It's a darn good thing we all have so much in this country we can afford to throw it all away....and it doesn't really matter what it is, does it?   From the littliest of items to our senior citizens, we are so caught up in bigger, better and newer all the time that we include even some of our most scarce commodities,  the wisdom of those that have gone before us.  Experiences that can't be found on a computer, Blackberry or by twittering,  stories of real life experiences and what we could learn from the past.   What's the OLD saying?  "Those that don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat those mistakes?"  Instead of condemning the  elderly and shuffleing them off into places where they can be best forgotten why aren't we putting to use their wisdom and experiences?   Here is a real natural resource that we won't have to worrying about depleteing or polluting the environment with, tried and true real life experiences.    It's a good thing we don't appreciate life like other parts of the world.... they respect and value their elderly for  the wisdom they have to offer the young people in their countries.   But here we expect our kids to hit the road once they graduate, go out and make it in the real world, email home once in a while and are blessed when they stop their busy schedules to bring the family for a visit.  Funny thing is though, somehow I don't remember who put us through college and help sign for our first home..... OH YEAH..... NO ONE HELPED US OUT.... we did it on our own.  We never got to go to college... and we paid for our homes through GI loans after we got home from serving our country and we paid for everything with cash and when we didn't have the money, we didn't whip a plastic card and have to pay some legalized exstorsenist 39% for borrowing money to buy stuff that we fill landfills with we did without.   Now off on our own again, living on SS and medicare because we wanted to make sure our children had all the things and opportunities that we didn't have, we count on what  SS and medicare will give us so that we pay the rent and buy groceries on the $65.00 a month food stamps send us.  I suppose next we will see landfills full of the elderly because they have passed their prime, THEY'RE OLD!  OOOUUU!   Antiques!  If you really want to fix the cost of the medicare and medicaid begin with the ones who actually get the money!  Yes there are elderly folks who are lonely and are only looking to spend time with another human being, (how ridiculous and wastefull is that?)  but if the doctor is aware that "MR. JONES" is a constant visitor, with NO real health issues and he makes the appointment time after time, then who is really to blame?  "MR. JONES" or the doctor who is billing the government for the "MR. JONES"  apointments?   AND if "MR. JONES" wants a prescription for some Viagra, give him the prescription ....but make him pay for it, especially if he's  in every week.    Don't think that our professionals are above doing somthing like padding a bill to the government..... it happens all the time,  I know I've seen it happen with my mother doctor.  Fortunetly the hospital sends her a copy of the bill, stating that it is not a bill, and please do not send payment.... it lists all of the so called procedures having been done,  HAHAHA!   When she called the nurse on the statement and insisted that all of those procedures had, in fact, not taken place the reply was, "don't worry about it, medicare will take care of it, " and when she told her that she would report this abuse they refused to see her for any further treatment.   Unfornately we live in a very rural area were the doctors  and dentists are a primium and CAN and DO  refuse patients from their treatment.   Even if you're in pain or have experienced trauma, your forced to go to the Emergency room at the hospital an then after they're sure you're NOT going to die they expect you to find someone to treat you, yourself.  I have driven over 450 miles one way JUST to get a tooth pulled that I had broken off at the root, turned around and drove home after a 20 minute appointment,    Yes!  This happens a lot where we live.... but the one person that most of the doctors are willing to except are those who receive medicare or medicaid  because they guarentee themselves a paid bill, or should I say a guarenteed padded paid bill.