OT: Health Care Reform - Reality ** Kinda Longish

[Guest guest]

Howdy y'all,

 

This post is about reality .. its not intended to be negative or positive ..

its reality as I know it. It will bore some folks but it might cause some

others to more clearly see how things are now .. not how they wish it was ..

but how it is.

 

Having spent a considerable amount of time in combat situations I hold the

attitudes of soldiers in great esteem .. even most of the youngsters

evaluate their situations based on what is happening .. not on how they

wish it was. They do not feel as if they are being victimized .. I like

this attitude. I decided to write this post for two reasons .. one is that

though today is the opening day of Wild Turkey season .. we had

thunderstorms so I didn't go .. the second reason is because of something

that happened Thursday while I was shopping at Rural King .. wearing my

Retired U.S. Army cap .. most folks around here know I am a retired officer

but I still like to wear my cap. A man who was maybe 6' 2 " or so .. in his

early 60s or so .. and no body fat .. wearing a Retired U.S. Marine Corps

cap .. walked up to me and said, " Master Gunnery Sergeant so and so repotin'

suh! " He looked just like a USMC Master Gysgt should look. I smiled and

we shook hands and began to chew the fat. My wife and son continued to

shop while me and this fellow walked outside and sat down .. and began to

solve some of the problems in the world.

 

He was one of the most intelligent and well informed persons I have met

since moving here in the summer of 2007 and before we knew it we had spent

an hour or so talking. We hit on the economy and unemployment .. on

Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, the Palestinian issues .. Islamic

Terrorism .. the Health Care Bill .. the Congress .. and the current

administration. We reminisced about military life .. compared it to living

in the civilian world. We talked about why we decided to retire in

Paris/Henry County, TN .. both of us having spent more than half our adult

lives outside the U.S.A. and both of us having served in exotic vacation

spots like Vietnam and Somalia and some Arab countries. We hit on the

shoddy treatment we received from our fellow citizens when we returned from

tours in Vietnam .. and more. We also discovered (which was not surprising

to me) that our opinions of the current president were identical. I gave

him my address and invited him to stop by any time and have a beer and we

would continue to solve world problems .. and I mentioned that anymore when

I met someone I hesitated to say that .. I normally would say " come over for

a glass of ice tea or a beer " and maybe 20% of the time the response

is something like, " I'll have the tea but I don't drink " .. meaning .. here

in the Bible Belt .. I do my drinking in secrecy. ;-) Then he said

something that I truly believe but will probably upset some folks. He said

that he used to tell his junior NCOs that when they retired, unless

they wanted to live outside a military base they would face a different

segment of American society and in some cases they would need to " dumb down "

when discussing political and international events .. or learn to keep their

opinions to themselves. The reason for this .. different expectations and

different interpretations of reality. Not worse .. just different. I

will mention now that I am a white man and he was a black man but we had

found a brother in each other. This has always been the case with

professional military folks.

 

During my military career .. while wearing my Military Police cap I worked

with city, county, state and federal law enforcement and intelligence

agencies .. as well as with foreign law enforcement and intelligence

agencies. Wearing my Foreign Area Officer cap and while in the Attache

business and also with NATO, I carried a Diplomatic Passport and worked with

U.S. and foreign government and diplomatic agencies and embassies. I was

often given access to classified information that I knew was wrong .. in

some cases it was Political Bovine Excrement .. but I was required to play

their " Alice In Wonderland " games at meetings and cocktail parties and

such. I did not always like it but it was my job to be diplomatic so I did

it to the best of my ability. I could speak openly and honestly with my

military counterparts and superiors .. but I was not living in a purely

military environment at that time. I am no longer required to be

diplomatic.

 

The comments in this post are based on my knowledge and my personal

experiences .. in and out of government service and the corporate world ..

and on my expectations and interpretation of reality .. it is not based on

emotion or wishful thinking and I am not taking a partisan position .. I

dislike and distrust all government.

 

The two toughest jobs in the U.S. Military are .. Commander and Plans &

Operations Officer. They are the two most dangerous jobs to a career ..

and the two most rewarding jobs to a career. Do well in these jobs and its

up the ladder you go. Fail ONE TIME and it is the end of your career ..

there are NO second chances! For this reason, many officers try to avoid

these jobs. I served as a Commander three times and as a Plans & Ops

Officer five times during my 30 year military career. My last Plans & Ops

position was Provost Marshal Plans & Ops Officer for Third U.S. Army (U.S.

Army Component Central Command) which involved peace time and war time

planning and training for operations throughout the entire Middle East and

for Africa north of the Sahara. My first job after retirement from the

military was as Chief of Plans, Operations, Quality Control and Safety, for

a multi million dollar government maintenance and services contract for all

U.S. Military Bases in Turkey. Point is .. I served my time in the barrel

and I have seen the elephant .. reality from all sides. Because (like all

other successful commanders and planners) I accepted that my work week would

never be less than 100 hours, I was successful in these " Bet Your Future "

positions. I explain this not to brag .. though it might appear to be

so its actually pride .. but I lay it out to prepare to show how critical it

is to be totally responsible in planning (Plans & Ops) and in decision

making .. (Commanding). One never gets a second chance if they fail in

these positions while in the military .. and generally not in the corporate

world .. but unfortunately, this is not the case in government.

 

I believe that the closest examples I can give to relate these two tough

jobs to top management and leadership in our Federal Government would be ..

Plans & Ops (Congress) and Commander (President).

 

Another pertinent point now is .. in the military and corporate worlds

... one does not get these tough jobs by having good connections, by having

backers or by having a charismatic personality. They do not receive " On

The Job Training " while serving as a Commander or Chief of Plans & Ops ..

they start out at lower positions and must prove they are capable of taking

on more responsibility before they are placed into these positions of

responsibility. This has rarely been the case for members of

Congress. Most of our Presidents throughout history have shown proven

capabilities prior to taking office .. not all .. but most. Our current

president was an unknown who had not been in any position of

responsibility. He is now doing his best to learn on the job .. and he is

depending greatly on his charisma and his teleprompter to convince the

public that the Emperor Has New Clothes. Whether we disagree or agree with

Obama's decisions .. does not change this fact.

 

In the military and the corporate world, those in these tough positions must

justify projected/future plans when they brief boards of experts (staff) and

the ultimate decision maker. There are no preconceived outcomes when we

began our research and planning .. we must coordinate these plans with all

concerned and resolve differences when we can and consider all shortcomings

... prior to completing our first draft. Any realistic assumptions

we make regarding execution of the plans must be made clear in every

presentation. Assumptions are almost always made when planning but they

must be honest and realistic and capable of being defended when closely

scrutinized by the decision makers. Sometimes the assumptions will not be

acceptable to the decision maker and we are sent back to the drawing

board. Example of an acceptable assumption .. " Based on the best forecasts

for inflation, this is the projected cost of maintenance at Humma Humma if

we do not have an earthquake during the Fiscal Year. An unacceptable

assumption .. " Based on the best forecasts for inflation, this is the

projected cost of maintenance at Humma Humma if we are able to obtain the

two new Caterpillar road graders we have asked for. " That second

assumption would result in a Commanding General or Project Manager telling

the Plans & Ops officer to go back and come up with a Plan B .. a plan that

does NOT include the two road graders. Governments operate differently ..

they have a preconceived outcome before the planning .. the goal is NOT to

execute a successful plan and be able to fund it .. they are not into a

profit motive or living within a fixed budget .. profit and loss

statements can always be dealt with in many ways .. all of which require

spinning of facts and pointing of fingers .. the goal is to sell the plan ..

and success is a political win rather than a functional, operational

success. Much of the planning involves creating a Spin Zone for

presentation of the plan, Smoke & Mirror Defenses if it fails .. and

determining who will be the Fall Guy if all Hell breaks loose. The

best government plans are those where the outcome will not be apparent until

after an election. Selling such a plan is a short term goal and if ..

incidental to the facts presented .. it turns out to be a good plan

... Great! If it is later determined to be a dismal failure .. Plan B is to

break out the Smoke & Mirrors .. Plan B is entitled .. The Great Escape.

All of what I have written up to this point is probably bothering the

Idealists .. but those who have worked in the system and have become

disaffected to a point of not having great expectations of government in

general .. will say .. " I knew that .. I just wanted to forget it .. or .. I

had great HOPE for CHANGE this time. "

 

Almost all of the provisions of the new Health Care Bill will not come into

play until after the 2010 Mid Term Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections

... and the majority of them will not come into play until after the 2012

Presidential election. It is a great success for the current

administration because a determination of failure is not likely to be made

until more important events .. like elections .. have become history.

 

Another pertinent point now is .. usually in the corporate world .. and

ALWAYS in the military .. the commander (final decision maker) is held

totally responsible for the success or failure of plans s/he approves .. and

even for the actions of their subordinates. U.S. Navy ship captains are

immediately relieved of duty if there is a collision or a ship runs aground

... matters not if s/he was in their cabin catching 1 hour of shut

eye. If a U.S. Air Force NORAD base gets an unacceptable security

inspection .. the commander is gone within 24 hours. Improper training or

discipline of troops that results in a major loss immediately ends the

career of U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army Officers. These folks are held

accountable and they are responsible for their commands and the actions of

their subordinates. Unfortunately, the person holding the Highest Position

in the United States of America is exempt for all of this .. s/he can simply

spin the facts .. or outright lie (plausible deniability) or blame someone

else .. and throw the Fall Guy under the bus .. after promising them another

position as payment for their loyal agreement to take the blame! They can

not be held accountable until they must again ask the public to rehire them

or send them packing.

 

IF .. governments planned and operated the way the U.S. Military and most

Corporations plan and operate .. the chances for success of their plans and

operations would be great. IF .. government planners and decision makers

were held to the same standards as military and corporate planners and

decision makers there would be more honest effort put into the planning and

there would be a clear chain of custody for ownership of information

presented to the decision makers .. and for the ultimate decisions of those

decision makers. Our government is too big and too devious so fixing

blame it difficult .. it is going to be bigger and more devious if the

public allows it to happen. Governments make a decision and then tell the

planners to justify that decision .. this is a norm but it is dishonest ..

governments are by nature dishonest. Its near impossible to nail down Who

Shot John when a government decision is made .. but in the Military and in

the Corporate world .. that planner's career is hanging on the results of

their honest efforts. Bribery is illegal in the Corporate world .. but we

know it happens often. However, it is TOTALLY unacceptable in the

Military .. even the appearance of indiscretion dooms you. A married

officer who screws around on their spouse is OUT! Morals are not an

issue in government .. whether or not it should be is a matter of personal

opinion. Bribery is not only acceptable in our Federal and State

governments .. it is a practiced norm. This has been the case throughout

American history .. matters not which party was in control. Government by

nature is immoral and dishonest .. and this will not change until the public

demands change. The most we can hope for is that from time to time they

will get something right .. and the public will benefit from this rare

situation.

 

I am doing all I can to avoid sounding partisan in this reply .. anyone who

thinks my comments sound partisan has not paid close enough attention to

what is really happening now and during the last years of the previous

administration. But they should not feel bad .. they are in good

company because this is the norm .. not the exception.

 

If you don't really understand the Bill now .. you are also in good

company. Even our president and Congress have not paid attention to this

Health Care Bill .. it was not possible for them to do this. There might

be some folks who are offended by some portion of my post because they think

(actually HOPE) they have all the answers .. or what I write does not

pertain to their personal situation .. as they perceive it. It is not

possible to know all of the possible variables that might have an impact on

each member of the group .. but the fact that some members might be in good

or bad shape due to reasons other than what I am posting on now .. does

NOT change the realities of the Big Picture. There will always be

exceptions to any statement anyone can make .. they must be accepted as

exceptions .. just as any group (or government) planning effort can never

include provisions to cover all exceptions .. no post to a News Group can

include preemptive strikes against any and all objections or disagreement.

Though this post is turning into a book .. and it covers a wide range of

topics .. I would not be surprised to see some replies that say they agree

or disagree .. and nothing more .. we will not know what they agreed or

disagreed with. For sure the range of topics is wide enough to (probably)

preclude posts saying someone agrees or disagrees with the entire post.

;-)

 

I have not read about or heard of one single sane person .. Republican,

Democrat or Independent .. claiming that Health Care Reform was NOT needed

... everyone wants this. But as is the case in real life .. with you and me

.. down where the rubber meets the road we all want something we don't

have .. and most all of us actually need something we don't have to make our

lives and the lives of our families better. Difference is .. most of us

are limited to what we can get by how much cash we have now and what we

forecast will be in our pockets next year. Not so with the Federal

Government. We must prioritize the acquisition of our needs .. those

necessary purchases and home improvements and other expenses that will

improve our lives. Not so with the Federal Government. The idea of

Health Care Reform was one of the very few campaign promises our president

made that he has tried to keep. And this was based more on his ideology

than it was on logical planning .. the priority of this action is so far

from logical that those who are not completely mesmerized by the person or

the plan can not fail to see this. America is suffering from a sucking

chest wound .. our economy is in worse shape than it has been in my life

time and our jobless rate is worst than it has been since 1983 .. when

Ronald Reagan fixed it with stern measures. These are .. should have been

... the top priorities of this administration. If they had been dealt with

first we can bet our bippy that the high percentage of opposition to this

badly planned reform bill would not be half as high as it is now. Main

opposition now is not really government control of health care .. though

this was the original plan it got sidetracked because even most Democrat

members of Congress reject this .. the major objections are about the cost

... the unknown real cost .. at a time when our bank balance is more

than Zero .. when our debt that was up to our asses has now moved up to

our chest and this plan (if it is ever executed) would move it up to

somewhere around our necks.

 

Health Care Reform is needed .. period. And it is my personal opinion that

President Obama will go down in history for two major accomplishments .. one

of being the first non white President of the United States .. and the

second of being the one who kicked us in the butt and forced us to give

attention to the fact that Health Care Reform was an issue we could not

continue to ignore. However .. I believe that he will be faulted for his

timing .. and perhaps for his motives.

 

Many of us need things that we can not afford now. Most of us are

responsible enough to realize that we can not pay for all of the even

critical things we need like fixing the leaky roof or buying a new heating

system or a more fuel efficient car .. or new false teeth or hearing aids.

And even when we have a good plan for future improvement of our lives, those

plans can go to Hell if we experience an unplanned disaster .. like losing

our job. Not so for the Federal Government .. they just keep on trucking.

Of course, there are some folks who are not responsible .. who are deep in

debt to credit card companies and cannot pay their mortgage payments

because they did not plan well or prioritize their buying .. they were like

children in a toy store who grabbed up all that they could see without any

thought of how they were going to pay for it when they reached the cash

register and when they got to the register .. they just pulled out another

credit card. These people and the Federal Government operate in the same

manner. These people have come to believe that when they are in deep doo

doo .. the government will come to their rescue .. and the government has

come to believe that when they are in deep doo doo .. they can force the

working people to come to their rescue.

 

I say again .. a Capitalist government can only give to the citizens that

which they can take from the citizens .. no more. Capitalist governments

do not produce income .. they consume resources and income. They own no

manufacturing capability .. even license plates sold to states that are

produced by the Federal Prison Industries are produced using taxpayer

dollars. For responsible families .. and for STATE governments .. there is

a clear cut limit to how much they can spend .. they must operate with a

balanced budget .. they can not print more money, cannot devalue the

currency, and can not borrow from China or Japan. They can not make wild

and incorrect assumptions about future revenue .. they can't bet on the come

... they must sit down and decide how thick or thin the slices of the

pie will be cut and who will get what size piece. The FEDERAL government

has no such restrictions .. they can do all of these things .. and

unfortunately, they do. Especially unfortunate are the lies they spread on

how well a program will work when they are trying to sell it to the people

... and to Congress. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is quoted as

being the bipartisan authority that determines actual present and future

costs .. and savings .. of any program .. and the CBO is in fact bipartisan

... but they can only price that which is given to them .. garbage in results

in garbage out and pricing of the current Health Care Bill was (by CBO's own

admission) garbage in and out. Many known and planned expenses were left

out of the data given to the CBO .. Congress admits this. There were some

wild and invalid assumptions made regarding the future of the economy and

the unemployment rates .. and even this past week we have seen Federal

government claims of improvement in the economy and unemployment rates ..

claims that were proven to be FALSE within hours of them being announced!

This is not unusual .. and it is not limited to Democrat Party controlled

government .. we have seen the same thing in some previous Republican

governments.

 

The difference between the charters and platforms of the two political

parties in America are great .. but rarely have we seen a lot of adherence

to those provisions. I believe that the loss of public support and respect

for our current Congress .. which began during the last years of the

previous administration .. will in the future result in one of these

political parties adjusting their " written " position to be more in line with

the desires and expectations of Middle America .. and the other political

party adjusting their " written " position to be more in line with logic ..

credibility .. and doability. At present both parties hold positions that

are idealistic and not in line with the financial capabilities of a nation

this size. We can not continue to play the role of Santa Claus ..

World Leader in all Matters .. and World Police in all Conflicts .. and we

can not be a Nanny State nor can our government be the Big Brother of its

citizens .. the public will not accept this .. and by the " public " I do NOT

mean those on the extreme Right or the extreme Left! They are not capable

of electing anyone but we find that some government leaders try to please

one or the other of these factions because they consider them as being their

grass roots support base .. how wrong they are .. and this lesson is being

given a lot of emphasis now!

 

I will be 68 years old come July. My grandparents lived through the best

of times .. they did not know it then but its a fact. My parents lived

through the worst of times .. and during my youth I experienced some of this

... those of you who lived during WW II when we had to choose between shoes

or gasoline .. sugar or chocolate .. and other commodities and goods that

were controlled by stamps .. know of what I speak. However, most of my

life I enjoyed the best of times. My wife, who was born and raised in

Russia, is now living the best of times. Due to me now being a relatively

successful middle class American, my young son is now living in the best of

times .. but that will change when he is older .. he will be forced to live

as my parents did .. through the worst of times .. and as a result of this

... I hope (and believe) that his children will be able to live through the

best of times. It is possible that many of these generations will not

even realize what they are living because they will have no basis for

comparison.

 

Back to the so called Health Care Reform Bill. I have said that the

pricing was wrong .. and there is nothing unusual about this. Pricing of

the Social Security program was also garbage in and garbage out .. within 15

years after the program was initiated the actual cost was over 1,500%

higher than the projected cost. Last week came the government announced

that Social Security (SS) had finally gone underwater .. meaning more was

being paid out than was coming in. But this is political spin .. the SS

program had been in a deficit position for some years .. it and some other

non discretionary programs were being paid out as unfunded requirements ..

read that as debt .. or as deficit. When SS was implemented, it was

explained that funds would be kept in a separate account that would draw

interest, etc. This never happened .. payments into the SS fund were

thrown into the General Fund and they were cannibalized by every President

and every member of Congress from the day the program began. Bernard

Madoff does not get credit for having pulled off the greatest Ponzi Scheme

in history .. his was second to that of the scheme he used as a model .. the

U.S. Social Security Program. Give this some thought!

 

Economists today firmly state that the cost of the Health Care Reform

Bill will exceed the projected costs between 500% and 1,000%. The truth is

somewhere in there. This bill was passed using whatever devious methods

were needed to make it happen .. and the CBO could not accurately price it

because they did not receive accurate information .. they could not receive

accurate information because nobody had accurate information .. and nobody

had accurate information because nobody knew what was in the Bill .. not the

president and not any member of Congress. Even Pelosi admitted that they

had to pass the bill and get it firmed up as a law so they could see what

was in it. I say it will be many more months before they know what is in

it because 2,700 + pages .. which could actually wind up being 10,000 +

pages if all the references are followed up .. is too much for one person or

one agency to absorb. We will surely continue to see various portions of

the bill being criticized by various agencies within the federal and state

governments .. and in time the CBO will be forced to go back to the drawing

board .. and in time the Bill as it is currently written will take on a

completely different appearance .. that we can take to the bank!

 

In a pure Socialist system, central government can operate far more

efficiently than can those that are Capitalist. That is the major upside

to Socialism .. and also the ONLY upside. The downside is what such

systems do to the people .. and generally, only those who have lived under

other systems have the ability to compare how they are living under a

Socialist .. or Social Democratic system. This is no different than the

examples I gave above regarding which generations lived in the best or worst

of times. Even some of us can relate to this when we think of our own

children today.

 

As for good health care programs .. there are some that are good .. and

there are reasons why they can be good. From a point of satisfaction, even

in those " good " systems attitudes regarding what works or does not work

depends on what folks in that country are used to having .. and on their

expectations. Some older folks might interpret any government effort to

give them access to free or reduced cost Health Care as being " Manna from

Heaven " .. while some younger folks who were born after a " Cradle to Grave

or Womb to Tomb " Health Care programs was implemented might find fault in

their current programs when belts begin to tighten. When a central

government is forced to reduce or eliminate some services due to an increase

in population coupled with a reduction in revenue because of high rates

of unemployment .. those who have seen better times will find fault because

they have a basis for comparison. Also .. those who have begun to see

Universal Health Care as a " right " rather than as a " privilege " will find

fault when any service is reduced.

 

Those group members from other countries who are happy or unhappy with their

government health care plans can not really compare their situation with

that of the U.S.A. There are many valid reasons for this statement and I

will not address them now .. this post is already too long .. but I will

address them in the future. I will enlighten some folks and upset others

... and the information I present will not necessarily be Politically Correct

... but it will be backed up by facts that can be validated if one wants to

do the research. The United States of America is not a European country ..

and it can not be compared to Canada or Australia. Though there are some in

our government who would like for this statement to not be true .. there is

no chance that it will happen anytime soon .. and if it did happen .. I

promise that Europe and Australia .. and more so .. Canada .. would not like

the unintended consequences. I promise to back up these words .. in time.

 

All of the above is a part of my view of reality and my expectations based

on that view. Some of you will disagree .. but I believe we will not have

to wait long to see what will happen. The proof of the quality of the

pudding is going to be in the taste .. and since those who made the pudding

have already tried to cram it down our throats .. that taste is going to be

evaluated real soon.

 

Y'all have a nice weekend .. and Happy Easter .. and keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch .... http://www.AV-AT.com <http://www.av-at.com/>

 

PS: Anyone who feels offended by this post .. and desires an apology ..

though it is not sincere .. it is included below. ;-)

 

apology