Quick question here
Um, excuse me.
Over here.
I just have a question: If taxpayers can dole out $1 trillion to pay for bailouts for Wall Street, then spend billions more to help American automakers to stay in business, in a single year, why is $1 trillion over 10 years too much to spend to reform health care and save 30,000 human lives a year?
Just asking.
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
I don’t support any form of throwing money at a problem. So far, all of the proposals by our government have been centered around this concept. Budgeting is needed in every state of this issue. On the personal, on the private market and on the government. As for the bailouts, I don’t support their basis either. We’re told that they were put in place for the purpose of salvaging the entire economy and were to be nowhere near the estimated $2 Trillion they are set to be after inflation adjustments. This is the same government making made those failed promises. Promises and speeches mean nothing without the intent to keep the word of what was said. One promise given is to not raise taxes, by their own admission, this promise will have to be broken to all citizens to cover their plan. How can we trust an entity that by nature has to break its word? Any time the government gives a price tag, it’s wise to expect a “cost over-run”. For this reason, I think it would be best to consider not only helping all that need help, but doing it in the most efficient and cost-cutting way; something for which no government has ever been a success. Private industry has to by nature keep cost low, but every intrusion by the government has resulted in an inflation of health care cost. With both e-filed records and government over watch of health care codes, standardized codes for health providers, and elimination of waste in the system(caused by government involvement in the form of “leap before we think”) the corrections can be made that would cover all US citizens.
Now, here’s something we agree on: I didn’t suppiort the bailouts, either because I knew that there would be no accountability and the money would just disappear, as it did.
But I think if health care legislation is written well, there will be accountability, and I know I disdagree with you and Janet and Danny here, but I still believe the federal government can and should do it.
That’s OK, though. As long as everyone gets quality health care, I’m on board.