I was recently at a get together with some friends from India. The atmosphere was informal, food was good (Assorted parathas, served with assorted pickles, Kadhi and Raitas can always be a treat). As always happens, we started talking about the business and economic boom in India.
Someone mentioned a very interesting fact -- in one month, the cell phone subscribers in India, had grown to about 9 million -- up 2 million over the previous month. On an average, the customer was paying $2-4 per month in India and the companies were reaping in profits. Compare that with the figures in US -- there are at least ten times more cell phone users, who on an average pay about $40 per month. Yet the companies are on shaky grounds. Some bigger companies have started showing profits lately, but over all the system is a losing model.
The difference lies in the legal system. The legal system in US for criminal cases is probably the best anywhere. But for civil cases, it just doesn't support the business. Any system that ensures a payoff to the tune of $160 million to someone who is being kicked off the post has to have something wrong with it.
Why does the health care cost so much? Just look at the legal cost borne by the doctors and health staff -- it is phenomenal. The rich keep getting richer and it does not bother them to pay a few thousand bucks for their health coverage. It is the middle class and lower income families that have to suffer -- either they can't pay the health benefits or they pay through their noses. It is they who have to support the illegal immigrants, who can't be turned away from the hospitals. It should not take a rocket scientist to figure the logic here. All you need is a strong political figure, who can lay a meddle ground for everyone to use.
We really need to simplify the civil rights laws. Some things are just not legal things. There are things required for business that need to be done. If that helps benefit the country in terms of economy, it is worth it.
Just my two cents -- feel free to share your thoughts on this.
