Government regulation creates a fair playing field, and provides assurance to the players that the game isn't rigged or populated by scam artists. Do you think ordinary Americans would trust their savings to the stock markets if the markets weren't regulated by government?
At the time of the government-finance industry meltdown, everybody was already highly regulated. Banks, Mortgage companies, loan-agents/brokers, appraisers, bond rating agencies, securities lawyers, securities brokers, etc.
By the time regulations are enacted, the lobbyists for the articular industry have "gotten to" our lawmaker, and created the scams.
The scam is that the little guy, the investor for instance, is "protected," from the big bad corporation. The fact is the big bad corporation in protected, and the little guy investor is practically naked-unprotected.
In the case of substance addiction, treatment and recovery, the scam is created by the healthcare and insurance industry, on the American taxpayer.
The addict-alcoholics jump at the chance to fill luxury recovery beds, and attend "treatment."
There they know they will be coddled, like never before. But they stand no better chances of getting clean-sober, and remaining clean-sober, than if they detoxed in their hometown AA meeting room, 2 or 3 times a day.
Here is the program that works: "Don't drink, no matter what. Go to 2 or 3 meetings a day, and don't drink between meetings. Get the book, read the book, get a sponsor, do the steps."
For profit "treatment" is full of modern psychobabble, like "triggers," "getting in touch with your inner self," and so forth. They help their "patients" believe ideas, like being a victim, being depressed or some other medical problem, etc.
They pick and choose, just some of the God based, Twelve Steps, so as to not jeopardize government funding for "religious" activities.
They teach "a drug is a drug," to soothe a methamphetamine user into thinking he is just like a person having one-too-many drinks driving home from the office.
Those "providers," will be lobbying like crazy, to keep their "treatment and recovery" entities in the chips.
This recovery and treatment scam mirrors our society. Hitting bottom ain't like it used to be, just like conservatism ain't like it used to be.
I did NOT go to detox, sober living, recovery. I detoxed in the rooms of alcoholics, two meetings per day.
You aren't ready, until you are ready. Why make taxpayers fund it?
My model for recovery would be the olde skool, low-bottom indigent model. Everybody is up early, to either go to a job, or to look for a job. Every night is either mandatory in-house meeting, or outside meeting.
If you can't follow THEIR rules, you are out. No second chances. Take your game elsewhere.
By way of comparison: Olde skool indigent sober living model=$600 per month.
Fancy professionally supervised insurance "treatment" model $40,000 per month.
At the end, both tell you to continue going to meetings.
