|
Here is an eye-opening forecast by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: “The nursing shortage in the United States is intensifying: it is expected to triple over the next 13 years, leaving a shortfall of 340,000 nurses in 2020.” For the U.S. to get itself back to “even” or “normal”, an EXTRA 34,000 nurses would have to graduate and get licensed each year. Somewhere there’s another forecast that said 1.5 Million nurses would be leaving the workforce in the next ten years and that only 1 Million new nurses would be trained. In that scenario, there is an urgent need for an EXTRA 50,000 nurses each year. Today, the media is reporting on trillion dollar proposals for bank bailouts, fiscal stimulus, and throwing borrowed money at the American people via tax “rebates.” Wouldn’t you feel better to have a list of specific, concrete goals for worthwhile, valuable projects in front of you? The politicians’ catchphrase is “shovel-ready.” By that, the idea is to jumpstart the “economy” by funding only projects like roads that can be started the next day (or month). “Shovel-ready” is some kind of red herring requirement. It just takes our focus off the big picture. Who says that the U.S. shouldn’t try to catch up? And catching up can also take a few years. Back to the shortage of nurses . . . a dramatic push to save the medical system would seem to be a very popular, visible, and valuable program. The existing nursing schools report turning away qualified applicants simply due to lack of space. There are plenty of American men and women want nursing as a career. But lack of teaching staff and facilities and money is the cause of the crisis. And, the crisis is going to worsen each year. This is a completely understandable situation. Perhaps the whole world has heard of the baby boom . . . except the U.S. Congress. The baby boom has been common knowledge for years so the nursing shortage is no surprise. First, the baby boomers expanded the number of nurses. Second, the baby boomer generation is a big generation, and they’re retiring. Third, these retired boomers themselves will create their own huge demand for medical care. This week, Barack Obama is sworn in as president. In 1960, John Kennedy was sworn in as president. Both are known for their eloquence. John Kennedy stated his goal to put an American on the moon within ten years. I’d like to hear Barack Obama set a goal to train an extra (that’s extra) 340,000 nurses within ten years. Click here to contact your representatives in Washington, D.C.: –- Byron References: |
Archive for the ‘Fiscal Stimulus’ Category
Fix America First!
Friday, January 9th, 2009|
There are about 600,000 bridges in the United States. The most recent
There are over 4 millon miles of highways in the U.S. Note that the
Let’s skip all of the mind-numbing statistics. The above two paragraphs
In a letter to Speaker Pelosi, the American Society of Civil Engineers How much planning does it take to start re-surfacing? It’s “shovel-ready” today! Once started, why stop? In the Sun Belt, the work can continue year-round. Tougher projects like bridges are also ready to go, but just need funding. Meantime, the new engineering projects can be put to blueprints. And, the full program will be a dynamic growth engine for at least 5 years.
A 50% increase in the per gallon user fees would put us on the road to
This “infrastructure” program fits nicely into the “fiscal stimulus” being Fixing America first is a great way to go.
Click here to contact your representatives in Washington, D.C.: – Byron
Testimony of The American Society of Civil Engineers
|
American Reconstruction
Monday, December 1st, 2008
|
Typical working Americans are reeling from the decline in
Second, the Medicaid medical safety net is covering
Third, one in 10 mortgage holders was either delinquent on loans in September or in foreclosure. In this fragile American economy running on credit, it is clear that the men and women who lose their jobs Fourth, there are over 10 million people unemployed. That’s what’s used by the media to report the official “unemployment rate” of 6.7%. But that’s not the best measure. Here’s why. Remember, if you mowed a lawn for your brother-in-law last month, and he gave you $10, you are counted as “employed” by the government. Are you just working a half-time job when you need and seek full-time work? What if you have given up finding a job? The “unemployment rate” does not count you as unemployed. The Labor Department does have another statistic that includes all of the unemployed and underemployed. Today it’s at 12.5%. My rule of thumb is to double the traditional measure to get to the American “misery rate.” Thus, there are over 20 million men and women who have been jettisoned from the workforce. What’s the way to lift this burden on millions and millions of people in these dire straits? What’s the best way to drastically reduce the government pay-outs?
JOBS! Put these people to work, and they won’t need food
Jobs should be the primary goal of any fiscal stimulus package
If the federal government is determined to “borrow and spend,”
The only way to do that is to guarantee that the money
Example 1: I am personally familiar with a small town which Example 2: Who can tell me what it costs to commute to work on roads and streets that feel like washboards? Ever break an axle or a shock absorber? I have. And, during your daily commute, your vehicle itself vibrates, shortening its life.
Example 3: How about that bridge in Minnesota that collapsed? The backlog of bridge repair and replacement is huge. When will the In summary, if some work is done sooner than absolutely necessary, then that’s okay, too. It’s not frivolous make-work. Better sooner than later. Better safe than sorry. Building infrastructure is the way to get America moving.
|