Our Country can't see it's own Crisis!

I was saddened to see all the pictures of Haiti. That country has been in such turmoil for so long and this catastrophe is just unimaginable. Our country ran to aid them. We sent troupes and I hear 100 million dollars worth of help. I am glad to see this type of humanitarian efforts. We may be able to provide some relief while rebuilding the infrastructure of this country. This could actually be a turning point to come out of this devastation with a positive new beginning. The loss of lives would at the least bring something good to the people who survived if the help that comes their way can truly rebuild and dramatically change the current woes of this country. With all that said I feel like our country is in denial about it's own situation. Sending all this help and money is like having your neighbor who in the midst of bankruptcy giving you a gift of money! How can we save the world if we don't save ourselves first! Why can't we look at what is going on in this country, loss of jobs and homes, corporate corruption, health care for only the lucky and rich, and loss of retirement benefits just to mention a few. We need to see our country as if it were in a crisis too. There is an email going around that really seemed to make some sense. It said that there are 40 million people over the age of 50. If the government gave each of those people one million dollars under the following conditions we could fix our own problems.
1. Must retire this would open 40 million jobs fixing the employment crisis.
2. Must buy an American made car. Auto industry fixed!
3. Must pay off mortgage or buy a house. Housing crisis fixed!
4. Every American to get the same health care coverage, health care crisis fixed
This would cost 4 trillion dollars. We spent 3 trillion to bail out the banks. Wouldn't you rather see this happen? You know that it would actually work!
Back to health care. I think it should be a right just like and education (to grade twelve) is a right in this country. Maybe we need regulation? The hospitals are making huge money while bankrupting it's clients! Isn't that somehow a humanitarian crime.

Is anyone out there listening?

Today I read in The Plain Dealer that the government is considering asking the people of the private sector to bail out the government employee retirement benefits program. Their argument was that if we don't do this, we will suffer the loss of teachers, police, firemen and city workers! If you are a government employee you should just stop reading this because you won't like what I have to say. The article went on the say that these lucky individuals retire with twice the benefits that the private sector does. They also stated that they are excluded from paying social security taxes because they have their own system and that the private employer is burdened with 6.2% in social security taxes. This alone is enough to put most people out of business. On top of all that these government employees get their own health care and it is way better than anything the private sector can even think of getting. IS EVERYONE OUT THERE CRAZY!!! We should be having another Boston Tea Party! Things have just gotten way out of perspective. We are eliminating the middle class. Do you know what happens when you eliminate the middle class? It becomes the "Haves" against the "Have nots". This whole health care debate is just that! Well I am a "have not"! I am self employed and I won't go to the doctor unless I have to because I can't afford my monthly premium to go up anymore. I don't have anything to count on but myself for retirement. I have struggled these past 4 years to keep from going under financially. I have downsized my business. While I have done everything to cut costs and be responsible the government continues to find more ways to get more money out of you! They want additional money for garbage collection, and sewer costs have gone up. If there ever was a time for the government employees to cut back it is now!!! I can't do it anymore. I am not going to bail them out. Isn't this the system that some jerk invested in a coin collection? Why do they get 88% of their regular pay when they retire early like age 48 and I have to work until death or at least 72 years of age to get a whooping $1500.00 a month which out of that I have to pay most of it to health care costs. On top of all that did you know that your Senator or Congressmen has cart blanche to travel at our expense all over the world! Yeah that's right! Say the Governor of Ohio decides he wants to go to London for a few days. He calls someone in our government who makes all arrangements for not only him but his entourage to show up first class with everything attended to as long as he schedules a meeting with some dignitary. They don't have to accomplish anything! Just have a meeting. Meanwhile they spend 1000's of our tax payers dollars having a grand old time. This has got to stop. How do you take all this away from the "haves" and start giving some back to the "have nots"? I don't know. I do know that if I was a "have" I would fight pretty hard not to lose any of it. Meanwhile "have nots" aren't fighting!! What happened to our Declaration of Independence where "all men are supposed to be equal"? I don't see equality when the government employees who have the power to vote for our benefits have a better and different set of benefits. Why should they vote on something that doesn't affect them! Why do the people that don't benefit get to make this decision? It doesn't seem right to me. The "haves" are voting if the "have nots " should have benefits like them and now they want us to bail their system out!!Is anyone out there listening? Maybe I am becoming a Socialist but this is just inhumane.