Health Bill is By No Means a Done Deal!

I would not place a bet that ANY health care bill will pass. There are too many problems with too many different groups of people. I, at the moment, will not be unhappy since there is nothing about the bills in Congress that satisfy my wish to see health care reform. To think that the House bill only passed by five votes! There were a number of Democrats that could not vote for the bill even after the abortion restrictions.

I am a fan of Marcia Angell who has been critical of our healthcare system. Her latest comments on the House bill reflect my feelings entirely. Her strategy of how we could achieve a single payor system strikes me as both realistic and hopeful. Her focus on strengthening primary care while placing more cost cutting restrictions on specialists is important. Placing on the emphasis on the need to insure everyone without other considerations of reforming health care itself will only provide more profits for insurance companies.

Implications of National Debt

Robert Samuelson may be considered a more conservative economist, but I do read his columns with interest and usually find them quite convincing. In his latest column, he discusses the implications of the debt of many major nations, e.g., Spain, Great Britain, Japan, and also, the United States. His observations are generally based on a IMF report that includes reasonably convincing data on what could be overwhelming national debt by 2014 (cf. below).

His scenario about the implications of such debt is scary and would make anyone pause to consider what should be done.

From my point of view, I would suggest:

1. The President and his administration (including Congress) should start voicing the need for a national response that would involve EVERYONE for a long time. Increased taxation and reduction of benefits are inevitable and only a sense of the common good will enable the politicians to do what will be required.

2. How can costs be reduced?

a. Health care: we have to get a universal card system as fast as possible and, with this national system, we will have to ration care comparable to what other nations do. In short, we cannot afford everything to all on demand. Whatever care will be provided within the provisions of a national system, I see no way to stop those who can afford more insurance to access more health care options. There are all sort of implications to this type of rationing, e.g., some medical research designed to bring advanced types of biotech treatment will have to be deferred/short-changed

b. Department of Defense: our nation has been expanding its military capacity to the point of the absurd. We have made our "allies" dependent on our use of OUR resources to address their needs. It is not fair. In addition, our empire building days have to end. We cannot save the world. We should be on the path to get the United Nations to expand its charter to include a military that would address issues of concern, e.g., genocide.

c. Benefits: Social Security should be adjusted regularly to the constant advancement of longevity. To extend benefits longer and longer without any adjustment may not be possible. Moreover, there has to be a change in the ceiling of pay roll tax for Social Security. The tax should be on total income AND the payouts should be adjusted to income, i.e., those at the bottom will get proportionally more in their benefits than those who have higher income and for those beyond a certain amount, e.g., $500 K, would receive NOTHING!

d. Tax Laws: Current incentives that reward those with more income should be modified, if not eliminated. One such tax law is the mortgage interest deductions. I would recommend the elimination of this deduction. It would add needed tax revenue and support initiatives designed to promote houses that are more reasonable in terms of their carbon print.

I believe that these changes would address our national debt.

General Government Debt to GDP

• COUNTRY
• BRAZIL
• CANADA
• CHINA
• FRANCE
• GERMANY
• INDIA
• ITALY
• JAPAN
• SOUTH KOREA
• MEXICO
• UNITED KINGDOM
• UNITED STATES

• 2007
• 67%
• 64%
• 20%
• 64%
• 63%
• 81%
• 104%
• 188%
• 30%
• 38%
• 44%
• 62%

• 2014
• 59%
• 69%
• 20%
• 96%
• 89%
• 79%
• 129%
• 246%
• 35%
• 44%
• 98%
• 108%

Letter to Speaker Pelosi & Majority Leader Reid

I write to you, as the Speaker of the House (Majority Leader of the Senate), because I am very concerned that the vision first articulated by President Obama is being lost because Congress cannot address the major issues of reform of financial institutions, health care reform, economic stimulus, and a global warming treaty in a way that makes sense to the American public. I realize that your job is most difficult. I admit that you are working to achieve some sort of consensus at least within the Democratic caucus. However, the way things are working out, it looks like politics is essentially ruining a vision of change.

I realize that no bill has actually passed either chamber at this point. However, it does look that the political interests of those in Congress to ensure their political survival seems to be the driving force that is shaping the legislation. I fear that the 2010 elections will result in the loss of many Democrats only because they failed to deliver on expectations. Maybe Congress has become unmanageable. Maybe the financing of congressional elections is so dependent on lobbyists that it is impossible to legislate to further the interests of the American public. Maybe we are in a downward spiral dating from the 1980's where congress is becoming virtually a series of vested interests with no common goals and vision. Whatever it is, the end result is negative.

I hope that this general vision of Sheila Blair and Elizabeth Warren are incorporated into a set of financial regulations.

I hope that health care reform will, in fact, reform health care!

I hope that there will be evidence that the economic stimulation package does actually produce jobs even if another stimulus bill is required. Surely, there are enough problems in our nation, e.g., our crumbling infrastructure, to warrant the investment.

I hope that a global warming treaty will indicate our nation's seriousness to reform our abuse of carbon.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my views.

Edward Toomey

"The Jesuit and the Skull" by Amir Aczel

My daughter and family gave me this book for Father's Day because they knew that I held Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in such high regard. I discovered him when I was in the seminary and became enthralled with his knowledge and vision. He clearly articulated a knowledge of evolution that was very convincing. And he was able to incorporate the scientific insights into a spiritual vision that was "breathtaking". I recall reading parts of his "Divine Milieux" to patients in the hospital because his vision was so beautiful.

Reading "The Jesuit and the Skull" added another dimension to my knowledge of this Jesuit priest. While I knew that he was exiled by the Jesuit community and Vatican officials, he did not realize the extent of his exile. It was incredible. I knew about the denials of the community and Rome to publish much of his writings (publications occurred after his death, thanks to an agreement between Teilhard and a friend).

The book captures the wonderful personality of this priest who seemed to be a friend virtually of everyone (except one). Some of his friends were women with whom he shared a deep friendship. In one case, the relationship was particularly strong, but eventually dissipated because he did not want to break his vow of celibacy.

I admit that my current vantage point, his life-long obedience to Rome and Jesuit order and his adherence to his vows are dumbfounding given that the institutional Church was so harsh with him personally and so antithetical to his beliefs. I know that the discrepancy between my beliefs and those of the institutional church were impossible for me to bridge with a sense of loyalty! He surely evidenced character traits that exceeded my capacity.

Another Letter to President Obama

President Obama, I continue to support you. I treasure you as a gifted leader. However, I do think that mistakes are being made in your administration. 1. Health Care It's a mess! There is no coherence in any of the bills under discussion. Moreover, none actually reform health care. It is essentially the same system extended to more people. The bills satisfy virtually no one. 2. War Afghanistan is a major test. I can only hope that your reflection will result in a decided reversal of prior statements. Going further down the road in any way will only extend misery. If anything, the promise to help the people can be guaranteed through foreign investments in schools, clinics, and other humane goals. 3. Economy I wrote to you earlier about the decisions made to address the economy. It remains evident to me that your economic leaders are not breaking away from the past with sufficient focus to make a difference to the financial sector. More importantly, the need to address the unemployment issue seems to assigned a lesser priority than other goals, e.g., health care. Somehow, the available stimulus money needs to make a difference quicker or we need more stimulus money. There surely is a national need to address our infrastructure problems, if nothing else. Such action would make a difference to our nation while creating jobs. 4. Transparency I hoped that your administration would be "different" because there would be total transparency, guided by ethics that transcended politics. I am afraid that your administration comes across as more of the same, albeit, in a less obvious fashion. In closing, I want you to succeed. It would be terrible if you did not! Edward Toomey

Afghanistan

The President is considering what to do with Afghanistan. There are reports that he will increase the military strength but less than what Gen. McCrystal wanted. Even that will be too much!

I see no end to McCrystal's strategy or for any other strategy that requires changes in governance or society.

I agree with all the people who emphasize that this will be the proverbial quagmire that Vietnam was for Johnson. No one better states the view than Robert Scheer.

Elections - November 2009

I do not think that the elections relate in any way to Obama. New Jersey has been a mess for years and everyone is hoping that someone different in the office of Governor will make a difference. I actually believe such a person may be coming in the person of Corey Booker. But that will be at least another four years and he still has much to do in Newark.

Virginia is traditionally a Republican state. That it returned to its traditional pattern is no surprise since the Democratic nominee was not that strong.

However, I do think that the Democrats will be in trouble in 2010 and beyond if they do not straighten out their priorities. This outcome is independent of what people think of Obama.

I do not agree with Obama's relative need to try to be inclusive when there is no indication that Republicans want to become part of Obama's vision. Obama was elected President and, as such, he has a right to implement his vision. They should negotiate change within his vision. What I feel bad about is that Obama is not strong enough in pushing for his programs.