The 85006's latest issue with Trump

[Alan]

I do know that the Coronado neighborhood in the 85006 is getting very spendy and new people with money that don't really fit well into the area are moving in …….

Perhaps you could use your activist sideline to change the Coronado neighborhoods zoning regulations to keep people with money out or at least require the approval of a commission of activists to ensure social mobility is quashed. Some people invest lots of time and energy trying to maintain the integrity of their neighborhoods and it seems like that may be something you'd enjoy.

[LDAHL]

I have real trouble believing any collection of people outside of a really bad movie could have the degree of solidarity and like-mindedness you describe. There seems to be a degree of projection of individual thoughts and beliefs on a greater community.

[Yppej]

When my mother became a US citizen in the early 70's she had to sign a pledge that she would never accept public assistance. So when did that change?

She thought it was well worth becoming an American.

[Teacher Terry]

Now it’s 10 years.

[Tammy]

There are lots of small neighborhoods in Phoenix that are like little towns. We are a city of villages. Politics change quickly just a few miles away from a neighborhood. I see lots of community solidarity - dare I generalize here??? - especially among Hispanic communities.

Rob lives very close to the hospital where I work. We are the only public hospital in Arizona and are the safety net - we turn no one away. I’ve had patients and coworkers from dozens of countries, representing every continent except Antarctica.

I never saw such a cultural divide until I moved here. Joe Arpaio is the mirror universe opposite of Rob.

There’s lots of racism here. And classism. It hurts my soul on a daily basis.

And I’m the old rich white Woman who bought a house in the hood and I’m probably contributing to gentrification. But our house is staying pretty much the way it was 50 years ago with just some upkeep and tree planting and such.

Rob is extreme in his verbiage, I agree. He’s an activist. But in my quiet little white heart, I feel what he says. I see examples of it all the time. Yes I recognize some of the things about Rob that annoy some of you - what seems like inconsistencies etc. but he’s getting at something that needs to be exposed. Systemic racism is everywhere in this city.

Ok - I’ll stop now. Just had to speak up a little for Rob. Who I may meet in person someday.

[Tybee]

Tammy, since you are a nurse and in the health care system, what do you think ordinary non-medical citizens can do to further the cause of single payer? Is this something that folks within the system want? I ask that because I used to watch Dr Finley about the Scottish doctor, and there were interesting plot lines about how strongly the English medical system opposed National Health Care in England, back when it was coming along. Doctors were adamantly opposed, at least in the fictionalized version of events. I wonder what your thoughts and/or suggestions are.

[Teacher Terry]

Tammy, thanks for the perspective. As I noted on other threads my DIL would be dead without health insurance or 1 million in the bank. The free health insurance in Poland wouldn’t help as they couldn’t perform the surgery. A couple I was friends with both went through multiple bouts of cancer and then she got early Alzheimer’s. They had paid for home, money and health insurance yet died broke. This is not right. People who say they can pay themselves are deluded if they have too much bad luck.

[Tammy]

I guess voting is our best thing as individuals - I voted for Bernie, but then switched to Hillary. I’m pragmatic - they both had better plans for healthcare than Trump.

People who work in healthcare are all over the map politically, but those who work in my system tend to be in favor of single payer. About 80% of our patients are either Medicare Medicaid or uninsured. Other hospitals have about a 30 to 35% ratio so you can see that we are at a distinct disadvantage. But we work with Medicare and Medicaid most of the time and that’s basically a single payer model, if you think of “Medicaid expansion” or “Medicare for all” as the Way forward towards single payer.

We spend way too much time bickering with insurance companies to get payment. Remove all that bureaucracy, profit motive, etc and it would free us up to actually provide healthcare to our community. We could hire direct care providers in greater numbers and hire a lot less people in the billing office, utilization, contracts and all that.

[Tammy]

Yes - healthcare as the major path toward bankruptcy in America is ridiculous. I went to the pharmacy this week to get medication for my husband. Retail price was $621. Because my pharmacy has a contract with that company I paid $16. I don’t know why prices can fluctuate that wildly based on a simple agreement. Something is very broken.

[catherine]

Tammy, I couldn't agree more. We spend more for healthcare than any other developed nation, yet our health outcomes don't indicate that we are getting more value--in fact we get less. I also agree with what Rob said about decoupling insurance from employers. I'm always surprised that fiscal Republicans aren't more supportive of non-employer-based single payer healthcare, because it would be much more efficient and cost effective, and it would free employees to be more entrepreneurial--they wouldn't be afraid to lose their golden handcuffs of health insurance.