This is the conclusion of the three part series
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As I've pointed out over the last couple of days, there seems to be this "desire" from the federal government to increase benefits for veterans. Now, I've shown you the two proposals that have come out of both congress and the White House, and why I don't agree with them. So today, I'm going to do something different. I'm going to submit some ideas on how the government can actually increase benefits, AND reduce spending and/or invest its money for a better return.
First off, I'd like to again revisit the idea of healthcare for veterans. As I very briefly mentioned in part 2, I believe privatizing military healthcare would be a good idea. At least one worth looking into. Centrally Planned institutions have proven not to work. One only needs to look at the Soviet Union, or contemporary N. Korea, Cuba or even China's struggling space program. An idea that I have thought of is that the government can provide a civilian health insurance plan like most corporations. The difference however, is that one can actually choose whether to see a military doctor or a civilian doctor. Its really sad that I have to honestly say that I got better healthcare working as a security guard for Biola University than I do as an active duty member of the military. Now, by allowing military members to have a civilian health insurance, we can cut the amount of military doctors, or be able to send more military doctors to treat combat wounded soldiers. The government can also save cost by getting rid of military doctors that are pediatricians. Reducing costs, and being able to focus more on the mission? Sounds good to me. Unfortunately, I don't believe the government would do this since all we hear about from the left (who also, regrettably, has the political momentum) is how we need to socialize healthcare.
The other plan I have calls for an advanced benefit in the VA loan. Currently a VA loan is used for the purpose of buying a house. Now before I submit my proposal, I'd like to give you the back story for this idea. The government spends thousands of dollars to ensure that servicemen are able to prosper when they leave the military. We all get out eventually. Whether we serve one term or 30 years, everyone finally gets out and has to face the prospect of being a civilian. So, the government spends a lot of money to prepare us. The vast majority of recruits are kids that just graduated high school, have no skills and decided that serving their country would be a good way to open some doors for them. Also, it would be political-suicide for congress to have to explain why those who served are living in a cardboard box. So we get tuition-assistance for school while we serve. We also get the G.I. Bill for going to school. The majority of us get trained for skills that we will be able to apply when we get out (everything from mechanics to computer troubleshooters), and then we get the VA loan to help us get a home. All that money, and for what? So one more person can join the workforce. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that the government will have invested something around $500k. That's a half of a million dollars!!! For me! One out of several thousands! When I get out, I'll be well prepared, but I'll be just another employee.
So I thought of something else the other day. Granted, its more risky. Only 20% succeed the first five years, and only another 20% succeed out of the first 20% the next five years. So I don't have all the kinks worked out yet. But what if they could give a VA loan for opening your own business? Risky? Yes, but if done correctly, the returns would be huge. Instead of investing all that money for one employee, now the government would be able to invest money into someone who became an employer. Do you see where I'm going with this? Instead of the government putting out workers, it would put out leaders and entrepreneurs , who would have any number of employees under him. He would create more jobs, which in turn would strengthen the economy. If successful, he would earn more money than he would ever make as an employee, and use that money to further invest. And as we all know, the more a society invests, the better for our economy.
But there is a problem here as well. And its one that would require a change in thinking. The relationship between commerce and government has always been a hostile one. People succeed in accumulating wealth, adding jobs, investing in the market, strengthening the economy, and the government rewards them with higher taxes. Commerce then retaliates by moving their money to off-shore accounts (thus investing in foreign banks), moving their corporate headquarters to another nation (strengthening foreign economies), outsourcing jobs (raising our unemployment rate), and raising the cost of goods and services (causing inflation, weakening the dollar). While commerce wins the battle for themselves (and not that I blame them), government is the one driving them to do this.
So before we can even think about changing the VA loan so that it can benefit our country, the politicians within our government need to change the way they view commerce. The liberal left need to stop trying to wage war against the markets, and allow this country to become a business friendly nation again.
I hope you have enjoyed this mini-series. I also hope there was something out of all this that you were able to take and learn from. The biggest advice I can give from all this, is that no matter how good the government might make something sound, always ask yourself if this is the best they can do for our nation. Thank you for reading. God Bless.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
VA Benefits Part II: Healthcare
This is the second part of a three part series.
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On the 7th of this month I was watching Bill O'Riley when some rather alarming news caught my attention. O'Riley said that he was teaming up with Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Peter King to help pass legislation on a new bill that is being drafted that would allow for ALL veterans, regardless of time in service, to have health benefits for the rest of their life.
Again, this sounds like a really good idea on paper. But what about the details? How will this be implemented?
As it stands now all Active Duty, currently serving reservists and National Guard, retirees and wounded servicemen get free healthcare. In my opinion, its not that great. As someone who has had both an HMO and military healthcare, I have found that free market healthcare is the better choice. There's something to be said about quality. Most military doctors who get paid the same no matter how many patients they have tend to not care as much. But I digress.
Currently, here in Hawaii, I used to be able to get a same-day appointment. That's pretty good. However, there are not too many military retirees that live here, and the base was pretty small. Lately the base has been expanding, and with an increase in military members and their dependents it is now a next-day appointment. Its still not too bad though, right? But lets look at a couple of other places that I have been. Take for example Langley AFB in Virginia. There are a lot of retirees. On top of that, the base is the headquarters for fighters. So overall, you are now talking about a base hospital that has literally thousands of patients. A same-day appointment or even a next-week appointment is unheard of. Scheduling an appointment with a doctor can take an entire month or two. Now try going somewhere with even more retirees like Macdill AFB in Florida. Now you're talking about an area that has a large population of retirees. It also happens to be the headquarters for CENTCOM. So the base hospital is seeing a large population of retirees, military members and their dependents and even military members and their dependents from other nations. Needless to say the wait to schedule an appointment is incredibly long. In fact, Macdill's hospital is so full that as you enter the base a sign flashes saying they do not have any emergency medical services on base.
The point in all this is that military hospitals, with the exception of bases in more remote locations, are already overcrowded. Aside from privatizing the military healthcare (which I think is an unexplored option), there's not much that can be really done about it. Its bad enough that they prioritize who gets seen, with retirees getting the short end of the stick.
So can you imagine if this bill gets past saying that ALL veterans, whether they served 2 years or 20 years, will get free healthcare for the rest of their life be like?!? Doctors will be overworked, and less likely to care (trust me, I've seen it). It'll take months to see a doctor through an appointment. Sick call in the mornings will become an all-day event like an emergency room.
Lastly, for those of us who do get out, will we even be given a choice? As it stands now, all military members are enrolled in the government healthcare program called Tricare. Now, if my wife, who is a civilian, gets a job with health benefits, Tricare still has to be my primary provider. If I want or need something done, and the private provider my wife gets does a better job, too bad. If I go to them when Tricare could've done it, then I get in trouble with the military.
Is the same thing going to happen if this bill passes and I get out? Am I doomed with social medicare for the rest of my life? Common sense says of course not. But we all know that common sense seems to always elude our government, especially in the legislative halls. I haven't even discussed what this could cost the government, and of course, that means what it will cost the taxpayers.
This bill proposed by Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Peter King is nothing more than a political ploy. I'll even give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they might be trying to do what they think is best for veterans. But the fact of the matter is, is that the best help from government can sometimes be no help.
------------------------------------------------------------------
On the 7th of this month I was watching Bill O'Riley when some rather alarming news caught my attention. O'Riley said that he was teaming up with Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Peter King to help pass legislation on a new bill that is being drafted that would allow for ALL veterans, regardless of time in service, to have health benefits for the rest of their life.
Again, this sounds like a really good idea on paper. But what about the details? How will this be implemented?
As it stands now all Active Duty, currently serving reservists and National Guard, retirees and wounded servicemen get free healthcare. In my opinion, its not that great. As someone who has had both an HMO and military healthcare, I have found that free market healthcare is the better choice. There's something to be said about quality. Most military doctors who get paid the same no matter how many patients they have tend to not care as much. But I digress.
Currently, here in Hawaii, I used to be able to get a same-day appointment. That's pretty good. However, there are not too many military retirees that live here, and the base was pretty small. Lately the base has been expanding, and with an increase in military members and their dependents it is now a next-day appointment. Its still not too bad though, right? But lets look at a couple of other places that I have been. Take for example Langley AFB in Virginia. There are a lot of retirees. On top of that, the base is the headquarters for fighters. So overall, you are now talking about a base hospital that has literally thousands of patients. A same-day appointment or even a next-week appointment is unheard of. Scheduling an appointment with a doctor can take an entire month or two. Now try going somewhere with even more retirees like Macdill AFB in Florida. Now you're talking about an area that has a large population of retirees. It also happens to be the headquarters for CENTCOM. So the base hospital is seeing a large population of retirees, military members and their dependents and even military members and their dependents from other nations. Needless to say the wait to schedule an appointment is incredibly long. In fact, Macdill's hospital is so full that as you enter the base a sign flashes saying they do not have any emergency medical services on base.
The point in all this is that military hospitals, with the exception of bases in more remote locations, are already overcrowded. Aside from privatizing the military healthcare (which I think is an unexplored option), there's not much that can be really done about it. Its bad enough that they prioritize who gets seen, with retirees getting the short end of the stick.
So can you imagine if this bill gets past saying that ALL veterans, whether they served 2 years or 20 years, will get free healthcare for the rest of their life be like?!? Doctors will be overworked, and less likely to care (trust me, I've seen it). It'll take months to see a doctor through an appointment. Sick call in the mornings will become an all-day event like an emergency room.
Lastly, for those of us who do get out, will we even be given a choice? As it stands now, all military members are enrolled in the government healthcare program called Tricare. Now, if my wife, who is a civilian, gets a job with health benefits, Tricare still has to be my primary provider. If I want or need something done, and the private provider my wife gets does a better job, too bad. If I go to them when Tricare could've done it, then I get in trouble with the military.
Is the same thing going to happen if this bill passes and I get out? Am I doomed with social medicare for the rest of my life? Common sense says of course not. But we all know that common sense seems to always elude our government, especially in the legislative halls. I haven't even discussed what this could cost the government, and of course, that means what it will cost the taxpayers.
This bill proposed by Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Peter King is nothing more than a political ploy. I'll even give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they might be trying to do what they think is best for veterans. But the fact of the matter is, is that the best help from government can sometimes be no help.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
VA Benefits Part I: The G.I. Bill
This is the 1st part in a three part series concerning VA benefits. It was meant to be one blog, but it got a little too long.
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Everywhere you go, and just about everyone you talk to claims that they support the troops (excluding Berkley, CA). Whether they lean left or right, or whether or not they agree with the wars, they all say they support the troops. If they say it because they mean it, or if they say it because it is a common thing to say, I don't care. I'm not putting people's beliefs on trials. My point is that it is one of the few things Americans seems to agree upon anymore. But when does the "support" become harmful? When the politicians try to prove that they support the troops too (especially in an election year) to their constituents.
One thing that both parties seems to agree on is that they need to give better benefits to veterans. After all, its a VERY safe thing to do, and there's practically no political-risks involved. Both parties want to prove that they care for our veterans, and of course the mass population wants them cared for too.
So what worries me, is the latest proposals from both the President and the Congress. They sound great, they look great on paper, and who in the general public wouldn't want more for our vets?
In his last State of the Union address, President Bush called on congress to pass a law allowing veterans to pass their G.I. Bill to their dependents. Both sides of the aisles stood up with a rousing round of applause. Who wouldn't want that? The G.I. Bill has proven to be a great benefit for society when troops get out of the military. It helped the WWII generation become contributing members again when the war ended. This would allow for the spouses and the children to use the military member's G.I. bill. With tuition assistance and online courses, the military members don't really need the G.I. bill like they used to, anyways.
However, I have a problem with this. I may be the only person in the world opposed to this proposal, but I am. When one considers the logistics and costs, one may find that it could be more hurtful to military members and their families. Here's why: Every person that enters the military, while in basic training, is given the opportunity to sign up for the G.I. Bill. However, it is a one time offer. If you refuse, it can never again be offered. So there is a tremendous amount of pressure to go ahead and accept it. Sure enough, just about everyone signs up for it. Now, once you've signed up for the G.I. Bill, an allotment of $100 is taken out of your paycheck for one year. Seems like a good investment, right? Invest $1200 and get back something around $50k for college. But no one thinks about how that is accomplished. Its accomplished by the fact that they know that the vast majority who signed up for the G.I. Bill won't use it. If you do the math, approximately only one out of every 50 servicemen will actually use it. Now, when you consider the fact that it'll become available to dependents, that 50:1 ratio will significantly decrease. So something has to happen. Either the initial investment of $1200 has to increase (and during that first year the rank is anywhere from E-1 to E-4, so its not like they have a lot of money), the amount that the G.I. Bill is worth will have to decrease (a decrease in the G.I. Bill with an increasing cost of tuition certainly wouldn't be beneficial), or the government will have to foot the bill, which means either the taxpayer pays for it with an increase in taxes or we add it to our national debt, deepening the deficit and weakening the dollar further.
I hope you see my point. Now is not the time for the government to further increase spending in an area that is not required.
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Everywhere you go, and just about everyone you talk to claims that they support the troops (excluding Berkley, CA). Whether they lean left or right, or whether or not they agree with the wars, they all say they support the troops. If they say it because they mean it, or if they say it because it is a common thing to say, I don't care. I'm not putting people's beliefs on trials. My point is that it is one of the few things Americans seems to agree upon anymore. But when does the "support" become harmful? When the politicians try to prove that they support the troops too (especially in an election year) to their constituents.
One thing that both parties seems to agree on is that they need to give better benefits to veterans. After all, its a VERY safe thing to do, and there's practically no political-risks involved. Both parties want to prove that they care for our veterans, and of course the mass population wants them cared for too.
So what worries me, is the latest proposals from both the President and the Congress. They sound great, they look great on paper, and who in the general public wouldn't want more for our vets?
In his last State of the Union address, President Bush called on congress to pass a law allowing veterans to pass their G.I. Bill to their dependents. Both sides of the aisles stood up with a rousing round of applause. Who wouldn't want that? The G.I. Bill has proven to be a great benefit for society when troops get out of the military. It helped the WWII generation become contributing members again when the war ended. This would allow for the spouses and the children to use the military member's G.I. bill. With tuition assistance and online courses, the military members don't really need the G.I. bill like they used to, anyways.
However, I have a problem with this. I may be the only person in the world opposed to this proposal, but I am. When one considers the logistics and costs, one may find that it could be more hurtful to military members and their families. Here's why: Every person that enters the military, while in basic training, is given the opportunity to sign up for the G.I. Bill. However, it is a one time offer. If you refuse, it can never again be offered. So there is a tremendous amount of pressure to go ahead and accept it. Sure enough, just about everyone signs up for it. Now, once you've signed up for the G.I. Bill, an allotment of $100 is taken out of your paycheck for one year. Seems like a good investment, right? Invest $1200 and get back something around $50k for college. But no one thinks about how that is accomplished. Its accomplished by the fact that they know that the vast majority who signed up for the G.I. Bill won't use it. If you do the math, approximately only one out of every 50 servicemen will actually use it. Now, when you consider the fact that it'll become available to dependents, that 50:1 ratio will significantly decrease. So something has to happen. Either the initial investment of $1200 has to increase (and during that first year the rank is anywhere from E-1 to E-4, so its not like they have a lot of money), the amount that the G.I. Bill is worth will have to decrease (a decrease in the G.I. Bill with an increasing cost of tuition certainly wouldn't be beneficial), or the government will have to foot the bill, which means either the taxpayer pays for it with an increase in taxes or we add it to our national debt, deepening the deficit and weakening the dollar further.
I hope you see my point. Now is not the time for the government to further increase spending in an area that is not required.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Boldly going where I've never gone before
So here it goes...my first blog. Will people read this? If they do, will it intrigue them? Will they come back and wonder what else I have to say? Or will they simply say, "Eh, just another guy trying to share his random thoughts with a world that really doesn't care"?
So what will I talk about? Just about anything and everything that's on my mind. Now that I think about it, that covers a lot. Here are some things that I can think of off hand:
Politics: Yup, that one subject that seems to somehow get everyone going. So I guess I should prepare you by saying right now that I'm a conservative. Somewhere straddling the line between Republican and Libertarian. I think its called, "trying to adhere to the Constitution".
History: I am a BIG history buff. I look back at a lot of things in history, and then use that to get a sense of where we are now. Nothing unique, I'm sure. I just wish more people did the same thing. A lot of my values and sentiments have a historical background. So it won't be too uncommon to see me reference something in history to what I may be talking about.
Sports: I love sports. To be more specific, Baseball, Football, Hockey, Golf, and I'm slowly adding college basketball to that list. I really wish I was more athletic. If I was a RPG character, my dexterity points wouldn't be too high. However, I admire athletes and games, and can have a good appreciation for them. I did play little league baseball for 6 years, but didn't take high school tryouts seriously. Thus my "career" ended. (Reminds me of a quote from the latest Rocky movie, "Why does every jock think that they have a legacy?") My teams are the Oakland A's, the Oakland Raiders and the San Jose Sharks (needless to say there have been some VERY frustrating years)
Sci-Fi and "Sci-Fact"- I'm a space geek. I can't lie. I love Star Trek (yes I have been to conventions, but I only dressed up once), Star Wars (but that's really fantasy), Firefly/Serenity, Lost (yes, it is a sci-fi, though some fans don't want it to be), and then there's actual space travel. I find it all fascinating.
There are other things, but I don't want to get too long and boring.
Well, that's about all for now. Hope you come back for more. God Bless!
So what will I talk about? Just about anything and everything that's on my mind. Now that I think about it, that covers a lot. Here are some things that I can think of off hand:
Politics: Yup, that one subject that seems to somehow get everyone going. So I guess I should prepare you by saying right now that I'm a conservative. Somewhere straddling the line between Republican and Libertarian. I think its called, "trying to adhere to the Constitution".
History: I am a BIG history buff. I look back at a lot of things in history, and then use that to get a sense of where we are now. Nothing unique, I'm sure. I just wish more people did the same thing. A lot of my values and sentiments have a historical background. So it won't be too uncommon to see me reference something in history to what I may be talking about.
Sports: I love sports. To be more specific, Baseball, Football, Hockey, Golf, and I'm slowly adding college basketball to that list. I really wish I was more athletic. If I was a RPG character, my dexterity points wouldn't be too high. However, I admire athletes and games, and can have a good appreciation for them. I did play little league baseball for 6 years, but didn't take high school tryouts seriously. Thus my "career" ended. (Reminds me of a quote from the latest Rocky movie, "Why does every jock think that they have a legacy?") My teams are the Oakland A's, the Oakland Raiders and the San Jose Sharks (needless to say there have been some VERY frustrating years)
Sci-Fi and "Sci-Fact"- I'm a space geek. I can't lie. I love Star Trek (yes I have been to conventions, but I only dressed up once), Star Wars (but that's really fantasy), Firefly/Serenity, Lost (yes, it is a sci-fi, though some fans don't want it to be), and then there's actual space travel. I find it all fascinating.
There are other things, but I don't want to get too long and boring.
Well, that's about all for now. Hope you come back for more. God Bless!
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