Hospitals & Asylums 

   

 

Summer Solstice Issue

 

Vol. 8 Is. 2

 

I must begin this issue by asking for donations.  The economic stimulus payment was just enough to pay the deposit on a new apartment.  I do not have the funds for a new laptop computer and they cost nearly $500.  Not having received more than $2 in donations since first advertising the account in February, I am hoping that one generous donor will give me the full amount. My computer has begun to malfunction, the cursor has a mind of its own, the hyperlink wizard takes five minutes per link and the email no longer supports pictures.  The computer mysteriously died as I was composing this petition and could not be revived until it had been brought to the first floor and I had downloaded Microsoft Word onto a community computer.  Wanting to salvage your email addresses, the new ones have not been saved to the Internet, I tried again and there was power for a never before seen screen regarding the modular bay that I cleaned out, snapped in and got the computer to work.  While I have backed up all the files and erased the memory to improve processing, I need a new computer.  I am therefore asking that someone donate $500 to my Paypal account or contact me in regards to delivering a functional IBM PC so that I can continue to serve the public.  Donate!!!

 

There is obviously more to fundraising than merely possessing a beggars bowl.  I have made specific requests for this $500 amount to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for whom I hope to raise $350 million this fiscal year, perhaps from private or judicial sources, to increase staffing levels to the point where they could manage the disability backlog.  The $250,000 medical tort I signed over to SSA, but their ALJ never had the time to hear, snowballed into a $400 million fine at the US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio at the end of spring.  Perhaps CMS would consider donating it to SSA in hopes of improving the compensation for medical malpractice and reducing health care fraud, although it might all be bad bills.  SSA certainly has a fertile market for medical malpractice settlements.  Alternatively I applied to the Tax Policy Institute whereas they have just received several million dollars to give out as research grants.  I wish it was not so difficult for me to raise money for myself.  No matter how many billions of dollars I make, I don’t get a penny.  Granted my Iraqi settlement, the largest reparation in world history, has lost its charm as the result of the continuing occupation and now no less than 10% of emergency appropriations, larger than the combined GDPs of Afghanistan and Iraq, must go to rent.  But it is only fair that I be paid for my work when it makes money.  Candidates for political office make millions.  Presidential candidates take in between $20 to $50 million a month.  Congressional candidates like Steve Driehaus take in $2 million a campaign. 

 

Why can’t a legislative drafter make a decent wage in America? This issue arrives at the answer in the Social Work Act of 2008 – social responsibility.  Since the 1970s the federal government has been lagging behind all other industrialized nations in the area of social and environmental responsibility.  There is widening gap between the rich and the poor, the most divorces in any nation, no paid parental or medical leave, widening health disparities along the lines of race and class and increasingly between the USA and other industrialized nations, the largest and densest prison population on earth and the US is the largest air polluter.  Granted some $350 billion are donated to private philanthropic organizations in the USA annually, but I have never received a penny from them, nor has the United Nations, and the USA lags behind all other industrialized nations in their international development contributions as a percentage of GDP, although the US is the largest national contributor.  In practice this seems to mean that the federal government does not act responsibly and does not respond when politely requested to make socially responsible contributions, such as emailing the Congressional Record for free, winning the war against terror by changing the names of some agencies and amending the law, legislating universal health insurance and extending unemployment insurance while the job market is slumping as studied in this issue, or in this case purchasing a claim for $500 to administrate the largest trust funds in the world.  Please Donate!!!                  

 
Steve Driehaus for First Congressional District of Ohio HA-8-5-08

 

On May 8th Ohio Representative Steve Driehaus, candidate for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, met with locals to discuss ideas for change and to finance his campaign from 6-8pm.   First elected in 2000, Driehaus represents the people of western Cincinnati, Addyston, Cheviot, Cleves, and North Bend and is the Minority Whip of the Ohio House.  It is not easy to unseat an incumbent, officeholders win 95% of the time.  However many are disgusted with the Republican Party and people are abandoning it in droves.  Congressman Steve Chabot won his 2006 election 52.3% to 47.7%, analysts speculate John Cranley (D)’s attack ads backfired.  1st District voters narrowly favored Democrats Ted Strickland for Governor and Sherrod Brown for Senator. President Bush edged his 2004 Democratic challenger, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, by just one percentage point.  Driehaus is a fiscally conservative pro-life Democrat whose policies are moderate enough to get both the conservative Cincinnati vote and to promote sound fiscal policy in the federal government.  In a poll organized by the Driehaus campaign without info Chabot wins but in a poll with biographical information Driehaus consistently came out on top.  Although clearly the best choice, the campaign of the educated candidate against the misinformation of a corrupt administration, for the votes of the people, will not be easy.  So far Driehaus has raised $750,000 but the goal is $2 million.  Your contributions and volunteering are greatly appreciated.  

 

Social Work Act of 2008 HA-17-6-08

 

An Act alternatively cited the Now Hiring Social Workers Act resolving to tell the Social Security Administration (SSA) to “get a job”.   The act will create a Social Work Administration (SWA) to establish a pro-social rule for the centers of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) with enough dignity to graduate with a Public Health Department (PHD).  SSA trust funds, the largest national savings accounts in the world, will have $2.4 trillion by the end of FY 2008, however staffing is insufficient to administrate disability petitions let alone eliminate poverty and injustice as they can afford. As the result of five years of under-funding overall SSA employment has dropped from 63,569 in 2003 to 60,206 at the end of 2007 it is therefore resolved that SSA be paid $350 million FY 2008 above current appropriations to stimulate the employment of at least 10,000 new SSA employees by the end of FY 2009 when the budget will be no less than $11 billion.  The disability backlog has soared from a legal limit of 350,000 in the 1990s to over 1.4 million today, it is therefore resolved that SSA be given a $1 billion annual budget to dismiss petitions for a one time payment of $500-$1,000 per capita with which to purchase medical tort claims, small business claims, and claims against the federal government.  The dismissed petitioners will be sent a form to re-apply if they are still in need.  The social work profession is the absolutely best investment for the federal government to stimulate economic growth, social research, social responsibility and public health amongst the unemployed, underemployed, disabled and retired petitioners who have the time to represent the public interest of the poor.  By adequately financing the social work profession the federal government will make progress achieving international social norms the nation consistently lag behind in.   Social work is clearly a topic that the federal government must review.

 

Supplemental to Extend Unemployment Insurance Benefits HA-3-5-08

 

All told, there were 7.6 million people unemployed as of April, up from 6.8 million a year earlier.  Over the first three months of this year, the U.S. economy lost a total of 232,000 jobs.  The total number of unemployed workers has already grown by 1.1 million over the last twelve months. In the last three economic downturns (1981, 1990, and 2001), a one million increase in the number of jobless Americans over one year occurred four to five months into the recession.  The percentage of workers exhausting UI benefits (36%) is higher today than at the beginning of any of the past five recessions. Given this high exhaustion rate, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) assumes that roughly 3.5 million Americans will run out of unemployment benefits before finding work this year. Unemployment insurance (UI) is estimated to mitigate the loss in real GDP by 15 to 17 percent and saves more than 130,000 jobs in the average recession’s peak year.  In 2005 the UI Trust Funds showed a surplus of nearly $30 billion and administrated less than $7 billion.  Congress should extend UI benefits and coverage in a supplemental extension of the UI trust funds estimated at $10 billion nationally.  UI trust fund surpluses should aim for zero.  A UI account deficit is not anticipated until 2009, if the recession continues.  UI is the most effective form of relief from economic recessions.  It is time for Congress and the President to pass a supplemental and begin extending benefits.

 

National Health Care Debate HA-28-4-08

 

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Congressional Institute hosted a Congressional Debate on National Health Care on April 28, 2008 beginning at 2 pm in Sabin Auditorium.  The free show was sold out and an estimated 250 guests spilled over into a second auditorium where live footage was projected onto a screen.  The panel was divided by the moderator, Ms. Romero of National Public Radio, into two teams of four Democrats and four Republicans.  The party platforms became evident.  Democrats are committed to quality, affordable health insurance for everyone.  Republicans do not want government health care.  The people of the USA must have access to the best health care. Talks break down on the critical issue of single payer insurance that is a requirement for either a social or national insurance scheme to bring us out of the failed voluntary private health insurance market.  The Democrats must defend single payer health insurance as the method with which a comprehensive electronic record system will be implemented.  Republicans defeat themselves and will need to come over to the Democratic camp.  More Americans are not covered by their employer.  More Americans are not getting preventative care.  Bi-partisan support is essential to guarantee everyone access to quality affordable health care.  Republicans insist there are different opinions, although they do not have a qualified one.  Health care is one of the great problems of our time. 

 

National Health Insurance HA-28-4-08

 

The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal health insurance system.  Although the US spends more on health, life expectancy is lower and infant mortality higher than in other developed nations.  Almost 20% of the non-elderly population lacks health insurance at any given time.  In 2007 15%, 45 million people, including 9 million children, were uninsured.  54%, 162 million were insured through their employers.  5%, 15 million were insured individually.  13%, 39 million were insured through Medicaid.  12%, 36 million were insured through Medicare.  1%, 3 million are insured through other public insurance.  80% of the uninsured were employed.  America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) proposes that the federal government would provide subsidies for the purchase of private coverage to individuals and families with incomes under 400 percent of the FPL. Individuals with incomes under 300 percent of the FPL should receive proportionally greater assistance.  People at 100 percent of the FPL should be eligible for Medicaid.  The Physicians’ Working Group for Single Payer National Health Care System (PNHP) endorses the National Health Insurance Act H.R. 676 that offers to create a national single payer health care system, financed with tax dollars, that would be free for everyone.  NHI would cause the loss of as many as 2.5 million jobs in private insurance companies, clerical and administration staffing, as the result of the reduced administrative burden of single payer national insurance.  The finding of this 100 page report and summary is that Congress should enact single payer universal health insurance by passing the HR 676 with a clause abstaining from prohibiting the sale of private insurance in section 104 until sometime in the future.  This compromise would immediately achieve Single Payer Universal Coverage and progressively realize National Health Insurance that is free for all.

 

Natality in the United States HA-15-6-08

 

In 2006 there were 4,265,996 births out of nearly 6.6 million pregnancies, a 3 percent increase from the year before, the largest single-year increase since 1989 and the highest total number of births since 1961, near the end of the baby boom.  The 2006 fertility rate of 2.1 children is the highest level since 1971. The United States’ under-5 mortality rate (8 per 1,000 live births) is two to three times higher than other industrialized nations.  In the United States, America-Indian and Alaska-Native infants are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to die than white infants and African-American infants are 2.4 times more likely to die than white infants. The maternal mortality rate among black women (36.1 per 100,000 live births) is about 4 times the rate among white women (9.8 per 100,000 live births). The United States slipped in its ranking for maternal health from 26th in 2007 to 27th  in 2008.  Pregnancy is divided into trimesters, which last about 12 - 14 weeks each. The medical literature defines childbirth as a three-stage process.  In the first stage, labor, the cervix, dilates from being nearly closed to its fullest dimension of approximately 10 centimeters, almost 4 inches.  In the second stage, delivery, the baby is pushed out of the mother’s body.  The third stage is the expulsion of the placenta.  There are four types of births – vaginal delivery, vacuum assisted vaginal delivery, forceps assisted vaginal delivery and caesarean section.  The cesarean section rate increased from slightly over 5% in 1970 to 29.1% in 2004. 99% of American births take place in the hospital and 92% of births are attended by a medical doctor.  More than 70 % of US women receive epidural anesthesia for pain relief during labor. The presence of a doula, birth attendant, tends to reduce the overall cesarean rate by roughly 45%, length of labor by 25%, oxytocin use by 50%, pain medication by 31%, the need for forceps by 34%, and requests for epidurals by 10-60%. The United States lags dramatically behind all high-income countries, as well as many middle- and low-income countries when it comes to public policies designed to guarantee adequate working conditions for families.  Every state in the United States has a program to afford pre-natal and infant care, call 1-800-311-BABY

 

The Street MAP HA-27-4-08

 

Mentalhealth Access Point (MAP) was founded in 1997 by a nurse named Diana McIntosh.  The purpose of MAP is to connect people who have just been released from jail or a psychiatric or are new to the community, to mental health services.  The objective, to be “the front door to mental health services” still needs to be achieved.  The intake of involuntary psychiatric patients continues to be performed primarily by Mobile Crisis and Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) as enforced by special police officers.  Residents call Mobile Crisis and the alleged mentally ill are kidnapped.  Mobile Crisis and PES need their contracts with the Mental Health Board terminated and should be evicted from University Hospital so that they could have a normal psychiatric hospital.  Diana McIntosh is now the Vice President of Clinical Services for the Hamilton County Community Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.  From her new position she can also arrange for the Board to assume responsibility of the adjudication of people who are involuntarily hospitalized from the Probate Court liberating that institution from its centuries old human trafficking sentence to clear the way for them to change their name to the Justice of the Peace.  These two reforms are needed for MAP to be the “front door to mental health services” and for the mental health and legal systems to achieve the democratic ideal of “free will”.

 
To Win the War against Terror: Change US Foreign Policy from the Inside HA-22-5-08

 

To win the War against Terror the US Congress must divide the USAID Asia and Near East (ANE) Bureau into the Bureau for the Middle East and Central Asia (MECA) including Indonesia and North Africa and the Bureau for South East Asia (SEA); change the name of Title 22 Foreign Relations and Intercourse (a-FRaI-d) to just Foreign Relations (FR-ee); change the name of the Department of Defense (DoD) to the Military Department (MD); and pass H. Con. Res. 110 Expressing the sense of Congress that Iraq should vote to approve or disapprove the continued deployment of United States Armed Forces to Iraq and, unless Iraq votes to approve such continued deployment, the President of the United States should commence the phased redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq within 60 days of the Iraqi vote.  Economic war with Europe on the currency front, with OPEC on oil prices and the “housing correction” on the torturous home front pose a serious threat to the US economy.  While there is no guarantee that these reforms will save the national economy from recession, the threat of recession highlights the need for the nation to negotiate for fair oil prices and a stronger dollar with the EU.  With these reforms Congress can make the federal government a safer and more beautiful place for Americans and grant our children peace of mind.  The scholarly essay treats upon the dissolution of the USSR to set the stage for the West’s current battle with Islam and sets forth the laws ending colonial oppression to convince the USA to win the War against Terror.  These four issues of illegitimacy within the administration and legislature have been raised and Americans now have the opportunity exercise their democratic right vote and choose whether they consent to be governed by fear or wish to create a more peace-loving foreign policy.    

 

CHAPTER 1 Military Democracy (MD)

 

To amend Chapter One Navy Hospitals, Naval Home, Army and other Naval Hospital, and Hospital Relief for Seamen and Others §1-40 and change the name of the Department of Defense (D0D) to the Military Department (MD).  To pass Expressing the sense of the 110th Congress that Iraq should vote to approve or disapprove the continued deployment of United States Armed Forces to Iraq H.CON.RES.110. The US employs an estimated 2.4 million US soldiers and 600,000 civilian employees.  Sets a spending limit of $400 billion under a pay-as-you –go policy.  In FY 2006 military spending was cut to $470 from $510 billion and the deficit was only $250 billion, down from $350 billion. Since its foundation the US military has suffered 1,128,075 casualties.  Over 4,000 US troops have died fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.  There are reported to be 26.4 million veterans living in the USA.   Under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty the US, who has 10,000 warheads, must reduce their arsenal to no more than 1,700 to 2,200 nuclear warheads by 2012.  Elimination of various Cold War weapons systems can save $50 billion from maintenance.  Redeployment from Iraq can save another $50 billion.  The foundation of AFRICOM will help to treat Africa, which has seen 186 coups d'etat and 26 major wars in the past 50 years, some 2.8 million refugees and fully half of the world's 24.6 million internally displaced people are victims of conflict and upheaval in Africa.  It is resolved to give democratic peace theory, that democratic nations are more peaceful, a fair try, by eliminating all forms of psychological warfare from government, pushing for an international government that upholds the four Ds – Development, Disarmament, Diplomacy and Democracy.

 

CHAPTER 3 Health and Welfare (HaW)

 

To amend Chapter 3 National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers §71-150 and to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution.  Fifth draft.  The objective of this Chapter is to insure Americans an income of $1,000 a month pursuant to the fine in §154.  162 million workers, 54% of the 300 million population, had earnings covered by a 15.3% in social security taxation, 12.4% split between employer and employee for retirement and disability insurance with a $96,500 limit on taxable income and 2.9% for Medicare across all income levels.  SSA administrated $546 billion in benefits to 49 million people, 34 million retired workers, 7 million survivors and 9 million disabled workers for $5.3 billion in administrative costs and collected $745 billion in revenues, a $193.7 billion profit.  As of 31 December 2006 SSA had $2,048.1 billion in savings, $1,844.4 billion in OASI and $203.9 billion in DI.  CMS serves 87 million people with health insurance.  Medicare covered 43.2 million people 36.3 million aged 65 and older, and 7 million disabled.  Medicare expenditures were $408 billion, 3.1% of the GDP in 2006, and revenues were $437 billion, a profit of $29 billion bringing Medicare assets to $339 billion.  Medicaid served 52 million beneficiaries at an annual cost of $305 billion.  There are 45 million uninsured Americans.  Inflation in all health care costs must be limited to 3% annually.  The new $65 and one half all further income exemption for SSI eligibility must be brought into use to resolve the disability backlog.  The federal budget must be balanced while protecting SSA trust fund growth.  Official development assistance contributions must be increased until there is a 1% international social security tax on every pay-stub.

 

CHAPTER 7 National Cemeteries (NC)

 

To Amend Chapter 7 National Cemeteries §271-296 and repeal Chapter 7a Private and Commercial Cemeteries §298, second draft.  Federal regulation of the funeral industry is currently limited to the National Cemeteries under the supervision of the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs and a prohibition of unfair and deceptive advertising on the part of the funeral industry that must provide a general price list to consumers. The vast majority of regulation of the funeral and cemetery industry is done by state license boards under state statute.  The US and Canada are unique in that they embalm their dead.  This Chapter bridges the division between National and Private and Commercial Cemeteries in the federal law so that Americans can proudly acclaim from the Arlington Memorial Amphitheatre, “Americans are buried under the law”.  It can be estimated that 56,597,030 people died around the world in 2004 an average of 863 deaths per 100,000, 0.86% of the population.  The preliminary number of deaths in the United States for 2004 was estimated at 2,398,343, representing a decrease of 49,945 from the 2003 total.  The preliminary estimate of life expectancy at birth for the total population in 2004 reached a record high of 77.9 years. The leading cause of death was heart disease, followed by cancer, medical malpractice, stroke, respiratory disease, accident and diabetes.  To process the 0.83% of the population that dies every year 0.05% of the population is employed in the death care industry.  There were 23,015 death care service establishments with 164,823 employees, generating revenues of $12.6 billion, with a payroll of $3.5 billion, not including the manufacturers of caskets and funeral supplies. Per death receipts for funeral services are estimated to total $4,166 for a burial and $1,080 for a cremation on an average.

 

CHAPTER 9 Public Health Department (PHD)

 

To amend Chapter 9 Hospitalization of Mentally Ill Nationals Returned From Foreign Countries §321- §329 and change the name of DHHS to the Public Health Department (PHD). Health statistics need to be provided on the Internet by all facilities and health districts.  US health care costs are growing rapidly at around 7-10% annually and nearly 47 million Americans, more than 15 percent of the population, are uninsured, up 6.8 million since 2000.  The current debate regarding the cost of health care and health insurance hinges upon the figure of 3% - to earn the 3% payroll tax rate Medicare must limit the inflation of public and private health care costs to 3%.  The US has an average life expectancy of 77.85 years, 40th amongst 222 nations, and 14th amongst nations with populations over a million, 2,416,425 people died in the US in 2001, 8.48 per 1,000.  Between 1993 and 2003 emergency department visits rose from 90,300,000 to 113,900,000 .  It is confirmed that in 2004 there were an estimated 250,000 – 1 million deaths from medical malpractice.  People with serious mental illness die at age 51, on average, compared with 76 for Americans overall, in the early '90s major mental disorders cut life spans by 10 to 15 years.  Health spending per capita in the US is the highest in developed countries - 24% higher than in the next highest spending country in 2003, and over 90% higher than in many other countries that would be considered global economic competitors.  There are an estimated 6.6 billion people in the world with an average life expectancy of 67.86 years. The world population showed a 1.15% average growth rate with a birth rate of 30.53 and 13.32 deaths per 1,000.  The Americas, with 10% of the global burden of disease, have 37% of the world’s health workers spent more than 50% of the world’s health financing. Africa has 24% of the burden but only 3% of health workers, commanding less than 1% of world health expenditure.

 

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