The Four Sub-Economies Inside Our Overall Economy

  To learn how to best run an economy, you do well to study its parts. If you would reform one large segment of the economy -- I speak of the health care industry -- you would do well to observe the forces at play.
   I cannot think of another industry that is so much a proxy economy. Instead of the buyer reaching into his own pocket and paying right on the spot, the money is dispensed by a third party (a proxy), it usually being either insurance or government. And, note this: The third party's pockets are hugely deeper than those of the person receiving the help.
   We could divide our economy into at least four sub sectors, dividing them by who initially pays the bill. First, there are those who have always been around, those who pull the money out of their own pockets.
  Second, there are those who pay gratis on behalf of the person receiving the product. They require no reimbursement, paying at a loss to themselves. In the health-care industry, this includes charity organizations and, largely, government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. Insurance also often fits into this category, as sometimes the money paid out is beyond what the premiums ever cover.
   Third, there are those who pay the initial bill while, though, those receiving the products eventually reimburses them. Lenders.
   Forth, there are those who pay for items they have obligation to provide to others. Landlords paying for electric bills, for example. The need to place this in a separate category comes from the recognition that it is the renter running up the bill and thus dictating how large it will be while it is the landlord who must pay out. Thus, the person paying the bill does not have full control as to how large the bill becomes.
   Thus, our overall economy is made up of proxy sub sector, a charity sub sector, a lender sub sector, and -- what shall we call the last one? -- a landlord sub sector.

The Law and Supply and Demand Says Get Rid of Insurance

    Would we to have less expensive medical bills? The prices are not going to come down as long as you are providing someone who can step in and and pay the bill regardless how high it goes. Unfortunately, insurance and government are now playing the role of sugar daddies who can afford to pay whatever prices are charged, regardless how high. Prices are only going to drop if there is not a sugar daddy to foot the bill. If medical providers cannot bill large insurance companies and cannot bill the deep pockets of government, prices will drop. If medical providers are limited to getting their money from you and I, prices will come down. It is the law of supply and demand. If the supply of money drops and the demand for the service remains, it will force prices down.

   

We Cry Out on Bended Knees

The ocean winds aren't silent
They cause the waves to roar
And winds in the forest
Rustle through the trees.

I sometimes think the winds of life
Are just a bit the same
As they blow through us
We cry out on bended knees

When Saw I Thee Hungry or Homeless? 2017 in the Salt Lake Valley

   I thought it neat of Draper Mayor Troy Walker to offer two sites in his city to house the homeless. Alas, he was forced to rescind the offer as community members responded with outrage.
   I think of the scripture that says (words to the effect), When saw I thee naked or thirsty or homeless an took the not in? The answer for communities in the Salt Lake Valley remains, 2017. And, this in the community that is headquarters of what many of us view as Christ's church. While we might not feel comfortable taking them under our very roofs, couldn't we at least take them into our community?
   When saw I thee homeless and took the not in? Can we deny that the answer is, 2017 in the Salt Lake Valley? Is the question not fair and is the answer not clear?

The Difference Between Falling and not Falling is Someone to Help You

   As I walked out of the gym tonight, I thought how making a mistake can be a catastrophe or no big deal at all, depending on whether someone is there to help you. Sometimes its a person who helps; sometimes its the Lord.
   The difference between falling and not falling is having someone to catch you, I thought, and then dismissed the though as not being very well worded.
    I got into my car and drove away. Short blocks later, as I pulled up to the corner, my car died. I looked at the gas gauge. Empty. I coasted around the corner and angled toward the curb. The car hit the curb, running up on it, and stopped. I slipped it into park, only to realize I better push it off the road better, and farther away from the corner. But, it was stuck in park. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it the gear shift to budge.
   The words echoed in my mind: The difference between falling and not falling is having someone to catch you. Those might not be profound words, but I was living them out. And, it didn't appear I had anyone to catch me. I quickly realized I had run off without my cell phone, so I couldn't call for help. And, I had left without my wallet, so I couldn't just buy a gallon of gas and be on my way. No, I was facing a long walk home and a long walk back and the likelihood my car would be ticketed by the time I got back in the middle of the night.
   As I considered on my dilemma, a small white car drove up and parked in the lot next to me. Two young men got out and asked if they could help. I thanked them much, and they jimmied with my gear shift and got it to unlock by keeping a foot on the brake while trying. Then, they asked if there was anything else they could do and I asked them for a buck for gas, and they obliged.
   As I walked across the street, I considered how I was still in a bind, not having a gas can. I said a short prayer. As I entered the 7-Eleven, I told the attendant my plight. "Just a minute," he said, and he went into the back room and got me plastic gas container.
   No sooner did I pull back onto the road than the radio announcer suggested that if I knew someone who had committed a random act of kindness, I should report it. I wished I had taken the two young men's names.
  I was soon home, arriving at about the normal get-home time, as opposed the middle of the night it would have been had I had to walk all the way home to get my wallet as I had envisioned.
   The difference between falling and not falling is having someone to catch you. I thanked the Lord for his help.

Why don't We have a Law Making this Illegal?

   We should have a law against the type of solicitation I received the other day. You've heard about this scam. The caller says he is from the IRS and wants money. News spots warn us against these solicitations.
   Here's the message I received:
   "Call is to inform you that IRS is filling lawsuit on your name because you had tried to do a fraud with the IRS Internal Revenue Service. And we are taking legal action and we got issuing an arrest warrant on your name to get more information regarding this case file. Just call us back on our department number 844-668-3972. Thank you."
   I called the police, even though I knew they wouldn't do anything.
   Then, I forwarded the message to the IRS, as that is what the police told me to do.
   Then I wrote to my congress member, Mia Love. "Good day, Mia," I wrote. "Want to sponsor a great new law? The solicitation below, in and of itself, should be illegal. If we do not have a law making such fraudulent solicitations illegal, we ought to.  Hope to hear back from you."
  Actually, it would seem we probably do have at least one law that applies. Those soliciting me said they are issuing a warrant. Isn't that impersonating a police officer?

That Which We Say of Others Often Reflects Faults of Our Own

   Those with faults often find fault. Guilt cries foul. Blame is the game when your heart is the same. Those who cannot see their own faults often will not overlook them in others.
   Perhaps I am just restating the adage taught by the Savior. "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (Matthew 7:3)
   We should consider the criticism we heap on others, and wonder whether the seeds for it come from feeling guilty about something to the point of speaking out against it. But, when we speak, we not only speak against it, but find the need to attach it to another person. That is hypocritical.
  "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5)
   That which we say of others often reflects faults that are our own. What is the saying, When you point at others, you have three fingers pointing back at you?