The goal of a healthcare system should not be to make people rich. It should be to make people well. Ask healthcare workers why they are leaving, and they will tell you about contracts forcing them to limit time to patient care to just minutes.

Our country is making every effort to get everyone vaccinated or at least to reach heard immunity. There have been many creative suggestions to encourage more to get vaccinated. Here is one other idea that is sure to resonate. 97% of Americans have cell phones of some kind. City governments could contract with cell phone companies to offer free phones or phones at a reduced cost to motivate or inspire more to be vaccinated. The companies could actually gain by offering phones. Most phones come with a monthly phone fee. Over a period of time, the phone cost would be covered by the monthly usage charges! This would be a win, win for everyone!

Donald Trump and his family all got their COVID-19 vaccines. Rupert Murdoch the owner of Fox News got his too. Yet he allows his entertainment hosts to push conspiracy theories against the vaccine. Who’s side are these people on?

Why is the GOP wasting so much time trying to pacify Trump, and making it appear as if he won a race he lost? This is pure insanity and the total destruction of their party.

There is a serious problem that is continuing to develop in the job market. Many companies are complaining that they can’t find workers. Companies must share the blame. A few years ago companies figured out that they could save a lot of money by doing several things. First, hire part time workers at minimum wage rather than full time. Second, reduce benefits or offer no benefits. Third, offer no guarantee of hours. If work is slow, your hours are reduced even further. Fourth, place all employees in a category called at will. They can let you go at any time without cause. Last of all, deny support for a union shop. Research will tell you companies that are hiring ful- time employees with a living wage and benefits have a waiting list of eager and qualified workers. Instead of hiring 10 part-time workers, companies should consider hiring 5 full-time employees. The part-time stuff just isn’t working for the head of the household. It is only working for students and retired folks who already have a means for surviving.

The reason so many jobs go unfilled is not because people don’t want to go to work ... it’s because they don’t want to work wearing masks.

I realized this morning that from working in a hospital throughout the pandemic, I’ve picked up a new skill I never wanted: I can tell from the other side of a closed door what kind of PPE a coworker is wearing by sound alone. I can tell if it’s a surgical mask, an n95, n95 and a face shield, or a cartridge respirator. I can tell if someone is wearing an isolation gown, too. I’ve heard and seen it so much over the last year it’s just part of the landscape. I say this because it’s incredibly depressing to me that I and other healthcare workers have sacrificed so much for all of you, to learn that a significant number of you won’t go get your vaccine. If any of you count yourselves as my friends or family, forget my name and phone number. I’ll never forgive people who have taken this crisis for granted or considered basic precautions and free vaccines to be an “infringement”. Mask up. Get your shots let’s end this already.

While the Republican focus on putting party first, I think we should focus on putting country first. I guess they’re more interested in their party surviving than our country surviving and thriving.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, we can move forward to fix what ails this country, but not before that. The love of power is the evil element that destroys everything.

For as smart as we claim to be as a species, we humans are a peculiar bunch. If we want to believe something badly enough, we will do so, regardless of evidence.

While the Republican focus on putting party first, I think we should focus on putting country first. I guess they’re more interested in their party surviving than our country surviving and thriving.

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