It's Broken -- Can We Fix It?

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "John F. McMullen" <johnmac13 () gmail com>
> Date: December 26, 2009 1:20:22 AM EST
> To: "John F. McMullen" <johnmacsgroup () yahoogroups com>
> Cc: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>, Dave Farber <dave () farber net 
> >, Commonweal Mailing List <commonweal () yahoogroups com>, All Hallows  
> Class of 1956 <ah56 () yahoogroups com>, Cardinal Farley Mailing List <CardinalFarley () yahoogroups com 
> >
> Subject: It's Broken -- Can We Fix It?

> From my blog -- http://johnmacrants.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-broken-can-we-fix-it.html
>
> It's Broken -- Can We Fix It?
> by John F. McMullen
>
> No matter what side a person stands on the issues involved in the  
> Health Care Debate, it should be obvious that the system is broken.  
> Lawmakers saying things that they know are untrue – extortionists li 
> ke Lieberman and Nelson holding the Senate up for concessions far be 
> yond the will of the majority. The whole process is dysfunctional –  
> why? A major reason is the role of the almighty dollar. Lobbyists fo 
> r the health care industry set a new record this year for contributi 
> ons to members of Congress (with the banking industry, usually first 
> , in second place – and the lawyers must be up there for no action o 
> n tort reform).
>
> So we wind up with a bill that is not “Health Care Reform” but  
> rather “Health Care Expansion” It:
>
>  brings 30 million new folks into the health care system with  
> mandated coverage – 30 million new customers for the insurance compa 
> nies (and, for those new customers who cannot afford the insurance,  
> the federal government (you, the taxpayer) will subsidize the covera 
> ge).
> has no “single payer” or “public option” or “expansion of  
> medicare” or elimination of the anti-trust exemption enjoyed by the  
> insurance companies – any of which would drive down the costs of the 
>  system.
> has no loosening of the restriction on eh import of Canadian drugs.
> as no “tort” reform which will bring down doctor’s malpractice  
> insurance and, in the words of one doctor friend, reduce the amount  
> of  ‘cover-your-ass” testing that goes on.
>  provides for extortion payoffs to a number of Senators (Nelson is  
> the most obvious and some say that the “Medicaid one” violates  
> the Constitution;  Lieberman’s wife, supposedly, works as a consulta 
> nt to the insurance and pharmaceutical companies in CT – if so, that 
>  payoff is more of a stealth one).
> We could debate the merits of any of the above points from a  
> political philosophy or economics vantage point – and this is what C 
> ongress should have been doing.  Instead, it should be obvious to al 
> l that the whole debate was corrupted by influence; influence paid f 
> or by lobbyists with monies that eventually result in higher consume 
> r prices.
>
> Ok. – it’s broken!  What do we do about it? Some look for public  
> financing of elections as the answer; other look for restrictions on 
>  campaign contributions. Some are against these ideas as “restrictio 
> ns on speech”; others say that such restrictions are unworkable anyh 
> ow.
>
> It seems to me that we can’t just give up – there must be some  
> way to channel this groundswell of anger from all sides of the polit 
> ical spectrum into some constructive action.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> (johnmac -- you may certainly pass this on to anyone who might care  
> to receive it)
>
>
> --
> "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." --  
> Daniel Patrick Moynihan
> "When you come to the fork in the road, take it" -- L.P. Berra
> "Always make new mistakes" - Esther Dyson
> "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable
> from magic"
>    -- Sir Arthur C. Clarke
> "You Gotta Believe" - Frank "Tug" McGraw (1944 - 2004 RIP)
>
>                    John F. McMullen
>    http://www.google.com/profiles/johnmac13
> Editor - Web2.0 The Magazine -- www.web2themag.com
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>  -- and search for "Cashing A Check"  (6x9 softcover & kindle version)
> Senior Member, ACM
> johnmac () acm org johnmac13 () gmail com johnmac () sdf lonestar org
> johnmac@panix. com,  johnmac () echonyc com johnmac13 () mac com
> jmcmullen () monroecollege edu johnmac () alumni iona edu
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>
> Sent from Yorktown Heights, NY, United States



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