About this page: This page and the other opinion type pages on this site reflect my views of various issues that are in need of attention in America. The opinions here are my own, and yours may vary, but, I try to keep to the fact as much as I can. This page is about what's wrong with America and how to fix it, as the title would suggest.
Many issues will be covered here, and solutions offered, which should be used. In addition to that, there will be some historical information about how things were in the past. In many cases, the things which I discuss can be found on the Web, or through asking older Americans.
The main issues in America which need to be fixed:
(Check back every so often for more stuff, as I make more of the pages that the general public can handle.)
The American Internet is slow and expensive because the telecom industry is treating Americans as a captive audience. The only solutions for those who want faster Internet access at a lower price appears to be to move to one of the cities which has Google fiber or to cities where the local government has set up their own fiber optic network such as the EPB (Electric Power Board of Chattanooga), which, at the time of this writing offers 1 gigabit (1,000 Mbps) for only $69.99 (U.S. dollars) per month. As expected, many telecom services who are milking their customers for every penny they can get out of them have made their minions (the politicians who they bought off) introduce laws to keep utility companies from offering Internet outside of the areas they provide power to. Many states have such laws, already, and many more will likely follow, because, let's face it; the politicians serve the corporations, not the people they have sworn to. Until that changes, at least at the federal level (if the FCC would deign to allow the people that right) the people will continue to live under the corporations' heels and suffer at the whims of greedy businesses and the tyrants who head them. There are multiple studies which show that many of the people in the management positions and especially the top spots of corporations are psychopaths, which add to employee absenteeism, bullying, conflicts, reduced productivity, staff turnover, stress, et cetera. They've infested most of the staff at many corporations from those at the lowest positions, but, the higher you go up the corporate ladder, the better the odds are of you having to work with them. It's been said that there are three to four times as many in the boss levels of businesses than there are in the rest of the population. For the curious, the top ten careers which have the highest number of psychopaths (according to a psychologist who studies them) are CEOs (no real surprise there), lawyers (again, not shocked to hear that), media, sales people (gee, you think?), surgeons, journalists, cops (and they give them guns . . .), clergy, chefs and civil servants (which is an oxymoron if ever I've heard one, because many of them aren't very civil and act more like they're your masters).
Millions of dollars of taxpayer money is used to support sports teams (over 300 million in Florida, alone, according to senator Michael Bennett), yet, the government insists that they need to cut programs like Medicaid. If they can afford to pay athletes millions of dollars a year and pay for advertising on television and radio, certainly they can pay for their own stadiums and what-not! Odd that they want to keep the poor from having medical care while supporting billionaires with taxpayer money . . . But, this isn't like more civilized countries such as Canada, France, England, and many others, which has a good healthcare system provided for every citizen. It's America, where you have to pay thousands of dollars for things that in other countries, would be free, or would cost next to nothing. And, speaking of politicians using taxpayer money to pay for sports stuff instead of helping the citizens they're supposed to be serving, there's that Miami marlins stadium that cost 642 million dollars, and makes the city of Miami pay a property tax bill, as well. Guess where most of that 642 million dollars came from? You got it! From the taxpayers! For politicians, that's business as usual . . .
Big businesses that repeatedly screw over their customers like sony AKA sony corp who installed a rootkit on any of their customers' computers who tried to play some music CDs on their computers, tigerdirect with their rebate scam claiming that they would send you a rebate when you purchased something at their store, but, it never arrives.
Un-safe hospitals and incompetent medical staff. In books like Unaccountable by Marty Makary M.D., who is not only a surgeon, but is also a professor at Johns Hopkins, it's said that 25 percent of all hospital patients are harmed by medical mistakes. Considering the fact that some hospitals can't even get your name right like I reported to people on the Hospital Reviews - Florida Hospitals Review - Aventura Hospital Review page, this doesn't really surprise me at all . . . But then, considering the fact that even the World Health Organization ranked the quality of health care in the united states as being only 37th in the entire world, while also the most expensive, it shouldn't be any surprise to anyone. The majority of them are run by corporations. Corporations, as many people have yet to figure out, value profits much more than they do people's health. But, that's been true for a very long time, now, as the Radium Girls, Breaker Boys, the workers who were burned to death in the Hamlet chicken processing plant because the fire doors were locked, et cetera, shows.
Corporations that get bribed with big tax breaks, free land, free buildings, and, in many cases, free money as incentives to move to a different city, county, or state in the united states. This makes those cities, states, and counties compete against each other and the governments of each are using taxpayer money to do this, while, at the same time, making big cuts in things like emergency services and education. They also get these 'incentives' (AKA bribes) to keep their factories here instead of going overseas, even when they're not planning on re-locating there. What the governments of these cities, counties, and states need to do is to instead put taxpayer money into what's important, and, instead of bribing big corporations to stay here, or move to another part of the united states, use some of that money to encourage small businesses who really don't need that much money to get their businesses up and running, or to increase production. These are the businesses who aren't 'flight risks' so to speak, to other countries, or even to other areas of america as the owners are people who live here, have family and friends here, and know the community. If anyone thinks that this isn't a lot of money, I encourage you to look for pie charts of things such as the sources of federal tax revenue, where you will see that 82 percent (the figures quoted here are from 2010) of it is either individual income taxes or payroll taxes. Corporate income taxes, on the other hand, only make up about 9 percent. The figures from the Congressional Budget Office in 2011 state that 83 percent of the federal revenues by source were from individual taxes and social insurance (payroll), while only 7.9 percent was corporate taxes, so, this seems to be getting worse. Does anyone think it's fair, then, that most of the taxes are taken from people who work hard for it, while corporations are making themselves rich off of their hard work and the bribes from governments? Added to this are the consulting firms who convince the governments that the corporations need these bribes or they'll move somewhere else, even when they have no plans to do so. They get 30 percent of the cut of the taxpayer's money that they got the governments to give to the corporations. There's even people who work for the government and these consulting firms at the same time. For some odd reason, the government sees no conflict of interest, there . . .
Pharmaceutical companies (can you say big pharma?) that tweak their drugs in order to get new patents to protect their monopoly on their drugs for another 20 years, in a process called by many evergreening. Of course, we're not talking about cures, here, because then they wouldn't have repeat customers, but, simply drugs that help with the symptoms. As you might expect, the pharmaceutical companies deny this tactic, claiming that it simply took that long to improve them and it takes nearly 20 years to develop a replacement. One study (Anti-Competitive Evergreening Delays Patient Access to More Affordable Generics and Biosimilars from the Association for Accessible Medicines) discovered that nearly 80 percent of the top 100 drugs extended the duration of patent protection with a new patent. Sounds too ghoulish to be true, that big business would stoop to such levels, as to maximize their profits at the cost of those who suffer severe and nigh-endless pain? Think again! After all, this is a business which knows that they can get more money by treating people than curing them. Compare the number of treatments and pills there are to the number of cures. Get the picture?
Billions of taxpayer dollars are used to fund research in universities for new medicine to help those who are suffering from things such as cancer, and what-not. However, the universities hold the exclusive patent rights to any discoveries, and then they license those out to pharmaceutical companies and other private industries, and we end up with world-wide monopolies, and sky-high prices. This screwed-up system started back in 1980, when the United States Congress passed the Bayh-Dole act, which let the universities patent the research they performed under grants given to them by the federal government, which is funded by the taxpayers. There are a lot of other countries doing the exact same thing now. No doubt the politicians there, just like the ones in the United States, are being cattle-prodded into it by their masters, big business, and their lobbyists, who, as most everyone has figured out, by now, are the ones with the real power in the world. The universities, which many believed were for the public good, seem to be little more than research labs for big business, with a thin facade of education as an attempt to hide what's going on behind closed doors. Is it any wonder, then, that many adults, even college graduates, have a definite lack of generalized knowledge, appear over-specialized, with little curiousity outside of their chosen fields of study, or the latest overly-hyped product, movie, music, or hollywoodland gossip, and seem to have little common sense, which has become an oxymoron?
Big businesses such as verizon and kaiser permanente who want to cut workers' healthcare benefits, even though they are having record profits, or trying to raise rates on non-profits, teachers, and small businesses so they can give their CEO George Halverson a 6.7 million dollar paycheck and benefits, which includes eight different pensions. It certainly isn't needed to help keep the company afloat, since in the first half of 2011, they made 1.5 billion dollars in profits . . .
Government agencies such as the Florida Department of Children and Families AKA DCF (a state of Florida agency) who do not seem to be capable of handling a simple name change, even when you give them the authorized copy of the court document, let them make copies of your Social Security card, and I.D. Card from the state of Florida, and you tell them in person and in letters that all they have to do is to enter your new name into the Florida Medicaid Management Information System AKA FMMIS. They tell you for years that you are eligible for the QMB program (that pays for the Medicare premium, coinsurance and deductible) and send you reward letters saying you're eligible for it, but for some odd reason, they never seem to want to enroll you in the program by entering your new name in the Florida Medicaid Management Information System. Does backspacing out an old name and typing in a new one really take years, when it would only take most of us less than one minute? LOL When you ask them on the phone why you're not enrolled in the Medicare QMB program, or ask them face to face when you go over to their office in person, they say things like "it'll be looked into" which seems to be just another brush-off or an outright lie, because months and years later, there's still no letter or phone call from them, and you still don't seem to be enrolled in the program. So, the Social Security Administration keeps deducting your Medicare premiums each month, and, when you ask the SSA, they say that there is no paperwork on file, despite the fact that you went there earlier, in person, with the reward letter and let them make a copy of it. In addition to this, the Florida Department of Children and Families AKA DCF claims on their pdf files such as the Financial Eligibility Standards for July 2011 which is hosted on their very own site that people under a certain income are eligible to receive benefits such as the MEDS-AD program (which is listed on the aforementioned pdf file as full community Medicaid), and Low Income Subsidy AKA LIS (which is supposed to help with the costs of a Medicare drug plan) but, when you talk to them, they say that you cannot get things like Medicaid. When you attempt to contact the Florida Department of Children and Families about why you are still having to pay your Medicare premium that the QMB program is supposed to be paying for according to the reward letter you got from the Florida Department of Children and Families AKA DCF, they claim that you need to talk to the Social Security Administration about it, and, when you ask them for something to show how long you've been on the QMB program to show the Social Security Administration, they refuse to give you anything to give to them, while the SSA continues to say that there is no paperwork on file. This leaves people like me wondering if the only solution is to start posting all the information about who I've contacted in these agencies along with the time and dates and what they said, or get a lawyer to go after them, since this is costing around 100 dollars a month just for the Medicare premium alone, and I've been waiting since 2008! Makes you wish you lived some place like Canada. Even if you had to wait as long as a few months, it would still be a lot faster than waiting years before you could see a doctor in America, because you do not have the money to pay for it yourself!
Businesses such as RxAmerica who send you bills for 20 months of premiums totaling over 500 dollars, when the government is supposed to be paying for it if you're poor enough.
School Violence: What Causes School Violence (mostly bullying, hazing, and intolerance)
Drivers killing bicyclists
Welcome to life in America. Bend over, please . . .
A few solutions:
Put some money into researching better batteries such as those used for electric cars as well as photovoltaics. If they can be made cheaper, lighter, faster to recharge, and are able to power things longer (imagine only having to recharge your mobile device once every few months), and have millions of charging cycles instead of hundreds or thousands like regular rechargeable batteries so they wouldn't need to replace them as often perhaps using supercapacitors (which I'm still waiting for them to get out to consumers), the production cost of electric vehicles should come down, and be within range of more people. As you no doubt realize, this would significantly decrease our need for oil, as more and more people switch to electric vehicles. Charging up your EV (AKA electric vehicle) within a few seconds to a minute thanks to supercapacitors would also encourage more people to switch over. Decreasing the need for oil is what many United States politicians say they want, correct? Tell them to prove it and do this! Now, as for photovoltaics, if electric vehicles become more energy efficient, and there are new inventions such as photovoltaic window material, and maybe automobile bodies made out of graphene or a similar 'wonder material' which is at least 100 times stronger than steel, for automobiles, which will increase their range, this will also help decrease the dependence on foreign oil as electric vehicles could be made cheaper and have little to no charging time. Until the supercapacitors are more widely used, the old style depleted batteries could simply be swapped for fully-charged batteries at facilities which use solar power and wind turbines for power along the major highways. A good photovoltaic paint could also be used on the sides of buildings, generating power. But, why stop there? Why not make graphene roofing material and building material which do the same job as solar panels? Make them cheaply enough, and durable enough, and more people would use them. An inexpensive type that you could just simply spray onto an existing shingled roof which would also seal up any leaks would be great and would practically guarantee a lot of people using it. Perhaps, in a few years - if they get started on this now - there may even be graphene roofer jobs listed in the help wanted ads. Systems could be set up at home where power is channeled to back-up power systems in the house (even if it is only batteries), until they are charged to capacity. After that, they could switch to sending any excess power generated thereafter to the grid, which the power companies could buy from the home owner, and it would mean that less power would have to be generated by the power companies which oft-times use not-so-environmentally-friendly means. But, there should be laws which force the power companies to buy solar or wind generated power from their customers or else the power companies will likely have their bought politicians to pass laws saying they don't have to or that they can buy it at a low cost and then sell it for more money to other customers even though they didn't create it in the first place. Forcing them to buy it at at least the amount they charged others for would encourage more people to use solar or wind power generators and less coal-fueled power equals less mercury in the rivers and oceans which means less mercury in seafood. Some people also get mercury poisoning and don't realize it.
While we're on the subject of evehicles . . .
Inexpensive autonomous (self-driving) enclosed (with a cabin to protect you from the elements) electric trikes with a range of 100-200 miles and enough cargo space for groceries. This would be useful for the elderly and those who suffer vision problems so bad they cannot get a driver's license as well as the poor, who cannot afford to take a taxi or ride-share everywhere they need to go. Added benefits: This would decrease the dependence on oil, allow those who need them to be more self-sufficient, decrease the demand for taxis and ride-shares and make the roads safer for all (provided the autonomous driving system was reliable) as it would cut down on the instances of people who shouldn't be driving (but try anyway) which leads to more accidents. The initial target price for a basic model should be under $2,000 (USD). In regards to the price: Many non-autonomous etrikes are sold on-line for less than $1,000 (USD) and the LIDAR technology has become so advanced and inexpensive, it's now included in some newer smart phones), so what remains of the differences between a regular etrike and the proposed autonomous etrike with a cabin is the cabin, itself and possibly a small heater and/or air conditioner and those technologies are decades-old. The cabin wouldn't need to be very large for a one-person etrike and not much bigger for three people (the space behind the person in front can either be used for two people or for groceries or whatever instead of being in a separate compartment, which could cut costs). If you want to cut even more of the cost to build one, you can make a very basic model for sale in areas without much variance in temperatures with just a one-piece roof, windshield and rear wall, leaving the sides open and just have a fan inside. A more expensive model could include a good sound system as well as an anti-theft device with combined GPS tracking, since something which costs more than $2,000 (USD) would be a target for thieves, but, in addition to that, parking it close to the front of the store might help deter a few of them. Perhaps a store or the property owner could make a small section of parking spaces specifically sized for the etrikes which could also encourage the etrike owners to shop there more frequently than they would at other stores and those parking spaces would likely be nearly the same size (variances in etrike sizes should be much less than that of larger vehicles) and much smaller than parking spaces for cars, pick-up trucks, vans and SUVs. If they become popular or they get more customers who use them, accommodating them would be as simple as a few stokes of a paintbrush. Customer goodwill and increased sales for a small amount of money (a gallon or so of paint?)! :-)
Research the best configuration for earthships in various areas, and build them. An earthship provides water, power, and food, yet doesn't place additional strain on the power grid. In fact, if they're connected to the grid, they could even sell the extra power they generate back, which, as I've already said above, would cut down on some pollution caused by power companies' own power generation facilities. Because of the way they are built, earthships also do not require a heating and cooling system. When the best configuration for an earthship for a select area is figured out, have a small team of experienced earthship builders build the first one and teach others in the process. As they become proficient, they could form construction teams of their own. Imagine the homeless problem being taken care of as teams of volunteers create homes from little more than dirt, used tires, and empty beverage cans and bottles.
Let the United Nations be the main buffer for dealing with other countries. It is, after all, what it's there for. This would greatly decrease the defense budget and allow military personnel to return to their families. During my study of history, I have yet to find even a three year span where America was not involved in some kind of military operation. What say we try to settle things peacefully instead, by using the people who are supposed to resolve issues before things escalate to the point where troops have to be sent in. If they cannot do their jobs, they should be replaced with those who are better-trained, as the lives of thousands, if not more, are dependent upon them doing their jobs well. While the military personnel are at home, they can help with emergencies, guard schools, mentor students, build homes for the homeless (such as earthships), et cetera. If politicians truly want to make the world a better place, they could start with that. But, if certain politicians are nothing more than saber-rattling testosterone-fueled warmongers who are on the same maturity level as grade-school bullies in a schoolyard, bent on destroying the world and its natural resources in order to appease their thirst for power or want to get involved in a conflict solely to protect their corporate masters' assets while using some made-up excuse about why people have to be sent to a foreign country to die for oil or the like, then you're kind of screwed . . . I know, this is yet another futile attempt on my part to get people to see reason. LOL
Still have a little extra money in the budget after cutting spending to the defense department? Put it towards research on nanotechnology and medical research which can be used to better diagnose and cure patients. It would also be nice if people could remain in good health for even a few decades longer. Not only would this make their lives more enjoyable (if that matters at all to politicians), but, it would also decrease demand on the already strained health care system. Hopefully, this health benefit would be allowed for the entire population, and not just a select few . . . If there's a worry that longer-living citizens may strain the Social Security system, the retirement age could be adjusted upwards a few years, depending upon the new (proven) life expectancy that everyone has and not just the rich who can afford the special treatment.
Over-population problem? One way would be mandatory birth control shots or somesuch, with women given a permit to have only one more child (or only one child if they've never given birth before) after it goes into effect until the population is decreased to a more sustainable level (this was proposed by Larry Niven in his Known Space science-fiction stories), but, many people may not go for that idea. Colonizing Luna, making space habitats and generation ships to explore and possibly colonize other star systems which may have planets in their CHZs (circumstellar habitable zone) would only be a slight decrease of the population on the planet, as the net population growth is two to three more people each second. Something obviously needs to be done, and soon, but, what it would be and if it would be acceptable to everyone remains to be seen. If people cannot voluntarily limit the number of babies they have, governments and corporations may force such limits on them.
While I continually think of new possible solutions, it's a waste of time for me to post them, since few people seem to care, or are willing to do anything about it, and the majority of people prefer to let things get worse . . . But, maybe if some of the aforementioned issues are taken care of, I may donate another half-hour or so to putting a few more things up. Until then, it seems rather pointless to bother with it.
A few other pages on this site:
