75 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 5 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
Life Arts   

More Perfect Union

By       (Page 4 of 7 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   2 comments
Message Tom Dodamead
I just have a hard time remaining tranquil when I think of how many millionaires I have to support if my son or daughter has a serious illness while I will certainly be doomed for financial collapse. It is a genuine fear for many of us far worse than terrorism. I believe we could have better quality health care for much less than what we are paying now. I have lived in a small third world country where we had two children. Our hospital bill for having a baby with a two nights stay in the hospital was $305 dollars in 1995. This included a nurse coming out to our house every two weeks for up to three months to make sure that everyone was doing OK, Mother and child. To me this was beautiful. Emergency room visits were $35. The doctors and nurses actually seemed to care instead of acting like they were part of a big money making machine. There was very little subsidy from the government. Our taxes and social security payments were far less than here in the U.S.

Why can’t we have such care here? Because our government allows them to put the healthcare gun to your head and say “your money or your life”. Because our doctors are afraid of being sued instead of caring about what is best for you. They can only do what the insurance company will pay for, and because they are to busy looking after their bottom line instead of your health. We have the worst health care system in the civilized world, unless you are rich. I believe the World Health Organization ranked us thirty-fifth in the world. It is shameful!

Wake up people! Vote them out!

Capitalistic health care is an oxymoron. It is a breeding ground for greed and corruption. We have proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

How can we fix it?

1. Form a nonprofit health insurance program that everybody participates in and contributes to according to his or her wealth. In towns where there is no public hospital, nationalize the health care services. You can’t let health care be under total control of a corporate entity.

2. Establish true free market access to health care. Make public record the success rate and failure rate of the doctor’s different procedures. Don’t restrict access to medical schools. Make the doctor's grades and performance public record. After all is that not what you are paying for?

3. Create a medical rating system for doctors and medical facilities that include actual patient’s feedback along with a professional review panel. Make this public information.

Again, for the most part doctors and health care workers are not to blame here. I believe most of them make a fair wage and are dedicated to your health. But then there are those doctors who think they are worth over five thousand dollars an hour. And after all what is your life worth?

Education

This education thing is a no brainer. College tuitions are out of sight for the average person. Education should be based on one's ability to perform, not on one's ability to pay.

You see, I believe the dumber they can keep the majority of people the less likely that we can break their grip on us. Yes this is their strategy. Please prove me wrong. I know that sounds extreme but that is exactly what is happening. Yes we can afford to educate everybody who wants an education. Probably for less than we are paying now if you add the cost of the extra police, prisons and crime together on top of the schools. Many poor countries have a higher literacy rate than we have.

Most of what we are paying for in our educational system is not education but indoctrination. That means being regimented into class structures that are not conducive to the way your brain wants to absorb information. Many students drop out because they don’t want to be indoctrinated. I believe this is human nature. This is why kids start smoking pot. There is this obvious government pressure to get kids to believe that marijuana makes you an instant loser when many of them know their parents smoked pot and hey many of them are successful. The hypocrisy is so obvious and unhealthy. Kids are very much smarter than you give them credit for. Teach your children well.

If we start trying to educate kids to use their God given wisdom instead of trying to program them with fear they will be able to make the judgments in life necessary to survive any destructive temptation life has to offer. If students were allowed to pursue their interest from a much earlier age instead of forced into the rigid class structured system we have now, students would flourish sooner and achieve more. The result would be fewer dropouts, less poverty, less need for police and prisons.

What is really hopeful for us is the Internet, for those who can afford it. We are rapidly progressing towards being able to educate ourselves. We need to make it available to everyone. All this talk about this free country we live in means almost nothing if you live in ignorance and poverty.

Transportation

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Tom Dodamead Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Male age 54 father of 2 married 16 years business marine services systems and technologies interest; sailing, scuba, political junkie
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

More Perfect Union

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend