When Swine Flu Attacks

By S Porter

As a nation, we haven’t had to worry about a major flu outbreak for many years. Swine Flu made an appearance about 30 years ago, but didn’t do the damage that many people thought it would. At times in our history, a flu epidemic has caused large death counts but Americans today aren’t very worried about a repeat. We keep hearing that another big flu is on its way, but is the swine flu the one we all have to worry about? Our medical care is far better today than it was during great epidemics of the past, but as of right now there is no vaccine for this particular strain.

The symptoms of swine flu are exactly the same as every other flu; lack of energy accompanied by a slight fever. Some people have stomach problems along with diarrhea and various other discomforts. Unfortunately there really isn’t a way to tell the difference between this flu or any other, so once you’re infected you won’t know if it’s swine flu or not. The flu and a cold feel very much alike, but the fever only comes with the flu so you know you have the flu if you have a high temperature. If you do start to display symptoms; bed rest and plenty of fluids are the best remedy.

The good news about the swine flu is that it isn’t very dangerous. Many people die from the regular flu every year, but those in danger already have some sort of health problem. Infants with underdeveloped immune systems, the elderly and people with other health difficulties are the most at risk. Fewer people die from this flu strain than every other strain that we see on a yearly basis. All the things we normally do to fight the regular flu also work with this strain; like bed rest and flu medication.

Now for the bad news; the majority of the population has no immunity to this strain because it hasn’t circulated in so long. The World Health Organization believes that once this strain has run its course, almost 2 billion people world wide will have caught it. Nearly 1/3 of earth’s entire population will have to deal with the effects of this flu as it spreads from person to person across the entire world. There is a vaccine in the works right now that still needs to go through human trials and the side effects examined, but it won’t be ready for use until most of the damage has already been done. Nevertheless, our government will spend billions of dollars developing this vaccine for future use.

We all have a one in three chance of catching this strain, but the danger of getting it isn’t any greater than catching a regular flu was before. Once we get through this flu season, swine flu will again disappear for a generation and we can all breath a sigh of relief. Life throws many curves at us, but having a good discount plan like Ameriplan health or good health insurance will help to ease the mind. I hate getting sick and I don’t know anyone who is anxious to go through this, but it would appear that we don’t have any choice. The good thing about events like this is that they bring us together as a single force, and give us a reason to band together and rely on each other.

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Dental Care for the Masses

By S Porter

Healthcare reform is being hotly debated across the country right now, but the need for dental services isn’t being discussed. The cost for just healthcare is in the trillions and just like employer based insurance, dental is an afterthought. Everyone needs to have their teeth checked and the price for these services isn’t going down any time soon. Many people no longer get dental through their employer and the government health reforms won’t have any affect on that; the government also won’t be providing it through a public health system. The good news is that there are many options available to the general public to keep your families teeth in good shape.

Dental insurance is the most common type of plan that people think of when they are shopping around. Companies like Delta Dental, Cigna and Metlife all offer these plans and they usually cost in the hundreds each month for a family of four. They usually have some limits on how many times you can go to the dentist and what kinds of things you can have done. Teeth whitening and other cosmetic work isn’t covered, but most of the services your family needs are taken care of with a small co-pay. Depending on your budget, these plans work for most Americans as long as you are willing to pay on a monthly basis.

A dental plan through your dentist is something a lot of the larger dental chains have started doing. These plans are cheaper than insurance, but slightly more expensive than dental discount plans. The biggest problem with getting one of these programs is that they only work at the dental chain you purchased it from. If you have no preference about the state of your dental care then this isn’t a big deal, but many people don’t like the impersonal feel of ‘factory dental’. Large chains have many dentists all working at the same location and it’s rare that you get to see the same dentist from visit to visit.

Dental discount plans are also very common today and offer more than just dental benefits with their services. Ameriplan and Aetna carry these kinds of benefits and they also include things like vision or hearing programs as well. These plans are usually the least expensive on a monthly basis, but what you pay on a per visit basis is higher. Discount plans are my personal favorites because they give the customer the greatest amount of choice in the care they receive. Cosmetic dentistry is also included in these programs, but if you don’t want to pay for it you don’t have to. There are also no limits on visits or services with a discount plan, so you can go as often as you like and have whatever work you want done depending on your budget.

Paying for dental today has many choices, but as time goes on it becomes more the customer’s responsibility to arrange payment than it was in the past. Employer based plans and insurance through the government are becoming less likely, but the need for us to go to the dentist is the same. Maybe it’s for the best that we are given the full array of choices, but some people will always want to have things taken care of for them. A bright white smile is something we all take pride in and paying for it will always be a difficult decision. Taking care of your health is essential to a happy life and that includes you teeth and mouth.

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Government Motors and the Death of the Free Market

By S Porter

When the government interferes with the free market, the results are never good. The same progressive steps have happened repeatedly over the course of our history and yet we do them over and over again. Now we are running down the same path; determined that this time will be different. General Motors is the latest pawn in the game for who has best ideas to run our economy, but the fundamentals of the free market have been thrown out the window. Over 35 years ago, Amtrak was the government pawn and the talk was about making it profitable in less than 3 years so we didn’t lose the passenger rail system. Today we still own Amtrak, it’s still losing money, and the government has prevented any competition from taking them down.

Normal free market operation happens when a company produces a product or service and based on its merit, we the people purchase what it sells because we like it. The company must be run well and as demand for what they sell rises, other companies will compete for your dollars. This competition will keep prices low and quality high to attract your attention. If the product becomes unpopular, too expensive or the company is run badly; the business will die and be replaced by something you will spend your money on. This is the natural business cycle that is propelled by YOU; the free market.

GM has been deemed too big to fail, and the government has stepped in to try to save the thousands of jobs that depend on the automakers success. Unions have driven up the price of labor along with legacy costs in the billions to pay workers who have long retired. The result is a company that cannot sustain its own weight, and for a long time GM has spent more money on labor than the car itself. We the people like the cars they make and we really enjoy our SUVs, but the company is so badly run at this point that it has no hope of survival. The government took billions of your money and gave it to GM to keep them in business, but that won’t stop the ship from sinking under its own weight. GM has declared bankruptcy anyway, and now the government is getting even more involved. The white house has fired their executives, is now limiting their compensation terms and even dictating what kind of cars they must build. The government can’t tell a company how to be successful; YOU do with your dollars. GM didn’t produce these cars before because we didn’t buy them, now they don’t have a choice.

Ford should be the big winner in this situation, but the government will make them the big loser. They didn’t need bailout money because they are a good company and their cars are popular around the world, but now they must pay to keep their competition in operation with their tax money. The government is telling GM to produce cars that we don’t want to buy, so it will be a black hole for years to come. In an attempt to make them profitable, the government will change the rules of the game in GMs favor by giving you incentives to buy their products. Tax deductions and green standards will make GM’s cars cheaper to buy, all while penalizing Ford for being a profitable company. In the end, no company can compete with a government entity because the government can always tilt things in their favor. Every private car company will be driven out of business by Government Motors because it’s the only way GM can compete and you will pay the tab for all the loses. The government can’t tell you what to buy, but they sure will try.

Rather than letting bad banks fail and good banks succeed, the government has disrupted the financial industry and produced the opposite. Now the government is getting involved in the energy sector and deciding for you what types of energy you should buy and shouldn’t. Rather than allowing free market solutions to healthcare like Ameriplan and other health plan alternatives, the government created public plans in Medicare and Medicaid which have raised healthcare prices through the roof. The next step will be to expand the public healthcare system and eventually put 2.3 million people in the insurance industry out of work. This type of economic “justice” is socialism no matter what they try to call it, and it will ultimately cost your freedom of choice, your tax money, your opportunity for success and eventually your job. The free market dies a little more each day and leaves many of us wondering; which industry will the government try to “save” next?


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