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By Jim Magee
Another take on the $85 billion bailout scam!
Back a few years ago, in April of 1997, after being disabled since April 1983, I was finally able to re-join the American workforce. I don’t want this piece to be a shrine for me, so I will simply list a few points and then cut right to the chase!!
This sequence of events began on April 23, 1983. (My mother’s birthday – interesting – yes?) I was struck, sometime in the early morning hours, by a vehicle (Nissan-280-z) –a hit and run driver, as a pedestrian on route I-95 in Groton, Connecticut. After many months and years of diligent effort on my part and my girlfriend at the time, not having the “luxury” of rehabilitative therapy, I worked with my lady friend and myself, to overcome some serious injuries.
Although more than a tad difficult, not only was I was able to rejoin the American workforce, but was also able to join the I.B.E.W. – International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. That was indeed a wonderful thing for me at 48 years of age, to finally be bringing home a respectable take-home pay. It wasn’t that my knowledge increased – only my take-home pay amount. background is necessary.
My doctor at that time, who was on-call at the hospital I was ultimately taken to, was an ex U.S. WW II Army surgeon. He came into the area where my girlfriend was sitting to give her his assessment of my chances. “He’s lost a lot of blood, but I think we can save him. I’m going to have to amputate both legs, they’re so badly damaged, he’ll never walk again but I think he’ll recover with some work.”
My girlfriend Marcia said to him, “Doctor Jones, if you cut off his legs – he will die!” To which Doctor Jones’ response was “No Marcia, he won’t die, he just won’t have his legs and obviously it will be tough, but he will live.” She said “no – you don’t understand. He’s told me lots of times, of watching his paternal great-grandfather for years in a wheelchair with only one leg, from the time he was a baby. He’s said to me many times – if I ever lost my legs I just wouldn’t want to live – I’ve seen how terrible life becomes when you’re stuck in a wheelchair and have to have someone wash you, feed you, transport you etc. etc. etc I’m telling you Dr. Jones, if he wakes up and discovers he has no legs, that will be it! He won’t even try to live – what would be the point?”
Dr. Jones said, “Well – OK Marcia – I will do what I can.” To which her response was – “you can always take them off later, but once they’re gone – they’re gone.”
So that was in 1983 and thank you Dr Jones and Marcia – I still have my legs. Oh, they’re not pretty, but they still work well enough that I am able to function on my own – not a wheelchair in my house!!
On October 29, 2002, I was employed by an I.B.E.W. company working on a project at a new power plant facility. Through no fault of anyone working with me, or even myself, I suffered a fall and ultimately damaged both rotator cuffs. (left and right shoulders – the right one was the worst)
A.I.G. was the insurance company that was hired by the union company that employed me, at that time. My joining the I.B.E.W. in 1997, was only after years and years of self-rehabilitation from my Non-Union accident!
It was my desire to have what-ever operations/procedures necessary to enable me to again be a fully functioning member of American society – thus allowing me to go off SSA Disability. (Although a wonderful thing when you can’t work, just try to live on the money they pay – but that’s a whole other story, and we’ll get to that on another occasion)
The orthopedic surgeon I was seeing at that time (not Dr. Jones – he’d long since retired) advised me that the sooner we got on with the rotator cuff surgery – the better. The longer I tried to function, with the rotator cuff tears – the more irreparable damage I was doing to those tiny tendons in the shoulders. That was what the doctor said.
That is not what A.I.G. said. A.I.G. refused to allow the surgery that would have enabled me to return to the workforce. Their reason for refusing to pay for the surgery was that according to A.I.G. - this was a PRE-EXISTING CONDITION. (another dreaded insurance term) Despite the fact that this would have allowed me to regain my independence and come off SSA Disability – “I’m sorry Mr. Magee, the answer is NO!!! – You’re on disability – get used to it!”
The crooks that run A.I.G. have the consuming audacity to request and receive, $85 billion dollars to bail-out their gross mishandling of their company, but will not help a citizen, whose only mistake in this fiasco, was to be insured by crooks.
Again I say – A.I.G. – my favorite – NOT!!!!!!!!
I’ve got some ideas to offer, keeping in mind I am not a financial wizard, but then again, neither is A.I.G.
1) U.S. government take over of corporations - AIG and the like
2) Re-assign every single corporate executive, in all companies, to regular working positions. Top pay for anyone in the company - $125,000.00. That’s what Ted Williams of the Red Sox made and his lifetime batting average was over 400. If they don’t like it – TOUGH S***! Be like the rest of us regular people and get a real job!!
I’ll get back to you with more solutions – work on these for now!!
Written by Jim Magee
