Old photo from a local Chamber of Commerce telling men to keep walking—don't ask for jobs here.

December 15th, 2009

by Michael Luo and Megan Thee-Brenan
- New York Times

WebNote:  Read this column then check out the comment section on the NY Times site. Looks like Americans might finally be getting mad enough for that R3volution.

More than half of the nation’s unemployed workers have borrowed money from friends or relatives since losing their jobs. An equal number have cut back on doctor visits or medical treatments because they are out of work.

Almost half have suffered from depression or anxiety. About 4 in 10 parents have noticed behavioral changes in their children that they attribute to their difficulties in finding work.

Joblessness has wreaked financial and emotional havoc on the lives of many of those out of work, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll of unemployed adults, causing major life changes, mental health issues and trouble maintaining even basic necessities.

The results of the poll, which surveyed 708 unemployed adults from Dec. 5 to Dec. 10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points, help to lay bare the depth of the trauma experienced by millions across the country who are out of work as the jobless rate hovers at 10 percent and, in particular, as the ranks of the long-term unemployed soar.

Roughly half of the respondents described the recession as a hardship that had caused fundamental changes in their lives. Generally, those who have been out of work longer reported experiencing more acute financial and emotional effects.

“I lost my job in March, and from there on, everything went downhill,” said Vicky Newton, 38, of Mount Pleasant, Mich., a single mother who had been a customer-service representative in an insurance agency.

“After struggling and struggling and not being able to pay my house payments or my other bills, I finally sucked up my pride,” she said in an interview after the poll was conducted. “I got food stamps just to help feed my daughter.”

Over the summer, she abandoned her home in Flint, Mich., after she started receiving foreclosure notices. She now lives 90 minutes away, in a rental house owned by her father.

With unemployment driving foreclosures nationwide, a quarter of those polled said they had either lost their home or been threatened with foreclosure or eviction for not paying their mortgage or rent. About a quarter, like Ms. Newton, have received food stamps. More than half said they had cut back on both luxuries and necessities in their spending. Seven in 10 rated their family’s financial situation as fairly bad or very bad.

But the impact on their lives was not limited to the difficulty in paying bills. Almost half said unemployment had led to more conflicts or arguments with family members and friends; 55 percent have suffered from insomnia.

“Everything gets touched,” said Colleen Klemm, 51, of North Lake, Wis., who lost her job as a manager at a landscaping company last November. “All your relationships are touched by it. You’re never your normal happy-go-lucky person. Your countenance, your self-esteem goes. You think, ‘I’m not employable.’ ”

A quarter of those who experienced anxiety or depression said they had gone to see a mental health professional. Women were significantly more likely than men to acknowledge emotional issues.

Tammy Linville, 29, of Louisville, Ky., said she lost her job as a clerical worker for the Census Bureau a year and a half ago. She began seeing a therapist for depression every week through Medicaid but recently has not been able to go because her car broke down and she cannot afford to fix it.

Her partner works at the Ford plant in the area, but his schedule has been sporadic. They have two small children and at this point, she said, they are “saving quarters for diapers.”

“Every time I think about money, I shut down because there is none,” Ms. Linville said. “I get major panic attacks. I just don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Nearly half of the adults surveyed admitted to feeling embarrassed or ashamed most of the time or sometimes as a result of being out of work. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the traditional image of men as breadwinners, men were significantly more likely than women to report feeling ashamed most of the time.

There was a pervasive sense from the poll that the American dream had been upended for many. Nearly half of those polled said they felt in danger of falling out of their social class, with those out of work six months or more feeling especially vulnerable. Working-class respondents felt at risk in the greatest numbers.

Nearly half of respondents said they did not have health insurance, with the vast majority citing job loss as a reason, a notable finding given the tug of war in Congress over a health care overhaul. The poll offered a glimpse of the potential ripple effect of having no coverage. More than half characterized the cost of basic medical care as a hardship.

Many in the ranks of the unemployed appear to be rethinking their career and life choices. Just over 40 percent said they had moved or considered moving to another part of the state or country where there were more jobs. More than two-thirds of respondents had considered changing their career or field, and 44 percent of those surveyed had pursued job retraining or other educational opportunities.

Joe Whitlow, 31, of Nashville, worked as a mechanic until a repair shop he was running with a friend finally petered out in August. He had contemplated going back to school before, but the potential loss in income always deterred him. Now he is enrolled at a local community college, planning to study accounting.

“When everything went bad, not that I didn’t have a choice, but it made the choice easier,” Mr. Whitlow said.

The poll also shed light on the formal and informal safety nets that the jobless have relied upon. More than half said they were receiving or had received unemployment benefits. But 61 percent of those receiving benefits said the amount was not enough to cover basic necessities.

Meanwhile, a fifth said they had received food from a nonprofit organization or religious institution. Among those with a working spouse, half said their spouse had taken on additional hours or another job to help make ends meet.

Even those who have stayed employed have not escaped the recession’s bite….

Read more at the New York Times

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As published in the North County Times – August 9, 2009

By Congressman Darrell Issa

Between the rising cost of heath care and the expanding role of government, Americans are frustrated. Economists predict that we will be spending 20 percent of our gross domestic product on health care by 2017. Now the president wants Congress to approve a scheme that effectively repeals Medicare and puts the treatment of seniors in the hands of a “federal health board” with absolute authority to approve procedures and cut payments for essential quality-of-life care.

But we can find a bipartisan, workable solution that guarantees access for all Americans to dependable and affordable health care, maximizes the freedom to choose their own doctors, and protects their family coverage during seasons of unemployment.

Every American should have access to the private health insurance benefits that members of Congress have. By opening the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, Congress could make available just 14 competitively priced nationwide plans and more than 310 state plans. Rather than creating a form of nationalized, publicly managed health care, access to the selection of private plans that members of Congress receive would safeguard patient choice and keep Washington bureaucrats out of the examination room.

Similarly, plans for affordable prescription drugs for all Americans can be accomplished without committing federal dollars to subsidize the costs.

Currently, cash-paying customers are charged a higher price for prescription drugs than insured customers. Different prices for the same drug sold to different people ends up unfairly punishing the poor. Prescription drug reform would provide an incentive for cash transactions and reduce costs associated with credit card fees, check fees and billing that drive up the cost of health insurance.

And that’s not the only place where cost cuts are possible. The price tag of medical malpractice insurance, for instance, is skyrocketing, and doctors pass the charges along to patients in hidden fees. Runaway litigation costs and inflated malpractice awards are feeding a trend of defensive medicine where doctors and hospitals are often forced to perform unnecessary, expensive tests and procedures to avoid frivolous lawsuits. Addressing our health care crisis will therefore require sweeping tort reform that stops trial lawyers from poaching their profits in hospitals and doctor’s offices.

If every patient clearly understood the costs associated with defensive medicine and malpractice insurance, health care reform would be a much simpler task. That’s why Congress must protect the right for people to make educated choices and, if desired, to consult with health care providers to reduce costs in exchange for liability limitations and targeted treatment. The widespread savings that such reform promises for every American would be dramatic and immediate.

Finally, the current economic crisis has awakened America to the harsh truth about unemployment and health insurance. For workers facing record layoffs, the difficult decision between paying for their family’s health coverage or other basic needs is a present reality. As a key component of reform, unemployment insurance should cover the health care of displaced workers while they search for new jobs.

The Democrats’ plan, a 1,018-page bill titled “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act,” won’t hold back the growth of government or protect our basic health care rights. In his administration’s first six months alone, President Obama has proposed 33 new entitlement programs, 53 new federal bureaucracies and $1.28 trillion in deficit spending to address our health crisis.

Americans deserve better, and Congress needs to work on a bipartisan basis to address the health care crisis with dependable, affordable reforms.

Rep. DARRELL ISSA, R-Vista, represents the 49th District, which includes the cities of Oceanside, Vista and Temecula. He serves as the ranking member on the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Source: http://www.issaforcongress.com/

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1. Pres. Obama wants Elective Surgery on Health Care

Without a doubt, President Obama & Co., including Senator Edward Kennedy, intend to do elective surgery on our health care system and to force national health insurance upon us. This despite the fact that if our health coverage is nationalized, the Canadians will no longer have the benefit of the American health care they have become accustomed to. Why? Because we will soon be in the same boat they are in now; very long waits—up to three years and more for elective surgery and other elective procedures.

Why? How many physicians worth their salt elect to be employed by the U.S. government, if they can help it? The number is minuscule. Actually the number of competent physicians is shrinking daily as it is. That is due in part to government meddling in health care.

The same is true for nurses. It has gotten so bad that we are scouring the earth for nurses. Notice I did not say competent nurses. We will accept a certified—yip; usually they are still requiring that—nurses as long as they are breathing and not so wide that they cannot navigate hospital hallways. (Oh yes, I have seen some in the Philippines that might not be able to pass that test.)

It’s bad enough that we can no longer get enough American nurses, but, while we are getting nurses from other, usually very poor countries, we are taking nurses those countries can ill afford to lose. We are thereby turning America’s problem into a problem for those other countries; countries that cannot afford to put up a diplomatic fight with the American government to keep their nurses; nurses whom they desperately need.

We must stop this socialization of the American economy

There are two things a sensible person can do between now and the next election. One, is pray Obama & Co. don’t succeed in their quest to drive the last nail in the coffin of the best large health care system in the world; and, two, work to unseat all politicians who agree with Obama & Co.’s push to create a socialist system of government in the U.S. A socialist system of government and ruining our health care system will certainly have an adverse affect on your and my pursuit of happiness.

Here’s what Sandy wrote in her post:

Single payer visions

We’re beginning to learn what Senator Edward Kennedy’s secret meetings with key health insurance industry stakeholders have been creating in their vision for universal health coverage.

If you want to keep your health care separate from your job, you will no longer have that choice, according to reports of the plan’s 170-page draft. Employers would be required to provide health care to employees or be penalized. Step #1 to a single-payer government managed national health plan.

(Click here to read the full post.)

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