Organization Introduction
Personal Intro
A Quick Minute Look
HQ-Save-the-Billionaires-or-not-Walk-updates
Petition
!!!P.S. The following History and recent Children's stats linked to, need to be emphasized!!! Update: And it gets worse: KIDS!!!!
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(Why a Walk? Warren Buffett's Berkshire owns 40% of the huge dialysis company DaVita - while less than 1% of the Berkshire portfolio. DaVita has been plagued by scandals and horrifying stats)
The Walk (from Omaha NE's Justice Center to the CHI Health Center during the Warren Buffett event) turned out fine from my point of view! The band was there and three people: me, myself, and I! So not a lot of jostling and elbows. I was a little surprised since the lead article on the DialysisEthics site got well over 2000 hits! But a scouting mission was just fine with me - next year I should have a friend or two along - and a better idea of how it should go. I'll share the peace of mind I felt after the event was over - this after insomnia had been my unwelcome friend. I do hope the Walk helped supercharge the emails sent to CNBC and Warren Buffett - but I may never know.
But New York Times best-selling author Tom Mueller had this to say about the event: "Well done!" "A lone voice shouting in the wilderness is a powerful image. All prophets are that voice." And here I thought I was just Don Quixote out having a good time! Tom's book 'How to Make a Killing: Blood, Death, and Dollars in American Medicine' is out August 1st. That's not a very encouraging title about dialysis is it?
The band was at the starting point and played to a few pedestrians and cars passing by and we had a dancing homeless guy who really enjoyed it! (I think they made his day!) I handed out flyers to the people passing by (so few).
I then did the walk and handed flyers to people as they passed by. I think it is much easier handing out flyers about dialysis than something political - no arguments. The best part was running into quite a few people (more than I expected) who had relatives who did or had done dialysis. We had great conversations!
I got in surprisingly easily. I had my brokerage statements with me (one share of brk.b) I did like the RVs and the cowboy hats. However I was having a hard time giving anybody this 'billionaire information packet' - all refused. But then I walked by the administration offices - doors were locked.
So I shoved the packet into the door handles and left. I'm sure it is sitting on Charlie Munger's or Warren Buffett's desk right now!
Next year's event is a ways off! But here is a suggested reading list if anybody is interested:
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- a starting article: Warren Buffett: America's Folksiest Predator by Matt Stoller August 9th, 2020
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Books:
- 'Goliath' by Matt Stoller (may we raise the spirit of Texas Congressman Wright Patman)
- 'Division of Light and Power' by Dennis Kucinich (his fight as mayor for Muni Light was epic and read like a thriller) (utilities and dialysis clinics both carve out a geographical area)
- 'Monopolized' by David Dayen (started reading it, sounds like dialysis isn't the only area seeing the effects of concentrated corporate power!)
- And a fourth that might be a little bit of a surprise. (or not)
