Healthcare

The cost of healthcare, as everyone knows, is completely out of control. If you are lucky enough to have insurance coverage, you are paying an increasingly larger portion of that cost as employers pass these premium increases along to you. This is an area that needs more control by government. I know more government control is not always a good thing, but in today’s business climate controls are a necessity. Businesses will take advantage of the public whenever possible and that is just a fact. The healthcare and energy industries are areas where out of control may not be a strong enough term. If you do not have health insurance and this group of Americans continues to grow, you really get the shaft. You have to deal with the outrageous cost plus deal with the fact that healthcare providers give insurance companies discounts while charging uninsured individuals higher amounts. There are many excuses by providers for this event, but the bottom line is this should not be allowed to happen. Being uninsured can happen for numerous reasons and most of the time is unavoidable and always undesirable. Being in this situation should not be a reason for healthcare providers to rape the public. Congress should act to rectify this situation and also correct numerous other problems in the healthcare industry including drug companies ripping off the public with outrageous prices. This is something that the wasteful members of Congress just talk about without ever making a real effort to correct the situation. There needs to be a grassroots effort to remove every member of Congress and replace them with individuals who will govern for the people that pay their salaries. In that regard, salaries for members of Congress and staff should be reduced to a level that is more in line with the average income of the American citizen.

Tax Structure

The tax code for U.S. taxpayers is overdue for massive change that will provide an equal system for all citizens and businesses. The current system basically allows for the average citizen to foot the bill for the government that is out of control in regard to spending and wasting tax dollars. There are too many loopholes and deductions that allow the wealthy and corporations to walk away without paying a fair share of the cost for operating the country where they make the massive sums of money. According to various sources, there are individuals and corporations that don’t even bother to file a tax return. There are significant taxes that are past due and not being collected. Revisions are needed in all areas of income tax and social security tax in order to reflect today’s society. A flat percentage tax would be a start so that everyone pays without any loopholes and this includes all businesses. Do away with all deductions (they are abused anyway). A portion of the wealthy and corporations will scream, but they will continue to operate and find ways to make even more money. The simplification of the tax structure is needed, necessary, and long overdue. Some information indicates that a flat tax would actually bring in more revenue and businesses would actually prosper. At the same time, the average citizen could have the taxes reduced and live a little better while spending more and boosting the economy. Certain information indicates that countries where a flat tax rate was established have had phenomenal results. The bottom line is the current tax code is broken and a real Congress should act in order to solve the problem.

Networking

Networking in the business world has reached a point where it is bad for business. A large number of businesses today are having problems in the financial and operational areas that can be directly related to bad management. This includes middle management and upper management. Networking has placed inept individuals in positions they are not qualified for and are unable to function efficiently or effectively. The remaining employees suffer the consequences, along with the business suffering in the areas of profitability and success. There is entirely too much of the “buddy system” taking place in the business world. Positions aren’t being filled by qualified individuals, but rather by someone’s contact or “networking buddy”. This has always been something to deal with in business, but over the last number of years this type of behavior has become too much of a normal routine for businesses. The senior executives have become so involved in their golden parachutes and bonuses that they have forgotten the reason or purpose for the business. Employees have no job security and most have no confidence in the company or management. Greed has taken over in the business world. Maybe the saying “For the love of money is the root of all evil” is appropriate for today. All of this reflects in today’s businesses with poor customer service and poor opinions of business. The problems in the business world can, in part, be traced to placing inept individuals in management by utilizing the “networking” or “buddy system”.