Poignant and pertinent. There are many of us who share your thoughts and feelings. Thank you for sharing. As our first President was quoted as saying, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government". It's high time we get back to good governance.
What a GREAT article. No truer words spoken. I just attended General Michael Flynn's gathering and movie last night. It was great to meet a TRUE American!! It was sad to hear and see what our corrupt "leaders" can and have done to Real Americans that only want what is best for our country. Everyone needs to watch his movie (FLYNN Deliver the Truth Whatever The Cost) and pass it on to save our country. If the government can do it to Flynn, they can do it to ALL of us.
Without being unduly proud, you realize that with gray hair comes some degree of wisdom. The fact that you have actually learned something worth sharing with others makes one want to write a Current article or even write a book. Thank you to all of the authors on this medium who take the trouble to put their thought down coherently. People do actually read and learn. I’m constantly amazed to have people I don’t know come up and thank me for having the courage to shed a little light on subjects I know something about. We all need to have the same courage to speak up. Even a little candle dispels a lot of darkness . Last night General Michael Flynn shined a big searchlight of truth onto the dark deep state that tried to take him out. Check out Flynn Movie on Amazon
Moses complained "these kids today have no sense". Each successive generation doubted the ability of the youth to take over the reigns of society. Surely the young lacked wisdom but they were fundamentally like their parents and their parents parents. They learned and grew and healthy society continued. Today it is different. Belief in God and faith is at an all time low. Abandonment of faith is an abandonment of a belief system that allows civil society to exist. Each day I hear of unprecedented actons taken by courts in the prosecution of political enemies, unprecedented open borders, unprecedented unconstitutional loan forgiveness, unprecedented and unconstitutional changes in election laws and a hundred other examples. All these actions were never done before not because they could not be done but because our collective moral fiber and adherence to the constitution prevented it. Until my 60's I was a self described atheist. It was the unprecedented sexualization of children in public school which I viewed as a pure evil and I was drawn to faith. It is the one and greatest wisdom I gained with age. It is also the one and greatest wisdom to pass on to our youth and the only hope for America.
The function of the elders, the seniors, in the social order is intragenerational stability, and knowledge transmission by living being to living being. This contact allows for questioning, and revision of thinking.
Rebellion, and even revolution, are the activities of the young minds who become entranced by the written words of long dead radicals whose thinking cannot be questioned, merely followed. Revolutions of the young have always in history been directed by middle aged men who were seeking advantage in society at any cost to that society, including its destruction. These players seek power through overturning the social order, not the redress of wrongs.
What will result from a revolutionary dynamic that is propelled by the seniors and the very young?
What will result from a revolutionary ethos that seeks not power from overturning of relative social positions, but the elimination of the system from which that power derives?
What form of world are YOU building NOW in your Revolution?!?
Since I am an ole timer...I can understand everything you said...and completely agree with you. But, not to worry too much. I read the end of the Book. Ultimately, God's follower's win...and everyone else loses. We just need to keep doing what we can to help others...and not give up.
As a LEGAL immigrant from India who came to the United States at the age of 18 to go to university as an international student on an F 1 student visa, I can relate to the exorbitant tuition that I was paying, inspite of a scholarship I had secured as an undergraduate. The scholarship was a pittance and to top it all of, we were constantly under the gun when it came to immigration issues, deadlines, filings so that our visas never ran out etc. What truly angers me to no avail at this point about the immigration nonsense, is that people are BRAZENLY walking across our Southern borders, but I had to jump through every darn hoop homeland security threw at me including exorbitant attorney fees to file the requisite green card and citizenship paperwork, all of which took a solid 18 years until I finally became a US citizen in December 2009. We live in a different country than the one I came to in 1991. Sad how things have de-evolved into a hot mess at this point. But I always see the silver lining to all this as I firmly believe the American people are resilient, entrepreneurial, resourceful and fiercely independent. And those stellar qualities might just be the magic that tips the scales towards the positive and the resurgence of this country back to greatness.
"Medicare isn't all bad but you still have to pay for it. Growing up I was led to believe it would be free and probably should be but we know how govt manages our money so well."
As a boomer, many of the existential issues America faces today is because of my generation, the seniors in our country. We have selfishly bankrupted America because nobody is going to deny us our entitlements like SS and Medicare, even though both are on the verge of insolvency and will cease to exist for future generations. Medicare is a perfect example of our greed. We want unlimited medical care for a price which is totally unrealistic. Medicare reimbursements for doctors and hospitals are obscenely low and must be subsidized by private insurance, which means everyone else is paying more for medical care. Medicare is the second largest federal program, spending $1 trillion in 2023 and will account for almost $500 billion of the US deficit in 2023. At this rate its cost will balloon to $2 trillion by 2033. There is no question this entitlement for seniors is going to break the bank but if you speak the truth to our elderly population about it they will freak out because no one wants to pay a nickel more for their healthcare, even though the 65 and over demographic are by far the wealthiest segment of our population
My current large name-brand Medicare PPO plan has found the perfect way to make money and become the current Wall Street darling, touting its "unexpected higher earnings this year". .
Here is how it works for them: I pay them my premiums for the entire year, but I cannot get a "new patient" exam with my now required PCP until October. This means I am forced to forego any routine medical care for 10 months, out of the 12 months I am paying for.
Necessary vocabulary:
PPO - Preferred Provider plan - I get to choose the direction of my health care choices
PCP - Primary Care Provider - "my chosen doctor" from their list of covered providers
HMO - Health Maintenance Organization - preliminary authorization required only on their terms.
I also learn without a PCP (new patient exam physician) I cannot make any specialist appointments on my own withouut getting that PCP refrerral in the first place, even though the Medicare PPO plan's marketing material said neither was required: no need for a PCP or no need for PCP referrals.
Their failed promise to me: you control the direction of your own health care: no co-pay for a PCP, and a $30 co-pay for a specialist of your choosing from our list of covered providers.
Freedom to direct my own health care I thought, I am willing to pay extra for that, but in real time now I am now back on essentially my old HMO plan where I have no control at all.
Except now I get to pay several hundred dollars month extra plus co-pays, to get the same care level that was covered under the prior low premium HMO plan. The HMO plan was made very cumbersome with demands for referrals, and pre-authorizations. But this was how they kept their costs lower. That was the expected trade off for the lower premium costs.
Before making the switch, I scanned the new plan's list of covered MDs and specialists in this area, before transferring to their new PPO plan. However now that I am signed up, I find virtually none of them were taking new patients, or their practice area was inaccurately listed, or they were no longer even in the area. I was finally given only five available doctors to choose from, who would still be taking new patients - all unknown to me, and mostly new to this area.
Again this was a bait and switch marketing giving a new twist to Obama's promise, if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor,...... but you may never find one in the first place. .... Yet, this very company takes another victory lap on the pages of the WSJ again for the second time today.
As they say, be careful what you ask for because you may get it, when anyone is begging for Medicare for All. Even more so for "free" Medicare for All.
Until we collectively define "health care", and this is a serious question, never sign a blank check to the government to provide it. We toss the word "health care" around as if we all knew what it meant. But in fact there is no agreed definition for "health care" at all. Is it anything you want when you want it, is it rationed by someone else, or something in between. Just make sure it is "free".
NB: I am relatively healthy with no urgent concerns, so I am lucky enough to let this all shake out - I tell my story only to illustrate what in fact "free Medicare" really looks like in real time, costs, convenience and availability. And because I am more than a little aggrieved when I see this particular health insurance plan brag to the WSJ about their "higher than expected earnings".
You have made the same mistake as millions of beneficiaries, you chose a Medicare Advantage plan because of the costs but you realize before long its just an HMO which restricts your freedom to choose your doctors. I would advise you to switch back to general medicare and supplemental insurance (Plan G), even though it will cost you more. It's still a bargain because Medicare rips off the doctors and healthcare providers to keep their cost low but it hasn't worked because seniors overuse the insurance because the cost is so low, thus ballooning the cost of the program and ultimately jeopardizing the nation's fiscal health.
The layers now of extra and often authoritarian gate-keeper personnel that exist between patient and doctor are now staggering. Again, was that not also a promise of government intervention health care - reduce administrative overhead?
The irony is doctors are not happier with this new system and are retiring in droves, when the original plan was to make life easier for them .....so they could "spend more time with the patient".
Except now, that time is In front of a computer screen forced to speed read the volumes of boiler plate CYA medical records now on line, before they can even lift their eyes to greet the real human patient who has come in for their care.
Law of unintended consequences is another truism when anonymous third parties are inserted into this formerly personal doctor-patient relationship.
PCP deficit. Not many folks want to move to a town/area where starter homes are 1.5 million with their medschool dept of 400K to take a job making $220-240K/year. The numbers just don't work out. How about drive 30-45min up or down the coast?
The trade-off can be acceptable, since we need often only need some services infrequently. Do we protect our daily lives keeping this town small, and occasionally be required to drive out of town to obtain other services?
Or do we build out the town in its current haphazard fashion permanently losing a qualify of life, but never ensuring those who are "necessary for services" are the ones actually benefited by even more subsidized housing?
Or if they even want to live in government regulated affordable housing in the first place. When in fact most people do need to commute in the first place - US average commute time 40 minutes.
Who in fact are the persons and services providers currently living in the large numbers of already "affordable" and property tax exempt housing? What specific mutual benefit do we get from providing this subsidy?
What is their turnover-rate or once obtained, do they never leave whether they are providing services to the community or not? We really don't know any of this current cost-benefit for the community at large with what we have right now; just that one side of the equation definitely does benefit.
How about facts that support the benefit to the community at large rather than vague and emotionally laden demands for more, more, more?
I have always assumed I would be required to "commute" more for services in the future, and am currently happy with that tradeoff. The burden would be on my half, to move to another area in the future when my needs change. This is not an unheard of option either.
It would be good to get an update on the former St Francis Hospital housing complex for Cottage Hospital employees - how is that working out now, in real time?
Actually I was complaining about the misinformation presented to me on the insurance company's website, and how they money off me by doing this. A warning to others.
Perfectly understandable about the limitation due to attracting and retaining key personnel. This has long been a local discussion, and it well could be the reality is finally biting. A given and accepted. Or it could be a factor of reimbursement rates alone.
My complaint was the health insurance company needed to be a lot more honest about what they really had to offer and not pull this bait and switch, after the fact. Take my money under false pretenses and then fail to deliver the product - caveat emptor. That is all.
Of course they papered this over with limitations up front, but their list was laughable innacurate almost to the level of elder abuse, financial fraud in the inducement. That is the reality of at least one brand name PPO. Taking Lou Segal's advice on this one. We will need to pay a lot more for "free health care" to actually get health care in this premium area.
I get that part - Insurance companies are great at hidding behind chaff. But in our planning I've known Medicare hasn't been free for the past two decades. Since the Dem congress and Bush admin. messed with it. It shouldn't be a big surprize.
Shall do at some point! But have just been here a year and have had very little need. One thing: pharmacies are great! And nothing is locked up (like in CVS!). My local pharmacist here in Meursault has come through for me when not able to get a Dr. apt. Dr. appointments are 15 mins. and run like a business. They are only reimbursed 24 euro so one feels pressure to not "waste" doctor's time! Dental hygienists don't exist nor do nurse practitioners and the French system could use both! The French believe that they are entitled to health care----so if one feels that "one is only entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" you are not going to agree with social médecine and socialism, in general. CJC
Calla, Switzerland and Holland do have US style trained dental hygienists, if you want to "commute" for that routine service. In other words, be forced to travel from one beautiful part of the world to another. Quelle domage. (!)
Mr. Scott, Yes I do understand your point, he has a very immature side as well. My point though, was to focus on a skill set that is very important for a time such as this, and encourage others to take note. It would serve Trump well to grow up that little kid inside that does this sort of thing.
Thank you Senator Schulte (I mean that affectionately of course!!) for your wisdom. I agree with it all, including the frustrations. I was not however expecting the response from Mr. Segal and just have to disagree with him. I don't think that working hard for 45+ years means we should be called selfish and the bankrupters of America because we feel entitled to SS and Medicare. Why could it not be because of mismanagement of our tax money thru the years? As we have and still see there is so much waste that even if SS was not solvent, our government could still afford to subsidize it. entitlement to me means that I didn't pay for it but I am entitled to it. I prefer to use the term earned to describe the services we are due, because we DID earn those services, or at least most of us in my generation, and in our parents generation did. Henry described it correctly. But that's my opinion, and you ARE entitled to it.
Very true article Henry, and I share in your frustrations. I believe we all hold a piece of the puzzle and if we do our part and come togther, we can build the puzzle to save America. According to what you write and your knowledge of things, you hold wisdom. We need wisdom, generation X, Y, Z millennials and Zoomers need wisdom.
Boomers and the Silent Generation need honor and respect. Honor and respect are lost and I am sure there are reasons for that, even though they are not good reasons.
We need to find a way to bridge the gap. The gap exists and it is the reason we can’t put the pieces together. It exists in generations, families, genders, religions, etc.
I believe we need to sit down and listen to each other and talk it out. Not listen to hear, but listen to understand. And that’s our starting place. Trump is good at this and a skill that people like. He also shows honor and respect for people.
We need wisdom, but before wisdom can come in, acknowledgement, compassion, and mainly relationship needs to be established. There is a great divide between generations due to pain, hypocrisy, and “do as I say, not as I do”. That needs to be addressed. And I believe if we can address is, take “some”, not “all” responsibility, we can come together, build a team that is to be reckoned with, and save our land.
I wholeheartedly agree with almost everything you stated, I do however, need to take exception with regards to your saying that former president Trump “…shows honor and respect for people”.
It's sad how complicated things have gotten. The simplicity of life when I was younger, is truly missed. New and improved just makes it more likely something is going to break that you have no chance to fix.
Good stuff Mr. Schulte. I don't have much hope for our future. When I see every DEMOcRAT in Congress, The Senate, and on main stream media bloviating that drooling pervert joe biden is doing an excellent job and is the sharpest President ever, I have little hope. Then when I see the kangaroo court that is trying to railroad President Trump with made up charges, I lose more hope.
On a happy note, I love your picture. Is that up on Grass Mountain?
Be happy to recommend alternative forums where you can continue to read the economy is on steroids, Biden is sharp as a knife, the border is closed and Orangeman is bad, bad, bad. You know, that happy talk Democrats love hearing.
Thanks - got lots of both forums. I'm more of a RINO anyway. There are a few gems here now and then - I'll just put up with the pity party while sifting through.
Thank you for your article, it sums up my fears and gives thought to what our present “leaders” have created also giving us a very bleak view of what our children and grandchildren will face.
The past is the best predictor of the future and our world history been removed from our schools leaving a country of sheep to be manipulated.
Good men are standing by doing nothing while evil is flourishing.
I'm there with you in the "mature" boat. But my attitude is to fight in a wily way. We don't have to take cr*p leadership and policy. Attend council meetings, school board meetings, get involved with your grand kids schools. We have time, judgment and patience.
This isn't the time to say "it's up to them". We have a lot to offer. We have love to give by volunteering with children, teens, rescue dogs, cats, horses etc. I'm getting into shape so I don't get hurt doing all of the above! And getting in better shape has decreased my aches.
Poignant and pertinent. There are many of us who share your thoughts and feelings. Thank you for sharing. As our first President was quoted as saying, "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government". It's high time we get back to good governance.
What a GREAT article. No truer words spoken. I just attended General Michael Flynn's gathering and movie last night. It was great to meet a TRUE American!! It was sad to hear and see what our corrupt "leaders" can and have done to Real Americans that only want what is best for our country. Everyone needs to watch his movie (FLYNN Deliver the Truth Whatever The Cost) and pass it on to save our country. If the government can do it to Flynn, they can do it to ALL of us.
They did it to Flynn, trying to destroy Trump, and who’s next?…us.
Great Show + Great Patriots + Great Time had by All!!!
https://x.com/FlynnMovie/status/1781529525530276319
Without being unduly proud, you realize that with gray hair comes some degree of wisdom. The fact that you have actually learned something worth sharing with others makes one want to write a Current article or even write a book. Thank you to all of the authors on this medium who take the trouble to put their thought down coherently. People do actually read and learn. I’m constantly amazed to have people I don’t know come up and thank me for having the courage to shed a little light on subjects I know something about. We all need to have the same courage to speak up. Even a little candle dispels a lot of darkness . Last night General Michael Flynn shined a big searchlight of truth onto the dark deep state that tried to take him out. Check out Flynn Movie on Amazon
Moses complained "these kids today have no sense". Each successive generation doubted the ability of the youth to take over the reigns of society. Surely the young lacked wisdom but they were fundamentally like their parents and their parents parents. They learned and grew and healthy society continued. Today it is different. Belief in God and faith is at an all time low. Abandonment of faith is an abandonment of a belief system that allows civil society to exist. Each day I hear of unprecedented actons taken by courts in the prosecution of political enemies, unprecedented open borders, unprecedented unconstitutional loan forgiveness, unprecedented and unconstitutional changes in election laws and a hundred other examples. All these actions were never done before not because they could not be done but because our collective moral fiber and adherence to the constitution prevented it. Until my 60's I was a self described atheist. It was the unprecedented sexualization of children in public school which I viewed as a pure evil and I was drawn to faith. It is the one and greatest wisdom I gained with age. It is also the one and greatest wisdom to pass on to our youth and the only hope for America.
FYI, from a Fellow Patriot…
The function of the elders, the seniors, in the social order is intragenerational stability, and knowledge transmission by living being to living being. This contact allows for questioning, and revision of thinking.
Rebellion, and even revolution, are the activities of the young minds who become entranced by the written words of long dead radicals whose thinking cannot be questioned, merely followed. Revolutions of the young have always in history been directed by middle aged men who were seeking advantage in society at any cost to that society, including its destruction. These players seek power through overturning the social order, not the redress of wrongs.
What will result from a revolutionary dynamic that is propelled by the seniors and the very young?
What will result from a revolutionary ethos that seeks not power from overturning of relative social positions, but the elimination of the system from which that power derives?
What form of world are YOU building NOW in your Revolution?!?
Since I am an ole timer...I can understand everything you said...and completely agree with you. But, not to worry too much. I read the end of the Book. Ultimately, God's follower's win...and everyone else loses. We just need to keep doing what we can to help others...and not give up.
Amen....
As a LEGAL immigrant from India who came to the United States at the age of 18 to go to university as an international student on an F 1 student visa, I can relate to the exorbitant tuition that I was paying, inspite of a scholarship I had secured as an undergraduate. The scholarship was a pittance and to top it all of, we were constantly under the gun when it came to immigration issues, deadlines, filings so that our visas never ran out etc. What truly angers me to no avail at this point about the immigration nonsense, is that people are BRAZENLY walking across our Southern borders, but I had to jump through every darn hoop homeland security threw at me including exorbitant attorney fees to file the requisite green card and citizenship paperwork, all of which took a solid 18 years until I finally became a US citizen in December 2009. We live in a different country than the one I came to in 1991. Sad how things have de-evolved into a hot mess at this point. But I always see the silver lining to all this as I firmly believe the American people are resilient, entrepreneurial, resourceful and fiercely independent. And those stellar qualities might just be the magic that tips the scales towards the positive and the resurgence of this country back to greatness.
"Medicare isn't all bad but you still have to pay for it. Growing up I was led to believe it would be free and probably should be but we know how govt manages our money so well."
As a boomer, many of the existential issues America faces today is because of my generation, the seniors in our country. We have selfishly bankrupted America because nobody is going to deny us our entitlements like SS and Medicare, even though both are on the verge of insolvency and will cease to exist for future generations. Medicare is a perfect example of our greed. We want unlimited medical care for a price which is totally unrealistic. Medicare reimbursements for doctors and hospitals are obscenely low and must be subsidized by private insurance, which means everyone else is paying more for medical care. Medicare is the second largest federal program, spending $1 trillion in 2023 and will account for almost $500 billion of the US deficit in 2023. At this rate its cost will balloon to $2 trillion by 2033. There is no question this entitlement for seniors is going to break the bank but if you speak the truth to our elderly population about it they will freak out because no one wants to pay a nickel more for their healthcare, even though the 65 and over demographic are by far the wealthiest segment of our population
Or just maby the government mismanaged Medicare and social security taxes? I would have opted out if given the option.
My current large name-brand Medicare PPO plan has found the perfect way to make money and become the current Wall Street darling, touting its "unexpected higher earnings this year". .
Here is how it works for them: I pay them my premiums for the entire year, but I cannot get a "new patient" exam with my now required PCP until October. This means I am forced to forego any routine medical care for 10 months, out of the 12 months I am paying for.
Necessary vocabulary:
PPO - Preferred Provider plan - I get to choose the direction of my health care choices
PCP - Primary Care Provider - "my chosen doctor" from their list of covered providers
HMO - Health Maintenance Organization - preliminary authorization required only on their terms.
I also learn without a PCP (new patient exam physician) I cannot make any specialist appointments on my own withouut getting that PCP refrerral in the first place, even though the Medicare PPO plan's marketing material said neither was required: no need for a PCP or no need for PCP referrals.
Their failed promise to me: you control the direction of your own health care: no co-pay for a PCP, and a $30 co-pay for a specialist of your choosing from our list of covered providers.
Freedom to direct my own health care I thought, I am willing to pay extra for that, but in real time now I am now back on essentially my old HMO plan where I have no control at all.
Except now I get to pay several hundred dollars month extra plus co-pays, to get the same care level that was covered under the prior low premium HMO plan. The HMO plan was made very cumbersome with demands for referrals, and pre-authorizations. But this was how they kept their costs lower. That was the expected trade off for the lower premium costs.
Before making the switch, I scanned the new plan's list of covered MDs and specialists in this area, before transferring to their new PPO plan. However now that I am signed up, I find virtually none of them were taking new patients, or their practice area was inaccurately listed, or they were no longer even in the area. I was finally given only five available doctors to choose from, who would still be taking new patients - all unknown to me, and mostly new to this area.
Again this was a bait and switch marketing giving a new twist to Obama's promise, if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor,...... but you may never find one in the first place. .... Yet, this very company takes another victory lap on the pages of the WSJ again for the second time today.
As they say, be careful what you ask for because you may get it, when anyone is begging for Medicare for All. Even more so for "free" Medicare for All.
Until we collectively define "health care", and this is a serious question, never sign a blank check to the government to provide it. We toss the word "health care" around as if we all knew what it meant. But in fact there is no agreed definition for "health care" at all. Is it anything you want when you want it, is it rationed by someone else, or something in between. Just make sure it is "free".
NB: I am relatively healthy with no urgent concerns, so I am lucky enough to let this all shake out - I tell my story only to illustrate what in fact "free Medicare" really looks like in real time, costs, convenience and availability. And because I am more than a little aggrieved when I see this particular health insurance plan brag to the WSJ about their "higher than expected earnings".
You have made the same mistake as millions of beneficiaries, you chose a Medicare Advantage plan because of the costs but you realize before long its just an HMO which restricts your freedom to choose your doctors. I would advise you to switch back to general medicare and supplemental insurance (Plan G), even though it will cost you more. It's still a bargain because Medicare rips off the doctors and healthcare providers to keep their cost low but it hasn't worked because seniors overuse the insurance because the cost is so low, thus ballooning the cost of the program and ultimately jeopardizing the nation's fiscal health.
Several truisms leap out yet again when entering the "free Medicare" market:
1. You get what you pay for.
2. There is no free lunch.
3. Caveat emptor.
4, Don't buy a pig in a poke.
5. If it is too good to believe, it will be neither..
6. Health care is a commodity; not a right. No one has the right to another person's labors.
7. Be well, and thrive.
Everything the government touches turns to shit. Nothing is so expensive as that which the government has made affordable.
The layers now of extra and often authoritarian gate-keeper personnel that exist between patient and doctor are now staggering. Again, was that not also a promise of government intervention health care - reduce administrative overhead?
The irony is doctors are not happier with this new system and are retiring in droves, when the original plan was to make life easier for them .....so they could "spend more time with the patient".
Except now, that time is In front of a computer screen forced to speed read the volumes of boiler plate CYA medical records now on line, before they can even lift their eyes to greet the real human patient who has come in for their care.
Law of unintended consequences is another truism when anonymous third parties are inserted into this formerly personal doctor-patient relationship.
PCP deficit. Not many folks want to move to a town/area where starter homes are 1.5 million with their medschool dept of 400K to take a job making $220-240K/year. The numbers just don't work out. How about drive 30-45min up or down the coast?
The trade-off can be acceptable, since we need often only need some services infrequently. Do we protect our daily lives keeping this town small, and occasionally be required to drive out of town to obtain other services?
Or do we build out the town in its current haphazard fashion permanently losing a qualify of life, but never ensuring those who are "necessary for services" are the ones actually benefited by even more subsidized housing?
Or if they even want to live in government regulated affordable housing in the first place. When in fact most people do need to commute in the first place - US average commute time 40 minutes.
Who in fact are the persons and services providers currently living in the large numbers of already "affordable" and property tax exempt housing? What specific mutual benefit do we get from providing this subsidy?
What is their turnover-rate or once obtained, do they never leave whether they are providing services to the community or not? We really don't know any of this current cost-benefit for the community at large with what we have right now; just that one side of the equation definitely does benefit.
How about facts that support the benefit to the community at large rather than vague and emotionally laden demands for more, more, more?
I have always assumed I would be required to "commute" more for services in the future, and am currently happy with that tradeoff. The burden would be on my half, to move to another area in the future when my needs change. This is not an unheard of option either.
It would be good to get an update on the former St Francis Hospital housing complex for Cottage Hospital employees - how is that working out now, in real time?
Sorry, you're the one complaining about wait times for a new primary care doctor. I was just offering a reason.
Actually I was complaining about the misinformation presented to me on the insurance company's website, and how they money off me by doing this. A warning to others.
Perfectly understandable about the limitation due to attracting and retaining key personnel. This has long been a local discussion, and it well could be the reality is finally biting. A given and accepted. Or it could be a factor of reimbursement rates alone.
My complaint was the health insurance company needed to be a lot more honest about what they really had to offer and not pull this bait and switch, after the fact. Take my money under false pretenses and then fail to deliver the product - caveat emptor. That is all.
Of course they papered this over with limitations up front, but their list was laughable innacurate almost to the level of elder abuse, financial fraud in the inducement. That is the reality of at least one brand name PPO. Taking Lou Segal's advice on this one. We will need to pay a lot more for "free health care" to actually get health care in this premium area.
I get that part - Insurance companies are great at hidding behind chaff. But in our planning I've known Medicare hasn't been free for the past two decades. Since the Dem congress and Bush admin. messed with it. It shouldn't be a big surprize.
Depressing but too true! CJC
calla, please can you share how health care is delivered in France. It is recognized as a fairly good "socialized medicine" provider. Thanks.
Shall do at some point! But have just been here a year and have had very little need. One thing: pharmacies are great! And nothing is locked up (like in CVS!). My local pharmacist here in Meursault has come through for me when not able to get a Dr. apt. Dr. appointments are 15 mins. and run like a business. They are only reimbursed 24 euro so one feels pressure to not "waste" doctor's time! Dental hygienists don't exist nor do nurse practitioners and the French system could use both! The French believe that they are entitled to health care----so if one feels that "one is only entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" you are not going to agree with social médecine and socialism, in general. CJC
Calla, Switzerland and Holland do have US style trained dental hygienists, if you want to "commute" for that routine service. In other words, be forced to travel from one beautiful part of the world to another. Quelle domage. (!)
Mr. Scott, Yes I do understand your point, he has a very immature side as well. My point though, was to focus on a skill set that is very important for a time such as this, and encourage others to take note. It would serve Trump well to grow up that little kid inside that does this sort of thing.
Thank you Senator Schulte (I mean that affectionately of course!!) for your wisdom. I agree with it all, including the frustrations. I was not however expecting the response from Mr. Segal and just have to disagree with him. I don't think that working hard for 45+ years means we should be called selfish and the bankrupters of America because we feel entitled to SS and Medicare. Why could it not be because of mismanagement of our tax money thru the years? As we have and still see there is so much waste that even if SS was not solvent, our government could still afford to subsidize it. entitlement to me means that I didn't pay for it but I am entitled to it. I prefer to use the term earned to describe the services we are due, because we DID earn those services, or at least most of us in my generation, and in our parents generation did. Henry described it correctly. But that's my opinion, and you ARE entitled to it.
Very true article Henry, and I share in your frustrations. I believe we all hold a piece of the puzzle and if we do our part and come togther, we can build the puzzle to save America. According to what you write and your knowledge of things, you hold wisdom. We need wisdom, generation X, Y, Z millennials and Zoomers need wisdom.
Boomers and the Silent Generation need honor and respect. Honor and respect are lost and I am sure there are reasons for that, even though they are not good reasons.
We need to find a way to bridge the gap. The gap exists and it is the reason we can’t put the pieces together. It exists in generations, families, genders, religions, etc.
I believe we need to sit down and listen to each other and talk it out. Not listen to hear, but listen to understand. And that’s our starting place. Trump is good at this and a skill that people like. He also shows honor and respect for people.
We need wisdom, but before wisdom can come in, acknowledgement, compassion, and mainly relationship needs to be established. There is a great divide between generations due to pain, hypocrisy, and “do as I say, not as I do”. That needs to be addressed. And I believe if we can address is, take “some”, not “all” responsibility, we can come together, build a team that is to be reckoned with, and save our land.
And ultimately it has to start with LOVE.
Ms. Lozano,
I wholeheartedly agree with almost everything you stated, I do however, need to take exception with regards to your saying that former president Trump “…shows honor and respect for people”.
In his own words;
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/19/upshot/trump-complete-insult-list.html
It's sad how complicated things have gotten. The simplicity of life when I was younger, is truly missed. New and improved just makes it more likely something is going to break that you have no chance to fix.
Good stuff Mr. Schulte. I don't have much hope for our future. When I see every DEMOcRAT in Congress, The Senate, and on main stream media bloviating that drooling pervert joe biden is doing an excellent job and is the sharpest President ever, I have little hope. Then when I see the kangaroo court that is trying to railroad President Trump with made up charges, I lose more hope.
On a happy note, I love your picture. Is that up on Grass Mountain?
Thank you for bringing something up 'on a happy note'.
Be happy to recommend alternative forums where you can continue to read the economy is on steroids, Biden is sharp as a knife, the border is closed and Orangeman is bad, bad, bad. You know, that happy talk Democrats love hearing.
Thanks - got lots of both forums. I'm more of a RINO anyway. There are a few gems here now and then - I'll just put up with the pity party while sifting through.
thank you Stephen. And, that was last year on Fig Mountain and I'm watching everyday for the poppies to signal they're in bloom again. :)
Right on Stephen. By the way, the president is actually FJB.
Thank you for your article, it sums up my fears and gives thought to what our present “leaders” have created also giving us a very bleak view of what our children and grandchildren will face.
The past is the best predictor of the future and our world history been removed from our schools leaving a country of sheep to be manipulated.
Good men are standing by doing nothing while evil is flourishing.
God Bless America 🇺🇸
I'm there with you in the "mature" boat. But my attitude is to fight in a wily way. We don't have to take cr*p leadership and policy. Attend council meetings, school board meetings, get involved with your grand kids schools. We have time, judgment and patience.
This isn't the time to say "it's up to them". We have a lot to offer. We have love to give by volunteering with children, teens, rescue dogs, cats, horses etc. I'm getting into shape so I don't get hurt doing all of the above! And getting in better shape has decreased my aches.
Lots of life left to live!
Absolutely SPOT ON! Every word! Should be required reading in our schools instead of gender confusion and other nonsense. Thank you, Henry!