%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  Here's to bloggin' around the block--one word at a time. |
| ...and my mind is a blank. So here's a quote and a cartoon. (I've given the punch line before but it's worth repeating.) Happy Birthday WDC "We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path." -- Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| I wanted the previous entry to stand alone. “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.”- John Gardner Yesterday we went to help a friend out by witnessing some legal stuff for him. He’s a great guy, but he’s one of those people whose life seems rarely to run smoothly. The legal paperwork was actually the result of something that happened about ten years ago. His mother died, his wife was in the hospital getting chemo for brain cancer and his daughter got hit by a school bus and broke her hip all at the same time! There’s plenty more but I think this gives you an idea. His daughter is fine by the way, and his wife survived although the cancer and treatment left some severe effects. Anyway, in spite of his chaotic life our friend is always funny and pretty upbeat around us. After the legal stuff he took us to breakfast at Steak & Shake where we had a cholesterol filled meal, a rare treat for all of us. (Our friend had a heart attack awhile back, too.) After that Jack and I did a little shopping and I again found some more movies for a bargain price. Then were glad to get back home because the traffic was getting crazy. Except for picking up a pizza later, we spent the rest of the day at home, our favorite place to be. We watched a scary movie called Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson (she really looks like her mother, Goldie Hawn) with Gena Rowlands, who I almost didn’t recognize, and John Hurt. It was set back in the swamps of Louisiana with some voodoo/hoodoo, lots of twists and a surprise ending. Speaking of endings, here’s mine. Back to the farms. I haven't checked on them at all today. |
| And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln The quote is for Nada  "Invalid Entry"  and a reminder to us all.
|
| I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed. ~George Carlin One quick follow-up from yesterday and then I’m through with politics, at least for awhile. (I’m going full time virtual farming). The US Post Office is an independent government agency. It hasn’t taken a public subsidy since 1982. That seems kind of sad considering some of the undeserving private interests that do receive tax money. Even so, if it weren’t a government entity I’d lay odds that we wouldn’t have the kind of home delivery we’re used to. Social Security and Medicare are excellent programs but they do have problems. Improvements have been made through the years and will definitely need to be made again. Saying they’re in shambles or that the government can’t run anything right, though, is code for privatization. The pitfalls to that are many, and that’s part of what’s wrong with Medicare. Privatizing public services in the name of saving money usually does just the opposite. And then there is the problem of accountability. I know more about this subject than I would like since our former mayor was the prince of privatization. My husband co-authored a book with several other people on the topic. Their research showed the results were even worse than they expected. There is time to fix Social Security, and the bigger problems with Medicare could be helped with good health insurance/health care reform. I admit I’m not confident really good reform is in the works, though. There are way too many childish political games and distractions and I think the president should have taken a bigger role in the details. He’s too vague. But my fear is greed and giveaways to big insurance and big pharma, not “death panels” and “illegal president” and “evil socialized medicine.” We need to be asking our legislators the right questions. And the media does not help at all. Okay, I’m boring myself so here’s another cartoon. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it. Mark Twain Just because you’re unhappy with some of the things the US government does or does not do (and who isn’t?), that does not mean that the government can’t do anything right. Nor does it mean private enterprise can do everything better. I keep seeing the example of the Post Office and how FedEx or UPS do the same job better. Yes, these companies have competed in delivery of packages and overnights. Those are targeted areas that can make them a profit. (By the way, ever had a FedEx delivered to the wrong place? I have.) But what about carrying letters? Do you really think that a for-profit company would take over universal coverage of mail delivery at an affordable price? For one thing it would take a huge increase in their infrastructure. Another thing is that the post office has a universal mandate for delivery, six days a week to most places although that may have to be reduced to five. So how long do you think that mandate would last in the private sector? Soon probably 20% of Americans, the poorer and harder to deliver areas first, would lose mail delivery to their home. Ask Americans if they think it’s okay to close some of the post offices to save money. If they say yes, ask if it’s okay to close their post office branch. You’ll probably get a different answer. Social Security and Medicare are also cited as not working. Wouldn’t it be cool if everybody had invested that Social Security money in Wall Street instead? Then those folks who lost their entire retirement in the crash could have lost that, too. And why do you think the seniors are so afraid of losing their Medicare? Because they don’t need it? Because it doesn’t work at all? I don’t think so. By the way, governments are not intended to be profit centers. Just because a government program needs adjusted or fixed does not mean it doesn’t or hasn’t worked. Times and circumstances change. All things need re-evaluated and updated from time to time. Some may become obsolete, but not all and not those three. And government agency workers are like private industry workers. Many are good, some are bad and all are human. Face it, private industry does not do everything right either. Some do a great deal of harm. By all means, question the powerful, criticize the governing and hold them accountable to us. But running down all government programs and services has become a nonproductive sport and I don’t enjoy it. Now my little tribute to Sen. Ted Kennedy Teddy Kennedy has talked about a National Health Care system since 1980. He's been instrumental in advancing civil rights. He’s the reason we have COBRA, minimum wage and other public good legislation. He had his personal demons like all the Kennedys, but he overcame them later in life. He was always a dedicated Senator, I believe, and not afraid of being called liberal. Many people say he had a big heart. I'll take that any day over the mean-spirited nastiness that is showing more all the time. RIP Senator. Thank you for all that you did for our country, and may your dreams for a just society never die. |
| Scanners have great psychic power, strong enough to control minds; they can inflict enormous pain/damage on their victims. Remember that old Sci-Fi movie Scanners? Well this entry has nothing to do with that. I just spent half the day scanning pictures into the computer. Jack wanted to put his college freshman picture up on his Facebook page. It was taken in 1962 and the first time I saw it I said, “Honey, who’s this?” While I was at it I scanned in one I found of me at about age six. He recognized me, though.  I also scanned in all the old cartoons we’ve cut out of the paper and had stuck up on the refrigerator door. In keeping with my theme of yesterday, I think this one is pretty fitting. Hope you all have a nice day. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| Greed captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit…If you're not inside, you're *outside*!...If you need a friend, get a dog. Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko – movie Wall Street 1987 I guess I should take a little time out from my virtual farming to write something. One reason I like the farming so much is that when I’m busy with that I don’t have time to worry about all the craziness going on in the country. Things like Wall Street repackaging those bad mortgages and selling them as new products in the way that got them in trouble to begin with. But I have to laugh at myself as I greedily take Farm Town jobs so I can amass enough virtual money to grow and upgrade my farm. Before you know it I’ll be trying to buy others out to become a great big monopoly. Then I can sell shares of my behemoth and turn it into one big Ponzi scheme. After I’ve ruined everyone else, and risk going under myself, I’ll go - silk seed corn hat in hand - and demand a handout from the government. After all, I’ll be too big to fail. And if anyone tries to put any restrictions on my handout I’ll just hire a slew of lobbyists (my Mafia team) to go twist some arms in Congress. No wonder I enjoy the game so much. “Greed is good.” We make the rules, pal. The news, war, peace, famine, upheaval, the price per paper clip. We pick that rabbit out of the hat while everybody sits out there wondering how the hell we did it. Now you're not naive enough to think we're living in a democracy, are you buddy? Gordon Gekko |
| Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. – Warren Buffet Twice I’ve seen a TV commercial that makes me sick. It’s one of those fear mongering anti-healthcare reform ads, a woman talking about being a breast cancer survivor. She says she wouldn’t have survived if we hadn’t had the system we have now. It was one of those allusions to the British system which kills women instead of treats them. You know, like some Congressman said, “If Stephen Hawking were British he would have died.” Uh, hello. Stephen Hawking is British and he says himself he would not have survived without a National Healthcare System. The ad is sponsored by the Independent Women’s Forum, inviting us to go to their site and tell our story. So last night I went to visit. The first thing that jumped out at me was something praising Glenn Beck. Sort of explains things, doesn’t it? One thing that heartened me is several women had been there before me and every comment was negative. One even said it is fear-mongering at its worst. Another reason this healthcare (or health insurance) reform issue is so messy is President Obama himself. For someone so inspiring and articulate in his long campaign, he seems determined to muddy the message on this issue. It’s like he doesn’t want to offend anyone and in the process offends everyone. Why he doesn’t want to offend the Republicans is beyond me. He still sings the praises of that snake-in-the-Grassley. They will hate him (or at least fight him) no matter what he does. Just think of all the bizarre things they’ve said and done. He also doesn’t want to offend the medical industrial complex, especially the health insurance and pharmaceutical honchos. But he doesn’t seem very good at calming people’s fears or garnering support by talking as if he is a committee instead of a President. Others have made these points: Why are we paying profits to insurance companies? Why are we paying overhead for insurance companies? Why are we paying for their TV commercials? What is an insurance company? They don’t do a single check-up. They don’t do a single exam, they don’t perform an operation. What is their value? What do they bring to the deal? They are the paying mechanism, which is exactly what the government option would do. Medicare spends 4% on overhead while private insurers spend 30 percent. Much of that 30% is spent on figuring out how to deny claims. Seniors have been frightened into thinking their Medicare (a government program though some don’t even realize that much) is going to be cut and they’ll be euthanized instead of cared for. That is disgusting fear-mongering. The idea is for efficiencies from wasteful practices like a $700-a-night hospital bed when the patient could (and might rather) stay home with a less costly visiting homecare attendant. And while we’re at it, how is Wal-Mart able to offer $4 prescriptions? They’re large enough to bargain. That distorted Medicare D should also be doing that. Deals with big PhRMA and the insurance industry prevented it. Frankly I think if they’d cut out their TV ads and lay off some of their armies of lobbyists those industries would save a ton of money. Unfettered capitalism has been crashing and burning under its own greed and taking us with them. (We also need an overhaul of our political system, but that’s for another blog). One final thing. Single-payer health care isn’t even on the table. The best thing we can hope for in this bill is a “public option” (option meaning choice). It wouldn’t be free, but it would be affordable, and it could hold those other industries accountable. I really don’t like seeing my insurance rates climb while the coverage shrinks and helping pay my Blue Dog Senator’s wife $300,000 to sit on Anthem’s board. And don’t get me started on their CEO’s salary. It brings me back to the question: What is their value? |
If things go wrong, don't go with them. ~Roger Babson Lots of thoughts going through my head. Guess I’ll let them out here. Pop is starting to hallucinate. The other day he thought there was water running through the hall and animals running around his room. He told Jack, “One of your illusions just ran under that chair.” My son seems to have gotten serious about stopping drinking. He was in rehab a few years ago but he drank off and on since then. Lately he’s been in a long relapse and says he doesn’t want to keep living that way. He’s moved to a place where no drinking is allowed and they have AA meetings. He sounds good, excited even, about taking these positive steps. I hope he continues. I really don’t want him to throw his life away. There have been reports of people taking guns to where the President was speaking. The Arizona Republic reported: A man, who decided not to give his name, was walking around the pro-health care reform rally at 3rd and Washington streets, with a pistol on his hip, and an AR-15 (a semi-automatic assault rifle) on a strap over his shoulder. “Because I can do it," he said when asked why he was armed. “In Arizona, I still have some freedoms.” Two police officers were staying very close to the man. What an a$$hole! The man, walking among the supporters, was obviously there to intimidate. You know, I couldn’t stand George Bush, but I would have been upset knowing something like this was going on. I also wonder if things would have gotten this bad back then. Just because something is legal does not make it right. Now that a few things are out of my head I’m going to try to stop thinking for awhile. For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe. ~Author Unknown |
| I can always be distracted by love, but eventually I get horny for my creativity. --Gilda Radner Sometimes I have a little trouble staying in the moment. Yesterday Jack and I had a whole list of errands to run. We made a list, figured the Hamiltonian Circuit, packed some cold water. We were so organized. We almost veered from out plan at the first stop when we considered hitting the Antique Book Store – it was near the hardware store but not on the list. We decided against it since it was Friday and traffic can get ugly in the late afternoon. The second stop was a twofer which made it doubly efficient. He went into Hobby Town (airplane parts) while I got a head start in Half-Price Books. It’s so nice now that they’re right next door to each other. Anyway, I made a great haul. I found eight novels and five movies for $23. (I shop Clearance). Jack came in the book store later and said to me, “We’re a pair.” He had found what he needed at the hobby shop and taken it out to the car where the passenger door was standing open. I guess I was so focused on getting a canvas bag to carry my books that I forgot to close it. It wasn’t just unlatched, it was wide open and had been for fifteen or twenty minutes. We’re really lucky nothing was taken. The rest of our excursion was uneventful, though, and pretty successful. We only have to return one thing. But today I'm going to stay in and do my Farming on Facebook. It won't be so risky when I... Hey, looky what I got today! ![Merit Badge in Parenting
[Click For More Info]
For raising me, like a lost child, with an excellent the excellent pick-up line of "You're ugly, but you intrigue me..."](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Parenting-1180.gif) It's a "Parenting" badge from Z.˚rz and a reward for the pick-up line I suggested: "You're ugly but you intrigue me..." I can't wait to hear how it works. Thanks, Zack! |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
![Merit Badge in Genie
[Click For More Info]
The Genie of Inspiration will shine upon you ~ when you least expect it! Trust me!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Genie-2500.gif)
So glad to see your blog again, and I like the idea of a 'new' Clean Slate. I may just do that myself! I look forward to reading more from you! 
