I’m probably like you, while running into the grocery store I take a quick glance of the request of any the solicitors. However, I don’t mind them. Petitioners are necessary to exercise our right to Petition our Government. Solicitors often have either run into a serious of bad situations (luck) or they are a spokesperson for a valid organization merely reaching out to the community. Saturday as I ran into a local store a sign caught my eye “3 million …Los Angeles County…miss a meal every day” HUH? There are roughly 10 million people in LA County. 3 million would mean 1 out of 3 people are missing a meal EVERY day. Clearly if we take into account those who are voluntarily abstaining and add it to those who cannot afford to eat – it still would not equate to 3 million. So, as I came out of the store I asked where the statistic came from because it did not make sense. The response? “Oh, well, that’s a marketing………..and she trailed off.”
I went to a local community college and obtained a Degree in Marketing and nowhere did I read or was I instructed marketing equated to outright lies. I am keenly aware there are people in LA County or to put it closer in the SFV who miss a meal or two more often than occasionally. BUT every Church or Synagogue either has a pantry or is linked to an organization. Long term starvation even in a turbulent economy is not necessary. Nor it necessary to lie to garner funds.
Then I thought about a meeting I went to early in the week, designed to educate the business community on Health Care Reform. A representative of the California Exchange was present along with US Congressman Waxman. There they told the audience
a) Buying health insurance was not mandatory. BUT upon query by the audience we find it is mandatory via income determination (ie if you file a 1040) and in fact enforcement is “pinged” the moment you or your employee file taxes which will have a designated spot to reveal the who/what/where of your insurance status to the IRS. No one asked the question: What happens to the employer who falls prey to the disgruntled employee who declares statistics which “ping” the employer wrongly as obligated to pay for employee insurance premiums.
b) they did not know this or that (in response to basic questions by employers) and
c) the exchange is a private organization managing enrollment etc (everything I find on their webpage and career page indicates it is a STATE managed program. The State is employing the workers and the State is appointing the managing Board. So apparently the State of California and the California Congressman are employing the same methods as this dishonest panhandler. “Marketing” or more correctly lying in order to get you hooked to act.
And then today, to finish it off, I read an article from February 2013. It detailed Hudson Clinic run by Los Angeles County providing services for the past twenty years to an ILLEGAL worker.
Here we go again, the “marketing” of Health Care Reform was based on the fact millions of Americans were not able to pay for health care. Some articles promoting HCR even went on to cite the number of people who had died as the result of not having insurance. How is it someone living here for 20 years – and clearly not “in the system” is able to continually “be in the system” at Hudson Clinic to get continuing care? The Clinic meets their budget NOT from volunteer donations or estate planning or inheritance but TAXATION. I know there are numerous non-profit charitable medical facilities that charge on a sliding scale but a County Hospital/Clinic is always going to be subsidized by taxes (aka mandatory deductions or payment from citizens).
The advertising business is heavily regulated via laws and litigation. Marketing firms coming too close to blatant lies are held accountable. Yet clearly the government is unaccountable. No we don’t need more regulations we need less liars employed or elected.
