Clinic Laughing at Summers and Lakewood "Stupidity"

[Brian Essi]

Stupid--"lacking intelligence and common sense"

Stupidity--"behavior that shows a lack of good sense or judgement"

Jenn Pae wrote:

"Is Lakewood Hospital the City's hospital?...

......It is not the City's asset....

It is pretty clear what will happen if Council does not act. The
Cleveland Clinic can leave, and LHA will have to cease operations
because they do not have a healthcare system to partner with..."

Kevin Butler wrote:

a. “The likelihood of the city finding a new operating partner in time to preserve hospital assets appears to be small.”
b. “The city has only received an offer from the Cleveland Clinic to operate a family health center.”


First, LHA is a public charity and its assets ALL belong to City of Lakewood if it dissolves. Period!
To say it's not the City's asset is a blatant lie and/or just plain stupid--take your pick. Why does the current charter/ordinance require/allow 5 of 7 Councilmember and a referendum to approve the closure or sale?
Ridiculous!

Second, to say LHA will have to cease operations without CCF "because they do not have a healthcare system to partner with" is a contrived and manufactured claim that we would expect from common criminals in street con job and/or someone who lacks an education.

The City has never made ANY effort to find a new partner and it is currently making no effort to find another partner.

It is impossible to find a new partner to operate the hospital or even obtain another offer for a family health center if the City does not try.

The faux efforts by LHA (led by Summers) to find a partner ended early in 2014 more than a year ago, were highly compromised, and were not handled in a professional manner, e. g. no broker-dealer was hired and LHA never got a release from CCF. Summers chose his friends on LHA to help him who had either profited from business relationships with CCF and/or were also trustees on CCF’s board. Consequently, no other party besides CCF was ever asked to operate a family health center.

So now Summers and Butler are heading into "negotiations" where it is publically known that they have never attempted to find a competitive bid, and they believe they have no options!

Toby Cosgrove and Brian Donley and the rest of CCF's "negotiators" must be laughing at Summers et al...... all the way to the bank.

Summers makes Lakewood look stupid.

[Matthew Lee]

Ugh. I have read this three times and don't see where the Clinic has laughed at Summers and Lakewood "Stupidity". It is pure hyperbole and conjecture from one person. If the title were "I wonder if the Clinic is Laughing at Summers and Lakewood "Stupidity"" it would make more sense.

As mentioned in another thread, I am neither a BL or SLH troll. But just don't understand this level of posting that makes no sense. If the LO Observation Deck is simply going to be a dumping ground for the hospital deal, then so be it. But I thought it was more than that.

Could be wrong.

Peace.

[Michael Deneen]

Ugh. I have read this three times and don't see where the Clinic has laughed at Summers and Lakewood "Stupidity". It is pure hyperbole and conjecture from one person.

He's pointing out the fact that the city has been lying to us.
Is that OK with you?

Could be wrong.

Yes, I think so.

[Matthew Lee]

Ugh. I have read this three times and don't see where the Clinic has laughed at Summers and Lakewood "Stupidity". It is pure hyperbole and conjecture from one person.

He's pointing out the fact that the city has been lying to us.
Is that OK with you?

Could be wrong.

Yes, I think so.

My point was that the Cleveland Clinic is not "laughing" at Summers and Lakewood. If anyone can show me proof that they are laughing at Summers and Lakewood, I am all for seeing that evidence.

[Brian Essi]

CCF Code of Conduct.pdf

(2.54 MiB) Downloaded 179 times

Matthew,

Thanks for taking the time to read my post three times.

"A figure of speech is figurative language in the form of a single word or phrase. It can be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words."

If you were to take me literally though, I actually have witnessed CCF trustees Bill Gorton and Tom Gable laughing at City Council Meetings. Bill Gorton was acting out and making fun of Councilmembers questions posed to Dr. Jones and Shannon Ritchie when they were testifying. Both Gorton and Gable, as CCF trustees, are required to sign the attached Code of Conduct (or one similar to it) pledging allegiance and loyalty to CCF, not Lakewood. Both were chosen by Summers as Step 2 members based upon Summers personal friendships with them. In his 30 years a trustee, Gorton has profited from lucrative relationships with CCF and affiliates--check out his Linked-In site that boasts of some. In fact Gorton negotiated and signed the agreements on behalf of LHA that Butler and Summers claim are so bad for Lakewood.

So Matthew I am curious:

Do you know of any evidence that the City has ever conducted a professional search for a partner?

Do you believe it was smart or stupid for Mayor Summers to chose Gorton and Gable as part of the alleged "search team" and have them as part of the team "negotiating" with CCF on Lakewood's behalf?

Do you think it was smart or stupid to not search for a partner, proclaim that you never will get one, say Lakewood has no rights under the agreements and then enter into negotiations with a "partner" who has willfully caused damage to the value of the very assets you are negotiating over and pricing in the negotiations ?

After more than 30 years as a negotiator of business deals and legal settlements, I believe this fits the literal definition of "stupid" I set forth above. I have also witnessed clients laugh behind the scenes at their counterparts in negotiations.

What do you really think about the substance of the facts I set forth above ignoring if you can the headline?

Do you think that there might be something shady about all this or are you cool with it?

BTW I am not the only one who thinks they are laughing at us--I have heard several people use that expression---including people that work for CCF.

[Matthew Lee]

So Matthew I am curious:

Do you know of any evidence that the City has ever conducted a professional search for a partner?

ML: Nope. Didn't know I needed evidence but no. Don't have any evidence to the contrary either.

Do you believe it was smart or stupid for Mayor Summers to chose Gorton and Gable as part of the alleged "search team" and have them as part of the team "negotiating" with CCF on Lakewood's behalf?

ML: No opinion. Not anything I am remotely able to answer.

Do you think it was smart or stupid to not search for a partner, proclaim that you never will get one, say Lakewood has no rights under the agreements and then enter into negotiations with a "partner" who has willfully caused damage to the value of the very assets you are negotiating over and pricing in the negotiations ?

ML: I don't think either option is correct. I have read the post over again and do not see any proof, one way or another. I could be wrong (as I am fond of saying) but see some quotes and writeups that don't add up to you above hypothesis. Again, this is just my opinion.

What do you really think about the substance of the facts I set forth above ignoring if you can the headline?

ML: Honestly, trying to find the facts in this is difficult. There is a lot of hyperbole everywhere and not a lot of reasonable dialogue (at least in my opinion). And this goes for both sides. Again, I am not a BL or SLH advocate. Simply one that wants Lakewood to stay great.

Do you think that there might be something shady about all this or are you cool with it?

ML: Just my opinion but I don't think it's shady. Clueless? Maybe. But not shady.

[Brian Essi]

“The sane would do no good if they made themselves mad to help madmen.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

[Matthew Lee]

“The sane would do no good if they made themselves mad to help madmen.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

Ummmmm. OK. Directed towards me, I imagine? What madmen am I helping? Honestly trying to get good dialogue going instead of Groupthink.

[Brian Essi]

Thanks.

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints, by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.

Can you describe in detail any "irrational or dysfunctional decision-making" or "lack of critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints" that you may be talking about?

Do you think Summers, Madigan, Butler and Pae might have a different take on my writings other than a "desire for harmony" and attempts "to minimize conflict and reach consensus" by "isolating" myself?

Which "group" are you suggesting I or others belong to and who are the members?

[Matthew Lee]

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints, by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.

That was a nice copy and paste from Wikipedia. However, you forgot this next portion from the same Wikipedia entry :

"Loyalty to the group requires individuals to avoid raising controversial issues or alternative solutions, and there is loss of individual creativity, uniqueness and independent thinking. The dysfunctional group dynamics of the "ingroup" produces an "illusion of invulnerability" (an inflated certainty that the right decision has been made). Thus the "ingroup" significantly overrates its own abilities in decision-making, and significantly underrates the abilities of its opponents (the "outgroup"). Furthermore, groupthink can produce dehumanizing actions against the "outgroup"."

Can you describe in detail any "irrational or dysfunctional decision-making" or "lack of critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints" that you may be talking about?

I think that both BL and SLH believe so highly in their position that there is no place for rational debate. And, both sides don't want to hear from the other side and therefore create Groupthink, per my definition above from Wikipedia that you left out.

As an example, I think your post of Summers "War on Poor" was definitely over the top and done as an exaggerated example to get people inflamed. Do you seriously think that Summers has a "War on Poor"? If so, I have no further comment.

Do you think Summers, Madigan, Butler and Pae might have a different take on my writings other than a "desire for harmony" and attempts "to minimize conflict and reach consensus" by "isolating" myself?

Yes.

Which "group" are you suggesting I or others belong to and who are the members?

If you are not part of SLH, then my apologies. I assumed you were and that is my fault.

[Brian Essi]

Do you seriously think that Summers has a "War on Poor"? If you are not part of SLH, then my apologies. I assumed you were and that is my fault.

Yes. I really do think that Summers has a "War on the Poor"---he told me he is unconcerned about "those people". He told LHA trustees on more that one occasion the he does not want "those people" in Lakewood. His Plan is to take nearly $100 million away from the poor and others to help private developers and CCF who is fleeing poorer neighborhoods. He is also rewarding CCF by letting them keep ill gotten gains at the expense of the poor.

Please note that everything you wrote about "groupthink" applies to Summers and his inner circle ho are supposed to be serving everyone--including the poor. So you must be acknowledging his dereliction of duty?

I am not part of SLH even though some BL folk refer to me as a "saver".

I would call myself a "truther"

"Truth sound like hate to those who hate the truth"

Can you describe in detail any "irrational or dysfunctional decision-making" or "lack of critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints" that you may be talking about?

You say you want a rational discussion and if so, may I suggest you be specific and cite details and facts rather than nibbling around the edges with generalizations.

I have advanced a plethora of facts on the pages f the Deck, and I can't see one that you knock down yet, but I am open to seeing what you have.