Why did public welfare become a jobs creation agency?
So many massage therapists, stupid home scooters, etc. Awesome waste. Millions of stupid jobs, fleets of autos, computers, luxury medical devices for apnea to "mobility" crap and so on is slowly being curtailed.
It is about time. Doctors writing expensive prescriptions for strange people to travel around the country to massage people who never needed it. Waste, fraud and corruption. It should only be the essential stuff, damn it! Everything about it and the insurance companies are unrealistic. You have to go to the drug store every 30 days for 30 tablets. It is absurd. I could cite hundress or thousands of example of this boneheaded crappolla.
I favor public option healthcare, but I want it to set the example for utter speed, efficiency and economy. The nuns who ran St. Mary's Hospital where I was born long ago, watched every penny plus everybody was quick, buttoned up and on time. run this damn new new healthcare system like that and thing will quickly improve. ship up or shape out, follow orders or look elsewhere!
there are simply too many examples of things like railroads and utilities that know how to get things done on time and under budget. undue political influence is usually the root of all waste, corruption and failure of any public endeavor.
Politicians make organizations worse, not better, Public institutions are potentially the most efficient of any kind of organization. Even in the 60s grads always chose private vs. government jobs. But political influence reverse this. Now the tail wags the dog. government work MUST exist but it has been a terrible budget dominating organization, where the workers are overpaid, over protected and spoiled rotten. There is no excuse for their benefits. It was not that long ago where government jobs were starter jobs or a last resort before retirement. millions of low skill jobs that are overpaid, vastly overpaid. They make nothing and sell nothing. the reward system is all f'd up. When my daughter finished law school, years ago, she did no consider taking a government job. boring, low pay, and little chance to expand. now, grads are contemplating a long career in government. relatively good pay, almost tenure and excellent benis. That is a bad thing. It is not sustainable if you understand anything about Macroeconomics. There must be a market to sustain government and goernment jobs. Government cannot continue unless a whjole lot of people are making some money that can be taxed. Government gotta have tax revenue, right?
Our healthcare system and our public education costs twice as much with measured results that are twice as bad than comparable nations.
admin answers:
I'm Canadian, so I'm a little biased.
The promise of The New Deal was a job for everyone who wanted one. Times have changed, but the desire to take care of ones family hasn't.
I feel that our health care system is one of the best in the world. Are there problems? Of course. You hear random horror stories. But everyone can get medical care.
Also, you don't see Canadian going bankrupt over medical bills - there are a handful, of course. But these are people with orphan illnesses that are harder to treat.
As someone with several medical conditions, I would never be able to get insurance in the US and never get the level of care that I do here.
Don't let the insurance companies, HMOs and Republicans continue their fear mongering. The Canadian system is a credit to our country.
But the problem is that Americans have been living beyond their means for so long that they don't see the real impact. So much money has been spent on defence, the military, and other programs, that things like schools and hospitals were given the short shift.
Now, with things falling apart, it costs more to fix. As for government jobs, I have worked in both the private sector and the public sector. In Canada, I have found them comparable. But you want teachers and nurses and other people working for the government to do a good job. Paying them a decent wage is only part of the equation.
And America has more people in jail per population than any other country in the world. So much is spent on superprisons and law enforcement, without trying to understand the root of criminal behaviour. 80% of all crimes committed by women are driven by poverty. So, yes, dealing with poverty and other causes of crime are a good thing.
And despite what is portrayed, most of these people don't want a hand-out, just a chance to have some personal success.
One thing I agree with you with is some salaries. We have some bureaucrats making $300 000 to manage health agencies. The logic is that we need the best and the brightest.
Well, if we can get 4th best, pay them $125 000 and hire three or four more nurses, I think we would be better off.
There is a balance. You want good people making the tough decisions in government and you want them there for the right reasons. For years, the best, brightest, and those seeking wealth went into the private sector. How much did the heads of those big banks make? And how much in bonuses? They had a hand in making this mess.
Government now wants some of the best and brightest. Those who are doing something just for money are better off in the private sector anyway. If they are going to pillage and steal, let them stick to private corporations.
I believe in a living wage for everyone who is willing to work. If that makes me crazy, so be it.
A bit rambling, but my slightly socialist bent.
