Can Cleveland Make a Comeback?

I love this article by Joel Kotkin and Richey Piiparinen. It puts into words some of the things I would like to say about this area, and about "the Rustbelt" in general, and it adds some things that I wasn't aware of. I've heard some things here and there from local news agencies about how Cleveland is trying to position itself as a leader in the health-care service and technology industry. The new Medical Mart is supposed to be a big key in this endeavor. However, as an almost life-long resident of the Cleveland area, I've heard lots of ideas that were supposed to help Cleveland that turned out to not really be all that exciting. One of the latest ones I remember was the new Horseshoe Casino in the Tower City building. Sure, it's providing jobs, but anything you could put in that spot would provide jobs. Is it bringing outside money into the city? I don't know, but I do know that the Avenue shopping center, also located in Tower City, seemed, to me, to be a shadow of its former self when I visited this year. If people are coming to the casino, I think the hope is that they will spend money elsewhere too. I'm not sure that is happening judging by outside appearances. I may be wrong; Mr. BTEG might be a better source, since he works downtown every day.

However many close tries and possibilities Cleveland has had, reading that the CEO of Siemens, USA described the city as a hub for the healthcare industry means that perhaps the city has done something right. I absolutely agree with the authors that trying to appeal to artsy hipsters is not enough to revitalize a large metropolitan area like Cleveland. I also like that they see manufacturing and engineering as keys to a city's growth, instead of concentrating solely on service-type jobs, as seems to have been a prevailing idea among some economists as our manufacturing base has disappeared. Rebuilding it in a twentieth-first century format would be a great way to provide income for people who would then have money to spend on retail and services.

I would like to point out that one thing the article cites as encouraging international investment, is cheap and abundant domestic energy, such as natural gas. Encouraging people to move more with things like unemployment benefits, as suggested by Berkeley-based economist Enrico Moretti, makes as much sense as Nancy Pelosi's assertion that unemployment cash makes the economy grow. Growth only comes about if people are *working.* And affordable energy makes starting or growing a business more affordable and more appealing. If the Rustbelt can come back by providing blue-collar jobs, it will help the very people government claims to care about the most.

Hat tip: Ace of Spades HQ

Just Two Things

I was just reading some comments by some lovely people who think the government should be responsible for healthcare and education. Why does my mind go to: the government should provide healthcare, and education. Two things, healthcare, education and housing. The government should provide three things, healthcare, education, housing, and childcare. The government should provide four things....

Well, That's Awkward

From one of my doll blogs, I thought I had made a new friend in the blogging community. Yesterday, she was following my blog, and linked to my blog from hers. This morning, not only is all of that gone, but she deleted a comment she left on my blog. My only guess is that she saw something she didn't like about me. Maybe she wandered over here? I have no idea, since she chose not to tell me. She's from Europe, so I would hope she would not judge me based on my political views of what is happening in my country, but a lot of Europeans do think we should run things how they do.

I was afraid about linking my doll blogs to this blog, but I would hope I can discuss my hobbies with people and keep politics out of the way. Honestly, I don't want to know a lot about people outside the hobbies I read about on their blogs. I might not like their personalities or beliefs, but I do like seeing pictures and reading reviews and news about things that I am interested in. So I would hope that anyone visiting here from a doll blog would still want to engage me in doll talk. I keep my "identities" separate enough.

As far as this country goes, it seems that we are beyond reasoning and compromise and middle ground. No one outside the far right seems to particularly care that Obamacare, for example, was rammed through without a single piece of conservative input. We've been labeled for all time as evil, stupid, greedy, bad, and there's an end to it. If you don't like me, there's not much I can do about it. I'm not going to change who I am. If you want to engage me on a topic, make sure you bring facts and reasoning. I'm going to keep going and looking out for my top priority, my family.

Health Issues

Remember when I told you that I hurt my foot? The pain was not bad, but had never completely gone away, so I mentioned it at a check-up at the doctor's last week. After some x-rays were taken, they found a fractured bone in the foot. Oops. So now I'm wearing a boot and I'm going to be getting some sort of electromagnetic treatment to try to encourage the fracture to heal. There will be a re-check in a month.

In this case it was a good thing that the initial doctor that I saw was at the Cleveland Clinic's big health building. I was able to head right downstairs and get x-rays without an extra trip.

On the bad side, we only have a car with a manual transmission, so I can't drive for a month even though the injury is to my left foot. At least the Musician has her learner's permit.

I also need to get a crown on the tooth that broke. I feel like I am falling apart.

Is This What Health Care Needs?

Let me start this off by presenting my husband's, and my, needs for health care. Mr. BTEG has about six autoimmune disorders. Since there is currently no medical specialty that deals with autoimmune disorders in an overall sense, he must see a number of specialists that each deal with a particular facet of his issues; for example, he needs a gastroenterologist to help him manage his Crohn's disease, and an endocrinologist to help him with his thyroid issues.

My main health issue is mental, not physical. I am bipolar. This requires a psychiatrist to keep an eye on my mental state and help me adjust my medications accordingly. Thank God, I am currently in a good mental place in general and do not need to see my psychiatrist very often, nor switch my medication around. When things are more difficult for me, I sometimes see a counselor as well. Then of course both Mr. BTEG and I have a general physician, and our daughters have their health care needs too.

All of this brings me to an article about cutting out waste in health care. It caught my eye because the example patient, Harold, has rheumatoid arthritis, which is related to autoimmune issues, and because the author holds up the Cleveland Clinic as a model at the end of his article.

The Cleveland Clinic is, in general, definitely a good place to receive health care. It has a world-class reputation and some of their doctors are at the forefront of knowledge of various diseases and disorders. One of the problems I see in Cleveland, however, is that the Cleveland Clinic and its "rival," the University Hospital system, have largely sucked up most of the hospitals and many of the health care practices in the greater Cleveland area. Competition is good, and I would not want to see either the Clinic or UH completely dominate the Cleveland health care market.

However, having so much of a market controlled by two large systems also has its drawbacks. Both the nearest hospital to our home, and the best pediatric hospital in Cleveland, Rainbow Babies' and Children's, are in the UH system. Our family currently works with many doctors in the Cleveland Clinic system, both because of proximity to our house and because the percentage of solo practices does seem to be smaller. What if there is an emergency and we need to go to the nearest hospital, or one of our daughters, God forbid, gets an illness where a stay at Rainbow would mean the best care? First of all, that completely wipes out one of the advantages that the author above presents, which is computerized health records all in one place and readily available, due to everything being "under one roof." Secondly, doctors were already limited in what hospitals they could work with because of insurance. Would my daughters' pediatrician even have any privileges at Rainbow? But again, I would not like to see monopolization as the answer!

Secondly, we in the BTEG household know a lot about problems with health insurance. Our previous insurance provider would not pay for a very expensive health treatment which would have helped with all of Mr. BTEG's autoimmune disorders, similar to the problems Harold had with paying for Humira and Enbrel, which also work with autoimmune issues. However, Harold is also held up as an issue for waste when his declining health, based on not receiving the best medication for his issues, is mismanaged due to a multiplicity of doctors and lack of knowledge about his overall medical history.

Mr. BTEG prefers to have the freedom to choose his own doctors, whether they are in a particular system or not. Neither his gastro nor his endo doctors are in the Cleveland Clinic system; however, they are both excellent in their fields and moreover, they know each other professionally and readily share information with each other concerning my husband's issues (after my husband's consent is obtained.) Just recently, his gastro passed on taking bloodwork because his endo had also recently completed a blood panel, and "Dr. S is one of the few who knows what to get." Waste avoided, but not for the reasons our author describes. Also important, my husband "clicks" with his doctors. It is equally important for a patient to click with her psychiatrist and counselor. Sometimes it can take a while to find a health pro with whom you can feel comfortable. When it is already work to find the right doctor for you, why be even more constrained by what medical center, if any, they work for?

Is there waste in the medical field? Heck, yes. And steps should definitely be taken to avoid as much waste as possible. I simply disagree with what quality care must look like.

Something I Like to See

My town seems to really be stepping up and dealing with economic reality. Local teachers have agreed to a pay freeze, step freeze, and paying more for their health care. Police, firefighters, city council and the mayor are also not getting raises for the next year. I'm proud! How many of you or your loved ones have gotten raises any time recently? I don't even remember the last time Mr. BTEG saw a raise. It's difficult for everyone, but if our family's income is not increasing, I don't want to lose more out of our paychecks for local services. That makes sense, doesn't it?

Don't get me started on health care. I will say that I posted a while ago on how adults up to 26 years old will be able to be on their parents' policies. A teacher at our church, who works at a small parochial school, has now lost her health insurance for herself and her daughters because of this. The school cannot afford to pay for the extra people who would have to be covered, so they just dropped health care insurance altogether. We are really helping "the workers," "the little people," aren't we?

Head Cases

My mind has been straying back to this article several times during the past couple of days. It bothers me not as a what-could-have-been but as a what-could-be. I have never struggled with mental issues to the extent that the author's son has. I made it through college with honors and successfully held down a number of jobs before becoming a full-time mom. My children are also currently doing well in their lives. Yes, I should place my trust in God, but in my frailty I wonder at times if my mind will deteriorate more, or if one or both of my daughters will suffer from mental illness, which does seem to have a definite genetic component. I do have a whole host of changes before me, God willing, even thought many of them will indeed be positive. In the end, however, there is nothing I can do to alter things, so I have to rely on God, and on my loved ones working through Him.

On a second note, I do agree with the author's assertion that we should rely on ourselves as much as possible. As was pointed out somewhere else on the blogosphere, for middle class taxpayers, what usually happens is I support your unique need through my taxes, and you support my unique need through your taxes. If we weren't paying these taxes, we could just take care of our own needs, with a lot less waste of money. Plus, I stated this when my husband was going through his mysterious health issues, but I cannot say it often enough: bureaucracy does not care. The person who was the most help to us through all of our issues was our primary care physician, who has known our family for several years. From other places, we either received no help, often for reasons that made no sense, or extremely delayed help, due to the number of hoops required first, and that fact that managing our issue was just someone's job, and not a vital issue as it was to us.

One last thing; the author wrote that he did manage to find manageable coverage for his son despite the health issues, but fears it may become out of reach under Obamacare. I believe this is an intended consequence. God be with us all.

Botox Never Dies

I had to report on this story from The Blaze, since I talked about this ridiculous plan for young people's health care in a previous post. What kind of parents tell their children to take their time following their dreams? If a dream is worth doing, it is worth doing as soon as possible, not just dreaming about it. For that matter, what it is a young adult supposed to be doing if they do have to work for a while towards their dreams, that they still need their parents to provide health care? And if a young adult can't provide his own health care, does that mean Mom and Dad also have to provide food, housing and clothing? I'm sorry; I'm going to raise my children to be better than that, thankyouverymuch.

On a side note, as one of Beck's commenters said, if Ms. Botox doesn't like pledges, does that mean she doesn't pledge to protect and uphold the Constitution? Does her word mean anything?

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Sure, it's important to make sure disability claims are substantiated, and that people are really eligible for free medicine before you go shipping it out. But dragging it out for what seems like an interminable period is frustrating. My husband's reputable doctor has been more than happy to verify my husband's medical problems, and our income and insurance issues are easy to prove if you know with whom to check. And yet here we are waiting... waiting... waiting to get disability payments started up again, and to receive the medication that we simply can't afford. It's all a matter of paperwork and paper-pushing, and I suppose there is more work out there than people to do it.

I don't *necessarily* begrudge pharmaceutical companies big bucks for medication. I have no idea how many scientists spent how much time doing research to create this drug, not to mention the amount of testing it had to undergo. And companies only have a set amount of time to make back their investment before the drug goes generic and the price sinks. But when a drug costs almost a third of your rent for a month's supply, it's impossible to get on your own without insurance and/or a *good* income. In the meantime, I think the issues involved with the extended release version are wearing off. I slept most of this past weekend, but my energy and alertness are slowly returning.

Fortunately, we will be at least be picking up today a temporary free supply of another medication, which we found much easier to prove that I qualified for. I also think my doctor and his staff have been a great help with all the companies we've had to deal with, both the disability company and the pharmaceutical ones. And of course this work has essentially been done for "free." They just get our continued patronage as patients.

I feel almost afraid talking about all of this because I do not want to become a poster child for any kind of "health care reform" nonsense. I have my own ideas of what problems our health care faces and what solutions I would like to see. Please don't use me to make your points.

Watching a Train Wreck

While I don't hide from bad news, I don't like to talk about it very much. I've never been a huge optimist, but neither do I want to dwell on the negative. However, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what changes to the tax code for increasing government run programs will mean, not only for me and my family, but for those who we help support financially. The first things to go would be our daughters' extra-curricular activities, dance and horseback riding. However, there's the sticky problem that while these activities are a nice bonus for us, for the women who teach these classes, it is their livelihood. Going one step further, if enough families could no longer afford such classes, not only would the dance teacher be out of a job, but the building she rents would be empty and no longer bringing in income for the landlord. If enough young people could not take horse riding lessons, not only would the family that lives on the property have a hard time paying the taxes, and possibly a mortgage, on it, but they'd have a stable full of horses that would be difficult to care for.

On the other side, for higher taxes for mandated health care, what is gained from it? Anecdotally, I've read tens of stories where doctors plan on getting out of their chosen profession if government-run health care comes to pass. Since this has happened in other places where government health care became the only option, I can well believe them. So what would our money, which is now helping to provide jobs and tax and rental income to the economy, provide? Not more jobs, if there are likely to be fewer doctors. Not much of any sort of contribution to the economy. Just more money for bureaucracy. How sad and scary that the government could have such control over all our lives.

Things That Help

Hearing from those of you who helped me assure myself that online schooling is not the end of the world.

Finally getting my new clothes in the washer. When the Dancer is bored, she does laundry, cooks and bakes. I know, isn't it awful. ;) It does mean sometimes I have to "fight" her to get my stuff in the laundry.

Finding out that the budget is not as scary as I thought. Although I just found out that the office where my counselor and psychiatrist are has been handling my billing wrong for a year!! That will mean extra money for us to pay. On the other hand, we just found out that the orthodontist never actually *billed our insurance* for the work we've already had done with the girls. I wish these professionals could hire *professional* record-takers and bookkeepers.

The beautiful warm weather and sunshine. And having the Equestrienne bring some daffodils into the house.

The Nanny State Comes After Chocolate

In Scotland there are calls for a high tax on chocolate, supposedly to fight obesity, and, of course, provide money for health care. Because there never has been, and never will be, enough money for socialist health care. Let's fight to keep the nanny state out of the U.S. and save our chocolate!

Scared

I really am scared about all the health care stuff going through right now. My husband has Crohn's, Hashimoto's, asthma, and struggles with depression. I am bipolar and currently have a counselor and psychiatrist as part of my care regimen, as well as some expensive drugs. Well, drugs for Crohn's aren't cheap either. There's lots of research, which costs money, going on for Crohn's, as currently the best they can do is keep you in remission. Nationalized health care brings down the level of care, and things are cut to bring down costs. I'm not going to argue this with anyone. I just won't. I can point to example after example, but I really don't want to get into this argument. I don't have the time or emotional energy. If you disagree, get your own blog.

Anyway, I'm worried about our lives being seriously impacted. The quality of my husband's life could be at risk. I'm not sure how often Crohn's, for example, is a cause of death. But without tests and treatment he could lose a lot of productive time. My very life could be at risk. The rate for suicides of bipolars is 30 times higher than the rest of the population. I don't want to be over-dramatic, but hiding from the effects of bipolar doesn't make them go away, either. I'm afraid of losing access to the drugs and medical care we need, that they will be deemed too expensive. Perhaps I'm worrying over nothing. But I want my husband and I to be able to live full, healthy lives, and medical interventions are so much a part of that. Oh, Lord, watch over and protect us.

Immigration Complications

So if DH and I wanted to move to New Zealand, we couldn't, because we don't meet their weight guidelines. A German doctor who has emigrated to Australia, whose services are needed by the community he lives in, has been denied permanent residency because one of his sons has Down's Syndrome, and it was ruled that the son's condition would be "likely to result in a significant and ongoing cost to the Australian community." In the UK, fat children are being taken away by the state. And the insanity is not limited to other countries. The U.S. is now requiring all female immigrants ages 11 to 26 get the controversial vaccine Gardasil, whereas it is only recommended for female residents of the same age in the U.S. And what is driving all these restrictions? Shared health care cost concerns. Whether because of nationalized health care or group health care plans, low costs must be maintained in order for service to be provided.

What does this really result in? Government tyranny, and bad precedents that will only get worse. Will the government start directly overseeing the food you eat? Will the government attach some monitor to you to make sure you get what they consider is enough exercise? Will the government force pregnant women who are carrying children with Down's Syndrome or other equal conditions that can cause lifelong health issues to abort? Will older people, or anybody with a terminal illness, be "exterminated"? Where does it stop? I am bi-polar, and the medications I require to avoid suicidal fixations are rather expensive. But everybody at one point in their life or another, and often at more than one point, needs some kind of costly health care. None of our bodies are perfect. And health care improvements can be best brought about by a chance for profit. Do we want to live in a world without continuing improvements in medical care through medical research?

I don't know what the ideal health care plan is. But I think all of us would best be served by keeping the government jackboots out.

(And don't get me started on the hypocrisy of forcing legal immigrants to get otherwise optional vaccines but showering illegal immigrants with free health care and housing and making no requirements of them.)

Why I Don't Want Universal Healthcare

This article is a large part of the reason why I am terrified by universal healthcare. The Australian government is willing to pay for weight-loss programs which are not proven to work long-term, or for bariatric surgery which would mean I would never eat normally again and probably cause me great pain for the rest of my life, but it would not provide health care for me. Mind you, although I am over the average weight, my blood pressure tends to be low, I've had several normal EKGs, and I have my cholesterol tested yearly and have never had a problem. Overweight does not automatically equal unhealthy. Yet the Australian government has latched onto several medical untruths and is proving that "universal" only means "if you fit our unscientific notions of what we politicians think is best."

I'm warning everyone right now that anyone who leaves a nasty, condescending or otherwise impolite comment will have it deleted. This is my house. I'm sharing somewhat private information only because I feel the overall message needs to get out. I won't stand for being lectured in my house.

I Miss My Husband

Over the past several months, my husband has had various health problems. First it was muscle problems in his back, which necessitated physical therapy. Then we discovered he needed more thyroid medication. However, that hasn't helped much with his general tiredness. When he's not at work, he sleeps a good bit of the time, and when he is at work, he requires lots of caffeine to keep him going. He had a sleep study done this week, which we hope will yield results that could lead to help with his tiredness. I feel badly for wishing my husband was available to do more around the house and to have fun and do things with. What if he was seriously ill or disabled? Still, I do miss really having my husband around, instead of asleep.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday yesterday. We spent the day with my in-laws and had a good time. We even got home in time to catch some local fireworks, although we enjoyed a fine display of (illegal) pyrotechnics for a good bit of our drive through Cleveland. My sister-in-law is pregnant, so I need to find lots of easy knitting patterns for baby items. :) We got to see the first "pictures" of my little nephew-or-niece-to-be yesterday.

Speaking of babies, Blonde Liz, who recently had a C-section, reminds us of one of the things to be thankful for in living in this country, which is the excellent health care. I also had a C-section, and I realized at the time, and have at intervals thereafter, that my Wildchild and I could have died under other circumstances. We also came close to losing Wildchild when she had a bad case of croup. At least, I believe so since they brought the crash cart in. It is indeed a blessing to live in a country where lives can be saved through good medical care. I hope we don't go to nationalized health care! However, Liz makes me feel woefully deficient in the catechesis of my children. I did sing Christmas carols to the Scientist, since she was born on Dec. 21st.

Nightmare

Via Don Surber, a case where a woman in England may have her baby taken away from her at birth, due in part to the prognosis of a pediatrician who has never met the mother, that the woman is likely to suffer from Munchausen's Syndrome by proxy. Miss Lyon, the mother in question, has had mental issues and has been under a psychiatrist's care, although this very psychiatrist says that Miss Lyon is at no risk of harming her child or herself. This story seems like something out of an alternate universe sci-fi horror movie. Can this really be happening?

Surber also links to a story that is all over the blogosphere, that John Edwards' proposed government health care plan would require mandatory annual physician visits.

This is all just wonderful. If you ever do suffer from any sort of depression or mental issues in your life, you're going to have to hide it. Heaven forbid you share with your doctor at your mandatory annual check-up that the lack of sunlight this winter has you feeling a bit down. Your kids will be taken away by social services before you get home.

On the Road

I had to venture out today, because the Scientist and I had doctors appointments. Wildchild loves doctors appointments, because she gets to sit in the kids' waiting area and watch kids shows until we are done.

The roads were not too bad today, especially the main roads. I was a little nervous leaving our street because I had to pull out blind. You can't see the left side of the street you go out onto right now past the big pile of snow. I was also surprised on the way home, when the four line highway right by our house suddenly into a three lane highway. The fourth lane was blocked by a gigantic mound of snow. Our driveway could also stand to be in better shape, despite a kind neighbor using his snowblower on part of it. It drifted pretty badly over that part of the drive.

I try not to talk about my mental ordeals too often, because some of my family thinks I'm a nutcase as it is, and they dismiss me as hopeless at the same time as they are telling me to just get myself together. Well, they were when I was still talking to them... Anyway, I just wanted to share that I'm taking a new direction in my struggles, with my doctor's help. That's a good thing. Sometimes I'm not sure I really want to hope again, when I've felt so many times that things would never get better. I guess Christians are just used to living in hope, huh?

Why a Third Party May Not Make It

Because people are too invested in themselves. Clayton Cramer (scroll down to Feb 7) marvels how Professor Volokh, of the Volokh Conspiracy, can claim to be a libertarian and yet defend making the HPV virus mandatory. Basically, what it boils down to is that people want to have the ability, as one commenter put it, to "screw like rabbits with a coke habit" without consequences. It's not enough for people to, you know, limit their sexual activities, perhaps even remain virgins until marriage. Or take the consequences for their own actions. Nope, we all have to get a vaccine, so that the disease can be wiped out and people can think they're safe while they keep doing whatever they want to do.

Yes, there are people who are against vaccines, period. Let's put that aside, if we can, for the moment. There are people out there who not only want mandatory vaccinations, paid for by the public, that have not been adequately tested for those in the target mandatory group, but some commenters there want minors to be able to get the vaccine without their parents' knowledge or permission. We as parents apparently don't have "rights" over our children. Just the responsibility to feed them, clothe them, house them, educate them, pay for any mishaps they do get into getting an abortion, contracting a disease, whatever. As the Chaplain wrote, man is not perfectible. People are showing an increasing willingness to dive headfirst down the slippery slope, and I don't think there's much chance of pulling the country back. Am I a wee bit cynical? Probably. But if you're going to argue I am, I need some really compelling reasons why.