Hind sight is always 20/20 my father would say. We can’t really know everything. If I did know it all or have the answers I d be stinking rich. However, looking back at what really caused the financial meltdown it was not on Wall Street but Main Street. The housing market crash started the financial ball rolling leading to investor panic. Companies that were writing the toxic loans at congresses request knew they were sitting on a time bomb. But they were deaf when it went off. Suddenly balance sheets that were inflated went Pshhht! Lines of credit that were supporting small business dried up as a result. That of course led to companies looking for cost cutting measures to stay afloat. What is the first cost cutting measure any accountant will tell you? Cut payroll.
Time and time again it has been shown that economically speaking putting more of the consumer s money back into their hands is a good thing. However recent reports show that consumer confidence has dropped again. Adding to the account unemployment is still at some of the highest levels in decades according to reports. Could it be that consumer confidence is down because people are worried about their jobs? It’s widely known in economic teaching that the Government doesn’t create jobs. In fact the small border city of Marfa just fired its police force for budget cuts. Additionally if it did create jobs there would be complaints about “expanding government”. So when a politician says they created x amount of jobs, ask them where, what industry, what company. If they say they “saved jobs” ask them to prove it.
The road to economic recovery is through jobs. Its jobs that pay for the mortgages that are in default. Its jobs that pump money into our economy creating stimulus. Its jobs that create consumer confidence in the markets. When we went from a nation of producers to consumers we killed the jobs in this country. I can’t tell you how many computer parts I’ve seen “Made in Canada” or Mexico. NAFTA and outsourcing worker has run its course.
Since the stimulus bill was put in place money has gone to a host of ridiculous research and pet projects not to mention Wall Street. It’s even been sent off-shore to governments. Just recently a company Al Gore is invested in got half a million of your tax dollars to develop a hybrid sports car that will be built in Norway. There has been talk about the jobs repairing roads and infrastructure that the stimulus would create. Unfortunately none of that happens until late 2010 or early 2011. State governments are cutting back services already and not hiring. In the mean time families have to lump it. Hope doesn’t put food on the table.
“But that’s not a solution Consti that’s just complaining about the causes.” True, so here is my solution. The money for stimulus would be better spent on small business loans, stabilization projects in the private sector, startup funding, etc. All studies show that small to midsized businesses are the motor for job recovery and innovation. Giving tax breaks to the public last time led to people just paying bills to catch up not buying IPhones. That’s not stimulus. So doing that again would not be productive. However, helping with hiring costs and providing incentives for smaller companies to create jobs and not shed them would. The stimulus bill should be amended to help promote employment in the private sector of non-H1b visa employees. Not government where contractors with connections will subsidize the costs or the work will be farmed out over seas. (Need I mention the $6,000 hammer or $30,000 toilet seat?) Not for jobs fixing roads that most people are not even qualified to do. Not to mention road workers UNION employees to qualify for. More could have been done to decrease COBRA costs or extend unemployment benefits. In the end, the people the government was supposed to look out for got the short stick again.
Reading want ads.
Consti
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“How highs the unemployment momma?” She said it’s 10.2 and rising! “How highs the unemployment poppa?” He said it’s 10.2 and rising. – Johnny Cash (sort of)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Jobless-rate-tops-10-pct-for-apf-563122944.html?x=0&.v=8
The Senate must soon increase the national debt limit to above $13 trillion €” and Democrats are looking for political cover.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28586.html
Shennangans! I call Shennangans! Where is fiscal responsibility? The One party nation is spending our cash like the Republicans did that got them booted!!! Spending our childrens future, our taxes, our economic security, like drunken sailors in a Bordello!!
The American people won’t like this.
Amid concerns over a proposed government-run health insurance option, the Government Accountability Office says it has major problems with the current government-run option. A new GAO report says that in fiscal years 2006 and 2007, prescription drug fraud in Medicaid cost more than $63 million in just five states: California, Illinois, New York, North Carolina and Texas. Thats “Just five” and makes me wonder about the rest.
The report says about 1,800 prescriptions were filled for people who are dead and another 1,200 prescriptions were signed with the names of deceased doctors, costing a half-million dollars: “Medicaid offices in the selected states generally did not periodically compare their information against death records.”
Medicaid also paid $2.3million to 65 health care providers and pharmacies, even though they are barred from receiving federal funds.
As always your comments are welcome. If you think I have singled you out to “bully” you into silence you are sadly mistaken. Your constant negativity and derogatory comments draw my giggles. As an individual I don’t know you well enough to say if you are a good person. I don’t judge that. Your comments towards me I will though. You accuse me of spewing venom. I ask, what is that you are doing?
That’s right- I did say Gates. I did not say the rich (meaning all the wealthy) nor did I say the rich as a group need to atone. You are the one who made the leap to all the rich. Last time I checked, Bill Gates is not the only rich man in the world… If you want to quote me, please do it correctly. Don’t attack me or misquote me based on the assumptive leap you wish to make in order to have something to attack me on.
I’m glad you have finally realized that I will not sit by and let you put words in my mouth or draw conclusions to what you want to believe I have said, all so you can continue to ignore and spin what is plain and clear in front of your face. If you just want to attack or just wish to make points on sound bites pulled out of context, expect to be called out on it or simply keep your venom to yourself. But if you attack me, attack me on what I have actually said or what I actually put forth in a blog or comment. I am not a stereotype; I am a real person with views that do not always hold to any one platform. Find another “stereotypical” liberal patsy to have a go at and try to bully them into silence because it ain’t gonna happen here. I have two eyes and a brain and I use them.
That’s right- I said Gates. I did not say the rich (meaning all the wealthy) nor did I say the rich as a group need to atone… If you want to quote me, please do it correctly. Don’t attack me or misquote me based on the assumptive leap you wish to make to have something to attack me on.
I’m glad you have realized that I will not sit by and put words in my mouth or draw conclusions to what you want to believe I have said so you can continue to ignore and spin what is plain and clear in front of your face. If you just want to attack or just wish to make points on sound bites pulled out of context, expect to be called out on it or just eep your venom to yourself. But if you attack me, attack me on what I have actually sdaid or what I actually believe. I am not a stereotype, I am a real person with views that do not always hold to any one platform. Find another stereotypical liberal patsy to have a go at and bully into silence- it ain’t going to happen here. I have a brain and I use it.
You yourself have said the Gates has to “atone” for his sins to sleep at night. I am not going to waste my time looking up your old comments. I suggest you audit yourself in the comments since if you look you will find where you stated that. And since you simply like to be contrary I don’t see the need to discuss this with you further. I put the plate in front of you, and you only look at the silverware. As always you are welcome to your opinion. We all know thanks to your spiteful comments how you feel. Simply attacking me doesn’t solve the issue.
Plus, I’ve noticed that you have not come back with any link or info that proves that the wealthy actually do pay a higher percentage of taxes after deductions and credits are taken. Know why? Because it’s a fact that they don’t. Ross Perot even made a public joke about how little taxes he paid! So don’t oh poor, poor, exploited top ten percentile me…Even with a higher percentile of taxes levied against them they still pay less. Imagine if they paid the same rate as the middle class. You think we subsidize the poor now- we’d be subsidizing the poor AND the rich, on half the income.
If there’s that much fraud and mismanagement, according to you, then there should be no worry about finding enough savings to pay for a new program. Talk about duh!
And where did I say that the rich need to pay “atonement”? Again, you hear what you want to hear and only enough to try to justify what you think. YOU choose to cannonize men like Bill Gates for the few good things they do while forgetting the exploitation and abuse of the American consumer over the last 20 years that got them their money. They are the ones who feel the need to atone for what they have done, and are continuing to profit by, by throwing a few bucks to some inner city kids and training their next round of employess (or sub-contractors) while sending out carefully timed press releases to coincide with SEC investigations and lawsuits and taking their tax exemptions. I was talking about Bill Gates and men like Carnegie, Mellon, Rockefeller and their ilk, not all rich.
Yeah, again putting words into my mouth. I said Medicare is not doing that NOW. I never said it did no good EVER. How about you get your rants right. The system, while valuable to my deceased grandmother in her time, is hemorrhaging money now to fraud and misuse. Nice to see you don’t address the fact that the majority of the NEW health care system is supposed to be paid for by savings in Medicare. Since I do care about people I would rather not see services cut to create this savings. I’d rather see the rampant fraud fixed. To top that off how about Pelosi throwing out the trial hat for a VAT tax to help off set costs? I thought it was supposed to be deficit neutral? You want the rich to pay their “atonement” but you don’t seem to care that the money is spent wisely. Throwing wads of cash at a problem doesn’t make it go away. Solving the problem does. And yes, Laura, that includes personal responsibility.
Where is your proof that the minuses of Medicare outweigh the plusses? When have you even taken a moment to look at or show the benefits? You don’t- you focus solely on the minuses. Just as you never look at the good the media, the Federal Government, liberals, Democrats or any other group you attack has done. You look only at the bad side of things, the mistakes, the imperfections, the missteps, and never all the good things, benefits, positive changes, and improvements. I’ll say it again, nothing designed or implemented by humans is perfect. You are always going to find something wrong or something to criticize. But does that mean that it is not worthwhile? Let’s just not do anything… then we’ll never be imperfect.
So Medicare has NEVER done ANYTHING good or ever achieved anything positive? It has never benefitted anyone or saved a life? I don’t even think you can argue that one.
Public health options and active public sector involvement is totally ineffective and adds nothing to the lives of a country’s people? They’re an evil idea that will do nothing but bring a nation down? Then why did the US drop from number 12 to 13 on the list of nations with the best quality of life for its citizens. Look at which countries made the top ten. All of them have some form of government intervention in industry, public health programs, or both. Since I “lie and tell stories” all the time, here’s the link, so you don’t have to take my word for it…and you have no excuse to run from the truth.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091005/ts_afp/undevelopmentpoverty_20091005115324
The fact of the matter is that fraud in the system is SO rampant that now the MOB has moved in to get a piece. As the story I linked points out.
Yes Laura, you will never eliminate fraud. That is a given. A “duh” if you will. So you can drop that. However, MASSSIVE fraud, needs to be addressed. Especially since paying for half the NEW program counts on it. Simple math still. “As long as the benefits exceed the costs, the plusses exceed the minuses, then the program is worthwhile.” However medicare is NOT doing that now. Why should I think any different about the NEW program being hoisted on the American tax payer?
Your biggest complaint is fraud and it is your stock excuse of late for denying any government social program. You’re in IT- it’s the same with a program and hackers. There is no such thing as a program that cannot be hacked into just because they will spend the time it takes to figure it out. You cannot use fraud as an excuse not to do something that society needs. NO one can guarantee that they can eliminate all fraud from any program, all they can do is their best. But to use the potential or the reality of fraud, or to criticize a program, or to argue that a program has no merit because there is fraud, even if it is the exception, is not relistic of is it fair. Find me a system created and implemented by humans that does not have any fraud.
You try to set up a system that minimizes fraud as much as possible but that is still workable and effective for its intended participants is the best anyone can do. To create consequences for fraud and to hold those who commit fraud fully accountable is all you can reasonably do. There is no way to guarantee the program will be perfect or flawless, nor is it realistic to expect it to be. To hold up that kind of a standard is nothing more than an excuse to do nothing, which the Republicans were more than happy to do for 8 years.
You have to accept some degree of fraud, while trying to minimize it as much as possible. As long as the benefits exceed the costs, the plusses exceed the minuses, then the program is worthwhile. Find something other than fraud or the potential for fraud to focus on, and look at the benefits and positive results that have come from Medicare before you harp on the failures. Would it have ben better if it had never existed? Because that is the only way that you can guarantee that no fraud or waste had ever been or will be committed…
lol… since a MAJOR part of the Healt Care bill will be “deifcite neutral” due to “savings” in medicare I think that the fraud should be addressed. You seem to just be saying that fraud exists deal with it. Since it’s TAX PAYER money I say it shouldn’t go on. And since it’s a government program it’s not regulation of a private industry! So it’s not having it both ways. It’s as you say holding government “responsible” and the criminal “responsible”.
Get that?
Hey, if we executed every criminal without a trial, guaranteed we would be executing the guilty. But we would also be executing the innocent too…
If we took away and destroyed all cars, we would have no more traffic accidents…
If we all lived alone like hermits, there would be no more wars…
Get the point?
Well, let’s just scrap every system. That will prevent fraud- no system, no fraud, but at what cost to society as a whole?…As if these criminals will not find some other way to make their money at the expense of others, that’s what they do. All you will do is hurt the ones that really are deserving, need, and properly use these programs.
NO system is perfect and every system made by man is exploitable by those who are willing to take the time to sit and figure out how to do it. You do what you can to make their ability to commit fraud as minimal as possible and focus on being as effective as you can. To close loopholes takes MORE oversight and regulation, not less. So make up your mind- minimal government and oversight which means that no one is watching what is going on Which society as a whole can’t afford), or micro oversight that will make it extremely difficult for anyone to do this sort of thing (which our society cannot afford.) You can’t have it both ways- the honor system does not work for these people… Any solution in the middle will have both positive AND negatives, you just have to set your priorities and determine what is more important…
Just ran across an interesting article about the Mob and Medicare Fraud.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9B5OKO01&show_article=1
Just a few blurbs:
Lured by easier money and shorter prison sentences, Mafia figures and other violent criminals are increasingly moving into Medicare fraud and spilling blood over what once a white-collar crime.
Medicare scammers typically make their money by billing Medicare for medical equipment and drugs that patients never receive €”and never needed. Some pay homeless people on Los Angeles’ Skid Row for Medicare or Social Security numbers to use in fake billing invoices. Others intimidate elderly victims to use their Medicare numbers, federal authorities say.
A Medicare scammer could easily net at least $25,000 a day while risking a relatively modest 10 years in prison if convicted on a single count. A cocaine dealer could take weeks to make that amount while risking up to life in prison.
“It’s outrageous that those trusted to provide medical care are really nothing but common criminals,” said federal prosecutor Kirk Ogrosky, who heads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force across the United States.
Sometimes Medicare fraud turns violent without the involvement of organized crime.
Illinois podiatrist Ronald Mikos was sentenced to death for the 2002 fatal shooting of a patient to keep her from telling a federal grand jury how he defrauded Medicare. He shot the woman six times as she sat in her wheelchair at her home. Her subpoena was found on the floor next to her.
Never really said the “poor” were to blame, nor did I blame it on unwed mothers, regardless there is fraud in the system. And frankly before any of the American peoples money is spent we should expect it to be done so wisely.
According to their own auditors, Medicare knowingly overpays for almost everything it buys. Examples include:
– $7,215 to rent an oxygen concentrator, when the purchase price is $600.
– $4,018 for a standard wheelchair, while the private sector pays $1,048.
– $1,825 for a hospital bed, compared to an Internet price of $1,071.
– $3,335 for a respiratory pump, versus an advertised price of $1,987.
– $82 for a diabetic supply kit, instead of a $47 price on the Web.
How about we make sure our money is being spent properly before demanding people pay more into a system that can’t pay less than $12 for a single asprin?
As always your comments like your opinions are welcome. And the only thing that makes me uncomfortable is horse hair underwear. You, just make me giggle. The fact that your comments show such intolerance and hate just confirm I must be doing something right. They speak volumes. I see you have commented on almost all the posts in this forum. Most, not all, responses to the negative. Your unhealthy fixation on me personally is disturbing. As you say, label me all you like. It’s obvious to everyone and Stevie Wonder how you feel about me. And since you appear to like putting words in my mouth, here’s one I’ll give you for free. Gemuchlick.
Guten tag meine frau.
(P.S. My German is rusty from High Skrewl so I apologize if it’s not spelled right for the grammar patrol.)
It is obvious in your looking to yet again blame Washington for the housing crisis that you don’t understand the issue. Fannie and Freddie did not cause the problem, subprime did. Subprime is not Fannie or Freddie guaranteed, so Washington had NOTHING to do with it….but that doesdn’t fit your version of the truth to justify your need to point the finger at Washington instead of at the American public whose greed encouraged and perpetuated thos programs. My memory isn’t short, I was in real estate and lending for 7 years and saw it first hand. I, for one, actually know what I am talking about…
I don’t “complain” about the free market, I point out OUR part in it. That we as a people are not immune from the criticism you so freely level on everyone else. I have been consistant in that, and you have just as consitantly ignored it. You so need to paint me into some kind of corner so that you can stereotype, make me “evil” and try to insult and scream me out so that you don’t have to look at the truth. Label me, that’s fine, I don’t care- I just consider the source…
You again point only to Washington to look for examples of a lack of personal responsibility. Maybe you need to look at Enron, Madoff, Madoff’s “victims” who never looked a gift horse in the mouth for the rotten teeth, the overwhelming numbers of personal bankruptcies that have taken place in the last 10 years, the consumers who spent money they did not have, the day traders and investors who looked for a quick buck and overinflated the markets,and any other multitude of examples from the rest of America that does not live or work in Washington. I don’t limit lack of responsibility to any one group- we are ALL part of it. Your need to hold yourself and the American public blameless while condemning Washington shows that you will never see the source of the problem and how to solve it. So we throw everyone in Washington out- until we reform ourselves we will only get another slate of politicians just like them, because they come from us, they are our representatives.
WE are the free market, WE are Washington, so until WE change, nothing else will. By shifting focus and blame to someone else, those like you try to absolve the rest of us from responsibility for the state of our nation and our lives. But it isn’t comfortable to look in the mirror or to admit our own faults…apparently it is not or you would not be fighting so hard not to.
No, you would not like to work for me. I expect people to be honest and truthful to themselves and others. To do what they say they are going to do and say what they are going to do. I expect people to think beyond themselves and their own self-interest and look at the big picture. I expect people to take responsibility for themselves and their actions, and how they will affect others. I expect integrity from myself so it is only fair for me to expect it from others. No one gets it right all the time, myself included, but that does not excuse us from trying.
You want to hold others accountable…then hold yourself accountable first and stop making excuses. Pick yourself up off the floor, stop your temper tantrum and put on some big boy panties…You are not grown up enough to work for me. Laugh at me if you must, but people laugh when they are made uncomfortable…
Why are you so uncomfortable? I don’t want to silence you, I just want you to grow up and take stock of yourself.
I am glad to see that your vitriol is as ever dull as it was. It only proves further points I have made. Again, thanks.
Since you are “self employed” you are part of that evil free market Laura. And let me remind you that it was Barney Frank, head of Fannie May and Freddie Mac that pushed lenders into lending to lower income families. Thus forcing the financial sector to take risks they would never have in the first place. How short your memory is. I suggest you give yourself a refresher on google. You wanted solutions and I provided one. All YOU can do is complain about the “evil free market”. Of which you are a part. Now THAT is hypocrisy.
You speak fondly of personal responsibility. Then I ask you what about Charlie Wrangle. You know the head of the house ways and means committee. The committee tasked with over seeing our tax code. You know Charlie Wrangle who FAILED to pay taxes on 2.4 million in income. Who failed to list a house he had in the Dominican Republic, and New York. Where are your calls for personal responsibility there? Is it because he is a democrat? Hmm .
As always you are welcome to take pot shots at me personally, as I tend to laugh at your desperate attempt to silence my opinion. It only adds to the image of a left leaning, right hating liberal who wishes she still had GW to blame. I don’t BLAME government for the worlds ills, but I do intend to hold accountable the LARGE number of corrupt politicians on both sides of the isle. I am glad you work for yourself. I couldn’t imagine working for you.
The only valuable thing you said here is that the balme rests on Main Street. If people hadn’t tried to buy more house than they could afford, leveraged the equity in their house to buy things they couldn’t afford, and ran up huge credit card and instllment loan debt purchasing things they couldn’t afford, then we wouldn’t be where we are today like we are. Lenders made the programs available to finance this, yes, but we were the ones whose greed drove it and who signed on the dotted line. Supply and demand- they were only giving us the programs we asked for…
Put the blame, which is your specialty, where it belongs, and its not the government…
Government is not responsible for the credit crunch- you need to blame your precious free market for that. Lenders went too far out on a limb and got burnt, so they over retreated. How is that the government’s fault? Unless the government started directly making loans, other than shoring up lenders (which they have done), guaranteeing loans (which they have done) and regulating so that it doesn’t happen again (which they are trying to do), there is nothing they can do. Plus, the fact that large corportations have taken many jobs overseas to cut costs and make more profits, or are buying goods manufactured overseas (ala Walmart), thereby squeezing small business out because they cannot compete (again, the good old free market) has nothing to do with it, right? It’s all the governmaents fault, which in your posts means Obama and the Dems fault.
They can’t interfere in the markets because that’s socialism and they are blamed for lack of action when the markets act by themselves in their own favor, but not ours…Will the government EVER do anything right for you? You want it out, you want to be free, but then when things go wrong you look to it and ask “Well, where were you when I neded you?” Make up your mind…