Social Stimulus

Recently the government has thrown a lot of money at our collapsing financial institutions. Right or wrong, I can’t say, as the problem is just too big for me to grasp in any real sort of understanding. They say without the money our business infrastructure will collapse, but I can’t help but feel that by propping it up we’re keeping an innately flawed system in business.

Anyway, in thinking about all the money flying around I couldn’t help but question where else it could be used. Hence, I’d like to introduce the Will's Social Stimulus Package!

Here’s how it works, money we dumped in banks and lending institutions will instead be used on people. This social spending will ultimately result in a better educated and more responsible populace and a more stable economy that is based in social service and not irresponsible consumption.

We begin the package with a focus on healthcare, starting with more doctors and nurses. Money will be funneled into medical schools and scholarships for students pursuing careers in the world of healthcare. Students will be encouraged to intern in neighborhood clinics, schools and social service centers. The ultimate goal of this package is having enough doctors and nurses that anyone in need of medical attention is able to get it at a variety of different locales. Public schools will have a nurse on duty at all times, if a workplace has over 200 people at a site they’ll be encouraged to have a doctor or nurse visit once a month or even more often and grocery stores and drug stores that have clinics will see some kind tax incentive.

I’m convinced that this healthcare stimulus will also lower healthcare costs by providing more supply thus meeting all the demand. Sure, drugs and treatment will still be expensive but not as much so because we’ll have eliminated examples like this which increase everyone’s insurance premiums.

Up next…Social Service Stimulus

California Dreaming

Well, we have a new president. It’s all pretty exciting, but I’ll spare you the echoes of my jubilation as the event has been covered extensively. I’ll only say, congratulations and good luck President Obama. You have your work cut out for you, but you have the hope and dreams of an entire world behind you.

I am however still going to drop a note on politics, but on those that aren’t happening in the state. Yes, aren’t. The California legislature, the governor, the state controller, the attorney general, pretty much every elected state official currently in office has been unable to pass an emergency budget needed to keep the state fiscally solvent. Still, they’ve been huddled over a mediation table feverishly trying to hammer out an agreement that will save California …or have they.

Of course, they took off for at least a few weeks for the holidays. No big deal right. I mean firefighters would do the same if a raging wildfire fell over Christmas. Oh, and the main players, including the governor and the speaker, recently left for a week to visit DC. They took in the sites, attended the inauguration and hit up a few of the parties. Good for them, when I was in the military and I was confronted with a crisis but someone was throwing a really good party, I’d often hit up the party (especially if I thought the attendees might be people that could further my career).

But I’m going to be careful about blaming just our elected officials. I think they’re totally inept, selfish and lazy but our citizens aren’t that much better. State employees are getting ready to take a 10 percent pay cut, schools are looking at cutting their hours, colleges have sliced enrollment, and on and on. Still, in my department, we really haven’t been asked to find anyway to cut our costs. Instead, managers are angling to keep their perks like the student assistants that answer their phones and file their papers. We just had four brand new flatscreen televisions put up in our office. (We use them for work, but we already had regular televisions.) People on public assistance are marching around the state capital decrying possible cuts to their respective programs and then going home and watching premium cable that costs them $100 bucks a month.

So not only are we doing very little to help ourselves currently, I’m sure will continue to do the same when we, the citizens of California, vote these politicians that have been working so hard on our behalf, back into office.

Clickity: http://www.iousathemovie.com/

I just saw this movie tonight. Maybe one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen!