Negotiation
My last Ohio Job was held in 1997. (I held others in Colorado until 2009 )
My last Ohio job involved two things. Leading a team of people with disparate skill sets and differing education levels to fix specific workflow issues…while continuing to be a frontline customer service toad.
Not to brag but I and my crew fixed something my supervisors had tried for three years to fix, that computer programmers had insisted was working correctly, but really wasn’t…
And…negotiation. With lawyers. Many lawyers become involved in public office so, the mindset of the person on the other end of a negotiation *about money* was quite similar.
Every damn day.
Now, I don’t know what Presidents Senators and House members make…I do know it’s a damn sight more than I did.
You boys (yes I know the Congress has women, but I believe it’s mostly testosterone driving this nonsense)
You boys obviously don’t give a good **** about your constituents, Democratic, Republican, independent, Libertarian what have you.
Because if the stuff that kicks in on Jan 1 *stays* kicked in…
The economy is going to implode and we’re going to have Recession number two.
And in six months some politician is going to be yapping that it’s the newly unemployed’s fault that they are newly unemployed. Don’t buy it. It’s our “public servants” all of them, that get to share the blame.
Ok…here’s the hold my nose deal I would *force* through, if I had such power….and nobody would like it much, but at least it would get done. *I* don’t like it. It doesn’t match my personal preferences. But when something needs done, you sit down and *give things up* on both sides.
Earned benefit cuts: Go to the hideous HMO model of “money per patient” rather than “money per procedure.” for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Dual Eligibles only get Medicaid level reimbursement for all their stuff, giving back any difference in rates between Medicare and Medicaid to the government. These will affect me quite negatively and I’m well aware of that.
Do the chained CPI thing.
Cut food stamp benefits by the same percentage I outline in tax increases below.
Reduce cuts in defense that would have gone through the sequestration. Don’t eliminate them, reduce them.
Tax the portion of individual income at the 1990’s rates over 500k for individuals that’s roughly a four percent increase.
Get a promise that the debt ceiling will be raised without fanfare for at least two years.
Regarding gun safety: I think the below is something reasonable people should be able to negotiate:
Take the drums and clips with more than ten rounds of ammunition out of the civilian sphere. Incentivize buyback programs. It is mainly symbolic. But some action has to be taken to honor the loss of the family of any and every child lost in gun violence. I’m aware most gun crime is committed with hand guns. I just think limiting the ability of one person to take out twenty other people is a good start.
Make sure that every online primary seller, every gun show seller *has* to be licensed and perform background checks before a gun is purchased. Of course this won’t eliminate illegal sales, a black market, but it will, by God reduce them.
Fund current county mental health boards to higher levels without much fuss if they agree to develop outreach through the schools to teens and parents that have concerns or problems in this area.
And, along with these negotiations responsible parents, keep trying to keep bloody minded videogames away from kids.
Now, after Christmas Washington, hold your noses and get this **** done.
Trapped again…
…and in other medical news, my singing voice is going…I can only do a finite amount less than an hour, before my throat closes up and I get no notes at all.
I have an elevated white count and am closer to being completely homebound again due to a sudden spike in gut symptoms that started the end of Nov. it has improved somewhat, but I’m wondering if leaving the house to do Christmas is a good idea…
Seen various docs, and because I have no fever…they seemed stumped.
This blog has devalued into a deal of whining…but I think I’ve used up my “adapt to any situation” cards for now.
No, we won’t help people with disabilities in other countries. We won’t! (Republican’s pout and stamp their feet)
You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve been dealing with a virus that slammed me so bad, even the computer was just too much…but I’m slowly rising from the grave here…(It’s after sunset and the coffin is creaking open 🙂 )
I understand that while I was indisposed the Senate Republicans decided that they hate the UN so damn much that a treaty protecting the rights of people with disabilities wasn’t wise to sign. “The best interest of the child” phrase in the treaty evidently morphed into a US government requirement that American children with disabilities risk being put to death if we ratified this treaty.
This is a large load of…well. BS.
This wonder of responsible journalism was brought to you by World Net Daily.
The treaty is *based upon US law, US law signed into law by a Republican President. Even a Republican President named Bush!*
This treaty is not an attack on parents who wish to protect their children with disabilities from unwanted medical courses of treatment or lack thereof.
Senators, if you thought this would make it easier for you to cut Medicaid here in the US, I think the PR nightmare generated by this vote means you are mistaken.
Since warm and fuzzy its-the-right-thing-to-do-to-improve-the-lives-of-people-with-disabilities-and-their-caregivers arguments don’t work with you folks…
Let’s see where the ADA hits you in the wallet boys.
Does it mean fewer people are on public assistance than would be without it?
Yes, it does. More of us can hold down part or full time work because we can get to public buildings and enter them.
The same thing would begin to happen in countries who ratify this, that aren’t yet anywhere near our standards of accessibility. It would begin to take a hand in helping the global economy after the initial cost of accessibility settled out.
God forbid countries with worse economies than ours become able to take persons with disabilities off the disability benefit rolls if they can get somewhere. God forbid poorer nations have helps to give family caregivers easier ways to travel with their family members with impairments…
I’ll just bet any UN treaty signed that gave us an edge in exploiting other countries energy or food resources wouldn’t get the “it violates US sovereignty” treatment. No one would notice.
I get that the forces behind this vote hate every country besides ours. But deciding against persons with disabilities everywhere…only increases the notion abroad that we have, in fact, lost our collective minds.
Midlife And Treachery 
