Paddy
Mike may not like what he is paying now compared to past, but I can assure you Texas is one of the lowest priced electricity areas in the USA and it is because of their overall energy policy and resources. Now, if you really want irony - look at California - the supposed leader in renewable energy......................................worst prices in the Country, worst infrastructure, worst regulations - do you get the point? Corruption and mismanagement should be a tagline for California.
As I quoted previously, Maryland is absolutely one of the worst.
Health Care is unfortunately a different topic and universally screws us all. When we negotiated our (my business) healthcare this year, our broker said - "You guys are very fortunate, only a 15% increase".........................huh? Our claims last year honestly were virtually NIL other than routine (we of course don't get personal information, but we can review our overall history as to not to violate our employees). We are a small business - 20 people. This has been a disaster since about 1988 throughout every administration and political party. None of them have ever figured out a fix. You can't have socialized medicine or else we would be like Canada and France (system is broken about September of every year), nor can we afford The UK"s system, so I really don't know what you do about it. On the other side of the coin, I have a cousin who is a neuroradiologist who went to very expensive schools and he honestly should be one of the highest paid people out there with that skillset and he is getting screwed too IMO. SO - who is winning.............Insurance companies. End of the day, you want them to be competitive, not predatory and collusion with Drug makers, BUT why is that? Corrupt politicians on both sides of the aisle in our Country. Do you ever wonder how senators and representatives take office nearly BROKE, but 4 to 8 years later, they are millionaires? How does one explain, for example, Illan Omars meteoric wealth rise in 3 years of financial statement filings as a mere junior house of representative refugee from Somalia???? I really think our Insurance and Drug Companies could be some of the culprits here. But what do I know?
But this is something that does annoy me and I view it as something everyone should be pissed about. IF you are a public figure, your financial positions should be fully and thoroughly audited and investigated when you have large wealth gains. It is very easy to do - all publicly traded Companies are audited YEARLY and I can tell you, when there are swings, they are investigated, why not public officials? How did the Clintons go from broke to wealth? Reagan, Bush(s) and Trump are hard to look at as they are all very wealthy families. But look at Biden..............he was not. I think maybe Carter was one of the cleanest? Maybe. See my point, something is rotten and it should not be that hard to find out in today's electronic reporting world - for example, if you sell a 600 figure on ebay, the Government knows you did it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tom
...
