Single Payer Health Care
by
David Schlecht
The number of lies coming out of the insurance industry’s full court press against health care reform is mind boggling. After hearing one or two of the really obvious lies, you would think that the average American would just tune them out. But, no, it appears that with each new outlandish lie, they mange to snare a small percentage of unwary. Given enough lies, they’ll have everyone convinced, at this rate.
You hear about how bad all the rest of the world’s health care is and how wonderful ours is. However, these lies fail to point out that America has the worst infant mortality rate, one of the shortest life spans, in other words, the worst medical in the modern world. Since it’s by far the worst, you would think that we must pay the lowest in the world, but, again, no, we pay almost double what the next highest system pays and triple what most countries pay.
You hear how everyone in the other countries just hates their socialized medicine and would love nothing more than to change back to America’s Pay-or-Die system. But, no, it’s just another lie. No system is great and everyone will admit that their system has problems, but none of the other countries want to give up their health care and go back to corporate run health care.
In fact, America currently runs two socialized medical system and does it quite well. The VA is true socialized medicine where the hospitals and doctors are run by our government. This system has the highest percent of satisfied customers. Second is Medicare. Again, one of the most well run systems in America. This is the same as single-payer health care. Sure, it could be fixed. First we have to fix the mess that the Republicans made of it over the past eight years. But, it has run quite successfully for decades.
Way down the list of satisfied customers is the commercial pay-or-die systems. People may hate it but they’re afraid to changes after hearing all the lies coming from the insurance industry. Ask anyone who has filed a claim just to find that they’re disqualified because of some trumped up “pre existing condition” if they love their health coverage.
The vast majority of personal bankrupsies in America are due to health disasters, and more than half of all those people were actually covered by insurance, or at least they thought they were. Do you think you are? Ask them how much they love their health care system. Now ask someone who has never needed to use their insurance. They’re probably pretty happy with it because they’re still under the mistaken impression that they’re actually covered. More lies.
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There’s been a lot of media coverage about organized mobs intimidating lawmakers, disrupting town halls, and silencing real discussion about the need for real health insurance reform.
This is War
Monday, August 31st, 2009This is War
by
David Schlecht
When our news source was small and local, the average American had reliable news. Today, the news sources are all multi-billion dollar corporations and the news reporters are multi-millionaires. Does the average American still get reliable news? Of course not. That is why you never hear our current financial disasters framed in the true or correct context. Class War.
We’ve discussed the class war in other posts, here and here.
Millionaire news reporters certainly don’t want to report on increasing taxes on the stinking rich as something good for America even though it was part of what made America fair, just, and strong for most of the 20th century. Now these reporters and news corporations try their hardest to paint the returning to reasonable and fair taxes as something that will destroy America’s economy, the whole while avoiding the facts that the reduction in their taxes since the Reagan era is a major part of what’s destroying America, today.
As Warren Buffet has said, there is a class war going on and my class is winning.
That’s primarily why you are reading reports about how the economy is rebounding but the average American worker is working longer and harder for less. The economy is not getting better for the average American, but it is certainly getting better for America’s corrupt corporate news entities so they will gladly, and ignorantly report that the economy is getting better. Without any reasonable or reliable news sources saying anything to the contrary, we’re left believing that it must be getting better for everyone else but us.
It’s not!
Let’s take a quick look at the outcomes of the major salvos in this class war.
After the great depression of the 30s, top tax rates on the insanely wealthy were raised to 92%. This provided many benefits including reducing the undue influence the wealthy have on our government and encouraged those benefiting the most from our country to reinvest the most.
For the next 30 years, the rich won every battle with hole after hole being poked in our tax laws allowing them to avoid paying their fair share. We can thank the undue influence in our government to the strength of wealth.
The top tax rates on those earning over $3 Million was 92% for only that income over the $3M back in the days before JFK. Kennedy then reduced the top marginal tax rate into the 70% range and closed up most of the loop holes Congress had put in the tax codes for the benefit of their millionaire friends and contributors. This was actually a tax increase as Kennedy repeatedly explained. This was a small step back to the way things were before JFK, but not a return to the fiscally sound policies put onto place after the depression.
Then, along comes Reagan and he drops the billionaire tax rate repeatedly down to the 30% range. Then Bush comes along and drops the billionaire tax rate down to 25% and only 15% for dividend income.
Also during this time, the poor misguided American public listened to the billionaires tell us how scary the “death tax” is that we started believing them. It’s not a death tax, the tax for death is death. The inheritance tax is paid by those inheriting the billions and billions of dollars. This tax was put in place to prevent aristocracies from getting strong and powerful enough that they could poison our government.
Well, guess what. Here we are today with the rich and powerful controlling almost all of our press and all of our government.
All the safeguards we put into place after the last great disaster have all been eroded by our politicians. It’s time for us to get back to where we were after the last great depression. Restore fair and reasonable taxes. 90% is not an unreasonable tax over $3 Billion and will only help the economy.
The enemy isn’t the other political party; it’s the rich and powerful; it’s a class war, and guess, what, we’re losing big time.
Posted in Finance, Politics | 5 Comments »