Internal problems more dangerous than terror (health care, etc.)?

[badshotbob]

Something I"™ve been thinking about lately (years): What is the real danger in this country?

If you look at things like:
"¢ Over the next decade the budget deficit is likely to hit $5 trillion
"¢ Trade deficit grows more upside down every year
"¢ Foreign governments holding U.S. debt and dollars has skyrocketed
"¢ $72 trillion in unfunded future retirement and health care obligations
"¢ Record low savings rate
"¢ Manufacturing jobs being lost
"¢ More competition for jobs globally
"¢ Dependence on foreign oil
"¢ The U.S. has agencies that support U.S. companies investing overseas

"¦ and the list goes on, and on.

The monster that has my attention as of late though is health care. My wife recently acquired a subscription for nausea (she has morning sickness something awful). I have a $10 co pay on scrips, thank God. The cost for 40 pills: $1,400. Ha?

According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, Americans die younger, have fewer doctors and hospital beds living a greater share of their lives in pain than residents of other industrialized nations.

On average, Americans pay $4,000 more a year for the same or less adequate health care than citizens of other OECD countries.

Over the past few decades health care costs have reached phenomenal increase rates as high as three times the rate of inflation.

Since 2000, premiums have risen 73%, wages have only increased 15%

Since 2000 companies offering health care have dropped by 13%, now only 60% of companies offer health care.

Years ago health care costs amounted to about 2% of payroll, now that figure is over 30% with a family of four averaging $900/month (average of 82% is covered by the employer).

An estimated 46 million Americans have no health coverage at all.


To put this into perspective, take a look at GM"™s health care battle.

"¢ GM"™s health care costs have exceeded the cost of steel
"¢ GM spends $10,000 each minute on health care costs, that"™s $43 million every three days
"¢ GM posted a $8 billion dollar loss last year, $5.3 billion was spent on health care
"¢ GM pays for a medical procedure every second
"¢ GM pays for a prescription every two seconds (nearly $2 billion annually "“ enough to bring two cars to market every year)
"¢ One out of every 87 Americans over the age of 65 has their medical bills paid by GM, for all ages it"™s one out of every 279 Americans
"¢ GM spends more on health care than the total revenue of 121 companies on the Fortune 500 list

I hold a particular interest in GM so I used them as an example. The problem reaches far beyond GM though.

These things, in my estimation, are likely to cause more damage and chaos than the most imaginative terrorist group could possibly bring to this country.

Makes me wonder, are we sinking? This is only my opinion, and I have no clue of how to fix it so please, chime in.

[James B]

Have no fear badshot, Nancy is going to fix all these minor problems. It may however take her a couple weeks.

I know what you mean though, while we try to fix the worlds problems, we are being eaten up from the inside. )f all the things I see wrong though, it moral decay that worries me most. Thats a big crack in the foundation of our country.

[badshotbob]

James, you are absolutely correct - the moral degredation in this country has led us to these problems.

[burniegoeasily]

If you want cheeper medical care, quit your job. Then the rest of us can pay for you. Its the American way. We work so others do not have too. Sorry Badshot for taking a stab at your post. You are right though, and my spoof can explain some of the problems. We pay so much for health care to counter that which is not paied for. We have a free market/social health care system. The two do not jive. Our options are full free market, (which will leave people who cant pay to die, and we know that will never happen), or social health care. That way our taxes can be a little higher and health care more affordable. Kinda like Canada. But if I understand right, Canadian health care is not all that good. I have a friend who lives there, is just now getting to have a knee surgery. He has been waiting almost a year to get his knee fixed. Because it was just a simple meniscus removal, it was not deamed life threatning, so he had to wait. even though it has been painful and he has been on and off crutches, has been irrelavent.

[Whitehorse]

The problem with health care can be summed up by the layers of unnecessary bureaucracy involved & the tremendous lack of market forces in that industry.

The influx of illegal aliens & lack of border security top my list for internal problems, as is the increased dependence on foreign oil. We forgot about illegal aliens, border security, & energy independence for the most part during this last election. These issues need to be addressed quickly & decisively by the new congress - no amnesty, secure the borders, hold those who employ illegal aliens accountable, increase refining capacity & drill for our own darn oil!

[James B]

You are right whitehorse but with a more liberal congress and Bush wanting to give amnesty to the whole damn bunch, the illigal problem will just get worse. IMO.

[elgallo114]

We've always ignored our problems in favor of trying to fix another countries problems. Makes us look humanitarian and all.

I'm not really into the isolationist thing, but sometimes I think they might be on to something. I mean, everytime I see Sally Struthers or someone like her asking for more money for some other country's kids, I wonder why we won't help our own first. I'm all for helping other people have food, jobs, health care, etc.... As soon as not one person in our country is left out in the cold. Provided of course they are willing to work a little for it and help us help them.

[ranger56528]

I agree whitehorse..
114...we are a helping nation,it a good thing and also a bad thing,but were do you draw the line.
And I do have a big big big problem with the Libs.........