We’ve heard much lately about the so-called 99 Percenters. Many in this crowd have made the startling discovery that the nation’s wealthiest people seem to have more money and options.
Good thing the 99 Percenters are largely unaware of a small cabal of resource guzzlers who are quietly chewing up half of the $2.6 trillion our nation sets aside each year for healthcare. Yes, it’s true: At a time when half of our nation’s population spends little or nothing in this area, these “five percenters” appear to be living the healthcare high life.
And who are these hungry healthcare hippos? Not surprisingly, they tend to be overwhelmingly old, white, female and packing insurance.
Time magazine just named “The Protestor” as its Person of the Year. (Don’t get me started on how many ways that is just plain wrong). Does that mean angry mobs might soon be looting the nation’s senior living centers, demanding that greedy geezers be flown abroad to black-site prisons? Probably not, at least not for a few years.
But these are turbulent times. So the next time an irate, smelly group of wild-eyed unemployed Persons of the Year comes trolling through your neighborhood, play it safe. Make sure your less mobile residents are kept as far away from the curb as possible. You wouldn’t want your residents to give them something that would really ruin their day.
Like maybe a reminder that life can be difficult and unfair. And that when it comes to selecting tools that can help one make it through life, there are better options than whining.
