Fifty years ago this summer, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Today, with the U.S. mired in a deadly opioid epidemic that did not abate during the coronavirus pandemic’s worst days, it is questionable whether anyone won the war.
Yet the loser is clear: Black and Latino Americans, their families and their communities. A key weapon was the imposition of mandatory minimums in prison sentencing. Decades later those harsh federal and state penalties led to an increase in the prison industrial complex that saw millions of people, primarily of color, locked up and shut out of the American dream
Last month, Michigan's two largest hospital systems, Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health, announced they wanted to become one. The $12.9 billion "megamerger" would create a health industrial complex spanning 22 hospitals, 305 outpatient facilities, and an insurance company. It would employ 64,000 people, making it the largest employer in Michigan. Local newspapers had expected the merger to "sail through" government approval. But now they're not so sure.
That's because President Biden recently signed an executive order saying his administration was serious about promoting competition, and he specifically singled out hospitals as an area where growing monopolization is a concern. The order, the White House says, "underscores that hospital mergers can be harmful to patients and encourages the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review and revise their merger guidelines to ensure patients are not harmed by such mergers."
Hospitals are a really important part of the American economy. Not just in terms of health and wellbeing, but in terms of dollars and cents. The largest chunk of America's healthcare spending goes to hospitals. And the hospital sector is one of the largest sectors in the overall American economy, accounting for about 6 percent of America's GDP. Hospitals do a lot of good things. They save lives. They create good jobs. But because of growing monopolization of them, Zack Cooper, an economist at Yale School of Public Health, worries that they're becoming like a "Dracula" that "sucks some of the vibrancy out of a lot of towns across the country."
Mental illness is not shameful they want you know. It’s not wrong to ask for help. Then why are people so secretive and embarrassed about it? If it’s so darn common, and doesn’t make you a bad person, then why be afraid to talk about? Isn’t it better to blow off the stigma by admitting that you have problems in your own life, but you are trying to learn and become a better person?
None of us are perfect. All of us struggle a bit on our lives, and it’s good to be honest about who you are and what you believe. I don’t think there is anything wrong with documenting where I am now and how I’m trying to improve myself and my life as I work towards a better tomorrow, through a combination of reading, watching and listening to Youtube videos, and in-person mental health counseling.
Self-introspection is a good thing. Why do I believe the things I do? Why am I so set in doing this certain ways, what are my cognitive biases? How can I overcome my biases to have a better perspective on the world? How I can become better at my presenting myself in the room, be better at taking appropriate risks? After all, there is no gain if there is no risk. Life is like markets, there is a lot of reward to taking more calculated risks and not fearing everything. A calculated risk not taken is an opportunity missed.
Most mental illness is kind of silly, as my therapist likes to point out. Whether it’s needless worry, obsessive thoughts, or risk aversion it’s mostly is non-harmful and you could probably live with it forever as you have from years past. Especially if it involves mostly low risk activities. But like an engine out of tune, you can run, but you won’t run smoothly or at peak efficiency. After all, the flywheel will keep an engine running even if it’s misfiring. That’s why it’s important to learn about my cognitive biases, and seek advice from a wide variety of trustworthy sources that can have keys to unlocking a better future.
This year seems like the time was right to finally fully address my long-term problems I’ve had with mental well-being. I have the nice corner office downtown and good salary at work. I am saving and investing, and that off-grid homestead I want is not that far in the future if I can stay the course. But I want to do better, and I can do better if I try.
The danger of catastrophicizing and missed opportunities
One of the issues I find lately is catastrophicizing, the unfounded and unrealistic worries that I have about small problems, that if left unaddressed could lead to bigger problems. But also that might not be worthwhile to address immediately. The video I shared a bit earlier because I found it kind of interesting — it’s something I’ve been talking about with my therapist and it’s something I’m trying to avoid more in my life.
I am pretty good at doing cost-benefit analysis and a times keeping things in context. But I am also a vivid news consumer and smart enough to know there are real risks out there in the world. Preventative maintenance is important, but also not every problem need be fixed immediately. Professionally, I am aware of set boundaries and procedures, but in my own personal life, I often find it more difficult to know what boundaries and what risk to take.
But at the same time, I’ve become so darn risk adverse. I think this video is a reminder that it’s important to take risks, not be so conservative. A risk not taken is a possibly missed. Avoid all risks means you pass up on a lot of good that can come from taking more risks. It can be downright depressing if you dwell on risks and don’t take some risk. The worse isn’t likely to happen, and if it does, I am a lot more affluent and able to take harm then people who are living much closer to the margins.
