December 16, 2024 • 26 mins
Disneyland OKs state’s largest wage theft settlement with workers. Will filling out student aid form target undocumented parents for deportation. Why do Americans pay more for healthcare than any other nation?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to bill Handle on demand from KFI AM
six forty KF I.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Am six forty bill Handle here. It's Monday morning, December sixteenth.
By the way, my printer is going.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Can you hear it?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Cono, Yes, you know, I've got to do the printer
during the break. So I have a new printer which
is really good, but it is loud, and so I've
got to make sure and make sure I print it
only during the breaks.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Would you please? You can remind me?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Okay, now, Yoho Yoho Pirate's life for me all about Disneyland.
And I know I cannot speak derogatorily of Disneyland in
front of Neil and or Amy because they are both
seasoned pass holders and go an inordinate number of times. Neil,
you paid what eighteen hundred twenty eight hundred dollars per
(00:52):
ticket for the three of you, and it doesn't matter
what they do.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
You know your damn business exactly correct.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
And Amy is running around some place, so I can't
harass her either. Here's what happened is that Disney has
just agreed to settle a wage theft class action lawsuit
for two hundred and thirty three million dollars. Disneyland workers
filed a lawsuit five years ago alleging that Disney ignored
Anaheim's minimum wage law. And they Disney just settled back
(01:23):
pay with interest, which penalty with penalties. And this is
taking place just as Anaheim is increasing its minimum wage
to twenty fifty an hour almost and the settlement settlement
covers more than fifty thousand current and former Disney employees. Now,
a couple things about Disney employees. Disneyland opened nineteen fifty five,
(01:47):
and it doesn't pay its people, or didn't pay its
people very well. But if you're talking about a kid
living in Fullerton or Anaheim or Santa Anna, working at
Disney was probably the best job on the planet. And
people who are former Disney employees across the board, I'm
willing to guess that Disney, the Disney organization has more
(02:11):
clubs and more groups of former Disney employees than any
other company on the planet. And they are fanatic about
being former Disney its. And it's across the board. So
on the one hand, you've got those group of people
that look at Disney almost as a deity in terms
(02:32):
of place to work, and as I said, great place
to work. If you're a student, it doesn't get better
than that. However, what if you're older and now you're
looking not as a student, not as a part timer
just trying to get some credibility on your resume, but
(02:52):
as supporting yourself for your family, not so much. And
so the backpay is owed to workers from twenty nineteen
January first, when the wage law first took effect, until
Disney adjusted the wages at the end of the court
fight last year. And it's been going back and forth
with appealing and finally they.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Agreed to settle.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Now, a couple things about Disney, and that is that
it turns out according to some studies, and some are
pro union matter of fact, some are union Coalition of
resort labor unions.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Release working for the.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Mouse survey and detailed economic hardships faced by Disney workers
showed that almost three quarters said they didn't even earn
enough money to cover basic expenses. And so what Anaheim
did I guess in response to that? Are part of
the reason that the approval of Measure L by the
voters starting January one, twenty nineteen, had ordered a minimum
(03:54):
wage of fifteen bucks an hour for companies in the
Anaheim Resort, all of them that enjoyed a tax rebate
agreement with the city.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
And here's where the argument is.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
It's a little bit wonky, but this is why Disney
was accused of and stiffed the workers. It's not just oh,
we're not going to pay. It had to do with
the agreement with the city that if Disney the Anaheim
Resort enjoyed a tax rebate agreement, then it fell under.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
The minimum wage law, the new one.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Disney argued that it didn't have a tax rebate agreement
with the city of Anaheim, therefore it wasn't subject to
the terms and the law, therefore didn't have to pay
fifteen bucks an hour.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Well, here's what happened. What the company wanted and got
is the Anaheim City.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Council tore up a forty five year gate tax moratorium
and a two hundred and sixty seven million dollar bed
tax agreement for a planned luxury hotel at downtown Disney
before the election. In other words, a tax situation that
would help Disney. And that's one argument they had. Well,
the judge originally agreed with Disney in twenty twenty one, which,
(05:08):
of course the workers instantly appealed. The Fourth District Court
of Appeal reversed that ruling, saying that if you look
in the nineteen ninety.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Six Disney expansion deal.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
That was passed by the Amaheim City Council, there is
a tax rebate in that agreement. Now, my guess is
it's not that clear. Otherwise they've been brought up. So
I don't have the agreement in front of me, and
a bit's wonkier than hell. But both sides can try
to interpret it one way or the other. The Fourth
(05:43):
District Court said, uh uh, the Disney employees get it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Disney appealed that decision.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
The Fourth District Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme
Court said, nah, we're not.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Interested in hearing it.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Therefore, the Fourth District Court of Appeal it's standing. It's
ruling stands Disney is liable. So the settlement was, okay,
all right, let's settle right now, and we're going to
give you X dollars. And it turned out to be
two hundred and thirty three million dollars. And that turned
out to be I think amy the numbers. What if
(06:17):
you average over to the fifty thousand workers. Both current
and former workers. You're talking about what three to four
thousand dollars A three to four thousand dollars depending on
how long they worked. So it would be for people
that work the entire time, it would be more. For
people that work part of the time would be less.
So are we guessing around a thirty five hundred dollars
(06:38):
four thousand dollars paycheck?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I would guess right around there.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
All right?
Speaker 1 (06:43):
The mouse by the way.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
At one point I worked for Disney. I had the
worst television show in the history of television.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You know that, don't you. It was called Judge for Yourself. Boy.
It was a million years ago, nineteen ninety five, nineteen
ninety six.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
It was one of the early judge shows that Disney produced,
and it was truly one of the worst shows that
in the history of television. And let me tell you
what they used to call Disney around the set.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
It was not pleasant. It really wasn't. There was a
lot of acrimony. You know, I haven't been Disneyland in
a million years because it's so damn crowded. It's not
even the money, it's the crowd side.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I have a well, you know how I feel about
people it's just because how.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Do you go to Disneyland without people? Amy?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Is it possible without without literally booking the entire park
all by yourself?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
No, And it's not that crowded, it's not you just
don't like people. Well, yeah, that's and that well that makes.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
You a visit to the happiest place on earth a
little problematic for you and.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Not particularly happy.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Okay, hey, ooh, is there an issue going on with
deporting those eleven million illegal aliens illegal migrants in the
United States?
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Now?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
You know, practically speaking, I mean, that's obviously not going
to happen because you just can't do it practically, not
for you can't do it over the course of years.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
But here is the problem.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Students that are applying for federal aid, they risk that
information being used by immigration authorities to figure out whether
they're in laws, parents, members of the families are illegal. Now,
everybody who was born in the United States is an
(08:32):
American citizen. That's the fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, unless
there is a move to overturn the US Constitution or
to add another amendment saying that natural birthright. In other words,
if you're born in the country, you're not amount of citizen, which,
by the way, in very many countries is not the case.
You can be born there and it doesn't matter if
(08:52):
your parents are not there legally.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Even if your parents are there legally under.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
A visa status, you may not be a citizen of
that country. The United States, none matter, doesn't matter. As
long as you're born here, does not matter, you're a citizen.
Trump is trying to undo that or talks about undoing that,
and it's not exactly on those notes saying I want
to get rid of birthright. For example, on NBC News,
(09:18):
he talked about the only way to deport undocumented parents
whose children are citizens and not have the family break
up is you put them all together and you send
them all back. But wait a minute, they're American citizens.
Where do you send an American citizen to That's the problem,
(09:40):
and it's and here it is, so you think that's ridiculous.
Of course, no one's going to undo and make constitutional
change to revoke the fourteenth Amendment or that.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Part of it.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
However, you got over three million Californias living in mixed
status household, which means part of the family is illegal,
and so you have these Calis Fournia students eligible for
my financial aid, federal financial aid, and they're being told,
wait a minute, because under the Biden administration, that information
(10:13):
was not shared with immigration.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
In other words, it was exclusive to immigration.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
And we have tons of those, by the way, where
certain laws cannot be used or information cannot be used
to the police department or to IRS or whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
So that exists.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
But under the Biden administration, information that the FEDS receive,
for example, IRS, if you file taxes and your illegal
that doesn't go in, that doesn't go to immigration, doesn't
go to ICE, can't be used. Well, Biden's turning that
one around, I mean, Trump is turning that one around
and saying we can and will use that information, which,
(10:52):
by the way, an administration can do, it's within the
executive purview.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
And so what's.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Going on, Well, people are afraid, and the various organizations
like the California Student Aid Commission, which helps students get aid,
says and it runs the state's financial aid program, say
you know what.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
You may just have to forego federal aid. You may
just have to give it up. Leave the bunny on
the table.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Now that has another hit to it, because not only
does someone lose financial aid who otherwise would be eligible
for it. But the state itself has a real problem
because four hundred thousand thousand Californians receive the cal Grant,
which waives tuition at public universities and at private colleges
(11:45):
to some extent.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Plus their state has a middle class scholarship.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
It's all predicated on how much federal money comes in.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
In other words, it's part of the formula. Will give
you X dollars to.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Help you say, you've applied for federal money, which you
are eligible for, so therefore here's the scholarship. Now California
has no idea what the Feds are going to give,
not give, or use some immigration and throw students out
or throw their families out, So students don't apply. So
that's up in the air, and no one knows the numbers.
(12:20):
So that really screws up both the federal program, which
is under the control of the administration, and the state program,
which is controlled by the state.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
The bottom line is.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Potential students, potential students who receive federal aid are sweating
bullets and they're not pleased. And will the Trump administration
go forward? You know what, we don't know because he's
only talking in terms of generalities. And once again, what
(12:53):
the president does this president coming up is he, as
a negotiating tactic, will go two extremes.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
That's what he does.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
And he comes back and does some kind of a compromise,
but far better for his position than if he were
reasonable to start off with. Reasonable certainly in the sense
of the argument for normal tariffs or federal aide should
go to students who qualify for it. So again this
is one we don't know about.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
We don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You're not going to see the massive deportation of eleven
million people. You will see various states, for example, Texas,
Florida using their information telling the FEDS, telling ice we're
about to release someone who may be an illegal alien,
who we think may be an illegal alien, and here
(13:46):
he is being released next Tuesday one o'clock that gate.
California doesn't do this by law. It's a sanctuary state,
which means by law it cannot give the authorities that information.
And LA even stricter by law, can't cooperate with the
Feds when it comes to immigration. And now you have California,
(14:10):
which gives state money and the FEDS can't do anything
about that. But telling students you want to stay away
from the Feds because they may use that information to
deport your family members.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Isn't that special.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
It's a rough time to be someone who is here illegally,
and a lot of people say, yeah, it's about time
for you to have a rough time, all right. I
want to get into something that I've been talking about
actually since I started broadcasting back in the nineteen thirties,
and it has to do with healthcare and how I
have pushed and pushed and pushed for a system other
(14:48):
than what we have private, non governmentally inter interceded or
the government not interceding into healthcare except for Medicare, which
is socialized meta us in for some reason, once you're
sixty five, you're fine with socialized medicine, but not before that.
And you've heard this before. We pay more for health
(15:10):
care than any other country in the world. We also
have the lowest life expectancy among the.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
First world nations.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
And what happens in this country, unlike other countries, is
we actually reward doctors for medical procedures, not for people
keeping people healthy. That doesn't matter. We are known for
keeping costs hidden from customers from patients spending money on
stuff that has nothing to do with patients feeling better
(15:41):
more for administrative costs than we do actually caring for
heart disease and caring for cancer. According to Harvard University
study says it's an absurd amount. And then when you
talk about the cost of medical care, particularly health insurance, well,
the amount of money Americans spent on health insurance through
(16:03):
payroll deductions in the past two dozen years has jumped
three times faster than inflation. The leading cause of personal
bankruptcy health bills half of all debt on consumers credit
records in twenty twenty two medical bills. Health economists are
(16:26):
saying it's the entire healthcare system, not just the insurance
companies either, that deserves scrutiny. We have runaway medical costs.
Just for some numbers. Health insurance companies took in twenty
five billion dollars in profit last year. I mean that's
an astronomical figure. Hospitals collected ninety billion dollars, and Rice
(16:49):
University It's economist Vivian Ho said, use the word eyepoppy
to describe the ninety billion dollars. So go through some
of the reasons why our healthcare system sucks so badly,
and most everybody agrees it's broken. I mean, how many
people think our healthcare system is in great shape? I
(17:12):
think I get great healthcare, I get phenomenal health care.
And I just had to pay three thousand dollars a
month for my family for health care insurance.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Isn't that special? Okay?
Speaker 2 (17:28):
So a couple of reasons or a few reasons why
it is, and then the obvious answer to me, which
I don't get, maybe can be getting closer to it.
Number one, there are no price limits. None doesn't exist.
Most of the world puts price limits and either negotiates
(17:48):
or mandates what doctors and insurance and hospitals and device
makers are.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Going to get.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
What happens under Medicare, the government decides how much such
a doctor gets paid for a procedure.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Now Big Pharma was excluded from that. Boy, you talk
about a powerful lobby.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
So Medicare, by law is able to negotiate with hospitals, doctors,
device makers, but not pharmaceutical companies. They're exempt. They can
charge whatever the hell they want to.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
So there are no price limits whatsoever. And US hospitals
have more specialists than medical facilities in other countries. We
just love our specialists and we love our specialists twenty
four to seven. And that's what occurs, particularly in major
(18:44):
metro areas. And you don't think that drives up costs?
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Boy does it? Now? I kind of like it. I
go to the er and let's say.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
I've broken a bone and submurtered it. I'm feeling tingly
in my nerves and I need a radiologist to read
what's going going on, and maybe a neurologist, and at
two o'clock in the morning, I'll get one.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I'll get it now.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Obviously they're neurologists on call in other countries, but only
an extreme circumstances they.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Are going to come in.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Otherwise going to wait, wait till Monday. Well not in
the US. Not in the US, You're gonna get it
right now. And guess what they get paid. What do
you think of neurologists gets paid working Sunday night two am.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
It's not a bad way to go.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
And so we have tons of specialists, not nearly enough
general practitioners. Why because general practitioners internests.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Don't make as much money.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
And the doctor who is in it to help society
I want to do this to help people. Well, there
are two kinds of people who say that, one who
one type of doctor, potential doctor really does.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Believe that, at least for five minutes, and.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
The other one said, now, I'm just in it for
the money, which, by the way, today, unless you're a
super specialist, doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
When it comes to healthcare. I push very hard.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
To convince you that not only do we have a
broken health system you don't need much convincing for that one,
but that we should go to some kind of a
national model, single payer, much like what Medicare does. As
matter of fact, those people that are promoting that, you're
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warrens and others include and me
(20:33):
no longer call it national health, like there's noose such
thing as liberals anymore.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
They're now progressives.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
National health is now called Medicare for all. Somehow that's
psych illegal aliens aren't aliens, y're undocumented people. And homeless
people aren't homeless, they're unhoused. Medicare for all is just
another way of saying national health.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Why do we need it?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Why do we need a single payer model? Well, when
governments negotiate with providers much like the rest of the world,
the industrial world, where the only country.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
That doesn't do that.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well. It's necessary because look at the cost and look
what we get for our costs.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
We pay the most, we get the least.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So one of the reasons is there's simply lack of
price limits. I told you that earlier. There's no limit
to it. Other countries, you bet there's a limit. Medicare,
you bet there's a limit. Doctor is going to do
a procedure. Medicare tells the doctor, here's how much you're
going to get from the government because Medicare.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Pays for it. It's national health.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
The other reason hospitals and doctors get paid for services,
not for outcomes. Outcomes be nothing in this country. Health
means nothing. How many procedures do you do? Jim Keeney
is an expert on this. By the way, Jim just
got his MBA and one of what he studied was
(22:04):
outcome versus cost and we talked about it and it's
pretty wonky stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
But in the.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
System that we have, it's you get paid for procedures.
You don't get paid for how many people do how
well over the course of how long and what procedures
actually connect all that. Nope, nope, Uh, it's all based
on the number of procedures, which is why we go
(22:30):
crazy on testing.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
If a patient. And by the way, also.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Our legal system, our tort system, which enables you to
sue doctors. This is when you walk in and go,
I just heard about a new test I wanted, or
I heard about a new drug I wanted. You know what,
doctors do They prescribe that drug because they're afraid if
something happens to you, you turn around and you sue,
and you say, I'm suing. I'm damaged because you didn't
give me that test, and so doctors are running scared
(22:59):
of that one. So that's the current system. By the way,
how much Medicare does pay the negotiated price you know
sits on the panel that makes that decision. The AMA
doctors are deciding how much they get paid.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
That's the other problem. Even though is a.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
National health system starting at the age of sixty five
with Medicare, what does Medicare pay Well, it pays the
doctors what the panel says, and the doctors are part
of the panel.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
So are doctors getting overpaid?
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Maybe administrative costs through the roof.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
The other reason. And I'm just throwing some reasons out
there that healthcare pricing is a mystery. Do you have
any idea what an MRI costs you? When you get
your MRI?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Of course, nine are there prices posted like menus posted
on the window of a restaurant.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
It tells you what you're getting how much it costs?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Oh no, And just to give you an idea, an
MRI can cost anywhere from three hundred dollars to three thousand.
Kolonoskiby could cost you one thousand to ten thousand dollars.
You have no idea on handle on the law. On Saturday,
I don't know whether it was during the recording or
(24:18):
it was during the actual show I did. I was
talking to a dentist who had a legal problem and I,
as you know, I just had a tooth break off
at the gum line, so I had to I have
to put a crown on it. And I asked him
how much money do you pay should I pay for
a crown?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
I described exactly what my dentist is doing and he said,
I don't know about twelve hundred dollars. I only paid
twice that much. Whoa what is that about? He goes,
depends on where you live.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, okay, so you practice in squirrel hollow right somewhere
a palachi He goes, no, no, not at all, and
so you have no idea. By the way, I had
no idea what that crown was gonna cost me. And
this is dentistry, no idea until I asked, I said,
what does this cost? And that's the same thing with doctors.
(25:10):
Do people ask, we have to run this test, what.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Does it cost?
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Even if I'm insured, I'm paying twenty percent of the cost,
And there's a big difference between one thousand and ten
thousand dollars. There's a lot of reasons, a lot of reasons.
By the way, one of the things that Robert Kennedy
wants to do, and I completely agree with this, is
to limit the American Medical Association's influence over medical billing costs.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
He says, that's enough.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
So there are tons of reasons why we just do
everything so badly. And of course prescription drugs, I mean,
come on, you know, what we pay for prescription drugs
relative to the rest.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Of the world is just crazy.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
And every time an investigation is done, the big pharma
actually says no exactly here actually says it is better
for consumers to pay more money for drugs than less money.
We're helping the American people who need drugs by charging
more money, R and D, et cetera. Why don't you
(26:17):
charge people in France are in D money because we
can't and we can in the United States. KFI AM sixty.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Catch My Show Monday through Friday, six am to nine am,
and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
You're listening to bill Handle on demand from KFI AM
six forty KF I.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Am six forty bill Handle here. It's Monday morning, December sixteenth.
By the way, my printer is going.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Can you hear it?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Cono, Yes, you know, I've got to do the printer
during the break. So I have a new printer which
is really good, but it is loud, and so I've
got to make sure and make sure I print it
only during the breaks.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Would you please? You can remind me?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Okay, now, Yoho Yoho Pirate's life for me all about Disneyland.
And I know I cannot speak derogatorily of Disneyland in
front of Neil and or Amy because they are both
seasoned pass holders and go an inordinate number of times. Neil,
you paid what eighteen hundred twenty eight hundred dollars per
(00:52):
ticket for the three of you, and it doesn't matter
what they do.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
You know your damn business exactly correct.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
And Amy is running around some place, so I can't
harass her either. Here's what happened is that Disney has
just agreed to settle a wage theft class action lawsuit
for two hundred and thirty three million dollars. Disneyland workers
filed a lawsuit five years ago alleging that Disney ignored
Anaheim's minimum wage law. And they Disney just settled back
(01:23):
pay with interest, which penalty with penalties. And this is
taking place just as Anaheim is increasing its minimum wage
to twenty fifty an hour almost and the settlement settlement
covers more than fifty thousand current and former Disney employees. Now,
a couple things about Disney employees. Disneyland opened nineteen fifty five,
(01:47):
and it doesn't pay its people, or didn't pay its
people very well. But if you're talking about a kid
living in Fullerton or Anaheim or Santa Anna, working at
Disney was probably the best job on the planet. And
people who are former Disney employees across the board, I'm
willing to guess that Disney, the Disney organization has more
(02:11):
clubs and more groups of former Disney employees than any
other company on the planet. And they are fanatic about
being former Disney its. And it's across the board. So
on the one hand, you've got those group of people
that look at Disney almost as a deity in terms
(02:32):
of place to work, and as I said, great place
to work. If you're a student, it doesn't get better
than that. However, what if you're older and now you're
looking not as a student, not as a part timer
just trying to get some credibility on your resume, but
(02:52):
as supporting yourself for your family, not so much. And
so the backpay is owed to workers from twenty nineteen
January first, when the wage law first took effect, until
Disney adjusted the wages at the end of the court
fight last year. And it's been going back and forth
with appealing and finally they.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Agreed to settle.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Now, a couple things about Disney, and that is that
it turns out according to some studies, and some are
pro union matter of fact, some are union Coalition of
resort labor unions.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Release working for the.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Mouse survey and detailed economic hardships faced by Disney workers
showed that almost three quarters said they didn't even earn
enough money to cover basic expenses. And so what Anaheim
did I guess in response to that? Are part of
the reason that the approval of Measure L by the
voters starting January one, twenty nineteen, had ordered a minimum
(03:54):
wage of fifteen bucks an hour for companies in the
Anaheim Resort, all of them that enjoyed a tax rebate
agreement with the city.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
And here's where the argument is.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
It's a little bit wonky, but this is why Disney
was accused of and stiffed the workers. It's not just oh,
we're not going to pay. It had to do with
the agreement with the city that if Disney the Anaheim
Resort enjoyed a tax rebate agreement, then it fell under.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
The minimum wage law, the new one.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Disney argued that it didn't have a tax rebate agreement
with the city of Anaheim, therefore it wasn't subject to
the terms and the law, therefore didn't have to pay
fifteen bucks an hour.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Well, here's what happened. What the company wanted and got
is the Anaheim City.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Council tore up a forty five year gate tax moratorium
and a two hundred and sixty seven million dollar bed
tax agreement for a planned luxury hotel at downtown Disney
before the election. In other words, a tax situation that
would help Disney. And that's one argument they had. Well,
the judge originally agreed with Disney in twenty twenty one, which,
(05:08):
of course the workers instantly appealed. The Fourth District Court
of Appeal reversed that ruling, saying that if you look
in the nineteen ninety.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Six Disney expansion deal.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
That was passed by the Amaheim City Council, there is
a tax rebate in that agreement. Now, my guess is
it's not that clear. Otherwise they've been brought up. So
I don't have the agreement in front of me, and
a bit's wonkier than hell. But both sides can try
to interpret it one way or the other. The Fourth
(05:43):
District Court said, uh uh, the Disney employees get it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Disney appealed that decision.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
The Fourth District Court of Appeal, and the California Supreme
Court said, nah, we're not.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Interested in hearing it.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Therefore, the Fourth District Court of Appeal it's standing. It's
ruling stands Disney is liable. So the settlement was, okay,
all right, let's settle right now, and we're going to
give you X dollars. And it turned out to be
two hundred and thirty three million dollars. And that turned
out to be I think amy the numbers. What if
(06:17):
you average over to the fifty thousand workers. Both current
and former workers. You're talking about what three to four
thousand dollars A three to four thousand dollars depending on
how long they worked. So it would be for people
that work the entire time, it would be more. For
people that work part of the time would be less.
So are we guessing around a thirty five hundred dollars
(06:38):
four thousand dollars paycheck?
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I would guess right around there.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
All right?
Speaker 1 (06:43):
The mouse by the way.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
At one point I worked for Disney. I had the
worst television show in the history of television.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You know that, don't you. It was called Judge for Yourself. Boy.
It was a million years ago, nineteen ninety five, nineteen
ninety six.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
It was one of the early judge shows that Disney produced,
and it was truly one of the worst shows that
in the history of television. And let me tell you
what they used to call Disney around the set.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
It was not pleasant. It really wasn't. There was a
lot of acrimony. You know, I haven't been Disneyland in
a million years because it's so damn crowded. It's not
even the money, it's the crowd side.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I have a well, you know how I feel about
people it's just because how.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Do you go to Disneyland without people? Amy?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Is it possible without without literally booking the entire park
all by yourself?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
No, And it's not that crowded, it's not you just
don't like people. Well, yeah, that's and that well that makes.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
You a visit to the happiest place on earth a
little problematic for you and.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Not particularly happy.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Okay, hey, ooh, is there an issue going on with
deporting those eleven million illegal aliens illegal migrants in the
United States?
Speaker 1 (07:59):
Now?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
You know, practically speaking, I mean, that's obviously not going
to happen because you just can't do it practically, not
for you can't do it over the course of years.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
But here is the problem.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Students that are applying for federal aid, they risk that
information being used by immigration authorities to figure out whether
they're in laws, parents, members of the families are illegal. Now,
everybody who was born in the United States is an
(08:32):
American citizen. That's the fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, unless
there is a move to overturn the US Constitution or
to add another amendment saying that natural birthright. In other words,
if you're born in the country, you're not amount of citizen, which,
by the way, in very many countries is not the case.
You can be born there and it doesn't matter if
(08:52):
your parents are not there legally.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Even if your parents are there legally under.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
A visa status, you may not be a citizen of
that country. The United States, none matter, doesn't matter. As
long as you're born here, does not matter, you're a citizen.
Trump is trying to undo that or talks about undoing that,
and it's not exactly on those notes saying I want
to get rid of birthright. For example, on NBC News,
(09:18):
he talked about the only way to deport undocumented parents
whose children are citizens and not have the family break
up is you put them all together and you send
them all back. But wait a minute, they're American citizens.
Where do you send an American citizen to That's the problem,
(09:40):
and it's and here it is, so you think that's ridiculous.
Of course, no one's going to undo and make constitutional
change to revoke the fourteenth Amendment or that.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Part of it.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
However, you got over three million Californias living in mixed
status household, which means part of the family is illegal,
and so you have these Calis Fournia students eligible for
my financial aid, federal financial aid, and they're being told,
wait a minute, because under the Biden administration, that information
(10:13):
was not shared with immigration.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
In other words, it was exclusive to immigration.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
And we have tons of those, by the way, where
certain laws cannot be used or information cannot be used
to the police department or to IRS or whatever.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
So that exists.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
But under the Biden administration, information that the FEDS receive,
for example, IRS, if you file taxes and your illegal
that doesn't go in, that doesn't go to immigration, doesn't
go to ICE, can't be used. Well, Biden's turning that
one around, I mean, Trump is turning that one around
and saying we can and will use that information, which,
(10:52):
by the way, an administration can do, it's within the
executive purview.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
And so what's.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Going on, Well, people are afraid, and the various organizations
like the California Student Aid Commission, which helps students get aid,
says and it runs the state's financial aid program, say
you know what.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
You may just have to forego federal aid. You may
just have to give it up. Leave the bunny on
the table.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Now that has another hit to it, because not only
does someone lose financial aid who otherwise would be eligible
for it. But the state itself has a real problem
because four hundred thousand thousand Californians receive the cal Grant,
which waives tuition at public universities and at private colleges
(11:45):
to some extent.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Plus their state has a middle class scholarship.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
It's all predicated on how much federal money comes in.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
In other words, it's part of the formula. Will give
you X dollars to.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Help you say, you've applied for federal money, which you
are eligible for, so therefore here's the scholarship. Now California
has no idea what the Feds are going to give,
not give, or use some immigration and throw students out
or throw their families out, So students don't apply. So
that's up in the air, and no one knows the numbers.
(12:20):
So that really screws up both the federal program, which
is under the control of the administration, and the state program,
which is controlled by the state.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
The bottom line is.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Potential students, potential students who receive federal aid are sweating
bullets and they're not pleased. And will the Trump administration
go forward? You know what, we don't know because he's
only talking in terms of generalities. And once again, what
(12:53):
the president does this president coming up is he, as
a negotiating tactic, will go two extremes.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
That's what he does.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
And he comes back and does some kind of a compromise,
but far better for his position than if he were
reasonable to start off with. Reasonable certainly in the sense
of the argument for normal tariffs or federal aide should
go to students who qualify for it. So again this
is one we don't know about.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
We don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You're not going to see the massive deportation of eleven
million people. You will see various states, for example, Texas,
Florida using their information telling the FEDS, telling ice we're
about to release someone who may be an illegal alien,
who we think may be an illegal alien, and here
(13:46):
he is being released next Tuesday one o'clock that gate.
California doesn't do this by law. It's a sanctuary state,
which means by law it cannot give the authorities that information.
And LA even stricter by law, can't cooperate with the
Feds when it comes to immigration. And now you have California,
(14:10):
which gives state money and the FEDS can't do anything
about that. But telling students you want to stay away
from the Feds because they may use that information to
deport your family members.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Isn't that special.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
It's a rough time to be someone who is here illegally,
and a lot of people say, yeah, it's about time
for you to have a rough time, all right. I
want to get into something that I've been talking about
actually since I started broadcasting back in the nineteen thirties,
and it has to do with healthcare and how I
have pushed and pushed and pushed for a system other
(14:48):
than what we have private, non governmentally inter interceded or
the government not interceding into healthcare except for Medicare, which
is socialized meta us in for some reason, once you're
sixty five, you're fine with socialized medicine, but not before that.
And you've heard this before. We pay more for health
(15:10):
care than any other country in the world. We also
have the lowest life expectancy among the.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
First world nations.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
And what happens in this country, unlike other countries, is
we actually reward doctors for medical procedures, not for people
keeping people healthy. That doesn't matter. We are known for
keeping costs hidden from customers from patients spending money on
stuff that has nothing to do with patients feeling better
(15:41):
more for administrative costs than we do actually caring for
heart disease and caring for cancer. According to Harvard University
study says it's an absurd amount. And then when you
talk about the cost of medical care, particularly health insurance, well,
the amount of money Americans spent on health insurance through
(16:03):
payroll deductions in the past two dozen years has jumped
three times faster than inflation. The leading cause of personal
bankruptcy health bills half of all debt on consumers credit
records in twenty twenty two medical bills. Health economists are
(16:26):
saying it's the entire healthcare system, not just the insurance
companies either, that deserves scrutiny. We have runaway medical costs.
Just for some numbers. Health insurance companies took in twenty
five billion dollars in profit last year. I mean that's
an astronomical figure. Hospitals collected ninety billion dollars, and Rice
(16:49):
University It's economist Vivian Ho said, use the word eyepoppy
to describe the ninety billion dollars. So go through some
of the reasons why our healthcare system sucks so badly,
and most everybody agrees it's broken. I mean, how many
people think our healthcare system is in great shape? I
(17:12):
think I get great healthcare, I get phenomenal health care.
And I just had to pay three thousand dollars a
month for my family for health care insurance.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Isn't that special? Okay?
Speaker 2 (17:28):
So a couple of reasons or a few reasons why
it is, and then the obvious answer to me, which
I don't get, maybe can be getting closer to it.
Number one, there are no price limits. None doesn't exist.
Most of the world puts price limits and either negotiates
(17:48):
or mandates what doctors and insurance and hospitals and device
makers are.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Going to get.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
What happens under Medicare, the government decides how much such
a doctor gets paid for a procedure.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Now Big Pharma was excluded from that. Boy, you talk
about a powerful lobby.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
So Medicare, by law is able to negotiate with hospitals, doctors,
device makers, but not pharmaceutical companies. They're exempt. They can
charge whatever the hell they want to.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
So there are no price limits whatsoever. And US hospitals
have more specialists than medical facilities in other countries. We
just love our specialists and we love our specialists twenty
four to seven. And that's what occurs, particularly in major
(18:44):
metro areas. And you don't think that drives up costs?
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Boy does it? Now? I kind of like it. I
go to the er and let's say.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
I've broken a bone and submurtered it. I'm feeling tingly
in my nerves and I need a radiologist to read
what's going going on, and maybe a neurologist, and at
two o'clock in the morning, I'll get one.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I'll get it now.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Obviously they're neurologists on call in other countries, but only
an extreme circumstances they.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Are going to come in.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Otherwise going to wait, wait till Monday. Well not in
the US. Not in the US, You're gonna get it
right now. And guess what they get paid. What do
you think of neurologists gets paid working Sunday night two am.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
It's not a bad way to go.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
And so we have tons of specialists, not nearly enough
general practitioners. Why because general practitioners internests.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Don't make as much money.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
And the doctor who is in it to help society
I want to do this to help people. Well, there
are two kinds of people who say that, one who
one type of doctor, potential doctor really does.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Believe that, at least for five minutes, and.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
The other one said, now, I'm just in it for
the money, which, by the way, today, unless you're a
super specialist, doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
When it comes to healthcare. I push very hard.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
To convince you that not only do we have a
broken health system you don't need much convincing for that one,
but that we should go to some kind of a
national model, single payer, much like what Medicare does. As
matter of fact, those people that are promoting that, you're
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warrens and others include and me
(20:33):
no longer call it national health, like there's noose such
thing as liberals anymore.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
They're now progressives.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
National health is now called Medicare for all. Somehow that's
psych illegal aliens aren't aliens, y're undocumented people. And homeless
people aren't homeless, they're unhoused. Medicare for all is just
another way of saying national health.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Why do we need it?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Why do we need a single payer model? Well, when
governments negotiate with providers much like the rest of the world,
the industrial world, where the only country.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
That doesn't do that.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well. It's necessary because look at the cost and look
what we get for our costs.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
We pay the most, we get the least.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So one of the reasons is there's simply lack of
price limits. I told you that earlier. There's no limit
to it. Other countries, you bet there's a limit. Medicare,
you bet there's a limit. Doctor is going to do
a procedure. Medicare tells the doctor, here's how much you're
going to get from the government because Medicare.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
Pays for it. It's national health.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
The other reason hospitals and doctors get paid for services,
not for outcomes. Outcomes be nothing in this country. Health
means nothing. How many procedures do you do? Jim Keeney
is an expert on this. By the way, Jim just
got his MBA and one of what he studied was
(22:04):
outcome versus cost and we talked about it and it's
pretty wonky stuff.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
But in the.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
System that we have, it's you get paid for procedures.
You don't get paid for how many people do how
well over the course of how long and what procedures
actually connect all that. Nope, nope, Uh, it's all based
on the number of procedures, which is why we go
(22:30):
crazy on testing.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
If a patient. And by the way, also.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Our legal system, our tort system, which enables you to
sue doctors. This is when you walk in and go,
I just heard about a new test I wanted, or
I heard about a new drug I wanted. You know what,
doctors do They prescribe that drug because they're afraid if
something happens to you, you turn around and you sue,
and you say, I'm suing. I'm damaged because you didn't
give me that test, and so doctors are running scared
(22:59):
of that one. So that's the current system. By the way,
how much Medicare does pay the negotiated price you know
sits on the panel that makes that decision. The AMA
doctors are deciding how much they get paid.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
That's the other problem. Even though is a.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
National health system starting at the age of sixty five
with Medicare, what does Medicare pay Well, it pays the
doctors what the panel says, and the doctors are part
of the panel.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
So are doctors getting overpaid?
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Maybe administrative costs through the roof.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
The other reason. And I'm just throwing some reasons out
there that healthcare pricing is a mystery. Do you have
any idea what an MRI costs you? When you get
your MRI?
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Of course, nine are there prices posted like menus posted
on the window of a restaurant.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
It tells you what you're getting how much it costs?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Oh no, And just to give you an idea, an
MRI can cost anywhere from three hundred dollars to three thousand.
Kolonoskiby could cost you one thousand to ten thousand dollars.
You have no idea on handle on the law. On Saturday,
I don't know whether it was during the recording or
(24:18):
it was during the actual show I did. I was
talking to a dentist who had a legal problem and I,
as you know, I just had a tooth break off
at the gum line, so I had to I have
to put a crown on it. And I asked him
how much money do you pay should I pay for
a crown?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
I described exactly what my dentist is doing and he said,
I don't know about twelve hundred dollars. I only paid
twice that much. Whoa what is that about? He goes,
depends on where you live.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, okay, so you practice in squirrel hollow right somewhere
a palachi He goes, no, no, not at all, and
so you have no idea. By the way, I had
no idea what that crown was gonna cost me. And
this is dentistry, no idea until I asked, I said,
what does this cost? And that's the same thing with doctors.
(25:10):
Do people ask, we have to run this test, what.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Does it cost?
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Even if I'm insured, I'm paying twenty percent of the cost,
And there's a big difference between one thousand and ten
thousand dollars. There's a lot of reasons, a lot of reasons.
By the way, one of the things that Robert Kennedy
wants to do, and I completely agree with this, is
to limit the American Medical Association's influence over medical billing costs.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
He says, that's enough.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
So there are tons of reasons why we just do
everything so badly. And of course prescription drugs, I mean,
come on, you know, what we pay for prescription drugs
relative to the rest.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Of the world is just crazy.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
And every time an investigation is done, the big pharma
actually says no exactly here actually says it is better
for consumers to pay more money for drugs than less money.
We're helping the American people who need drugs by charging
more money, R and D, et cetera. Why don't you
(26:17):
charge people in France are in D money because we
can't and we can in the United States. KFI AM sixty.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
You've been listening to the Bill Handle Show.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Catch My Show Monday through Friday, six am to nine am,
and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
The Bill Handel Show News
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