Eloquently written. Although theres something in there about one of the subjects, in the case healthcare, I always like to point stuff out on because I think it important to do so. Health spending in the USA, as a share of GDP (which is a bs number but it useful for comparing like things as proportions of total spending between coutries) we spend almost 17% of GDP whereas the OECD average is just below 10%. the ones just beneath in spending are less than 12%, so something is wrong, but Duty to Care, according to the American Hospital Association and others, and these are groups that have an incentive to give the number as big as they can because they give it looking for gov aid for it and to explain away their high prices, well, In 2020, uncompensated care costs were estimated at $42.67 billion (AHA), but the difference in share to GDP mapped to our GDP is about 1.6 trillion more than the average and about 8 billion more than the second highest spender by share of GDP, so even if theres all stuff that makes us more expensive that isnt structural corruption and we give a conservative estimate thats much lower, we'd still have some sizable multiple of Duty to Care that we're getting ripped off by. I only nitpick here and say this because I think its important and we're all getting ripped off in a serious way, if you see the bills and you think also about the big picture of how much lower taxes could be and other things that the gov could spend on and so on, its not a normal ripping off, its an exceptionally excessive and damaging ripping off
Half of all heath care costs are expended in the last 6 months of people's lives. There needs to be a new definition of health. We spend trillions so old people can watch a few more months of television.
What you write is true, but what I see around me are fat and lazy unhealthy people who are not old. Health is a personal responsibility, and it is more than fixing sickness. It is a full time job of exercise, temperance, moderation, and making good choices regarding food and drink. Life was meant to be lived vigorously with lots of activity, and one still needs to remain active in old age.
We are just socializing the costs of laziness and more bad choices. Stop socializing the costs and watch the people start trying to be healthy again. Taking a pill to fix a problem is a strong sorcery. End the sorcery and watch the problem resolve its self.
In my opinion, both healthcare system structural problems and cultural stuff are directly related to the fact that we've long been waaaay to overly economically and politically centralized. This drive up costs thru regulatory captures, various sources of admin bloats, industry cartelization, pharmaceutical situation, etc., while also stripping localities of the ability to enact reforms. On the cultural side, decentralization could also enable cultural shifts by allowing different regions to develop approaches to health that represent local values and lifestyles and the broader effects of decentralization will enable those local values to be in-general actualized, promoting preventative care, community-based health initiatives, and social structures and habits that encourage healthier living. But more importantly, their are powerful special interests groups with strong incentives to resist these things for various reasons, and Big Heath/Big Pharma are among those interest groups, the fact that our information ecosystem and media is so centralized pays a role in helping them block cultural and structural change
I'll get to your book eventually. I have a backlog of engineering work I have to complete that won't clear until end of May. With The Killing Joke and the work backlog there isn't a lot of time left over.
Trump the Terrible or Obama the Terrible... or both?
I have been watching a Historical Drama (TV series made recently in Russia) about the Russian Czars.
As luck would have it, last night I watched segment 7 of " 'The Terrible' -The Damnation of Power."
Ivan gradually 'lost it' as he suffered 'the slings and arrows'. He lost hope and resilience as he ran out of money in various failed enterprises and wars. ('West' take note: Towards the end, he would not call out the army even when his kingdom was invaded by Mongols because he wanted to save the army for a rainier day).
In the end, he turned to plundering the class who most supported him - the Boyars. Having accomplished that, he left suddenly for a life of peace and quiet in a monastery and handed the state over to a couple of psychopaths and their Secret Police (the Oprichnina) to keep the Boyars who survived subdued. The Oprichnina robbed them of their last remaining, hidden treasure and then exterminated them, just in case, because "dead men, (and women and children), tell no tales."
That conundrum was addressed in the earlier chapters of The Killing Joke.
The Philosopher Kings know this full well and depend upon it to achieve their objectives. That's why they have to keep up the appearance of normalcy until they can pull the economic rug out from underneath the nation.
Okay, I’ll check this out… If you’d ever like a cheap copy editor, I’m very very good, and pretty fast. ^_^ Your writing is Excellent. Grammar is, for most people, a whole nuther animal, and I was born clutching a red pencil… ha
That is quite the tour de force and since it is about the United Snakes of America it could even be called a tour de farce. I am not an United Snakesian, but I could recognize the outlines of the viper-state. Thank you. I could have said that your article is good enough to appear in the New York Times but that could be read as an insult... to you. Keep up the brilliant work of Citizen Journalism, the only kind of journalism that remains.
Eloquently written. Although theres something in there about one of the subjects, in the case healthcare, I always like to point stuff out on because I think it important to do so. Health spending in the USA, as a share of GDP (which is a bs number but it useful for comparing like things as proportions of total spending between coutries) we spend almost 17% of GDP whereas the OECD average is just below 10%. the ones just beneath in spending are less than 12%, so something is wrong, but Duty to Care, according to the American Hospital Association and others, and these are groups that have an incentive to give the number as big as they can because they give it looking for gov aid for it and to explain away their high prices, well, In 2020, uncompensated care costs were estimated at $42.67 billion (AHA), but the difference in share to GDP mapped to our GDP is about 1.6 trillion more than the average and about 8 billion more than the second highest spender by share of GDP, so even if theres all stuff that makes us more expensive that isnt structural corruption and we give a conservative estimate thats much lower, we'd still have some sizable multiple of Duty to Care that we're getting ripped off by. I only nitpick here and say this because I think its important and we're all getting ripped off in a serious way, if you see the bills and you think also about the big picture of how much lower taxes could be and other things that the gov could spend on and so on, its not a normal ripping off, its an exceptionally excessive and damaging ripping off
Half of all heath care costs are expended in the last 6 months of people's lives. There needs to be a new definition of health. We spend trillions so old people can watch a few more months of television.
What you write is true, but what I see around me are fat and lazy unhealthy people who are not old. Health is a personal responsibility, and it is more than fixing sickness. It is a full time job of exercise, temperance, moderation, and making good choices regarding food and drink. Life was meant to be lived vigorously with lots of activity, and one still needs to remain active in old age.
We are just socializing the costs of laziness and more bad choices. Stop socializing the costs and watch the people start trying to be healthy again. Taking a pill to fix a problem is a strong sorcery. End the sorcery and watch the problem resolve its self.
In my opinion, both healthcare system structural problems and cultural stuff are directly related to the fact that we've long been waaaay to overly economically and politically centralized. This drive up costs thru regulatory captures, various sources of admin bloats, industry cartelization, pharmaceutical situation, etc., while also stripping localities of the ability to enact reforms. On the cultural side, decentralization could also enable cultural shifts by allowing different regions to develop approaches to health that represent local values and lifestyles and the broader effects of decentralization will enable those local values to be in-general actualized, promoting preventative care, community-based health initiatives, and social structures and habits that encourage healthier living. But more importantly, their are powerful special interests groups with strong incentives to resist these things for various reasons, and Big Heath/Big Pharma are among those interest groups, the fact that our information ecosystem and media is so centralized pays a role in helping them block cultural and structural change
Thanks. Very eloquent.And true. I tried to express it my own way in much simpler fashion but the point is the same. Please take a look here.
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Country-Then-Richard-Cook/dp/1949762858
And here.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/anglo-american-zionist-empire-source-world-crisis/5877240
I'll get to your book eventually. I have a backlog of engineering work I have to complete that won't clear until end of May. With The Killing Joke and the work backlog there isn't a lot of time left over.
Good shot, man
Trump the Terrible or Obama the Terrible... or both?
I have been watching a Historical Drama (TV series made recently in Russia) about the Russian Czars.
As luck would have it, last night I watched segment 7 of " 'The Terrible' -The Damnation of Power."
Ivan gradually 'lost it' as he suffered 'the slings and arrows'. He lost hope and resilience as he ran out of money in various failed enterprises and wars. ('West' take note: Towards the end, he would not call out the army even when his kingdom was invaded by Mongols because he wanted to save the army for a rainier day).
In the end, he turned to plundering the class who most supported him - the Boyars. Having accomplished that, he left suddenly for a life of peace and quiet in a monastery and handed the state over to a couple of psychopaths and their Secret Police (the Oprichnina) to keep the Boyars who survived subdued. The Oprichnina robbed them of their last remaining, hidden treasure and then exterminated them, just in case, because "dead men, (and women and children), tell no tales."
History sure seems to be rhyming.
Thanks everyone needs to read. But who would read because they’re too busy, lazy or tired working for freaks.
That conundrum was addressed in the earlier chapters of The Killing Joke.
The Philosopher Kings know this full well and depend upon it to achieve their objectives. That's why they have to keep up the appearance of normalcy until they can pull the economic rug out from underneath the nation.
Outstanding article, many thanks.
Absolute genius. But it's getting very dark... Was it ever not?
I finally found this underneath a bunch of unread emails...
Great post! Really, really great. Going to share it, too.
Thanks for the good work!!
And I always sort of blew off all the yammer about Michelle O. being a man, but... okay, maybe! lol
Anyway, cheers, good job.
It's a whole series. About half-way through. Earlier chapters are needed for context.
Okay, I’ll check this out… If you’d ever like a cheap copy editor, I’m very very good, and pretty fast. ^_^ Your writing is Excellent. Grammar is, for most people, a whole nuther animal, and I was born clutching a red pencil… ha
That is quite the tour de force and since it is about the United Snakes of America it could even be called a tour de farce. I am not an United Snakesian, but I could recognize the outlines of the viper-state. Thank you. I could have said that your article is good enough to appear in the New York Times but that could be read as an insult... to you. Keep up the brilliant work of Citizen Journalism, the only kind of journalism that remains.
Lovelyyyyyy
"the question becomes a matter of which list – the list to be picked up later, or the list to go directly to the incinerator" :-)