Mammon category archive
The Vacuum, Going Viral Dept. 0
The San Francisco Chronicle’s John Diaz states what COVID-19 has made even more obvious, obvious at least to those outside the Fox News/AM talk radio bubble. A nugget (emphasis added):
The president of the United States has been trying to hoodwink us from the start as if we were just another group of suckers being pitched on one of his properties. This time, however, the Trumpian snake oil was at a severe cost to our health, our jobs and our 401(k) balances.
Follow the link for the rest.
Bait and Switch 0
What happens if you are ill and get unknowingly referred to an “out of network” health care provider?
Why, you get to shake the fee hand of the market.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
At The Seattle Times, Ev Ehrlich recalls the optimism that accompanied the creation and early growth of the internet, the belief that it would become, in Al Gore’s words, the “information superhighway.” He argues that the reality is less than optimal, if not downright dystopian. A snippet (emphasis added):
Practice Precautions–Updated 0
He left one out: Scrub away whataboutism.
Aside:
We went out for Sunday breakfast at our usual haunt, then dropped by the near-by Aldi for some odds and ends. It’s good thing we weren’t shopping for toilet paper; the shelves were bare. Frankly, I don’t get it, I don’t get it at all.
In related news, I recommend this story about a hand sanitizer profiteer. His explanation of how he’s really really not price gouging, but rather is performing an essential public service, is just too self-serving darling for words!
Addendum, the Next Day:
Mr. Essential Public Service has chosen to donate his hoard of health supplies in the light of the less than favorable publicity.
(Misplet wrod correxted.)
The Medicine Show, One More Time 0
New York State has issued a cease and desist order to stop televangelist Jim Bakker from selling magic snake oil reputed to combat coronavirus.
Apparently, it’s been found to be a grift of God.
The Abandoned 0
Alternet reports on the growing incidence of deaths of working class American from suicide, alcoholism, and substance abuse and suggests that they are symptoms of a larger sense of despair from having been left behind abandoned by the economy, even as the rich get richer and richer. Here’s a bit; follow the link for the rest.
To make matters worse, Leonhardt and Thompson assert, the U.S. suffers from “by far the world’s most expensive health care system”— which “acts as a tax on workers” and “fails to keep many people healthy” either physically or mentally.
Health Care in a Health Scare 0
David discusses the financial implications facing individuals as regards coronavirus testing and treatment in our predatory for profit health care system.
How Stuff Works, Gypsy-Cabs-with-an-App Dept. 0
At NJ.com, Edward Escobar explains the con behind the gagged “gig” economy. A nugget:
Hoist on the Elmer Gantry 0
Keith Franklin, in a letter to the editor of The Roanoke Times, exposes the con.
Marketing Moments 0
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Aside:
The other day as I was driving to a local recycling center, I stumbled over our local R&B station and decided to listen a bit.
I heard a Bloomberg ad clearly directed at the expected demographic of an R&B station’s audience. I totally get (as the kids say) this cartoon; the ad was warm with smarm.
Image via Job’s Anger.
Fly the Fiendly Skies 0
NJ.com’s Jerry Schneider is reclined (figuratively) to give Delta’s CEO a lecture.
Paying the Health Care Ransom 0
In The Denver Post, Colorado Lieutenant Governor Diane Primavera explores the high cost of American health care and argues that it really doesn’t have much to do with the cost of caring for persons’ health. A snippet:
(snip)
So if all the money we spend on health care isn’t making us healthier, then where is all the money actually going?
The short answer is that it’s going to the middlemen — insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals — whose business model is to act as a tollbooth standing in between patients and caregivers like doctors and nurses.
Follow the link for her evidence.
And, in related news . . . .