Dairyland Race Track in Kenosha...

The Dairyland Race Track in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on December 31, 2009. 900 Greyhounds need to be adopted or they will be euthanized. Please help me get the word out; there is only 4 weeks to get this task done. Contact Joanne Kehoe Operations Director P: 312.559.0887 Or Dairyland Race Track Adoption Center direct at (262) 612-8256.

Wouldn't it be nice this holiday season to give a beautiful dog a new loving home?

God Bless

The Country

Every time I hear someone say that Obama is going to turn this nation into a socialist country or that government interference is always bad, I get angry. Because the person who is saying it is usually someone who doesn't know what socialist means. Further, they usually only get involved with politics when they think something they have is being affected. A friend said that if it isn't going to save him any money, then he doesn't pay any attention.

This kind of individual selfishness is why our nation is in the mess it is in. We have lessened the government regulations over the past twenty-nine and look where we are right now. Our banks have grabbed all that they can until they are practically falling apart under bad debt and poor business decisions. 40 million plus Americans don't have healthcare. We're in a very deep Recession (I think we're in a depression). Companies pollute our air and water. Other companies are hemorrhaging employees, even though they might be turning a profit -- it isn't high enough to keep people working. But, let's all fear our government.

I suggest you read this article. It'll make you think.

http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/ayn-rand-lives/

God Bless

The Laceyville Monkeys, Say the Right Words

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That's the old saying that my father taught me way back in the last century when I was a little girl. For the most part, my father was right. Words never hurt me physically, but whenever a harsh word was sent my way, pain would resonate longer. Words may never break your back, but they can break your spirit. This is the lesson I believe Harriett Ruderman wants children to learn in her book, The Laceyville Monkeys, Say the Right Words.

The Laceyville Monkeys are a trio of amazing monkeys that can sing, perform gymnastics and dance. However; if you don't say the right words, the monkeys will not perform for any audience. With charming illustrations by Beverly Luria, Ruderman has created not only a world that will delight children, but passes on the very valuable lesson of choosing the right words. The rhyming tale is certain to delight children and parents alike.

Miss Hepzibath Mott arrives in Laceyville with her three monkeys; Eva – the ballerina, Sheva – the singer, and Keva – the gymnast. To begin their delightful performance, Miss Hepzibath Mott says the right (and kind) words. She wishes to enter the trio in the big talent contest, but Granny Scott has other plans. On the day of the contest, she sneaks the monkeys out of the house and enters them into the contest. However; Granny Scott has never learned the lesson of using the right words and the monkeys refuse to perform. Without giving too much away, you can be rest assured that your children will be enthralled with the wonderful ending.

The book's colorful pictures and rhyming words will teach the lesson of kindness that will stay with your children long after the back cover is closed. In this day and age of harshness, perhaps a few adults could read the tale and learn the lesson as well.

The Hole In The Sky

The Hole in the Sky has on its cover an amazing piece of artwork. Created by Katherine Navarette, it is worthy enough to be framed and hung on the wall. When you open that beautiful cover, the front piece contains a map of Murantenland drawn by Joan Swan. The book includes two ribbons for marking your place, perfect for reading along with your child. The included ribbons will stop a reader from turning down the corners to mark their place – a personal pet peeve. When you read the copyright page, you learn that the book is made from mixed sources – well managed forests and recycled paper.

The presentation of the book from its beautiful cover to the map to the book mark ribbons would be a disappointment if the author, Barbara A. Mahler, had not written a story to warrant such an amazing presentation.

The Hole in the Sky is about 13-year old Kaela Neuleaf. She lives with her father, who is a rather sad man after the death of her mother. Kaela is your average teen. She has struggles in school, wondering where she belongs and she dreams of something magical happening to her. Kaela is not alone in her awkwardness; she has her cousin, Shawn, who wears glasses and gets picked on – a lot.

The magical appears to Kaela and Shawn in the form of Netri. Netri is from Murantenland and he helps them go through the hole in the sky. Kaela, it has been determined, is the red haired girl mentioned in the prophecy that will end it all.

The Hole in the Sky was written for 8 to 12 year olds. However, any parent would enjoy reading the book right along with his or her child. There are many themes of love and loss throughout the book that lend themselves to wonderful, thought-filled discussions with your child. The book made me wish I had a young daughter and we could read it together.

A bit slow in the beginning, the story soon picks up speed and carries the reader through an impressive ride through a beautiful new world. When the young reader comes to the end, she will have learned lessons about love and healing. The best part is that the story weaves the lessons in a manner that is not preachy. The Hole in the Sky is the first book in a trilogy. After closing the back cover, I was wishing the second book was available and I believe you will wish the same.




Happy Reading!

Blogcritic Writer of the Day

I woke up this morning in a very pensive mood. I have a lot to do at work, I have a lot of books taking up space in both my living room and my purse that I have to finish reading and I'm locked out of the audiobooks section of the library, because once again, I couldn't return my library books on time. To top it all off, McAfee says I'm not protected because the virus software can't get past 4% when scanning. When am I going to find the time to fix that?

I download my email and glance at it, convinced that only bad news can arrive. I have a comment on my article for Blogcritics, The Ladies of Friday Night article. In case you don't know, for this TV season, I'm recapping Ghost Whisperer and Medium. Well, since I am full of myself, I decide to read the comment and the writer mentions that I am the Blogcritics writer of the day! I am blown away! Little old me! Woo Hoo! On top of that, my article is mentioned! Way to go Me!

I know I should be a way more humbled person, but sometimes it is nice to see your hard work rewarded. And, after the week I had at my paying job last week, I could use a little reward this week.

God Bless

This Week's Books

The first thing you'll notice about this week's this week's books is that it is being published on Monday. I think Monday's will be a better day for the feature. Next, you'll notice that I've added a DVD and a video game to the list. Finally, you should notice that I haven't reviewed any of the books on this site as of yet. I'm still working on the reading all of them and their reviews. This week I'm posting my review of The Hole in the Sky. As usual, the review will appear on Blogcritics first and then here.


Happy Reading, Watching and Playing!

This Week's Books

I love to read and this week I'm reading quite a bit. I'm carrying over some books from last week and I'm adding some new ones.



God Bless

Infertility Mix-up

On September 26, 2009 Carolyn Savage gave birth to a healthy baby boy after receiving infertility treatments. For most families that is where the story would end, except Savage gave birth to a baby boy who genetically was someone else's baby. According to news reports, she has given the baby to his genetic parents.

A few years ago, I went through the entire nine yards of infertility treatments. I started with a lousy clinic in Illinois and moved on to a good clinic in Wisconsin. I wanted a child so much that for three long years, it was my only focus. Cheryl and I made decisions based on the idea that we would have a child to love in our lives. I had artificial insemination - six of those - and on three occasions, I had in vitro fertilization. None of these nine procedures produced a child.

We had to make the decision, do we keep going with the treatments or do we stop? We were over $17,000 in debt and our marriage was on the brink of failure due to the stress this placed on us. Add in that the doctors weren't sure if my body could even handle another go around, we had to stop. I was devastated. My heart was broken in places I didn't even know it could break. I mourn the loss of those last two embroyos. The doctors had thought they were our best chance for a child. Had I been able to carry them, they would've been two years old come November. My heart aches every Mother's Day.

I bring this up because when I read the story of Carolyn Savage my very first thought was I could never give up a child I had carried to term. Nothing short of armed guards could've pried that baby from me. And, yet, there she is, passing a child she has grown to love over to another woman. I admire Savage's commitment to giving the child to his biological, DNA-related parents. I am nearly positive that had the clinic we used called and said we've given you the wrong embroyo, I would've hung up the phone, changed my name and moved out of state. You truly have to have a great faith in a higher power to be able to give up a child to his or her rightful parents. I am willing to bet not many childless women would be willing to do the same.

I realize that Carolyn Savage has other children, but giving up a child is not an easy decision. She had an opportunity to terminate the pregnancy and she didn't. To carry a child that you know isn't yours and you can't keep is a very unselfish act.

My heart goes out to these two families. I hope that little boy grows up with the opportunity to know his birth mother. She is someone worth knowing.

God Bless

The Last Founding Father

I am a history buff, but admittedly, I haven't been all that interested in the history of our founding fathers. My lack of knowledge and interest in the first days of this great country have changed with the reading of The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness. In the first five pages, I learned more about our fifth President, James Monroe, than I had learned in twelve years of schooling. Mr. Unger presents President Monroe in a way that makes him more real and accessible than high school textbooks.

I read with absolute amazement at how difficult it was for our, then, little country to gain its footing. We didn't pay our soldiers with any real currency, and we didn't reward them for their service. I didn't know that the first constitution of the the “Confederation Congress” had been thrown out, and it is our nation's second Constitution that we have all come to know and love. The political infighting that happened at the beginning of our nation's history rivals the infighting of today.

Mr. Unger has presented James Madison in the most human of ways from his pining for his wife and young daughter to his liquidating “the national debt of $67 million.” Monroe served his country well. He fought in the Revolutionary War, served as our minister to both France and Britain, and he served two terms as President. He was elected to his second by running nearly unopposed and receiving 231 of 235 electoral votes.

The Last Founding Father takes you on Monroe's journey through our nation's history and growth. With quotes from the most well known players in our nation's history (Washington, Jefferson and Adams) and some lesser known, Monroe's story fills out our history. Mr. Unger has completed a well written biography of a most deserving subject.

New Feature -- What I'm Reading this week

I will be re-launching SixBooks.net soon, but I was viewing the site and realized that it needs a complete overhaul. That is going to take a lot of man hours to get it right.

Until then, I'm starting a new feature here - What I'm Reading this Week. For most of the books listed, I will be posting reviews on Blogcritics.org and then it will post here. Some books I might just be reading for fun. Below, is this week's list of books.




Happy Reading and God Bless!

Quick Thoughts on the Packers

Went to the Packer game yesterday and even though they lost, I totally enjoyed myself. Honest truth -- the Bengals should NOT have won that game. They had 13 penalties against them when I lost count and turned the ball over twice that resulted in scores for the Packers. But, the Bengals made the plays when they needed to make something happen - 3 and over 30 and they get the first down. Kudos to the Bengals for coming into Lambeau Field and overcoming their penalties. Honestly, can't those guys on the Bengals offensive line count?

The Packers played like high schoolers. So, here are my notes to the Pack...

1. If you keep your defense on the field for most of the game, you will lose the game. Plain and simple. Those guys cannot carry you.
2. Aaron Rodgers is a good quarterback. He needs time to hone his talent. Let's not bench him right off the back. This is actually geared to the fans.
3. Offensive line -- if you don't protect your quarterback, he CAN'T THROW THE BALL.
4. You don't use two timeouts near the end of a game you're losing, so you go under the two minute warning with NO timeouts.
5. In the first half, the Pack was in field goal range. They punted. They should've kicked the field goal. The game wouldn't have come down quite to the wire and would've had a different outcome.
6. This week -- and do this just for me -- practice running. The Pack had no running game. I swear it was like Rodgers rushed for more yards than anyone else.
7. After your quarterback runs and gets the first down -- don't drop the football on the next carry. You lost your momentum and that was that.

God Bless

Cheryl @ game!

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Packer Game

I am attending today's Packer game. It will be my first Packer game. So, I thought I might try an experiment. I'm going to Twitter the game. So, watch my blog - or if you are a friend on Facebook - you can see my posts there.
Wish me luck and God Bless

Door County - Day Two

Day Two in Door County was wonderful. The weather was unusually warm for early fall. The sky was filled with sunshine. One boy couldn't wait to get up and go and the other boy didn't want to leave the swimming pool behind. It was quite a day.

We started by having breakfast in the lobby. Danny wanted cereal and Alex wanted waffles. Well, the lobby was quite crowded, so Danny got his cereal way before Alex was able to get a waffle. They were actually so well behaved that I received a beaming compliment from a woman who informed me that I was doing a terrific job of raising my two boys. I didn't bother mentioning that I'm their grandmother. Cheryl joined us for breakfast and by that time, Danny wanted a waffle, too. The couple at the next table graciously gave up their place in the waffle line to allow me to go next. I didn't get their names, but they said that they had five boys of their own, so they understood.

Once breakfast was over, it was off to the Door County Maritime Museum and the Door County Fireboat Cruise. For some reason, Danny didn't want to take a ride in the fireboat, but Alex was just thrilled.

On our way to the museum, I was pulled over for speeding. The one thing you have to watch in Door County is your speed. The whole of Sturgeon Bay is 25 MPH. Pretty hard to maintain when you're going down a steep hill. I saw the nice policeman make a u-turn and turn on his lights, so I quickly pulled over. Cheryl said, "Why are we stopping here?" Then Danny said, "Yeah, Nana, why are we stopping here?" To which I answered, "Because the police are pulling us over."

I put the car in park, rolled down the driver's window and turned off the engine. Then, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw Danny had his hands up above his head. "Danny, what are you doing?"

"Nana, the cops are coming! The cops are coming!" Danny yelled at me. Cheryl and I exchanged some laughter and I told him to put his hands down, just as the nice officer appeared in my window.

Now, it has been a very long time since I've been pulled over. Not to brag, but I haven't had a speeding ticket in over seven years. I do make it a habit to drive carefully. But the last time I was pulled over, I don't remember the officer introducing himself and asking me how my day was going. I can't remember this Door County officer's name, but he has to be the nicest policeman I've ever met. And that's not just because he let me off with a warning. I've been pulled over and given a warning before, but this guy was just extremely nice. I imagine that is how an officer has to be in a tourist town.

After that little incident, we pulled away, and Danny still didn't want to go to see the fireboat. (I should've left him with the officer.) Before we went in, I called my dad to tell him about the incident and I mentioned that we were seeing the fireboat. Well, Danny wanted to talk to Grandpa Totsch, who told him about the fireboat he'd ridden in Texas, and an amazing thing happened: Danny suddenly wanted to ride the fireboat. Imagine that.

We purchased our tickets - $20.00 each for Cheryl and me, the boys rode free. The cruise took an hour and a half was and just terrific. There's narration to tell you what you're seeing, and I loved every minute of it.

We started the cruise sitting in chairs, but that didn't last long. Alex was first to start running everywhere and checking out everything as the boat cruised around Sturgeon Bay.

An interesting item on the tour was passing the Arthur M. Anderson. In the picture, it is the ship on the right. The Arthur M. Anderson was the last ship to have contact with the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on that fateful night in 1975. For those of you who don't know, the Fitzgerald sent a signal that they were holding their own and then sunk in a horrible storm on Lake Superiour. All 29 hands were lost. Not only was the Anderson the last ship with contact, she searched for the Fitzgerald, as well.

Another item of note, the the lighthouse seen in this picture. According to legend, it is haunted.

It is now being used as a relaxation area for the US Coast Guard. There are reports that the wife of one of the men who worked in the lighthouse now haunts it.

I think the best part of the whole cruise was toward the end. For a while, they bring out one of the fire hoses and let the kids on board shoot water off the side. Well, as you can imagine, the boys were more than a little thrilled to play with the fire hose. There were three other children on board and they each took a turn, but Danny and Alex seemed even more interested because they waited out other children and went right back for more. The man aboard was more than happy to let them do so.

If you're traveling to Door County, with or without children, I highly recommend the FireBoat cruise. I think it was the most fun we had the whole trip.

After the cruise, we toured the Maritime Museum. That was interesting. They have a lot of interactive exhibits and a few hands on ones. Danny enjoyed being able to guide a ship, using a computer mouse. I think he thought that was the best part. Alex had fun asking me what kind of ship each of the models represented. I'd say the name and the type and he would repeat it back to me.

All of that brings me to lunch. When we had been at the Pudgy Seagull the day before, our waitress recommended that we head to PC Junction for lunch the next day. She had overheard Alex say he liked trains and she didn't steer us wrong.

If you're going to the PC Junction for lunch, keep this in mind — to sit by the train, there's going to be a wait. This is not a place where you just pluck yourself down for a quick lunch. There's a playground for the kids. In fact, the whole place is designed with kids — even us big ones — in mind.

The train comes through and serves your drinks, lunch and even bubbles. The boys loved it. I loved the huge selection of sodas. I'm not a beer drinker, so having more to choose for soda than Pepsi or Coke makes me pretty happy. The meals were good and the serving of food on the back of a toy train is amazingly efficent. After lunch, the boys enjoyed a little romping in the playground.

Then, we traveled back to Paul David's Jewelry to pick up all of our rings. There's something wonderful about a cleaned and buffed ring, makes them look brand new.

We walked through a couple of shops and then the boys reached their limit. It was time to head back to Jack - my Chevy Cobalt. We went back to the hotel for some swimming.

Door County - Part One

Ah, Door County. To say that I love our annual trip to Door County is an understatement. It is one of the few places in the state where I don't have to use my allergy medicine. Although, I did bring back a very bad cold this year.

Unlike previous years, we didn't go up after Labor Day and stay an entire week. We went up on Saturday and came back on Labor Day. Also, unlike most reviews, I'm not going to pick one spot and review it, I'm going to mention the various places we visited and give you my opinion on them.

On Saturday, we picked up our grandsons – Danny and Alex – up in Green Bay and drove up to Door County. We checked in at the Comfort Hotel in Sturgeon Bay. Frankly, I think $125.00 a night is a bit pricey. However; the staff there are very nice, which makes up for the high price. I'm known to be on the cheap side and knowing that I have had the same room (or a similar one) for forty dollars less just bugs me to no end. On the other hand, the $125.00 price tag is right in line with all other area hotels. The Comfort Inn is pet and kid friendly, has a small swimming pool, free wireless Internet and a nicely done Continental breakfast that includes Waffles. The boys love waffles.

When we checked into the Comfort Inn, Danny was still sleeping in the backseat of the car. Cute, isn't he? Alex accompanied me into the lobby, where Bobby checked us in and set the ground rule that no one can go swimming unless they have eaten lunch first. I thought that was a nice touch and really helped me convince Alex that we have to eat first. Kim had packed the boys clothes in their school backpacks, which made unloading the car very easy. Each boy was thrilled to carry his own luggage into the hotel. Alex even took his backpack down to the lobby to show Bobby.

Once the car was unloaded, it was time for lunch. We headed down to downtown Sturgeon Bay. We gave the boys the choice of eating in the Inn at Cedar Crossing or across the street at the Pudgy Seagull. The Seagull won hands down. What boy doesn't want to eat at a place called the Pudgy Seagull?

The Seagull is very family friendly and not very expensive. Lunch for the four of us came to just over twenty dollars. Not a bad price to pay in a tourist town. Cheryl and I had the egg salad on wheat toast (you get your choice of bread), Danny had a cheeseburger and Alex had a chocolate chip pancake with a side order of cole slaw. What can I say, the kid has a cast iron stomach. The egg salad was nicely done, it wasn't salty and it had an almost sweet taste to it. Also, it wasn't so crammed onto the bread that it dropped everywhere and it wasn't so mayonnaise layered I was wondering where the eggs were.

Next was a stop at Paul David's Jewelry store in Fish Creek. We purchased a very beautiful diamond ring from Paul around five years ago and every year Cheryl and I stop to have him inspect the ring and clean it. Taking good care of your jewelry is very important. Unfortunately, while we were there, we received bad news. When my grandmother died, my only inheritance was her wedding band and engagement ring. I had taken them to a different jewelry store and had them inspected, had them separated, had new shanks put on and had all the diamonds re-tipped. Since then, I have lost two of the small diamonds, one in the wedding band and one in the engagement ring. Turns out, according to Paul, they didn't re-tip my rings properly. They charged an outrageous sum of money and only placed one tip on each diamond.

So, Paul now has my grandmother's wedding band and he's going to properly tip the rings. I'm just kicking myself for not taking those rings to him in the first place!

The boys were restless – they wanted to go swimming – so we didn't stop to look at any of the other shops in Fish Creek. However; the boys did allow us one stop on the way back to the hotel: Wood Orchard Market. This is a great little shop with fresh fudge, homemade pies (cherry and apple) and a slew of other items. We picked up a cherry pie, cherry salsa, cherry cider and two six packs: one of (yes, you guessed it) cherry soda and one of root beer. We would've picked up more, but the boys were restless.

Wood Orchard Market sells an apple called SweeTango. Oh, it is the perfect combination of tangy and sweet. I wish we had picked up a bunch of them. We meant to stop again, but we forgot. Next year, I'm bringing home a basket full!

One of the nice amenities to Wood Orchard is the fact that they have both a slide and a little race track – complete with pedal cars. The boys loved the pedal cars. This is a terrific way to keep rambunctious kids happy, while the other parent (or in our case, grandparent) shops.

The rest of the evening was spent in the hotel and, of course, in the hotel swimming pool. Both boys aren't afraid of the water. They love to stand on the side of the pool and jump into our arms. Alex, who was scared of the water last year, kept wanting to be dunked and I was more than happy to oblige.

This was just one day in Door County and, as much as I'd like to tell you about day two and three, I think I'll combine them into my next article.

God Bless

Book Review - Just Desserts by Carl Reiner

Before I start this review, I should take a moment to say that I love Carl Reiner. I grew up watching re-runs of the Dick Van Dyke Show. I loved his Alan Brady. I can see an episode and tell you, this one, Mr. Reiner wrote. This is the man who turned George Burns into God and Steve Martin into a Jerk. The man is a comedic genius and I am his biggest fan.

Being his biggest fan, I jumped at the chance to review his new book Just Desserts. Then, the book came and in the PR document that accompanies the book, I see this line: "Noland appeared as a successful novelist in Reiner's NNNN: A Novel, in 2006." Oh, no. Now what do I do? I didn't like NNNN: A Novel. In fact, even though I was listening to the MP3 version read by the author, I stilldidn't like it. It was the first and only thing Mr. Reiner ever did that I didn't like.

What's a reviewer to do? What's Carl Reiner's biggest fan to do?

Give Nat Noland - the lead character in NNNN: A Novel - a second chance.

I have to tell you, I'm glad I did.

The entire premise of Just Desserts is what happens if you email God and He emails you back? What if you offered Him suggestions and He took them and put them to good use? What happens is that you and God work together to create a brand new world in a thought provoking and funny manner. Or, is it?

Mr. Reiner has written a book that will provoke thought, a self-discussion of faith and the sound of laughter from any reader. The book, actually, the novellelah, is a very quick and delightful read. You might even find it a little pithy.

If you found NNNN: A Novel to be a good book or if you like a little humor with your religion, I suggest that you read Just Desserts. You'll be glad you did.

God Bless and Happy reading.

Republicans on the side lines

A vote is a vote is a vote. According to the law we all get a vote. What makes us Democrats or republicans is the person who agrees with our beliefs at the time and voices what we are wanting to say as a nation. That then determines which candidate wins the election. Yes it come in waves, but we as a people create the waves in which they come. How do we tell the difference between a lie and a truth, pure research and not just what the runners want us to hear. So, if the republicans are upset because the democrats are in the house now, the wave of the people put them there. Don't be upset, but get in there and mix it up. Vote put you there let your voice be heard and let the vote keep you there to continue the fight.

just thinking

I went back to school at the age of 45. Not saying that is exciting to everyone. But, what was exciting to me is that I was in school with all three of my children which were also in college. So this whole household was in college together. How cool is that? So when either of us needed help with anything none of us were at a lost to help each other. Anyway, just thinking(out loud).

Life Support for Republicans

There has been a lot of commentary regarding the death of the Republican Party since President Obama's election. Personally, I think this is just the ebb and flow of politics. Republicans get to be in power for a while and then the Democrats do and then back to the Republicans. Except, this time, I don't think many of us will be flowing back to the Republicans any time soon.

I should note that I used to be a Republican. I know a lot of people will find it hard to believe, but I was a Reagan supporter, however; by the time Reagan left office in 1989, I was a Democrat. One of the reasons for the switch was the AIDS epidemic. Reagan completely ignored AIDS almost until the end of his presidency when he finally uttered the word in a speech in 1987. By that time, the whole country had all ready uttered the word. That was it, when Bush the first ran for President, I voted for Dukakis.

Now the ebb and tide have flowed and the Democrats have full power in all three branches of government and the Republicans are digging themselves a deeper grave. Instead of reaching out and saying, "What can we do to help?" the Republicans are moving farther to the right, allowing lie spreaders such as Betsy McCaughey and Sarah Palin to speak for them and bowing down to that windbag, Russ Limbaugh, whenever he speaks. It is almost as if they don't care about the future of their own political party.

But, I care and so I'm offering a few tips - free of charge - to the Republicans to help them get back on the right track.

1. Stop spreading lies. Allowing the lies to continue doesn't help your cause. Do you want a party of complainers or do you want a political party that will grow? Hold an honest debate on healthcare. In fact, hold honest debates on everything. Stop holding invitation only talks on healthcare, such as Senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell held in Miami. Must be nice not to see the protestors, but this is no way to fully get the ball rolling on a debate.


2. Quit the attacks on the intellectuals. Somewhere along the lines, smart people became the enemy. Intellectual became a bad word. The GOP has become the Party of the non-thinkers. In fact, quit attacking everything and start working on ideas. Not everything that comes from the left is wrong, just like not every conservative idea is right. By constantly attacking you never build a consensus and you never stand for anything. And, like the old saying goes, You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.


3. You don't want the president to fail, so quit bowing down to the man who keeps saying it - Rush Limbaugh. Quit apologizing to him when you say something he doesn't like. He doesn't run the Republican Party and, let's just say he does, kick him out. He isn't helping your cause.


4. The time for small government isn't now. Yes, there are times when the government needs to take a back seat, but in the worse economic crisis the nation has seen since the great depression, now is not the time to call for smaller government. Nor is it the time to call for deficit reduction. Besides, it is a little hypocritical to call for a deficit reduction under a Democratic President, when you allowed the deficit to rise like a hot air balloon under a Republican President. And, remember, Theodore Roosevelt supported a strong government. (For those who don't know, he was a Republican President.)

I think the idea that the Republican Party is dead and should be laid to rest is a bit extreme, but they could be in for a long Democratic era if they continue the path they are currently on. Gun-toting, Bible banging voters can only carry you so far and then, you have to learn to get along with the rest of us.

God Bless

Health Care Myth - Forced Euthanasia

Did you ever notice how the sides of any issue can stretch the truth and come out with blatant lies? Then, those lies are put into emails and every small minded person passes them on until they suddenly become "truth". People will actually believe the lies without checking them. Part of this, I think, is just laziness on the part of small minded people. They don't feel like doing the research and the email all ready states what they want to believe anyway, so they send it off. Part of this is stupidity, well, it has an important sounding name or whatever, so it must be true, because you can't send anything that isn't true, right?
It is annoying if these untruths only appeared in email, but because you know who your intellectually light friends and relatives are, you can ignore those emails, it isn't so bad. But, then some of these lie spreaders are just your cousin Todd from Buffalo, some of them are allowed to spread their lies on radio shows and TV shows. And, then it is nearly impossible to stop the spread.
Well, today, I'm going to try to stop one of these lies from going any farther.
Former lieutenant governor of New York Betsy McCaughey is going around claiming that the health care bill - H.R. 3200 (this is the bill that is in the House) - is "a vicious assault on elderly people" that will "cut your life short."¹ Between her and Palin's lie spreading, it is a wonder that the truth ever gets told.
There is a provision in H.R. 3200 for end of life counseling that would be paid for by medicare.

H.R. 3200, page 425: Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the term ‘advance care planning consultation’ means a consultation between the individual and a practitioner described in paragraph (2) regarding advance care planning, if, subject to paragraph (3), the individual involved has not had such a consultation within the last 5 years. Such consultation shall include the following:

(A) An explanation by the practitioner of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to.

(B) An explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses.

(C) An explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy.

(D) The provision by the practitioner of a list of national and State-specific resources to assist consumers and their families with advance care planning … .

(E) An explanation by the practitioner of the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice, and benefits for such services and supports that are available under this title.

(F)(i) Subject to clause (ii), an explanation of orders regarding life sustaining treatment or similar orders²

I do not read anything in there that states someone is going to put you down because you are no longer deemed worthy to live, as McCaughey and Palin have been claiming.

I can tell you from personal experience that the end of life decision made for a loved one is the most difficult decision ever made. I hope throughout the rest of my life that I never have to make that decision again. It is heartbreaking and one of those moments on which you look back upon and wonder - Did I do the right thing?

Having said that, I feel strongly that every one should have an end of life directive - if your wish is to be kept alive on machines - it should be followed. If your wish is no heroics, that should be followed as well.

The making / writing / drawing up of these directives should not be taken lightly. I support the health care plan to pay for counseling sessions. In fact, I think if you attend one of these sessions, you should bring along your loved ones. Your wishes should be well known in advance.

When you come to the end of your journey in this life and you sent to the afterlife to, hopefully, be in God's presence, you really have the easy part. Those of us left waiting behind to live another day, to carry out your wishes - whatever they may be - have the hard part. It is easier to lie in the bed and be sick, than to stand beside it and watch a loved one suffer.

That is why end of life counseling is so important. You need to make your wishes known, whatever they may be. You need to assist your family to know what kinds of decisions you want made. It is the least thing any one of us can do for our family members. Cheryl and I have had these conversations of what one of us would want many times. I don't want to make the decision for her anymore than she would want to make the decision for me, but the two of us know what the other one wants.

Allow me to go just slightly off course for a moment. I remember when I was a kid that Republicans didn't want any government interference with anything. Individual rights were king and that was all right by me, but now, the right wing has taken it upon themselves to turn their back on these ideals. It is NOT the business of the government to decide if you live or if you die. It is YOUR choice, but the right wing wants you only to make the decision to live. They want to take away your CHOICE. But, they are claiming to be on YOUR side. It would be a joke, if it wasn't so serious.

Let's stop the craziness. Let us only pass on truth to each other. And, let us get the entire nation covered in health care.

God Bless

¹http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/08/13/2009-08-13_former_lt_gov_mccaughey_leads_death_panel_charge_writing_up_talking_points_on_he.html#ixzz0PldQYmhD
² FactCheck.org - Accessed 8/31/2009

Swimming Deer

My friend Jerri and her husband, Preston, are up in Hayward, WI and she just sent me these pictures of a deer swimming. I don't know what camera they're using, but the picture quality is amazing -- you can see the individual drops of water. I had never seen deer swimming before, so that makes them cool as well. I should note that Jerri and Preston retain their original copyright on these pictures and my posting them here does not give anyone any permission to use them in any other manner, including emailing them.

God Bless

Blogcritics

I've joined Blogcritics. What does that mean for you, oh gentle reader? Well, it means that from now on a lot of my blog posts will be posted on Blogcritics first. I'll still post my little posts here, but the heavy researched postings will go there first.

I think this'll really affect my readership and spread the word! I'm excited about this new venture and I hope you are too!

Oh and keeping in with my promise -- we need to have Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen resign, be recalled or lose in the next election! We need to give Wisconsin an Attorney General who will stand up for our laws, even if he disagrees with them.

God Bless

Vicki Kennedy

I don't know a lot about Vicki Kennedy - Ted's widow. I know she has two children. I know that she's a lawyer or was a lawyer before they married. I have heard she has expressed no desire to take over her husband's Senate seat. I saw her wipe away tears when I watched the funeral on TV and I had heard that she had met and greeted mourners outside the Kennedy library when they entered to view her husband's casket.

I can't imagine being this woman. She has been placed in an unimaginable situation - one that for many women is becoming the norm considering we are fighting two wars. I can't imagine losing the love of my life and I certainly can't imagine having to do so on such a public stage. The heartbreak must be enormous.

Then, I went to Time.com and viewed the below video of Mrs. Kennedy greeting the mourners outside the Kennedy library. I found it at once heartwrenching and admirable. You can't hear much, a few sorry for your loss and you can hear Mrs. Kennedy - the last of the Kennedy women to bury a husband quite so publicly - saying thank you. She shakes many hands and my heart just aches for her.

I didn't want you, my gentle readers, to miss any of it, so I'm posting both the embedded version of the video and the link to it.

God Bless



http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,36007005001_1919473,00.html

Top of My Head: Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen doesn't stand up for Wisconsin Laws...

Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen doesn't stand up for Wisconsin Laws...

We need an Attorney General who will stand up for Wisconsin Laws. Van Hollen isn't the guy we should have. He needs to resign, be recalled or defeated in the next election.

God Bless

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is the latest book in the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I love this series and have ever since I read the first book when it came out years ago. This new book is no exception. The conversations between characters, the descriptions of Botswana bring you into the lives of Precious Ramotswe, her husband - Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni - and her assistant, Mma Makutsi. The book is a quick read and will draw you in until you feel like sitting down and having a cup of Red Bush Tea.
God Bless

Wisconsin Attorney General

I said every day I would address the issue of Van Hollen and today is no exception. He should resign. He apparently doesn't want to defend our state's laws from an attack and he shouldn't be our Attorney General.

Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen doesn't stand up for Wisconsin Laws.

God Bless

WMAQ is going to make me rich!

When I was a kid, WMAQ radio station in Chicago held a contest where if they called you and you said, "WMAQ is going to make me rich!" you would win $1000. A mighty sum in those days and a huge sum to an 11 year old girl. For ages, I would answer the phone, "WMAQ is going to make me rich!" and for a brief moment - lasting until the caller asked for my mom or my dad - I would imagine winning the money.
My mother, on the other hand, would admonish me to no end about the proper way to answer a phone. She was - and still is - an Avon lady and the family phone was her business line. She worried that her Avon customers wouldn't know what to say to an 11 year old proclaiming a radio tagline. I think she sold her customers short. Most of the time I would receive chuckles before the caller would ask for my mom or dad. Strange, now that I think about it, even when I was a teenager, I never received as many phone calls as my parents did.
Once, I answered the phone with "WMAQ is going to make me rich" and I heard a man's voice tell me that he was from WMAQ, but I needed to get my parents. Turns out it was our neighbor, Mr. Wolf, and I wasn't rich, but I've never forgotten that thrill when I actually believed -- and yelled out that I had -- won.
Every once in a while, I'll stop and purchase a lottery ticket and I know that I have a million to one shot at winning the lottery. But for a brief moment of time, I'm back to being that 11 year old girl and WMAQ is going to make me rich. And, I think that's worth a buck.
God Bless

Another Word on Ted Kennedy

This morning, as I am looking out at the rainy day before me, I paused to read an article about Ted Kennedy and his work for gay rights. He took the stance of equality for gays when it might have been political suicide to do so. Senator Kennedy seemed to know our struggles and our pain.

And, that lead me to remember what he said at Bobby Kennedy's funeral, "a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it; who saw suffering and tried to heal it; who saw war and tried to stop it." And, I think those words, those words that whenever I've heard them again, have brought tears to my eyes, would be best served to describe Ted Kennedy. And, I don't write this to take away anything from Bobby Kennedy's work, but Ted was the survivor who got to put his words into action.

I worry about the health care in this nation now. Because the one man who could work with Republicans is gone. All ready, with Kennedy ill and out of action, the health care debate has dissolved into a yelling match. I wonder, who is going to lead us now?

God Bless us, everyone. We are going to need the Lord's help in all of this.

PS. Think about that, Van Hollen, you're decision NOT to defend Wisconsin state law is a wrong one and for that, I ask that God has mercy on your soul.

Strong Like Bull -- And, I have the Numbers to Prove It

Around this time of year, my company conducts a health assessment. We fill out a form -- either online or hardcopy -- allow some travelling nurse to prick our finger and the company pays us $20.00. In a few weeks, we all receive a nice health assessment booklet from our insurance company. This is one of the reasons I believe that health insurance costs need to be shared by companies. My company, I'm sure, receives some sort of discount on their premimums by having their employees take the assessment. This is a good thing.

I support taking the test, even though on a yearly basis, since I turned 35 my doctor has been running the very same lap tests on me. Here's why: First, I like saving my company money -- no really. I'm serious. A company that can save money on health care costs can put more money in my pocket -- or at least in theory. Second, I know there's a lot of people in my company who probably don't visit the doctor on a regular basis and don't get regular checkups. This way, they have the numbers. The nurses explain what all of the numbers mean and, hopefully, co-workers with bad numbers can follow up with their doctors and head off serious issues. Finally, I happen to like the little booklet. I do. I keep last year's booklet and the new booklet will have the previous years' results and I can compare just how healthy I'm getting.

So, now for the numbers. If you know me, then you know I'm a big gal. And, being big doesn't bother me, except when someone assumes because I'm big, I'm somehow destroying the earth with my largeness. And, being big and beautiful -- as I am -- doesn't mean I'm not healthy.

My blood pressure was a little high today: 125/75. That's still normal, but my bp had been going down to the low 120's. I should note, that's the blood pressure I had when I was 21 and wearing a size 16.

My total cholesterol was 177 -- not as good as it has been, but still under that bad number of 200.

My HDL is 47 -- I've had it as high as 50, so it's lower than it's been, but still above 40 -- like it needs to be.

My LDL was slightly elevated at 112. I'll have to work on that.

Now, for the drum roll, my Triglycerides is 91 -- WAY BELOW the borderline high level. YES!

My glucose was 106 -- slightly high, but I had forgotten about the test and drank some apple juice before coming into work, so it wasn't a true fasting test.

So, I'm a big gal and I know I have friends and family that worry about my health. But, my heart test proved negative -- negative for issues, I do have one! My numbers are all where they are supposed to be, so it looks like -- if I keep this up -- I'll be around to see my grandchildren's children.

Hmmm, guess my step-children won't be happy. I won't die early enough to leave them any money. LOL!

God Bless

Oh, and keeping with my daily promise -- down with Van Hollen. He shouldn't be Wisconsin's Attorney General and I'm healthy enough to see him voted out of office. :-)

Sadness

I awoke yesterday morning to the news that Edward Kennedy died of brain cancer. I am not ashamed to say that I sat down on my couch and cried. I felt as if the nation had lost a favorite uncle. I'm pretty sure all those Kennedy kids -- who are now Kennedy adults -- looked up to him, as they lost their own fathers. From his eulogy of his brother, Robert, to his endorsement of President Obama, Senator Kennedy spoke with power, passion and love of country. He seemed to gather us in his arms and let us know that all would be all right, much like a beloved uncle would.
What upset me so much this morning and as the day went on is the sad fact that Teddy Kennedy will never be able to tell America that we'll get through it -- whatever it may be -- again. That our troubles are a mere bump on the road to our grand future.
My heart goes out to the Kennedy family.
Then, when I thought my day could not get much worse, I come home, flip to CNN and find out that Dominick Dunne passed away. I loved his show on Court (not Tru) TV. I loved reading his articles in Vanity Fair. I would daydream of what I would discuss with him, if Mr. Dunne would come to dinner. I meant to write him a fan letter. I had just been thinking about it the other day, as a matter of fact. I will miss his commentary in Vanity Fair and TruTV won't be the same without presence.
My prayers are with his family.
God Bless

Happy Birthday -- Click Here

Today is Vicy's 40th birthday. I hate her because in the years I've known her, she still looks 33 and I look 41. Vicy doesn't want anything for her birthday except for people to go to this website and click on the Intel Will Donate 25 cents for you button.
I want Vicy to have a nice birthday.
So, click here: http://www.smallthingschallenge.com/. Give Vicy a nice birthday.
Happy Birthday, Vicy -- I hope it is a wonderful one -- and I clicked for you!

Oh, one last thing, down with J.B. Van Hollen. The man should not be our Attorney General if he doesn't want to defend our laws. I said I'd mention him every single day and I meant it.

God Bless

Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen doesn't stand up for Wisconsin Laws...

But Fair Wisconsin does. (Read their announcement here) Everyday until the next election or someone who knows how to organize a recall against Van Hollen, I'm going to remind Wisconsin voters just how 1) he doesn't defend laws passed by our legistlature and 2) how that costs Wisconsin taxpayers $175.00 per hour to bring in an outside attorney. Apparently, Van Hollen only stands up for those constituents who are as small minded and backward as he is.
Let's all join together and make him a one-term attorney general. Let's send a message to future attorney generals that we want them to uphold our laws. Period.
In case you're wondering if I only want him to support laws I support, I support the Federal Justice Department's stance to support DOMA in court. I believe that's what attorney generals should do -- even if they disagree with the law.
Apparently, Republicans don't think that way. They think that somehow you have some made up right to only do your job as long as you agree with it -- the exception is you shouldn't have to do something unethical or illegal. Silly Republicans, running the government is an intellectual's job.
Defend the law, Van Hollen, or suffer the consequences and lose the next election.

God Bless

Wisconsin Family Council

The Wisconsin "Family" Council claims to be "Dedicated to strengthening and preserving marriage, family, life and liberty in Wisconsin". But, alas, it is a lie. A great, big lie. What they are for is shoving their backward, inconsiderate, conservative, and un-Christian views down all of our throats. They are not dedicated to preserving liberty in Wisconsin, they are dead set against it. They believe somehow that if someone with different views engages in liberty in Wisconsin, then their rights have somehow been violated.
These people are the enemy of liberty and justice for all not only in Wisconsin, but in America. These are the people who demand fairness for them. These are the people who point to misused Bible verses and claim righteousness, but then turn their backs on their family members. These are the people who hide among us, acting as if they have hearts, but underneath their phony facade is a heartless, cruel person.
But, I have a favor to ask of all Wisconsin residents -- and only Wisconsin residents -- to PLEASE, PLEASE take their survey.
You might wonder why and here's why: Let's show them just what kind of minority they truly are in this state and then maybe they'll move to some other state and leave us the HELL ALONE!
However; I digress. We should take pity upon them for we are good Christian people. We should get down on our knees every night and ask the Lord to show them the way. To beg for the Lord's forgiveness on their behalf to ask Him to have mercy on their hypocritical souls.
They should, also, get down on their knees and beg for God's mercy. That when it is their time to meet their maker, that He takes great pity upon them and allows them everlasting life and does not throw them into the fires of Hell.

God Bless

Don't forget to take their survey -- answer truthfully -- and, please, give them your information, so they know you're a real person. http://wifamilycouncil.org/Survey_09.htm Thanks!

Recall Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen

Apparently, Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen doesn't understand just what his job is, nor does he understand what his duty to the citizens of Wisconsin is.

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen doesn't want to defend the laws of this great state. He has decided that he isn't going to defend the domestic partnership law. He expects the state to pay for an outside attorney at $175.00 per hour. Isn't that why we pay him?!?

Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen doesn't stand up for Wisconsin Laws.

I want this man gone from office and if we don't recall him, then we have to vote for the other guy. Van Hollen stands for what is wrong with the Republican Party -- they have all completely lost their minds. Defend the law, you self-righteous jerk. If we don't recall you, I promise by all that is right and holy that you won't be our Attorney General after the 2010 election. It's time we take back our country from those who only seek to destroy it with placing their personal views higher than the good of our fellow men and women.

Who's with me?

God Bless

Disappointed in Paul Ryan

I have to tell you that I am really disappointed in Congressman Paul Ryan. Now, I've never voted for Paul Ryan and since he voted the Republican line 95% of the time, I've spent a lot of time being disappointed in the Congressman from the first district in Wisconsin. But, he is from Janesville -- a very conservative town -- so I expected he probably wouldn't vote the way this constituent things he should. So, I've been disppointed in the way he votes, but not in him. Does that make sense?

Congressman Ryan has always provided answers as to why he's voted one way or another. I have always received a response from him, even if I didn't like it, and I've always received information from his office. Looking for a fact I couldn't find on my own, his office would lead me to the right government website or article or whatever and the fact would be produced on my computer screen.

Usually when I care about an issue, I write Feingold, Kohl and Ryan. I, generally, write them the same letter. And, Ryan answers every single time. Feingold and Kohl, not so much -- which disappoints me, but I give them a little leeway. Feingold and Kohl are responsible to the whole state, Ryan only has our little district.

However; I wrote the three of them my concerns on healthcare and I have received responses from both Feingold and Kohl (Kohl responded first) and NOTHING, NOTHING from Ryan. I can't believe it. Here is the most important issue facing the country and Ryan hasn't sent anything to me. Even when I asked him specific questions regarding his plan.

It is so unusual. I'm really hurt. :-( As silly as it sounds, I thought we had a little relationship going. I miss hearing from him.

God Bless

Quiet

I was reading one of my news magazines and I came across a small article that states bipartisanship doesn't work, which seems unreasonable to me. It has kept our country going for over 200 years, so I was a little confused. Until I read farther, the Republicans of now are not the Republicans of the past. Well, I could've told you that. Republicans over the last forty plus years have increasingly moved right, while liberals have barely ticked left. The now GOP is so right wing they don't even make left turns.
And, I can see this. It is the reason I have walked away, no make that ran away, from my GOP roots. It's crazy.
I blame Rush Limbaugh.
But, that's just me.
God Bless

Domesticated Bliss

Yesterday, at around 1:30 PM, Cheryl and I, along with my parents and our good friend, Jerri and Preston, walked into the Racine County Courthouse and registered for domestic partnership. There's a five day waiting period, so next week, we have to go back and file the paperwork with the County Clerk's office. Some of our friends and family members read about this yesterday on our facebook pages. Some of our friends have asked what all this entails and I thought I should post a brief outline of our rights.

• Inheritance and Survivor Protections
• Family and Medical Leave
• Medical, Hospital and Visitation Rights
• Prevention of one Partner from testifying against another Partner
• Transfer of real estate and car and boat titles are exempt from fees.

There are 43 state rights / protections granted to domestic partnerships, as opposed to the 200 protections offered by marriage.

Just thought I'd fill you in.

God Bless

My Healthcare Plan

Let me come clean and tell you which plan was written by whom:
Plan A is the House Democratic Bill. Plan B is the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's Bill. Plan C is a plan under discussion by a bipartisan group of six senators on the Finance Committee. Plan D is the House Republican proposal. All of these can be found here: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090813/NEWS/90813006/-1/NEWS04 It is the news site where I found them.
Now, I try to stay positive about all of the plans, but I have to say I'm highly disappointed in Plan D – the House Republican proposal. It pretty much leaves things as they are and that bothers me. I know Republicans don't want a government run plan. I know Republicans think that government interference is a bad thing and I can understand that. But, what I can't understand is how they can just continue to ignore the fact that the system is broken. 47 million American citizens have no health insurance. That is 13% of the population. It is a high enough number to swing an election. On top of that, those 47 million Americans leave the rest of us paying a much higher price. Hospitals, when they provide care and aren't reimbursed, have to make up the money loss somewhere and that means charging more for the care those of us who are insured receive. Which means the insurance companies pay more and the premiums go up and so on and so on. We all suffer.
Now, I'm not saying I'm extremely happy with any one of the four plans, but I think combining them might not be a bad idea.
First, the who is covered: the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee bill aims to cover 97% of Americans, as does the bipartisan, Finance Committee's plan. This is very important. The whole point is to get as many people covered as possible.
Second, the cost: I think the Senate plan at being only $650 million over ten years and covering 97% of the people is a little unrealistic. I think the $1 trillion mark sounds about right. This doesn't mean I think we should spend that much, but that it is a reasonable to believe the healthcare plan will cost that much over ten years.
Third, how's it paid for: Let's face it, a plan with this much coverage is going to cost us some dough. The Republican plan, which didn't even offer a proposed cost, states no new taxes. Boy, that sounds good. The plan implies that by reducing Medicare and Medicaid fraud, the plan would be paid for. Unfortunately, I don't have the numbers for the amount of money lost due to Medicare and Medicaid fraud, but I'm thinking it probably isn't enough to pay for any plan. Now, I would be interested in hearing or reading someone's idea on how it could. I wrote Paul Ryan regarding his plan and I still don't have an answer. (Which I'm very disappointed, he is usually right on the ball.)
I think a combination of all four plans might be the answer to how to pay for this. Raising taxes on singles who earn more than $280,000 a year seems reasonable to me. Most of the people I know don't come anywhere near that figure. Raising taxes on families that earn more than $350,000 isn't a bad idea either. The highest tax bracket in this country is 33%. We jump from 15% to 25%, but after 25%, the jumps are much smaller. Trust me, a single person earning $280,000 a year will be able to afford a two percent tax raise. I'm also for raising the taxes on other items, such as cigarettes or liquor, but I think I'm alone in that regard.
I'm not for cutting Medicare nor am I for cutting Medicaid. No cuts. The elderly have enough problems. No cuts, but rooting out fraud -- that's a good idea.
Further – charging companies a portion of the insurance costs the government pays is a terrific idea. I think that it is only fair. Companies benefit from their workers' hard work. More and more companies are expecting more from their employees – especially salary employees – without offering raises. Being penalize if they allow employees and employees' children to be on a government program is a good thing. Penalizing companies such as, oh, I don't know, Wal-Mart, could help pay a great deal toward the program.
I think the combination of rooting out Medicare and Medicaid fraud, a small tax raise on the wealthy and penalizing large companies for not providing affordable health insurance should be able to pay for the plan. I think not purchasing the F-22 from Lockheed, which has cost us the taxpayers over $351 million in overruns is an example of government waste we could cut and use to help pay for the plan.i
Fourth, the mandates: I know the government mandates a lot of different things and that's not always a good thing, but the only way any healthcare plan will work is if we all have insurance. The healthcare costs of those people who are uninsured are staggering. This is not to say that we all have to have fancy group coverage. The bare minimum should be catastrophe insurance, along with a pre-taxed Health Savings Plan. I know that some people say, well, rich people don't need health insurance, so they shouldn't be forced to carry it, but even a rich person could have their entire wealth wiped out by the cost of cancer treatments.
To support my argument further, let's consider this: everyone of us who has care insurance has coverage that includes uninsured and under-insured motorists. And, why do we do that? So, we can still be protected if someone that doesn't have insurance slams into our car. Hospitals will need the same protection. There are some people out there who can cover $3200 out of pocket expense for a cardio-test, but I'm not one of them. Had I had to pay for the test myself, I'd still be making payments. And, the hospital would still be waiting for their money, which is one of the reasons hospitals have to charge so much. If everyone is covered by health insurance, hospitals wouldn't to write off unpaid bills, thus reducing their overhead. Of course, I'm notoriously cheap and I probably wouldn't get the test. I would be the type of person who would take chances with her healthcare. In interest of full disclosure, in this case, I would be okay without the test. My heart is strong, like bull.
Fifth, how to choose the health insurance plan. I like the exchange idea, but I was just reading an articleii that in Massachusetts the exchange isn't working. That being noted, I think if the Massachusetts plan isn't working, we use it to take what does work and throw away what doesn't. I, also, like the idea that the exchange is state run, with Federal standards. Each state should know what its citizens need and is better prepared to make changes for what doesn't work more quickly than the Feds.
Sixth, for the benefits, I like the Democratic plan, so I just copied it verbatim: “A committee would recommend an "essential benefits package" including preventive services, mental health services, oral heath and vision for children; out-of pocket costs would be capped. The new benefit package would be the basic benefit package offered in the exchange and over time would become the minimum quality standard for employer plans. Insurers wouldn't be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.”iii
Finally, the government run plan, I like the idea of a government run plan to a point that competes with private insurers. I think private insurers deserve a little unfair competition. However; I think it should be limited to cover those who don't qualify for any other plan or subsidy. Let's not create a huge fiasco here. Also, I like the part in the Senate where the plan would “would pay doctors and hospitals based on what private insurers now pay.”iv
Okay, that's it. That's my plan in a nutshell. I think it works better and is better for all of us than the four plans.
This is a pretty long blog post, but I wanted to include as much as I could. I'm posting this as a PDF, as well, so you can print it out and share it. If you like my idea, please feel free to post it on your own blog – as long as you link back to mine. Further, send it to your representative and say you support it. I'm sending it to mine. We need to improve healthcare in this country, but none of those four plans mentioned are going to cut it. If you don't like what I've outlined, I'd love to hear why and I encourage you to come up with your own plan. I, also, encourage you to make sure you write your representative. Healthcare is too important to leave up to the politicians and lobbyists.
God Bless
iMother Jones September / October 2009, page 41
iihttp://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/08/obamas-insurance-plan-comes-right-wing-think-tank
iiihttp://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090813/NEWS/90813006/-1/NEWS04
ivibid

Well, people, this is it. Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!! After 13 1/2 years of being together that includes 8 years of being a married couple in the eyes of God, family and friends, Cheryl and I will be getting domesticated! I'm not sure what to call it. Anyway, domestic partnership here we come. At 1:30 tomorrow afternoon, we will be at the Courthouse with my parents and two of our friends - Jerri and Preston - and we'll be signing the papers.

Yep, after all this time together, Cheryl is finally going to domesticate me. I guess this means that I'll be housebroken! LOL!

Seriously, it reinforces our love and commitment to each other, it gives us some legal protections and it helps us to stand up and be counted in the number of domesticated gay relationships.

Now, I called the courthouse on Friday and it turns out that there is a five day waiting period, so we'll have to go back to register the paperwork. Five day waiting period? She's had 13 years to change her mind and she's still here, whats another five days?

God Bless

I was going to post a picture from our wedding day, but I can't find it and my scanner is no longer functioning, so here's a picture of us from a few years ago.

Isn't Cheryl the prettiest gal around?

I am Blessed...

This morning in my email there was a notice that a subscriber to my blog has unsubscribed. This is always a sad thing for a blogger to lose a reader. Broke my heart a little to thing that someone in this big old world doesn't think I'm worth reading anymore. But, then I saw the reason, which was Content no longer relevant and I had to chuckle a little. The reader's email ended in au, which I think stands for Australia and considering all I've been writing about lately has been the health care debate in America, I can see his or her point.

Anyway, this set to me thinking about health care. I've seen some articles and comments on blogs where people are complaining about the protesters outside of the townhall meetings held by various members of the government and I think they're dead wrong. It's okay to protest. It's okay to disagree with our government. It's okay to disagree with each other. The very thought of making changes to our health care system scares the hell out of a lot of people. I don't blame them -- it scares the hell out of me, too. I can understand how someone doesn't want the status quo to change -- especially if they have company provided health care. There's a part of me that doesn't want change. It's a "I've got mine, the hell with you" attitude. And, I can understand it, because I feel that way, too. I have to be honest here. I don't want my health insurance benefits taxed. I don't think that's fair. I've come too far to have to pay taxes on something I've earned.
And, that has led me to thing about this...
In 1994, I earned - roughly - $16,000. I didn't have health care. I didn't see doctors for routine medical care. I was involved in a car accident that year where I hurt my back and bruised a kidney. It wasn't my fault. The other driver turned left in front of me and although I tried to avoid her, first by changing lanes when I thought she had stopped turning and then by slamming on my brakes, I slammed into the side of her Ford Escort in my Dodge Dakota Truck at 30 miles an hour. Up to that point in my life, it was the scariest thing to ever happen to me while I was behind the wheel of my truck.
I had no health care insurance. I supported myself and, despite doctor's orders to the contrary, I returned to work the following day. I didn't sue her and, since I felt I had to take care of myself and no one could help, I didn't even ride to the hospital in an ambulance -- like I should've. If my insurance agent, a man named Marty, hadn't told me I was covered, I wouldn't have gone to the hospital at all. I had so little money back then, I couldn't afford to fill the pain prescription I was given. Good thing I have a high tolerance for pain.
Now, I don't tell you all of this to have you feel sorry for me, because you shouldn't. My kidney healed and my back is strong. My truck managed to run for another seven years until the engine blew and it is fifteen years later and I make almost four times as much as I did that year. And, I have health insurance. If that same accident happened again today, I would ride to the hospital in an ambulance and, more importantly, I would listen to my doctor. I have disability insurance, both personal and via work, so I wouldn't worry about not being able to pay my bills.
And -- this is important -- I feel lucky. That's right, lucky. I've put in years of hard work and study to become the person I am today. I worked full time and went to school part time. I busted my butt to graduate and I work hard at my profession to be the best I can be. And, I'm lucky. I'm lucky because when it was too hard and I wanted to quit, Cheryl would drag me kicking and screaming to my homework. And, she did all the housework, so I could study. (Truth be told, she still does most of the housework.) And, when I would cry at night that this was just too hard and I wasn't smart enough or good enough to see it through, she would hold me and tell me I was. She was a big pain in my ass when I needed a swift kick to my ass and she was a soft shoulder on which to cry when I just needed a place to fall. And, I couldn't have gone from the living over a bar from paycheck to paycheck to owning a home and installing new kitchen and bathroom floors if I hadn't had her pushing me.
And, I know that I am blessed.
And, then I think, there's a lot of 28 year olds out there who don't have a Cheryl in their lives. For that matter, there are a lot of people who don't have anyone pushing and fighting for them. They just go to work and do the best they can do and they are who I used to be. They have just enough to get by and they can't see past next week, because they can't afford to dream. They clean our waste baskets, they ring us out at the grocery store, they wash our car and they bring us our dinner whenever we eat out. They're the 47 million Americans who can't afford health insurance. And, then I think how lucky I am that I never caught a disease I couldn't pay for. Never needed medicine where I would have to make a choice between the medicine or eating. (Once, when I was uninsured, my asthma medicine cost $75.00 for a one month supply. That was nearly a quarter of one of my paychecks and a huge chunk of take home pay. If I hadn't had Cheryl, I might've forgone the medicine.)
And, I think about those people and how lucky I am I'm not one of them - for by the Grace of God go I - and I realize, we do need to make some changes and we're all going to have to sacrifice a little for the good of everyone.
God Bess