Congress & Healthcare

Healthcare costs and insurance costs are out of control and too many Americans are struggling to survive while trying to cover payments for healthcare and coverage.  Members of Congress, their staff, and government employees have excellent coverage paid for by the taxpayers.  Every taxpaying citizen should have the same type coverage as a minimum since they foot the bill.  There should be no problem with assessing some type of tax on individuals making over $250,000 (including members of Congress, who are overpaid) to assist with the cost.  This group should consider themselves lucky to be in America with the opportunity to make that income.  It should be easy to find savings in current government spending as an offset if someone actually makes an effort, since there is outrageous waste in government.  It is time for regulation of the healthcare and insurance industries.

American Government Waste

The CAGW (Citizens Against Government Waste) reported in their latest “Pig Book” on government waste that there was a 10.2% decline in number of projects identified from 2009 to 2010, but there was still over $16 Billion related to pork-barrel spending by members of Congress. Each year this type of information makes the news in various formats. You have to wonder how government officials can read this information and continue to ignore calls from the public for reform in the way they handle money that actually belongs to the taxpayer. Have they become so lost in their lifestyle that their sense of responsibility has vanished? There are also reports that mention waste in various government agencies and departments. Employees utilizing credit cards for personal use or just plain ridiculous spending that should not be approved in any format seem to be rampant. Where is responsible management in these cases? Are there no controls in effect to monitor excess spending or rogue employees? There is so much that needs to be done in America and could be done with the wasted funds. Try balancing the budget and applying those funds to various worthwhile projects, social security, Medicare, or healthcare. Maybe the next President could make an effort at addressing this matter by appointing someone with the necessary vision and intelligence to a position with the authority to correct this situation. This could begin by eliminating a number of unnecessary positions within the inflated government. The President’s authority may be limited, but the public needs to demand action from Congress and the President along with voting those undesirable individuals out of office. There is so much that can be done to make this great country better and now is the time to move in that direction.

United States Congress

Actions by the United States Congress in relation to health care reform provide an excellent example of how this government body fails to represent and serve the American public. This has been nothing but a public relations performance by the members to make the public think they are actually doing something when in fact they are doing nothing. The end result will provide nothing of real value except possible pre-existing condition reform for children, but adults will have to wait 3-4 years for reform in this area. Why wait for changes to take effect? Could lobbying money have something to do with this delay? Maybe some changes will take place for coverage related to people without insurance, but this area leaves many questions. Maybe the public will wake up someday and realize they have the power to take the do nothing members out of office and replace them with real people, or maybe not, this has been happening since the beginning! The amusing aspect is that this grandstanding event takes the attention away from the fact that the American economy is still in the dumps because members of Congress failed in their duties to protect the public from greed and corruption in the financial industry. Members of Congress are a failure when it comes to serving the public. Their success is in relation to giving themselves pay raises and living like royalty at the expense of taxpayers. The question is will the public be upset enough to take action at the polls when they realize and understand the actual end results of the so-called reform.

Support Our Military

The American public needs to remember that we have military troops all over the world providing service to our country. It is easy to forget this fact while we live in our own little worlds concentrating on our lives and the pursuit of our dreams. We may not agree with certain military operations, but we all need to remember the sacrifices made by these volunteer service members. If you are dissatisfied with certain military operations, you should voice those concerns to members of Congress. Maybe some day Congress will listen to the people. In the meantime, all Americans should remember our military troops and show support whenever and wherever possible. This can be simple things such as walking up to someone in uniform and expressing thanks to him or her for their service to our country.

American Healthcare Rage

Has the American public finally reached a point where they are fed up with how government operates? They are at least angry, as evidenced by the recent protests during town hall meetings. It has always been understood that all members of American society will not agree on most issues and this is reflected in the many close elections. The big problem would seem to be the elected officials and their inability to produce programs that satisfy everyone. These self-serving politicians really need to show some form of intelligence and produce programs, such as healthcare, that satisfy the majority and don’t lean to extremes on either side. Maybe take lobbyists and money out of the equation. Is this possible? Probably not! The healthcare industry, the drug industry, and politicians are all out of control. The American public should clean out Congress and start over with a new mandate that actually has the interest and protection of the public as a primary objective. (Newspaper article dated 9-13-09 states average health insurance premiums have increased 84% since 2002 and profits for top 10 insurance companies have increased 428%!)

America’s Got Talent - Again

Once again this television show is a winner. The show allows talent to shine and presents a stage for them to make something of their lives and also allows people with no talent of any kind to look like fools in front of millions. It is hard to believe that some of these people have the nerve to actually get on the stage, but this is America. People continue to follow that dream and search for success. The show does present an opportunity for the public to relax and try to forget all the problems most people are facing in today’s environment, along with applauding some and laughing at many. The audience is once again the real outspoken judge with their loud outbursts that appear to actually surprise the contestants. The show provides family entertainment and appears to be a hot show for the network. The results of the voting are sometimes surprising and questionable when the real talent is sent home. Maybe there needs to be slight changes in the voting process and the executives need to limit their input and control of the contestants so it will be a real talent contest.

Fat in America

A recent article caught my eye concerning flight attendants with Delta and red dresses not being offered in a size larger than 18. What is wrong with women when they want to ignore the fact that fat is unhealthy. They should not be demanding larger dresses, but addressing their health issues. Fat is unhealthy! There seems to be ignorance in America when it comes to stuffing your face instead of being concerned about the effect that being fat or overweight has on health and appearance. Try less fatty foods and exercise instead of looking for excuses. Another recent article shows that over one quarter of Americans are overweight. This includes women and men. 30-40 years ago the public in general was not in this condition. People have become lazy and look for excuses too often instead of facing their situations and addressing issues. Women want to have large women stores and other avenues to make them feel that nothing is wrong with being overweight. This is pure bull. If there is a real health reason for being overweight, address this with a doctor, but if the reason is no self-control then face it and do something about the problem.