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Fixin' Healthcare

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Priorities

The hurricanes in the Gulf Coast highlight how ill prepared we are for emergencies even when everyone knows they are in harms way. An article in the NY Times today relates the economic plight of the local and state governments in that region.

Other recent news articles have described some of the items in the federal budget and their relative value to the well-being of the nation. Each of those items is a local project and their presence in the federal budget reveals the inability of the federal government to establish priorities based upon the well-being of the nation. Prevention and maintenance are such long term issues and so dull without immediate gratification.

Everyday I hear from people about how little time they have. No time to cook or to walk. "I stay up late to catch up on things". And, they complain because they are tired all the time and don't have the energy to do anything. "I'm stressed all the time!"

There are 24 hours in a day. No one gets any more time than that. There are always limitations in time and resources. Lack of time is an absence of priorities. Prevention and maintaining optimum health are such long term issues and so dull without immediate gratification.

"We have met the enemy and the enemy is us" - Pogo.