Carl's Jr. Computer: This should help you calm down. Please come back when you can afford to make a purchase. Your kids are starving. Carl's Jr. believes no child should go hungry. You are an unfit mother. Your children will be placed in the custody of Carl's Jr. Carl's Jr... "Fuck You, I'm Eating."
Idiocracy
I. Unpaid Caregivers of the Elderly FUND This Country This month’s
American Family Physician includes an article called “Caregiver Care,” by Lauren Collins, MD and Kristine Swartz, MD. Unfortunately, I can not give an online link, since articles in this journal are not available free to the public. However, I can summarize some major points.
1.80% of Americans requiring long term care live at home.
2. 90% of their care is provided by unpaid family caregivers.
3. The U.S. taxpayer is
saved $375 billion a year, thanks to these unpaid caregivers. That is money that might have to be spent on nursing home care if there was no family member to do the work for free.
4. The people receiving care at home are older, sicker and have more disability than in the past. With the aging of the U.S. population, there are now more of them, too.
5. The caregivers who provide their services for nothing are typically middle aged women who spend 20-39 hours a week caring for their elderly relative, and they do it long term, many for more than five years. These women are more than twice as likely to live in poverty. They often have to quit their jobs or cut hours in order to become caregivers. They spend about $5000 a year out of their own meager earnings to care for their relative. They have more health problems themselves, particularly depression. And 80% of them do not think they have adequate training to provide the type of long term care which they are currently giving.
So, what is that $375 billion a year in unpaid care buying this country (besides elderly that are able to continue living at home)? There are about a third of a million paid firefighters in the country making about $80,000 a year. That’s $26 billion in fire protection. The 545 members of Congress have combined salaries of at least $96 million. In 2006 there were 800,000 law enforcement officers in the federal and local governments. Their salaries vary a lot but the average is about $50,000. That $40 billion is more than covered by the free care provided to the elderly.
Military personnel are paid $129 billion according to this site.
http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htmThat leaves $180 billion which more than covers the $100 billion we pay public school teachers a year.
http://www.villagelife.org/news/archives/CS_publicschools/edufacts.htmlThe extra will pay for quite a number of $11 million a year (salaries plus bonuses) CEOs.
II. So, What Do We Give the Unpaid Caregivers of This Country In Return? Recently, the Senate held hearings about why the Older Americans Act of 1965 should be re-authorized. The GOP dominated Congress of 2006 voted overwhelming to keep this popular program going.
The Administration on Aging (AoA) awards funds for nutrition and supportive home and community-based services to the 56 State Units on Aging (SUAs), 629 Area Agencies on Aging, 244 Tribal organizations, and 2 Native Hawaiian organizations. In addition, funds are awarded for disease prevention/health promotion services, elder rights programs (long-term care ombudsman program, legal services, and elder abuse prevention efforts), the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) and the Native American Caregiver Support Program (NACSP).
http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/OAA/Aging_Network/Index.aspxAccording to a recent Senate report, in 2010, the feds spent just $2.38 billion on these programs which include things like food, community services and provider care programs. That means the government is getting a massive return on its investment---for every $1 spent, it reaps $375 that is not spent because some elderly person did not have to go into a nursing home, most often by way of a hospital.
So, what does the GOP Controlled House want to do to federal spending for the elderly at home? You can see a summary of the Paul Ryan (R-WI) proposal here. His budget cuts spending for elderly housing, nutrition and community support services at the same time that it cuts funding for their medical care.
Note that Ryan would:
freeze non-security discretionary spending on programs
such as the Older Americans Act, Section 202 and 811 housing, transportation and other
social services programs at 2008 levels for the next five years.
http://aging.senate.gov/crs/aging18.pdfThis at a time when there are more aging Americans who have an increased number of chronic diseases.
This approach is so illogical that it verges on moronic. If you cut the pennies that are spent keeping the elderly well and at home, Medicare and Medicaid costs will skyrocket. No problem, if you are Paul Ryan. You just cut available Medicare and Medicaid funding, presumably in hopes that more of the elderly will choose the ice flow option.
Someone remind me. Which party was so up in arms about “death panels”?
Oh, one more thing. There will be no free ride for granny, no matter how arthritic her spine and how bad her vision or how many toes (or feet) she has lost to complications of her diabetes. If granny can’t work, granny won’t be able to eat.
Under the plan eligibility for rental assistance and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) would become contingent on a work requirement. Given that more
than half of rental assistance recipients and many SNAP recipients are age 65 and older, it would likely not be feasible for many of these individuals to go back to work.