Posted by mikehaney (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow! Very good article.

Posted by bklibrary (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 1:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt how would you like to live where you have no highways, no lawenforcement, no schools, no postal service, no communication, no dams to control river flow, no military to fend off enemies, no town council, no trustees, and no orgainization of any watchdog overseer? It seems to me that if you had to live in a society where your family comes last and the corporation you work for tells you that on your day off stay outside the door so when you are needed without pay, they can get you whenever they need you to work or better yet maybe you have a funeral to go to and your boss will not let you go. The company comes first and your children your wife and you come last even though we have this today anyway. A society with selfishness like we have now will not survive. This article is just a typically narrow way of thinking. Just think where would we be as a nation if the conservatives would get there way which they almost have which is why we are in the shape we are in with having . 8 years Bushie, 8years, Bushie no.1, Reagan 8 years, Congressional majority Conservative 12 years, Nixon 8 years, Carter from the South 4 years, and Clinton from the south 8 years. When I say the south there is no differnence between a Southern Democrat and a Northern Conservative. You do the math and those years will be considered the lean years fifty years from now. Also Fifty years from now ther will be many books written about how the healthcare system much like the oil industry broke our nation. Matt your article is a smell of selflessness and obtuse thinking.

Posted by bklibrary (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I think Matt if you used the word steal it would be more appropriate when it comes to your type of thinking. It is ok for Capitalism to steal with high prices and corporate welfare. I do not think the government owes me or anyone else a living but they do have to make sure if we pay taxes that we can live freely in a country. I like to work but at the same time I like to be able to pay my insurance, house, life, automobile, and health. These insurances have skyrocketed not to mention the price gouging of the banks, grocery stores, utilities,, clean water all of these have sky rocketed thru the years. I do not expect the government to support me but what I do expect is not to be robbed and raped. Conservatism stinks especially right now it is a truly failed policy. Just like the Contract with America nothing but an entrepueneur's dream. The contract with America gave back state block grants and now look where the states are at. They are broke! Conservatism another failure.

Posted by bklibrary (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 2:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt your article is an insult to the community! Mike Haney you are an insult for agreeing with him.

Posted by bklibrary (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 2:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ATTENTION All Ironton Churches you now have been declared by Matt to feed all of Lawrence County's Hungry. He said, he was sure they could handle it.

Posted by bklibrary (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"The origins of helping the poor and hungry began with the church, and with most communities having churches on nearly every corner in town, there should be no need for a politician in Washington to worry about a hungry child in Ironton."

Matt Meritor

Matt I can agree only with a few of your suggestions that being, our young people need to be able to provide for themselves. They have got to be able to be creative, have good work ethic, and have some hope instead of working for a job with minimum wage to try and provide for a family. But they need a boost and that would be vocational training or an education and how can they pay for it without help?

Posted by mickakers (John Michael Akers) on March 4, 2010 at 7:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I find Matt Meritor opinion materialistic and self centered, from the head rather than from the heart. It is not only the Church that should be concerned with the betterment of society but all of society including the respective governments. They both have a moral responsibility to respond to the needs of all men. No Man Should Be Left Behind!!!. In fact, we all have a moral responsibility of concern and care for our fellow man. I really find this article infantile, self-centered and uncaring.

Posted by keta (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 8:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt forgot to rhapsodize about the "thousand points of light", all the generous souls who were going to care for America's sick and poor. How'd that work out for you, sick and poor people? Really? I'm sorry to hear that. The tired old idea that government is bad, that it keeps people from realizing their dreams, is nonsense. Being governed by people who hate the government has yielded some really ugly results recently. Regulation is bad, free markets are good, except when we lost trillions in pensions and savings and home values when Wall Street became a casino. No public option! makes sense, except insurance premiums higher than your mortgage payment isn't so good, and millions of uninsured looks kind of bad, and insurance companies that post big profits by dropping people who have the poor judgement to get sick seems kind of harsh. The above is a gracefully written letter, but pretty much fact-free.

Posted by crackerjack (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Great article!

Posted by mikehaney (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 8:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Darn good article Matt!
Though the grasshoppers are knocking on your door.

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 8:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Mr. Akers, to say that it is infantile to believe that people should be self-sufficent, rather than depending on the system to support them is strange. I share in your belief that no man should be left behind, and I do not believe it is up to the church solely to carry the burden of the needy. I am convicted though that the Federal government has no reason to be in the charity business. If a community can not support it's poverty, then county agencies should be available. If these agencies are unable to handle the demand, State agencies should be readily available. This small government approach is not anti-government, for in me you will find no larger advocate for the federal government. I am continuously disappointed by society looking to Washington for the answers to their struggles.

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 9:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Keta, I will admit that I am very uninformed of the history or character of Wall Street, because as a graduate from a local high school within the last decade I was never taught a single lesson on Wall Street, trade, stock, or even investment principles. From my own studies though I believe I have learned this much; investing is a gamble. If you put money in today and was promised that atleast that much would be there in a year, maybe even more, would it not be easier to go to a local bank? If in 1995 I had stock worth $5k, and in 2005 it grew to $30k, if I cashed out would I be abusing the system? Would wall street be the enemy if I made $25k off my investment? When did Americans quit buying homes to raise their families in and grow old with, and start using them as investments to flip towards their mega homes in gated communities? I'm sorry if I don't feel sorry for people who lost market value on their homes, maybe they should be taught the difference between a house and home, any local craft store should be able to provide them with a decorative sign stating the difference.

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 9:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe I will sound young and dumb by this statement, but the fantastic part about the show "Dirty Jobs" is that more often than not the small business owner is the star of the show. I love knowing the fabric of the national workforce still includes local farmers, septic cleaners, trash collectors, and other needed industries. The beautiful part of the small business is an American waking up every day doing their part to be self-sufficient, discovering a need and providing the service or product to fit that need. How sad of a day it is when this generation quits looking to their own talents or abilities to solve their problem, and instead looks to Washington for their bail out. If the only way to eat is to hunt, we will hunt, but if we know in the morning welfare will arrive, why strive tonight to fill the need? Asking the government to fix insurance, wall street, or the hospital bill, is asking everyone to do their part, and anyone who has ever joined a team knows this is not possible 99.9% of the time. We must discover that generations rose to greatness without a massive government, yet we choose the path of requiring Washington to fix the mistakes and protect us from the consequences of the problems we all have contributed to.

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 10:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt,

A lot of nurses are indeed union, and do work within the same wage scale.

Also, the "common man" DOES pay for others' medical care. If you have health insurance right now, be sure that you are paying for those who can't. Increased care costs are passed on to those of us who do have coverage, and, in turn, the insurance companies raise premiums to keep profits well above the expenditures for growing medical costs....

Every American has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What isn't discussed is the means by which this is accomplished. How does someone who is deathly, yet curabley ill, obtain that right to life? Is there exclusions to that policy? Only if you can pay?

I would be ashamed as a human, a christian, and a moral person to think that cost outweighed the right to life.

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 10:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Jon, how many cases on a daily basis do you think fit the criteria that you just proposed? 1 in 20, 1 in 100, 1 in 1000? I mean compared to the kid the with sneeze, the man with alcohol poisoning, the lady who's oxygen level is too low due to poor physical health or tobacco use? I am confident to say that the outrageous medical expenses we face was barely affected by the situation you spelled out. If this was the case I believe ICU would have waiting periods and CAO clinics would have no reason to exist. I work with co-workers every day who pass on health care coverage yet they spend thousands on beer, tobacco, four wheelers, and other exciting ventures yearly. If you want regulations from Washington then I suggest this regulation: Set a criteria for health care coverage, say a yearly salary per census results. If you fall below that salary you are pro-rated health care coverage, If you are above the allowed income and do not accept coverage but require medical treatment you can not afford, all assests become the property of the facility until your debt is paid in full. This would require citizens to seek more afforable coverage, it would cause competition in the medical market, and it would cause citizens to self-treat common colds and other OTC illnesses. Is this perfect, of course not. I am certain there will be tons of negative thoughts on this, but is it any more broken or unfair than our current system? Society wants to be a dollar oriented and driven nation as long as it is fair to them, when the system collects all of a sudden it is unjust and illegal!

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 4, 2010 at 11:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

At what point in history did we begin accumulating debts we never intended to pay? Why do we have 3rd generation welfare or SSI collectors? In what other society would it be possible for a married couple who both collect SSI to parent children, who in turn collect a type of disability or welfare income, and then parent another generation? Should part of the decision making of having children be "Can I afford to raise this child 18 years without Washington or KDMC paying his medical expenses?" I love the quote "In America we have a RIGHT to succeed, but we also have a RIGHT to fail." We must start making decisions based on the reality of today, not the hope of tomorrow. We can no longer afford to fund the failed hopes of yesterday due to failure to plan or lack of effort. This country can not continue to reward those who lack ambition, motivation, or a desire to be something better tomorrow than they are today. Our land is known for compassion, care, love, strength, and support of those less fortunate (i.e., the public driven haiti relief efforts), and I truly believe those things will never change, which is why I did not address them in my letter.

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt,

How many cases does it take to constitute a change? And by cases, I mean unnecessary deaths. DEATH. How many lives does it take to make something happen? Need to be measured in millions? Thousands? You tell me. I already know my answer.

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Also, your flowery view of people "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps" is just a wonderful utopia, isn't it? However, those septic tank cleaners, etc, have no health coverage. They can't afford it. And if they were to have a heart attack? Goodbye house (or home, whichever you prefer) Goodbye Car. Goodbye dignity. But hey, they can start over, right? Its easy, right? Right? Oh, guess not.

One major medical catastrophe can break a person financially, as well as emotionally. You may never get off that hamster wheel. And most of corporate America wants it that way. Keep you running, maybe allowing you to slow down a bit, but never jump off! Its the only way they can bleed you dry of what the government doesn't already get.

Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Those septic tank cleaners Jon, are those the one's who dropped out of high school because they would have rather been partying?

Why is it our responsibility to pay for their health care? They are the ones who took those low paying jobs. My sister-in-law had a low paying job. Guess what, she took college courses at night and now she's a nurse. I've got co-workers whose sons graduated high school and took trucking jobs making over $50,000 a year. Why is it that we constantly hear radio ads from trucking companies looking for more people to work for them? There are some who even offer to send people to trucking school.

Here you go Jon, send this to your septic cleaner friends:

There has never been a better time to begin a career in the trucking industry. Truck Drivers are in high demand which means pay will keep rising to attract New Truck Drivers. You are on you way to one of the most rewarding careers in the U.S. ...
Once again I have to remind you that there is a high demand for drivers take your time and you can find companies willing to pay for truck driver training. We have many right here on this site willing to do just that. Free truck driver training is just a click away.
http://www.mytruckdriverjobs.com/School....

P.S. Jon... Most trucking companies pay for health insurance

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wrong again Noesis. Most trucking companies hire their drivers as independent contractors, making the driver responsible for their own health coverage. There are also a slew of websites devoted to insurance for truckers.

And, instaed of telling people to "go to school" "get a better job" How about paying a living wage in the job they have now? If everyone did this, who would work those jobs no one else wants? Would we start paying illegal immigrants to work those jobs for $30 an hour?

Posted by crackerjack (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 2:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt...your response is right on the money. There will always be those who advocate, defend and encourage that people who have earned what they have to not only be responsible for their own well being but also for those who have never wanted a better life. Anyone can go to college, trade school or a community college if they want it bad enough. The key word is "want". But why should they when they can sit home and their biggest decision of the day is what shoes to wear to the mailbox.

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 4:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Jon, I am tempted to go after you personally, as you have continued to suggest that the reforms I support are automatic deaths to those less fortunate. Only in American is the lack of personal responsibility a "disability" or a "condition". Was it hard for you to go through medical school without any tuition help, and then turn around and volunteer all of your services in disease ravaged countries? I can not imagine how hard it must have been for you to leave that country to fly into to Haiti to donate all of your time and service to the sufferage there. What, you mean those are not things you have done?! You mean to tell me while people are dying of treatable conditions like lack of water and starvation, you are online discussing how you are too moral to allow just 1 innocent life lost?! If I have a heart attack tomorrow, I pray my parents and in-laws do not mortgage their homes to pay my health bill, because I do not want my misfortune to destroy their lives. Yet every day millions of people place their burdens on the shoulders of society. I do not disagree that any life at any given time is worth what ever the cost, but if America truly believed that fiscally, not only would we be completely bankrupt, we would have 200ft walls around N.Orleans, and sprinkler systems all over California. Not sure how small government thinking got me called an activist for poverty killers, but oh well.

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 9:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pay a living wage for their current job? You are 100% right, except it is impossible to pay prevailing wage at fast food establishments. If you take just that industry for example, are you prepared to pay for $7 burgers, $4 fries, $10 value meals? How much of a yearly increase would that cause on your food budget? What if you are a eldery couple on a fixed income, now forced to triple your expenses at Wendy's 3 nights a week? Jon, I pray at some point you get your liberal cake and eat it too, but please don't screw up the rest of the nation with your entitlement doctrine. We do not have million dollar birth rights, we earn what we have, so I will pass on your entitlement theory.

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 5, 2010 at 10:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Its such a shame when youth is wasted on naivety. Good luck with your corporate welfare. Sadly enough for your pitiful little theory Matt, I actually took a lower paying job to offer free medical services to impoverished communities in our area, up to a 150 mile radius. So attack me personally. I'm ready for it.

The only reason my burger price would go up is so that stockholders could continue to increase their dividends, and CEO's could continue to get multi million dollar bonuses.

So young, and so much to learn. Sigh.

Posted by mickakers (John Michael Akers) on March 5, 2010 at 11:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt; Thank you for your reply to my comment and explaining your position on small local government. This is definitely something to think about. The article "America can overcome obstacles facing nation" by; Tony Burge Jr., I thought was excellent and right on the money, full of care and concern, neither to far left or right but seeking justice and truth for the betterment of all Americans.

Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on March 7, 2010 at 5:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Giving everybody $30 bucks an hour... what a stupid idea... Matt, you didn't take it far enough... Everything would go up, not just fast food. Lawn care, groceries, gas, the cost to build a house, medical services... pretty soon with the inflation this would cost, his $30/hr paycheck would be worth... about $10/hr...

And of course, how many jobs would this cost since a lot of overseas products would be way cheaper to purchase.

Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on March 7, 2010 at 5:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh and Jon... I think that Matt is way more "learned" than you are... even at his young age. It appears that he knows how the real world operates. he doesn't live in a fantasy world.

The only reason my burger price would go up is so that stockholders could continue to increase their dividends, and CEO's could continue to get multi million dollar bonuses.
------------------------

Hey, my name is Jonferguson!!! I want to borrow money from you to start a business!! I would like to borrow $400,000! Yes, I know that my business could fail and you could lose all your money. How much could you make from your investment? Well, nothing. I don't plan on making a profit. How am I going to pay you back? Why would you want to get paid back? What are you, some sort of evil capitalist?

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 8, 2010 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hello, my name is Noesis (Not really, but I'm scared),

I really wish you could afford to go to college, so I wouldn't have to pay your way through life. However, you certainly shouldn't be making a liveable wage by flipping burgers. You have to stay poor so I can have cheap burgers from the very establishment that you work in.
Oh, and its a shame you can't get healthcare because you are already pregnant. But you don't deserve health care coverage, because then my cost may go up a few dollars.
I'm sorry sir. I know you are 95, but we are done paying for your care. You must die now. You have become too expensive.

Hey look! Its Bill Gates! Hi Bill! Remember me? I sent you all those letters of my blogs in support of your wealth! What? You don't remember me? But Bill, I thought you would pass along some of that wealth....of course....sorry Mr. Gates, sir....

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 8, 2010 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Noesis,

Just because this guy is as irrelavant and ignorant as you, doesn't make him "learned."

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 8, 2010 at 9:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Who said anything about giving people $30 an hour? Another B.S. feeding frenzy.

If you are going to make stuff up Noesis, try to at least be somewhat accurate.

Posted by mattmeritor (anonymous) on March 9, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Jon, I am so thankful that you made the post acting as Noesis, because it shows a true aspect of your thinking. Your statement about not insuring people because of increased cost of the current policy holder. "..my cost may go up a few dollars." A FEW dollars?! You speak of BS feeding frenzies, yet you make a statement like that. If it is just a few dollars, I am willing to cover it for all of the Tribune subscribers, maybe even the county! Also, indicating that because someone wrote letters of support on a blog that they would hope Mr. Gates to share his wealth with them, wow, spoken like a true entitlement-believer liberal. I love the thought of "I supported you with buying a computer program 10 years ago, I deserve part of your wealth!" I have never understood how progressive thinkers rationalize entitlement. If I buy a product from someone, and that product meets my needs, then my reward for my purchase is my need being met, and that is where the transaction ends. This generation can not continue to believe we are somehow deserving of an award for keeping a company in business, or because we pay taxes we should never face a struggle without Washington getting involved. Obviously you were pretending to speak of Noesis, so I am sure you will say those were not your thoughts, but the issue is that Noesis, and people like them could never think the way you just wrote. Fundamental principles prohibt people from thinking they deserve something for nothing, so all I can conclude is that your mind rationalized these thoughts as actual options, when it is impossible for a rationalist to think this way.

Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on March 9, 2010 at 2:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Posted by jonferguson Who said anything about giving people $30 an hour? Another B.S. feeding frenzy.

If you are going to make stuff up Noesis, try to at least be somewhat accurate.
-----------

Jeez Jon.... Alzheimers already??? At your age?

Posted by jonferguson on March 5, 2010 at 1:55 p.m.
... And, instaed of telling people to "go to school" "get a better job" How about paying a living wage in the job they have now? If everyone did this, who would work those jobs no one else wants? Would we start paying illegal immigrants to work those jobs for $30 an hour?

Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on March 9, 2010 at 2:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Wrong again Noesis. Most trucking companies hire their drivers as independent contractors, making the driver responsible for their own health coverage.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Making stuff up again Jon? How do you know that most hires are independent contractors? It is true that independent drivers have to pay their own health insurance BUT, they are paid more than people who don't own their own rig.

Pay is percentage of load 22-25% depending on experience. Home daily, day (work 10-12 hr days), off 1.5 to 2 days per week, usually on the weekends but may vary. Average gross is around $800-$900 per week. $1000 sign on bonus and free health insurance.
http://www.truckinjobs.com/

Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on March 9, 2010 at 2:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt... yes, liberals like Jon believe that other people should have the privilege of paying them their hard earned money...

This lady, Peggy Joseph thinks Barack Obama will pay for her gas, mortgage, and who knows what else.
This is the typical liberal mindset:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU4MlL7yn...

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 9, 2010 at 8:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Matt,

The "point" (which seems to be pointLESS with you people) is that you are a bunch of underlings, serving a corporate Lord, thinking they have your best interests at heart. You're both idiots if you think so, point blank.

Noesis,

Sarah Palin admitted to going to Canada for healthcare while she was in Alaska. So is this the "typical conservative mindset?"

My quote was, if noone does the jobs for penny-change, how are they going to get done? Eventually, you would have to pay someone a ridiculous amount of money to do the jobs you think shouldn't earn, at least, a liveable wage. But, again, the king of crap, twists words to his favor.

Grow up, Get on, or get the hell out of the way.

Posted by jonferguson (anonymous) on March 9, 2010 at 9:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You say big Government causes dependency. I see the truth...Big Business causes dependency. Here's some reading for you:

http://www.faireconomy.org/files/executi...

Posted by Noesis (anonymous) on March 10, 2010 at 11:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sarah Palin admitted to going to Canada for healthcare while she was in Alaska. So is this the "typical conservative mindset?"
----------------------

How old was she when she went? Seven? And wasn't it her parents who took her? Weren't they teachers? Maybe that explains it.