How the Rich Can Stay Rich

It occurred to me in the shower this morning, that it's really stupid for the ruling class of America (i.e the super-filthy-über rich people running this country from behind the curtains of Congress), to not embrace (a) alternative fuel technologies, (b) socialized medicine, and (c) any other topic fought over by the liberals.

Here's why: throw the people in this country who work their asses off to make a decent living a bone now and then and they'll never complain. They'll never start to ask questions about why we're still in Iraq, if 9/11 really was an inside job, if Bush should be impeached, if tax cuts are for the rich only, etc. because they've got everything they want. What else could they be asking for?

Keep the lower and middle classes happy by giving them the basic needs to live a half-way decent life and they won't have any interest in changing the status quo of you exploiting them for money.

Alternative Fuel Technologies

This is, of course, only one example. But if we were to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we wouldn't be fighting a war in the Middle East with the very suppliers of this oh-so precious fluid. We wouldn't be wasting what we all know is a finite resource (regardless of how long it will continue to last). And more importantly: by ensuring that we are using renewable energy sources, the rich will have more time to get richer! That's right!

Since the rich get rich because of oil in some way or another, they won't get richer once the oil runs out. Once we start depending on renewable energy sources, we will essentially have bought the rich an infinite amount of time to become richer.

See that, Mr. Rich-Guy? Solar power is good for your wallet!

Socialized Medicine

So you make money through an insurance company. Cool, good for you. But this also means that you are getting rich because someone else is getting sick. Not so nice. The result: people start to get angry.

But socialized medicine is bad! It's what the commies are doing!

First of all, socialized medicine is here already. Medicare and Medicaid are both social programs and the military essentially also uses socialized medicine for both active duty personnel and veterans. So all we need to do is tell everyone else about it, change the stigma, and voila! Patients won't be complaining once socialized medicine is in place because they'll be healthier and, therefore, happier.

So how does that make you money? It's long been proved that happier and healthier employees bring in higher profits for the companies they work for. And since you're in charge of those companies, isn't that exactly what you want?

RIP Dermatology

It occurred to me this morning in the shower, that dermatology is doomed. First, let me explain something about dermatology. It is one of the most competitive medical specialties (if not the most competitive) to get a residency in. Every year for the last couple of years, there have been about 200 senior medical students applying for only 30 positions nationwide. It is a highly sought-after specialty because dermatologists are not on call, have a scheduled 9-to-5 workweek (or whatever other schedule they prefer), and to put the cherry on top of their cake: they are well compensated.

This has not always been the case, however. Only in the last decade or so has dermatology become popular. Before, it was the specialty of choice for those barely passing medical school. The simple answer to this turn around for dermatology was the introduction of Botox to treat wrinkles, which was officially approved by the FDA in 2002 for such purposes. Botox has been around for a long time but in the last thirty years it has been researched to treat various muscular disorders because Botulinum toxin (all that Botox is) effectively inhibits the neuron from stimulating the muscle to contract.

Now, we all know that we all don't want to grow old ... or at least not look any older than we actually are. Thank you Hollywood! Botox was a terrific antidote to looking old and wrinkly and people paid big bucks for the treatment.

But with the recent economic trends, this Botox fueled rush into dermatology will soon be over. With the price of oil and the value of the dollar continuously repelling each other like magnets of the same polarity, it will become too expensive to (a) manufacture Botox and (b) to get to the dermatologist for the injection. 95% of people will prefer putting food on their family's table over looking young again. The other 5%? There will always be people suffering from body dysmorphic disorders or being plain selfish who will continue to want the Botox injections despite the cost but their contributions to the portfolios of dermatologists will be negligible.

Will dermatologists still be necessary after Botox? I dare say no. A well-trained family physician should be able to care for most skin problems without the need for a specialist. And for everything else, a good research hospital will be the answer. Good bye dermatology, it was a pleasure to have known you!