Doing Things Halfway

The United States government never does anything ALL the way; it always does it “HALFWAY,” and thus complicates things. Example: Social Security and Medicare. If you’re an old person who has no money, Social Security will take care of things, right? WRONG! Social Security gives you just enough money to live in poverty. Medicare: You’re old and broke because Social Security gives you barely enough to survive, and you go to the hospital or see your doctor. They bill Medicare and Medicare starts right out by cutting IN HALF the amount of the bill they will pay, while CLAIMING to pay “80% of it.” What they PAY is 80% of the amount they APPROVE for payment, which usually amounts to 40% of the REAL amount. Then hospitals, doctors, subsidiary providers, etc, (X-rays, and such) bug this old person who has no money for the balance. It he/she also has Medicaid, they pay some more of it, and you get billed for what THEY don’t pay. Then you buy “supplemental insurance” with what little money you have (IF you have any), and they pay some more of it. But still not all. You still get billed for the rest and your credit is ruined because you can’t pay it.

Medicare and Medicaid together does not pay it all, and you have to deal with all the credit demands, phone calls, in some cases, suits, etc. AFTER the government (and insurance you pay for) pays only a PART of it. Why they don’t just pay ALL of it, if they are going to pay ANY of it, I don’t know. Social Security: The new medicine provision Bush put into effect to pay for your medicine costs you a hundred dollars off your Social Security check. If you’re on Medicaid, THEY then pay that. Why do they charge you that hundred dollars? To make paperwork and keep government paper-shufflers employed. In the system to pay for your medicine, there’s the “donut hole” provision where, once the government pays for $5,000 worth of your medicine, suddenly, you’re on your own again until YOU pay another $5,000 (or some such),

THEN the government pays it all until you die (IF you last long enough). When you die, they send your heirs (if any) a $250 “death benefit,” which does NOTHING to pay your “end-of-life” costs, which can amount to mostly a MINIMUM of $10,000.00. Whoever sets this stuff up, is STUPID, and makes for total incomprehensibility and lack of understanding for most recipients (who are at a time in their lives when it’s hard to understand ANYTHING), and makes for much PROFIT for the “providers,” while creating thousands, sometimes HUNDREDS of thousands of government jobs. Then there’s what’s happening in Iraq right now: Obama swears there are “no boots on the ground” in Iraq, but that’s a LIE. There ARE “boots on the ground.” They’re just not allowed to fight, though they ARE armed Marines. That must be very frustrating for those Marines, while very satisfying to the bureaucrats in DC. It’s “progressing” in the SAME WAY as it did in Vietnam, where we first sent in some “advisors,” followed by some troops. When the “advisers” got killed, and LATER a full complement of “boots on the ground,” who were forced to operate on “rules of engagement” that guaranteed they could never win, and many would be killed. Then they were summarily “pulled out” by the politicians, leaving Vietnamese to die. Just like it’s going to be (is) in Iraq.

This same scenario is now being REPEATED in Iraq, after Obama summarily pulled his troops out without finishing the job of taking the Islamic terrorists completely out. Things would be a lot simpler if this government did what it SAID they’re doing, all the way, instead of “piecemeal.” But that’s not how they operate. It HAS to be complicated, to keep government workers employed, and as many political donors making profits so they can contribute billions of dollars to political campaigns (mostly Democrat). I’ve always been responsible for my own upkeep, though I made the mistake of not providing for the time when I would be UNABLE to work because of physical infirmity (I didn't think that would ever happen) and thus, would be forced to TRY and take advantage of programs BILLED as “taking care of old people,” but which don’t, and only just BARELY lets them SURVIVE, in conditions of poverty. If they DO have some money saved up, or some property, THAT goes to their creditors. (Just common sense)