Bear,
Just took a quick glance; leaving tomorrow for Toronto and then Italy
conferences. Wish I had known what was to happen 6 mos ago....wouldn't be
going.

Very impressive website. Will check it out more thoroughly when I get back..
Thanks for sharing.
Peace, Love, & Light,

Vidette Todaro-Franceschi RN, PhD.
Associate Professor & Specialization Coordinator
Adult Health Advanced Practice Graduate Program
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing
Hunter College, City University of New York
425 E 25th St
New York, NY 10010
vtodaro@...

*********************************
www.energy-enigma.com

"To see that everybody not merely depends on everybody, but actually everybody
is everybody in a deeper sense."
Bohm, On Creativity, 1998.




---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:46:55 -0000
>From: "bear" <tc_spirit@...>
>Subject: [Martha_E_Rogers] An interesting week on Wall Street - Brand New PCIR
website
>To: Martha_E_Rogers@yahoogroups.com
>
> Hi Dottie, et al,
>
> First, I have been busy - brand new and deeply
> flawed website
>
> http://drtcbear.servebbs.net:81/~PCIR/
>
> If you visit you will need to refresh your browser
> on each visit
> because all the pages are being changed as I develop
> the site and, as
> usual for a bear, do so in a bass-ackward way. I
> apologize in advance
> for the enormous deficiencies in appearance and
> content.
>
> I don't have everything there that I want but I'd
> rather invite people
> to start grasping what is happening than wait 18
> months for a journal
> publishing cycles. You are correct - we do not have
> time for business
> as usual. I am sure I have ticked off a lot of
> people by being as
> blunt as I have been - but I am really scared by the
> fact that this
> election isn't a "slam-dunk".
>
> I understand your pain. At this writing the
> recalcitrant Democrats and
> Republicans, who clearly have no grasp of economic
> theory, have
> defeated the Wall Street Bailout. Shame on them
> because the impact of
> their ignorance today alone was a $1,000,000,000,000
> decline in the
> value of Wall Street holdings. When banks and
> insurance companies lose
> 99% of their value in a matter of days or weeks and
> are then bought at
> bargain basement prices the stockholders - all of us
> through mutual
> funds, stock portfolios, IRAs, retirement programs,
> etc, are hurt.
>
> Our economy has been running on empty for years.
> Unfortunately,
> despite the assumptions of laissez-faire economists,
> markets do not
> adjust painlessly over either time or space - how
> Rogerian! Companies
> that go out of business leave distressed communities
> that often do not
> recover for decades. Retirees lifelong savings, once
> lost, do not
> miraculously reappear the next day by dint of an
> "Invisible hand" -
> they are gone forever. Workers who have been
> diligent for decades
> don't get new jobs in a day or two when their
> factories and offices
> are shut down to generate a bonus for an executive -
> many workers have
> seen their skills and their jobs transferred to
> other states or
> countries, never to return.
>
> The really dangerous situation we face is that once
> the economy grinds
> to a halt, as the recalcitrant legislators seem to
> prefer, it will
> take years, maybe decades for some areas to recover.
> In the final
> analysis - our standard of living was based on hope
> and faith - not
> the inherent value of the products and services we
> produce.
>
> Are there things that can be done - yes, and I have
> been busy the last
> few days doing what little I can do. I have been
> working on a
> Professional Caregiver Insurance Risk website.
> Obviously I have a
> vested interest in all of this (I love being right).
>
> I am, over the course of the next few weeks, going
> to put as much
> material as I can so people can begin to understand
> what has been
> happening and what is about to happen in the health
> care industry and
> I encourage people to use the materials that will be
> there in class
> and in their own domains of expertise. Probably the
> quickest ways to
> grasp this stuff will be to check out my Poster
> presentations since I
> was forced to focus to produce them. Much better
> than most of my other
> efforts.
>
> We all need to realize that it isn't just Wall
> Street investment banks
> and AIG that are losing value. Our annuities,
> retirement plans, life
> health, and long term care insurance policies are
> all held by
> insurance companies that have been regulated no
> better than Wall
> Street and a lot of their assets are invested where
> - in the stock
> market, in mortgage derivatives, and other declining
> instruments. This
> is the clearest example of the interconnectedness
> and dependence of
> every person on the planet. Those who want to let
> the market correct
> itself simply have no idea what the correction is
> going to be like.
> when they are selling pencils on a corner they might
> "get it".
>
> The corporations that run all our hospitals, nursing
> homes, assisted
> living facilities, are also heavily invested in the
> stock market and
> other risky investments. We are on the precipice of
> a really scary
> time. As inflation rises dramatically we can expect
> the costs of
> providing care in hospitals and nursing homes to
> quickly exceed the
> reimbursements provided by Medicare and Medicaid - I
> won't even bother
> to discuss the declining state property tax and
> income tax revenues
> that will come with a stalled economy and the States
> finance a good
> deal of the care for Medicaid patients. So where do
> you suppose the
> companies that run our health care system are going
> to go when their
> risk laden operations need to be bailed out? The
> public trough. Just
> as with Wall Street the truth is they will have a
> great argument -
> fail to come through and they will simply shut down
> their facilities.
>
> {I am listening to Lou Dobbs as I write this - My
> god what an idiot.
> He is gleeful at the loss of a trillion dollars of
> stockholder equity
> today. He describes himself as an independent but he
> is ever more
> strident in his support of the flawed economic
> principles that have
> led us to our current morass}
>
> We do not, unfortunately, have sufficient time to
> bring the lamest
> legislators up to speed. We certainly do not have
> the time to educate
> John McCain and Sarah Palin on basic economics.
> Frankly, I wish there
> was a viable third party candidate but there isn't.
>
> bear
>
> --- In Martha_E_Rogers@yahoogroups.com, Dorothy
> Woods Smith
> <dwsmith@...> wrote:
> >
> > Bear, I have waited to read this until I could
> read and reflect. How
> > well you have focused the issues, and how
> thoughtfully you have put
> > forth your ideas. I realize this is the type of
> thinking/clarity/call
> > to action that I had hoped to hear from the
> candidates! All that, and
> > you bring nursing to the forefront as well. As I
> watch my meager
> > retirement fund shrivel up, and my private health
> care plan "merge"
> > with medicare, I feel like I am one of millions of
> Americans who are
> > feeling like a shell game is being played with
> what we now depend on.
> > Are we experiencing the loss of the middle class
> along with our other
> > losses? Not liking the idea of feeling like a
> victim, I think of
> > Elizabeth's concept of power as knowing
> participation in change.
> > Awareness, which you set forth so eloquently, is
> one key element.
> > Knowing participation in change, however, seems to
> be weak!! Choices--
> > major ones in November; and Involvement in
> Creating Change--you have
> > issued a call to be awake and participate. Can you
> suggest what one
> > person can do, alone or in concert with others
> (you, for example, on
> > this list). I look forward to hearing more! Dottie
> >
> > > Vidette, et al,
> > >
> > > I want to first acknowledge the distress you
> describe. Many good
> > > people are hurting and often through no fault
> other than believing
> > > that the people who run the country are good,
> honest, diligent people.
> > >
> > > That said, let me not mince words. While this
> may sound partisan and
> > > alarmist it is neither. What I am saying is, in
> my humble opinion, the
> > > same sort of things that Florence Nightingale
> would be saying if we
> > > were fortunate enough to have the benefit of her
> intellect, wisdom,
> > > insight, and dedication guiding our profession.
> The same people who
> > > have been asleep at the switch and who created
> the circumstances that
> > > led to the current mortgage mess weren't just
> de-constructing the
> > > mortgage sector. They were also taking the teeth
> out of pension
> > > regulation and oversight, health insurance
> regulation and oversight,
> > > healthcare regulation and oversight, defunding
> the social security
> > > system, and bankrupting Medicare, while ignoring
> the crying need for
> > > infrastructure repair and rebuilding. In nursing
> we have had too many
> > > leaders whose focus is on elevating professional
> identity and status
> > > rather than the needs of our patients. Most
> nursing care is being
> > > provided in nursing homes, assisted living
> facilities, adult family
> > > care homes, and a slew of other environments in
> which nursing
> > > leadership and presence is severely lacking.
> > >
> > > The same people who brought us where we are and
> who are now focused on
> > > money market accounts and banks, are not
> addressing the fact that our
> > > pension funds and the pension guaranty
> mechanisms, social security,
> > > medicare, and infrastructure repair are
> underfunded to the tune of
> > > many, many trillions of dollars. Our nursing
> leaders tend to be more
> > > concerned with issues such as a DSN or a PhD,
> while we abandon
> > > patients to care from certified nursing
> assistants and patient aides.
> > > We have thousands of highways, bridges, roads,
> electrical grids,
> > > communications systems, subways, commuter rail
> lines, and buildings
> > > that are crumbling because of decades of
> neglect. We face no problems
> > > from Al Qaeda that are more difficult than the
> problems we face from
> > > within.
> > >
> > > The thought that the executive branch has
> concocted a "plan" is
> > > perhaps the most frightening thing on the
> national scene. The same
> > > people who were asleep at the switch now have a
> plan to fix things. It
> > > simply reeks of "Brownie, you're doing a helluva
> job." We can,
> > > unfortunately, be sure that whatever problem
> their plan is designed to
> > > fix is nothing like the complex array of
> problems that need to be
> > > fixed. As T. Boone Pickens has said succinctly:
> "We cannot drill our
> > > way out of this mess".
> > >
> > > The fix is not a bailout of people who made
> risky investments which is
> > > the primary focus of the Executive Branch's
> "Plan", it is a dedication
> > > to what worked after the depression - rebuilding
> the country from the
> > > ground up, developing a hydrogen, solar, and
> wind based, not an oil or
> > > natural gas based, economy, and rewarding good
> business practices not
> > > short term gains resulting from manipulated
> financial statements. Lest
> > > it appear that this is a partisan view - let me
> assure you that the
> > > problem has been decades in developing. The fact
> that we wound up with
> > > the most incurious president in our nation's
> history is an effect, not
> > > a cause, of our collective drunken exuberance.
> As a nation, we clearly
> > > chose to believe that it didn't matter if we
> elected the village idiot
> > > as president in 2000 and 2004.
> > >
> > > That said, my personal assessment is that John
> McCain has not a clue
> > > about what is happening or how to correct it
> while Barack Obama has
> > > been talking about this from the start of his
> presidential campaign.
> > > Add in that Sarah Palin is the least qualified
> human being for
> > > national office that I have seen in my lifetime
> and it is clear, to me
> > > at least, that John McCain would be a disaster
> as a president. Like so
> > > many of his predecessors from both major
> political parties he seems to
> > > confuse winning an election through deception
> and distraction - the
> > > same problem with all those fudged financial
> reports - with winning
> > > because his policies and thinking processes are
> the most sound.
> > >
> > > I do not personally believe that Barack Obama is
> dramatically better
> > > qualified for the road ahead (my personal choice
> for that would be
> > > Ralph Nader but he couldn't put together a
> successful political
> > > campaign to save his life and because of that i
> think he lacks the
> > > basic skills to make a deal that will be
> critical as we move forward).
> > > But at least Barack Obama has some measure of
> curiosity, consults
> > > experts before engaging mouth, and while no less
> an ideologue than
> > > McCain, he has at least a smidgen of curiosity
> that might moderate his
> > > ideological biases while McCain and Palin appear
> to have none.
> > > McCain's entire legislative career has been an
> anti-government agenda.
> > > I have a simple axiom for this:
> > >
> > > "People who do not believe in government ought
> not run for
> > > governmental office".
> > >
> > > Sarah Palin, physically attractive as she
> clearly is, has all the
> > > intellectual depth of a wisp of smoke, and the
> notion that mismanaging
> > > the governments of Wasilla and Alaska qualifies
> her for anything more
> > > than dog catcher in a small town offends my
> delicate sensibilities to
> > > their core. She reminds me all too much of
> another, equally inadequate
> > > vice-presidential choice - Dan Quayle.
> > >
> > > What most people don't seem to realize is that
> buying shares of stock
> > > in existing companies is not investment - people
> who buy and sell
> > > shares in this way are not investing in anything
> nor are they creating
> > > anything at all - they are simply engaging in
> the same sort of
> > > investment policies as the people who inflated
> ENRON - a company that
> > > never produced anything of value.
> > >
> > > Investment, to be useful, needs to create new
> and useful industries,
> > > products and services, and spawn new jobs that
> have inherent value -
> > > it has been a long time since true investment
> has occurred in our
> > > country with the possible exception of the
> personal computer and the
> > > sad reality is that this industry was moved
> offshore immediately. We
> > > don't produce personal computers at all - the
> motherboards, hard
> > > drives, cases, power supplies, peripherals, and
> software are primarily
> > > produced in third world countries.
> > >
> > > As I have suggested with increasing confidence
> the last few years,
> > > even our health care system is going to move
> offshore - just go back
> > > to my piece on nursing in 2050... The problem
> with moving all the
> > > productivity out of the country is that we have
> what we have now - we
> > > continue to borrow to sustain our consumption
> while contributing very
> > > little. The RV manufacturing industry is a great
> example - we produce
> > > tens of thousands of RVs a year for leisure life
> styles we
> > > increasingly cannot afford.
> > >
> > > We have rewarded executives and investors who
> have created nothing at
> > > all for decades while those who have diligently
> built solid companies
> > > have been ignored because their quarterly
> reports have had sustainable
> > > returns on investment of 3 - 10%/year while
> companies like ENRON have
> > > reported unsustainable annual returns in the
> range of 100 - 1000% per
> > > year.
> > >
> > > The problems we face, and nursing and caring are
> hanging in the
> > > balance, are orders of magnitude greater than
> the problems that will
> > > be addressed by Congress and the Executive
> branch in the next weeks
> > > and months.
> > >
> > > That said - I am profoundly optimistic that a
> hydrogen based economy
> > > continues to offer us a way to improve the
> standard of living around
> > > the world that we have failed to achieve since
> Norbert Wiener's (1950)
> > > prescient book "The Human Use of Human Beings:
> Cybernetics and
> > > Society" Da Capo Press. While we are all looking
> at that we might also
> > > reflect on the core of John Nash's work which
> was beautifully
> > > summarized in a single scene from the movie -
> that cooperation, not
> > > competition, is the way forward - not Adam
> Smith's formulation of
> > > narrow self-interest. Individual winning does
> not produce optimal
> > > outcomes - sharing of success does.
> > >
> > > Much as we have all enjoyed reading the book and
> watching the movie -
> > > even Nash's winning of the Nobel Prize has not
> resulted in a
> > > fundamental change in the way we formulate
> economic theory and most
> > > certainly has not changed the way economics has
> been taught in the
> > > decades since his work.
> > >
> > > But if we want a caring profession and a caring
> society we need to
> > > wake up and see what is really going on and
> address it - not live in a
> > > fantasy land. Florence Nightingale would never
> have remained silent in
> > > the last three decades as the health care system
> was being
> > > systematically destroyed by the same sort of
> short-sighted greed that
> > > brought us the mortgage meltdown, the pension
> system inadequacies, and
> > > the most abysmal running of government since the
> crimean war.
> > >
> > > just one bear's views of course and i am sure
> there will be many who
> > > disagree with me and I heartily encourage them
> to speak their minds
> > > and address how all of this runs parallel to and
> integrative with
> > > nursing, our much beloved caring profession.
> This is not the time for
> > > thoughtful, intelligent, and caring people to be
> unduly polite. We
> > > need to exchange thoughtful perspectives not
> have abject idiots
> > > running for political office dispense
> pollyannaish quips engineered to
> > > succeed in the sound bite markets... Our
> profession and country need
> > > our informed dialogue now more than ever...
> > >
> > > For those who will, no doubt, feel that this is
> not the forum for such
> > > exchanges - I can only say that I respectfully
> and profoundly
> > > disagree.
> > >
> > > bear
> > >
> > > --- In Martha_E_Rogers@yahoogroups.com, "Vidette
> Todaro-Franceschi,
> > > RN, PhD" <vtodaro@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > It is very sad; my hubby would have jumped out
> the window this week
> > > if we didn't live in a ranch house and he is
> already in rehab for an
> > > ACL injury....
> > > > Peace, Love, & Light,
> > > >
> > > > Vidette Todaro-Franceschi RN, PhD.
> > > > Associate Professor & Specialization
> Coordinator
> > > > Adult Health Advanced Practice Graduate
> Program
> > > > Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing
> > > > Hunter College, City University of New York
> > > > 425 E 25th St
> > > > New York, NY 10010
> > > > vtodaro@
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> >
>
>