[Dixielandjazz] Medical Doctor

[Richard Broadie]

Last night a fine musician/doctor sat in with my band.  He not only inspired
us with his fine playing, but I found a $50.00 in our tip jar shortly after
he left.  He can play with us ANYTIME.

I 'm now busy working on restoration some of Pete Daily's recordings for his
widow, Lois.  Looks like I'm going to be listening to lots of Pete over the
next few weeks or so, a thoroughly enjoyable prospect.  While I knew and
occasionally played with Pete in the 1960s, he was a very close friend of my
dad who also worked with him.  While I'm enjoying this project, I don't have
time to monitor the djml as closely as I would like and from current
threads, wish I could be more active.  Heck, I didn't see one single
discussion on the meaning of OKOM in the few messages I had time to read.
You folks have fun without me for a while.  I'll jump back into the fray as
soon as I can.  Good to see Tom Saunders posting to the list.  Nice start,
Tommy.

Dick B

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <TCASHWIGG at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 9:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Medical Doctor


> In a message dated 11/13/03 3:25:26 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> luda at arnet.com.ar writes:
>
> > You get your pay as soon you finish your show or before..not so in
> > medicine.
> > There are musicians millionaires or at least earning a lot of money,
more
> > than others professions.
> > ``not every thing that shine is gold ``  dear friend.
> > We do music for enjoyment.
>
> The average working musician in the USA makes about $13,000.00 a year, and
> with no medical benefits or insurance for most.  They must pay $250.00 or
more
> for a lawyer if they need one and often they do, $85.00 an hour or more
for an
> auto mechanic, about $400.00 a month for health insurance if they can get
it
> for them and their family, and most doctors will not accept patients who
do not
> have insurance. They could make more money managing a McDonalds or Burger
> King,  their managers earn about $25,000 a year + some benefits.
>
> Yes, many doctors do have to wait to get their money from the insurance
> companies in this country, however they like that because they can charge
much more
> and not have to worry about getting paid even if the patient can't afford
the
> treatment.  Very few Doctors in this country will accept cash payments and
> lower the fees for their services.
>
> I know some countries the Doctors do not get paid as well, I saw three
> Russian Doctors get arrested in Turkey a few years ago for Prostitution,
and when
> they were asked by the judge why they came to Turkey to do that activity
they
> replied; because we make more money in one day doing this in Turkey than
we do
> in a month practicing medicine in Russia.
>
> We do have a major problem in our country with Doctors, Lawyers and
Insurance
> companies, but the three of them created the problems and most of us
simply
> feel like they deserve each other and the merry go round they ride on
often at
> our expense.
>
> NO, I do not hate Doctors, however the reality is simply that we should
all
> try and stick to our own chosen professions and earn a living doing it by
being
> the best we can at that profession, what ever it is.  Unfortunately many
> musicians who also spend much more than 8 years studying and a lifetime of
> practicing to be professional can't earn enough income from their work to
pay their
> living expenses and raise a family like everyone else.
>
> The few who do make it into the upper income brackets, do so with the help
> and promotion of other professionals who often make more money than the
> musicians do especially the musicians and bands starting out.
>
> To be a successful musician is definitely one of the most difficult
> professions in the world to achieve, my comments in Jest of Doctors
playing music on
> their days off, was to simply illustrate a point that musicians can flip
burgers
> and serve fries on their days off for about $6.00 an hour but they can't
go
> to the local hospital and look at people with colds and tell them to take
two
> aspirins and go home and charge the insurance company $50.00 for the
aspirin,
> and twenty dollars for a box of nose tissue, and $100.00 for five minutes
of
> their time to tell the patient they have a cold or the flu.
>
> I have made most of my money and kept it by avoiding going to Doctors and
> Lawyers, learning how to repair my own automobiles, plumbing, home
repairs,
> landscaping, painting, etc, now if I could just learn how to work on my
own teeth I
> could buy a new Mercedes, or Porsche, or Lambroghinini, like the ones my
> Dentists drives to work every day.  My family is not proud to say that we
bought
> one of them for him, and before he took over the practice, I bought a new
> Caddilac for his Father.
>
>
> In all fairness to Doctors & Lawyers with lots of disposable income from
> their often excessive fees and earnings, they do make good investors for
making
> CDs and financing small record labels and projects.  Many of them just
love to
> have lavish cocktail parties and hire a band that they financed a CD
project
> for and give all of their friends a copy of the CD with their name on it
as the
> "Executive Producer."  This gives them the musical fix they long for and
makes
> them almost in Show business.   They also invest heavily into the movie
> business for the same reasons.
>
> So my advice is to let the good Doctor sit in with your band, if he is
> successful in his profession and can and will invest in your CD project or
promoting
> your band with what you need more than talent,  "MONEY."
>
> Cheers,
>
> Tom Wiggins
>
> Musical content   "Were in the Money Now"  "Money makes the World Go
Round"
>
>
>
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