Welcome to my blog.
I never thought I would be doing one of these things. Up until the last presidential campaign, I didn’t even know what a ‘blog’ was.
Some of you know me personally. Some of you ‘know of’ me through a novel I wrote entitled Pagan Moon (yes, it’s still available, but no, you still can’t find it in bookstores).
The purpose of this blog is not to sell more books.
Having completed my most recent writing project, I felt I needed to get some things off my chest, things that really bother me. I wondered if others felt the same way. I guess that’s my objective, to see what others think.
So here it is.
In my opinion we’ve got some serious problems in this country, problems that affect all of us.
These are not problems that can be solved by any one political party. They affect you whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian or have no political leanings at all. No political party or political philosophy is necessarily to blame. Unfortunately, we don’t hear these problems debated in the media. Why? Simply because the interests that perpetuate these problems are powerful. Their influence over the media is subtle, but real. Their advertising dollars have significant impact on the electronic media’s bottom line. Our so-called ‘news’ networks won’t challenge these subjects for fear of losing revenue.
You might ask, if these issues are so important, why are they not being debated in Congress? Politicians are influenced by only two things; self-preservation and money. They don’t necessarily represent us, but those who contribute heavily to their campaigns. These powerful economic forces are heavy contributors to their political coffers. They retain battalions of lobbyists who maraud the corridors of power. Their influence peddling has Congress in their hip pockets.
Consequently, our political leaders have become adept at distracting with issues that divide us. The political game played out in Washington and in the electronic media is a Kabuki dance of smoke and mirrors. Remember the Wizard of Oz? Dorothy and her friends have finally made to the great City of Oz and to the Wizard’s palace. Once inside, smoke, fireworks and a threatening voice try to intimidate the intrepid adventurers. Then Toto the dog, sniffs out the truth, but the booming voice cautions them to "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
Who is this man behind the curtain? It’s actually a group of men (and a few women too) who run two major industries, both of which are increasingly into our pockets, making us poorer, and by doing so, threatening you and your family’s economic well being, which is at the heart of our country’s strength and security.
If you are a typical American, these forces are taking more out of your disposable income each year. The rate of increase of their doing so far exceeds any of your raises or cost of living adjustments. Let’s face it, most of us live from paycheck to paycheck, in other words—on the financial edge. Many of us are over-mortgaged, tuition poor, in hock up to our eyeballs, and are only one natural disaster or healthcare crisis away from financial ruin. Sixty percent of us who should retire in ten years have less than $50,000 in liquid assets.
We are in trouble, people!
Who are these villains? One is the healthcare industry, a group comprised of insurance companies, pharmaceutical corporations, and our healthcare delivery systems (hospitals and physicians). And let’s not forget our system of malpractice litigation.
The second group of villains is the financial services industry, the banks and their credit card companies.
In future entries to this blog I’d like to explore the challenges these industries pose to all of us. But in the meantime, I’d like to ask you one simple question. Are you paying more and more for your healthcare but receiving less and less? Where will it end?
If what I’ve said strikes home, let a friend know about his blog. I’m also interested in your opinion and/or suggestions.
But before signing off, I’d like to leave you with one final thought. It’s a quote from Mike Adams of NewsTarget: "Defenders of organized medicine are fond of saying that the United States has the best healthcare in he world, but I challenge that. I don’t think we have the best healthcare in the world, I think we have the most expensive healthcare in the world. In fact, in terms of results for dollars spent, I think the United States ranks very near the bottom of the list of all industrialized nations. We get less actual healthcare than anyone else for each dollar that we spend."
If you’d like to comment on any of the foregoing, please feel free to e-mail me at WGDavis46.aol.com.
If you do not what an alert as to future entries of this blog, please contact me at the same place.
More info on me and Pagan Moon at this web site.
