Category: Webb's Daily Post

Public Discourse

For the moment I recommend you pay no attention to the political discourse going on. The primary season will arrive soon enough, and then our airwaves will be consumed with debates and negative ads. I use the term, debate, loosely because television appeals to the lowest common denominator by potraying social and political debates as people shouting at each other. Everybody on TV exercises his or her right to express dogmatic beliefs at the top volume, but we almost never see a model for deep, attentive listening. The value of genuinely being in each other’s presence, regardless of whether we happen to agree, seems to be almost completely lost in our social discourse. That’s why we get so little meaning from all our public arguments. It seems that we don’t even know how to facilitate genuine presence, the authentic being-with-each-other that may actually bring about real, positive change.

Dec 19, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Labels

Commerce lives and dies by labels. Some can be informative, and some can be totally misleading. We have learned to be cautious about labels when it comes to products we purchase. It’s too bad we don’t give the same scrutiny to labels when they apply to people. Often, we hear that an individual is “not qualified,” a “trouble-maker,” or just simply different than we are, and we exclude them from employment, from our social circle, our neighborhoods, and even our churches. How many labels have been slapped on you that are unfair, have no basis, and are plain wrong. Why label anyone given our experience. An individual is simply a unique soul, worthy of the same love and respect given to him/her by our maker. When we stop labeling and excluding we open ourselves to a world full of suprise and mystery. Think of the next person you meet as a Christmas package that you can’t figure out what’s inside. Slowly remove the wrapping and be prepared for a wonderful surprise.

Dec 14, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Finger Pointing

Election season is coming fast and you will see a lot of finger pointing and blame shifting from all sides. Remember the old adage when you point a finger three are pointing at yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice to hear from someone that I have a solution rather than I have someone to blame?

Dec 13, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

When Is Good News Really Bad News

The Labor Department said Friday that the nation’s employers added 120,000 jobs last month, after adding 100,000 jobs in October. The unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent, after having been mired around 9 percent for most of 2011.
November’s jobless rate was the lowest recorded since March 2009. The rate fell partly because more workers got jobs, but also because about 315,000 workers dropped out of the labor force, and the jobless rate counts only people who are actively looking for work.

Isn’t this good news? Not to the 315,000 people who have been unemployed so long they have given up looking for work. We need to look beyond statistics and to the lives of real people. Try telling a factory worker after being unemployed for over two years, and actively looking for work the entire time, that the solution to his unemployment is “just give up.” Then he’s no longer unemployed according to the government. He’ll ask who’s going to pay the rent and put food” on the table. Their answer to that question is “that’s your problem, you’ve solved our problem by quiting. We can now crow about a recovering economy while our roads and schools crumble.” If you like statistics ask how many of these new jobs are Christmas hires who go away December 25, 2011. Those hires are not unemployed either. Maybe next the government will say the four million workers who have been out of work for over a year are technically no longer available for work. Then their numbers will look very good. We are back to full employment.

My laid off factory worker will quote Disraeli in response, “Statistics are lies.” (Technically the quote attributed to Disraeli — “that there are three types of lies — lies, damn lies, and statistics” — he never uttered. However, if our government can say someone who has been searching for work for two years and finally gives up is no longer unemployed. A little misattribution is chicken feed in comparison to the chicken **** the government is trying to get us to swallow.

Cheering 315,000 thousand people giving up looking for work reminds me of Orwell’s 1984.

Dec 02, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Issues Have Once Again Disappeared

Soon the Republicans will be holding primaries, The President is already campaigning, one-third of the Senate and all of the House is up for election, and all we hear about is discussion about the Candidate’s faith, their position on abortion, allegations of sex and harrasment, and the candidates haircuts and ties. If we allow this to continue we deserve to be disappointed in our elected officials.

Instead we should demand they address the poor state of public education, decaying infrastructure,criminalization of everything, public health, and unemployment. Those candidates who refuse to present concrete proposals should be exposed. Those candidates who run on slogans of change, new direction, and against everything, should to taken to the outhouse of public opinion. If there was ever the time for our country to rally around people with plans rather than rhetoric it is now.

Dec 01, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

A Song That Must Be Sung

If you’ve ever seen the look on somebody’s face the day they finally get a job, I’ve had some experience with this, they look like they could fly. And its not about the paycheck, it’s about respect, it’s about looking in the mirror and knowing that you’ve done something valuable with your day. And if one person could start to feel this way, and then another person, and then another person, soon all these other problems may not seem so impossible. You don’t really know how much you can do until you, stand up and decide to try. – From the movie — Dave.

Over four million Americans have been out of work for more than a year. This doesn’t count all the millions who get a job-lose a job, get a job-lose a job, work part time because they can’t get a full time job, quit trying, are disabled and can’t get a job doing anything, the list goes on and on until the reality is that close to twenty percent of able-bodies Americans who want a full time meaningful job can’t find one. Yet, since its old news its forgotten news. The media and our leaders focus on issues and events that are more sensational or look so far into the future they ignore the snake right in front of their nose. Neither political party, the tea party, or the occupy folks want to talk about the man or woman who simply wants the respect that a meaningful job brings. Until a voice sings their song, it is heard, and we join in the chorus — we are lost.

Nov 30, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Simple Solution To The NBA Lockout.

by Webb Hubbell

This is very similar to how MLB baseball salary arbitrations are resolved.

Both Parties put their best offer on the table. A three judge binding mediation panel hears both side’s offer and their reasoning. Then the mediation panel chooses one offer or the other. No splitting the baby in half. Both parties agree to be bound by the decision. This way both sides tend to make a reasonable offer, because if their’s is clearly unreasonable the other side’s offer is likely to be chosen.

During the mediation process the player’s begin to practice. The season can begin December 15, 2011.

What idea do you have?

Nov 18, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

It’s Time To Rethink Retirement Age

When I was young, my parents and everyone they knew talked in terms of 65 being the time to retire. Our medicine, our economy, and most of all our understanding of aging makes that target not only not realistic, but also a tremendous waste of knowledge and resources. Almost everyone recognizes this except our government and insurance companies – our government because politicians can’t think beyond their next election, and insurance companies because by keeping the retirement age low they make out like bandits when they sell disability, extended care, and certain life policies. Their policies are designed to quit providing disabilty income and extended care benefits when you reach social security retirement age of 65-66, long term care benefits traditionally stop at seventy, and life insurance premiums are based on life time acturial tables that lag behind true aging in America.

The government makes you start taking Social Security way too early, and they force you to start raiding your retirement plans before you are ready to access your savings. All of this creates a mind set of putting our most valuable resources out to pasture before their through contributing to society. in our series on public health we will explore our need to rethink the role of elderly in our society. We need to develop an environment where we involve our elders rather than shut them out. We need to facilitate elders giving back their wisdom they’ve extracted from life and not merely rock their remaining life away.

“Society turns away from the aged worker as though he belonged to another species…. Old age exposes the failure of our entire civilization.” — Simone de Beauvoir

Nov 17, 2011 | 2 comments View Post

NBA Lawsuits Are Filed.

The initial lawsuit was filed in Minneapolis. Minnesota’s Anthony Tolliver, Detroit’s Ben Gordon, free agent Caron Butler, and Derrick Williams, who was chosen by the Timberwolves with the second overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, were named as plaintiffs.

A second suit was filed in California. Plaintiffs include New York’s Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, free agent Leon Powe and Kawhi Leonard, a rookie who was acquired by San Antonio during the 2011 draft.

David Boies, attorney for the players, said:

“If you’re in a poker game, and you run a bluff, and the bluff works, you’re a hero. If someone calls your bluff, you lose. I think the owners overplayed their hand,” Boies said. “They did a terrific job of taking a very hard line and pushing the players to make concession after concession after concession, but greed is not only a terrible thing — it’s a dangerous thing.”

This is worth watching. For many of these ballplayers one year salary is more than most Americans make in a lifetime. Both sides seem entrenched.

Nov 16, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Occupy Wall Street — A Movement or a Passing Fancy?

I read many criticisms about America’s latest showing of the power of civil disobedience. I hear it has no purpose, it is too disorganized, its being used, etc. maybe all this is true. I don’t know because I haven’t participated, but I do know this ask anyone who has participated in any act of civil disobedience, whether successful or not, they will say something like the following:

“I honestly don’t know if my act of civil disobedience had any effect of the government, but I can promise you it had had a great effect on me.”

Elie Wiesel once said, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

Nov 15, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Donuts and Cobra

No I’m not going to talk about the now-famous “donut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plans that politicians pretend they understand, but can’t seem to fix. No I’m talking about the numerous holes in what politicians seem to think is the end all be all for workers who lose their job, are disabled, or retire before sixty five.

First, as a worker who is used to his employer picking up part of the premium. Expect sticker shock. Paying the full premium is expensive, but for the many workers who have a health condition or are disabled they have no choice but to pay the premium or risk losing “continuous coverage.” This is word that many workers learn is critical. Go a day without coverage and your new health plan is likely to exclude coverage for your pre-existing condition. A hole can become a deep mine shaft real quickly.

Another hole is if you lose your job to a disability. You can stay on your employer’s plan for up to fourteen months, but even if you are one of the lucky few who qualify for Social Security disability you still don’t become eligible for Medicare for two years after you qualify for disability. During that “hole” of ten months, your premium with another carrier may be more than your social security benefit, that is if you can get coverage at all. If not, you face that “continuous coverage” problem.

Another “hole” is one you may not think is possible, but is happening more and more. A friend writes and says he just heard from his former employer that the long term health insurer for his company cancelled the coverage, and he has only three weeks to find coverage. He wants you to know because with you on COBRA and having a claims history due to your disability, he’s having a hard time getting any carrier to cover him. He may have to go bare. If he goes bare so do you, since your COBRA coverage is with your employer. If your employer stops offering the benefit or closes down you may find yourself in an even deeper hole than a mine shaft.

Some states have begun implementing plans for the hopelessly uninsured getting help under Obamacare, but be careful. That “continuous coverage” bugaboo may prevent even those state plans from covering pre-existing conditions. The Supreme Court may throw out these plans this spring, and then millions may fall through “holes” as well.

I issue this warning because the holes are real and the result can be a lot worse than a bended rim caused by a pothole or a twisted ankle. You may find yourself at the bottom of the well. What you’re not reading in the media is that the uncertainty of the future in health care has health insurers looking for ways to get rid of bad assets. I don’t mean Greek bonds and empty buildings in their investment portfolio. When I’m talking about bad assets it’s those small employer plans that may have one employee whose on Cobra or has condition that is expensive for the carrier. Small employers shouldn’t be waiting for their renewal to look at alternatives, and individuals on Cobra should start looking for alternatives early.

When these “holes” become “canyons” there will eventually be media attention, but by that time the problem may be too big to fix.

Oct 27, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Blue Ridge

Today’s the last day of our hiking before the cold winds and rain arrive and take away the Blue Ridge majesty. Watch for the return of Letters to Tom and a new meditation theme at www.thehubbellpew.com, New guest writers and a series on public health and insurance at www.webbhubbell.com., and more stories and articles at www.markofcainfoundation.org. Webb.

P.S. You did read the beginning right. Suzy has me hiking. W.

Oct 26, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Anniversary

It’s been a year since Suzy and I arrived in Charlotte — our new home. Notice I didn’t say where we live, but said the word “home.” Yesterday, Suzy took me on a hike in the South Mountains of North Carolina. (One piece of advice when the guide book says last quarter of a mile of hike to waterfall is rugged and difficult – take their word for it.) It was a Autumn day and on both the ride up and back the landscape was gorgeous. On the way home the sun was sinking into fields stretching out like an ocean. I was awash in mystery.

Wendell Berry speaks to this mystery. He writes that when he wakes at night, with increasing despair about the world, he goes outside to “lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of the wild things” who do not worry about the future. Lying beneath the stars, “for a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

Jesus when he spoke of the birds and the “lilies of the field” may have had in mind these images when he spoke his truth. Last weekend, reinforced our decision to change. From picking up acorns in my park — only a block away — with our granddaughters, to venturing into the sanctuary of wild things, I soaked myself in the beauty, bounty, and the blessing of life – simply putting aside anxiety and being thankful.

Oct 17, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

DOJ Escalates War Against The Critically Ill

Yesterday, I discussed the IRS’s intervention in the War against the Critically Ill. The ink wasn’t dry before DOJ lobbed a hand grenade toward every Aids patient, cancer victim, and all those patients that because of a variety of crippling diseases purchase legal marijuana prescribed by a physician to ease their suffering.

This grenade landed in millions of Americans laps yesterday by way of a threatening letter to marijuana dispensaries in California. The Associated Press has obtained the letter and reports:

“Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state’s 15-year-old medical marijuana law.
There will be a press conference tomorrow at which California U.S. Attorneys announce the new crackdown. At least 16 dispensaries and landlords got the letter which says they are violating federal drug laws, regardless of whether they are in compliance with California law.DOJ states that federal law “takes precedence over state law and applies regardless of the particular uses for which a dispensary is selling and distributing marijuana.”

As I discussed yesterday this action is a dramatic shift from the administration’s positions and policies. here’s just a sampling of previous statements.

In 2004, Barack Obama said the drug war was “an utter failure” and we need to rethink it.

In New Hampshire in 2007, he said he would not have the Justice Department prosecute medical marijuana.

Obama during the presidential campaign: He won’t use Justice Department resources to circumvent state laws. He wants them to focus on violent crime and terrorists.

Eric Holder saying what Obama said about ending raids during the campaign will be DOJ policy:
In March, 2009, the New York Times reports Holder said “the administration would effectively end the Bush administration’s frequent raids on distributors of medical marijuana.”

What caused this change of policy and opinion? There has not been one word from any administration official concerning the reasons for this turnaround. The only explanation for the targeting by not only DOJ; but also the IRS of the critically ill is some brilliant political strategist thinks this is somehow going to make the President more popular, and get people’s minds off the economy and jobs. This strategist should have his/her head examined.

Meanwhile I remember the days of the TV show “Murphy Brown” and her co-host going to DuPont circle to try and score some weed to alleviate the suffering of Murphy. For millions of Americans its once again time to return to the shadows, the back alleys and the undergound to fill their prescriptions.

Once again, a politician proves that his promises are like pie crusts — easily made and easily broken.

Oct 07, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

IRS — What Happened To The Concept of Mercy?

The IRS has now jumped into the fray of medical marijuana businesses — including dispensaries operating legally under the laws of their states. This had to be a decision that was approved by the White House, Treasury, and DOJ before its implementation.

The IRS is asserting that dispensaries cannot deduct ordinary business expenses like salaries, rent, and security costs. What other business is treated this way. Can you imagine the hew and cry if Wall street banks, big business, or the oil companies couldn’t deduct salaries? Congress and the IRS allow Wall Street to deduct salaries that for a few individuals that exceed tens of millions of dollars, and oil companies continue to deduct their sacred oil depletion allowances, but a small business that provides medicine to cancer patients and individuals suffering from debilitating pain are targeted by the IRS. The federal government recognizes that these dispensaries are legal under state law, so they’ve decided to close these legal businesses by using taxes to shut them down. At one point the Obama administration promised to leave these legal businesses and patients alone, but now that the election year is upon us, they have apparently decided to use the awesome power of the IRS to tax millions of Americans until they submit to their will.

The IRS ruling is based on an obscure portion of the tax code — section 280E — passed into law by Congress in 1982, at the height of Reagan administration’s “war on drugs.” The law, originally targeted at drug kingpins and cartels, bans any tax deductions related to “trafficking in controlled substances.” For years the IRS has not enforced this section against medical dispensaries until this administration decided getting aggressive against the critically ill was a politically popular strategy.

Is any other business taxed on gross revenue? No. The dispensaries say it will drive them out of business. I’m sure it will. It’s also counter-productive as it will drive patients back to the black market, which is what one would think the Government wants to avoid. Hasn’t anyone in the White House watched the PBS special on prohibition? Dispensaries pay taxes, and if they go out of business, the feds and state won’t get that money. The money will once again go underground and fund illegal activities. The people who are hurt the worst are, of course, the patients who need the medicine to prevent wasting and to alleviate chronic pain. Once again its the people who have no voice in Washington, DC who will suffer, while the big boys with lobbyists and campaign dollars who write the tax code.

Oct 06, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
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