Insane Behavior

 

History repeats as man repeats his behavior again and again.  In other words,  Homo sapiens craziness continues regardless of century, socioeconomic, educational, religious, motive or political system.  The October 30, 2022 edition of The New York Times had three different articles titled ""Suicide Attempts Amid Cruelty in  Louisiana Juvenile Detention" taking place currently; "Before Salem"   in 1650 and When  Nazi Ideology Came to Long Island "  In 1930.  This essay illustrates man's  insane  behavior.

In 1650 the conditions in " Springfield, Massachusetts"  were characterized by years of bad crops, Indian conflict, tornadoes, hail,  extreme cold, soaring heat , drought with poor nutrition .  Needless to say, these were conditions of deterioration.  Most were in despair at that time, which included parents and children.  However, the leader of the  community was a wealthy WASP,  entrepreneur, an amateur theologian and immigrant. He  was  able to buy property and become the ruling magistrate over those who worked it.  Everyone in the town was beholden to this tyrant for their existence.  They owed him for everything.  Strips of land, goods from the general store, tools, cloth, sugar, spices, gunpowder ,medicines, as well as wheat, maze and meat. He made everything possible for a price.

These  unfortunates left England to come to a "new" land to start a different ruling class inhabited by natives whom they called savages. Was that an example of rational decision making ? Were conditions so terrible back in England that they would head out across the ocean ?  There was nothing new about the land nor the conditions of cold, heat, and  cold etc. The growing  of crops is hard work, regardless. Was pursuing religious liberty their primary motive ?  Well, that should be debated.  They were running from something.

In any event, their religious thinking was primitive as was the supernatural belief in  witches.  However, these unhappy individuals easily called a male or female  a  witch without evidence.  One could say there were dangers of isolation, religious extremism, falsities,  and lapses in morality. This craziness  was not unique in colonial America , but also took place. in Europe.  In any event, people were burned and hanged , suggesting sadomasochistic behavior by this "civilized" group.  It wasn't until 1957 , that a park was dedicated in Salem, Massachusetts because  of an act passed by the Massachusetts legislature absolving individuals or victims of the Salem trials. A civilized act 300 years later ? American madness  displayed.

The second article showed a picture of  Americans in a camp in the 1930s in Long Island giving the Nazi salute. There was also a picture of Hitler Street.   This German-American Bund pro-Nazi organization was located in  Yaphank, NY. It had its young participants, swimming, hiking competing in archery  dances  as well absorbing Nazi ideology.  This retreat was 60 miles from Manhattan.  This camp was closed when the United States entered World War II in 1941.    Other streets were named Goebbels and  Goering, Only buyers who could prove they were of German  ancestry  could purchase property at that location  . That  stood until 2017.

These crazy totalitarian beliefs were not about American democracy, freedom or the constitution, but pertain to WASP hate and consensus.  My group is good and your group is evil.  So what if we should take over the world with hate and destruction and follow a madman like Hitler.  Just follow the leader.  Sure there was an economic depression during the time but not all succumbed to attempts to get on their knees to this ideology.  Oh yeah, how many Germans were interned during World War II like the Japanese?   The madness was less than 100 years ago and continues to repeat itself. Craziness must be a First and Second Amendment right.

The third article takes place in Louisiana, that wonderful state with its revolting statistics on  Covid -19 death, poverty,  mental and physical sickness, and educational rankings  Even Brett Favre was in the act for exploiting money for a volleyball building.

 A juvenile detention facility was built in 1993. Of these captive  kids, ¾ are Black.  There were 64 suicide attempts in 2019- 2020.  Sexual abuse, rape, physical abuse and isolating kids were other examples of juvenile sadism.  There's an irrelevant  law in Louisiana restricting isolation  , Staff and the power structure  have  been above the law without consequences.  At the moment, leaders in power  "You can't believe what these kids say." Who is crazy? These adults are deranged.

The facility has received special funds without any oversight. The political and the legal system seem to be part of the problem as these allegations are not new.  They falsify records and  do not monitor kids' in isolation properly.  The WASP power structure controls the funds for this center .

 Stanley Milgram's  classic research on obedience at Yale University comes to mind regarding man’s inhumanity to man.  In his study, 40 males participated and were told that this research had to do with learning and memory.  These 40 were designated as "teachers" as they controlled the device, increasing "electricity" to a confederate  hooked up to an electric chair in another room.  The confederate gave each teacher  one correct response and three incorrect responses.  For each incorrect response, the teacher was instructed to increase the voltage lever.  When the voltage lever reached 300, the confederate in the other room screamed and made loud noises as if  in pain.  65% of these teachers increased the voltage  regardless of the noise in the other room.  However, these teachers increased the lever ,in  conflict, Their tension was apparent as indicated by perspiration, biting  lips, digging fingernails into the fingers, etc. Yes, these teachers were  obedient but in conflict . They did not express sadomasochistic character tendencies.  However, this study demonstrated that males can and do exhibit  irrational sadistic  behaviors. Even being In conflict, sadly these individuals continued to inflict “pain”   as they justified with rationalization  their cruel actions toward others. Do what you're  told even if it’s crazy. Humans have the  ability to  rationalize and justify insane behavior irrespective of moral reasoning . Yes,the confederate wasn’t electrically shocked, but the teachers were under the illusion that they were shocking another human.

Phillip  Zimbardo, another researcher, had his Stanford students become guards  over other “incarcerated”  student prisoners.  The purpose of his research was to study the behavior of normal people in a particular situation or a "mock" prison.  In the research, the individuals selected as prisoners were unknowingly arrested beforehand by the police department for fictitious crimes . They were fingerprinted, photographed and underwent typical police arrest behavior.  They were then  blindfolded and taken to the Stanford "prison."  There, they were stripped of their clothes and underwent a sanitary delousing procedure. The experiment was supposed to go on  for two weeks. But after a few days, five of the prisoners experienced mental distress such as depression, crying  and acute anxiety.  After only six days, all the remaining prisoners were released as the experiment ended. About a  third of the guards seemed to enjoy the extreme control and power they had over the prisoners.  Did the behavior of these guards exhibit a sadistic character? Researchers said no as the guards underwent psychological testing. The testing results did not find sadistic predispositions. Were these tests valid?  Were these guards sadistically motivated  and did they enjoy their  cruelty and harassment ?

It should be clear that people  engage in sadistic behaviors.  However, that does not mean that they have a sadistic character .  In other words, it takes a skilled clinician to evaluate the presence of a sadistic character diagnosis. 

Homo sapiens throughout history have had no difficulty expressing crazy inhumanity towards fellow man.  Man  behaves sadistically and irrational towards himself and others regardless of frustration, revenge ,jealousy, insecurity or being drunk.  Poverty, physical or mental illness seem to be at times, irrelevant motives.  Man biologically and psychologically fights for “survival.  “ Regardless, love becomes hate and objects are found for expression of unbalanced hate .  It's not surprising that cruelty, irrationality, prejudice and hate are significantly part of man’s crazy history. The problem is  with man’s design . If man is In God's image ,then God is flawed also.  As Gandhi said, "an eye for an eye will only make the world blind."

PS

A poll by the Public Religion Research  Institute in 2021 found that almost 1/4 of Republicans agreed that "the government, media and financial worlds in the United States are controlled by a group of Satan worshiping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation."

Reference

Milgram, S.  1963.  "Behavioral Study of Obedience."  Journal of Abnormal  and Social Psychology. 

Zimbardo, P.  1972.  "Pathology of Imprisonment ."  Trans- Action. 9 April.

Russ Kiernan

 

 I was saddened when Tony and I talked last week about  Russ Kiernan’s passing.  More bad news -death.  On the positive, Russ was instrumental in my first Ride and Tie experience.  I had the horse and all I needed was a human partner. Curt Riffle teamed me up with Russ for the Quicksilver event.  I don't remember, prior to the event, knowing anything about Russ.  He was tall, thin and athletic looking when we met.  He told me that I should start out on my horse, I now know why, and he would meet my horse and later catch me on the trail.  That sounded reasonable. That first time was a hand tie  on the left side of the trail.  I dismounted ,handed the reins to Robert and started up the trail. Within seconds there was Russ and my horse Running Bear. There have been one or two more exchanges before the Vet check.  Russ took the horse in and I was going to take my horse through the vet check .  I didn’t see Russ again until the finish line.  We came in seventh overall and I was certainly refreshed.  Thinking about it , at the time, this was not  difficult.  Yes, Russ  ran the entire second half of the race out ahead.  Anyway,this neophyte was hooked. What a fun sport, even though I knew nothing about long-distance running; training for  hill work; nutrition; hydration; running gear; or strategy at that time. 

My second  ride and tie event was the championship held in the Fort Bragg area.  This time Curt set me up with Paul Robinson.  immediately after introduction, Paul said” this time it's not going to be so easy.  I have to run, you're going to have to run. “ It wasn't till the end of that event that I realized that the Quicksilver event was a fluke because I had a phenomenal running partner. My aching body, the next morning, told me that  the sport was extremely difficult to say the least. But, what a blast.

Russ was the third team member to have passed.  The deaths and losses really suck, and continue to hurt. I eventually found out about Russ and his accomplishments when I interviewed him for "It Has Nothing to Do With Age."  Like most stories of exceptional individuals, there's a history of ups and downs.  Russ came from a working class family and they moved from Oakland to San Francisco.  Academics in high school were not his strong suit.  Fortunately, Russ had an older brother Don whom he admired and who took care of him.  Russ was rudderless , but thanks to Don, he enrolled at the community college .  Don  was also instrumental in directing Russ into elementary education as a major.

Within executive ego functioning, Russ’s ego strength was weak.  He was irresponsible and drank too much during his early 20s, even though  married.  Tragically, he lost his alcoholic father in a fire and his wife in the same year -1966.  It wasn't until about three years later that his decision-making became more realistic.  His first introduction to running  was the historic Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco when he rode his bicycle keeping up with the five-time winner Kenny Moore.  In Marin, Russ started running and found mentors along the way.  In fact, Marin has the Dipsea race, another longtime illustrious event only surpassed by the Boston Marathon in longevity.  Russ met the Dipsea Demon and they became great friends.

Ross's executive ego functioning became apparent in his approach to that event, with its 671 stairs that lead up to the side of Mount Tamalpais and finishing at Stinson Beach .  Russ broke down the distances on the spreadsheet dividing up sections of distance with pace times per distance.  He pretty much knew what  pace to run, in order  to become a winner.  In essence, Russ used his memory, planning, prioritizing, organizing, managing time and defining and achieving his goal efficiently and productively.  Russ was a three-time winner and 11 time winner of the Double Dipsea putting him in the Hall of Fame.  He is the Dipsea Legend.

On a more humorous note, Tony, Russ and I were having lunch in Marin one Saturday when  Russ told us about the time that his friend Warren Hellman ( also passed) introduced him to "Diane's husband."  That man was married to Dianne Feinstein, a personal friend of Warren.  The sad part is that there are so many good memories from the past. I miss the present and  future.  The passing of so many include Leslie Yates from Kentucky, Mark Richtman from Novato, Jim Steere, Tom Christofk of Grass Valley and Bud Johns, the Father of Ride and Tie. 

 Bob Edwards and Jonathan Jordan were not only partners but, dear friends that I miss terribly.  Yes, memories are good but the loss is very significant and cannot be replaced. Bob was a free spirit, an excellent horseman and a terrific partner. Our  exchanges were perfect, except when  I ran past his tied horse at the Eur Valley  Ride and Tie  Championship.  In any event, we had fun and he was a good friend. Bob was with me when I purchased my house over 22 years ago.  Jonathan was a southern gentleman lawyer like his father.  In fact, Jonathan reminded me of Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's “ To Kill a Mockingbird.” Both were defense lawyers  protecting the unfortunate from society's prejudices and wrongs .  Jonathan's oldest son was named Atticus.  Jonathan , I miss your intellectual understanding and our laughter together. He was a fun person. Life can be humorous .

Talking with Paul , another ride and tier, I learned more about Jeff and Jeanine  Windenhausen as well as Chris and Cheryl Knoch, all good friends with Paul.  It's  terrific to be able to share experiences and stories  and learn more about people that you like .  However, with aging, losses  accumulate, pileup and never end which is our fate . One disadvantage of longevity is that you outlive your friendships.

Thank you Russ for your straightforward introduction to the sport.  You were the perfect  model at that time.  Although I didn't  realize it,the vector of my life  over the next decade was put in motion  by  you and all the other world-class athletes. Russ, thank you again. Memorial is scheduled for December 17, 2022 at 11 AM at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Mill Valley .I hope Tony joins us. 

It's More Accurate

 In 2009 I suffered an equine injury, when I broke  bones in my neck.  The orthopedic surgeon reported that if I was thrown again from my horse, the consequences would be more severe. We talked about Christopher Reeve and his paralysis. I liked riding  Gypsy, in endurance, but  my passion was Ride & Tie.  I just did not want to continue just  trail riding , so I  focused on running.  During my rehabilitation time, I wrote my first book titled "It Has Nothing to Do with Age."  At that time I was 68 years of age and had won the  one day, 100 mile Ride and Tie at Swanton Pacific. My friends and associates were accomplished  world-class athletes.  I decided that I would interview exceptional performing athletes at least 65 years of age and that book title depicted these elite athletes.   Ride and Tie does not have age groupings and running events have a last age group  for 70-year-olds on up.  Today, I would have titled the book "The Ego's Executive Functioning."  This essay has to do with that title.

Briefly, psychologically the ego mediates an individual's drives, needs ,  illusions and morality within reality testing.  One can gain insight into an individual's  ego functioning or strength by  appearance and with conversation.  Freud , Jung , Adler , Fromm , Horney, Sullivan, Rogers and others have utilized ego or self within their theories of personality.  Coopersmith In his "The Antecedents of Self-Esteem"  provided  research pertaining to parental characteristics, early history ,and  parent-child experiences affecting self-esteem .  Although ego and self have been widely researched, they are commonly  misunderstood.

With  evolution, are  "Three Brains Of A Human Being."  For example, we have an Archaic Brain.  This has also been called the Reptilian Brain as with  lizards and snakes.  Its functions include temperature control, fight or flight threat responses, defending territory, keeping safe. The caudate nucleus is involved in the psychopathology of the obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Second, we have the "Old Brain."  This  has been called “ The Subconscious  Brain"  with cats and dogs as examples .  Its functions include mood, memory, and hormone production control- the major functions of the limbic system.  The anterior cingulate is a structure primarily responsible for mood and  impulse control and the hippocampus is the primary memory formation nucleus. The amygdala is primarily responsible for fear, fight or flight responses and anger. The hypothalamus is the major controlling organ of the system.  The third brain is called the "New Brain,” the Cortex, or the Conscious Brain found in humans .  It's functions are higher cognition, abstract thought, usage of tools, formation and comprehension of language and  social behavior  Within the cortex, are found Executive Functions  and skills that include   self-restraint, working memory, emotion control, focus ,task initiation, planning/prioritization, organization, time management, defining and achieving goals , flexibility, observation and stress tolerance . In other words the potential to  meet one's needs efficiently and productively are the ego..

A well executive-functioning ego is important and can accurately describe extraordinary athletes competing in extreme sports.  It's important to have a well physiologically functioning body for placing extreme stress .  That means understanding  theory regarding aging that includes a normal aging body within damage caused by overuse and abuse; bio chemicals that govern the release of hormones and other body vital elements

LeBron James and Tom Brady both illustrate the ability to overcome the typical  lifespan of professional athletes as they continue performing at extraordinary levels during their aging process.  They present an antiaging model utilizing ego executive functioning.  For example, the Free Radical theory of aging suggests that these molecules differ from conventional molecules by possessing a free electron, which is a property that makes it react with other molecules, but in a volatile and destructive way.  Free radicals have an extra electron which creates an extra negative charge which results in harmful  effects by adding  oxygen which is called oxidation, also known as antioxidants.  Natural antioxidants include vitamins C ,E, and beta carotene which  produce vitamin A.  This suggests that these athletes are knowledgeable about the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients that allow them to maintain a constant weight which is a key element for optimal aging.

The Wear and Tear Theory suggests that the body and its cells  are damaged by overuse and abuse.  When young,  the body's own maintenance and repair systems keep compensating for the effects of excessive wear and tear.  However, with aging,  the body loses its ability to repair damage and overuse injuries .  Professionals are necessary in the fields  of chiropractic care, massage and physical therapy and the employment of ice, heat , whirlpool  and rest for recovery which is important  for dealing with damaged muscle, ligaments and tendons. For example, watching NBA players sitting on the bench with  an ice  wrap is typical  and the norm.

  Tom Brady and LeBron James have personal training staff that advise them regarding the latest information  about performing at unheard-of levels.  This planning, prioritizing, organizing, time management and goal tasks are part of their executive ego functioning. They  focus on training and stressing their  body, developing stress tolerance in the process.

These athletes in addition to exercise include nutrition,  with vital anti-toxicants with their diet for athletic longevity.  It's not so surprising that they also have other assistants working with their stress levels as well.  Brady, for example, is undergoing  stress within his relationship.  I would expect that he is engaged with someone to deal with his emotional difficulties.  There is no  quick fix or pill dealing with the stress of separation and potential divorce.

Individuals and the elite athletes in my book have a number of things in common.  Take Jim Steere for example.  Jim was involved with horses very early in life and that became his passion.  As a youngster, he rode and also overcame  difficulties resulting from his  parents divorce .  As a junior high school student ,  Jim rode alone the 90 mile distance ,in two days, from his fathers home in the Mojave Desert to his mothers  home near Griffith Park  making that  trip flawlessly and  was greeted by both   parents . He learned to take care of himself and take care of his horse both valuable life lessons. Aside from his passion with horses and other animals, Jim was a bright, intellectually curious individual.  He was a patriot and was involved in World War II becoming a  Norden bombardier expert .  Lady luck was with him as his crew was killed when  the B 29 exploded during the Guam takeoff.  Jim was visiting an ill  paternal grandparent at that time.

 Jim was a Fulbright scholar and enjoyed his time in Denmark becoming more humanistic in his philosophy of life.  He learned humanistically about abortion ,about suicide as suicide was part of his families history.  Jim did graduate work and became a Veterinarian.  He was instrumental in the beginning of Ride & Tie and its illustrious history.  Jim was also part of Tevis history as well, as he had a personal relationship with Wendle  Robie.   Jim pulled Wendle’s  horse on one Tevis and that was his last Tevis.  Jim was an exceptional athlete and completed  in his mid 80s.  I was fortunate enough to have talked with Jim a few days prior to his death, I remember him for his warmth and caring.  He was an exceptional  man .  Tony and I went to his funeral and that was a memorable event with respect and the involvement of so many.  Jim was dedicated.  He was passionate and he was a hospice support for his father during his demise.  Thomas said, “ I’m dying, I'm dying. Help me.  Oh, God, help me.  Jim, help me die.  I love you, son” . ....  Jim woke his mother, announcing, "Mother, dad is gone."  Florence replied, "Oh, I'm so thankful.  His suffering is over."  

It's obvious Jim's executive ego functions were prominent during adolescence.  In order to make a 90 mile voyage on horseback  from Jim's  home to Florences , Jim had to have higher cognition , abstract thought and use of tools.  He had to care for that horse and make sure that it didn't go lame during a trip or they would've been in trouble.  He had to picture  and visualize” the trip” using memory and all the necessary supplies needed for the trip.  He organized and planned  in order to make the trip.  In essence, he defined his goal and was able to tolerate the stress of being alone while persevering and pushing on while dealing with nature and all its obstacles.  In order to be an elite athlete, performing at extraordinary levels, one has to have optimal executive ego functioning.  Jim's personal history suggests that was accomplished superbly.  Einstein said “ Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of ,many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children.”

Reference

Cerebral Dominance.  The Institute for Natural Resources

Klatz, Ronald and Goldman, Robert.  Stopping the Clock.

PS

Tony just informed me that Russ Kiernan passed.  Russ was my first Ride & Tie partner.  More on Russ next week. 

Is Alvarez Evil?

 

Having, securing, obtaining, possessing, acquiring are necessary for survival while meeting one's physiological needs.  However, having more when it comes to private property or ownership  as my wife ,my kids , my slave , my unlimited right to keep what I have ; it’s not yours ;with  excluding  interferes with  society,  and  with greed becomes criminal and amoral.  Buddha described the ownership behavior as a craving; the Jewish and Christian religions as coveting as it can transform everybody and anything into something they had and subject to another's power Capitalism  requires a having mode of behavior.

  Having ,as a pursuit or a passion, takes on the  traits  and tendencies of  an anal character. During psychosexual development, the individual goes through a passive receptivity followed by a phase of aggression. It’s an exploitive receptivity prior to reaching ego maturity.  The stage has been called anal erotic  when it remains dominant during a person's development and  leads to  an anal character . Personality is characterized when  one's main energy in life is directed toward saving, hoarding money , material things, feelings, gestures, words, and energy.  The character of a stingy individual is associated with other traits such as orderliness, punctuality, and  stubbornness .   The qualities of the anal character constituted the norm for moral behavior and was once looked upon as an expression of human nature.  In other words, orientation of possession occurs in the period before the achievement of full ego maturity and is pathological when it remains permanent.  The person is primarily focused and  concerned with having, possessing and is  associated with neurosis .  When it comes to society in which most members have that anal character, we have a neurotic society.

For capitalism to work successfully we have consumption, possessing, and the pursuit of profit and greed.  The pattern of coveting  and acquiring profit becomes sought at the highest levels as represented by income inequality..  In our society, greed and an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power ,prestige and possession becomes one's passions. Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street said "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good."  This disquisition addresses the problem of physical and mental health within a greedy capitalistic health care system.

A few statistics pertaining to countries with the best healthcare: 1.  South Korea 2.  Taiwan, 3.  Denmark 4.  Austria .  5.  Japan 6.  Australia 7 8.  Spain 9.  Norway 10.  Canada 11.  United States.  These countries were ranked according to factors that contribute to overall health.  On another scale that measured healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP from lowest to highest, are the following 1.  New Zealand 2.  Austria 3..  Netherlands 4.  United Kingdom 5.  Norway 6.  Canada 7.  Sweden 9.  Germany 10.  Switzerland  11.  United States.

The  healthiest countries in the world are as follows: 1.  Spain 2.  Italy 3.   Iceland 4. Japan 5.  Switzerland 6.  Sweden 7.  Australia 8.  Singapore 9.  Norway 10.  Israel.  The US is not the healthiest country in general with its national obesity, diabetes, cardiology , respiratory  and Covid-19 rates .  However, USA's massive capacity to research, communicate and respond to pandemic level threat,  biosecurity, biosafety epidemiology, workforce capacity, test and approve new countermeasures ,communication with healthcare workers are examples of strength in our country.

Having a healthcare insurance  system in a capitalistic model is counterproductive and interferes when it comes to the health of individuals.  We have excellent doctors  and world renowned hospitals.  A major  problem lies with  health insurance.  The system of corporations and large businesses only  providing healthcare coverage for their full-time workers is  amoral and capitalistic .  Then , at age 65, one is eligible for Medicare . One  political party wants to reduce  and/or eliminate the age for Medicare while the other party wants to increase age eligibility .  The major problem is that the insurance industry dictates who is eligible for benefits, the  when , the where and the degree of coverage.  The exclusion of coverage is  based on profit for the insurance company and only them.  They are the  middleman between patient and doctor.  With this middleman, their motive has nothing to do with providing top level healthcare.  Their motive is to make a profit.  With the pursuit of profit as the primary goal , comes  greed.

 Older citizens generally require more medical services.  At age 65, Medicare was devised as a safety net for older citizens.  When one is eligible for Medicare, one can purchase a supplement or secondary payer.  Unfortunately, that supplement costs more per month than Medicare.  If Medicare doesn't pay for the service, then the secondary carrier doesn't pay for that service either.  The government came up with an idea that it would pay more per patient to those supplementary carriers for sick individuals, providing that the carrier would come up with a  system that would actually reduce inflationary costs.   Okay, get more money per patient, but come up with a better healthcare system sounds reasonable.  What happened ? The October 9, 2022 edition of the New York Times had an article titled” How Insurance Firms Exploited  Medicare Advantage  for Billions .”

Briefly, Medicare Advantage was a clever term employed to seduce individuals eligible for Medicare.  The advantage was for the insurance company, not the patient.  The insurance companies were  going to give  dental , vision , hearing benefits when joining their network of doctors.  However, eight of the 10 largest insurance companies in the country which includes UnitedHealth Group; Humana, CVS Health, Cigna , Kaiser Permanente , Scan Group have been charged with overbilling or fraud by the Justice Department.  In order to get additional money, these insurance companies falsified the health records of their patients.  They sent  the government medical diagnoses that were old, in addition to the current diagnosis.  These old diagnostic categories  were previously treated .  In other words, they falsified the health records by giving incorrect assessments of each patient in order to receive additional money.  Yes, they falsely obtained billions.

A second article titled "Curtailing Diabetes Requires More Than Medicine"  Identified and pointed out the severity of Type 2  diabetes regardless of the new tools or pills for managing it. Better treatments have done little to stem the rise of this disease.  They predicted  that one in seven American adults will have Type 2 diabetes, up from one and 20 in the 1970s. Many teenagers are developing what was once considered to be a condition for older people.  40% of young adults are to be diagnosed with that diagnosis at some point in their lives.  Researchers who study Type 2  diabetes reported a stark conclusion.  There was no device, no drug powerful enough to counter the effects of poverty, pollution, stress, broken junk food system, cities that are hard to manage ,conflict and an inequitable access to healthcare specially for minority communities.

I would add that state and federal politics, lobbyists and big business  are not helpful either.  So it's no surprise that poverty ( minimum wage in Texas is $7.25) ; pollution (does anyone want to drink the water in Flint, Michigan?) ;  stress (just follow politics in the  upcoming 2022 election) ; broken food system (the poor can't purchase healthy foods . Regarding supermarkets, typically, supermarkets have about 15 aisles of which only 3  contain  produce, meat and dairy.  The remaining 12 have manufactured foods or GMO sugar ,salt  contaminants. Also, there  is limited availability in many communities for doctors.

It's clear that the health of our country, especially  for black and brown people, are not a priority.  The priority in this country is profit.  Economic dominance, profit, power, greed, as evidenced by the income inequality and the Forbes listing of the billionaires in this country.  One small step would be to have healthcare for all and not call it socialized medicine; increase minimum wage; and create oversight with consequences regarding the "broken food system."  Yes, take healthcare insurance out of the capitalistic model and put the health of the nation before profit.

Put the government in charge of keeping its citizens healthy.  Some, and we know who they are, would claim that the government is inefficient.  Back in the 30s and 40s, our government under FDR and Keynesian economic approach proved differently.  In fact, Detroit was referred to as the Arsenal of Democracy in World War II and economic programs benefited the country at large until the 70s and 80s with Reagan and Milton Friedman and their trickle-down economic nonsense.  Reagan said the government was the problem.  He was right ,as he ran the government. Back then in the 50s and 60s, our nation did not have the income inequality as we do now.  Yes, the rich were wealthy and the CEOs  didn't make more than 100 times more than their workers; professional athletes worked in the off-season to support their families. A  high school buddy Dave worked for General Motors in a white-collar position .Dave and Darlene lived in St. Clair Shores with  boats and other vehicles, and retired to Florida.  Dave was an example of the middle class exploding during those times when wages were up and unemployment down.  The government's  economic policies had the G.I. Bill which provided  college education and mortgage assistance.  The Marshall plan  rebuilt war-torn Europe with American products.  The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act allowed the gas guzzling vehicles to move freely and a defense system that ballooned with each new communist threat  real or imagined.  In other words, our country did well with the government behind economic policies and a shared prosperity compared to now.  Yes, the government can manage healthcare and deal with fixing pollution, poverty, regulating the food and drug industry with their abuses.  This country has no need for the exploitation and draconian politics of insurance.  Put the government back in charge as we are best served when that happens, compared to private profit. October 2,2022 , The New York Times, “Populist Mechanics.”

PS

The government  is enmeshed with our poor mental and physical health by its politics on military engagement; unequal tax ; failing public schools; poverty; pollution; unregulated toxic chemicals like Round-Up, Camp Lejeune, alcohol, nicotine ,drugs, etc.; poorly regulated food industry; false and exploitive advertising messaging.  Therefore, the government should play a significant role and actually provide public services, provide economic security and assistance  and pay its fair share for treatment .