TheWiseOldFart

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart I began working in 1962, at the age of 16. The owner of a gas station across the street from my church hired me for one dollar an hour. I was scheduled to work 13 hours on Saturdays. No such thing as overtime. I pumped gas, checked the oil level, made sure the batteries were filled with fluid, washed windows, and made our customers feel welcome. Inside the bay I changed oil, lubricated the undercarriage of cars and trucks, and repaired tires. I was never without a job after that first day at the gas station, with the exception of time spent in the U.S. Air Force until I was let go in 2008 from my job in a warehouse as America experienced the “great recession.” I looked for work for a while, but at the age of 62, no one offered me a position. Then, early in 2009 I saw an ad seeking individuals to work in the 2010 decennial census. I won’t bore you with the details, but my time in the working world ended before the last two months of 2010 became history. I had wor

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart Republicans continue to cost our nation billions and possibly trillions of dollars every year. Their allegiance to the super-rich and large corporations saves them money but wastes hundreds of billions of dollars by preventing changes in our healthcare system which continues to fail as many as 80-90 percent of our nation’s people. Republicans want to reserve the best healthcare in America for their wealthy supporters and themselves. Remember, you pay for theirs. FACTS REPUBLICANS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW [ The United States spends more on healthcare per person than any other high-income country, and more than the governments of six countries with universal healthcare combined: In 2022, the U.S. spent $12,555 per person on healthcare, which is more than $4,000 more than comparable countries. The U.S. government also spent more on healthcare than the governments of Germany, France, the U.K., Italy, Spain, and Austria combined.] Taking into account both the costs of

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart In the United States, a single night’s stay in a hospital will cost $2607. A normal birth of a child, $14,768. The least expensive heart surgery: angioplasty: $28,200. Open heart surgery with a highly rated surgeon: $200,000. Care for Leukemia: annually, $156,000. And the list goes on and on. These are all costs to patients like me who have no healthcare. When my wife and I were eligible for Medicare, healthcare we paid for all of our working years, we could not afford the monthly cost and keep our home. Now we cannot afford the penalties because we couldn't afford it several years ago. Is Medicare a viable option for all seniors? I don’t think so. I believe that no senior American should be required to pay anything for healthcare. I fail to understand politicians when they claim that America is the richest country in the world. I don’t live in that country. If this is true, there is no excuse why the United States is the only country in th

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure. All that is needed is for me to take a single five-milligram pill every morning.   My wife and I cannot afford Medicare part “B” and belong to a group wh ich finds medical services for people without insurance at a reduced cost when we pay for services rendered in full.     A Perfect Example of how F**ked Up our Healthcare System has Become   I picked up my prescription at a loca l, large, chain, pharmacy. I paid $25 for a one-month supply. We are also Costco members. We called their pharmacy and inquired about their prices. The y do not have an agreement with our medical services company. However, a three - month supply of the same medication would cost me only $8.99 if we did not have insurance . We picked up my new prescription on Friday.   The Moral of this Story is “ Don’t Trust Government Sponsored Programs”   There is some hope in America that some of our corporate retailers might do the right t

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Grocery prices, up more than 30 percent: Energy bills raised by more than 50 percent: Tickets for movies increased by 100 percent or more: Tickets for sporting events and concerts higher by as much as 1,000 percent: Amusement Parks have increased they prices to a level completely unaffordable to the average family: and Restaurant prices have become too expensive, preventing anyone from enjoying the experience more than once or twice a year. The Social Security increase for 2024 was a meager 3.2 percent. All these facts are the result of corporate greed and their arrogance which allows them to believe that their bloated profits will continue to increase. Capitalism and its extension, a plutocracy, cannot exist if the nation’s citizens lack an income which allows them to purchase goods and services. Both the 2010 and 2020 Decennial Census exposed one fact which could end corporate dominance in America. Accounting for inflation, the average American worke

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   My wife and I each paid into Social Security for more than 40 years. When we became eligible for Medicare, we would be required to pay about 150 dollars per month for part “B,” each, and that didn’t cover everything we might need including vision care and prescription medicine. People half our age are now receiving comprehensive healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, “or Obamacare,” for as little as 20-30 dollars per month without contributing any additional funds to Medicare. What’s wrong with this picture? With a fixed income from Social Security of about $3,000 a month, we make too much money to qualify for assistance from any agency. Our food bill has increased by more than 30 percent. Gas and electric bills have increased by more than 27 percent. We cannot afford Medicare part “B” and continue to pay our monthly bills, all necessities. We do not have food delivered or go to restaurants. All of our money helps us maintain a meager lifestyle. We’re not c

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Let’s take an honest look at America in the 21 st century. Where do you think our nation stands on issues which are most important, and where do you think one-half of our dysfunctional government stands? This rating includes 15 nations included in an overall rating of quality of life. Here’s a clue; the United States does not rate first in any category. Inf fact, we are last in the group at number 15. However, in the free world America is ranked 23 rd in healthcare. Only wealthy Americans receive the finest care because only the wealthy can afford the most expensive medical services and personnel available. Even for working class men and women who have healthcare plans at their place of employment, co-pays create hardships for millions of our nation’s people. Our failed healthcare system has become the most expensive and inefficient in the world. I, personally, had two friends die in a hospital after being misdiagnosed. America is the only nation in the worl

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart     If you are like me and my wife, you are a member of one-half of our country’s population and fear many things which could place us heavily in debt and even homeless. At ages 77 and 73, we could face a medical emergency at any moment, not one of which we have sufficient income to pay for the exorbitant cost of caring for such a devastating situation .    Fact: medical care in the United States is the most costly and least effective in the free world. Only the wealthy can afford the best doctors and the best hospitals. The average cost of a single night’s stay in a hospital is ludicrous.   “ Recent statistics show the price of a one-night hospital stay is around: $13,600 with Medicare; $9,800 with Medicaid; $10,900 with private insurance; and $9,300 without insurance .”   Millions of Americans remain without any healthcare. My wife and I have Medicare part "A,” but are unable to afford Medicare part “B.” No other nation in the world forces their senio