ARTICLE: “Democrats Seek Emergency Help For Automakers,” by David M. Herszenhorn and Carl Hulse, New York Times, 12 November 2008.ARTICLE: “Lobbyists Swarm the Treasury For a Helping of the Bailout Pie,” by Mark Landler.
ARTICLE: “Buying Binge Slams to Halt: Crisis of Confidence For U.S. Consumers,” by David Leonhardt.
ARTICLE: “After U.S. Breakthrough, Europe Looks in Mirror,” by Steven Erlanger.
ARTICLE: “Veterans’ Families Seek Aid for Caregiver Role,” by Leslie Kaufman.
ARTICLE: “Aches, a Sneeze, A Google Search: Data on Web May Warn of Outbreaks of Flu,” by Miguel Helft.
I dunno. The front page of the NYT on the 12th just struck me as a perfect amalgam of everything going on right now: the huge industrial adjustment in Detroit, the usual feeding frenzy on the bailout; the slowdown in spending as American consumers confront their over-leveraged position; the profound impact of the Obama election globally; the way our military has been taken to the breaking point by Bush-Cheney’s mismanagement; and the never-ending technological byproducts of this amazing age of innovation.
One for the time capsule.
If you want to think horizontally, this is the kind of front page you can’t put down.
Good news on the vets issue: NYT story two days later (“Military Families Get Time Off for Care”) suggests some relief happening.
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Comments (4)
Welcome to the world of Disabled America. That article speaks VOLUMES about what is wrong with the system, and it isn't just vets. If you are a young disabled american who requires the level of care some of those vets need, you are SOL, plain and simple. The government expects me, a 20 year old disabled american, to be able to survive off $434.17 a month (ssi), any additional help I receive, whether from my parents or even birthday cash from grandma, must be reported so next month's payment can be reduced by that amount.
The crime in the system is the government is MORE than happy to pay to have me placed in a nursing home (aka a gulag) where I can be forgotten by society. The vet covered in that article is extremely lucky to have such a loving wife to care for him, what about those vets who aren't so lucky? Nursing homes are very expensive, luckily my parents have the financial ability to keep me out of one, for alot cheaper too. In my 3 years so far living independently, I've found the best care is from those with ZERO medical or nursing background, individuals I can train myself, and aren't influenced by how the nursing industry want things done. Now a nursing home costs over $100,000 a year, just give us half of that and let us hire/fire those I trust to take care of me, and I promise you Uncle Sam we will become a productive member of society more than happy to pay taxes. Proof? I'm a full time college student in my junior year pulling a 3.6gpa in Political Science.
The best legislation in Congress right now is the CLASS Act, passage of that law would GREATLY improve the quality of life for disabled Americans (including vets) and let them control their lives where the chose.
Posted by Jon D'Angelo | November 19, 2008 9:16 AM
Thanks for the education.
Posted by Tom Barnett | November 19, 2008 8:20 PM
“the way our military has been taken to the breaking point by Bush-Cheney’s mismanagement”
Which do you mean, “Bush-Cheney’s mismanagement”? How do you mean, “breaking point”? How do you see this mismanagement being the cause of this breaking point?
Posted by Gilbert Garza | November 19, 2008 10:35 PM
Gilbert: Tom writes about this all the time, but i'll try to hit some of the high points.
mismanagement: they said no more nation-building, so continued to buy for the big war. then they committed us to two occupations (no problem there) with a footprint that was too small and almost no planning for the peace. unilateralism that resulted in very few allies. still, they were unwilling to make the hard calls on expensive procurement v. buying more of the force we're actually using. combat operations funded through 'supplementals' and not on budget. didn't have the right equipment, so rush build Bs of $ of MRAPs that may end up in cold storage in Norway.
breaking point: equipment and systems used at a much higher rate than intended given the replacement plan. now we have a major problem with procurement especially WRT airlift (fixed and rotary wing). troops used up with injuries and multiple deployments. see Jon's comment above: are our returning troops, especially those who are injured, adequately provided for?) consequently, our new president (whether it had been McCain or Obama) has many fewer strategic options.
Posted by Anonymous
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November 20, 2008 6:58 AM