The financial markets keeps on taking the investors on roller coaster rides. The billions of dollars promised by the governments to help out the top finance houses seems to be not enough.
The meltdown of several large financial institutions has left thousands of people without jobs, large number of people who once had safe, stable jobs do not have one now.
And now besides the news of people losing their homes, there is news of people resorting to suicide because of financial loss occurred...to see the financial security they had built up with their hard work eroded in a day.
Its heartbreaking to read a father killing his young sons, wife, mother and then himself because of seeing his life fall apart. Not everyone is strong enough to rise above the financial carnage, there will be many more before this crisis resolves itself.
Monday, October 13, 2008
My Health Dollars
I listened with sadness last week as my friend related the treatment of her mother in a country which promises universal health care for its people. We even pay extra health tax to make sure the public health care gets sufficient funding.
This started few days back when my friend's mother developed severe pain in her back that ran all the way down to her leg, immobilizing her. The visit to the emergency department at the hospital resulted in being prescribed painkiller and coming back home. My friend tried desperately over two/three days to get the family doctor to come home and visit her mother as their was no way she could get her mother to the surgery.
I don't know how but she ended up taking her mother back to the emergency where her mother was hospitalized in the corridor of the hospital because no other room was available. She spent three days with her mother still sleeping in the corridor because no room could be found. The crunch came when she returned in the morning to find her mother in a serious emotional state, complaining about how the nurses would not help her to get to the bathroom. After being given morphine to subsidize the pain, the mother was in no state to make her way to the bathroom alone. My friend helped her during the day, but at night there was no one to help, despite two nurses sitting at desk just two feet away.
My friend has brought her mother back home. I don't blame her. Why spend sleepless night worrying if her mother is taken care of or not.
But I would like to know that despite paying additional taxes why is there no service available especially to the elderly? My tax dollars which pay the salary of those nurses, do their work contract specify they are barred from helping an eighty year old to go to the bathroom.
This started few days back when my friend's mother developed severe pain in her back that ran all the way down to her leg, immobilizing her. The visit to the emergency department at the hospital resulted in being prescribed painkiller and coming back home. My friend tried desperately over two/three days to get the family doctor to come home and visit her mother as their was no way she could get her mother to the surgery.
I don't know how but she ended up taking her mother back to the emergency where her mother was hospitalized in the corridor of the hospital because no other room was available. She spent three days with her mother still sleeping in the corridor because no room could be found. The crunch came when she returned in the morning to find her mother in a serious emotional state, complaining about how the nurses would not help her to get to the bathroom. After being given morphine to subsidize the pain, the mother was in no state to make her way to the bathroom alone. My friend helped her during the day, but at night there was no one to help, despite two nurses sitting at desk just two feet away.
My friend has brought her mother back home. I don't blame her. Why spend sleepless night worrying if her mother is taken care of or not.
But I would like to know that despite paying additional taxes why is there no service available especially to the elderly? My tax dollars which pay the salary of those nurses, do their work contract specify they are barred from helping an eighty year old to go to the bathroom.
Canada votes...
Tomorrow people of Canada will hit polls to vote for the party they would like to see govern the country.
Like many I am still one of those who have not made up my mind who to vote for. I have been reading newspaper, watching debates, listening to leaders speaking like right now listening to Mr Jack Layton. Listening to the leaders telling me and others why we should vote for their party.
I have listened to them telling what the other leaders have done wrong in the past...about giving tax breaks to the corporation and punishing the working class...about not spending enough dollars on the health care, arts, housing etc.
I don't want to listen to what the other leaders have done wrong, I want to know what you will do steer this country through the current world economic situation, how you will keep this country floating through recession, depression or whatever follows the breakdown of the global financial markets. I want to know how despite paying health tax, you will make the health care available to those who need it. I want to know how you will keep companies that have been 30, 40 years in business from closing, laying off hundreds of workers. Those laid off workers have no chance of getting the same full-time employment because the economy only creates thousands of part-time jobs...low pay and no benefits.
At the last minutes leaders have been scrambling around coming up with what they would do to help out the financial institutions through the credit crisis. Billions of dollars are promised to help the big banks, even going as far as taking on the bad assets. Now why take on bad assets if those assets will not generate any revenue. There is no talk about bringing in tougher regulations to regulate the lending markets in the country. There is no word about how to protect the hapless home buyers, borrowers, credit card users from the unscrupulous lenders, finance companies and the mortgage branch of the banks.
We all want to do our little bit towards a greener earth but why does it have to come at my expense, I already pay substantial amount to buy products from these companies...why should I subsidize them to go green by paying taxes and then also paying more for these so called environmental friendly created products.
Like millions I will sit and ponder all day today deciding which candidate do I give my precious vote to.
Like many I am still one of those who have not made up my mind who to vote for. I have been reading newspaper, watching debates, listening to leaders speaking like right now listening to Mr Jack Layton. Listening to the leaders telling me and others why we should vote for their party.
I have listened to them telling what the other leaders have done wrong in the past...about giving tax breaks to the corporation and punishing the working class...about not spending enough dollars on the health care, arts, housing etc.
I don't want to listen to what the other leaders have done wrong, I want to know what you will do steer this country through the current world economic situation, how you will keep this country floating through recession, depression or whatever follows the breakdown of the global financial markets. I want to know how despite paying health tax, you will make the health care available to those who need it. I want to know how you will keep companies that have been 30, 40 years in business from closing, laying off hundreds of workers. Those laid off workers have no chance of getting the same full-time employment because the economy only creates thousands of part-time jobs...low pay and no benefits.
At the last minutes leaders have been scrambling around coming up with what they would do to help out the financial institutions through the credit crisis. Billions of dollars are promised to help the big banks, even going as far as taking on the bad assets. Now why take on bad assets if those assets will not generate any revenue. There is no talk about bringing in tougher regulations to regulate the lending markets in the country. There is no word about how to protect the hapless home buyers, borrowers, credit card users from the unscrupulous lenders, finance companies and the mortgage branch of the banks.
We all want to do our little bit towards a greener earth but why does it have to come at my expense, I already pay substantial amount to buy products from these companies...why should I subsidize them to go green by paying taxes and then also paying more for these so called environmental friendly created products.
Like millions I will sit and ponder all day today deciding which candidate do I give my precious vote to.
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