Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mike M2 who wrote (34949)	10/31/1998 10:59:00 AM
From: baggo	Respond to of 132070

Sorry Mike, don't know the exact #'s. I seem to recall that 10% of health care dollars are doctor fee related. Don't quote me; there are lawyers posting on this thread. Regards, Brice

To: Mike M2 who wrote (34949)	10/31/1998 11:35:00 AM
From: Mike M2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

To all,you too MM, Barron's 10/26/98 p.40 has an interview with David Levy worth reading. He predicts we are in for a "contained depression rather than a recession" and a full blown depression in many parts of the world. He also makes reference to the "unwinding of the bubble in consumer spending- not only as the wealth effect reverses but as consumers unwind some of the enormous debt burden they've built up in this expansion" Other good stuff and charts like our dismal savings rate while he concedes that many criticisms of the statistic are valid when you have a five point swing in a statistic that generally moved in a 3 point range for 30 yrs, that sudden drop off a cliff means something. I have said before that a recessions is a liquidation of inventory while a depression is a liquidation of debt and capacity. I don't recall who wrote that on SI but I liked it's simplicity. The article makes reference to Joseph Schumpeter's " creative destruction" Will calls it industrial tough love" ho ho ho . There is also a good story about the history of sovereign debt defaults by Robert Sobel. Mike

To: Mike M2 who wrote (34949)	11/1/1998 12:42:00 AM
From: Richard Nehrboss	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 132070

Had to share this with all... RE: The current state of medical costs. I was in a hardware store a few years ago to grab an electrical outlet T (plug it in an electrical outlet and it gives you three or four outlets). They cost a $1 then and still do. In this case it was brown and cost $1. I decided I wanted a white one, which I spotted next on the shelf... But wait a minute! The white one was $11. I couldn't figure out why brown was $1 and an identical white one was 1100% more. I took it to the counter (small family owned hardware store), and inquired. I was informed that the white one was certified for hospital use, and that it was liability insurance cost built in by the supplier. That's a big part of the medical cost problem... Our legal system, and frivolous suites. Any profession that has government regulation can expect huge problems for consumers.... law, medical, etc etc... Richard