Ten Dollars Sick

[barbtries]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/01/09/1053051/-Ten-Dollars-Sick?via=sidebyuserrec

The poor have been squeezed to a dry husk, so onwards to taking from the middle class. The monied interests have gone after wages, benefits, pensions, health insurance, and anyplace else there might be a nickel to steal. And when people won't work for 50 cents an hour, just move those jobs to a country with virtually slave labor. You can always bring your crap back in to the good old USA, sell it at the regular price and pocket the savings. And taxes, our individual obligation to maintain a civilized society, has become a dirty word. Even Democrats fear raising taxes now. And look what's become of our country as a result. Ditto regulations. No rules for the big shots. They own our government now.

The tax avoiders who don't want an extra nickel on their property tax bill to support public hospitals are now paying thousands extra for medical cost shifting and the massive costs of illnesses untreated until they're life threatening. Of course, much of that added cost goes to extraordinary profits of the health care, pharmaceutical, and health insurance industries that could have been kept in check by governmental action, but, hey, Get Your Government Hands Out of My Medicare! Regulations are bad. Right?

As the forward march of profits over people continues on in a no holds barred fight to the finish we need to realize we're all in the same boat. It's sinking and we're miles from shore. We need to bail out the boat and row as fast as we can to land.

Cuts to the poor, vulnerable, disabled, etc. blow back on us. Failure to maintain and improve our infrastructure has consequences. We've done a crappy job on education because the anti-tax folks are well funded, powerful, and always take the first 82 places in line to see government officials.

read the whole piece. it's very good.

[MedicalAdmin]

1. Excellent article.

And a spot on analysis of the problem in terms of money, society and humanity.

[barbtries]

2. medicalAdmin

how are you? i haven't figured out this DU3 to where i can just have a list of the people whose posts i want to see pop up for me though i bet it's around here somewhere. still thinking about you quite a bit...hope you're doing well.

[MedicalAdmin]

3. Holding on for now.

I still got shit to do and I'm not done yet. I'd like to live bit while the spirit is willing, the flesh is less so.

[barbtries]

4. i like the sound of that!

still got shit to do.

[area51]

5. +1 n/t