Finance and Labor

I am disappointed with republican and statewide attempts to eliminate medical coverage and pensions for seniors. These things are not only general duties of the state, but they have been sworn to when they took the money from them for insurance and FICA etc in the first place.

If the state removes that compensation, they will need to replace it with some other meaningful support. Perhaps excellent research into proteinology or stem cells, and support to hospitals and medical organizations and provision of statewide healthcare. Installing these procedures can save 16-20% right off the top, which would normally be profit for investors who can likely afford their own healthcare.

In American capitalism that becomes private profit. In European and Canadian capitalism, those services are not private sector, they are provided by the state, and no 'profit' is made. Healthcare costs for all are abated, and taxes rise a few percent to pay for it. Currently [2004-5], healthcare costs the average American family something to the tune of $13,000 annually before work related compensation, which often takes it down to ~$8,500.

Is saving $13K worth even a 10% higher tax rate? Only if you make under $130K.

Furthermore, we have been shoveling much of this medical expense towards pill companies, who openly bribe doctors into prescribing their pills. If we spent money and grants on corrective medicine instead of throwing pills at it, we could do a better job of solving the problem at the root. Research a pill or process to change the way your body makes that chemical reactor, instead of supplementing the chemical reactor.

Companies making huge money on the IMF, oil funds and infrastructure, "big economy", big government, finance, and other fiascos will wreck this country and world within 3-5 years if nothing changes. The Federal Reserve has predicted a 60% likely chance of a major currency crisis in the next 3-5 years. Allen Greenspan has predicted a 70% chance of an American economic crisis in the next 3 years.

I wonder what that 30-40% chance of being saved is? We seem to have the technology to fix these problems, and we have more liquid capital than at most points in history, and the public is more aware than ever, except perhaps the late 1960's, early 1970's. We could change in time, even with disasters in the pipeline, and improve the world for all.


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Another matter, in an environment where oil is not cheaply producable, human labor will probably become less valuable, as it is supported and extended by oil power. We may all face a pay cut in the form of oil and commodity prices increasing rapidly. The solution here is not to scramble to acquire and supply resources, that will only increase global resource pressure and use more resources in the process.

The solution is to work leaner, not grander. We can do more with less, particularly in corporate environments at the top and in profit margin, in cost to consumers of certain services, and in infrastructure. New technology should be examined in energy, industry, medicine, and transportation which will allow us to be more effective with less material and expense.