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Fast_Eddie
12-17-2009, 08:28 PM
Well, here's the thing. About five people on Earth know this, but I'm going to share with you guys. Should explain a few things.

Turns out I have ADHD. If you knew me in person you'd say "no kidding". I've been able to cope with it for all these years (I'm not making this up) because of my superior intelligence. No, I didn't go to every Psychiatrist in Denver to find someone to say that. Anyhow, I'm getting meds for it. I'm a little nervous to tell the truth. I've been like this for 42 years. Odd as it is, I kinda like me like this.

Anyhow, I have a great health care anecdote related to the whole thing. So you know how they keep saying if we have a government run health care system (something no one ever proposed) they would get between me and my doctor? You know, implying that the way it is now that never happens. Welllll.

I get a prescription for some new drug. Doctor says it's exactly what I need. Ah, but my insurance company disagrees. Says I need the old stuff. My insurance company. Not my Doctor. How does that work? Does your car insurance company tell you what kind of oil you need? Who the fuck are they to say what meds I should take?! I *PAY* them for insurance. Not for medical advice!

So the doctor writes another prescription. Can't fill that one either. The generic is on long term back order so they need a "preauthorization". Sorry, this is Bull Shit. Getting WAY THE HELL between me and my Doctor.

Yeah. Pissed off. Self medicating tonight. Thinkin' ya'll can figure that out.

So it turns out people with ADHD often have social issues. Tend to piss people off a lot. Who knew? Wonder if I'll be easier to live with.

Take care,

Ed

Boreas
12-17-2009, 08:39 PM
Ed, you know a lot of great people throughout history had ADHD. Don't let it go to your head though. There are exceptions. ;) I hope you get your meds straightened out.

John

Fast_Eddie
12-17-2009, 08:48 PM
Ed, you know a lot of great people throughout history had ADHD. Don't let it go to your head though. There are exceptions. ;) I hope you get your meds straightened out.

John

There is a school of thought that people with ADHD are actually SUPERIOR to others. Of course I don't think that. I'm just saying that's what some people think. Some call it "The Edison Effect" as it's well accepted that Thomas Edison displayed classic ADHD symptoms.

noonereal
12-17-2009, 08:56 PM
There is a school of thought that people with ADHD are actually SUPERIOR to others .

I tend to think that this is indeed the case.

Boreas
12-17-2009, 09:41 PM
There is a school of thought that people with ADHD are actually SUPERIOR to others. Of course I don't think that. I'm just saying that's what some people think. Some call it "The Edison Effect" as it's well accepted that Thomas Edison displayed classic ADHD symptoms.

Yeah, I know. Thom Hartmann wrote a book with that title, more or less. It's called "The Edison Gene". Have you read it?

John

Fast_Eddie
12-17-2009, 09:49 PM
Yeah, I know. Thom Hartmann wrote a book with that title, more or less. It's called "The Edison Gene". Have you read it?

John

No, really just starting to research it all. My daughter is being diagnosed with it as well. That's kinda what got me started on the whole thing.

BlueStreak
12-18-2009, 12:51 AM
Yeah, I tried explaining to a co-worker that insurance companies really contribute NOTHING to the medical system at all. They're just "money changers", private run bureaucracies that take our money and pay the medical people with it, but take their "cut" as the money passes through their hands of course. I also tried to explain that for quite sometime now, they are taking more and more of our money and paying for less and less of the medical bills. His response? "Yeah, but that's because they have to protect their profits, and there aint a f**kin' thing wrong with that! It's the American way! Why should they continue to do what they do if there aint no money in it?"

Idiot.

Dave

merrylander
12-18-2009, 07:21 AM
The druggist changed one of my wife's prescriptions to a generic - did not work worth s**t and made her dizzy to boot. His excuse was the insurance companies demanded it. Had to remind him that we pay for our presciptions not some effing insurance company. Just wish we lived closer to the border and could get them filled in Canada.

Charles
12-18-2009, 08:24 AM
I never have figured out what's wrong with me...I just figured out that's it's just my nature.

I'm a little cautious about taking meds, due to being prescribed Valium when I was younger. It was great when it worked, but when it quit working, it was Katy bar the door.

Chas

noonereal
12-18-2009, 08:39 AM
I never have figured out what's wrong with me...I just figured out that's it's just my nature.

I'm a little cautious about taking meds, due to being prescribed Valium when I was younger. It was great when it worked, but when it quit working, it was Katy bar the door.

Chas

Did you suffer any withdrawal when you stopped taking Valium?

Fast_Eddie
12-18-2009, 09:03 AM
I never have figured out what's wrong with me...I just figured out that's it's just my nature.

I'm a little cautious about taking meds, due to being prescribed Valium when I was younger. It was great when it worked, but when it quit working, it was Katy bar the door.

Chas

Yeah, truth be told, I'm nervous about it. You know, I make my living thinking differently. I have eight regional Emmy awards and several national awards that say I'm doing pretty well. So we'll see. If I don't feel like myself and don't feel creative anymore we'll need to try something else.

piece-itpete
12-18-2009, 09:17 AM
Heck, I wonder what it was before they had a name for it.

So you're outspoken, who cares :o I know a few guys with ADHD. Although occasionally you can tell they're losing interest, a common trait seems to be, they are nice guys, seriously. All are successful. Except my 12 year old nephew, too early to tell :)

I have UAD - Unreformed Asshole Disease. The main symptom is running at the mouth :D

Valium can be bad, bad, bad.

Pete

noonereal
12-18-2009, 12:06 PM
Yeah, truth be told, I'm nervous about it. You know, I make my living thinking differently. I have eight regional Emmy awards and several national awards that say I'm doing pretty well. So we'll see. If I don't feel like myself and don't feel creative anymore we'll need to try something else.

You are who you are. All a pill will do is try to make you conform to what socity considers the norm. If 95% of the population had ADHD they would be handing out pills to the 5% that don't so that we would all be the same.

Think about it.

Sandy G
12-19-2009, 07:01 AM
Oh, yeah...Feckin' insurance companies...I use test strips to monitor my diabetes...You are allowed ONE per day...Too bad if the strip company put a few less in the vial, you drop one, you somehow booger the test up, the meter don't wanna gee 'n' haw just right, whatever...Try & get more of 'em BEFORE The Almighty Insurance Company says you can have 'em...They won't even let me have 'em even if I just wanna buy some on my own...Grrrrrr...

Fast_Eddie
12-19-2009, 08:40 AM
Oh, yeah...Feckin' insurance companies...I use test strips to monitor my diabetes...You are allowed ONE per day...Too bad if the strip company put a few less in the vial, you drop one, you somehow booger the test up, the meter don't wanna gee 'n' haw just right, whatever...Try & get more of 'em BEFORE The Almighty Insurance Company says you can have 'em...They won't even let me have 'em even if I just wanna buy some on my own...Grrrrrr...

Good thing no one is getting between you and your doctor. Who needs reform?

I still got no medication. Might have it by Tuesday. Taking the weekend to "enjoy myself" the way I am just in case I'm never quite the same again.

Grumpy
12-19-2009, 09:26 AM
Good thing no one is getting between you and your doctor. Who needs reform?

I still got no medication. Might have it by Tuesday. Taking the weekend to "enjoy myself" the way I am just in case I'm never quite the same again.


Two points. You honestly think the gov is going to make the insurance industry run smoother ??????

Two if they are going to do it then do it right. Not a little here, maybe a little more in a few years and maybe just maybe they will get people to stand behind them.

Boreas
12-19-2009, 09:39 AM
Two points. You honestly think the gov is going to make the insurance industry run smoother ??????

It's not a question of running smoother. It's about the insurance companies making decisions about your health care based on profits instead of on medical outcome.

Two if they are going to do it then do it right. Not a little here, maybe a little more in a few years and maybe just maybe they will get people to stand behind them.

I'd like to see that too but I don't think it could ever work that way. I mean, look at all the resistance there is to even minimal reform.

John

Fast_Eddie
12-19-2009, 09:42 AM
Two points. You honestly think the gov is going to make the insurance industry run smoother ??????

Okay, got it. Government can't run anything.

Two if they are going to do it then do it right. Not a little here, maybe a little more in a few years and maybe just maybe they will get people to stand behind them.

Wait, I thought the government couldn't...

Again, I just don't understand this point of view. I can't have everything so no one gets ANYTHING! I'll take what I can get. It's the most significant legislation regarding health care in my lifetime and I'm pretty happy they're getting it done.

I wish a lot of things were different. I wish I didn't have such a low limit on what I could contribute to my 401k each year. But I don't want to throw out my 401k!

Fast_Eddie
12-19-2009, 09:45 AM
It's not a question of running smoother. It's about the insurance companies making decisions about your health care based on profits instead of on medical outcome.

It's not even that. The insurance companies spent millions telling me the government would get between me and my doctor if this legislation passed. The insurance companies said that! Wait, what? THEY'RE THE ONES GETTING BETWEEN ME AND MY DOCTOR!

Charles
12-19-2009, 11:17 AM
You are who you are. All a pill will do is try to make you conform to what socity considers the norm. If 95% of the population had ADHD they would be handing out pills to the 5% that don't so that we would all be the same.

Think about it.

Excellent point, what is the definition of "normal"?

Personally, I gave up on being normal after I discovered that I was unique...just like everyone else.

Chas

merrylander
12-19-2009, 11:57 AM
You really should ask what are the definitions of normal, there is no single definition. Since I am alleged to have an IQ in the 99th percentile I am most definitely not normal.

noonereal
12-19-2009, 03:40 PM
Excellent point, what is the definition of "normal"?



I believe "most common" is used to describe normal.

Fast_Eddie
12-23-2009, 04:15 PM
Well, I did finally get my prescription. Started Adderall XR today. Meh, it's the lowest dose available, but other than dry mouth and not having any appetite (woohoo) I'm not sure I feel any different. For a while I was thinking "well, I don't have that overwhelmed feeling at work" and then I realized there were about half a dozen people in the building. So, we'll see.

Boreas
12-23-2009, 04:27 PM
Good luck!

John

Charles
12-23-2009, 05:17 PM
Well, I did finally get my prescription. Started Adderall XR today. Meh, it's the lowest dose available, but other than dry mouth and not having any appetite (woohoo) I'm not sure I feel any different. For a while I was thinking "well, I don't have that overwhelmed feeling at work" and then I realized there were about half a dozen people in the building. So, we'll see.

I was looking that stuff over and it's supposed to be highly addictive, basically an amphetamine.

You might want to take a look at Provigil. It's also been used for AHAD, my wife's been taking it for a couple of years without any problems. And it's not as addictive.

I take a half of one every now and then when I have a lot to do and my heart isn't in it. It really lights a fire under my ass.

Wouldn't hurt to ask your Doc.

Chas

BlueStreak
12-23-2009, 08:31 PM
I've been diagnosed with "chronic depression and anxiety disorder". Plus, I have now been through "anger management" three times since I was seventeen. It has been suggested that I start taking Prozac or Zoloft, but as yet I have not taken either one.
I just don't trust it. I know people who take Prozac, and it just seems to turn them into giggling idiots who don't care about anything.

Dave

Boreas
12-23-2009, 08:56 PM
I've been diagnosed with "chronic depression and anxiety disorder". Plus, I have now been through "anger management" three times since I was seventeen. It has been suggested that I start taking Prozac or Zoloft, but as yet I have not taken either one.
I just don't trust it. I know people who take Prozac, and it just seems to turn them into giggling idiots who don't care about anything.

Dave

There's a fair amount of information that suggests some anti-depressants turn some people into sociopaths. It makes them stop worrying about things like other people.

John

[EDIT] I just pulled this off the manufacturer's website for Havidol:

Q: I've heard some things recently about "HAVIDOL and sociopathology". Where can I get more information about the social effects of HAVIDOL?

A: HAVIDOL does not increase antisocial behavior in the patient. It may decrease the patient's sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. There is little documentation to support this claim other than the observations of those not undertaking treatment with HAVIDOL.

Hmmmmm........

Charles
12-23-2009, 09:33 PM
There's a fair amount of information that suggests some anti-depressants turn some people into sociopaths. It makes them stop worrying about things like other people.

John

[EDIT] I just pulled this off the manufacturer's website for Havidol:

Q: I've heard some things recently about "HAVIDOL and sociopathology". Where can I get more information about the social effects of HAVIDOL?

A: HAVIDOL does not increase antisocial behavior in the patient. It may decrease the patient's sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. There is little documentation to support this claim other than the observations of those not undertaking treatment with HAVIDOL.

Hmmmmm........

Not to be confused with Haldol?

Chas

noonereal
12-24-2009, 06:55 AM
There's a fair amount of information that suggests some anti-depressants turn some people into sociopaths. It makes them stop worrying about things like other people.

John

[EDIT] I just pulled this off the manufacturer's website for Havidol:

Q: I've heard some things recently about "HAVIDOL and sociopathology". Where can I get more information about the social effects of HAVIDOL?

A: HAVIDOL does not increase antisocial behavior in the patient. It may decrease the patient's sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. There is little documentation to support this claim other than the observations of those not undertaking treatment with HAVIDOL.

Hmmmmm........

It has been my experience that any info pulled from any drug company website is not completely truthful or accurate. It is big business placing the dollar ahead of the patient while being technically within the law with the info they share. I personally have witnessed two people who while on ani depressants changed the course of their life all to latter look back (when off them) and curse them.

IMHO the two most dangerous types of drugs to take are anti depressants, for the way they alter your decision making process and Benzodiazepines for their sever addictiveness and protracted withdrawal. They literally make heroin addition seem like a very simple thing.

My recommendation is to only take medications for life sustaining purposes or the relief of intolerable pain.
Any drug that alters you brain I would avoid unless YOU not others feel it necessary.
Chemically little is understood about most these drugs.

noonereal
12-24-2009, 07:09 AM
Not to be confused with Haldol?

Chas

I think haldol is one of those drugs that make you a zombie with so many side effects that cogentin is often prescribed simultaneously to counter the most debilitating effects.

merrylander
12-24-2009, 07:31 AM
Listening to the drug commercials on TV it seems that the side effects are worse than the disease they are alleged to cure. In fact in one commercial it says "it is believed that numanum effects the nerve cells . . ."" It is believed?, in other words we don't effing well know how it works.

The magazine ads are no better, one ful page of what it is alleged to do and three pages of side effects and disclaimers. I trust the FDA about as far as I could throw their building.

noonereal
12-24-2009, 07:37 AM
Listening to the drug commercials on TV it seems that the side effects are worse than the disease they are alleged to cure. In fact in one commercial it says "it is believed that numanum effects the nerve cells . . ."" It is believed?, in other words we don't effing well know how it works.

The magazine ads are no better, one ful page of what it is alleged to do and three pages of side effects and disclaimers. I trust the FDA about as far as I could throw their building.

The FDA guidelines which are ridiculed for being much to stringent are actually much to lax. The long term use of most medications is not well understood and as reports come in they are simply listed as a possibility when in fact the companies know them to be more than a possibility. Then to make matters worse doctors most times never find out as most there info comes from a drug salesperson. A ridiculous situation when it comes to health.

Charles
12-24-2009, 11:22 AM
I think haldol is one of those drugs that make you a zombie with so many side effects that cogentin is often prescribed simultaneously to counter the most debilitating effects.

Haldol is horrible. Even the cons hated it, and these are people who thought Thorazine was a recreational drug.

My wife says they hardly use it at the Mental Hospital. But those damn nursing homes love it in the Alzheimer's Ward.

Chas

HatchetJack
12-24-2009, 01:46 PM
What we need is drug reform and then the healthcare situation might resolve
itself. We should all "just say no" in most cases. They poison us and then
want to medicate us.

noonereal
12-24-2009, 01:47 PM
Haldol is horrible. Even the cons hated it, and these are people who thought Thorazine was a recreational drug.

My wife says they hardly use it at the Mental Hospital. But those damn nursing homes love it in the Alzheimer's Ward.

Chas

Of course the nurse like it, every just stares at walls once they get it. Seems this and Thorazine are best for sociaty not the individual receiving it.

merrylander
12-24-2009, 03:06 PM
If we simply outlaw drug advertising (they did it for cigs and booze) that should cut the cost a hell of a lot. All those new wonder drugs, the wonder is that they have not killed more people.

Charles
12-24-2009, 03:10 PM
Of course the nurse like it, every just stares at walls once they get it. Seems this and Thorazine are best for sociaty not the individual receiving it.

The nurses I know consider administrating Haldol as a criminal offense.

But the administrators like it...they can hire less nurses.

Chas

noonereal
12-24-2009, 03:18 PM
If we simply outlaw drug advertising (they did it for cigs and booze) that should cut the cost a hell of a lot. All those new wonder drugs, the wonder is that they have not killed more people.

They have killed many, many folks. The problem is that on the death certificate they say Heart attack or failed liver...... They don't say what caused it.

Boreas
12-24-2009, 06:03 PM
If we simply outlaw drug advertising (they did it for cigs and booze) that should cut the cost a hell of a lot. All those new wonder drugs, the wonder is that they have not killed more people.

Actually, I believe it used to be illegal. As it is now, only the US and New Zealand, among developed nations, allow consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

John

merrylander
12-25-2009, 08:17 AM
Actually, I believe it used to be illegal. As it is now, only the US and New Zealand, among developed nations, allow consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

John

I guess since we have also legalized bribery I should really not be surprised.:rolleyes:

Sandy G
12-28-2009, 05:50 AM
"We had to destroy the village in order to save it..." Admittedly, there's a LOT wrong w/the healthcare system in this country. Too much money, too little MEDICINE, too many chiefs, whatever. How is letting the Gubbmint, who can't even run the POST OFFICE, except at a horrendous loss, gonna make things better ? I sure as hell am glad I got my Gastric Bypass when I did, I'm sure under ObamayomamaCare there's NO WAY Jose' I'd ever get it now...And they'd also take care of a LOT of my problems, 'cause I'd prolly be dead by now...

merrylander
12-28-2009, 07:55 AM
I wonder that y'all don't realize why government does not run smoothly. When an incoming President has to appoint some 8,000 people, even down past the SES level, what do you expect? Those 8000 people Bush appointed are trying to burrow into the system, meanwhile the pro civil servants are getting no direction, and since there is a party change, what direction they will eventually get will be 180 degrees from tha past.

The amazing thing is that government even works at all and it is as much our fault as voters as it is anyone's fault. Ever since Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole found that by being obstructionist they could bring Clinton to his knees bipartisanship died. Current senators like Demented from SC should be tried as traitors, they don't care if they destroy the country so long as they can get that black man out of the Whitehouse.

Even the Brookings Institute suggested that this 8000 appointment idea was self destructive. Add to that the fact that the GOP will not even let these appointees come to a vote and we are trying to run the largest economy extant with half of the staff needed.

In the parliamentary system everyone below cabinet level is a professional civil servant. Small wonder that Single Payer works up there. There are also rules by the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation that removes the temptations from the mortgage market. They acknowledge that greed is a human condition and so do their best to prevent it. Dealing with a large bank their you really believe that you are a valued customer, and that it is not just propoganda.

merrylander
12-28-2009, 07:56 AM
BTW guys and gals, the Post Office was spun off years ago, it really is not part of the gummint any more.

Charles
12-28-2009, 04:08 PM
I wonder that y'all don't realize why government does not run smoothly. When an incoming President has to appoint some 8,000 people, even down past the SES level, what do you expect? Those 8000 people Bush appointed are trying to burrow into the system, meanwhile the pro civil servants are getting no direction, and since there is a party change, what direction they will eventually get will be 180 degrees from tha past.

The amazing thing is that government even works at all and it is as much our fault as voters as it is anyone's fault. Ever since Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole found that by being obstructionist they could bring Clinton to his knees bipartisanship died. Current senators like Demented from SC should be tried as traitors, they don't care if they destroy the country so long as they can get that black man out of the Whitehouse.

Even the Brookings Institute suggested that this 8000 appointment idea was self destructive. Add to that the fact that the GOP will not even let these appointees come to a vote and we are trying to run the largest economy extant with half of the staff needed.

In the parliamentary system everyone below cabinet level is a professional civil servant. Small wonder that Single Payer works up there. There are also rules by the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation that removes the temptations from the mortgage market. They acknowledge that greed is a human condition and so do their best to prevent it. Dealing with a large bank their you really believe that you are a valued customer, and that it is not just propoganda.

I hate to disagree with you, but I've come to the conclusion that the quicker we can get rid of the black man and the Democrats, the better off the country will be. Not that I'm that big of a fan of the Republicans, they just seem to be the lesser of two evils in my eyes.

That said, a third party would be nice, for awhile. Then they'll be just as corrupt as the other two.

But I'm a dreamer. I need to get my head out of my ass and forget about what's right, or fair, and start thinking about what's best for me. And to hell with everyone else.

Chas

Boreas
12-28-2009, 09:03 PM
BTW guys and gals, the Post Office was spun off years ago, it really is not part of the gummint any more.

I'll bet a lot of us think the Federal Reserve is part of the government too.

John

merrylander
12-29-2009, 07:58 AM
The reason the USPS is losing money can be laid right at Congress' door. Special mail rates for advertisers, and don't tell me the volume is down, it makes up 30% of what goes in our recycle box. Why should some corporation get to mail me a flyer for $0.173 when I have to pay $0.44? They get my letters across country quickly and faithfully, I really cannot complain.

Any more than I cam complain about Amtrak, when we went out to the wedding in Aspen it was a truly pleasant expeience, you meet a much better class of people on the train as compared to flying.

Boreas
12-29-2009, 08:13 AM
But, here it is... the postal system is required to provide universal service to all citizens on an equitable cost basis, so the expense is spread to all users, so as to subsidize those in, perhaps, a rural setting.

The problem with using the USPS as an example of what would be wrong with a single payer system here is fourfold. First, the USPS provides a service, i.e. delivering the mail. In a single payer system hospitals, clinics and physicians provide the service. All government does is pay the bills.

Second, the USPS is an absolute monopoly. If you want to send a letter by first class mail they're your only option. Under a single payer system you're free to use private insurance or to pay out of pocket if you wish.

Third, the problems of the USPS have to do with a shrinking demand for the service they provide. In the unlikely event that our demand for health care should lessen over time the impact would be felt by the providers, regardless of who was paying the bills.

Fourth and most important, the use of the USPS as a model for problems in a single payer health care system ignores the reality of actual functioning single payer systems around the world. You are attempting to create a straw man full of hypothetical doom and gloom scenarios when real examples of success abound.

John

HatchetJack
12-29-2009, 07:36 PM
20 minutes in line, NEXT, Yeah ah I need to mail this first class and I need a
roll of stamps oh and my blood pressure medicine refilled. THAT WILL BE ONE
HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. ok sir, CASH ONLY!! ok here you go. Hey
what about my pills? COMPUTERS DOWN, NEXT LINE OVER, NEXT!!!!!!
30 minutes later, NEXT, yeah I need my pills refilled, I'M SORRY SIR BUT
YOUR PAPERS ARE OUT OF ORDER, NEXT LINE, NEXT!!!!!! 15 minutes later,
NEXT!!!! ah yeah i need my pills refilled but my papers are out of order?
WELL YOU WILL HAVE TO SEE ONE OF OUR DOCTORS BECAUSE THOSE PILLS
ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Ok which line? NO SIR YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE
AN APPOINTMENT AND OUR FIRST OPENING IS OCTOBER 17TH AT 2:14 AM.:eek:

Boreas
12-29-2009, 08:49 PM
A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position.

Thanks. Wikipedia's great, isn't it? ;)

The gloom and possible doom of the USPS is very real... :(

Perhaps so but how is this relevant to a discussion of a single payer system? Or do you accept my arguments as to why the comparison isn't apt?

If you choose to, educate me with your answers to these questions:

1. Do you equate functioning as success?
2. Or what level of function is successful?
3. Is majority user satisfaction critical?
4. Where does quality of life fit into your view of success?
5. What choices should individuals make for themselves
5a. and what choices should be made for them?
6. Should there be guarantees to assure levels of service?
7. What consequences if minimum levels of service are not met?
8. Who should make the rules, the consumer or the payer?

Well, it isn't really possible to answer those questions with any degree of specificity. They're far too general and lack context. Plus I'm far from qualified but here goes.

1. From an administrative point of view? It's an important criterion for measuring success.
2. A high level.
3. Of course, so you fine tune the system over time.
4. through 7. These are questions regarding medical care, not single payer.
8. Our system of government requires that this be accomplished by the legislative branch. Of course, citizen input it essential so, in a sense, both the consumer and the payer make the rules.

And the USPS employees have delivered too many of my letters and packages correctly for me to fault their skills. It's just that the hand stirring the pot behind the scenes has a record of mistaken business concepts and implementation spanning many decades. Although, I do have a $50 framed presentation of the first issue Lewis and Clark stamps... it was too cool to leave in the Post Office. Here's a politically incorrect statement: Some of my best friends are postal employees. :)

So, the system of mail delivery developed by the government is a success? And the only problem is a shortage of money? Can't that be largely explained by the loss of business to fax, email and various other parcel delivery systems?

Should the government get out of the mail and parcel business and hand it over to UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc? Surely, like health care, the private sector would do a far better job, right?

John

BlueStreak
12-30-2009, 12:53 AM
I'll miss my mailman, and the way he still calls me "Eric" after twenty years, despite the fact that all of my mail has the name "David" on it.
The nicotene stained blue latex gloves he wears as he's putting my bills and junkmail in the box, and the cigars he smokes in the mailtruck despite the distinct possibility that (I'm sure.) smoking in the mailtruck is against the rules.
The way he occasionally gets "one off" is big fun too, it has helped me get to know my next door neighbors pretty well.

Man, don't shut down the post office. I really like this guy!

Dave

merrylander
12-30-2009, 07:24 AM
Actually at $0.44 for a first class letter we are far cheaper than any other country. In the years I was in international standards work I had occasion to mail suff home. Most European rates are double ours.

merrylander
12-30-2009, 07:30 AM
Our mailman when he delivers any heavy packages smiles and says "Another one for repairs?"