This year's political campaign reaches a new note this evening when Barrack Obama takes a half hour on CBS, NBC (ABC was not mentioned in the list I saw) and several cable networks to drive home his points (Hopefully this will be an informative half hour, not a info-mercial, soap opera or comedy). At least that's what I hope he plans to do and not bore us with a lot of useless information.
I have read the pros's and con's regarding the telecast. My hope is that Obama will now give us some specifics on the plans he wants to enact if elected president. I want to hear his proposals on health care, energy, the economy and the USA's image abroad. I want him to explain how he is going to pay for his programs without going into my pocket and not taking out loans from foreign (China) lenders.
As I have stated, I have not made a decision on who to vote for. Neither candidate has impressed me. Tonight is Obama's night to shine (or crash) and we will watch and listen.
I wish the McCain campaign had the same amount of money to waste on a half hour presentation, but he needs to spend his cash in the undecided states.
Isn't amazing how the pollsters already know how we are all going to vote and how the electoral college is going to line up? I know some of the states have had voting going on for a couple of weeks but I do not trust the early predictions.
Let's wait until all of the electorate have had their opportunity in the ballot box before telling us trends.
Watch Obama this evening and see what he has to say.
Vote out all incumbents next Tuesday!!
Its Common Sense!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Bonus
Last night on the news I saw that several of the financial institutions we are bailing out with our tax dollars are still planning to give their employees bonus, averaging out to $110,000.00 per employee.
What's wrong with this picture?
I thought you rewarded people for doing a good job, not for bringing a country to financial ruin. The financial institutions already had the bonus money set aside. Seems to me that these financial institutions can use the bonus money to bail themselves out and leave my money alone.
Needless to say I will be writing to my representatives later today or tomorrow to have them explain to me why they are allowing our tax dollars to be used as rewards for mismanagement.
The Bankers and Wall Street boys/girls need to get their act together and stop considering themselves better than anyone else. No one deserves a bonus for going into debt or worse, into bankruptcy.
Congress needs to get control of this situation in a hurry, or we are going to find that our money is not being used to open up lending, rather to buy a Mercedes for some Wall Street fat cat.
Enough is enough. Write your representative, demand action and the protection of OUR money.
Its Common Sense!!
What's wrong with this picture?
I thought you rewarded people for doing a good job, not for bringing a country to financial ruin. The financial institutions already had the bonus money set aside. Seems to me that these financial institutions can use the bonus money to bail themselves out and leave my money alone.
Needless to say I will be writing to my representatives later today or tomorrow to have them explain to me why they are allowing our tax dollars to be used as rewards for mismanagement.
The Bankers and Wall Street boys/girls need to get their act together and stop considering themselves better than anyone else. No one deserves a bonus for going into debt or worse, into bankruptcy.
Congress needs to get control of this situation in a hurry, or we are going to find that our money is not being used to open up lending, rather to buy a Mercedes for some Wall Street fat cat.
Enough is enough. Write your representative, demand action and the protection of OUR money.
Its Common Sense!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Pickens Plan
Today I finally took the time to take a look at the Pickens' Plan of energy independence. A lot of things we have heard of, but the oil billionaire has plans to get it started. I would like to go to Texas and have a look at the windmills. Just how huge are they? How much power do they produce? How bad an eyesore are they?
My understanding is that the state of Delaware is going to begin the construction of some windmills in the near future, so I will drive over there and take a look. (Texas is too far at the moment.)
I signed Mr Pickins' petition because I want John McCain and Barrack Obama to come out and give some specifics. Can they convince the power companies and the oil companies (notice I am trying to avoid taxpayer dollars and loans from China) to put up the money to get these alternative sources of energy working? We know if there is a profit the energy and oil companies will be interested, and as long as it is a reasonable profit - nothing ridiculous like the oil companies made during this year - then more "power" to them.
The rhetoric needs to stop and action needs to begin. Obama and McCain need to present clear, specific plans and if they don't have one then they should sit down with T Boone Pickens and the executives of the energy and oil companies and come up with a plan that will make the USA energy independent and an example of clean energy for the rest of the world.
Its Common Sense!
My understanding is that the state of Delaware is going to begin the construction of some windmills in the near future, so I will drive over there and take a look. (Texas is too far at the moment.)
I signed Mr Pickins' petition because I want John McCain and Barrack Obama to come out and give some specifics. Can they convince the power companies and the oil companies (notice I am trying to avoid taxpayer dollars and loans from China) to put up the money to get these alternative sources of energy working? We know if there is a profit the energy and oil companies will be interested, and as long as it is a reasonable profit - nothing ridiculous like the oil companies made during this year - then more "power" to them.
The rhetoric needs to stop and action needs to begin. Obama and McCain need to present clear, specific plans and if they don't have one then they should sit down with T Boone Pickens and the executives of the energy and oil companies and come up with a plan that will make the USA energy independent and an example of clean energy for the rest of the world.
Its Common Sense!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Congress and Medicare
To my surprise I received a letter from my Congressman informing me about what Congress is doing to reform Medicare and health care in the country. Although I do not remember ever asking my Congressman about what is being done to save Medicare (I'm eligible in eight years - if the law doesn't change) I did find his information interesting. His letter follows my comments.
Finally the Congress is considering allowing Medicare to buy prescription drugs at bulk rate, just like the VA. Why wasn't that one of the first things Medicare was authorized to do as a dollar savings for the American tax payer and senior citizens? Seems to me that once again Congress is a little slow getting on the ball.
Congress is also considering the use of technology for better record keeping purposes. Once again, its a win win, so why consider when they can enact the measure immediately? I think it would be great if they could accurately track the doctors and clinics that have been ripping off Medicare/American taxpayer for years. Hopefully this would lead to the prosecution of violators and result in even more savings.
He goes on to talk about problems in Maryland related to the fact that there are not enough health care specialists. I am in favor of the government assisting with tuition for medical students - be they doctors, nurses or specialists. However, I think there needs to be strict enforcement of the terms of the contract for these students once they receive their degree and/or certification. In the past I have seen reports of students who had their full tuition to med-school paid by the Federal government with the understanding that they would serve for a period of time - three to four years - in an area of the country needing medical assistance - Indian reservations, parts of Appalachia, the Ozarks, etc,. If the student ops out then they have to reimburse the entire tuition. What upset me was to see the numbers who refused to honor their contract and attempted not to pay back our tax payer money. There have to guarantees that these people will be punished before I would agree to any money Federal money be spent.
There is no doubt that the health care system in this country is messed up and needs to reorganized. Fees have to fair, allowing patients the ability to pay them and doctors to make a decent (not flamboyant) living. There is also the whole matter of prescription drugs that have to be regulate so that there is an end to the exorbitant profits the pharmaceutical companies make.
How can the Federal government make health care better for all of us?
Read what Dutch has to say then let us know your thoughts. And not just us, let your representative know what you think they should be doing to make health affordable and available for all us.
Its Common Sense!
Dear Mr. Wolfe:
Knowing of your interest in the work of Congress, I wanted to provide you with a brief update on what Congress is doing to address the rising cost of health care to help all Americans.
The rapid inflation of health care costs affects all of us, and the spiraling cost of health care is risking the future of Medicare. Here is the problem we are facing: all Marylanders are facing a critical shortage in primary health care professionals, double-digit percent increases in health care costs, and health plans that are covering less and less. For example, if you are a senior citizen, the cost of prescription drugs is often a difficult choice between paying for the prescriptions you need versus paying your rent or buying food. In these unsure economic times, Congress must work to make sure there is access to quality and affordable health care.
Unfortunately, there is no one single solution to the health care crisis, and we cannot rely on just a tax credit or expanded insurance coverage. Here are some solutions that Congress is working on to address our systemic health care problems.
First, Congress must allow Medicare to purchase drugs at a bulk rate and pass those savings onto the patients, as the Department of Veterans Affairs does. Using the purchasing power of Medicare’s 44 million participants should immediately reduce the cost of the most popular life-saving drugs. When 75 million baby-boomers begin to retire, we will begin to see tremendous savings.
Second, Congress is considering legislation to increase the use of technology, especially electronic patient records, in the delivery of care. Technology will reduce costly medical errors, which directly contribute to the double-digit increases in the cost of health care for all Americans.
Third, Congress worked with patient advocacy groups and a coalition of doctors to stop dramatic cuts to Medicare and Medicaid proposed by the Bush Administration. The proposed cuts would have limited access to doctors and would have reduced the level of service for patients. Medicare is crucial to the delivery of health care to our seniors, and it must remain strong for our seniors and the next generation of Americans entering the program. I was proud to support Congressional action that prevented these cuts to Medicare.
Fourth, we are providing insurance to uninsured children. This expansion of health care coverage is necessary to teach young Americans about healthy living by focusing on preventative care. Hopefully, we will create a generation of Americans who focus on treating their health issues early. Preventative care will help save our country millions in health care cost in the long term.
Lastly, Maryland is experiencing real shortages of primary care health professionals. The number of primary care doctors in the state is at a critical level; we have 16% fewer primary care doctors than the national average, and 10% of the primary care physicians we do have are reaching retirement age. Maryland also faces a projected nurse shortage of over 15,000 nurses in the next 5 years. Without these medical professionals, access to care, and the quality of that care, will be severely diminished. In Congress, I have worked tirelessly to increase federal support for nursing schools and have voted in favor of student loan programs that assist students attending graduate or professional schools, in addition to college students. The recent economic rescue package will also help banks continue to make student loans at affordable rates, helping future medical professionals pay for their educations and work in these critical fields.
In the next Congress, I hope that we can work to make high quality health care accessible and affordable. In these tough economic times, reducing health care costs is a critical step in helping Americans make ends meet.
Sincerely,
C.A. Dutch RuppersbergerMember of Congress
Finally the Congress is considering allowing Medicare to buy prescription drugs at bulk rate, just like the VA. Why wasn't that one of the first things Medicare was authorized to do as a dollar savings for the American tax payer and senior citizens? Seems to me that once again Congress is a little slow getting on the ball.
Congress is also considering the use of technology for better record keeping purposes. Once again, its a win win, so why consider when they can enact the measure immediately? I think it would be great if they could accurately track the doctors and clinics that have been ripping off Medicare/American taxpayer for years. Hopefully this would lead to the prosecution of violators and result in even more savings.
He goes on to talk about problems in Maryland related to the fact that there are not enough health care specialists. I am in favor of the government assisting with tuition for medical students - be they doctors, nurses or specialists. However, I think there needs to be strict enforcement of the terms of the contract for these students once they receive their degree and/or certification. In the past I have seen reports of students who had their full tuition to med-school paid by the Federal government with the understanding that they would serve for a period of time - three to four years - in an area of the country needing medical assistance - Indian reservations, parts of Appalachia, the Ozarks, etc,. If the student ops out then they have to reimburse the entire tuition. What upset me was to see the numbers who refused to honor their contract and attempted not to pay back our tax payer money. There have to guarantees that these people will be punished before I would agree to any money Federal money be spent.
There is no doubt that the health care system in this country is messed up and needs to reorganized. Fees have to fair, allowing patients the ability to pay them and doctors to make a decent (not flamboyant) living. There is also the whole matter of prescription drugs that have to be regulate so that there is an end to the exorbitant profits the pharmaceutical companies make.
How can the Federal government make health care better for all of us?
Read what Dutch has to say then let us know your thoughts. And not just us, let your representative know what you think they should be doing to make health affordable and available for all us.
Its Common Sense!
Dear Mr. Wolfe:
Knowing of your interest in the work of Congress, I wanted to provide you with a brief update on what Congress is doing to address the rising cost of health care to help all Americans.
The rapid inflation of health care costs affects all of us, and the spiraling cost of health care is risking the future of Medicare. Here is the problem we are facing: all Marylanders are facing a critical shortage in primary health care professionals, double-digit percent increases in health care costs, and health plans that are covering less and less. For example, if you are a senior citizen, the cost of prescription drugs is often a difficult choice between paying for the prescriptions you need versus paying your rent or buying food. In these unsure economic times, Congress must work to make sure there is access to quality and affordable health care.
Unfortunately, there is no one single solution to the health care crisis, and we cannot rely on just a tax credit or expanded insurance coverage. Here are some solutions that Congress is working on to address our systemic health care problems.
First, Congress must allow Medicare to purchase drugs at a bulk rate and pass those savings onto the patients, as the Department of Veterans Affairs does. Using the purchasing power of Medicare’s 44 million participants should immediately reduce the cost of the most popular life-saving drugs. When 75 million baby-boomers begin to retire, we will begin to see tremendous savings.
Second, Congress is considering legislation to increase the use of technology, especially electronic patient records, in the delivery of care. Technology will reduce costly medical errors, which directly contribute to the double-digit increases in the cost of health care for all Americans.
Third, Congress worked with patient advocacy groups and a coalition of doctors to stop dramatic cuts to Medicare and Medicaid proposed by the Bush Administration. The proposed cuts would have limited access to doctors and would have reduced the level of service for patients. Medicare is crucial to the delivery of health care to our seniors, and it must remain strong for our seniors and the next generation of Americans entering the program. I was proud to support Congressional action that prevented these cuts to Medicare.
Fourth, we are providing insurance to uninsured children. This expansion of health care coverage is necessary to teach young Americans about healthy living by focusing on preventative care. Hopefully, we will create a generation of Americans who focus on treating their health issues early. Preventative care will help save our country millions in health care cost in the long term.
Lastly, Maryland is experiencing real shortages of primary care health professionals. The number of primary care doctors in the state is at a critical level; we have 16% fewer primary care doctors than the national average, and 10% of the primary care physicians we do have are reaching retirement age. Maryland also faces a projected nurse shortage of over 15,000 nurses in the next 5 years. Without these medical professionals, access to care, and the quality of that care, will be severely diminished. In Congress, I have worked tirelessly to increase federal support for nursing schools and have voted in favor of student loan programs that assist students attending graduate or professional schools, in addition to college students. The recent economic rescue package will also help banks continue to make student loans at affordable rates, helping future medical professionals pay for their educations and work in these critical fields.
In the next Congress, I hope that we can work to make high quality health care accessible and affordable. In these tough economic times, reducing health care costs is a critical step in helping Americans make ends meet.
Sincerely,
C.A. Dutch RuppersbergerMember of Congress
Friday, October 24, 2008
Customer Service
The stock market is falling world wide as more and more people are convinced that a world wide recession is occurring. Obama and McCain continue to fight over the right to confront the economic crisis.
(Do you think that maybe both of them are just a bit insane to try and confront such an enormous task?)
However, today I've decide to get away from politics and the economy and give my opinion on an area we all encounter at some time in our life. That of course is customer service, especially the kind you receive over the telephone.
I would like to share some recent experiences I have had with Verizon. Almost a year ago I signed up for the Verizon triple play, phone, Internet and cable. All went surprisingly well. A couple of weeks ago we decide to add the Portuguese channel to our TV. I called, answered the automated questions, selected my way through the codes and finally spoke to a service representative. She was polite, knowledgeable, made sure that the channel was available in my viewing area and promised the channel would be available in 24 hours.
The next day, 25 hours later, we input the proper channel and there was nothing. I once again called Verizon, went through the introduction procedure once again an finally was able to explain my problem to a young man. He verified that the order was being processed, did not understand the detail, but assured me that within one hour the channel would be available.
The time passed and unfortunately there was still no signal on the channel.
Another call to Verizon, once again the introduction procedure, this time I requested tech support and ended up chatting with a delightful guy I know as Mike from Texas. He looked up the record, then asked the channel number I had been attempting. Turned out my guide had the wrong number. Mike gave me the right number and my wife and I have been enjoying the new channel ever since.
This evening when I got home I found a notice from Verizon thanking me for signing up for some phone service - OnePoint Voice Mail for $9.00 a month. I don't know or care what it is, I never asked for it and I hope I can have the problem solved.
Once again I called Verizon, went through the introduction and was informed that due to a high caller volume I should be patient. (Evidently I'm not the only one who was informed they received a service they hadn't order.)
I have been listening to music for the past half hour, typing the blog with one finger. It being Friday they won't be available over the weekend, so I guess I will try again on Monday.
If you ever get a person, Verizon's personnel seem to have an idea of what is going on. That's better than some of the experiences I've had.
Share your experiences. Everyone has a customer service story they need to get out of their system.
We've all been frustrated and angered. Now's the time to get it out.
Its Common Sense!
(Do you think that maybe both of them are just a bit insane to try and confront such an enormous task?)
However, today I've decide to get away from politics and the economy and give my opinion on an area we all encounter at some time in our life. That of course is customer service, especially the kind you receive over the telephone.
I would like to share some recent experiences I have had with Verizon. Almost a year ago I signed up for the Verizon triple play, phone, Internet and cable. All went surprisingly well. A couple of weeks ago we decide to add the Portuguese channel to our TV. I called, answered the automated questions, selected my way through the codes and finally spoke to a service representative. She was polite, knowledgeable, made sure that the channel was available in my viewing area and promised the channel would be available in 24 hours.
The next day, 25 hours later, we input the proper channel and there was nothing. I once again called Verizon, went through the introduction procedure once again an finally was able to explain my problem to a young man. He verified that the order was being processed, did not understand the detail, but assured me that within one hour the channel would be available.
The time passed and unfortunately there was still no signal on the channel.
Another call to Verizon, once again the introduction procedure, this time I requested tech support and ended up chatting with a delightful guy I know as Mike from Texas. He looked up the record, then asked the channel number I had been attempting. Turned out my guide had the wrong number. Mike gave me the right number and my wife and I have been enjoying the new channel ever since.
This evening when I got home I found a notice from Verizon thanking me for signing up for some phone service - OnePoint Voice Mail for $9.00 a month. I don't know or care what it is, I never asked for it and I hope I can have the problem solved.
Once again I called Verizon, went through the introduction and was informed that due to a high caller volume I should be patient. (Evidently I'm not the only one who was informed they received a service they hadn't order.)
I have been listening to music for the past half hour, typing the blog with one finger. It being Friday they won't be available over the weekend, so I guess I will try again on Monday.
If you ever get a person, Verizon's personnel seem to have an idea of what is going on. That's better than some of the experiences I've had.
Share your experiences. Everyone has a customer service story they need to get out of their system.
We've all been frustrated and angered. Now's the time to get it out.
Its Common Sense!
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