What’s going on with this economy?

A friend who knows my background in business asked what I thought is causing this slump in the economy.  So, I thought, I’d share my insights.

I attribute most of this to a few things.  Probably the biggest factor is the housing collapse.  There are several reasons for it, of course.  But, the fact is the market is correcting an overheated, prolonged boom fueled by easy lending.  Anyway, When housing slumps, jobs back off in almost every sector.  I believe one of the reasons the labor force shrank is that alot of those immigrants we’ve been bitching about, packed up their families and went back to Mexico.  AND this thing has been sliding for at least a year now.  It’s about wrung out.

Another is the oil situation.  With gas at the pump now over $3 a gallon and headed to $4, it’s really eating into discretionary income.  There’s no extra money to spend.  AND with the Government steering farmers to agriculture for fuel instead of food, the cost of groceries is moving up steadily further stressing the family budget.

I think uncertainty over the election is forcing companies to thin their ranks BEFORE the Administration changes.  Also, uncertainty over possible tax increases forces folks to hold on to what they’ve got “just in case”.

Finally, the so-called “wealth effect” is working in reverse.  When times are good and stocks and home equity are increasing, people “feel” like they have more.  They borrow against that equity.  The spend more.  And, the cycle feeds itself.  When values and equity are shrinking, just the reverse is true.  DEBT is killing the consumer.  So-called bankruptcy reform makes it easier for the banks to dump credit cards on the market, impose usurious fees and collect hard.  Consumers can’t bankrupt as easily.  So, more income is directed toward debt reduction.  I think we’re gonna see a wave of bankruptcy that is staggering.

Might take a year to pull out of this.  It will be a good time if you’ve got cash in the bank or buried in the back yard.  If not, it might be a challenging time.  Pity the old guys who’ve been downsized and actually NEED a job.

In the words of Tim McGraw, “Would you like fries with that?”

American Healthcare: A Failed Paradigm

One of the overriding issues in America is health care. It affects virtually every aspect of domestic policy, including politics, business, the economy and personal lives of Americans from the poor to the very rich.

Sadly, in this current political season the answer seems to NOT be on solutions other than offer us more of the same with so-called “universal coverage” for everyone.  In other words, the system we have now sucks, so everyone should suffer through it equally.  When I discuss this, my Conservative and Liberal friends respond with something like, “What do you mean?  We have the best health care system in the world!”  But still, both sides simply approach the problem as an insurance problem.  Too bad.

In my mind, the problem with health care in America is that the entire paradigm is flawed.   From birth, we’re indoctrinated into the disease model and that drugs can prevent or cure any mallady.  In other words, we must prevent and fight disease.

So, we start babies off with “their shots”.  While I believe vaccination should be a matter of choice, the number and types of shots recommended for babies and toddlers really is an assault on their developing immune system and is downright scary.  Then throughout their early school years, many kids are “diagnosed” with ADD/ADHD and given narcotics grade drugs to force them to sit still so they can do better in school.  And then (ironically)  complain about athletes taking drugs to enhance their performance.  Strange.

As we enter adulthood, we’re convinced that giving birth is a traumatic and dangerous event that must be handled strictly in a medical setting.  Why aren’t women in modern America told that giving birth is a natural, beautiful thing for which they were uniquely designed.  Instead of empowering women to do what they were naturally designed for, we scare them into compliance with a pathological, allopathic model of childbirth.

Further into adulthood, Americans are checked routinely for cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and a host of other chronic conditions.  And when measures creep outside established norms, they’re put on medications to force that particular reading to what the doctor thinks is right.  Unfortunately, every drug has a side effect.  And, we Americans hardly ever ask our doctors “What is in this drug?” or “What are some potential side effects of this drug?” or “How will this affect me with the other drugs I’m taking?”  Instead, we simply comply.

Then as we enter middle age, we start seeing problems like liver and kidney failure, congestive heart failure, etc. and become regular visitors to the local hospital.  As the drugs either no longer work or our bodies start to shut down from weird symptoms that can’t easily be classified, we begin to “doctor shop” to find someone who can come up with an accurate diagnosis.

Eventually, we end up in a nursing home being given dozens of different drugs and put through untold numbers of tests until our bodies finally give in and give up.  From birth to death we are taught to fear and fight fever, vomit and diarrhea.  And because our focus is on disease, we create disease.  Two of the largest and most profitable industries in America just happen to be insurance and drug companies.  have you noticed all the new “diseases” being advertised on TV, like “Restless Leg Syndrome”, GERD and a host of others?  And, have you checked to see how much money those industries invest in advertising and political lobbying?

So, what’s the solution?  Well first, we must recognize that our entire premise is wrong from the start.  Just like our education system and tax code, we need a whole new way of thinking.  Maybe it was Einstein who said “No problem can be solved with the same level of thinking that created the it in the first place”.

Instead of a system that makes someone else responsible for finding or preventing a disease; or your employer (or worse, the Government) paying for your “health” insurance; or expecting Medicare/Medicaid to pay for your dying care, we should give individuals responsibility for their own health.

In a wellness paradigm, you start with the premise that you’re supposed to be healthy!  Instead of sitting around watching TV, eating junk food and smoking cigarettes, we encourage folks to exercise, stay fit, eat better and do those things that keep them healthy and out of harm’s way.  Instead of a mangled care system that minimize the time you spend with “a” doctor, you find the doctor that’s right for you and develop the kind of relationship that makes you  healthier and gives you greater control over your health and your life.

After all, this is STILL America, “home of the FREE and land of the BRAVE”!  The American pioneer spirit has always been responsible for our strength and prosperity.  We should get rid of this “plantation mentality” where the Government or an employer should take care of us.  As one writer wrote, “you are endowed with the seed of greatness”.  By realizing and pursuing that greatness in every aspect of life in America, we can restore our nation’s health and vitality and reduce our dependence on drug makers and insurance companies.

Live the very best life you can.  Don’t give your freedom and power to anyone!

Leap Year - Take a Leap of Faith!

It happens only ONCE every four years and only ONCE every 1461 days.  It Leap Day!  There’s plenty of technical reasons for Lear Year, so here’s a link to help you find out everything you ever wanted to know about Leap Year, and more!

But what I want to do is to encourage you to take a leap of faith and do something you’ve either been wanting to do, meaning to do, hoping to do or praying could be done!  You’ve heard the saying, “You only get one chance at life”.  Well, it’s true.

We never know what tomorrow will bring.  But, we also know that faith only works when we do.  I want to encourage you to make something happen in your life and take some action!  Here’s a few ideas:

• Call that person you’ve been meaning to for so long
• Ask the question that’s been on your mind for so long
• Try that restaurant you’ve wanted to
• Apply for that job you want
• Let him/her know how much you care
• Think about how much potential you have
• Get adjusted
• Be bold for a change
• Be passive for a change
• Listen for a change
• Let go and let God for a change
• Take a look in the mirror and smile at the person smiling back.  Know that when you smile at the World, it will smile back at you.

Have a great day.  Make EVERY day “Take a Leap Day”!

Health insurance and retroactive cancellations

Apparently, a health insurance industry group is trying to address the problem of insurers cancelling policies that have already been issued.  For the full text of this Wall Street Journal article, just foll the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120408088594795743.html

Profit Over Patient: Ethics and the Business of Healthcare

I have a love-hate relationship with the healthcare profession.  On the one hand, it’s gratifying beyond words to be able to help people improve their health and their lives.  On the other hand, the business of healthcare may be doing more harm than good, in some cases.

In my own practice as a chiropractor, I often hear someone say,”This is awesome!  I never thought I could feel this good again”.  Unfortunately, I often hear those same people say something like, “Why haven’t I heard about this before now?” or “Why did I have to suffer so long when this has always been available?” or worse yet, “I don’t guess my doctor was telling me the truth about what you do.”

But, not all the bad I hear is about medicine or medical doctors.  Sometimes it’s something like “I went to one of you guys once.  And, I know the adjustments helped.  But, the guy ran up a huge bill and then quit seeing me when the insurance payments stopped” or “I just don’t think I can afford it right now.  My insurance doesn’t cover it.”

I’m an advocate of allowing the free market to resolve the problems with health care.  However, the free market is not allowed to express itself fully in the business of health care in America. Here are some specific problems I have with the business of healthcare and some different ways of dealing with them:

• The Money Grub - There’s a practice called “exhaustion of benefits” in the healthcare business that spans every specialty.  The provider asks for your insurance card to verify benefits.  Not surprisingly, their recommendations for care tend to coincide with what your insurance carrier says they’ll pay.  Possible solution:  Verify your own benefits and get your provider’s recommendation BEFORE verifying coverage OR see what their recommendations are if you paid cash at the time you received the service.
• Fear-mongering - This is where you’re told “You MUST have this procedure or take this drug or you’ll die!”  This is using pure power on the doctor’s part and the patient’s ignorance to almost force them to do what the doctor tells them.  Possible solution:  Patient’s deserve to be told the truth in rational, unemotional terms what their specific problem is and what the doctor’s recommendations are.
• (Not so) Full disclosure - There’s a tendency in health care to tell folks to “Sign these forms so we can get started”.  You have a right to know exactly what the doctor has found, what his/her recommendations are, what the risks of those recommendations are and what alternatives to this procedure or drug that exist WITHOUT injecting any bias the doctor may have.  Possible solution:  Doctor’s should take time to get to know their patients.  Ask probing questions and give honest answers.  Be honest about their lack of knowledge when it exists, especially about less aggressive alternatives.
• Too  anxious to be too invasive - Sometimes as doctors, there’s the urge to DO SOMETHING now!  The haste to act now, can make things worse than if nothing were done, at all.  Possible solution:  One of the safest and most valuable tools in the doctor’s bag of tricks is something we call “watchful waiting”, where you give your body time to resolve a potential problem on its own without aggressive treatment.
• OOPS! - Sometimes, health care providers make mistakes.  Unfortunately, too many times the problem is covered to prevent lawsuits or unwanted exposure.  Possible solution:  I heard someone say once, “Sunlight is the best antibiotic”.  It’s best to simply tell the truth.  The cover-up will always cause more problems than the problem being covered up.
• Just too expensive - Because of third party reimbursement, health care in America has simply gotten too expensive.  Possible solution:  Providers should be allowed to compete on a variety of different levels, including price, form of payment, type of service provided, etc.

Because the economics of healthcare are distorted by Government controls and intervention, as well as third party reimbursement, the free market is not allowed to properly regulate the business.  As a result, doctors, hospitals and drug makers have an extra duty to “do no harm” to those who must rely on their relative power in the marketplace.  The Internet now makes information too easily available to continue the imbalance of power between patient and provider.

I urge healthcare providers to always do the right thing.  Make sure your patients are fully informed and involved in their care.  Give them exceptional value.  Empower them to make better choices.  As for patients and the public at large, take charge of your health and your life.  Inform yourself of your alternatives.  Ask questions.  And continue asking until you’re satisfied that you’ve gotten the right information and ALL the information you need to make fully informed choices regarding your own health.  After all, it IS your responsibility.

Build your health. Keep your wealth.

Build Heath.  Keep Your Wealth

In my networking circles, I have many friends that are in the financial planning business.  It’s always amazing to me the role that insurance plays in what many of them do.  Being in the healthcare business, insurance always strikes a chord with me.  My natural response is “Is insurance a buffer against loss or is it really someone betting against themselves?”

When I was younger, I was constantly being approached by insurance agents telling me I needed a whole life insurance policy.  The thinking was that while I was protecting my assets (and my family) against loss in the event of my death I was also building an investment in the future.  Made sense to me.  Then a guy named A.L Williams came along and said “Buy term and invest the rest”, which made sense to me and millions of other buyers of life insurance.  Needless to say, he revolutionized the life insurance business.

These days, many of the financial planners I know are selling Long-term care insurance.  The premise of long-term care insurance is that you buy this coverage so that in your final years you can pay a nursing home to take care of you when you can’t do for yourself.  I understand the concept.  But, have you been to a nursing home lately?  Is THAT how you want to spend the last few years of your life?  And, will long-term care end up like all other forms of insurance: too expensive to afford, insufficient to do the job right, managed by bean counters instead of those providing the care, and virtually impossible for the insured to manage without a lawyer?

I wonder.  What kind of wealth could you amass by investing what you would normally spend on long-term care insurance?  And if you compared that wealth with what long-term care insurance could be expected to pay given the same investment, what would be your best bet?  Ask your financial advisor to compare what you would have if you invested the equivalent long-term care premium in a mutual (or index) fund from now until the age you’d expect to need a nursing home with the benefit you’d receive from your policy.  Unless you’re in your late fifties or sixties, my guess is your investments would be the better bet.  Is it smart to bet against yourself?

The same goes with so-called health insurance.  Do you carry health insurance through your employer?  Does it cover everything and have low deductibles and copays?  If so, you might be wasting a lot of money that could be invested in your future and not just potential sickness and infirmity.  Most employers these days offer “flexible spending accounts” that allow you to pay typical out-of-pocket expenses and services not typically covered by your “health insurance” policy.  These flexible spending accounts are deducted from your pay before taxes making them a great investment IF you use them. 

If you don’t, you lose the benefit.  Many folks either don’t have or don’t qualify for flexible spending accounts but may use something similar called “health savings accounts” that work something like your traditional IRA.  Contributions to a certain level are tax-deductible and the part you don’t use for current healthcare expenses are invested and grow on a tax-deferred basis until you reach the point in your life when you begin to spend more money on your own health care.  The beauty of both the “flexible spending accounts” and “health savings accounts” is that they allow you spend less each month on “health disaster insurance” while investing more in your own wealth. 

Here’s the exciting part.  By investing in your wealth instead of your death and demise, you build wealth that could help you weather any storm with more certainty and more present and future rewards, as well. 

To make certain you actually get to enjoy to wealth you’re now building, I want you to be building your health at the same time.  If you’ve been awake at all over the last few decades, you pretty much know how to do that.  Exercise, drink lots of water, eat right, learn to deal effectively with stress and maintain healthy nerve function.  It’s funny that the things that keep you healthy, your “health insurance” hardly ever pays for, like health clubs, smoking cessation, nutritional counseling, life coaching, wellness care lie chiropractic and massage, as well as stress management.  Yet, by including these strategies in your life now, you’ll have to rely less on your “sick insurance” to get you through the maze AND keep you healthy enough to actually ENJOY the wealth you built in your youth.

What a shame to spend your youth making a living only to spend it on a nursing home in your later years.  Why not build health and wealth together and enjoy your twilight years without fear of sickness, infirmity or bankruptcy.

Taxation Without Representation

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION 

I like SPLOST as a means for public funding of special projects.  One of the best features of SPLOST measures is that it is a voluntary tax imposed by the voters on themselves.  The challenge for Government is to make a strong enough case for the projects in question and to follow through on their commitment to the voters. 

 

It is NEVER beneficial for ANY community to reject a bond referendum or SPLOST measure.  The inherent challenge for Government is that it is willing to do the work to justify voters’ confidence and earn the chance to pass future measures.

 

That the Cobb County School Board is EVEN considering holding a Special Election in September for its SPLOST measure is an indication that they are either uncertain that it will pass in the General Election or unwilling to do the work to ensure its passage.  Either way, the school board is telling us that they really only want supporters of the measure to vote to raise taxes on all Cobb Countians.

 

The Cobb County School Board should immediately vanquish ANY thought of holding a costly Special Election and allow ALL registered voters to decide the fate of the SPLOST measure.  THEN school board members and administration should do what is necessary to earn voter’s trust and consideration in November.

 

To do otherwise will further diminish the Board’s credibility and effectiveness.  It will also hurt any future tax measure worthy of voters’ consideration.  Let’s do the right thing.

Fighting for the last breath…and the next.

A friend was talking with me about a relative on life support.  As we spoke, vivid memories of my own mother’s passing flooded my consciousness.

At the time, it was the worst thing I had ever experienced partly because I was the oldest sibling and ended up having to make the decision to take her off life support.  I can see it now as if I were right there in the moment all over again.  And, that’s been 30 years now.  If you’ve ever watched someone take their last breath, it’s something you’ll never forget.  She was unconscious, but she took the deepest breath I’d ever seen.  Held it for a moment.  Then, released it like a balloon with a small hole.  Eerie.

It wasn’t until I became a chiropractor that I realized that her body was fighting for ever single breath it could get.  Not as much trying to simply hold on.  No, it was fighting to live!  Even to the very end, my mother’s body was fighting for her to LIVE, not just to not die.

Once I realized that all living things are designed to function at their maximum potential at evry moment (EVEN at the cellular level) I began to see life and health in a very different way than before.  Knowing that our bodies literally strive for its best at every moment forces you to look at your own life and what you do in a much bigger way, too.

What would our lives, our community, our country, even the World be like if everyone strove to their highest potential instead of trying not to fail or concerning themselves with what someone else was doing?  How would your health be different if you simply focused on being the healthiest you you could be rather than simply avoiding disease or literally planning for it?  How great and healthy could you be if you invested more in good nutrition, a health club membership, a reasonable investment program, meaningful relationship and a strong mental, emotional and spiritual life?  I know too many people who spend all their money on insurance in the event the worst happens instead of planning for and investing in the best that can happen.

If I could urge you to do one thing, it would be to want the very best out of life.  Then, do everything in your power to achieve it.

Performance Enhancing Drugs

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been treated to the so-called Mitchell report identifying several Major League stars that had used performance enhancing drugs. The report was received with a collective yawn by most Americans. Many were shocked by the seeming apathy at what many consider “cheating” by using steroids or human growth hormone.

But how could we be surprised by the public’s “so what” reaction to the allegations. For years, owners simply turned their back while MLB was enjoying growing fan interest with the home run race between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. Better hitters and faster pitchers are good for the game, right? And, what would the player’s union say? After all, more fans and more revenue for MLB mean bigger salaries and prolonged careers for its members. As a fan of Aaron, Mays, Rose, Koufax, Clemente and so many other greats of the past, I’m disgusted and have decided to all but ignore professional sports altogether.

In a society where children from the age of two are given the equivalent of cocaine (Ritalin, Adderol, etc.) supposedly to help them do better in school by suppressing “symptoms” of ADD/ADHD. As adults, we take pills for potency (Viagra, Cialis, etc) or pills to sleep or for depression and anxiety. In fact, our society seems to be based on the premise of “better living through chemistry”. “Whatever it takes” is the mantra of today’s American athlete. Heck, maybe that’s one of the problems facing our entire culture. We’re so bent on winning that we’ve cast aside corny virtues like integrity, hard work and sportsmanship.

There was a time when Americans ridiculed Eastern Bloc countries for using steroids to boost their performance in the Olympics. But then again, that was before the USA decided to use professional basketball, baseball and hockey players to ensure winning Olympic medals. I wonder how many Americans relish the specter of American amateur athletes winning the gold medal in hockey or basketball, any more. I hardly even watch the Olympics these days.

But, unless we’re willing to clean up the rest of society, why the double standard for MLB players? Professional sports in some ways merely reflect social mores. Maybe we’ll eventually get the idea that how we play the game and how we live our own lives are more important than the instant gratification of hollow victory. Real victory is an expression of who you are deep inside and reflects the training, dedication and endurance of one who really loves who they are and what they do. Honor, principle and the game itself are far more important any statistic or season.

Posted by Tim Langley at 11:28 AM 0 comments

Labels: ADD/ADHD, Adderol, Alternative health care, athletes, Cialis, drugs, Mitchell Report, MLB, Ritalin, sports, Steroids, Viagra

 

Thanksgiving

In all things, Give Thanks!

We have no control over what happens to us in life and business. We
DO, however, have control over our response. One of the major laws of
physics says that for every action there’s an opposite and equal
action. See the possibilities before you and KNOW that there is some
good that CAN come from every event in your life. As quaint and trite
as it may seem, the saying still holds “You can’t have the flowers
without the rain”.

Embrace your life and all the goodness before you. You NEVER know what
possibilities await you!

Dr. Tim