Poverty in Oshberg

I sift through the blogs at Oshkosh News at least twice a week. Babblemur's title Turn Left at the Citgo is funny. We'll see if it's still funny when I steal it for a later post. I lurk at Jef Hall's site. I am very glad he alerted me to Bill Moyer's recent speech to the West Point grads. It was great reading. Thank you Jef. I highly recommend reading Moyer's entire speech. The one post that really lit a fire under my butt was at Lake Winneblogo. I thought about posting a reply there but hell, I got my own blog! Here goes...

Capitalism with a conscience? Fighting Bob LaFollette thought it was possible. Ask the clerks at our local Mall-Wart what they go through to see a doctor. How do they pay? I asked a greeter why she worked. She replied: To pay Medicare premiums. Others will spout Badger Care. Others use the UWO Living Healthy Clinic. All of these are government supported, i.e. tax money... your money.

I highly suspect that the Waltons who take up five of the top ten slots on Forbes Richest would stay firm on that list even if they paid the complete medical bills of every one of their million plus employees.

I saw a real M.D. for the first time in three years last summer. He ordered some tests done. The various lab tests immediately shot into the five-figure category. I couldn't afford the first office call much less any lab work. I am of the feeling that those with health insurance and taxpayers (meaning you) will pay more to help defray that $10,000 plus lab bill of mine and many other uninsured bills.

I firmly believe in forcing the obscenely rich to take some of the load off from our rapidly disappearing middle class. Matt Rothchild, writing half a block from the Capitol in Madison, lays out the story here, in that magazine inspired by Republican Robert LaFollette.