50 Helpful Facts About Health Reform

The Rapidly Rising Number of Uninsured and Underinsured
46.3 Million Americans Have No Health Insurance. “Nationwide, the number of uninsured has increased from 39.8 million in 2001 to 46.3 million in 2008.” [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Press Release, 9/16/09]
25 Million Americans Are 'Underinsured.’ “The number of underinsured U.S. adults -- people who have health coverage but are not adequately protected from high medical expenses -- has risen dramatically. A Commonwealth Fund study published by the journal Health Affairs in June finds that as of 2007, there were an estimated 25 million underinsured adults in the U.S., 60 percent more than the 16 million who were underinsured in 2003.” [CommonwealthFund.org, 7/28/08; Accessed, 9/16/09]
14,000 Americans are Losing Their Coverage Each Day. “Even when the economy was growing, 46 million people in America did not have any health insurance. Since the recession began, an estimated 4 million additional Americans have lost their health insurance and 2 million have become uninsured. The recent turmoil in the job market is likely increasing the number of uninsured at the rate of 14,000 a day.” [Center for American Progress, February 19, 2009]
A full one in six Americans with employer-sponsored insurance in 2006 lost that coverage by 2008. If this trend continues, one in six Americans with employer coverage today will lose their job-based health insurance over the next two years. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage,” accessed, 9/16/09]
Half of all Americans Will Lose Their Health Coverage Sometime in the Next 10 Years. “A new report from the Treasury Department shows that about half of all Americans under age 65 will lose their health coverage at some point over the next ten years. The report also found that more than one-third of Americans will go without coverage for longer than one year.” [Treasury Department, 9/20/09]
More than half of the uninsured—26 million Americans—are small-business owners, employees, or their dependents. Small businesses pay higher premiums than their larger counterparts, and many cannot afford to offer coverage as a result. Among firms with 3 to 9 workers, fewer than half are able to offer health benefits to their workers. [Families USA, July 2009]
Fewer Small Businesses Are Offering Insurance: “From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%.Much of this decline stems from small business. The percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to 59%, while large firms held stable at 99%.” [U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, “Helping the Bottom Line: Health Reform and Small Business,” accessed 9/17/09]
About 10% of small businesses are considering eliminating coverage over the next year, up from 3% in 2005, according to a recent survey by National Small Business Association. [Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2009]
A full 32 percent of working age adults and their families had a gap in health insurance coverage for at least one month in 2006 and 2007. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage,” Accessed, 9/16/09]
And an estimated 87 million people were uninsured at some point during 2007 and 2008. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage,” Accessed, 9/16/09]
Exploding Health Care Costs
The Average Family Premium Is $13,375, Up 131% Since 1999. “In 2009, the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance are $4,824 for single coverage and $13,375 for family coverage. Premiums for family coverage are 5% higher than last year ($12,680)…Since 1999, average premiums for family coverage have increased 131%.” [Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 2009, 9/15/09]
Health Care Premiums Cost $1,100 More for the Insured Because of Cost Shifting from the Uninsured. “The Center for American Progress has updated a 2005 analysis by Kenneth Thorpe for Families USA and found that, on average, 8 percent of families’ 2009 health care premiums—approximately $1,100 a year—is due to our broken system that fails to cover the uninsured…The uninsured pay more for care—and get less—than those with insurance. But when the uninsured cannot pay, health care providers shift those costs to those who can pay—those who have insurance coverage. This leads to higher premiums for those who buy their insurance on the individual market, as well as workers who get insurance for themselves and their families through their job.” [Center for American Progress Action Fund report, “The Cost Shift from the Uninsured,” 3/24/09]
Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. [Kaiser Family Foundation; Employer Health Benefits Survey 2008.]
Average family deductible increased 30 percent in just two years. “A deductible is the amount of money a person must pay out of his or her own pocket before health insurance begins to cover the cost of medical expenses. Deductibles have risen substantially over time. For preferred provider organization (PPO) plans purchased through an employer, the average family deductible increased 30 percent in just two years, from $1,034 to $1,344. This effect is more pronounced for small firms, where PPO deductibles increased from $1,439 to $2,367 — a rise of 64 percent.” [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Hidden Costs of Health Care Report: Why Americans Are Paying More But Getting Less,” accessed 9/24/09]
Families Will Be Paying 1/3 of their Income on Health Care Without Reform. “A new report from the Center for American Progress shows that without reform, health care costs will eat up fully one-third of the average family’s income by 2019 – equivalent to a second rent or mortgage payment every month for many families.” [“Family Health Spending to Rise Rapidly,” Center for American Progress, 9/15/09]
Without significant marketplace reforms, if current trends continue, annual health care costs for employers will rise 166 percent over the next decade, from $10,743 per employee today to $28,530 by 2019
. [Health Care Reform: The Perils of Inaction and the Promise of Effective Action; A Report to Business Roundtable by Hewitt Associates LLC; September 2009]
If nothing changes, by 2019, total health care spending will reach $4.4 trillion, consuming more than 20 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. [Health Care Reform: The Perils of Inaction and the Promise of Effective Action; A Report to Business Roundtable by Hewitt Associates LLC; September 2009]
72 million, or 41 percent, of nonelderly adults have accumulated medical debt or had difficulty paying medical bills in the past year. “In fact, one recent survey estimated that 72 million, or 41 percent, of nonelderly adults have accumulated medical debt or had difficulty paying medical bills in the past year. A full 61 percent of those with difficulty had insurance.” [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage,” accessed, 9/16/09]
Nearly three-quarters of Americans who tried to buy health coverage in this market never actually purchased a plan. “Over the last three years, nearly three-quarters of people who tried to buy coverage in this market never actually purchased a plan, either because they could not find one that fit their needs or that they could afford, or because they were turned down due to a preexisting condition.” [The Commonwealth Fund; “Failure to Protect: Why the Individual Insurance Market Is Not a Viable Option for Most U.S. Families,” July 2009]
The Average American Spends About $7500 a year on Health Care. “Health spending in the United States averaged $7,421 per person in 2007, totaling $2.2 trillion, or 16.2% of our nation's economy, up from 7.2% of GDP in 1970 and 12.3% of GDP in 1990.” [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary]
Employers Are Spending 131% More On Health Insurance To Cover Their Employees. “Since 1999, family premiums for employer-sponsored insurance have increased 131 percent, while wages have gone up 38 percent and inflation has gone up 28 percent.” [Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 1999-2009]
Per Capita Health Spending Has Increased Faster Than The Consumer Price Index. “Over the past 25 years, annual increases in national health spending per capita have exceeded increases in the Consumer Price Index, most recently 5.1% vs. 2.8% in 2007.” [Kaiser Family Foundation calculations using NHE data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group]
The United States Spend Much More on Health Care Coverage Per Person Than Any Other Country. “The U.S. spends substantially more per capita on health care than other developed countries. ($6,567 in the U.S. in 2006 compared to, for example, $4,311 in Switzerland, $4,223 in Luxembourg, $3,505 in Canada, $3,353 in France, $3,247 in Germany, in current health expenditures).” [Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development]
One-Third of all Young Adults Report Problems with Paying Medical Bills. “A lack of adequate coverage also can have devastating consequences for people just starting their financial independence. In a recent survey, more than one-third of all young adults (with or without health insurance) reported problems with paying medical bills, including having trouble making payments, being contacted by a collection agency, or significantly changing their way of life in order to make payments. One in four young adults reported medical debt. This problem is significantly worse for those without insurance. Nearly half of uninsured young adults (49 percent) reported problems with medical bills, and nearly 40 percent carried medical debt. [Young Americans and Health Insurance Reform: Giving Young Americans the Security and Stability They Need; U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09]
A 2008 survey found that one in four adults responded that they had passed up another job opportunity, stayed at a job they would have quit, or declined to retire early in order to retain employer-provided health insurance. [Health Care Reform: The Perils of Inaction and the Promise of Effective Action; A Report to Business Roundtable by Hewitt Associates LLC; September 2009]
Between 2000 and 2008, the percentage of firms offering health insurance coverage to their employees declined from 69 to 63; for firms employing less than 10 workers, the decline was even greater – from 57 to 49 percent. [“Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage;” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09]
Between 2001 and 2005, employers dropping dependent coverage accounted for 11 percent of the decline in employer-sponsored insurance overall. [Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09]
A family that buys insurance on the individual market pays nearly 60 percent more in out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and co-payments than a family that gets insurance through work. [Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09
The Consequences of Doing Nothing: Tens of Thousands Die Each Year Due to Lack of Health Insurance
137,000 Americans Died From 2000 through 2006 Because They Did Not Have Health Insurance. “In 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that 18,000 Americans died in 2000 because they were uninsured. Since then, the number of uninsured has grown. Based on the IOM’s methodology and subsequent Census Bureau estimates of insurance coverage, 137,000 people died from 2000 through 2006 because they lacked health insurance, including 22,000 people in 2006,” according to a January 2008 report from The Urban Institute, “Uninsured and Dying Because of It: Updating the Institute of Medicine Analysis on the Impact of Uninsurance on Mortality.” [The Urban Institute, January 2008]
The Consequences of Doing Nothing: Bankrupt Families
Almost two-thirds of all U.S. bankruptcies are from medical bills. “In 2007, medical problems and expenses contributed to nearly two-thirds of all bankruptcies in the United States, a jump of nearly 50 percent from 2001…Most of those bankrupted by medical problems were "solidly middle class" before they suffered financial disaster -- two-thirds were homeowners and three-fifths had gone to college.” Even those with health insurance had to declare bankruptcy after racking up $17,749 in bills. [American Journal of Medicine, 6/4/09]
Every 90 seconds another family files for bankruptcy due to medical bills. “In 2007, before the current economic downturn, an American family filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of illness every 90 seconds.” [American Journal of Medicine, 6/4/09]
The Consequences of Doing Nothing: Millions of Americans Avoiding the Care They Need
The results of a recent study showed that two-thirds of the uninsured (68 percent) go without needed care – including seeing a doctor when sick, filling prescriptions, and following up on recommended tests or treatment – and 51 percent of the uninsured report difficulty paying bills, being contacted by collection agencies for unpaid bills, or changing their way of life to pay medical bills. [“Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage;” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09]
U.S. Health System Ranked # 37 in the World Despite Spending a Higher Portion of GDP Than Any Other Country
"The U. S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance,” according to the June 21, 2000 report“The World Health Report 2000 – Health systems: Improving performance” by the World Health Organization. The same report ranked Costa Rica’s health system #36 and Slovenia’s health system #38. France’s health system was ranked #1. As geographic.org notes, “The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems was last produced in 2000, and the WHO no longer produces such a ranking table, because of the complexity of the task.” [World Health Organization press release, June 21, 2000]
Health Care Costs Doubled From 1996 to 2006, and are Projected to Rise to 25 percent of GDP in 2025. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage;” HealthReform.gov, accessed 9/16/09]
Health spending in the United States averaged $7,421 per person in 2007, totaling $2.2 trillion, or 16.2% of our nation's economy, up from 7.2% of GDP in 1970 and 12.3% of GDP in 1990.[Kaiser Family Foundation, accessed 9/16/09]
Over the past 25 years, annual increases in national health spending per capita have exceeded increases in the Consumer Price Index, most recently
5.1% vs. 2.8% in 2007
. [Kaiser Family Foundation, accessed 9/16/09]
Astronomical Insurance Industry Profits and What They’re Spending to Protect Them
For the five top-earning insurance companies in 2008, average profits were $1.56 Billion; That year, CEO compensation for these companies ranged from $3 million to $24 million. [Families USA, July 2009]
Health Insurance Company CEOs Total Compensation in 2008
:
Aetna, Ronald A. Williams: $24,300,112
Cigna, H. Edward Hanway: $12,236,740
Coventry, Dale Wolf: $9,047,469
Health Net, Jay Gellert: $4,425,355
Humana, Michael McCallister: $4,764,309
U. Health Group, Stephen J. Hemsley: $3,241,042
Wellpoint, Angela Braly: $9,844,212
Is It Any Wonder Insurance and HMO Industries Spend Nearly $700,000 Per Day to Kill Health Care Reform Measures; Industries have spent $585.7 million since 2007 on lobbying and campaign contributions. An analysis of insurance and HMO political contributions and lobbying expenses by campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign Action Fund “found the industries spent $126,430,438 over the first half of 2009 and $585,725,712 over the past two and a half years to influence public policy and elected officials. The analysis also “found that in the first part of 2009, the industries were spending money at nearly a $700,000 a day clip to influence the political process and that the monthly pace of political spending this year has increased by nearly $400,000 over the average spent per month in the previous two years.” [Public Campaign Action Fund, press release, 9/15/09]
Negligible Competition in the Private Insurance Market = Higher and Higher Premiums
94% of All Markets Have A Near Monopoly When It Comes to Individual Insurers. “The American Medical Association reports that 94 percent of insurance markets in the United States are now highly concentrated. Shrinking competition among health insurance companies is a major cause of these spiraling costs. In the past 13 years more than 400 corporate mergers have involved health insurers, and a small number of companies now dominate local markets…Contrary to industry assertions, these mergers have undermined market efficiency; premiums have skyrocketed, increasing more than 87 percent, on average, over the past six years.” [American Medical Association, 2008]
Outrageous Insurance Industry Practices
In 45 states, insurance companies can discriminate against people based on their pre-existing conditions when they try to purchase health insurance directly from insurance companies in the individual insurance market. [Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09]
12.6 Million Americans Seeking Insurance Were Discriminated Against In Last Three Years Because of a ‘Pre-existing Condition. “A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults24 – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years.Another study found that among those with a health problem trying to purchase insurance in the individual market, 70 percent found it difficult or impossible to find affordable coverage, and roughly half were turned down or discriminated against. [Insurance Insecurity: Families Are Losing Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09]
In eight states and D.C., it is still legal for insurers to reject a woman’s health insurance application if she is a victim of domestic violence. “The eight states that still allow it are Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming, according to a report by the National Women's Law Center.” [National Women’s Law Center, accessed 9/16/09; Huffington Post, 9/14/09]
20,000 Americans lost their health insurance in the last five years through a shady insurance industry practice called “rescission.” “When a person is diagnosed with an expensive condition such as cancer, some insurance companies review his/her initial health status questionnaire. In most states’ individual insurance market, insurance companies can retroactively cancel the entire policy if any condition was missed – even if the medical condition is unrelated, and even if the person was not aware of the condition at the time. Coverage can also be revoked for all members of a family, even if only one family member failed to disclose a medical condition. A recent Congressional investigation into this practice found nearly 20,000 rescissions from three large insurers over five years, saving them $300 million in medical claims – $300 million that instead had to come out of the pockets of people who thought they were insured, or became bad debt for health care providers.” [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Coverage Denied: How the Current Health Insurance System Leaves Millions Behind; “Pre-Existing Conditions” Affect Millions of Americans,”HealthReform.gov, accessed 9/16/09]
During a 2007 investigation, California regulators uncovered more than 1,200 violations of the law by Anthem Blue Cross in regard to unfair rescission and claims processing practices. “In March 2007, the California Department of Managed Health Care fined Anthem Blue Cross $1 million after an investigation revealed that the insurer routinely canceled individual health policies of pregnant women and chronically ill patients. In order to drop individual policies, the insurer must show that the policyholder lied about their medical history or preexisting conditions on the application. As part of the state’s investigation, regulators randomly selected 90 cases where the insurer had dropped the policyholder. In every single one, investigators found the insurer had violated state law. During the investigation, California regulators uncovered more than 1,200 violations of the law by Anthem Blue Cross in regard to unfair rescission and claims processing practices.” [Americans Association for Justice, “Tricks of the Trade: How Insurance Companies Deny, Delay, Confuse and Refuse,” accessed 9/17/09]
In the past 18 months, California's five largest insurers paid almost $19 million in fines for marooning policyholders who had fallen ill. That includes a $1 million fine against Health Net, which admitted offering bonuses to employees for finding reasons to cancel policies. [Washington Post, September 8, 2009]
One in 10 People with Cancer Unable to Obtain Health Coverage; Six Percent Said They Lost Their Coverage. “In another survey, one in 10 people with cancer said they could not obtain health coverage, and six percent said they lost their coverage, because of being diagnosed with the disease.” [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Coverage Denied: How the Current Health Insurance System Leaves Millions Behind; “Pre-Existing Conditions” Affect Millions of Americans,” HealthReform.gov, accessed 9/16/09]
California Insurers Deny 1-in-5 Medical Claims for Insured Patients, Even When Recommended by a Patient's Doctor: “More than one of every five requests for medical claims for insured patients, even when recommended by a patient's physician, are rejected by California's largest private insurers, amounting to very real death panels in practice daily in the nation's biggest state, according to data released Wednesday by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.” [Press release, California Nurses Association, 9/2/2009]
In most states, insurers can reject women for coverage simply for having previously had a Cesarean section (C-section). “In most states, insurers are free to reject individuals applying for coverage in the individual market. Many women face such rejection at this underwriting stage of purchasing insurance for a wide range of reasons. For example, women have greater health needs than men and are more likely than men to suffer from a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, like asthma or arthritis. These conditions can lead to rejection of coverage. In addition, if during the medical underwriting process the insurer discovers that an applicant underwent a past C-section, the company may charge her a higher premium, impose an exclusionary period during which it refuses to cover another C-section or pregnancy, or even reject her for coverage altogether unless she has been sterilized or is no longer of childbearing age.” [National Women’s Law Center; Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women, accessed, 9/17/09]
About 805,000 Californians have insurance policies that specifically exclude maternity coverage. “The number of individual health insurance policies that do not include maternity coverage has risen dramatically in recent years, prompting concern among consumers and a legislative effort to require California insurers to include the benefit. About 805,000 Californians have insurance policies that specifically exclude maternity coverage - a number that has more than quadrupled from 192,000 in 2004, according to the California Health Benefits Review Program, which provides independent analysis of proposed health insurance benefits mandates. Ben Singer, a spokesman for Anthem Blue Cross explained to the San Francisco Chronicle: "Having a child is a matter of choice.” [San Francisco Chronicle, March 24, 2009]
In 33 states, insurance companies are permitted to charge higher premiums based on age, gender, and health status. “In 33 states, insurance companies are permitted to charge higher premiums based on age, gender, and health status without any restrictions whatsoever. Younger women are often charged higher premiums than men during their reproductive years. Holding other factors constant, a 22-year-old woman can be charged one and a half times the premium of a 22-year-old man.” [Young Americans and Health Insurance Reform: Giving Young Americans the Security and Stability They Need; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 9/22/09]
Women Pay Up to 48 Percent Higher Premiums Than Men. “NWLC found that among the plans examined, at age 25, women were charged between 6% and 45% more than men for individual market health plans; at 40-years-old, women’s monthly premiums ranged between 4% and 48% higher than men’s monthly premiums. [National Women’s Law Center; Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women, accessed, 9/17/09]
Premiums can vary as much as 11:1 based on a customer's age. “In some markets today, premiums can vary as much as 11:1 based on a customer's age. That means the oldest customer could pay as much as 11 times more than the youngest customer simply because of his or her age. [New America Foundation; The New Health Dialogue Blog, 9/2/09]
Support for Health Insurance Reform That Includes a Public Option
Three out of four physicians nationwide support inclusion of a public option as part of health insurance reform. “A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) study published in Monday's New England Journal of Medicine shows that 63 percent of physicians support a health reform proposal that includes both a public option and traditional private insurance. If the additional 10 percent of doctors who support an entirely public health system are included, then approximately three out of four physicians nationwide support inclusion of a public option.” [Huffington Post, 9/14/09]
By a 62% to 28% margin, voters support a public option regardless of whether they watched President Obama’s September 9th address to Congress. [Anzalone Liszt Research memo, 9/12/09]
By a 10-point margin, voters are more likely to re-elect a Member of Congress who votes for healthcare reform [Anzalone Liszt Research memo, 9/12/09] Majority Of Business Leaders Support a Public Option. A survey, conducted by Anzalone Liszt Research in advance of President Obama's address to Congress, showed that 57% of business leaders believe health care reform should be an important government policy. They support key elements of a reform plan, including…requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions (79%) and a public health option (51%). [CNBC.com, 9/11/09]
Here are some additional Resources if you're interested in finding out more about the health insurance debate: “Myths vs. Facts” AARP: “ HEALTH CARE MYTHS VS. REALITY,” ThinkProgress.org: For more health insurance reform myth busting, please click here. For more information on America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, please click here.

Roger Moore : Is Capitalism Dying?

Below is a video of a guy I used to hate and ridicule. Today I have to admit that I have to give him some respect. Much of what he warned 20 years ago, has come to pass. He warned us about the business practices of General Motors and that they would eventually hurt the country as a whole and not just the thousands of workers they laid off in lieu of new plants built in Mexico. He was one of the first to cry foul at the banks and mortgage companies for their practices that contributed to our present financial problems as a nation and in this video he calls into question the very foundations of our financial system which is Capitalism. He does not however as some of his critics say that we should all become socialists or communists. He believes as I do that all life forms, be they living and breathing or a business or corporation, must adapt and mutate as the environment and development of their abilities evolve. If the result of the 21st century is a morphed version of the old capitalism that has so long ruled the roost ten so be it. Just as Communism in its economic practices finally crumbled and died, I feels so to will Capitalism as we know it. It already has if you look at this latest financial debacle that has ocurred throughout the world. The video is well worth listening to and thinking about. Where should we be going from where we are now?
(Click on video to watch and then double click when it starts to see in full screen)

Racism in Politics: Does it Exist? Whose Fault Is It?

I read a posting on the AARP Community discussion boards and was a little unsure of where the author was coming from about an email he sent to the Whitehouse regarding racism because as he stated in the post he did not include the original email, only his second email which more or less said he was disappointed because he had received no reply about such an important topic that could help unify America. It appeared that indirectly he was trying to call Obama to task for not unifying America over the issue of racism which was such an important topic.


A condensed version although somewhat ruder version of his email complaining about having receive no reply could be, "Hey Obama, we all agree that racism is an important issue. You promised to unify America over this. What happened Obama? You didn't even answer my first email."


So I wrote a reply stating how I felt about racism and how it relates to Obama.


I am unsure as to the intent of your posting because you did not include the original email. However for me the subject of racism was one of several reasons that I was more than happy to vote for President Obama. I wasn't just happy, I was ecstatic. I saw this as the last best hope for America to become "one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all", as was originally intended. America was so, so deeply divided along racial lines. There was virtually no communication and hostility more often than not simmered below the surface.

In that regard, Obama, or as a result of his election, has made great strides in unifying America over the issue of racism. We, as a nation, have symbolically anyway, repudiated racism by the election of Obama. I feel actual warmth and a welcoming openness amongst many African-Americans now, that would never have even said hello at the Walmart checkout or waiting in line at Starbucks in the past. We smile at each other, we are happier and there is a wanting by both white and black to communicate openly and I do.

I know that seems so ridiculous to so many skeptics but it is the possibilities beyond that smile and the conversation that excite me. This is the beginning! Where will we, Blacks and Whites together, find ourselves in a year, 5 years or a decade? I hope and dream that we will be unified, equal and enjoy the company of those of any race. I would love to see my grandchildren bring home all school friends without suspicion or doubt by their parents. The election of Obama was a huge step forward but only the beginning.

Unfortunately the election of Obama has on the one hand made a huge step toward a unity and fellowship of the diverse population of our country never before realized but it has also isolated and created a deeper divide between the small minority of Whites, who never changed in their attitudes towards people of other races and find themselves horrified by the actual election of a Black man. They are cornered, circling their wagons and seeking a means to vent their anger, hatred and bile. I saw them in West Virginia where in the Democratic Primary they denounced Obama and fled to Hillary Clinton in huge numbers. That says nothing bad about Hillary; she will make a fine candidate and President down the pike. But it revealed the dark underside of working class America and showed that bigotry and ignorance still was there and there in large numbers. It showed again in the Republican Primary when people at Sarah Palin rallies carried racist signs and told a Black security officer that he should "get his N A out of there." Those were a couple of the more obvious evidence showing that the small minority harboring racist views was out there still.

What Party will these people gravitate to and what will that Party do with them? How many white collared closet racists are there in this minority of haters? When we ask ourselves why does an otherwise well educated and seemingly friendly person working beside us get so bitter and angry when talking about any issue involving Obama, what is the answer and is an undertone of racial bitterness part of it? I am not going to go around saying, "You, you and you are racists." They will reveal themselves as that corner they snarl from becomes smaller and smaller, when they no longer feel anything in common other than skin color even within their own racial group. They are alone. They are angry. They are dangerous and I would advise and warn any Party that to welcome these types of people into your numbers and plan and strategize as to how to use them will endanger the existence and survival of that Party. They must stay isolated until their very exiled and solitary existence drives them back to society seeking to be part of the whole; part of the unity of mankind.

"Give Peas a Chance"

Recently a group of moderate and liberals that I belong to, were discussing the Joe Wilson affair and we found ourselves invaded by right wingers seeking, probably, to get us to cancel the group. The discussions became very heated and then I started to have second thoughts. Below was my final entry to the group and it probably made some of my fellow moderates and liberals a little upset as they are "Yankees" but at least we can work that out. As far as the right wingers go, forget it, they live on emotion, instinct and chaos. There is no reasoning with them. The intellectual portion of their minds is dormant.

Given the complexity of the human spirit and also the human intellect one should try to understand why people do things rather than always attacking them for it. I view the human spirit and intellect as separate entities that are often at odds with each other, yet at other times merge beautifully and create some of the most wonderful and historic human accomplishments in art, music, literature and in human fellowship and unified effort. The human spirit is a complex mix of emotions and instinctive behaviors while the intellect is computer like in its logical functions in the mind.

People in the South although viewed otherwise by their Northern counterparts have a resolving conflict going on. It is most often not something which manifests itself in action but continues quietly in their minds as their intellect struggles with old ideas and opinions regarding race. Believe me, 95% of Southerners have an intellect which is convinced and ready to admit that the actions of whites both in aggression against and in their inherent prescribed lifestyles did discriminate and did do an injustice to the blacks living beside them in their towns and cities. It is however, sometimes, the human spirit which causes people to inadvertently fall victim to instinctive reactions based on early childhood training and interaction with others of the same race during their development into adults. Instinct can save a life and create heroes but it can also remind us of our dark sides when ingrained ideas, taught in error, cannot be suppressed by the intellect and are instinctively brought to the forefront to unadvisedly defend and protect those who we identify with most and are more alike with, both physically and culturally.
That same human spirit can emotionally cling to a flag, not because ones intellect does not tell them that what happened before and after the Civil War was wrong as to slavery, the treatment of slaves and free black people. However their human mind is not ruled by one entity or the other but both by its spirit and its intellect. This is an evolving society in the South. Peoples minds are struggling, relearning and to so viciously attack Southerners as they struggle through this evolution of intellect and spirit is wrong. They are trying and with most, they are very serious about it and take great pride in their progress. They resent bitterly, "Yankee" criticism and see it as nothing more than a kick in the teeth and some even stop trying. Criticism is nice but when a man is struggling up a hill, encouragement is better.

I found the best communication between a black worker and a white worker who are at odds and then accused each other of racism is to open communication between each and let them learn from each others feelings so that they can recognize a commonality of spirit thereby allowing their intellects to return to reason and calm. In the latter days of my management career, I enjoyed resolving conflicts like this. To allow the conflict to continue was never a solution and usually only resulted in a much more unsatisfactory conclusion.

And that is why I would urge all to let the Joe Wilson matter go. I think that most of us know intellectually that this is over and done with, but our human spirit conflicted with emotion and instinct urges us to continue to fight and attack each other. There are other issues that so much more need our human minds, both spirits and intellect, with all the emotion and reason we can aggressively bring to bear.

Just Sitting on the seat outside waiting...

I'm just sitting on the seat outside Starbucks, typing on my mini and waiting for the phone to ring. Ring phone, tell me something I want to hear, the truck is on the way, call the carriers and get Tim to help unload. Get 'em up and get 'em out, yippee kiyay newspapers. Just another hot and sticky Tuesday and the truck is taking its time. You know I feel about as useful as the Republican and Democratic Party right now. Useless. Just sitting on my rump waiting for something to make the day worthwhile. Over and out. Time for another caramel macchiato!

"In so much as ye do unto the least of these..."

I have encountered some real changes in life since retirement and made some myself. I was a staunch Republican, always adhering to the company line for years. The promises and ideals that the Party kept repeating became stale and transparent. Their thousand points of light flickered and vanished as they became millions of elderly uninsured people living in the shadows cast by corporate America. I woke up to see how I had treated people as a businessman, how businesses treat their employees and how our political representatives are little more than emissaries of those same corporations.

I remember coming here from Northern Ireland as a young boy, growing up and seeing Mom and Pop stores, family farms and saw my cousin succeed as an entrepreneur plumber. No he wasn't "Joe the Plumber", he was just Billy. Comparing my cousin with his modern day counterpart, I knew that Joe was full of it and just a shill for the political machine. I don't see those Mom and Pop store anymore and Corporate farms have replaced family farms. Our food contains God knows what chemicals but "its all good" because they say so on TV.

I grew tired of all the lies, the dirty tricks, the slander. I found myself thinking, "gee Nixon is gone but now his style of politics has been made legal!" I am now an independent/Democrat and find myself, many times, without any representation at all as the prevailing politics go either to the extreme right or too far left.

However I do know where my decisions should come from. They should be based on the truths and ideals I was taught as a boy, by my parents and in Sunday school and church. When we look at the millions of uninsured in this country, myself included, and ponder over our decision as to what Health Care plan is right for America, it should not be "what would my Party do" or "what would a businessman do". It always and only should be, "what would Jesus do?" "In so much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." (Matthew 25:40) His word was clear. I guess you could say that I have become more involved in politics but actually I have only started to become more involved in trying to give back and help others as God has helped me throughout my life. That may not be our civic duty but it is clearly our moral duty. I believe it is both if this is truly, "One nation, under God".

To some my posting today may seem somewhat a repeat of my prior posts, however that verse in Matthew rings so true. It is so crystal clear that if there is one chance a passing reader should see it once, twice or maybe even again, their conscience will speak to to them and they will find truth and change their minds.

Moral versus Civic Duty. What duties do you follow?

Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your fellow man. A friend said that "charity is a moral responsibility, not a civic duty." Wrong my friend. Charity is a moral duty although perhaps not a civic one.

The choice is, do we wish to do our moral duty or just our prescribed civic duty? The choice is clear. One's decision defines them.

The number of citizens without Health Insurance nor the means to pay for it in this country is less than 5% of the population. They include the many retired individuals such as myself that do not have nor can afford the premiums of independent insurance companies. They include the millions of people who have lost their jobs in the past year through no fault of their own. They include the millions of children whose parents lost their jobs.

Do we as Christians and Americans choose to let these fellow Americans and fellow Christians to fall victim to sickness and possible death because we refuse to charitably offer an alternative choice for those who cannot afford the premiums of the independent insurance companies? Do we refuse to help our fellow men and women who are tired of the independent insurance companies taking away their choice of doctor or treatment? Do the elderly have to suffer the denials of treatment and the "death panels" of the independent insurance companies because they have no other choice?

Again I must repeat to my friend and others following his train of thought:
The choice is clear. It is our moral duty to help them. One's decision defines them. Do we follow the teachings of Jesus or man? "In so much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me." (Matthew 25:40) His word is clear.

I AM MAD & I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE!!

To Sarah Palin and other extreme right wingers I have something to say about their refusal to offer any realistic and worthwhile Health Care reform but instead offer Tax breaks. TAX BREAKS DO NOT PAY BILLS!!!! Is there some reason you rich right wingers don't understand that? Some of us have bills to pay, have not held political office and padded our pockets while in office and we have families to raise and real work to go to every day. We cannot pay a hospital bill with what we have and the fact we may get a tax break does not hold forth much promise as it does not impact the crises of immediacy that medical bills present. So here it is, TAKE YOUR TAX BREAKS AND SHOVE THEM.

Oh and by the way, doesn't a tax break decrease tax revenue and thus increase the national debt also? I thought you right wing idiots were concerned about that. Why you increased the national debt times 3 while you held office for 8 years. Yes and that $1200 check came in so handy too. Frankly as a Christian, I would gladly have let you keep that money and instead give it to all the uninsured children of this country. But no, you want to give it to us to win votes. Well that worked out real well for you didn't it.

Give it up for God's sake. You lost the election yet here we go again on your right wing affiliate, Fox News, this morning you start showing Jeremiah Wright again and film him saying that the racist right wing only objects to Health Care reform because poor people will be taken care of. Who cares what Jeremiah Wright says but are there shades of truth behind his statement? Are many of the extreme right wing racists? I don't know but it is no more ridiculous than Sarah "Appalling" Palin's "Death Panel" statements.

You permit 2 Republican Presidents speak to our children on TV in their classrooms and then turn around and stomp on the dignity of the office of President and tell us Obama is not fit to speak to our children. Censorship in any form is wrong and lying about as the school board here in my home town did, compounds the wrong. Pat Raynor, the Public Information official for the school board tells us that due to technical difficulties and a full academic schedule they could not fit the speech into the school day. THAT WAS A BOLD FACED LIE!! I know for a fact (this was verified and witnessed in all 3 counties during the actual speech on a Smart Board in classrooms) that the streaming video of the speech could have been broadcast without any difficulty at all. All each teacher had to do was to pull the speech up on their computer and transfer it to the Smart Board. As to scheduling, that is a total ridiculous excuse that Pat Raynor should be ashamed of offering to the public. Schedules can be changed and are when events arise during a school year. The truth is that Joe Pye, the school board and the Republican Party in Dorchester County conspired to announce these excuses at 4 p.m. on a Friday before a holiday weekend, knowing full well that this would prevent any organization of protest to either the school board or county government because their offices were closed until Tuesday, the day of the President's speech.

Here is the deal Dorchester County Republican Party and Joe Pye. Stand up like grown men and women and just tell me outright, "We do not care if Democrats won the Presidency, the majority in the House and the Senate. We do not care if what we are doing is morally repugnant and reveals us as moral hypocrites. We are going to prevent any children from hearing anything from the elected President because he is from the opposing Party whether it is right or wrong. Although some have called (less than 1% of the total parental population in District II) we are going to listen to their politically motivated calls and not allow our children to have the honor of listening to their President on TV, speaking directly to them." Now if you would say that, I would give you the respect that I would give anyone of differing opinion from me but you did not do that. You lied and lied repeatedly. That deserves no respect and indeed Joe Pye in allowing these lies should resign forthwith.

Joe Pye, whom I admired as my children's first Principal at their first school has now become a political pawn and has chosen to be an accomplice to a LIE generated by the political powers that be in Dorchester County. Joe, you have betrayed the trust that the parents of this county place in you. You are not the honest and upright man many of us remember when yo were a Principal. You have strayed from the mission of what is best for the education of our children to becoming a pawn of politics. Harry Truman coined the phrase, "the buck stops here" and Joe it stopped on your desk and when you faced a decision instead of telling the truth, you lied. You should turn in your resignation now. I am not talking about politics Joe, I am talking about being able to trust the man in charge of my children's education and that man lied.

Today we should pray.

With all the hatred I see on TV, hear on radio and see in online conversations between friends of differing opinions I am troubled and I fear for the futures of my children and grandchildren. I remember a nation like ours, strong and prosperous, where the people mindlessly followed those who espoused and motivated hatred against fellow country men who differed with them. I always wondered how so many intelligent human beings could follow and endorse the acts of genocide and murder committed by Germany in World War II.

Today I listen to people like Rush Limbaugh and I am a little afraid. When I see the hired guns at these political rallies screaming at respected men and women who opened the floor for community discussion about health care, I start to understand and I see how it could happen if we do not stop and return to being civil, polite and agreeing to disagree. Today the leader of our country is censored, libelled, slandered and told that he cannot, as other Presidents have, address our children and grandchildren about the importance of education and the love and hope that is there for them to fulfill their dreams.

If ever there was a time to pray, today is that day and I ask each of you at 12:15 pm today, to stop what you are doing, pull off the road, stop in the store, sit still in the office and wherever you are, pray together.

Let us pray in the words of Jesus:

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen"

Then let us return to our lives and remember his words and let us turn away from the hatred that divides us and work together for the glory of God and not the glory of men.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17

Let the money changers in our state governments, our Congress, our banks, insurance companies and stock markets remember this and think on it today. Let us think what Jesus would do and not what a businessman would do.