The Llano Ledger


Newsletter Text V89

Accessing The Llano Ledger Website Without Generously Providing Financial Assistance To This Publication Not Only Denies Desperately Needed Funds For Investigative Expenses, But Amounts To Theft Of This Writer's Labor.

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Want this publication to continue? Send a financial donation to Rt 2 Box 464A, Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609. The clock is ticking...
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**************April 23, 2001**************

Continuing review of LMHS employee "expense reports", the egregious waste and looting remain unabated. An additional $6312.03 was found in seminar expenses. That's right, $6312.03, at a time when the Hospital is enduring serious financial difficulties. Another $395.00 was found in "Special Needs" or employee hardship grants.

Love to have your employer pay your dues to professional organizations? LMHS routinely does. Another $193.00 was found in professional dues reimbursements. Wouldn't want EMS Station #3 to go without a satellite dish, would we? While it is not clear from records why EMS needs satellite reception, $86.43 was paid for the first month's coverage.

Someone received $368.75 for patient charts. -- Whatever the hell that was for. ... Couldn't be fraud, could it? Another LMHS employee received an additional $298.28 for "X-ray School." -- At a posh Best Western in San Antonio.

Another employee submitted a voucher of $30.98 for Christmas decorations, but apparently was limited to $25 by management. ... Extremely responsible of the Hospital, isn't it? -- Especially since hundreds of dollars in Xmas decoration expenses have already been found in the records search. An Employee of the 3rd Quarter received $25.00. Another received $300.00 in an LVN Scholarship Stipend.

Before continuing with an outrageous example of physician greed, an additional $21,101.29 in total employee "expense reports" was found in the latest inspection, Friday, April 20, 2001. The grand total so far is $142,993.22 for a period dating back not quite two years. The condition of the records is appalling. Documents are misfiled and do not appear to be complete. Figures have been scratched out, highlighted, written over, etc., making inspection tedious and time consuming. Worse yet, the Administrator/CEO is continuing to drag his feet, allowing only one hour of inspection monthly.

Think physician greed knows no bounds? You would certainly be right. Former Administrator/CEO Ernie Parisi apparently "bribed" Hans & Grishma Elzinga at least $807.35 to relocate. Carefully read the following letter:

Grishma Shah-Elzinga, M.D.
633 Hill Street
W. Baraboo, WI 53913
(608)355-9555
April 20, 1999

Mr. Ernie Parisi
Llano Memorial Hospital
200 West Ollie
Llano, TX 78643

Dear Ernie,

Hello! How are you? Hans and I just returned from our house-hunting trip to Llano this past weekend. We saw some nice homes and are hoping to make an offer on a house soon. I've enclosed all of the receipts from our expenses during the trip so that we can receive the reimbursement for them in a timely fashion. Both that check and the checks for our salary advances as stated in our contracts which are supposed to be sent before July 1, 1999 can be sent to us at the following address (Hans' parents), since we will be moving out of our Wisconsin home next week. They will forward the checks to us.

Hans Elzinga
741 Ivy Ann
Waco, TX 76712

We also have not received the copies of our job contracts that have been signed by David Hoerster, which we will need both for our records, and to assist us in financing a home. Please send them to us at our Wisconsin address. Thanks a lot!

Sincerely,

Grishma Shah-Elzinga, M.D.
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Think porters, orderlies, and nursing assistants receive the same treatment from Hospital management? Readers are reminded LMHS is a governmental entity owned by the taxpayers, -- not a private business. What may be acceptable in private enterprise is not in government. Worse yet, the looting heavily contributes to current Hospital financial woes and is far from isolated. ... As continued inspection of LMHS records clearly indicates.

While healthcare authorities nationally blame increasingly expensive technology and government cutbacks for current financial difficulties, the problem runs much deeper and goes back at least forty years. It's called greed. Four decades ago a physician's office visit cost $5 to $10 on the average, depending upon the location in the country. A prescription, a few dollars. Outrageous increases have far-outpaced the cost of living, leading to the creation of HMOs, -- health maintenance organizations.

Most Americans are terribly unhappy with their HMOs and the quality of care, or more precisely, the lack thereof. Rightfully so. Worse yet, many are routinely denied the same physician. Think things will improve? Think again. Costs continue to spiral at a time government is severely cutting back. What was considered to be a "free market", clearly was not, and certainly never was.

After all, healthcare providers have a captive audience, don't they? When in pain or seriously ill, patients will spend their last dollar in an effort to alleviate discomfort, and of course, extend life. The medical industry (and it is a business) fully understands this and deliberately puts the screws to those able to pay, either by insurance or private funds. -- Even if it has to bankrupt the patient to line its bottomless pockets. Unbridled greed. ... Especially the shameless fraudulent looting of Medicare and Medicaid. Yet, both Democrats and Republicans have done virtually nothing.

No question greed has clearly led to the formation of HMOs, -- the first step on the road to socialized medicine. With at least 20% of us uninsured, the pressure will grow on healthcare providers. While Republican fascists are steadfastly opposed to government spending on medical care, other Republican "conservatives", -- not quite so far to the Right, are beginning to understand there is a serious problem requiring immediate attention.

... Especially in view of the fact, many uninsured requiring immediate medical attention are presenting themselves at emergency rooms, -- in advanced stages of disease most expensive to treat. True "conservatives" fully understand medical intervention must occur at an earlier, less expensive time and that "free markets" only work when truly free. Sadly, they're not, and have not been for many years.

While the "President" claims to be a "compassionate conservative", his actions to date scream otherwise. Especially in healthcare, where Ole' George has proposed significant reductions in indigent health programs. ... Programs which provide care at an earlier, less expensive time of intervention, where the patient has the greatest chance of recovery. The lack of federal funding is certainly having a profound effect on Llano Memorial Healthcare System. -- Along with the looting of course.

Surprisingly, access was quickly provided to Hospital Board minutes, -- within days of the request. ... Apparently, due to the fact January and February minutes indicate the Hospital is doing better financially. While this is indeed good news, the problem is far from over. Both Boards have indicated Hospital authorities are arrogantly asserting they do not have the time to deal with the EMS problem and are dumping it on the County.

The Llano County Commissioners' Court has reserved $170,000 to bail out EMS. The Hospital started billing the County, January 1, 2001. Interesting, isn't it? The taxpayers are now being directly tapped to pay for the outrageous looting by EMS employees. Where the hell is our District Attorney? Ole' Sam "The Sham" Oatman is continuing to conveniently look the other way, and will of course continue to do so.

Apparently in response to repeated requests for access to Hospital Board minutes and their posting by this publication, Hospital management in conjunction with the Boards has decided to drastically cut back the substance and length of the minutes themselves. Worse yet, nothing of substance is discussed outside of executive session, in violation of the Open Meetings Act. With an apparently corrupt and abusive District Attorney, again, nothing will change.

Switching gears, the Peruvian Air Force shot down an aircraft mistakenly identified as a drug runner. An American woman and her daughter were killed in the process. She was a Baptist missionary, who along with her husband, was doing charitable work in Peru. Supposedly, a CIA surveillance aircraft did all it could to stop the Peruvian fighter jet from targeting the plane.

The United States government has strongly asserted such targeting activity on drug runners has significantly reduced the amount of cocaine coming into this country. Sadly, our government has once again lied. Cocaine is as plentiful and cheap as ever. So are other drugs. The "Drug War" has clearly been a failure for the last thirty years. Only corrupt law enforcement and their aggressively stupid shills still argue otherwise.

Sadly, all the "Drug War" has accomplished has been the corruption of police officers, the militarization of police agencies across the U.S., the evisceration and bastardization of the Bill of Rights, as well as the legalization of theft by government thugs via asset forfeiture. ... This coming from a writer who does NOT use drugs. Think about it, friends. Had interdiction been truly successful, the price of drugs would have skyrocketed and their availability steeply declined. Clearly, they have not. Quite the opposite, in fact.

... Speaking of conveniently looking the other way, remember Elian Gonzalez? The Cuban boy returned to Fidel nearly a year ago? Interestingly, the photograph showing a federal Nazi SS thug pointing an automatic weapon at the boy, held by the fisherman, has received a Pulitzer Prize. Sadly, the return of the child to Fidel is proof positive children are no more than chattel in the United States. "Papa Fidel" is still laughing his ass off at the gullibility of the American people. With good reason. ... Nothing quite like aggressive stupidity, is there?

On another matter, the "President" has once again demonstrated his lack of substance at the heavily-protested world free-trade conference in Canada. While the behavior of both the protesters and the police was indeed appalling, dissidents strongly made the case there is no such thing as "free trade" when only the best interests of the "haves" are considered. ... As happened at the time of NAFTA and GATT. Amazing how history nearly always repeats itself, isn't it?

After nearly three months in office, however, the "President" has clearly indicated he is indeed a strong proponent of big business and corporate welfare, at the expense of labor and the environment. -- No surprise since Ole' George "The Tush" Bush is certainly a product of "Big Oil" and his Daddy's considerable influence and power. Although this writer voted for neither, the son is sadly a small shell of his father, the former President. Too bad, though. The people are indeed suffering for it, but are too aggressively stupid to understand how profoundly. ... Hey, George? It's time to wake up, sir. Move to the Center, or your "Presidency" will be no more than a failure and a sad bookmark of unbridled greed.

Friends, serious consideration is given by this writer to simply walking away from The Ledger due to a glaring lack of financial support from the readership. As strongly asserted in Special Edition V65, lacking any vested interest and no longer owning property in Llano County, why continue in the absence of financial support from a cowardly and selfish community? -- Despite a combined Llano Ledger and Llano Ledger 2 visitor count exceeding 96,600? ... Over two years, now. For what?

Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger



Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609

llanoledger@mailcity.com

Page Updated Wed Jun 13, 2001 5:44pm EDT