WILL HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION BE DECIDED BY WHO HAS THE BEST ADS OR BRIBES?

Today, as part of my frequent review and reading of articles that will affect my clients at Silkin Management Group, I concentrated on what the latest was on the battle for passing the health care legislation that is being so fervently pushed by our President. In doing so I ran across this article in the New York Times: Millions Spent to Sway Democrats on Health Care.

The article points out that on one side we have a coalition of groups opposing the legislation, led by the United States Chamber of Commerce, putting up millions and millions of dollars ($11 million just this month) to sway the “on the fence” Democrats to vote against the bill, and on the other side we have the pharmaceutical companies and labor unions contributing equal amounts in the attempt to sway these same people to vote for the legislation. I don’t know about you, but whenever I see the “Big Pharma” people actively supporting something like this, I know that there is something big, in terms of big, big dollars, in it for them.

And, to put the icing on the cake, the article points out that, “The White House has signaled to lawmakers that assistance for midterm elections — for example, presidential visits and fund-raisers — will be prioritized for those who support the bill.” Hey, it’s the old “vote for my bill and I’ll help you get re-elected” ploy.

I’m sorry if I’m being unduly cynical but I can’t help but be that way when I see that a big part of the future of this country’s health care is being determined by who advertises the best and who can twist enough arms and promise the yellow brick road to re-election. It doesn’t give me a lot of faith in the system. But what else is new?

I’ll keep advising my clients at Silkin Management Group to manage their businesses in a manner completely different than how our legislators handle the fiscal state of the country. In other words, don’t spend more than you make, don’t go into deep debt and produce honest, worthwhile products for your customers and make them happy.

Gary Crawshaw
Silkin Management Group Consultant

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