There has been a lot of discussion and disagreement with the health care bill; which, by the way, I hope is just a first step in the process of nationalizing it. A lot of people disagree with me and think I am either crazy or stupid. I have to admit that most of the people who have spoken to me about this and feel this way are family. Others are probably too polite to criticize so harshly.
We all know that the cost of health care for Americans is inching, no galloping, higher. And along with the rising cost of health care goes the cost of insurance to help pay for health care. Many lower and middle income people are being squeezed out from being able to afford medical care of any type. I believe we, as a country, cannot afford to let any segment of our population fall through the health care cracks. We need to take care of our own.
We cannot leave this care in the hands of big business and the insurance companies; they don't exactly have a history of helping the underdog, or compassion for anything but the bottom line.
The United States has made tremendous changes over the last 234 years. Our founding fathers intentionally made the Constitution a bit vague. They knew the country would grow; but they had no idea how much, or what changes in technology would evolve. When this country declared its independence, the population was small. Families helped each other out; everyone knew his neighbor and offered what help they could when times were hard. The citizens took care of friends and neighbors. Today, very few of us even know who are neighbors are. It is a dog-eat-dog world and every man and woman must care for him or herself.
Yet we still live in the United States, the most blessed nation in the world (at least most of its citizens think so). We must take care of our own. If we individually don't know our neighbors and don't help to take care of them, we have no choice but to appoint the government as caretaker.
I am not ignorant of the fact that our government seems to make a muddle of a lot of programs it is responsible for, but I think it is up to us, the people of the US, to elect the right people and make our voices known that we think the government should and will be held accountable. We deserve the best government possible, but we also have to be the best overseers we can be. This does not mean listening to talk show hosts who try to tear the government down without offering suggestions for making it better. This is not condoning violent protest. We need to know what our representative is doing, and he or she needs to know we are watching.
Could the nationalization of health care be the beginning of the citizens actually overseeing what the government does so that it will do it right? After all, we have a government of the people and for the people.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Health Care II
Health care should be the same for everyone, rich or poor, connected or not. We finally have a health care bill, and politicians are getting threats, and worse, for voting yea or nay. What kind of country is this, that people are so full of hate they have to hurt someone for trying to do something right? I do agree that this bill is not as good as it should be, but at least we can now see how change does or doesn't affect our lives. I hope this is the first reform of many. But the reaction of some is very scary; and very stupid and hateful on their part.
It seems to me that health care should be taken out of the realm of for profit insurance companies. After all, these companies are in business to make a profit, to support themselves and their employees. If the are unable to do so, they will simply close their doors; and then there will be less competition for each citizen's dollar. Granted, I do not like insurance companies and think they make obscene amounts of profit, but I think their public images would immediately improve if they got out of the health care business.
Because health care is a people intensive occupation, and huge amounts of money are needed for research and development, and because there are endless tests, procedures, and more tests now available, I believe it should be taken out of the private sector and administered by the government. At this point, I am not sure how the drug companies would fit in here; my inclination right now is that they should continue as they are, but with more impartiality in the testing they do. I realize the government has a not-so-stellar reputation when it comes to running programs, but it can't do any worse than the insurance companies have done. And when I say that everyone should have the same health care, I mean everyone, from the President of the United States, our congress people on down to the poorest of citizens. I don't know if this would work in practice, but I am sure it can't be any worse, or any more expensive, than what we have now.
It seems to me that health care should be taken out of the realm of for profit insurance companies. After all, these companies are in business to make a profit, to support themselves and their employees. If the are unable to do so, they will simply close their doors; and then there will be less competition for each citizen's dollar. Granted, I do not like insurance companies and think they make obscene amounts of profit, but I think their public images would immediately improve if they got out of the health care business.
Because health care is a people intensive occupation, and huge amounts of money are needed for research and development, and because there are endless tests, procedures, and more tests now available, I believe it should be taken out of the private sector and administered by the government. At this point, I am not sure how the drug companies would fit in here; my inclination right now is that they should continue as they are, but with more impartiality in the testing they do. I realize the government has a not-so-stellar reputation when it comes to running programs, but it can't do any worse than the insurance companies have done. And when I say that everyone should have the same health care, I mean everyone, from the President of the United States, our congress people on down to the poorest of citizens. I don't know if this would work in practice, but I am sure it can't be any worse, or any more expensive, than what we have now.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Mothers and Daughters
For most of my life, I thought that my relationship with my mother was unique, an aberration from the norm, and have felt very guilty because of it. I was sure it was my fault. Everyone I knew seemed to have such a perfect mother-daughter relationship. Their mothers were often their best friends. Mine never was.
Then I read the book Mean Mothers by Peg Streep. I now realize that I am not the only person who had a less than perfect relationship with her mother. I also realize that I did not have as awful a relationship as I had once thought. It is true that she never told me she loved me, and that I never had enough nerve to ask if she did, but I now believe that was just how she was. The family she grew up in was not very demonstrative, and I don't think it was unique, especially during the first half of the the 20th century. It was just that everyone was very private. I never even knew that my mother had a half brother until just a few years ago. I probably wouldn't have known then if Mom hadn't let it slip out. I can't even remember what we were talking about, probably because my thoughts stopped when she mentioned her half brother. I still don't know what his name was, or where he lived, or if I have any unknown cousins; and I will probably never know.
I had always envied some of my friends because they were really close with their moms, and could tell them everything. My conversations with my mother were usually limited to how well I did in school, or where I might be going that night. When I turned down a scholarship to get married, I never knew if she was disappointed in me or glad that I would be out of the house.
Now I realize that she kept things inside that bothered her or even that might have made her happy. I now know where I get the tendency to keep my thoughts to myself, and why it is so hard for me to open up to friends, even if I know those friends want only what's best for me. It has been a long struggle, but I think that I am finally coming to terms with who she was and our less than perfect relationship. And, yes, I finally realize that she was not one of the mean mothers in the book of the same name.
Then I read the book Mean Mothers by Peg Streep. I now realize that I am not the only person who had a less than perfect relationship with her mother. I also realize that I did not have as awful a relationship as I had once thought. It is true that she never told me she loved me, and that I never had enough nerve to ask if she did, but I now believe that was just how she was. The family she grew up in was not very demonstrative, and I don't think it was unique, especially during the first half of the the 20th century. It was just that everyone was very private. I never even knew that my mother had a half brother until just a few years ago. I probably wouldn't have known then if Mom hadn't let it slip out. I can't even remember what we were talking about, probably because my thoughts stopped when she mentioned her half brother. I still don't know what his name was, or where he lived, or if I have any unknown cousins; and I will probably never know.
I had always envied some of my friends because they were really close with their moms, and could tell them everything. My conversations with my mother were usually limited to how well I did in school, or where I might be going that night. When I turned down a scholarship to get married, I never knew if she was disappointed in me or glad that I would be out of the house.
Now I realize that she kept things inside that bothered her or even that might have made her happy. I now know where I get the tendency to keep my thoughts to myself, and why it is so hard for me to open up to friends, even if I know those friends want only what's best for me. It has been a long struggle, but I think that I am finally coming to terms with who she was and our less than perfect relationship. And, yes, I finally realize that she was not one of the mean mothers in the book of the same name.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Favorite Month -- February
After a lot of thought, I have decided that February is at least my second favorite month and possibly the first. July has always been tops as my favorite time of year because it has lots of warm weather and sunshine. Beach weather. Now that I am old, beach weather is not so important. In fact, it gets harder and harder to sunbathe; it feels much too warm, especially when a hot flash hits.
So February has at least moved into a tie for first place as my favorite month. The days are getting longer, the sun is out a lot, and there is usually still snow on the ground. This means that I can go cross country skiing a few times during February. I was not able to ski two years ago when I broke my wrist, and last year didn't work out well. But this year, February has been so gorgeous that I've had to go to the south side of the Girdled Road metroparks to ski. There is usually a track set, even though people and dogs walk through it. There are not very many people in the woods on these cold, snowy days and it is absolutely beautiful with the sun shining.
It's true that the older I get, the less fast I am able to go (and less steady, too), but that doesn't seem to matter. I do believe the hills get bigger and steeper the older I get; but I still love the feeling, however slow, of effortlessly (almost) gliding through the woods. Thank you, Ginny.
So February has at least moved into a tie for first place as my favorite month. The days are getting longer, the sun is out a lot, and there is usually still snow on the ground. This means that I can go cross country skiing a few times during February. I was not able to ski two years ago when I broke my wrist, and last year didn't work out well. But this year, February has been so gorgeous that I've had to go to the south side of the Girdled Road metroparks to ski. There is usually a track set, even though people and dogs walk through it. There are not very many people in the woods on these cold, snowy days and it is absolutely beautiful with the sun shining.
It's true that the older I get, the less fast I am able to go (and less steady, too), but that doesn't seem to matter. I do believe the hills get bigger and steeper the older I get; but I still love the feeling, however slow, of effortlessly (almost) gliding through the woods. Thank you, Ginny.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Evolution
Ever notice how young people rarely talk on the phone anymore? They almost always text, or at least the ones I am around, do. Cell phones seem to be less for talking to one another than for sending text messages, taking and sending photos, surfing the web, and playing games. Do young people ever write letters, or even send emails? Not the ones I know. They tweet, or comment on their friends' Facebook pages, or text using their cells.
Is this a giant leap forward in the evolution of humankind? Are humans adapting to keep up with technology? Is the attention span of a young person shortened so he or she doesn't get left behind as technology moves ahead by leaps and bounds? Which came first -- technology or the evolving brain?
Also, people don't seem to be as social as they once were. If we have jobs, we are usually on call 24/7. Not many have an actual 9 to 5 job anymore. Technology never lets us turn off. Even if we are on a beach in the Caribbean, we can still be involved in decisions at the job. This naturally gives us less time get to know one another; so here, too, decisions must be made quickly.
Today's young people have to be able to keep up with what can be lightening fast changes, not only in the world of work, but also socially. I think they are missing out on some of the best parts of being human -- the slow development of a relationship; the time it takes to really get to know another person.
Is this a giant leap forward in the evolution of humankind? Are humans adapting to keep up with technology? Is the attention span of a young person shortened so he or she doesn't get left behind as technology moves ahead by leaps and bounds? Which came first -- technology or the evolving brain?
Also, people don't seem to be as social as they once were. If we have jobs, we are usually on call 24/7. Not many have an actual 9 to 5 job anymore. Technology never lets us turn off. Even if we are on a beach in the Caribbean, we can still be involved in decisions at the job. This naturally gives us less time get to know one another; so here, too, decisions must be made quickly.
Today's young people have to be able to keep up with what can be lightening fast changes, not only in the world of work, but also socially. I think they are missing out on some of the best parts of being human -- the slow development of a relationship; the time it takes to really get to know another person.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Arrogant Americans
What gives Americans the right to feel so superior to people in other parts of the world? Why are we better than anyone else? Because we had the good sense to be born in the USA? Not a reason.
I am reading a book called Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner. It was recommended by a friend, and is pretty scary. It exposes how inept the CIA has been since the day it was founded, and highlights how ignorant we have been of conditions and traditions in other countries. A few men have been allowed to virtually ignore all the rules of civilization because only they knew what was best for this country, and by extrapolation, the world. In reality, they have done so much harm, ranging from sending agents to certain death, to assassinations of heads of state, to overthrowing governments and installing puppet regimes, no matter how brutal the consequences. All of this has been done without the knowledge of the people who are elected to run this country. Elected officials, right on up to and including Presidents, have been kept in the dark about what the CIA actually does.
Granted, the USA is probably not the only country doing all these horrible things, but I had always believed that we, as a country, held to the highest moral standards; that we were truly the country that the rest of the world should look up to, to provide the ultimate example of morality. This book makes me realize just how naive I am. The people who are making these high level decisions, or at least those who have in the past, are so arrogant and ignorant, heartless and immoral, that it makes me afraid. I am only halfway through this book, up to the point of JFK's assassination, and maybe what follows will not be as horrifying as what went on from the end of WWII into the early 1960s; but I really don't expect it to get much better.
One of the main conclusions I am taking away from this book is that we, as Americans, think we are so superior to others that we have the right to actually tell everyone how to live and to use other countries to further our so-called best interests; and that the other countries must agree with us. What gives us this right? Isn't it time we start to recognize that we are no more important than anyone else? And how much longer will the rest of the world put up with our arrogance?
I am reading a book called Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner. It was recommended by a friend, and is pretty scary. It exposes how inept the CIA has been since the day it was founded, and highlights how ignorant we have been of conditions and traditions in other countries. A few men have been allowed to virtually ignore all the rules of civilization because only they knew what was best for this country, and by extrapolation, the world. In reality, they have done so much harm, ranging from sending agents to certain death, to assassinations of heads of state, to overthrowing governments and installing puppet regimes, no matter how brutal the consequences. All of this has been done without the knowledge of the people who are elected to run this country. Elected officials, right on up to and including Presidents, have been kept in the dark about what the CIA actually does.
Granted, the USA is probably not the only country doing all these horrible things, but I had always believed that we, as a country, held to the highest moral standards; that we were truly the country that the rest of the world should look up to, to provide the ultimate example of morality. This book makes me realize just how naive I am. The people who are making these high level decisions, or at least those who have in the past, are so arrogant and ignorant, heartless and immoral, that it makes me afraid. I am only halfway through this book, up to the point of JFK's assassination, and maybe what follows will not be as horrifying as what went on from the end of WWII into the early 1960s; but I really don't expect it to get much better.
One of the main conclusions I am taking away from this book is that we, as Americans, think we are so superior to others that we have the right to actually tell everyone how to live and to use other countries to further our so-called best interests; and that the other countries must agree with us. What gives us this right? Isn't it time we start to recognize that we are no more important than anyone else? And how much longer will the rest of the world put up with our arrogance?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Stupid Computer
Don't talk to me. Don't ask me anything. Don't even say hi to me. I cannot tell you what is wrong with me, except that I feel absolutely, totally stupid. I cannot get my computer to do what I want it to do. My husband and son are telling me how to do it, but they might as well be speaking Chinese, for all I can understand them. I don't want to know how the computer works, I just want it to do what I need it to do! Guess it is time to put the doggone thing to sleep and come back tomorrow. Maybe I'll be in a better mood then. Me, moody? Never. I just feel dumb, and that makes me frustrated and mad. I think I'll go read a book.
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