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”.

Energy Crisis

Problems facing America today in regard to energy are enormous and it is way past time for the political leadership to address these issues and take action while keeping the environment in mind. Steps should be taken to make the country more independent by utilizing solar and wind along with putting the great scientific minds in America to work developing auto engines that are more efficient. I know engines that run more efficiently could be developed and adapters could be developed for older engines in order to increase their mileage rates. The oil and auto industries would have to take a large role in this effort and those industries may end up smaller, but the spin-off industries would make up for those losses. The many articles written about ways to increase mileage and about alternative fuels indicate it can be done, but the political establishment and corporate America are not taking the necessary action. Regulation of oil company profits could be a possibility in relation to reinvesting since this is a national and public interest matter. Billions and billions of taxpayer’s dollars are wasted each year on unnecessary and useless matters dreamed up by corrupt and self-centered politicians and members of the public that work with those politicians. Those billions could easily assist in solving the energy crisis. Congress approves billions that are wasted in other countries when citizens of all races in the U.S. are without homes or food. America needs to address problems at home in a more effective manner prior to pursuing the role as world police. The time is now for the American political establishment to change their spots and address the problems facing the country they are supposed to be serving and the citizens that pay their outrageous salaries and pensions.

American Society

American society has so many positives and negatives that it would be impossible to compile that list. This is a country that draws people from all over the world with dreams of freedom and success. Sometimes it is easy to forget the freedoms that exist when you are overcome with the negatives that blanket the news related to government and business. The fact that only a small percentage of eligible voters turn out to voice their opinion at the polls is one of the large negatives. There is so much dissatisfaction with what takes place, but people have apparently reached a point where they feel it doesn’t matter if they vote. The depressing aspect of the situation is at election time the voters have no reasonable choices when it comes to individuals running for office. Money dominates the election process and the process screams for drastic changes. The candidate that is able to raise the most money and dominate with name recognition gets the most votes no matter what the real issues are in the campaign. The process should allow for anyone that is qualified to run for office and controls should be in place for each individual to have equal time and equal advertising. The money factor should be taken out of the equation and allow the citizens an opportunity to have representatives that actually have their best interest at heart. Term limits should be in place for all elected officials. If this ever happened, government might return to what it is supposed to be and that is to serve the people. Government fraud and business fraud is at an outrageous level. Young people grow up with an attitude that this type of behavior is normal and that is a sad legacy for each generation to pass along to the next. Our government shows a blatant disregard for the environment and this failure to take the necessary actions will have a drastic effect on future generations. There are a lot of people living fantastic lives in the American society, but at the same time there are a lot of people barely surviving. If you make the effort, you can see people of all races in this country without homes, without food to eat, and without hope! Government wastes billions of dollars when so much could be addressed and so many problems could be solved. Society has changed over the years with many changes for the good, but there is so much more that needs to be accomplished.

Deregulation

Deregulation supporters say it has led to more efficient and innovative businesses, but others say it has led to higher prices and poor service. The move for deregulation really took off in the 70’s/80’s and this was supposed to bring great changes in industries such as airlines, banking, financial services, trucking, railroads, electricity suppliers, and telecommunications. The American public will have to determine if this effort by government representatives has produced the desired results in any of these industries or made matters worse or made any change at all. Have we had lost jobs, higher prices, fewer choices, and poor service? Is deregulation responsible in part for the economic conditions we face today? Are our political representatives asleep at the wheel? Should government be striving for a more balanced regulation situation? Yes, nobody can predict the exact outcome, but current conditions would seem to indicate things have gone wrong somewhere along the line. Maybe it is time to evaluate the results in certain areas and consider making some changes. Consider the numerous problems that have occurred in more than one industry over the last 20 years. A complete overhaul of deregulation might not be called for, but it is evident that some changes would be desirable.

Military Service & Draft

Military service and the American draft haven’t been discussed much in the news lately. I, like many people, may have mixed emotions about the subject, but this is something that has crossed my mind in recent months. I have noticed more and more young people with bad attitudes, bad manners, and outright rudeness. This would also include drinking habits and bad driving abilities. They seem to have a lack of respect for other people in general. These young people appear to be in the age range of 17 to 25, with some 25 to 30. I have to associate this behavior with the parents of these young individuals and a failure in parenting skills or possibly parents not being around enough during the growing up stage. I am not condemning the majority of this group, but I am talking about a large percentage. I will admit that there are a lot of very stable, polite, great young kids in society.
In my opinion, reinstating the draft in some format would be beneficial to society. Having to at least experience six to eight weeks of boot camp and training would provide some discipline, structure, and better attitudes. The American family has changed drastically over the last 25 years as a unit and this does seem to have affected a generation in many ways. The volunteer military that exists today may serve the needs (even though that may be questionable), but it wouldn’t hurt to have a pool available if a situation occurred in society that called for additional resources. There could also be a period of time after basic training where there is required community service to assist the needy and poor in their own community. The draft could serve more than one purpose and would be for everyone in a certain age range (nobody excluded) and then utilized as a reserve call-up list for a 1-2 year period of time. This would create a spending issue that many taxpayers would probably oppose, but needs to be explored. If this is not a possible avenue to consider, then is there anyone with an explanation for the situation and a possible remedy?