While theories abound on how we got into this economic mess, and who ought to shoulder more or less of the blame, folks in the real world are dealing with the consequences.
Time for a few notes from reality, for some perspective among the Beltway crowd spending far too much time scrambling for CYA and propping up pals, and far too little time thinking of the little guy:
– The brunt of the intial pain? Falling on folks who can least afford it.
With jobs scarce, many college graduates find themselves taking jobs that do not require a degree, and laid-off middle-income workers are taking lower-paying jobs in areas like retail sales. A kind of domino effect is beginning to squeeze out the least skilled or experienced workers — those already on the bottom of the ladder — who are settling for part-time employment and fewer hours if they can find work at all. Hardest hit of all are younger job-seekers, especially black males in their late teens or early 20s without more than a high school education.
– Whose employment is increasing? Folks over 65. With drastically shrinking retirement portfolios and rising costs of drugs and groceries, the "golden years" set are facing some stark choices with their shrinking fixed incomes.
– Speaking of grocery costs and budgeting, food banks are in dire need because demand on them has increased substantially. Grocery costs are still up despite dips in fuel and corn costs. Aren’t stagnant wages, for those still earning them, just awesome?
– And the safety net? What’s left of it, anyway. Here’s hoping we don’t all end up testing it’s limits – that would be even uglier. But given the jobless claims trend? Not looking great.
– Consider the high costs of our oil addiction in this one story. And the short-sighted way we conduct ourselves in terms of long-term consequences – Jane’s superb piece on the Volt is a great case in point. As is Marcy’s on Flint. We have to do better. Step one? Stop allowing people who run us into the ditch to profit from their craptastic actions.
– As state budget revenues shrink, programs which provide for at risk kids shrink as well. These children can least afford any loss of health care, food programs at school and early childhood education as they struggle to survive as it is. Our nation’s children deserve more consideration than being a tiny blip on the policy table, that’s for certain. Having worked with hungry kids who would ravenously devour a pack of crackers out of my briefcase before a hearing as the only food they’d had in ages — thank goodness for school lunch programs for these kids during the school year — or seen kids have to deal with homelessness at the ripe old age of three, or going to bed hungry or cold more nights than not? Poverty doesn’t go away for those children just because we sweep it under the national rug.
Naomi Klein lays out the need for consideration of real world issues as the Obama transition goes forward. Better transparency and less self-dealing would be a good start. How’s your budget holding out these days?
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Bushworld can’t disappear fast enough.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see a government that’s actually trying to work — and people who actually give a crap about something beyond “I’ve got mine. Screw you.”?
If my wife takes a banana to kindergarten with her almost all the kids want a peice. These kids come from poor families that usually can’t afford fresh produce.
even sorta on topic: hearings today on mortgage relief and a possible auto industry bailout. details at oxdown:
Note: there are several interesting hearings scheduled for this week, and since the elections are over (hurray!) i made a weekly hearing list for those who want to plan a few days ahead.
christy, i just gotta say that while you are the queen of link fests, today you have really out done yourself. wow.
The hearings today ought to be very interesting indeed — there is some sort of responsibility versus buck-passing versus flexibility dance going on at the moment between the Bushies, the Obama team and Congress. And I have yet to figure out just who is trying maneuver whom in exactly what direction, but there’s definitely a tug of war going on to shift blame and credit.
Why does everything always eem to come down to ego and posturing inside the Beltway while the rest of us scramble to avoid getting the shaft?
You are most welcome — they are all things I’ve been trying to hit for a while and couldn’t get time to do it. So I put it all in one, mondo package. Life here has been so crazy, with all the doctor appointments and other stuff as we adjust to my FIL and his health issues and living here. It’s tough having so much more I want to talk about, and not having the time to really write it up lately…but it will even out eventually.
Speaking of which, we have a treat for everyone this afternoon. A special edition of First Monday (since it got preempted this month because of the election) — Diana Levine will be here to talk about her case that was just argued before SCOTUS. Along with folks from Alliance for Justice and several other guests. Starts at 3 pm ET/noon PT.
I regularly talk with my colleagues in a rational manner about what happens if the bailouts fail, where I want to be homeless. Then I point out all the people who are on the front line of that current wave. One wacky friend of mine has made the conscious decision to live out of his car.
Another friend with a University of Chicago MBA who owns his own small business and employs 15 people is diligently trying to his business because sales of mail order plants are off by 90%. Yet he can’t get a bailout, so some of those families will probably end up moving in with relatives.
Of course, I work in the glass towers of Los Angeles. And it is happening here. My son’s friend’s father just lost his job at a national law firm because the work is slowing. I work in a firm full of economists and no one is talking about the meltdown, so either they don’t think it is a big thing, or it is too big for them to get their heads around.
I think we should downshift for a depression, grow our own gardens, car pool, eat less and more healthily (saves on doctors visits) — but at the same time work like hell to take democratic control of our shareholder responsibilities in society. I mean, if we are really good, maybe Halliburton will come solve this mess for us. Like, not in my story. I’m going to have to do it.
Good Morning Christy and Firedogs,
dear god, 50% more hungry children in 07 than 06, what in the hell will that number be for 08 ?!?!?
can’t imagine a President Obama is going to let this stand, nor will he allow anyone fighting increased aid to these families stand safely in the shadows
lol. that work, i think, is never done.
When it comes to the USDA now they don’t refer to hunger anymore but rather people are food insecure. Don’t no how many kids will say that they are food insecure rather than hungry.
That number floored me — not the percentage, but the actual number of children who are going hungry. Just staggering.
I used to keep extra packs of peanutbutter crackers in my briefcase on juvenile hearing days when I was practicing, because those kids often came in so bedraggled and starving that they needed something. And they were often completely ravenous, as though they hadn’t seen food in weeks. Day in and day out…to think it has gotten worse is a painful, painful thought.
The course of the US economy cannot be corrected until something is done about the corrupt Republicans that corrupted the US economy. This economy will fail completely without a house cleaning and some imprisonment of all Republicans involved in undermining the US government and economy, the sooner the better. There can’t be another ‘new deal’ without a clean economic slate. Bring back FDR policies X ten. Imprison all that lent a hand in the foolish Republican deregulation, they are traitors, guilty of treason.
EPU’d from Attaturk this morning:
Would add:
Although things will be hard, those having the least are in a better position to survive the economic collapse, they have the least dependency upon “working” the system for their wellbeing, such as it is, much like those still on the farm in the ‘29 collapse were able to eat and retained their skills at make-do, something that is not evident in today’s population or their skill inventory. The more connected with the present system, the more dis-accommodated they will be by the collapse.
yes!
Good Morning Christy, thanks for this
and I could just get lost in that picture
Perhaps as percentages of Americans increase without healthcare or full time work that pays living wages or are in dire jeopardy of losing house and home similar percentages should be imposed on randomly drawn members of Congress.
For example one fourth of U.S.Senators lose the luxe heathcare they get.
Or one fifth of U.S.Representatives take a 50% cut in pay on same hours per week.
Or one third of both the Senate and House will lose pension plans as they now stand and have to face the fierce realities so many older Americans are now running headon into.
Perhaps then Congress might pay more attention to finding/doing solutions.
Kids in rural areas on Upstate NY have been ‘food insecure’ for a very long time. I recall being told by the elementary school principal that if they did not do a breakfast program, 80% of the kids could be coming with NO breakfast whatsoever.
“Food insecure”? Whoa — that ranks right up there with “enhanced interrogation techniques” as trying to mask reality in sterile language.
I loved that pix — it’s just gorgeous. Do click through on the caption link to see it in a larger form — the detail is stunning.
the most important meal of the day, too
I think one of the results of having an increasingly more and more wealthy set of folks in Congress — a millionaires club, if you will — is that the problems that regular folks have to live with get lost sometimes because a number of those folks have never had to face them themselves. That isn’t to say that everyone with money has no empathy or a clue — Teddy Kennedy is a good example of someone to whom much was given who has made it part of his life’s mission to help out those less fortunate than himself. But if you have elected folks who are independently wealthy, surrounded for the most part by staffers whose parents are wealthy enough to subsidize their stint on the Hill — you don’t exactly have regular folks making policy decisions.
DC is expensive. But there needs to be some way to bring the voices of regular folks closer to the power center as well, or their needs are utterly and completely lost in the din of lobbyists and moneyed interests. We try to amplify that where we can — but we need to do more. Somehow.
hearing has started.
They have a breakfast program in our local school system — and it was always jam-packed first thing in the morning. Still is.
cnbc is showing the hearing.
Heard Bush sound bite earlier when he talked about people feeling DREAD…
I tell you, the guy feeds on fearmongering like vampires feed on human blood.
I feel dread every time Bush steps up to the microphone…but not for the reasons he thinks. *g*
And yes, I will admit that my kids many times ran down the driveway to bus with a PBandJ in one hand(ok, whole wheat bread) and a plastic bottle of milk in the other(and the book bag dragging behind), but even THAT was a major amount of protein in comparison to what many of their classmates got. We will not even talk about kids without coats, hats or boots having to stand out in 0-degree weather at 6:30 a.m. to get the bus for school. Just…won’t.
amen – looking at Matt’s comment above about the banana, imagine the positive effects of that potassium on those young brains
All the schools here have breakfast and lunch programs. I wish the quality of the meals was better, less fried processed stuff.
Looks like the media is already making the bed for Obama to back out of closing Gitmo
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11…..gitmo.html
Frank is blathering, but he did make one good point: Public confidence in the plan is lower than they might have hoped.
Geez. Wonder why that might be. Those guys are so clueless.
cnbc cut out of hearing after Frank finished.
Agreed. When I was in high school — in what seems like the Stone Age at this point…lol — they put in a salad bar and we loved it because we could get fresh food for lunch instead of tater tots and shrimp shapes (don’t ask). I have to say, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much better The Peanut’s menu is from when I was in school — they try to do fresh food with every lunch.
(((Christy!!!))) You are the bestest DIL. He is very lucky to have you in his life. Take good care of Christy all the while.
Um…yeah. Gee, I wonder why the public didn’t like It? *g*
Local students are going door to door collecting food for the food pantry, their goal to again fill the entire floor of the Fargodome this year. Need is huge.
Food insecure? FOOD INSECURE??? Crikey. Food insecurity means wondering whether you have meal moths in your flour. Food insecurity means trying to guess whether that soggy mess in the Tupperware container has reached botulism level. Food insecurity means worrying that the produce department might be out of radiccio by the time you get there. Give me a break!!
want to help but your time is limited in keeping your own job ??
contact Second Harvest (now called Feeding America) – do they need a ‘gleaner’ in the evening to make the local loop of restaurants ? maybe they just need someone to drive ’senior gleaners’ – one or two hours a week can make a difference in your own backyard
The Peanut’s school is doing a canned food drive at the moment for the local homeless shelter/soup kitchen. Donations are desperately needed, and the kids are getting a kick out of seeing what kinds of food they are all bringing in — nice to see service start early.
it’s scary to me when i think i get stuff really simple stuff that our politicians don’t. they’re supposed to be the experts (at least in my old world view).
Thanks for this Christy. Amazing links. I said over at EW’s last night, if there is not going to be an automobile industry bailout then they better draft federal safety net legislation for the states that will be hardest hit by the economic spiral as all the related industries shut down as well and the unemployment figures surpass the state’s ability to handle the number of people. It might even be worth suggesting here what that legislation might look like and start demanding it…because then a bailout might look a great deal better.
I also asked Boehner to answer the question, “Why?” when he knows what kind of total economic disaster will hit Ohio without a bailout. His district will be especially hard hit.
I want to point to another group of ‘food insecure’ Americans. I am at the end of a career working with the mentally ill. In our city of 200 thousand we have 5 thousand severly mentally ill people who are living on $350 per month from government programs. One of the two major food banks in our town went under this year and food is scarce.
I am delaying my retirement as long as I can in part out of fear that I could be in one of those lines at the remaining food bank.
There is a sense that the safety net is in tatters just when we can see millions of people about to be dumped onto it.
Bachus is arguing that this recession won’t be any greater than past averages. The stoopid’s so bad it hurts.
crikey !!!
Feeding America volunteer by zip code
shorter bachus: i’m an idiot.
jfc – this guy is on the financial services committee? has he not been awake for previous hearings? does he have no one on his staff to explain this stuff?
Ma and Pa Kettle explain the the Bushie Economic Meltdown.
I just read in that vague “somewhere” that the recession will be with us for more than a year. Jive with anything you’re seeing, thinking?
My great insight into the fact that it’s easy to know more, not only than the pols, but also the “experts” was my self-education in foreign policy. Very scarey.
maloney: commends shelia bair. pointedly does not include bernanke or paulson.
My jaw dropped at teh stoopid. Clueless!
Average recession is longer than a year, and this one will be worse, probably much worse, than average. Stabilization of house prices will be first sign that end is in sight, but even after that happens, all the collateral damage will have to be repaired before the upturn can begin.
If you think about it, Boehner is a communist hiding behind the curtain of ”fiscal responsibility.”
I thought fiscal responsibility was to keep people employed.
The Boy Scouts, too
I always donated a bagful at least, but this year I just don’t have any extra cash to help.
exactly right. some of the stuff is complicated, but bachus ought it at least know the arguments for why this economic crisis has people so worried – even if he doesn’t understand them. very different than kucinich and issa last week who seemed to have an excellent grasp of the facts (even if there was wide disagreement on policy).
That is such a tough population to help, too — because it’s often either so invisible as a need within the community, or one that most folks just never bother to think about, and yet one in most need of compassion and a helping hand. Especially as a number of folks with severe mental disabilities live longer, well-beyond that of their aging parents and other family members, and have to care for themselves as best they can. It’s a rough, rough road for a lot of them in a world that tends to look the other way.
The safety net is in shreds, especially the mental health net that was torn down during the Reagan years and never got rebuilt.
I swear that at least half the criminal prosecutions I dealt with came with some substantial mental health component — so long as someone was on probation, we could push regular mental health visits, taking meds, etc., but that stopped when they served out their probationary status. And then we’d see them back in within months because there was no stop-gap of health and mental health care available to keep progress going. And without the progress, there was no real way to keep or find a job — especially with a low skillset, to find a job with health benefits so you could continue meds and treatment if it was needed — and back through the cycle of arrest again they’d go.
As a nation, we truly do things so bass-ackward on so many levels at once, it’s tough to know where to start.
paulson up: we took decisive action.
“the only food they’d had in ages”
While I am in agreement with you on the issues, I am afraid that such exaggerations become talking points to damage your credibility. Noone can go without food for “ages”.
So from a purely selfish (political) standpoint, what must Obama et al do to mitigate against being the scapegoats for BushCo excesses and failure to do oversight, pretty much anywhere? A naive and simple question, I know, but the finger-pointing is going to begin the moment the Bible snaps shut on January 20.
Not only could his “analysis” easily be proved wrong (two important economic indicators: consumer confidence and Institute of Supply Management orders index, are already near post WWII lows and you ain’t seen the bottom yet), but why would he utter those words? Does he know nothing about decision making under uncertainty? Even if he thinks bad recession is low probability, the consequences are sooo huge, the only reasonable decision is to err on the side of excess stimulus.
Grrrr.
paulson: system wide crisis. we asked for financial rescue package to stabilize financial system on the verge of collapse and then to get banks lending again.
The Soylent Green factory in my neighborhood is hiring.
-G
Metaphor. And I suspect when you’re hungry, starving, “ages” can be measured in hours.
Hiring? Or recruiting?
very funny
Ignore the name calling & push for really large Keynesian stimulus: infrastructure is high on the list after keeping auto industry in business.
I’ve been wanting ot help out the local food bank myself, but at hte moment i can’t. Even the food i do have is way past expiry date so i can’t donate what’s left of it after my move. Hopefully once things have settled for me monetary wise, i’ll have money again to donate.
Sadly i may end up alright during this one. I’m in one of the few stable jobs (pharmacy), and i made the decision to find roommates again so i could make my expenses. i’m pretty sure i’m not the only one making similar choices. The fun part will be whether the bank my car loan is in will survive this. Hells Fargo (as i fondly call it) annoys the bejesus out of me, but i have no idea how things will change in the next year or so. I make under 20K a year, so it’s not as if i’m not used to subsisting on very little a year to begin with.
Oh, fergawdsakes. It’s a WV-ism — “ages” as in a long time, not “ages” as in “The Bronze Age.”
As usual, he’s talking about the “supply” of credit. Supply side economics. No one is paying attention to the demand for credit, which has equally evaporated.
obama could be the second coming – he’d still be scapegoated by the rightwing. he might as well do the right thing for the country, we need some decent governance.
cnbc is back on the hearings.
Key word: “as”.
reminds me of krugman’s smack down of george will this weekend.
Thanks for this, Christy. I can always count on you to bring up the most relevant (to me) topics. :)
I’ve been blessed with great survival skills and I’m no longer able to sustain a healthy diet or pay my bills. It’s been over a month since I bought meat or fresh vegetables. They are way more than I can afford. Thank God I don’t have children at home. Things are really going downhill fast. I won’t lose my home because I’m a squatter. I’m a squatter because at one time I was homeless. In this world, you have to have a fat wallet and cronies to get/keep a decent job it seems. Without a car, you’re screwed. I’m so tired of people making assumptions about me based on my poverty. My lifestyle is labor-intensive and work is not something that intimidates me.
I get food from the food pantry, but they’ve been so sparse lately, I worry about the families with children.
damn. lost my cspan connection
Yep. Krugman & Reich seem the most up-to-speed on what is actually happening.
In MN (and possibly elsewhere), there is a nonprofit called “Feed My Starving Children.” It has become the trendy place to do community service (well, actually global service), but it’s a fabulous organization. Volunteers mix and package high-nutrition mixture of four components (can’t remember now what they are), weighing carefully, boxing for shipment. Low dollar, high bang-for-buck org, and a great place for families to dig in and do. There’s a video that speaks to the very real need for this, and all in all, it’s also an excellent educational tool for kids on up to grandparent-aged folks. My granddaughter decided she didn’t want presents for her birthday, and instead, asked her friends to come with her to Feed My Starving Children for a shift. Amazing. And probably totally off topic, but it demonstrates the need and the willingness of civilians to step into the breech if they are actively recruited.
Well, you know it isn’t all bad. Today I filled my tank with gas and paid
‘only’ $1.84 per gallon. That is roughly $2.00 per gallon less than I was
paying 3 months ago. I figure, given my family’s damn fleet, I am saving more than $100.00 per week.
In addition, basic food commodities [Corn, soy beans, cattle and hogs]
are way down. Corn is less than half of its early summer highs. This is going to start showing up in the grocery stores.
Moreover, there is one hell of a lot of stimulus working through the economy. Soon, you will see it.
Last, in two months we will have a leader. That will do wonders for the economy.
(((Audrey)))
he was wondering what all the fuss is about bc gdp lose is only at 4% and 8-9 recessions were @ 5% +. good question, imo.
Not everywhere — some industries, like energy which is still going gangbusters and some service industries are still high demand for credit and, in some instances, aren’t able to get it even with a stable capital and market base in place. I’d bet that Cheney is pushing on some of this to keep his buddies moving forward. There’s also the letters of credit for shipping that Ian talked about recently as well. But it would stand to reason that a few instances of need for credit aren’t outweighed by the other side of the economic coin and Paulson never seems to recognize that side at all.
Which is pretty telling in and of itself, isn’t it?
Check out this website, USDA Economic Research Service. They have many reports that are quite good. But as I said food security is what gets used by the USDA now. Republicans don’t like hunger I guess. Link
Here some grant project reports I helped author: Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs:
RIDGE Projects and Summaries
cspan back up and so is bernanke. says oversight board is appointed and meeting minutes are posted on a special website.
Bernake: things would have been much worse without TARP.
Me, harping. Here’s the link to Feed My Starving Children. It’s a wonderful model for what’s possible. Why not a domestic version of this? Okay, it’s not a Happy Meal, but it saves lives.
Much less the fact that there’s now whole swathes of people that can’t GET credit to save their lives. The only reason i have the car is because my dad co-signed for me. Otherwise i’d be without a way to get to work, much less a job in the first place.
It’s been that way for years. I can’t get anything but payday loans(and i’ve learned to avoid them like the plague. Talk about your price gauging! OOOW) anymore. My credit is bad, but it’s not as severely bad as quite a few my age. If i want anything beyond my means? I don’t get it anymore. Plain and simple. But i can’t subsist on barely 50$ a month, so i made those changes. I work a job where i should be making more money, but i’m underpaid just like everyone else. *shrugs* Once i do get my feet under me in a month or two, i’ll be volunteering or donating, likely the latter. Because i’m not going to leave those that are completley without, without something. The Food Banks helped me out a few years back. Now it’s my turn to help them so they can help others.
Because, as the indicators I cited show, we are only at the beginning.
Christy? You still here?
Bernanke baffles with details. Hiding the forest in the trees.
Yep — whatcha need?
Wondering if I may quote and link from this post at my place? I haven’t blogged for a long time, but this is an issue near and dear to my heart.
the thugs need evidence of recession bc they have no imagination. most of them just want the market to adjust and solve the problem. different way of thinking from dems. not a good way to manage gov’t, imo.
Absolutely — feel free. Just pop a link back to here if you would, please, and pull what you find useful.
Smoochies!
bair up – she’s the one i’m most interested in watching.
Bair’s just as out-to-lunch. She also focuses exclusively on supply side.
btw, listening to Bach’s cello concertos, performed by Rostropovich this morning as I sip my warm cuppa tea and watch the snowflakes fall outside. Life is good here at the moment, as I sit back and savor a little quiet. With the cold, the birdies are stuffing themselves at my feeder…
Jane’s up
Lieberman: Suck On That, Liberals!
Well, at least Bair recognizes self-reinforcing downward spiral.
did you see her recently when she was on charlie rose? i remember her making more sense – much more,.
(((selise))) Thank you. :)
No. I don’t watch Charlie Rose.
Audrey, I’m so sorry you are still dealing with a rough time. Hugs, hon, and lots of good thoughts headed your way.
that last bit was better – but the idea of propping up house prices instead of: 1) preventing forclosures and 2) controlling the decline and preventing an undershoot, does not strike me as the best goal.
got somethin agin charlie?
if you are willing, would you consider emailing me? i can be reached at the contact page (click my name).
i didn’t use to. but lately have been watching some of them (or listening – i rip a copy and then convert to audio for itunes).
Audrey. (((Audrey))).
Yes. I have never learned anything from any of his guests. I watched a lot around 01-03, in my pursuit of knowledge about ME, foreign policy, etc. He concentrated on neocons, fearmongers, American Likudnics, and I had already figured out that they were wrong & why they were wrong.
oops new thread from jane.
Thank You, Christy. So appreciate it. I wish you knew how important you and the lake are to me. I think of this place as home and family. :)
Through the contact page?
Thank you! (((klynn)))
Over and over for the poor, the middle class are now seeing what the poor has seen for decades. As an activist for years, I am alarmed because I do not want my middle class compatriots see what I have seen, but I am also kind of in wonder because this is not news for the ones who have been struggling all along. When Welfare Reform was enacted in 1996, which WAS the entitlement that came out of Social Security that is no longer an entitlement, we activists warned that if the economy turned down, the meager safety net Welfare Reform left for anyone falling down that rat hole, would leave nothing for them. But the middle class at that time stood up and applauded Welfare Reform, because welfare was in truth a racial issue, even though more whites were turning to it than people of color. God forbid that low income women with few resources, should have the audacity to use it to get a leg up and get an education like over 80% of them did. Welfare Reform was written by Robert Rector, a Heritage Foundation elitist who was outraged when he met some “uppity” women in DC who were doing just that ~ getting an education and bettering themselves after having fled Virginia towns where they would have faced dire and utter lifelong poverty. I am not saying that Welfare is the “answer” but I AM saying that myopic and elitist thinking caused this mess, where welfare for the rich was just fine but anything helping a struggling family was not ~ and in 1996, welfare was 4% of the budget while the military in peace time took almost half and welfare for the rich was thousands of times more than welfare for the poor ever had. The poor then and at this time pay on the average of 17-19% of their income in taxes, the wealthy less than 5% ~ and that 5% of one rich family could feed hundreds of families all by itself. There are people right here who knew this was coming. Unfortunately, when we activists tried to warn our communities, our legislators and our neighbors, we were laughed off and told it would never happen (really I heard that straight from a Democrat’s mouth in 2000). We tried to tell our middle class folks THEY were next, but they would not believe us. Why don’t we listen now to what they have to say because there ARE some good ideas out there that just might work from folks who have been working for decades trying to fix what was broken even more in 1996? And I am not just talking about my community, I know people all over this nation trying to tell their communities the same thing.
Just asking …
Cat In Seattle P.O.W.E.R. member (People for Welfare and Economic Rights, Olympia, WA).
Cat, there hasn’t been a real middle class in America for about two decades now. There’s been a class of people using their credit cards to try and live as well as their parents did. That started crashing down three years ago.
Bravo! Well said! I used to tell my son (may he RIP), it’s a race thing.
I hear you.
Thanks Christy,I really appreciate your sharing some realities.
Here in California an historic law suit decision about inadequate prison health care stuns us with the projected costs of billions for building thousands of new hospital beds for the horrendously overcrowded system because of an aging, chronic illness and mental health problem population.
In the meantime, state medicaid and county indigent care services are being cut in programs that are obscenely deficient in basic health care services and whose doctors are unconscionably ignorant about treating some critical and rapidly growing health crises, particularly in regard to peripheral neuropathy.
As a volunteer health care educator and advocate for and with folks who have peripheral neuropathy, I’ve talked with a couple of hundred folks over the last 18 months who responded to public awareness posters placed on public buses in two counties in northern California. Virtually all were poor. They were either on MediCal, the even more limited county indigent care programs; but some had no health care at all beyond emergency care. In any case, they and their doctors knew virtually nothing about how to diagnose or treat neuropathy (which is also true for most doctors who are treating well insured middle class folks). The consequent here and now time suffering of all these PN sufferers breaks my heart and I know that the eventual costs in disability will be even greater because there was no or totally inadequate care from the past and into the future.
Today’s news brings word that the Lewin Group now estimates that the present and projected costs of Diabetes was $218 billion last year. We know that some 50-60% of all aging diabetics will eventually have diabetic neuropathy. Because most will have no access to effective health care for their neuropathy, the probability of massive amputations from that lack of proper care will be enormous and inevitable.
While I pray for universal health care, I must also pray and work for fundamental education to train doctors in the diagnosis and care of folks with neuropathy. I asked a highly placed clinician/teacher at
UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento (who had had a weekly column on health issues in the Sacramento Bee) to come speak to our Davis neuropathy support group about how medical students there are being trained to diagnose and treat neuropathy. He said he had no idea, and furthermore said that he knew of no one on the faculty or clinical staff who really knew neuropathy or even cared. I wept at his assessment. What I knew was that there was one clinician/researcher neurologist on the faculty, who functions as a kind of forensic neurologist and is really quite brilliant on neuropathy issues. But I also know that access to him is like pulling hen’s teeth.
And most most neurologists are trained in many other kinds of neurological disorders (like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis, etc) but NOT neuropathy. And yet it is estimated that we have some 20 million folks in the US with some 100 various forms/types of neuropathy from some 200 known causes. And while diabetes is the cause of some one-third of us, most doctors only know about that connection, but don’t really know how to treat it or that some of their most commonly prescribed treatments for various chronic conditions are causing more and more neuropathy, not the least of which are chemo/radiation therapies, and statins.
For example, this last week has seen the trumpeting call for treating practically any and everyone with statins, which we know causes myopathy, a muscle weakness that is common with some forms of neuropathy. But then there are so many billions of dollars tied up in the marketing of these medications to an ever widening proportion of the public, regardless of the side effects or the alternative treatment modalities that could eliminate the need for such medications.
IN my heart I know that our medical system is so grossly, criminally negligent on so many levels, in so many ways, that I weep with despair over the enormity of the problems and how to make a dent. It is not enough to begin to educate PNers (those with various peripheral neuropathies) one by one or in small groups, when there are hundreds, thousands of us in our small communities that we won’t reach.
Thanks to the advocacy work of the Neuropathy Action Foundation, the California legislature this year created a task force to begin to establish some principles and goals for educating the public, doctors and patients about neuropathy and the desperate need for early diagnosis and treatment.
Knowing the values of some of the principle constituencies to be involved
in a three-four month process, I have only marginal hope that they will produce a truly comprehensive package of recommendations. And then who knows when there will ever be funding to implement those recommendations, given California’s ongoing fiscal crises, never mind the prospects for the now certain national recession.
So, thanks, again, Christy, for reminding us of some of the bottom line realities of our world and letting me share my concern with the FDL community. Blessings to all,
Excellent point. Make it again and again. Jim Tobin taught us that one, and I never forgot it.
I’d really like to see an analysis of the current Wall Street crisis and bailout in respect to impact on the personal investments of US Senators and Representatives.
AZ Matt, I will send your wife a check for $40.00 per month to provide bananas and whatever else she chooses for her kindergarten children. You can respond to me at wingspread257atearthlink dot net.
I was a Depression kid and have known hunger.