Movie Review and Rant

Yesterday I went to see the new Michael Moore movie, "SiCKO". It s a documentary on the current state of healthcare in the US and while there is no doubt that there is "a viewpoint" that Moore wishes to express, the truth is we all have a "viewpoint", right? Most of us aren't gifted in moviemaking like he is though.
Overall, the movie was fantastic. The stories pulled together and a strong case for reform is made. I happen to agree with most of Moore's assessment and it is one of those places where my libertarianism is trumped by liberalism.
I strongly suggest a viewing of this movie so that you can decide for yourself. What kind of society do we want? And now...for the rant...
I'll answer my question on that here.
In my opinion, we come down to one basic question in the world of American politics and that is "What kind of society do we want". On the economic side of that (and that is by far the most important as it allows all other questions a chance to be paid for). The choices are simple really. Do we want "a ceiling and a floor" or do we want "no ceiling and no floor". That is really it. I for one, want a floor so I'm willing to accept a ceiling. While none of the economic disaster theories floating around on the far right have been proven when it comes to this, I'd still be in favor of the "ceiling and floor" philosophy even if they were proven to be true (or even assumed true..like, say "gravity" is assumed true). As a matter of fact there is a lot of evidence out there that suggests that "economic ruination" isn't going to happen. Look at the list of countries with single payer (or "socialized" medicine) and just look at the destroyed economies of Japan, Ireland, France, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, England, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and a list too long to complete.
Furthermore, when did "socialization" of certain things become such a terrible thing? I mean look at the things in the US that have already been socialized. I don't think any reasonable person is calling for the de-socialization of libraries, police, firemen, or the education system. All of those are core parts of the American belief system. Free education and protection by police and firemen are basic beliefs in the American system and are seen as "birthright" privileges. Why isn't the basic human right of health care?
Furthermore, why do conservative pundits not rail against free health care for TERRORISTS in Guantanamo Bay and individuals in the US prison system but not for law abiding working citizens. Even more amazingly, American courts have heard cases asking to allow SEX CHANGE OPERATIONS for prisoners in California and Massachusetts. These would be paid for by the government and are part of the rights one has when imprisoned in the US. Maybe we should suggest to those that discover serious illnesses that the best way to get treated in the US is to commit a crime and to go jail. Have cancer? Rob a bank. Heart disease? Build a meth lab. An attorney could ask for continuances on the case and even cop plea deals with the state to get those "criminals" jail time in similar length as the expected treatment. I bet if citizens started using the prison system as a hospital our politicians (and the drug and insurance companies that corrupt them) would get the message.

As someone that has experienced a government run health care system I can speak to its advantages. I was treated better in Japan by the health care system, was seen quicker and had my issues resolved faster than I ever have had in the US. I didn't wait in line, didn't have to go to a specific location and could have chosen my doctor if I wanted to do so. I know from personal experience that it can work.

Another flawed theory is that the tax rates would go through the roof. While there would certainly be an increase in taxes to pay for the care, I can't imagine that it would be much more than what I'm already spending! Currently, in the US at my job I have BlueCross and BlueShield as my provider. I pay $95 a month for a premium, have a $350 deductible and then 80/20 coverage after that. So, I pay nearly $1200 a year NOT TO BE SICK. IF I get sick and go to the hospital once I'm stuck with that $350 deductible. Suddenly, something as minor as the flu can actually cost me $1500 and this doesn't take into account medicine! Also, at any point, the insurance company can simply refuse to pay the bill and leave me stuck with it. I think that this actually costs more to the economy and the company than a higher premium payment by the employer as I defer trips to the hospital or doctor until absolutely necessary. Then, I call in sick which ruins productivity. In other words, I wait til I'm REALLY sick to go. This drives up the cost of my care and also removes the "volume discount" that seems to work so well in every other industry.

Back to the "ceiling and floor" theory. It is kinda my own theory and belief system and it is really basic. I'm willing to accept the consequences of putting a bottom into the economy. I believe that health care is a basic human right, that we as humans have a right not to be turned out on the street to die (which DOES happen..look at Martin Luther King Hospital in LA) if medical treatment is available. Certain things must be outside the realm of economic value. Other nations have done it successfully for decades (Britain since 1948 for example...and something that even Margaret Thatcher said was "in safe hands" with the Tories in power). Even our most adamant conservative allies like Australia and Great Britain have supported nationalized health care in their countries and not suffered ill affects from it. Even if the development of a health care system in the US slows GDP by a full percentage annually (and it would NEVER be that much)it is worth it.

Pharmaceutical companies have long claimed that nationalized health care would dry up research. I simply don't believe that to be the case. Money can still be made in the industry. Furthermore if what the drug companies say is true, then we are subsidizing health care for the entire world, in effect, paying for the socialization of medicine in other countries and receiving no benefit for it. Also, what good is all this research and development of new medicines if we can't get approved for them. I'd rather have a system that will use all of its available resources to make me better than to have all sorts of research going into drugs and treatments that my insurer won't pay for and I don't have access to otherwise.

I won't even launch into the insurance companies and the thousands of people that have died waiting to get approved for treatments that the companies didn't see as "medically necessary" or found them to be "experimental". In some cases, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants are still seen to be "experimental" and therefore not covered. My health care plan, while covering Viagra, doesn't cover PAP SMEARS!

Overall, the system is breaking here in the US and something must be done. I have my beliefs on what they should be and the above is just a scratch on the surface. I hope that this has stimulated some thought on your part and really hope that it makes you become more proactive in your efforts to affect change!

Feel free to rant back! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Just post them to the "REPLY" button on the bottom here. Remember though..all posts are visible to the general public so play nice!

 
 
 
 

The first picture here is "The Garage" where I had lunch/dinner today. It is an actual old garage that has been converted into a restaurant. Everything is garage themed and I had the Texas Cadillac Bison Burger for my meal. It was wonderful and quirky. The unisex bathroom was filled with random household bathroom supplies like deodorant and hairspray.
The second picture got posted out of order but it is a picture of the Bozeman public library and is an nod to Rita! Random library pic!!!
The third pic is one of those things that let me know I'm living where I should be. The menus at The Garage are made out of old license plates with the booklet in the middle. They have all the states and they are really kinda a cool thing. In a strange coincidence the server handed me the West Virginia license cover. Proof that I am where I should be!
The fourth picture is from the top of the Army-Navy store in town and the horse SPINS!!!! It is the greatest!
Hope you enjoyed the pics of Bozeman, I hope to be back soon!

 
 
 
 

Here are a few more pictures from on top of Pete's Hill. The third one down is from Montana State University, which is located here. It is this huge M on one of the mountainsides near the city. Oddly, in Missoula, where University of Montana is, there is a hillside with an M on it as well. Seems to be a Montana tradition!

Bozeman, Montana

 
 
 
 

Sometimes we still get a rockin-nice layover and this is one of them. I always get excited when I get a layover in Montana. I don't get them very often so they are something special. I had never been to Bozeman before so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I wasn't disappointed. Home to Montana State, Bozeman has a neat little downtown full of funky shops, restaurants and coffee shops and is surrounded by the Grand Tetons. The view is amazing and the people are genuine. Just a really nice place.

Here are four shots of Bozeman. The first one is from the center of the main drag through town. There is a major construction project going on so the streets aren't as empty as they look here. Just a couple of blocks up the road is closed and all the water mains are being replaced. The next three pictures are taken from the edge of town called "Pete's Hill". The mountains surround the city make you feel like you are completely isolated from the rest of the earth.

Some Pictures from West Virginia Pride last week

 
 
 
 

From the New York Times...Article on Morgantowns PRT system

City’s White Elephant Now Looks Like a Transit Workhorse


By SEAN D. HAMILL
Published: June 11, 2007

MORGANTOWN, W.Va., June 4 — During its troubled years of construction and testing in the early 1970s, the Personal Rapid Transit system that snakes through this hilly college town was derided as a fiasco and a waste of money that perhaps should be dynamited rather than finished.

But now, 32 years after it began operating, the P.R.T. — as most people here call it — is lauded as probably the best answer to the traffic that has found its way to these increasingly popular Appalachian hills.

“I would hate to see Morgantown without the P.R.T. system,” said Mayor Ronald Justice. “We’re a small town with big traffic issues, and the P.R.T. could be the reason we’re able to continue our growth.”

Originally built to shuttle students and employees between West Virginia University’s two campuses, which sit two miles apart, Morgantown now sees it as more than just a way to get students to class on time. With commuting times increasing in the region, the university, which operates the system, is considering expanding it.

The two leading proposals are an extension at the southern end of the line along the Monongahela River into the Wharf District, which city officials hope will be a mix of hotels, restaurants and retail shops; another would go farther north into the research park the university is developing, an area that could become home to a distant park-and-ride facility.

If the P.R.T. expands — at a cost of up to $30 million to $40 million a mile — it would add to the lore that has built up around Morgantown’s system, which is studied by transit experts from around the world.

Riders can push a button and select which of the five stops they want on the system’s 3.6-mile route; it is like a horizontal elevator that can go 30 miles per hour. The driverless, 21-passenger fiberglass cars, gliding on rubber wheels and powered by electric motors, pick up riders and deliver them to their stops quickly, bypassing intermediate stations along the concrete and steel guide way. It is this individualized destination option that sets it apart from other cities’ systems.

“This is the only operating P.R.T. system in the world,” said Larry Fabian, treasurer of the Advanced Transit Association, an organization based in Virginia that promotes advanced rapid transit technologies and held a conference in May in Morgantown. “After more than 30 years, it’s still unique.”

But it is also expensive.

University and local government officials realize they are not likely to get the federal government to finance the expansion, as it did the original project. They are talking about coming up with local and state financing.

Not everyone thinks so highly of the P.R.T.

“The infrastructure requirements are such that it is not realistic to think it could be adopted in highly developed U.S. cities,” Jonathan E. D. Richmond, a transportation expert, said in an e-mail message from Singapore, where he is advising the government.

From July 2005 to June 2006, some 2.25 million rides were taken on the P.R.T.

After a decline in ridership during the 1990s, the number of rides has increased roughly 10 percent a year over the last five years, but nonstudent and nonemployee ridership has stayed relatively constant, about 80,000 rides a year.

Students ride as often as they like after paying a fee of $63 per semester, which pays for 60 percent of the system’s $3 million annual operating costs. The system essentially breaks even after the university picks up the cost for university employees and everyone else pays 50 cents per ride.

The P.R.T. was originally seen as a way to solve Morgantown’s student traffic woes.

Though Morgantown was and is a relatively small urban area — 63,000 people in 1970 versus 84,000 now — getting students to class on time became a challenge in the 1960s when the university outgrew its downtown campus and opened a campus in Evansdale two miles away.

The idea might have died a swift political death, but when it was proposed in 1969 it served the political needs of President Richard M. Nixon, who wanted a demonstration project to usher in an era of urban mass transit.

The system was projected to cost $13.7 million. By 1974, after $57 million had been spent, engineers were still working out kinks in the system. One researcher proposed that students be given golf carts so that at least they could ride them on the P.R.T. guide way.

The first phase was opened in 1975. By the time the second phase was finished in 1979, the system had cost $138 million.

Despite the early missteps, the P.R.T. in the years since has become a symbol of reliability, never having caused a serious injury and running 98 percent of the time.

“It’s indispensable,” Debolina Ganguly, 29, a graduate student in biology, said as she rode between classes high along the Monongahela River. “It’s a nice view, but the best part is it’s fast.”

It is so reliable that after moving to Morgantown a year ago, Ms. Ganguly sold her car.

Still, it does not run often enough for people who do not attend the university or work there.

“There’s a real problem,” said Bruce Summers, 64, who has lived in Morgantown for 34 years and works downtown. “When the university is not in session, it’s closed. You can’t rely on it. If you want to get downtown people to use it, you’ve got to do it another way.”

Holiday Inn Stadium-Philly

Now when I first started blogging, you'll remember that it all started with a bad hotel stay in Baltimore at a Holiday Inn. Well, in some regards we've come full circle. Last week I was doing a four day trip that turned into an adventure in patients with hotels. I understand that some things will happen but it seems that those of us that live in hotels chosen for us are the most likely to get shafted.

While the first night of the trip didn't exactly go smoothly with the first hotel (major issues with internet access) the big mess was the second night in Philadelphia. The hotel there is one that we used to stay in years ago but left after we all complained. The hotel isn't near any food and had some serious safety concerns. It is in the parking lot of the stadium complex in Philly which isn't exactly Fort Knox.

The Holiday Inn Stadium in Philly was a disaster when I got there. They checked me into THREE rooms that already had people in it. It took nearly an hour to get a room without a guest already in it. It is one of the most basic parts of running a hotel or any business...knowing your inventory!!! If you don't have it, don't sell it! How anything could be that messed up is beyond me.
Once I got into my room, the night didn't get any better as the internet in this hotel was jacked up as well. I called the toll free number in an effort to solve the issue but was told "we're not trained to do anything but get you connected and since you're connected, we can't help you". I was also told that I certainly had a virus since my computer was connecting but unable to open anything. I even tried explaining to them that they needed to reboot the pods near my room as I have dealt with this issue many times in my travels. They refused to believe me and wouldn't even reboot it just to prove me wrong.
Anyway, another reason why I avoid Holiday Inn's in my private travels. I keep telling them that but they don't seem to care. Ah..another outstanding example of American Customer Service.