Although, I must say, it must be quite the cluster-* down south across the border, most of your blogs in the last few months have been about politics and self-worth (other people’s), than about money.
Not that I necessarily see anything wrong with that, I’m just pointing out that it must be pretty bad.
Universal Health Care… I’d like to say that even up here in Canada, it isn’t all that bad. Ours isn’t the best; it costs a lot per capita, and waiting times are still pretty high. But it’s like an insurance. I heard of a guy down in the States, a few years back, who was using an air-powered nail-gun in the regular course of his construction work, and a nail somehow bounced off of something and got lodged into the roof of his mouth and into his skull. He goes and has it pulled out, and the next day they slap him with a $250,000 bill. Some doctor/hospital just made $250 grand for what was probably a 4 hour surgery.
Yes, I do think a doctor has the right to turn a profit, and a good one, but turning a profit like that at the expense of somebody else’s productive, happy life because of an accident is why I’ll never move to the “cradle of freedom”. At least, with “universal health care”, you’re covered from those kinds of accidents. It’s one of the few bills that I feel good about paying, despite the fact that the only time I’ve needed to go to the hospital, I’ve had to get dental surgeries (which I had to pay for myself!). I also get sick maybe twice a year, and generally just sleep it off.
That monthly bill was worth every penny to me when my best friend nearly lost his leg a month ago… ‘down south’, he probably would have just been amputated. Now, my health care bill pays for him to get his entire leg reconstructed, and he’ll make a full recovery in a few years.
Saying that it “will never happen to me” might be true, but what about your parents, your children, your siblings, and your friends? Is it worth it for them? Obviously, it’s your call… and I don’t know if U.S. government will do the “health-care” reform properly; they may do it so poorly that it would be better to not have it. But, properly done, I would like to say from experience that I think it’s worth having.
Larry,
Always a pleasure to drop by and read the things that are on your mind, because the same is on America’s mind too.
I just hope the Government will hear as the people speak!
Enjoy The Journey.
R. Lynn Lane
Warrior Of Success
Just to dispense a reality check on the UK health system. My father-in-law is in England(my wife immigrated over here) and he has Hodgkins lymphoma. Was he shoved to the side and allowed to suffer and die?
Hell no!
He gets constant care and is showing signs of improvement. (which we are very grateful for)
I had heard arguments about the UK saying that if you are over 59 that you had to accept less care and the fact that you were going to be “written off”. This is utter rubbish.
Like any system there are strong and weak points, its all in how its planned out…..
It is my opinion that that this Country and many others is being ran by the wealthiest families in the world.ie: The world banks, pharmicuticale copannies, and oil cartels. The goverment is only a tool they use too control us. Do some research on the NWO. Form your own opinion.
Like Jim Rohn said:
“Make sure that what you believe is the product of your own conclusion.”
If that’s how you’ve come to your current beliefs then nobody can argue with you… They could try, but like the book says: They’re Idiots, And Larry Can Prove It.
Hi Larry,
Many years ago I attended a Lennox International Conference in Las Vegas where you delivered a series of presentations that were representative of your “trademark” no nonsense approach to the keys of personal success. The core of your advice is rooted in common sense and personal responsibility. I appreciated your thinking then as I do now.
Please bear with me as I attempt to take you through (from my perspective) some simple logic based on my 25 year background in the heating and air conditioning contracting and service industry (HVAC) as well as from my recent experience delivering energy usage/demand reduction programs for some of the largest utilities in the nation.
Early in my HVAC career I would call on commercial building owners and educate and often sell them on the merits of employing my firm to develop and implement a “comprehensive planned maintenance program” for their buildings heating and cooling systems. The 1st step in this process would be to perform an audit of their existing HVAC systems and maintenance program and as well as perform an analysis of their annual utility bills and HVAC maintenance/repair records. I would then prepare a proposal that included all materials and labor necessary for a qualified HVAC technician to perform the needed maintenance at an appropriate interval. Inevitably I was able to obtain their agreement that they currently had “no actual plan” and the only time they actually dealt with “maintenance” was when one of their HVAC units broke down. Going forward I would refer to their approach simply as a “breakdown maintenance” program. The reality was that this approach actually not only often left their building without heating or cooling when they needed it most, but subjected them to long waits, expensive repairs and substantial energy waste caused by overtaxed equipment most of the time. In addition HVAC equipment life was substantially reduced. For example the fine folks at Lennox build some of the best heating & cooling equipment available in the world today. However, a typical commercial piece of equipment that’s poorly maintained will last maybe 10-12 years. The same piece of equipment with quality preventative maintenance will last 20-25 years. It’s not hard to figure out that it would be far more cost effective to do quality preventive maintenance. Total cost of a “breakdown maintenance program” would typically be 3 to 5x’s more expensive — all variables considered — as opposed to a quality planned maintenance program.
What does any of this have to do with US healthcare? EVERYTHING. In my opinion, the reason healthcare costs continue to escalate is because we’re essentially operating an “emergency breakdown repair” program. Because demand exceeds supply (number of seriously sick people vs. the number of doctors, facilities etc — add-in a little gov’t program supported fraud), the cost continues to rise. The bottom line is the law of supply and demand requires that it be this way.
So if I wanted to better manage the number of building owners that require breakdown HVAC repair services, would the solution be to give everyone regardless of their ability to pay FREE access to HVAC maintenance and repair services? I wonder what their incentive would be to so much as replace an air-filter? I think I know the answer — the answer is probably ZERO incentive. Instead, knowing human nature as I do, HVAC contractors wouldn’t be able to sell preventative work under any circumstance. I’m however confident that their phones would ring off the hook with folks screaming for FREE emergency repair service when their equipment stopped working. How would HVAC contractors react? Add the caller’s name to a waiting list? Raise their prices to take advantage of the high demand? Deliver fast and dirty services for as much money as the system would allow? The answer would likely be a variation of all three!! (one could say that heating & cooling is not a life and death proposition – the folks that died last week in Seattle as a result of their recent record summer temperatures might disagree)
You know that kind of likely behavior reminds me of some of the folks Larry that you counseled on your old TV show. Just put whatever you feel like on those credit card…deal with the bill down the road…and what the heck you can always take out bankruptcy and let the rest of society pay! As you and I know none of us is really better off over-time by getting something for nothing. And as long as we’re dealing with limited health care resources the only responsible thing to do – again in my opinion — is to place most of the burden and responsibility directly on the shoulders of the individual participants. Yes, our health insurance industry also fails to put adequate emphasis or incentives for people to take responsibility for their own health. How would removing folks even further from responsibility make things better? Simple, it wouldn’t!!
In my opinion most stakeholders in this debate are failing to fully consider that personal responsibility has to be a much larger and more major part of any reform(s) — personal responsibility to take charge of one’s own health with a personal financial connection that would impact one significantly for good and bad personal choices.
How about the collective pay for 100% of all Americans appropriate education and preventative care? And through private health insurance companies, cooperatives (think credit union) eligible to all in all 50 States that collect premiums provide an incentive by taking any portion of premiums that are not used for critical /breakdown care, be set aside in a personal health fund for deferred long-term care or some other appropriate use. I’m not saying I have all the solutions — the point is that more people will get engaged to do the right thing for the right reason when the appropriate incentives are there to do so.
In my opinion one does not build systems, policies, processes and procedure around exceptions. Exceptions are things one deals with outside the system. Considering the billions of dollars that could be saved by individuals taking personal responsibility, I’m confident that my fellow citizens would be happy to continue and/or expand their personal support for children’s hospitals, health care charities etc. to cover the $10-15M truly needy people that want health coverage, but can’t afford it.
I could spend another few thousand words talking about why I think it’s critically important in a free society for folks to take personal responsibility, of their own free will, to take care of their fellow man – essentially out of the goodness of their hearts (as opposed to forcing contributions through taxation), but I’ll save that discussion for another day.
The thing I don’t have any real answers for are our politicians that have zero interest in truly solving the problem but rather pander for votes and are motivated by their need for the support of special interests – from Unions to Corporate America. I can only say that it’s time for us to demand our representatives be part of the solution instead of being the biggest part of the problem!
Larry, thoughts?
Paul B.
Btw, the heating and cooling of homes and businesses is the single largest use of energy in the U.S. Lack of comprehensive quality preventive maintenance along with the associated large amounts of energy wasted EVERY SINGLE DAY continues to be the largest cost of total HVAC ownership. The wasted energy represents collectively many years of what could be future fuel supplies!
To Larry and all readers,
I am inspired by this. Too many people coward back and won’t stand for anything out of fear of offending someone. Keep the fight alive, never give in to someone else’s ideas. Larry is proof that knowing what you are, who you are, and what you believe in, can and will help you on the road to success.
I meant to say 10-15M truly needy people NOT $10-15 million dollars! Paul
Paul, I appreciate the comparison and agree with you about the personal responsibility each person has to remain healthy. A few months ago I wrote about healthcare from a preventative standpoint saying we should reward with tax breaks those who lose weight and quit smoking which attacks the two biggest costs of healthcare at the source.
All of this is hard and there is no perfect answer as my blog talks about. My only real position on healthcare is that it is unfair to tax people into paying for it – especially small business – and it is still wrong to let people die because they don’t have insurance. It’s a f-ing dilemma that’s for sure.
Here are my contradictions. I am pro life and anti death sentence. Against abortions but pro choice. For free public education against compulsory attendance.
People believe the Constitution gives rights. If you believe that READ THE THING!
The constitution established the government of the republic and listed the limitations of that same government. The Bill of Rights listed SOME of the things which the founders believed we had simply based upon the fact we were endowed these rights by a supreme being (creator)
While I remain optimistic about this country, I feel we have passed a point where things can be changed with civil discourse. We now have a country where a larger majority of people receive benefits from the government greater than their contribution. And they have elected representation that will continue to see their benefits are not lowered. Hopefully, at the next opportunity to change the makeup of our representatives calmer ideas will emerge.
But from either side I do not see it. If the republicans are put back in power, it will be hard to see what they will accomplish. And if the same democratic leadership stays in power, I fear our Republic is finished.
Larry:
I strongly agreed with some of what you said, strongly disagreed with other parts, and was on one side or the other of neutral about the rest.
One thing about health care– What if the government taxed less so that people could decide to spend their own money on charitable hospitals to help anyone without the resources to do it on their own? Then the people donating would get the benefit of a warm fuzzy feeling as they helped less fortunate people, the same as they get when they donate a thanksgiving dinner to someone at the Salvation Army. That is a lot better feeling than when a person’s money is extracted by the tax man to be wasted by one government boondogle or another.
I believe those that smoke cigarettes and who suffer ill health as a result should be made to pay for their own health care. If they cannot afford it, they should be given medication to ease their suffering. I don’t believe the government should intervene, and that they should be allowed to die, if that’s what transpires. I feel the same way about obese individuals.
The only other solution to those stupid enough to push themselves into ill health by their bad habits is to charge them exorbitantly for health care benefits.
I bet this would cause a drastic reduction in smoking, and a much, much fitter society – and it would accomplish this in a hurry.
And Larry, fyi, nothing better than a good Cuban (cigar).
thanks Larry. Sorry, I didn’t catch your comments on preventative healthcare — I’ll give it a read.
Another comparison – I recall you commented that one of the issues with your TV show was that advertisers are fundamentally geared towards getting folks to spend money and weren’t very interested in supporting a program that suggested people live within their means. SAD ;-(
I’m aware of legislation that originated in 2007 called the Healthy Americans Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthy_Americans_Act). Although it may not be perfect, I thought it represented a possible good start towards transforming the health care market while driving personal responsibility, preventative care and an individual financial stake in ones own health.
The problem was kind of like your TV show. The WIFM crowd made up of many politicians and special interests couldn’t figure out how to exploit it to make more money OR gain power & position. Also SAD ;-(.
Paul
Ps. Keep up the good work! I have 2 son-in-laws that need all the help they can get — and are recipients of many a Larry article or book. Thanks!
Good words, as usual. Don’t agree with everything (health care is NOT a right) but close enough.
My comment today actually is in reference to Paul B’s writing. I am impressed by the way you were able to use your life experience as an HVAC man (an admirable profession!) as an analogy for our current health care quandry. Maintenance in any field, including taking personal responibility for your own body, is key to continued productivity and success.
I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts – an awesome perspective that has given me more to consider.
Regarding healthcare, I believe that it is immoral to deny anyone healthcare, period. Who or what pays for it is another matter. There is not enough focus on prevention, as Obama has been saying, but to penalize someone for smoking? Drinking? Eating? How about denying healthcare to those who don’t wear a seat belt, eat unhealthy foods, stay at stressful jobs, text while driving, fight with their spouses, take up sports such as boxing or race car driving…. What about politicians who promote divisiveness and hatred? Also, there’s a big difference between diseases of addiction, ignorance, and self-destruction. If someone is mentally ill and attempts literal suicide, is it a non-reimbursable expense to care for them if they survive? If not, what if they do it slowly- by drinking, smoking, other “risky” behaviors. We’re stuck with opinions, and mere decisions, because, damn right- it’s all too complicated for a simple Right or Wrong. Usually. For me, Fox news and today’s Republican Party are no-brainers- literally. They have nothing good to contribute. I’ll take my chances with the imperfect Democrats, the intelligence of Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, and yes- Larry Winget.
I believe you think you are informed but you aren’t I am sorry to say. You can’t have it both ways. If you don’t stand for something you fall for anything. Gov’t needs to be shrunk back to defense and judiciary.
End of life care is a eufamism of euthanasia….health care reform is only a trojan horse presented by the gov’t to grab one little private business and independence is left. Obama is not a mere socialist he is an agressive communist.
Thanks Bart for telling me I am uninformed. I appreciate it. It is a wonder I have made it so far being so uninformed. And why would you say I am uninformed and then say “I’m sorry to say.” It doesn’t seem like you were sorry in saying it. And why would you be sorry? And do you think saying that makes your words more palatable? Truthfully, you aren’t sorry at all. Right?
Perhaps I could suggest that you read my blog called Fan or Fanatic, Which Are You? I think I covered your position pretty well in that rant. I suggest you turn off Beck and get a broader perspective.
To call the President of the United States an aggressive communist doesn’t really strengthen your argument by the way. In fact, THAT is an uninformed statement, not grounded in fact or reality. Besides, you didn’t make that up, you heard it from good ol’ Glenn! As I have been quick to say on my blog, on facebook, and in many television interviews, I don’t agree with many of the Administration’s policies. I have been clear about that. However, I don’t resort to name calling and disrespecting either the office or the person who holds it as you have done.
I don’t mind your criticism of my stance or of me but I don’t like being called stupid or having you call the President a communist. And by the way, I’m NOT sorry to say!
Larry, I agree with you (mostly).
I don’t really care what we call our government or our health care, just so long as we have institutions that work. Even as we speak, people are dying because they have no insurance or their insurers throw out their claims as preexisting conditions. This is heartless, but it is the basis for our system: either you’re lucky, or you’re not. It’s a lousy system, and it must be changed.
Name calling is pointless. Let’s get health care for all–call it socialism, call it having a heart, call it whatever.
And by the way, as our nation regains its prosperity, more taxes will automatically flow to the government, and the national debt will get smaller all on its own. So stop worrying about how much this is going to cost us. Let’s just get it started. We can improve on it as we go, just as we have with Medicare over the years.
I have told my congressional rep this, and I hope everyone who wants a health care plan enacted has contacted their representatives to say the same. It’s easy to e-mail your congresspersons these days. Let them know how you feel.
Hello Larry and Everyone!
I really feel the US needs some kind of universal health care option. There are many people that slip through the cracks and I don’t mean homeless or elderly (although they frequently do) I am talking about working people and people with preexisting conditions who are working two, three, maybe even four or five part time jobs to make ends meet. Not to mention many self employed people who must pay extreme prices for their own health coverage. For those of you with full time jobs, no preexisting conditions and employer sponsored health benefits… you are very lucky! Some people who are doing their best to work and do not want to rely on government welfare basically don’t get CR_P! It appears that it is much easier to be on unemployment or sit back and become a “victim of society” than to actually work in order to have basic needs met (ie health care). This is what we have come to in the US. What is good enough for people who choose not to become a productive member of society is good enough for EVERYONE. People who do not work, and rely on welfare, get free health insurance. So should the rest of American citizens that actually contribute to society. For those with preexisting conditions who get bumped from most plans, that needs to end. I basically feel that is the insurance companies discriminating against a people. Even though I am all for free enterprise, that is NOT how a business should be run. To exclude people based on prior factors that may or may NOT be their own fault is inhuman. This just goes to show that health insurance co’s should not play a part in health CARE because they don’t CARE. They just want to make money and will do pretty much anything to not cover many procedures, medications, visits, etc. The prices just keep going up. Sickening. Have a healthy day!!
Most of the others have said it as well as I have, but yes, I can agree with what you’ve said.
I think that people who ruin their health because of a deliberately chosen lifestyle do “have it coming,” but at the same time, I would hate to see medical care witheld for them for this reason.
In fact, these people have already suffered a consequence — having to get the medical care and run up a lot of expenses taking care of themselves. Let’s not make it worse!
Larry,
Rather than pick apart your views on YOUR blog, I have a simple question: how can you be a Federalist and yet support a Federal universal health care system? I am horrified at the thought of FEDERAL laws that would pass if the government itself provides comprehensive health care. Complete tobacco ban? Gun bans? Food rationing to prevent excessive calorie consumption? Sugar taxes to control diabetic care costs? The possibilities for control are endless.
If health care is a right, shouldn’t that be determined at the STATE level? Health care is not in the Constitution so providing it falls to the 10th Amendment.
I would feel a little better about your blog if you had been more forward on your position on the unread bills Congress is about to foist on us. Based on your rant, it seems they would be unacceptable to you. In fact, I think I’d like to hear a long rant on what you think of legislators and presidents from both parties that pass and sign legislation they haven’t even read.
Larry, I admire your intelligent, no-BS style. I completely agree, much of the mess in this country is from ill-informed people voting based on what their fave celebrity said, rather than doing the research themselves and using their God-given brains to weigh both sides. Kudos for knowing what you believe, why you believe it, and not apologizing for it. Whether I agree or disagree with you, you give me a lot to think about, and force me to examine myself and my beliefs. And I guess I’d better get off my ever-expanding derriere and take some preventive health measures, because I’m not sure I want this current – or any other – administration making my healthcare decisions for me!
Thanks!
Larry, you’re right, there are many contradictions in your post but I appreciate EVERYTHING you said in it. Its obvious that you think things through, that you’re engaged in the process and that you are your own person.
Great blog, great points…..you’re a pretty cool American! Can’t wait to read more of your posts and writings.
Great job!
Your new fan…..Terry the Liberal!
by definition, a federalist supports a strong central government. An anti-federalist supports stronger state governement.
Just splitting hairs….or chin hairs in Larry’s case…
The economics of health care reform are often ignored. Personal responsibility is a mantra often heard. But what about societal responsibility. Let’s say 43 million people don’t have the personal responsibility to purchase health insurance. We all live with their decision. What happens when they show up in the emergency room, with serious illnesses. Should we just tell them to go somewhere and die. No, we treat them. That costs money. It becomes our societal responsibility. This is but one economic effect of ignoring the health care crisis. There are many others. So, let’s take societal responsibility for this problem and find a solution. Knee-jerk reactions by brainwashed constituents surely won’t solve the problem!
Very well said Armando and I agree completely.
I cannot believe how alike our ideologies are. I am blown away, actually! Good GOD man, I wish more people would open their eyes to both sides of the story, and I wish less people would try holding us all hostage to their theological beliefs.
I’ve worked in healthcare for 30 years. Whether you like it or not, the current system is unsustainable. Health insurance companies have become self serving monopolies – health insurance premiums have risen 87% from 2000-2007; insurance companies have made a 428% profit in that time by denying coverage, cherry picking, and deliberately eliminating patients from their rosters. Big Pharma’s profits – 600%.
I’ve nothing against free market/profits, don’t get me wrong. Hubby and I are also own our own business in addition to our jobs. But the unethical behaviors by the healthcare industry have compromised & destroyed millions of lives in this country. For a 1st rate, civilized, westernized nation – our healthcare system is an international embarrassment.
I work at a Level 1 Trauma Center – our patients cannot choose whether or not they seek help. They are often critically injured and must get treatment immediately. The rise in the uninsured is *shocking* – fully 1/5th of our patients have no insurance. How can our hospital stay in business if we cannot get paid for our services? I fear that I’ll recieve an IOU instead of a paycheck before too long if things don’t change.
This is a national crisis that we must all come together on to find a real solution. We may not like everything that we compromise on, we may have to accept more personal responsibility, but we need to stand together for the benefit of everyone. Let’s get this damned thing done!
Larry,
I enjoy your blog and your perpestives even though I have not agreed with you lately. However; I really have to disagree with you on basic healthcare being a right. Why not housing, food, transportation, or maybe vacations. Where does it stop. Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
There are supposedly 40 to 50 million uninsured people in the US. Depending on who you listen to; about 10 million of those people are illegals, another 10 million are people who have the income but choose not to purchase insurance. Why should we provide insurance to half of the uninsured because of their own personal choice?
You think $1 trillion is too much to spend on this healthcare plan; when the Democrats ram this through (and they will) it may not take a year before we plow through that number (see cash for clunkers).
Before the Democrats ram this Healthcare plan through why don’t they try and fix some of the root causes of the spirling cost of Healthcare; like tort reform or Medicare fraud just to name a few.
Finally, lets be clear about this Healthcare plan; there is no plan! President Obama and the Democrats are running around claiming people are being misled about what is in the bill. There is no bill. There are 4 or 5 versions in the House and one in the Senate and they are wanting to pass this massive legislation and then finalize the details later. Nobody will really know what is in the bill until it is too late.
I don’t have all the answers and this is a very complicated issue which we should not try and solve with one bill in one month. Why the rush? If we are going to do it, it needs to be done right and responsibly.
Wow. I am really surprised that in an article like this, I am able to walk away and say that I pretty much agree with most every point and belief you made. I figured I would have a whole lot more to disagree with you about, but there were only a couple of things here and there.
As an aside, I fing it awfully weird that you are anti-cigarette but pro-cigar?
I’m going to have to read everything you write. You hit it all on the head. All of it. Thank you. Finally there is someone with a brain, who really thinks things through before he shares his opinions with everyone else. “I am pro-cigar, anti-cigarette”. I don’t do either one, but for me that really captures it. That is such a great analogy. Too many people don’t look at all the sides. As I heard someone say one time… it’s just a box, step out of it.
It is already illegal for an hospital to refuse patients for lack of insurance. No one is talking of leaving people in the streets. You need to read more on this issue Larry.
Mike – I have read plenty and know what I am talking about. It is illegal to refuse them when they go to an emergency care center. Do you think that might be one of the reasons emergency centers are overcrowded? But normal healthcare, office visits, check up, prostate exams, pap smears and breast exams along with pharmaceuticals are a different story. All of this has been discussed on many blogs and on television. I know what I’m talking about. Do you?
Concern about healthcare cost was one of the factors that motivated me to lose thirty pounds and keep it off. I don’t want to have heart surgery, or become dependent upon prescriptions. If that is somehow my fate, I want to put it off as long as possible. I don’t want to become a burden upon others. I also want to enjoy a longer life, so I can set goals and reach them.
Excellently put.
Love your material, Mr. Winget. Unfortunately like many in the U.S., your grammar teacher was remiss. There is no such word as healthcare, nor dogcare, toecare. Hope you don’t mind the correction.
I see it everywhere (this is in the dictionary as one word, but not health care) and I am sensitive to it. Please write Webster’s if you’d like it changed.
Up until about 2 hours ago I had never heard of you. Now, i’ve watched your television interviews and read your bio, licked some of my wounds and tomorrow i’m gonna buy your books!! You make more sense in one sentence than any of the other guests make in their entire statements; AND not looking over your shoulder for approval. I’m 58 years old, recently laid off and am now delving into my own Yankee Inginuity to figure where I go to from here. Thanks, Larry…..hope you live another 100 years!!
I agree with 98% of what you said. As for the 2% I don’t that’s ok cause it’s your opinion.
Great post. One of your best.