Hearing From Those Who Can't

There are almost 37.5 million Americans who are hard of hearing (or in P.C., auditorially challenged). They have no voice or can't hear it. No one has come out with issues that affect those who have trouble hearing. We are now.

First, is the need to speak clearly, slowly and loudly. It is a good way to communicate even to people who have perfect hearing.Some talk like this: we'vebeentryingtocontactyou. Please call 123-4something something inaudible. 

Hearing challenged people speak slowly, loudly and clearly anyway perhaps so they too can hear what they're saying. Sometimes it may help telling the caller right away that you need them to speak loudly, clearly and slowly.

Television listening is another obstacle. Most hearing impaired cannot hear the words of the program they're watching; they need closed captioning, but it  must be simultaneous with the show. Some seem to wait a few seconds making the CC reader miss the show while trying to find out what has already been said. Sometimes the CC delay causes the reader to speed read with the broadcaster trying to catch up by being real fast. The alternative problem is that the system is so far behind the action that it just gives up and disregards the rest of the verbiage. 

The other problem with them hearing T.V. shows is when the show plays music over the dialogue. It is an insult to the actors, the director, the writers and the viewers. It's as though the acting, directing and writing do not reveal enough so music is needed to set the tone. It's a terrible idea and makes hearing the dialogue very challenging.

Then there are the interpersonal communications.  Names seem to be the hardest to hear clearly and the hearing challenged must ask to have it repeated several times. Perhaps this population should wear a button that says "hard of hearing, please say the name real slowly or spell it,"or "ask me about my vow of silence."

Those with auditory problems sometimes need to supplement their hearing by seeing the other person's face so that they can read their lips, like President George, senior, who said "read my lips, no new taxes." Perhaps he was being considerate of Americans who find hearing difficult. When people turn away, showing  their backs rather than their faces, they can't be heard. This is a variation of "don't talk behind my back" to "don't talk behind your back."

Some of us were raised to always look the person in the eye when  speaking even to those who hear clearly. It's still a good idea that many of us were never apparently taught.

The hearing impaired also have problems hearing a song nearby as in a restaurant or a neighbor's home and just hear the base notes which ofttimes are a repetitious, annoying thumping. If you live next door to the hard of hearing, you should stop playing terrible music loud enough so neighbors don't have hear it (playing Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen or Joan Baez is fine). 

Those who have trouble hearing should wear hearing aids, but they are terrible. They require the wearers to stuff them in their ears, the batteries need to be changed often, like once a week, and batteries are not cheap. Implants would be preferable but they need to have their battery changed too, but the implant must be removed to do so. And hearing aids are very expensive; they start at about $5000 for a matching set and they sometimes do not really do the job, especially when talking on the phone.

Also,we must be patient with those so afflicted who ask us to repeat what was just said. It might happen two or three times. Note that each additional restatement takes seconds. Surely we have the time.

So please hear from those who can't. Remember, this - some day it could happen to you.

Why Single Payer is a Terrible and Unnecessary Idea

During a debate with Hillary Clinton in 2008, candidate Obama rejected her idea that everyone must be forced to pay for healthcare and everyone must be covered. Then-Senator Obama said that it would be a good idea if we did not already have a private/public insurance system in place. He recommended the "public option" as a way to make private insurers lower the cost. He insisted that it be voluntary and that no one could be denied coverage for medical reasons.

The new President was told by Congress that he couldn't have it his way and ruled that everyone who is not currently covered must sign  up the ACA for medical coverage with a share of cost. They also nixed the public option idea probably having been told to by private health insurance companies. 

Today, almost every American who wants it has it usually through their employment (157,381,500) or federal programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and V.A (113 million). A small number of Americans buy their insurance outside the ACA (less than 22 million).  That leaves about 10 to 20 million needing or wanting the ACA. 

When the ACA went into effect more people were covered by the expanded Medicaid.  Ten million had a share of cost for insurers and policies chosen with ACA having a high deductible. Prices have gone up dramatically and insurers have dropped out of the market even with a captive audience. Those who remained had less competition so they raised their rates. They received $10 billion a year to cover their losses.

Now the idea is to go all the way and have Medicaid for all whether Americans want it or not. The report projects a $35 trillion dollar extra cost over a 10 year period if Single Payer were implemented. The analysis went on to say that if every American taxpaying household, approximately 52% of us, doubled their payment in federal income tax, it would not be enough to cover this $3.5 trillion additional annual cost. That amount is larger than our entire federal budget with medical costs being $1 trillion some of which is paid by F.I.C.A. contributions made by current employers and former employees. 

Doctors and especially surgeons will become federal employees with greatly reduced income leading to greatly reduced interest, dedication or ingenuity.

But what else can we do, you ask. I have a simple answer, do basically what the senator-candidate Obama proposed with a slight difference. 

Now that enrollment is voluntary, let private insurers deny coverage to anyone for medical reasons. Those denied coverage would be immediately eligible to the "public option" which would be a federal program with share of cost based on income and no deductible. Those eligible for expanded Medicaid but are in states that refused to sign on would also be eligible. 

This would bring insurers back into the market to compete for the healthy applicants. It's better for them because they can hardly lose money on the deal. They would lower their rates to attract healthy customers.

In addition, insurers should be able to offer a minimal coverage which would cover only the services usually needed. The plan could cover hospitalization including rehab; office and clinic visits; lab and radiology tests; and prescription drugs as well as other needed medical supplies.

To offset some the additional cost we would stop subsidizing the insurers the $10 billion we give them each year. 

The result: affordable health coverage for anyone who wants it, with no one denied coverage for health reasons, a public option to make there private sector more competitive lowering rates to attract healthy applicants having lost its captive audience. 

Still, it would cost billions of dollars a year extra but not $3.5 trillion a year.

Problem solved. Saving tax money and freedom.


   

Man, Machines and Mother Nature

Man, Machines and Mother Nature

Human beings have made great strides in the last 50,000 years, ever since homo sapiens moved north. We have gone from hunting and gathering to farming then to industry and recently to computers and automation. We have made advances in science discovering new ways to save and prolong life. We can now create babies without need for intercourse. We even can change a person's gender. We have found ways to prevent or terminate pregnancy. We have done many things that go against Mother Nature. Is she mad at us?

As we have always known, Mother Nature seems to have a certain blueprint for life on earth. Have we violated it?

Mother smiled on hunting and gathering as well as farming. We ate what we grew and the animals we raised or hunted. We were able to make things by hand not by machines. We were heated by the sun and stayed cool by opening windows with cross ventillation and fought the cold with fireplaces. We had hundreds of millions of trees and had many lush forests. The vegetation turned our CO2 into oxygen. 

Then came the Industrial Revolution. We were able to produce what we needed using machines, sometimes in mass production. We had coal plants and industrial pollution but some of it was absorbed by our plentiful vegetation and surely the infinite sky could absorb the rest. 

We started mass producing cars which needed gas and oil to run. The growing number of cars set off high levels of carbon monoxide. 

We then started killing trees in order to build structures to house us and to make products that we needed. As the stock of trees decreased, CO2 pollution increased.

Now we have new issues that the Mother would find offensive.

We now have computers upon which we have learned to depend; some even "want" to answer our questions so that humans are not needed to help customers. We have "smart" phones that help us avoid thinking and addict us to use them as we eat, spend time with friends, drive and/or walk down the street. We don't need to go to a store and deal with salespeople, we can order online. Now instead of seeing and hearing our fellow human beings we can email them or text them so we don't ever have to call them, see or hear from them.

We had a sexual revolution that started when a Supreme Court made abortion legal. We realized that this option along with birth control devises enabled us to have as much sex as possible with whomever, wherever and whenever we wanted with no fear of permanent responsibility, as in children. 

We now have 40% of all U.S pregnancies unintended; 50% of these unwanted are aborted. Since 1970, Americans have had 45 million abortions.

Has Mother Nature had enough and is now fighting back?

We are polluting the earth, air and water. We have used our oceans as large dumping grounds. As a result, Nature warmed the earth causing drought, forest fires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; tore holes in our ozone layer that protects us from harmful rays while also causing hurricanes and tornadoes. Maybe water seeks its revenge with massive flooding resulting in mudslides and whole homes being washed away The oceans become so warm and so polluted that sharks are getting closer to the shore and we have more algae and jellyfish in our waterways.

We killed millions of trees for development, now we have climate change. 

Thanks to communication tools like email and twitter we have become more alienated. We are likely to be depressed and anxious. 

As they used to say in a margarine commercial "You can't fool Mother Nature." It seems now to be painfully true.