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What’s good for one is good for all
TweetWhat’s good for one is good for all
I believe a 28th Amendment to the Constitution should read as follows: “Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the USA that does not apply equally to the senators and representatives, and they shall make no law that applies to the senators and representatives that does not apply to the citizens of the USA.” In plain talk let the politicians who pass the laws also live by them. No special privileges. No great health-care plans that apply to them only and not to the rest of the citizens. No pension plans that allow them to retire after one term and receive handsome pay.
It is obvious that the mess in Washington has been created by people who are lifetime professional politicians, more interested in scoring political points against the opposing party than solving the nation’s problems. Getting re-elected is their primary aim: health care reform, homeland defense, and energy shortages run a distant second.
A term limit amendment might also help. Don’t hold your breath for any of this to happen. For now we can only vote them out at election time.
Herb McMullen, Youngstown
Let’s stay out of the organ trade
I read Sally Satel’s proposal for a commercialization of the organ trade some years ago in The New York Times Magazine and then last Thursday in The Vindicator.
I thought I’d heard every sort of sheer awfulness in health care debate, until this zinger came along.
What she’s saying without quite saying it is that people without health insurance face obstacles so great in obtaining timely and effective health care that they could be “persuaded” to accept an organs-for-Medicare swap. What other reason would there be for Medicare to “incentivize” otherwise unwilling medically uninsured folks to part with their organs? What would a kidney be worth: a few years of maintenance meds and some root canals?
Her proposal is coercive and predatory, and pretty much reeks of Nazi-era medical abuses.
Jack Labusch, Niles
Comments
I couldn't agree more. I once saw a bumper sticker that read "Don't re-elect anyone!"
Mr. McMullen:
Re Congress: "No special privileges. No great health-care plans that apply to them only and not to the rest of the citizens. No pension plans that allow them to retire after one term and receive handsome pay."
Actually none of this garbage is true. ALL Federal employees have the right to BUY health care from companies that agree to certain terms after negotiation with the Office of Personnel Managenment. Because millions of people are involved, the risk is spead out and the prices are less than with most health insurance. They do get part of it paid by the government.
Congressional pensions are NOT defined benefit plans like Congress had before 1984.They get 1% of pension for each year of government service multiplieed by years of service. They have the right to belong to the Thrift Savings plan, like a 401K. If the member puts nothing in, nothing is received.
People like USA1 play you like a violin, get you worked up using half truths and you are willing to expose your ignorance for the world to see on their behalf.
Springman
Take your head out of the sand any american would love to have the health care plan that congress has and is payed for by the Taxpayers of this country.
Generous plans are available in private industry but nothing compares to the one they have.
At a cost of 15 billion a year to the taxpayer their plan covers a family for about $1000 a month of which the taxpayers pay $750. Their cost is about $250 per month for a family. Doctor visits are $20 Generic Drugs $10 with no limits. Many other things are included in their plan that is not in the average American's plan.
If this sounds like garbage to you then who is exposing their ignorance.
Never heard of USA1
Actually, you are mistaken. A low level clerk at Social Security has the right to BUY the same coverage that someone like Senator Voinovitch or Rep. Boehner have at the same cost: the premium is the same for everybody.
Several Senators wanted to extend this plan to everybody, using the Office of Personnel Management to administer it, but that attempt was killed. In Ohio, an employee can choose from several plans. Bluecross has two plans, for example, and the premiums for the "high option" are substantially greater than for the standard option. Senator Voinovitch and Rep. Boehner probably want to protect those as Cadillac plans, subject to tax. However, now that the healthcare bill has passed, if there are not enough competing companies, this system may be revisited
If you want to learn more about it, visit the OPM website.