An 800 Pound Gorilla

"Everybody knows that there are a couple of 800-pound gorillas under the rug, but nobody wants to talk about them because that is not the route to the Oval Office," said economist Robert D. Reischauer, president of the Urban Institute public policy center. "The situation is unsustainable in the long run, but the long run is in the future, and our political system operates very much in the present."
Quote taken from LA Times.

I agree. If we know it's there and everyone is tripping over it why not acknowledge the beast and tell us what you are going to do. If you don't have an extermination plan let us know you don't. We know you don't just be a politician that tells the truth. Medicare and Social Security is not sustainable - I knew that in high school. The numbers back then told me that. Yes we could count that high back then!

I'm OK with the idea - I'll be paying into a system that I will never benefit from. I knew it was going to happen when my first paycheck arrived with all the deductions I gave to the Government. Some has to end the torture and I don't want it to be my kids. Do I like it? NO! Do I want someone else to bear the burden? Yes, but that is wrong. Social Security was not meant as a retirement plan. Do some research!

Spiritual Advisor

What does your spiritual advisor say?

If I have to listen to someone spew rhetoric again my core beliefs (or values), I'd leave the room, the church, the classroom, or the meeting. If there was no way to defend my beliefs, I'd walk. I'm all for challenging my beliefs - that's why this blog is here - To challenge myself and others who read this. What are your core beliefs and can they be challenged?

I've noticed in my life certain beleifs I hold closer to me than others. Think of it like a spider's web. If a belief is proven wrong close to the edge of the web I won't have to fix the entire structure of the web - just a little cosmetic work will do. If a belief closer to the center gets proven incorrect - that's where it get more troublesom. I have used that belief to form other beliefs and now those beleifs are in doubt also. Think about it?

Could you imagine the earth being flat! Would that change other beliefs or values.
What if global warming is wrong? What were all those scientists doing for so long? Is their life's work for nothing?
What if money had no value? . . . . . . Wait that one is true, sorry.
Think about the movie "The Matrix" what if this was all a dream and you woke up attached to a machine?

I'm all for having my beliefs(values) challenged. I've even been wrong on some of the ones very close to me. I survived and have become stronger because of the challenge. what about you?

Are you in Favor of Universal Healthcare

Loved this article from: www.nolanchart.com/article3083.html
The article is pasted below so you don't have to leave the blog. It was worth the cut and paste.

Healthcare-an open letter to my friend, Theresa
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Theresa believes that she is in favor of universal healthcare. But is she?
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by Fred (Libertarian)
Health Care--an open letter to my friend, Theresa
O.K., so you are telling me you are going to vote for Hilary Clinton or Barack Obama. You tell me that the reason that you are doing this is because you want everyone to be able to have good health care. I know that you were shocked when I told you that I, also, want everyone to be able to have good health care. You didn't believe me because you know that I (like almost all libertarians) oppose government health care.
"Why?" you asked me, "Why do you not support universal health care?"
"Forget about me," I replied, "I'll tell you why YOU don't support government health care."
Now I know that this is confusing, because you believe that you want universal health care, but you don't.
Stick with me for a few minutes and I'll show you why I believe that you are against government health care.
"Do you like our current president?" I ask.
"George Bush?" you respond (somewhat offended), "God NO! He is the worst president ever."
"So, what is it you don't like about him?" I ask
"The WAR, his terrible economic plan, his desire to drill for oil in Alaska, his connections with the oil and military supply companies, and of course FEMA's response to Katrina" You say.
"Good, how do you feel about Bill Clinton" I ask.
"I think he was pretty good," you say, "I didn't like the bombing of Kosovo, and the economy kind of tanked at the end of his 2nd term, but mostly I liked him."
"George Bush (the elder)? I asked.
"Another war president!" You asserted, "He broke his promises, cut social programs for the handicapped, mismanaged the LA riots, and also made the economy worse."
"Ronald Reagan?" I probed.
"The man wanted ketchup to be considered a vegetable for our school lunch programs!" you told me, "He took away social programs and left mentally unstable people homeless. And then there was his cabinet. James Watt, the secretary of the interior, who seemed to hate the environment..."
I know you wanted to continue, but I interrupted. "How about Jimmy Carter?"
"I liked Carter." You said, "He was a good man. He didn't get us into any wars."
"Ford?" I asked.
"I don't have much to say about him. All I remember is that he pardoned Nixon."
"What about Nixon?" I asked.
"Do I even need to tell you?" You questioned, "He was very bad."
O.K. So what did we learn about you. Over the course of your lifetime we have had seven different presidents. You have liked the president 12 out of 40 years or about 30% of the time. Let me ask you another question. "You didn't like the way FEMA handled the Katrina disaster, do you think that the Red Cross handled it better"
"Yes, they did a much better job." You replied.
"If you could have," I continued, "would you have given your tax dollars to the Red Cross instead of FEMA?"
"Of course." You replied.
"If," I asked, "You were doing business with a company and they gave you bad service would you want to be forced to keep doing business with that company or would you like to switch to a different company?"
"I would want to switch, Duh." You said.
"That is why YOU are against government sponsored healthcare." I stated.
"But I want universal healthcare!" you claimed.
"Do you?" I asked. "If you, or your child, or your mother needed an operation who do you trust to make that decision? Do you want the availability of that procedure to be in the hands of someone appointed by the president (remember you disapproved of the president 70% of the years you were alive)? Do you think a new government agency (like FEMA) could handle the situation better than a non-profit organization? Do you think you should be denied choices because the government controls all of the options?"
"No," you said, "I just want people to be able to have good health care."
So do I.

I could be a Libertarian?

No.. I wanted that without cheese!

Ever notice even fast food restaurants don't charge you when they make a mistake on your order. Read the following notce posted on www.oahhs.org
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Oregon's hospital trade group issued guidelines this week under which the state's 57 hospitals would not charge for care related to serious, preventable mistakes. Qualifying events include "never events" like wrong-site operations, wrong operations, leaving foreign objects inside surgery patients and giving patients the wrong blood type. In general, hospitals won't charge if an event was "preventable and was in control of the hospital," according to a statement from the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. The group is abiding by standards set by the Oregon Patient Safety Commission.
The trade group's announcement follows a string of similar announcements by other state hospital associations, including hospitals in Massachusetts, Washington and Minnesota. It also follows on Medicare's decision not to pay for care resulting from never events and other errors that cause serious adverse results.
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Glad to see they're comming on board. What was their polocy before?