we are losing sight of the ideal situation

Now is the time to renew the dream of America

On September 11, 2001, Americans were appalled, and the American philosophy underlying the foundation of the nation was tested. But now, Americans are needing to address a more serious question: what is the significance of America’s existence.

What is the true power of America? What is the sublime ideal of America?

Are products made in America really uncompetitive? Are they no good? Aren't American vehicles world-class? Are American electrical appliances useless? Does American design have poor taste? Are they really no good? These questions are now being asked.

America should be directed to tackle a new challenge. America should exert its hidden power.

What is America? Now is the time to renew the dream of America.

Since our attention is being distracted by distorted markets or abnormal economic phenomena, we are losing sight of the ideal situation.

The same can be said of the present subprime issue. The essence of the subprime issue should have been a housing problem. But since it was replaced by a financial problem, the essence of the situation was lost.

A fundamental problem remains in the American housing situation. The first thing that should be done is to clarify what the ideal housing situation in America should be.

This means that the fundamental issue lies in the perspective of the nation. What is most important is the fact that the supply of houses is still insufficient. Eventually, the subprime issue will come down to a problem of housing policies.

Also, if the housing problem remains unsettled, the solution of the subprime issue will take longer.

It is important to grasp accurately how many houses are in short supply from the consumers' viewpoint, how many surplus houses are there from the suppliers' viewpoint, and how many houses are on the market. Furthermore, it is necessary to analyze the current status in terms of differences in income, loan payment capability and regional characteristics.

When the supply, demand and inventory situations are revealed, the focus of the problem shifts to the market and means of payment. The task is to detect structural deficiencies in the market and means of payment.

To the point, the question for the demand side is how to sustain income and secure the means of payment. The question for the supply side is how to maintain a balance between production and supply, and how to create a mechanism for the housing supply.

The subprime issue seems to have been caused by structural defects in the market and means of payment. The market consists of three overlaying fields: people, commodity and currency.

I believe that the subprime issue was mainly caused by the defect in the field of currency.

The currency issue leads to one question: which should be adjusted, the level, flow or inventory? I believe the defect may lie in the mechanism of adjustment.

In the housing problem, it is necessary to solve the inventory problem using flow.

The economy is a process with a starting point and a goal. The question is what mechanism should be used for the process between these two points.

In both the housing and healthcare problems, it is important to carefully observe, segment and stratify the object.

When many jobs are available, the market works effectively. When jobs are in short supply, the market will not function. In a sense, the market is fond of inefficiency.

When jobs are cut specifically for the purpose of production efficiency, the market becomes less dense -- the market density decreases.

Healthcare exists where there are ill and injured people needing help. While the objective of healthcare is to heal people, there is relief. When the objective of healthcare is to make a profit, healthcare loses its essence.

First of all, it is necessary to clarify what health is. To think of health, means to think of life.

Healthcare begins with life design.

We confuse healthcare systems with buildings, facilities and technologies. Before we consider those aspects of healthcare, we must see healthcare as a problem of human science. Healthcare means thinking of people.

Healthcare is involved with the question of how we live and die as humans. All humans are mortal. The important thing is how we live. Being surrounded by state-of-the-art technology does not always ensure happiness.

That's why healthcare means thinking about human relationships. Life is love -- love of family, friendship and hospitality. Without these, healthcare cannot exist.

The design of healthcare systems should be based on such fundamental thinking.

When this fundamental thinking is clarified, the next step is to clarify, segment and stratify the objects. Distinctions should be made between the general and the specific.

Create a general base, and then upon it, incorporate specifics.

The economy is a process. There are demand and supply sides. Between them, there are the market and means of payment. Distribution is encouraged by interactivity of the demand and supply sides. This is the economic system. The financial system and insurance system are subsidiary components.

The key to the healthcare system is task assignment and redistribution of income. It is impossible for a nation’s government to bear the entire burden.

In addition, it is meaningless if healthcare reform is separated from employment issues. When viewed from a different angle, the healthcare system is an employment measure.

What is important is the ability to pay and task assignment. The ability to pay includes the ability of the nation to shoulder the burden. It is a shortsighted idea to assume that a nation should be responsible for the entire burden. The basic responsibility to pay should be placed on the family.

It is important to clarify what should be the base, what should be the minimum guaranteed coverage, and what should be selected based on these values.

The healthcare issue is also a financial issue.

When a healthcare system is directly connected with a public insurance institution, distribution and employment immediately leads to fund collection. This is because a fund-collecting relationship is established when the healthcare system is used.

When the market is positioned between the supply and demand sides instead of inputting funds to suppliers directly, funds will automatically flow into the recovery system.

In this sense, it is important to improve the financial system for healthcare.

Though the scale of pension funds is one of the largest in the world, healthcare for the elderly is poor. This is because an appropriate philosophy is missing in the pension service. The service is missing a compassionate and spiritual aspect.

If the mechanism is built properly, healthcare is a promising and stable investment.

Healthcare is not composed of facilities but systems. When thinking of healthcare and focusing only on hospitals, we cannot see the whole picture of the healthcare system.

It is local communities that support healthcare. Therefore, it is necessary to think about social systems.

Healthcare is diversified and comprehensive because it includes caretaking, construction, facilities, equipment, medicine, study, education, insurance and finance.

That is why healthcare reform has the possibility of generating a lot of jobs.

Furthermore, healthcare is both a hi-tech industry, which deals with biotechnology, genetic engineering, IT, electronic engineering and nuclear power, as well as a traditional industry. Healthcare is a treasury of high technology.

Health is also an environment related business.

We see this century as the age of healthcare because people look to health management when their living standard increases.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

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