Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueStreak
Oh, I agree 100%, Charles. If I really was as morose about the economy as I sometimes can appear to be, would I have gone out and bought a $36,000 car a month and a half ago? No. I'm not THAT stupid. I'm a bluecollar kind of guy, but I have investments and believe it or not, am on pretty solid financial ground. Few people that I know personally have used the system as successfully as I have. The irony of it is that most of my friends who are in dire straights right now, or close to it, are Republicans. The reason they are so upset about anyone tinkering with the economy is because they are the ones who are teetering on the brink.
I don't hate capitalism, I just think it could better serve everyone, if it was used more responsibly. That if we left capitalists solely to their own devices, they would suck the system dry and leave the rest of us with nothing. And, unfortunately, only strong government can prevent that, IMHO.
Dave
|
The problem is that the corporations and the money people don't really want a free market. They want to manipulate the market to their advantage. An economist appearing on NPR today discussed how the Insurance companies and medical providers have essentially taken turns gaining monopoly power in the local markets to rig the price for medical services. One insurer who can deliver 60K members to a hospital can negotiate cheap services, which the hospitals make up for with the smaller insurers and individuals. To "balance the field" the medical providers consolidated and held out for the prices they wanted. The insurance companies pass that cost on to the consumers, who have no leverage.
In the Kansas City area, there are essentially two providers who control health services in the city, Health Midwest and Shawnee Mission. Whith that type of concentration, there is essentially no free market to control prices. Every year when it comes time for my firm to renew insurance, it's not whether it will cost us more, but how much more it will cost us. Because of the health history of some in the firm, no one but the present provider will take us, so we have no choice except to pay or go naked.
Regards,
D-Ray