May 26, 2011
The downturn in our economic situation has special force on a retireee like me. I, a widow of 85, taught for some 40 years and teachers’ retirements funds are not very high. Now I face a probably long life -- parents lived into the ninety’s -- and my retirement has shrunk. MEANWHILE, I HAVE TO PAY HIGHER AND HIGHER RATES at my assisted living facility. Fortunately Medicare helped me navigate my husband’s long illness and death. Some people in this place are talking about the possibility of suicide, which is hard to do successfully.
It is irresponsible for Congress to make the changes in Medicare that one party wants to without a serious study of probable population trends, and expected or possible changes in Medical care. We expect more thoughtful and humane analysis than we are getting from our Dongress persons.
One way to change the incentives so Wall Street doesn’t collapse our economy again would be for regulators to set up a way for shareholders to grab back ill-gotten gains.
If it turns out that the profits in a given year were built on shoddy practices that become clear in the out-years, those bonus payments should be forfeited.
Thank you for considering my comment,
Helen Corneli
Santa Fe, NM