America has endured a long panorama of corporate greed – from the East India Trading Company to the Robber Barons, Gordon Gecko Wall Streeters to Elon Musk.
Oh, but wait. Lest we forget to mention, that the scant staff who are present and doing double time, catch all the flak, that rightfully should be aimed at the greedy owners.
Privatization in the name of efficiency is a ruse that Republican lawmakers and their big money patrons have preached for decades. In reality it is pigs at the trough gorging themselves on Medicare and Medicaid.
Healthcare should not be for profit. It is a basic human need and should be a basic right for all of us.
In this country the elderly among us endure our youth based culture. The young buy more stuff because they usually start life with very little. Getting old is scary for most people. I'm not a big fan of my own aging but it sure beats the alternative. While its true that "there's no fool like an old fool" most of us acquire some degree of wisdom as we age.
When my Mom reached her mid 80's she couldn't take care of herself anymore. I was working full time and couldn't do as much as I wanted for her. At first she landed in a nursing home where I overheard a staff conversation which enraged me. "She'll be dead soon anyway". I finally got her into a much better facility and it turned out that the Doctor on staff was her regular doctor. He is kind, generous and competent. As a matter of fact he is currently my Primary Doctor. I'm sure this is a one in a million story. It should be commonplace. I don't know what the fix is and that is the scariest thing about aging.
Good Doctors, Nurses ands CNAs should be paid well. All healthcare should be nonprofit. God help us.
Private equity in all health care is immoral. The biggest conflict of interest in all the greedy corporate practices. Shareholder profit is their mandate by law! Not good care or product in their business
You gotta give capitalists “A” for creativity in all greed!!!
Vice President Trump, his corrupt family (never forget them) his appointees, President Muck, Ramaswamy, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Thiel, etc. (and do NOT forget the CORRUPT 6 on the Supremely CORRUPT Court) are all lining up to begin the FINANCIAL RAPE of America. They will spout all kinds of BULLSHIT about how important it is to reduce spending on the things people need and want all the while lining themselves up for the BIGGEST PAY DAY THEY HAVE EVER HAD.....and they will make sure that the pipeline stays OPEN AND FLOWING INTO THEIR POCKETS........as they are given even BIGGER TAX CUTS.......And they will PRIVATIZE anything they can to TAKE OUR MONEY! And the things they can't privatize they will DISMANTLE to the point that they can easily strip it of it's wealth and leave Americans with nothing! Until Americans have had enough and turn on the ASSHOLES and deal with them once and for all..............
I couldn't have aGREED more. To me, for-profit healthcare is highly immoral and ought to be illegal. The for-profit parasite has by now infected all levels of healthcare, eating out the core values and too often leaving hollow shells where "health" and "care" were meant to be.
Yes!!! I've been waiting to hear discussions of this huge problem. In my 70's, have become aware of the horrific cost of most elder care now and I'm outraged that companies are taking over much of the available care. Non-profit is much harder to find. I've been saving all my life and can't believe that much of that money might go into the pockets of those corporations that have no morals and should be ashamed of what they are doing. This did not come up in the campaign and until now I have not come across anyone talking about it. Want to learn more so I just finally subscribed. :)
Edith, Thanks. You are right. My Aunt Ruth died recently at age 100. At 80, she went into a good facility and was there 20 years. She told me if I ever need that kind of care to be sure to find a non-profit place. She found a good one. Many of us won't be able to. I've volunteered in some of the lowest level nursing homes that have mostly medicaid residents. They are grim places. And the Maga Republicans want to cut even medicare and medicaid, the only resource for those who are out of money. What do we all do then?
Anti greed sounds like a tenant for a Constitution. Some of these billionaires are already religious, but now they should think about becoming moral. The love of money almost seems like a mental health issue - don't they wish people liked them (of course the greed thing is in our primate DNA, so money is the object of worship).
Greed is . I think, part of the primary Sin, I.e., PRIDE! We want others to think and speak well of US personally., So we accumulate lots and lots of STUFF; to impress others! Unloading a Cadillac station wagon at our local thrift shop day (helper), one person, (wife?) said, "Do you ever wonder WHY we bought all this stuff in the first place?" To which her companion (husband?) replied, "And why it has taken so long to get rid of it????" OF COURSE, WITHOUT THAT KIND OF SPENDING, OUR ECONOMY WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT HALF AS LARGE AS IT IT IS!!
It's like growth is a bad thing. We should be happy to consume less. We would produce a lot less CO2 that way, and just waste so much less. And buy our own high quality things that last and give us less grief.
My sister-in-law, after graduation from UW-Madison, went to Switzerland to help an MD-researcher with his project(s). She stayed there for over 50 years; became more of an European than a North American! At retirement, she declined to "come home" and live near us. Her reason: With Americans, MORE IS NEVER ENOUGH!
Yep. So true here in Iowa, where many nursing homes have faced recent investigations and (very minimal) fines for untimely deaths, mistreatment of residents, etc.
Add to all the abuses outlined in this piece that corporate nursing home owners are HUGE doners to politicians (mostly, I fear, GOP) who then block attempts to insure oversight and regulations on same. I consider myself lucky to have a reasonable retirement income, and good insurance (including long-term care for which I have paid for 23 years), but my husband and I cannot afford to move ourselves to a place we would feel safe in. Part of the problem is that facilities that a few years ago called themselves "assisted living," now call themselves "independent living." Same facility, same services, but because of the new designation, long-term care will not pay. I feel duped, and must assume full-time care for my 97-year old husband, even with my own disabilities. Our system sucks. Plain and simple.
I have worked as a staff nurse and can confirm the truth of what you say, Jim. And just as the previous comment states, it is the staff that is held accountable if something goes wrong. Efforts to alert the administration of these facilities is futile and concerns just fall on deaf ears. How those at the top can escape liability is beyond me.
Our society has been, long time, "seduced" by that old saying, 'I WANT IT ALL; AND I WANT IT NOW!" Of course, a majority of our economy is actually sustained by each and everyone of us who just has "gotta shop"!! WHY do we all succumb to this? My "greed" is BUYING BOOKS! And I probably have reading thousands of books in my almost 90 days! And that AIN'T ALL BAD!!
Question is, what the cornbread hell are we going to do about we go it? In the final analysis, what is done is to bitch a lot, and go on about trying to live, because we of the sub-billionaire class have to hoe our row and bake our bread. A general uprising against the big guys has no teeth with which to inflict pain or change. Where do we go from here?
Oh, but wait. Lest we forget to mention, that the scant staff who are present and doing double time, catch all the flak, that rightfully should be aimed at the greedy owners.
That actually happens
Privatization in the name of efficiency is a ruse that Republican lawmakers and their big money patrons have preached for decades. In reality it is pigs at the trough gorging themselves on Medicare and Medicaid.
Healthcare should not be for profit. It is a basic human need and should be a basic right for all of us.
Privatization has long been the goal of Rethuglicans for our National Parks, too.
In this country the elderly among us endure our youth based culture. The young buy more stuff because they usually start life with very little. Getting old is scary for most people. I'm not a big fan of my own aging but it sure beats the alternative. While its true that "there's no fool like an old fool" most of us acquire some degree of wisdom as we age.
When my Mom reached her mid 80's she couldn't take care of herself anymore. I was working full time and couldn't do as much as I wanted for her. At first she landed in a nursing home where I overheard a staff conversation which enraged me. "She'll be dead soon anyway". I finally got her into a much better facility and it turned out that the Doctor on staff was her regular doctor. He is kind, generous and competent. As a matter of fact he is currently my Primary Doctor. I'm sure this is a one in a million story. It should be commonplace. I don't know what the fix is and that is the scariest thing about aging.
Good Doctors, Nurses ands CNAs should be paid well. All healthcare should be nonprofit. God help us.
Private equity in all health care is immoral. The biggest conflict of interest in all the greedy corporate practices. Shareholder profit is their mandate by law! Not good care or product in their business
You gotta give capitalists “A” for creativity in all greed!!!
Greedy bastards
Vice President Trump, his corrupt family (never forget them) his appointees, President Muck, Ramaswamy, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Thiel, etc. (and do NOT forget the CORRUPT 6 on the Supremely CORRUPT Court) are all lining up to begin the FINANCIAL RAPE of America. They will spout all kinds of BULLSHIT about how important it is to reduce spending on the things people need and want all the while lining themselves up for the BIGGEST PAY DAY THEY HAVE EVER HAD.....and they will make sure that the pipeline stays OPEN AND FLOWING INTO THEIR POCKETS........as they are given even BIGGER TAX CUTS.......And they will PRIVATIZE anything they can to TAKE OUR MONEY! And the things they can't privatize they will DISMANTLE to the point that they can easily strip it of it's wealth and leave Americans with nothing! Until Americans have had enough and turn on the ASSHOLES and deal with them once and for all..............
I couldn't have aGREED more. To me, for-profit healthcare is highly immoral and ought to be illegal. The for-profit parasite has by now infected all levels of healthcare, eating out the core values and too often leaving hollow shells where "health" and "care" were meant to be.
Yes!!! I've been waiting to hear discussions of this huge problem. In my 70's, have become aware of the horrific cost of most elder care now and I'm outraged that companies are taking over much of the available care. Non-profit is much harder to find. I've been saving all my life and can't believe that much of that money might go into the pockets of those corporations that have no morals and should be ashamed of what they are doing. This did not come up in the campaign and until now I have not come across anyone talking about it. Want to learn more so I just finally subscribed. :)
Even "non-profit" elder care is unaffordable for too many of us.
Edith, Thanks. You are right. My Aunt Ruth died recently at age 100. At 80, she went into a good facility and was there 20 years. She told me if I ever need that kind of care to be sure to find a non-profit place. She found a good one. Many of us won't be able to. I've volunteered in some of the lowest level nursing homes that have mostly medicaid residents. They are grim places. And the Maga Republicans want to cut even medicare and medicaid, the only resource for those who are out of money. What do we all do then?
Eat the rich
Some of them taste like oranges . . . . . .
Anti greed sounds like a tenant for a Constitution. Some of these billionaires are already religious, but now they should think about becoming moral. The love of money almost seems like a mental health issue - don't they wish people liked them (of course the greed thing is in our primate DNA, so money is the object of worship).
Greed is . I think, part of the primary Sin, I.e., PRIDE! We want others to think and speak well of US personally., So we accumulate lots and lots of STUFF; to impress others! Unloading a Cadillac station wagon at our local thrift shop day (helper), one person, (wife?) said, "Do you ever wonder WHY we bought all this stuff in the first place?" To which her companion (husband?) replied, "And why it has taken so long to get rid of it????" OF COURSE, WITHOUT THAT KIND OF SPENDING, OUR ECONOMY WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT HALF AS LARGE AS IT IT IS!!
It's like growth is a bad thing. We should be happy to consume less. We would produce a lot less CO2 that way, and just waste so much less. And buy our own high quality things that last and give us less grief.
My sister-in-law, after graduation from UW-Madison, went to Switzerland to help an MD-researcher with his project(s). She stayed there for over 50 years; became more of an European than a North American! At retirement, she declined to "come home" and live near us. Her reason: With Americans, MORE IS NEVER ENOUGH!
Yep. So true here in Iowa, where many nursing homes have faced recent investigations and (very minimal) fines for untimely deaths, mistreatment of residents, etc.
Add to all the abuses outlined in this piece that corporate nursing home owners are HUGE doners to politicians (mostly, I fear, GOP) who then block attempts to insure oversight and regulations on same. I consider myself lucky to have a reasonable retirement income, and good insurance (including long-term care for which I have paid for 23 years), but my husband and I cannot afford to move ourselves to a place we would feel safe in. Part of the problem is that facilities that a few years ago called themselves "assisted living," now call themselves "independent living." Same facility, same services, but because of the new designation, long-term care will not pay. I feel duped, and must assume full-time care for my 97-year old husband, even with my own disabilities. Our system sucks. Plain and simple.
I have worked as a staff nurse and can confirm the truth of what you say, Jim. And just as the previous comment states, it is the staff that is held accountable if something goes wrong. Efforts to alert the administration of these facilities is futile and concerns just fall on deaf ears. How those at the top can escape liability is beyond me.
Our society has been, long time, "seduced" by that old saying, 'I WANT IT ALL; AND I WANT IT NOW!" Of course, a majority of our economy is actually sustained by each and everyone of us who just has "gotta shop"!! WHY do we all succumb to this? My "greed" is BUYING BOOKS! And I probably have reading thousands of books in my almost 90 days! And that AIN'T ALL BAD!!
Terrible how greed impacts our society especially how the elderly are treated.
Question is, what the cornbread hell are we going to do about we go it? In the final analysis, what is done is to bitch a lot, and go on about trying to live, because we of the sub-billionaire class have to hoe our row and bake our bread. A general uprising against the big guys has no teeth with which to inflict pain or change. Where do we go from here?