Letters: Budget, health, social media
TEXT OF STORY
Kai Ryssdal: Time to check the mailbox once again. Stacy Vanek-Smith’s story on California’s budget problems prompted some e-mails from you. We had asked whether California might be too big to fail. And judging by your comments, a Golden State bailout would leave the other forty-nine fuming. Take this from Bryan Mullinax in Monument, Colo.
BRYAN Mullinax: Is California too big to fail? California now wants to pick my pocket for money it can spend on state-paid day care and other things? I don’t think so. They can do what my state seems to do every single year — spend less than they bring in.
We are all spending a lot on health care. That’s part of the reason heath-care reform is up for debate in Congress this spring. Last week Janet Babin reported on the costs of the mandatory insurance coverage they have in Massachusetts. The fact that universal coverage does come at a cost was not lost on listener Merry Foxworth of Houston, Tex.
MERRY Foxworth: It was a foregone conclusion that the Massachusetts experiment in universal health coverage would run out of money and still not achieve universal coverage. The reason? The private health insurance companies are still involved and all those customers are just a captive audience for them. No wonder some residents would rather pay the fine and go without insurance.
News of GM’s bankruptcy yesterday was met with some anger, and some sadness, and some frustration, too. That last probably best describes Mark Roth’s reaction. The computer specialist from Chicago isn’t sure that cutting brands and staff will do enough to turn the car company around.
MARK ROTH: I am really tired of hearing about how GM will come our of bankruptcy “leaner and meaner.” What it really needs is a cultural attitude transplant.
Speaking of cultural attitudes, Devin Dwyer reported last week on how some companies are dealing with social media in the workplace. Employees doing Facebook updates and Twittering about lunch plans while they’re on the clock. Some companies are cracking down. Some of ’em aren’t. Like the one John Smith works for in Scottsdale, Ariz.
JOHN SMITH: Our organization openly embraces the use of social media. We trust our employees to stay on task and use these sites professionally. Corporate America was afraid of the Internet when it began to take off. Social-media usage is catching on at a much faster rate. Organizations are going to need to address its use pretty quickly.
Aaaaaaaaalright… just finishing up that Twitter post here. Be right with you… OK.
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