Page 4 • FORT BEND INDEPENDENT • SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Opinion Texas Straight Talk The Fed’s interesting week By RON PAUL It has been an interesting week indeed for the Federal Reserve. Early this week, it was announced that President Obama intends to reappoint Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second term in January, signaling a vote of confidence in him. Bernanke seems to be popular with the administration and with Wall Street, and with good reason. His lending policies have left big banks flush with newly created cash that covers up old mistakes and allows for new ones. By buying up mountains of Treasury debt he has also enabled spending to soar to ridiculous levels that should startle any responsible economist, and scare any American concerned about the value of the dollar. However, these highly sensitive decisions about our money are not made by economists, they are made by politicians. Bernanke, like most of his predecessors, is the politician’s best friend. However, there is no reason to believe any other central planner would behave any differently, considering the immense political pressure on the Fed. Fed policies have been as bad for the economy as they are good for politicians and bankers, as the recently released numbers on the debt and deficit demonstrate. For the first time since World War II the annual budget deficit is projected to be over 11 percent of the na-
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul tion’s gross domestic product. It is also projected that by 2019 the national debt will be 68f GDP. Our path, if unchanged, is completely untenable. The administration claims that it inherited a dire situation from the last administration, which is absolutely true. However, that hasn’t stopped them from accepting all the policies and premises that got us here, and accelerating those policies to rapidly make a bad situation much worse. The bailouts started with the last administration. They have gotten bigger with this one. The last administration gave us expanded government involvement in healthcare with a new prescription drug benefit. This administration gave us a renewal and expansion of SCHIP, and now the current healthcare takeover attempts. In reality, we can afford none of this, but shady monetary policy allows Washington to continue along its merry way,
aggravating all our economic problems. Not everyone in government finds it acceptable that the Fed wields so much power and privilege in secrecy. Last week, a federal judge ruled against Fed secrecy, compelling them to release under the Freedom of Information Act information regarding which banks received emergency loans, and under what terms. The Fed will, of course do everything in its power to fight this ruling and it is certainly not the last word on the issue. Still, it is encouraging to see that the interests of the taxpayers were defended victoriously in court, while the Fed only sees the plight of its big banker friends. Meanwhile HR 1207 and S604, legislation to open up the Fed’s books to a complete audit, continue to gain momentum in Congress as the people continue to insist on real transparency of the Federal Reserve. One way or another, the days of Fed autonomy are coming to an end, as well they should. No one should have the power to debauch the currency and gut the economy as they do. It is time they answered for their actions, so the people can understand that we truly are better off with freedom instead of Fed tyranny. (Ron Paul represents the 14th Congressional District in Texas.)
They make a difference... Liz Lyles By JANICE SCANLAN As I was talking with Liz Lyles, I was struck with the “high emotional cost” leadership can exact from people with empathy for others— respecting individuals while keeping standards. Liz has been an advocate for her community and keeping Quail Green with a high quality of life that preserves property values. So she’s dealing with finding the balance for paying for amenities, keeping the neighborhood nice and dealing with homeowners who have legitimate problems like loss of employment, fire victims or elderly living on a fixed income. Her first experience with advocacy was a neighborhood business that caught fire and decayed with no roof and dangerous interior. With seven bright grandkids, Liz knows how curiosity leads kids to explore. Liz and her husband Nate vowed to get the building torn down. The residents jumped in and got the structure demolished. That started her involvement. In working as a HOA Trustee, she saw the need to start a more neighbor-friendly process for deed enforcement. Doing it right makes it easier to resolve to everyone’s ben-
Lyles efit. She credits Carolyn Bowden of Quail Valley Proud with good ideas and sharing contacts. She’s thrilled with Missouri City Police Department’s neighborhood program and its responsiveness to community needs. She didn’t always feel good toward the police or understand law and order. Growing up poor, her family was often in need. When she was seven years old, a man who lived across the street came to her home during Christmas with boxes full of food and toys. The cupboard had never been full of food—much less toys! The joy didn’t last long.
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The next day the neighbor was arrested. It seems his kindness came from a hot check. When the police saw taking the food left the pantry bare, they offered to leave the food, but Liz’s mother said the items were stolen and she did not want them in her home. That’s a little hard for a seven year old to understand. The bad experience of seeing the kind man arrested changed when Liz was in her mid teens and a young thug taunted her as she walked to the post office. Caught in the act by a policeman, who apologized to Liz, she learned the other side of protect and serve. Those moments are experiences that have molded Liz’s approach to keeping Missouri City a better place. She especially appreciates how Lalo Flores in Missouri City Code Enforcement has worked with her community to keep it desirable for neighbors. And that’s what she loves about Missouri City—she loves the friendly people and feels safe. But if you want to really light Liz up, talk about the Juneteenth picnic and what the young people learn. And that’s what it’s about for Liz: building the future with neighbors. Whether advocating for sidewalks and protected crosswalks on Texas Parkway so kids can get to school safely and everyone can have healthier transportation alternatives or improving the desirability and sense of community in neighborhoods through neighborhood pride and standards, Liz is making a difference. Reach Janice with your volunteer making a difference at open.space@earthlink.net
Open records request is a farce By SESHADRI KUMAR The public information request or the open records request with Fort Bend ISD has become a farce as far as my experience goes. What could be provided routinely to a requestor are first kept confidential and then released by the district for a nominal charge. One would think that the feasibility committee report on the Global Science and Technology Center is a public document and the district would like it to be read by as many people as possible to win their support. On the contrary, the report was given to the media only when asked and it was released after the statutory 10-day waiting period. It cost me $14. Then when I wanted a copy of the comments posted on the FBISD website, I thought I could have them e-mailed to me. No, a print out was provided and the cost was $6. Then, I posed to a query to the communications department asking what documents did the district provide to Ms. Nancy Hentschel who had filed an open records request. I had asked if the district had provided response to one of the specific queries made by her, namely “any communication via mail, phone, e-mail, text, or other routes between members of the committee, the PBK company representatives, [Dr.] Jenney, and the developer...”
I asked for the clarification because of conflicting claims made by Hentschel that she got nothing from the district and the district saying they gave all that could be given. Instead of receiving a brief response from the communications department, my request was treated as an open records request. Again, I had to shell out $28.50. I don’t mind it, but unfortunately, barring about five or six pages, all the other pages were a reproduction of the same feasibility committee report and comments on the website. Making an ORR, especially with any public entity, is tricky. The requestor should be clever or the request letter may require the assistance of an attorney. Thus, Hentschel had sought some information that did not exist or some questions required a subjective response instead of a written record. Her request for the feasibility report and the comments on the web site were provided, but there was nothing secret about them in the first place. However, the school district’s outside counsel sought a redundant opinion from the attorney general regarding the e-mail address and other personal information of the feasibility committee members. Hentschel did not ask for them and the district on its own could have blacked them out. They wasted time and
money to get that opinion from the attorney general. The district has released a few innocuous e-mails which are like cover letters for the accompanying report or talks about meeting schedules. It is mind boggling to believe that there is no other communication between the district officials, the committee chairman and committee members. There was a meeting between the officials of the Houston Museum of Natural Science and FBISD Superintendent Timothy Jenney and committee chair David Wallace. There is no reference to that meeting in the records released so far. Maybe, the district’s counsel would argue that such a meeting was outside the purview of the committee meeting as the committee report was already finalized or that the open records request did not apply to that meeting. Also, there is no reference to the architectural firm which produced the artistic rendering of the Global Science and Technology Center. Who communicated with the architect, what was their brief and if they provided the work free of charge remain unclear. It is futile to go back to the attorney general and complain unless one really knows that records exist or existed but have not been disclosed.
Genuine health care reform requires a single payer system By P.G. PARAMESWARAN, M.D. I am one of the over 16000 American physicians who support single payer national health insurance. Practicing as a surgeon in Houston for close to thirty years, I have seen the failure of the present private insurance system in ensuring the health of this country’s citizens. In contrast, I have appreciated how Medicare, though not perfect, has helped the seniors seek timely help without the fear of getting bankrupt. Instead of a “health care system” what we now have, can be aptly called a “sick care system.” It is because most, even with health insurance hesitate to see a physician early, because of the co-pays and large deductibles. As a surgeon, I have treated patients presenting with severe complications of a disease, which I know could have been prevented had they sought help earlier. The common excuse I have heard from patients with badly infected or gangrenous legs needing amputation is that they did not have the money to see a doctor earlier or buy the medicines needed to control their Diabetes. The same excuses hold true for several other conditions as well, including heart disease and high blood pressure. These patients could have been treated effectively with outpatient care. Patients have endured severe abdominal pain for days before they present with ruptured acute appendicitis which ends up needing several days of intravenous medications and hospitalization instead of a day or two, if they had presented earlier. Inpatient care makes up the largest proportion of health care spending in America (In 2005, 30.8 percent of all health care spending). According to a new report from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, in 2006 almost $31 billion was spent by U.S. hospitals on 4.4 million hospital admissions that potentially could have been avoided. One dollar of every $10 that hospitals spent that year on inpatient care might have been saved through preven-
tive measures and proper early ambulatory care. If patients know they can see any doctor or go to any hospital early in their illness without having to pay a fortune, they will report early for needed care. Private insurance premiums are rising at a rate of about 13 to as much as 25 percent in some states per year. Employers are capping their contributions to health insurance and workers are unable to pay their rapidly growing share. With rising unemployment, more people are losing their coverage every day. Private insurers spend 10 to 25 per cent of the premiums for administrative costs, marketing and profits. The remainder is passed on to the numerous satellite businesses that feed the health care industry, including brokers to cut deals, disease management and utilization review companies, drug management companies, legal services, marketing consultants, billing agencies, information management firms and so on. The administrative overhead of private insurers is five to nine times higher than not-for-profit Medicare (average for commercial carriers 19.9 percent, investor owned Blues 26.5 per cent, Medicare 3 per cent). Their function is to limit services in one way or another as their concern is to keep the balance sheet looking good in the eyes of their investors. The inefficiency and bureaucracy of over 1300 private insurers are not sustainable. (Chicago has 17000 different health plans.) The public option with mandates that has been proposed has failed in every state. The retention of private insurance will not eliminate the huge administrative waste they currently generate in their drive to fight claims, issue denials and screen out the sick. A public option will be of the same type currently offered by private carriers. It will lead to segregation of patients, with profitable ones in private plans and unprofitable ones in the public plan as has happened in the present public/private competition in the Medicare program.
In a single payer system, health care funds would be distributed by a single public entity so that health care could be coordinated to eliminate gaps and overlaps. It would be equivalent to extending Medicare to the entire population. Medicare is after all a government- financed single payer system. What are the other benefits of a single payer system? A single payer system would be far more efficient since it would eliminate excess administrative costs, profits, cost shifting and unnecessary duplication. It would permit the establishment of an overall budget and a fair and rational distribution of resources. Several cost control mechanisms are inherent in single payer, such as global budgeting, bulk purchasing, negotiate fees and planned capital expenditures. We are now paying for health care in multiple ways – through our paychecks, the prices of goods and services, taxes at all levels of government and out of pocket. It would make sense to pay just once. The occasional waits for elective procedures that we hear in countries with national health care systems such as the U.K. and Canada is because they spend far less on health care than we do. (The U.K. spends about a third of what we do per person). If they put the same amount of money as we do in their systems, there would be no waits and immediate access to care would be guaranteed. For them, the problem is not the system; it’s the money. For us, it’s not the money; it’s the system. A national health insurance program is the most politically feasible and fiscally responsible path to health care, because it pays for itself requiring no new sources of revenue, in contrast to the $1 trillion price tag of the tri-committee proposal in the house committee on Ways and Means. Two thirds of the American people support it, over 59 percent of physicians are in favor of it as are the U.S. conference of Mayors, 39 state labor federations and hundreds of local unions across the country.