A Mixed Blessing

You may have noticed that I have been rather remiss in posting for several weeks. Well, here's the 'skivvy.' I have been going through the stress of getting new carpeting. (One excuse is as good as another, right?)

Some of you are probably wondering what the heck is the big deal. Well, I want to inform everybody that it's a very big deal when you are 83 years old and have enough collectibles, dust catchers of assorted vintages, and just plain junk to fill a craft shop.

First came the hard part of selecting a carpet in my chosen color and within my limited budget. That out of the way, on a daily basis, I started clearing out the movable stuff . As my living room and front bedroom became more visible, my kitchen and bathrooms became less so. Junk piled up in all of the rooms that were not going to be carpeted. Even the laundry room didn't escape my growing piles of books, papers and nick-knacks.

My aching back and left knee cursed my efforts as I slogged doggedly on limping from room to room carrying what I could manage. Each night found me practically crawling to the bottle of Excedrin Extra Strength for my nightly fix.

By this time I realized that I had lost my head years ago when I went on a cottage buying binge. And where did all of those books come from? And why did I compound my foolish obsession of years past by starting this insane project?

Nonetheless, I soldiered on until the morning when four sturdy guys arrived at my doorstep to begin the transformation process. Oh the stress of watching them carry my furniture out to the back patio was too much to bear. "Please don't scratch it, please don't drop it, please be careful", I thought. I had the good sense to keep these "please" pleas to myself, but I am sure my body language spoke volumes.

Communication was almost impossible. Their English was minimal and their accent maximum. With my hearing loss, we didn't understand each other at all. The result was that they didn't put things where I wanted them and I had to gesture to show them what I wanted. I would say, "Move it to the right about four inches and they would smile and move it to the left. My NO NO NO's finally got through to them and when I pointed the other direction they smilingly moved it so fast that they went beyond where I wanted them to stop. Loud and frantic WHOA's finally got their attention and my furniture ended up somewhere in the general area that I wanted it to be.

I had one day between the day they did the living/dining room, hall and front bedroom before they were to come back to finish my bedroom and den. I spent all of that day schlepping the little cottages back to their home in the finished room. By this time I was wondering if I was going to live long enough to enjoy the new look. Two pain pills and a sleeping tablet prepared me for the last day.

Saturday, after they touched up a few scrapes on some pieces, we wished each other a final, if not fond, farewell .

After a couple of hours letting my Excedrin work it's magic I started toting my stuff back to where it belonged. I have a jewel box that has a revolving gizmo in the top with hooks to hang my chains on. When I picked up the box I noticed that several hooks were empty. Because I have more chains than hooks this was most unusual. Upon investigation I discovered that my two most expensive gold chains were missing. This caused for a further search to see what else was missing. So far I have discovered that three pendants, cameo earrings, and a box of broken jewelery waiting to be repaired has joined the items that are no longer in my possession.

Here's the real mystery: My two digital hearing aids are missing. Why in the world would someone steal hearing aids? Maybe one of the guys was as deaf as I am and needed them. (That would explain the communication problem.) Or maybe he had a relative who could use the help. Or maybe he knew that they cost $2,000 each.

I have not used a hearing aid since getting my cochlear implant so this loss is not as hard for me to bear as a piece of jewelery my son gave me. I find that the theft of hearing aids to be very hard to explain.

I had to call the dealer with my complaint this morning. I really hated doing that, wimp that I am. Because I didn't want to get anyone in trouble until I was absolutely sure that the jewelry left in the pocket of one of the helpers, I spent this whole day searching my entire house to make doubly sure that, in a fit of dementia, I hadn't moved them myself. I am waiting for his return call.

~~~~~~~ To be continued. ~~~~~~~

Notice the top photo. That is the picture I took before daylight on the first day the carpet guys were coming. The second photo taken in the same spot after they finished shows you the new colorful carpet. Photos three and four show just a small part of my cottage collection that had overflowed into other rooms. There were over 100 of the little buggers.

So, was it worth it? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Never, never, never.

No Way To Spend Thanksgiving

Eleven years ago I was in Ramona, California visiting my daughter for Thanksgiving. My son, Mark, and his wife, Karen, were driving down from Los Angeles to join us for the festivities.

As usual, I was the earliest riser and the first thing I always did was get the morning paper. Anyone who gets a paper from a big city knows that the paper on Thanksgiving morning is the largest one published for the entire year. The San Diego paper was no exception; actually I think it was the rule. The number of ads to lure the shoppers to open their wallets at the start of the holiday season was unbelievable .

My daughter's house was on a hill and the driveway was so steep that you had to rev the car to get up it. Needless to say, the paper delivery person didn't even attempt to throw the paper up toward the house, but left it at the foot of the drive. My sense of balance, never very good, was beginning to fail me. This was in my pre-cane era so I was depending on my own two feet to keep me upright.

I walked down to the bottom of the drive and picked up the bag containing a paper so big that it must have caused the death of two large trees to furnish the required paper . It was HEAVY. Bearing my burden in one hand I turned and started trudging up the drive. About half way up I lost my balance and found myself helplessly dancing a fox trot backwards down the hill. Unable to stop my backward progression I finally felt my feet leaving the paved area and hitting the dirt. My last thoughts were, "Thank God I won't fall on the concrete." As it turned out I might have been better off if I had just knocked myself out and been done with it.

My kids had their house up for sale and the Realtor's sign was right next to the driveway. (Please see the Real Estate ad photo and notice the Realtor sign in the lower left of the picture). When I landed I managed continue falling backwards until I was stopped by the sharp corner of the post holding the sign. The edge cut a big gash in the top of my cranium. I'm sure you all know that a head wound bleeds like a bubbling fountain and I was soon covered in blood.

There is one thing that everyone who knows me will agree on; I am one stubborn babe. (I hesitate to call myself a broad because I can hear my family, who might read this, start to snicker.) I picked up the paper and staggered up toward the house one more time. Because I didn't want to get blood on the carpet, I rang the doorbell to summon aid. My son-in-law, being roused from a sound sleep, and my oldest granddaughter finally opened the door. Their eyes got as big as the proverbial saucers as they asked me what happened. Randy insisted that I was to come in. As I just told you, I am an obstinate mule and told him I wouldn't move until he brought some paper towels for me to use to stop the bleeding.

By this time my daughter was up and insisted on taking me to the emergency room. I didn't want to spoil everyone's Thanksgiving and I said I would be fine and refused to go. Didn't I just tell you that I was stubborn?

Thanksgiving preparations were under way and all would have been fine -- well, sorta' --- but I was sitting in the living room and, because the room was sunken, my daughter standing above me got a good look at the top of my head. She informed me in no uncertain terms that she was taking me to the ER. I fear she inherited my mulish disposition and there was no arguing with her. We were in the garage ready to leave for San Diego and the clinic when my son and his wife appeared in the driveway. I managed to shock two more people that morning. I mean, if I am going to do something, I will go all out and do it well.

Eventually, I got 17 stitches in the top of my head and Thanksgiving dinner proceeded without further mishap. My shaved head didn't seem to spoil anyone's appetite, even mine. I did have to forgo the champagne though and that hurt almost as much as being stitched up .

I guess you could say that there were two turkeys that day. I think I will sit this Thanksgiving out.

Written by Kids and Sung by IL Divo

This is another busy day for me so I will give you a smile and another lovely video of the IL Divo group.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff.. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. -- Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. -- Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. -- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don't want any more kids. -- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. -- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that Usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. -- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns. -- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they're rich. -- Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that. - - Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do. -- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? - Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is.........

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck. -- Ricky, age 10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IL Divo singing My Way

Beautiful Music

Music soothes the savage beast and we all need to decompress from the bad economic news. The videos on this post will take you away from the cares of the day, even if only for a short time.

No matter what your religion, or even if your are not religious, I think you will find this lovely rendition of Amazing Grace by Il Divo to be the most beautiful one you have ever heard. It brought tears to my eyes. It is filmed in the Coliseum, Rome, Italy.

So relax, listen and enjoy.



If you enjoyed Amazing Grace please listen to the same Italian quartet singing Music of the Night. Even with my inability to hear music the way it should sound, I still found this lovely to listen to.

Remember that some of the best things in life are still free. Beautiful clouds, photographed by Sylvia on her blog, Sylvia From Over The Hill, or lovely scenery photographed by Rain on her blog, Rainy Day Thoughts are all free for the looking.

A colorful sunrise, a moonlit night, snow capped mountains, a walk by the shore, beautiful blossoms will all provide serenity. Material things are tawdry compared to the beauty that surrounds us. When the world becomes too harsh, go outside and look around you, or listen to beautiful music like this.

Lame Ducks and Dead Ducks

In our excitement over our President-Elect we forget we still have a sitting president - The Lame Duck.

Yes, George the terrible is still with us and will be for another two months. He isn't going gently into the good night, though. He is still trying to exert imperial powers. On a previous blog I wrote how he is trying to pardon his entire administration for any illegalities. Wire tapping is a felony. Torture is breaking our laws and international laws. Will GWB be held accountable? Don't hold your breath.

Much to my disgust, it appears that the Democrats will roll over and let him pull one last piece of nastiness out of his bag . Oh woe! Alas and alack! I am coming to the conclusion that Russ Feingold, and Dennis Kucinich are the only Senators with a spine. (Henry Waxman in the House is also a courageous man) If only there were 60 more Senators like them. Sigh! The rule of law might as well be a dead duck thanks to the lame duck and his enablers.

This last piece of chicanery pulled me right off of cloud nine and my elation is tamping down. Watch Rachel Maddow and Jonathan Turley on this subject.



And now for a different subject. This time it's Rachel with Arianna Huffington and they are talking about the gossipy GOP.

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After listening to both sides of the argument on the bail out of the Big 3, I have come to the conclusion that we really don't have a choice. To not do so would cause a ripple effect that would finish off the sinking economy. It would be at the bottom of a very dirty pond along with all of us. Much as we all hate rewarding incompetence, there are times when you have to bite the bullet and this is surely one of them.

Mahatma Gandhi

A few minutes ago I finished watching the beautiful movie GANDHI starring Ben Kinsley. It is a powerful film and left me feeling drained. So many thoughts can be absorbed from this production, but the most impressive message is what one person can do if they are willing to give their life to a cause. One man, living in poverty, brought down an empire. He didn't have an army, he didn't have wealth, he didn't use theatrics or Karl Rove type tactics. He first studied the need and then went about finding a way to change the situation. His message of non-violence was so powerful that his followers were able to place themselves in harms way and even though being severly beaten, go against their natural instinct and restrain themselves from hitting back.

One of his 'fasts' occurred because he believed it was the only way to stop the violence between the Muslims and the Hindus. He was close to death before his sacrifice turned the trick and the fighting stopped. So the second thing I took away from the movie was that violence can be ended without more violence. Two natural enemies were halted from destroying each other by their admiration for one man.

Talking to one's enemies is so much more productive than going to war. Diplomacy does work if it is done with intelligent planning. A strong leader can sway the mob and turn violence into peace. The world needs that kind of leader now.

The third thing I took away from the movie was the loyalty of this man's followers. Gandhi was so firm in the right way to accomplish his goals that those who disagreed with him ended up believing in his wisdom. There was a messianic quality in their love of him. To a degree, I have witnessed this kind of loyalty in Obama's admirers.

Throughout history there have been leaders who emerged in a time of turmoil and were able to inspire a nation. Two men who were strong when needed were Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. While they were strong leaders in disastrous times, they were in a different category than Gandhi. I think Mother Teresa may be the only person I can think of who in my lifetime sacrificed everything for a cause, as did Gandhi.

And lastly, the movie was enjoyable because it was filmed in India and I felt like I was taking a tour of a country I will never see. I highly recommend this movie. It is inspirational.

One More Time

Before I get off my soap box I want to add one more post on universal health care.

A friend who is ambivalent about universal health care said the issues that needed to be addressed before the friend would subscribe to it are:

• How much will it cost?
• Where will the money come from?
• How will it be implemented?

In reality, no one can know how much it will cost and, of course, the cost will change as circumstances change. However, the money we are already spending would probably pay for most, if not all, of the Federal cost. The rest would be made up in a monthly premium from the individual heads of households. We are already spending more per capita than countries that have universal coverage.

Private insurance is now so exorbitant that only the most affluent can afford it. A monthly premium under universal coverage would be far less.

Logically, the ultimate cost would less for both the government and the individual. Low income people would be subsidized for their premium, but that is not really an issue as the government is already paying for their health care with Medicaid. The profit now enjoyed in the current health care mess would be eliminated and, therefore, the cost would decrease dramatically.

The details of how the single payer would be managed could be solved by studying the successful implementation by other countries and copying their methods.

If we want health care reform we must put pressure on our representatives. Let your Congressman know how important this issue is to you. Elders may be happy with their coverage, but how about your children and grandchildren? And the most compelling argument is that the high cost of health care is part of the reason the big 3 auto makers are in deep doo doo. It is also a drain on our economy. Something must be done to end this nightmare.

The following article by Paul Krugman of the New York Times was written last August, but it is relevant today.

Can It Happen Here?

Sunday 10 August 2008

by: Paul Krugman, The New York Times

A primary care practice in Amherst, Massachusetts, where universal coverage was mandated. Paul Krugman says despite this plans early troubles, public support has grown and reveals that once a system of universal health coverage exists, people want to keep it.

The draft Democratic Party platform that was sent out last week puts health care reform front and center. "If one thing came through in the platform hearings," says the document, "it was that Democrats are united around a commitment to provide every American access to affordable, comprehensive health care."

Can Democrats deliver on that commitment? In principle, it should be easy. In practice, supporters of health care reform, myself included, will be hanging on by their fingernails until legislation is actually passed.

What's easy about guaranteed health care for all? For one thing, we know that it's economically feasible: every wealthy country except the United States already has some form of guaranteed health care. The hazards Americans treat as facts of life - the risk of losing your insurance, the risk that you won't be able to afford necessary care, the chance that you'll be financially ruined by medical costs - would be considered unthinkable in any other advanced nation.

The politics of guaranteed care are also easy, at least in one sense: if the Democrats do manage to establish a system of universal coverage, the nation will love it.

I know that's not what everyone says; some pundits claim that the United States has a uniquely individualistic culture, and that Americans won't accept any system that makes health care a collective responsibility. Those who say this, however, seem to forget that we already have a program - you may have heard of it - called Medicare. It's a program that collects money from every worker's paycheck and uses it to pay the medical bills of everyone 65 and older. And it's immensely popular.

There's every reason to believe that a program that extends universal coverage to the nonelderly would soon become equally popular. Consider the case of Massachusetts, which passed a state-level plan for universal coverage two years ago.

The Massachusetts plan has come in for a lot of criticism. It includes individual mandates - that is, people are required to buy coverage, even if they'd prefer to take their chances. And its costs are running much higher than expected, mainly because it turns out that there were more people without insurance than anyone realized.

Yet recent polls show overwhelming support for the plan - support that has grown stronger since it went into effect, despite the new system's teething troubles. Once a system of universal health coverage exists, it seems, people want to keep it.

So why be nervous about the prospects for reform? Because it's hard to get universal care established in the first place. There are, I'd argue, three big hurdles.

First, the Democrats have to win the election - and win it by enough to face down Republicans, who are still, 42 years after Medicare went into operation, denouncing "socialized medicine." (Darlene says, "Done and did".)

Second, they have to overcome the public's fear of change.

Some health care reformers wanted the Democrats to endorse a single-payer, Medicare-type system for all. On the sheer economic merits, they're right: single-payer would be more efficient than a system that preserves a role for private insurance companies.

But it's better to have an imperfect universal health care plan than none at all - and the only way to get a universal health care plan passed soon is to inoculate it against Harry-and-Louise-type claims that people will be forced into plans "designed by government bureaucrats." So the Democratic platform emphasizes choice, declaring that Americans "should have the option of keeping the coverage they have or choosing from a wide array of health insurance plans, including many private health insurance options and a public plan." We'll see if that's enough.

The final hurdle facing health care reform is the risk that the next president and Congress will lose focus. There will be many problems crying out for solutions, from a weak economy to foreign policy crises. It will be easy and tempting to put health care on the back burner for a bit - and then forget about it.

So I'm nervous. The history of the pursuit of universal health care in America is one of missed chances, of political opportunities frittered away. Let's hope that this time is different.

Last , but not least. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK. My son turns 58 today. My how time flies - wasn't it just yesterday that I held the most beautiful baby ever to enter this earth in my welcoming arms?

What Is A Grandparent

This is a busy day for me so I am posting an e-mail I got from a friend. I think all grandparents will love it.


(This was taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)

Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of their own. They like other people's.

A grandfather is a man & a grandmother is a lady!

Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.

When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.

They show us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on'cracks.'

They don't say, 'Hurry up.'

Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes.

They wear glasses and funny underwear.

They can take their teeth and gums out..

Grandparents don't have to be smart.

They have to answer questions like 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?'

When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.

Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television because they are the only grownups who like to spend time with us.

They know we should have snack time before bedtime and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted bad.


A 6 YEAR OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED. ''OH,'' HE SAID, ''SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT AND WHEN WE WANT HER WE JUST GO GET HER THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.''

GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD THINGS BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART AS HIM!

It's funny when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.

Health Care Reform (2) or Just the Facts Maam

REMEMBER OUR VETERANS

Facts are stubborn things.

Yesterday I posted my own analysis of the broken health care system in our country. Later I was dismayed to read that some pundits believe reform must be put on the back burner until other problems are solved. Then I read that many economists believe that the economic downturn will never be fixed until the health care issue is resolved. If they are correct (and I believe they are) their assertion moves reform back to the front burner for immediate attention.

I would like to see reform happen before I die. My medical needs are taken care of, but my daughter has no coverage and she has some health issues that will be costly. For her, and the thousands like her, I sincerely hope that Obama will make this a priority in conjunction with the economy. I am enclosing an article of facts that, when studied, should make even the most die-hard opponent of universal health coverage think twice. Although this is a repetition of what I wrote yesterday it is written much better and is worth repeating. The article is from The National Coalition on Health Care.

Facts on the Cost of Health Insurance and Health Care

By several measures, health care spending continues to rise at the fastest rate in our history.

In 2007, total national health expenditures were expected to rise 6.9 percent — two times the rate of inflation.¹ Total spending was $2.3 TRILLION in 2007, or $7600 per person.¹ Total health care spending represented 16 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

U.S. health care spending is expected to increase at similar levels for the next decade reaching $4.2 TRILLION in 2016, or 20 percent of GDP.¹

In 2007, employer health insurance premiums increased by 6.1 percent - two times the rate of inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $12,100. The annual premium for single coverage averaged over $4,400.²

Experts agree that our health care system is riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, and inappropriate care, waste and fraud. These problems significantly increase the cost of medical care and health insurance for employers and workers and affect the security of families.

National Health Care Spending

• In 2007, health care spending in the United States reached $2.3 trillion, and was projected to reach $3 trillion in 2011.¹ Health care spending is projected to reach $4.2 trillion by 2016.¹
• Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense.³
• In 2005, the United States spent 16 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care. It is projected that the percentage will reach 20 percent by 2016.¹
• Although nearly 47 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens.³
• Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.⁴

Employer and Employee Health Insurance Costs

• Premiums for employer-based health insurance rose by 6.1 percent in 2007. Small employers saw their premiums, on average, increase 5.5 percent. Firms with less than 24 workers, experienced an increase of 6.8 percent.²
• The annual premium that a health insurer charges an employer for a health plan covering a family of four averaged $12,100 in 2007. Workers contributed nearly $3,300, or 10 percent more than they did in 2006.² The annual premiums for family coverage significantly eclipsed the gross earnings for a full-time, minimum-wage worker ($10,712).
• Workers are now paying $1,400 more in premiums annually for family coverage than they did in 2000.²
• Since 2000, employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 100 percent, compared to cumulative inflation of 24 percent and cumulative wage growth of 21 percent during the same period.²
• Health insurance expenses are the fastest growing cost component for employers. Unless something changes dramatically, health insurance costs will overtake profits by 2008.⁵
• According to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in the United States have been rising four times faster on average than workers’ earnings since 2000.²
• The average employee contribution to company-provided health insurance has increased more than 143 percent since 2000. Average out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-payments for medications, and co-insurance for physician and hospital visits rose 115 percent during the same period.⁶
• The percentage of Americans under age 65 whose family-level, out-of-pocket spending for health care, including health insurance, that exceeds $2,000 a year, rose from 37.3 percent in 1996 to 43.1 percent in 2003 - a 16 percent increase.⁷

The Impact of Rising Health Care Costs

• National surveys show that the primary reason people are uninsured is the high cost of health insurance coverage.²
• Economists have found that rising health care costs correlate to drops in health insurance coverage.⁸
• Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of the uninsured reported changing their way of life significantly in order to pay medical bills.⁹
• In a Wall Street Journal-NBC Survey almost 50 percent of the American public say the cost of health care is their number one economic concern.¹⁰
• In a USA Today/ABC News survey, 80 percent of Americans said that they were dissatisfied (60 percent were very dissatisfied) with high national health care spending.¹¹
• Rising health care costs is the top personal pocketbook concern for Democratic voters (45%) and Republicans (35%), well ahead of higher taxes or retirement security.¹²
• One in four Americans say their family has had a problem paying for medical care during the past year, up 7 percentage points over the past nine years. Nearly 30 percent say someone in their family has delayed medical care in the past year, a new high based on recent polling. Most say the medical condition was at least somewhat serious.
• A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that the average out-of-pocket medical debt for those who filed for bankruptcy was $12,000. The study noted that 68 percent of those who filed for bankruptcy had health insurance. In addition, the study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses.¹³ Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.
• One half of workers in the lowest-compensation jobs and one-half of workers in mid range-compensation jobs either had problems with medical bills in a 12-month period or were paying off accrued debt. One-quarter of workers in higher-compensated positions also reported problems with medical bills or were paying off accrued debt.¹⁴
• If one member of a family is uninsured and has an accident, a hospital stay, or a costly medical treatment, the resulting medical bills can affect the economic stability of the whole family.¹⁵
• A new survey shows that more than 25 percent said that housing problems resulted from medical debt, including the inability to make rent or mortgage payments and the development of bad credit ratings.¹⁶
• A survey of Iowa consumers found that in order to cope with rising health insurance costs, 86 percent said they had cut back on how much they could save, and 44 percent said that they have cut back on food and heating expenses.¹⁷
• Retiring elderly couples will need $200,000 in savings just to pay for the most basic medical coverage.¹⁸ Many experts believe that this figure is conservative and that $300,000 may be a more realistic number.
• According to a recent report, the United States has $480 billion in excess spending each year in comparison to Western European nations that have universal health insurance coverage. The costs are mainly associated with excess administrative costs and poorer quality of care.¹⁹
• The United States spends six times more per capita on the administration of the health care system than its peer Western European nations.¹⁹

Health Care Reform - First Post

By now I am sure most of you have received a packet from your HMO or insurance provider outlining the changes to take effect in 2009. If you have looked them over you probably saw that benefits were cut as much as 50% and co-pays and/or premiums were increased. Many of you will have to spend hours comparing the benefits from other providers before making a decision on which company to go with next year. It gets confusing, doesn’t it? Did you ever wonder why this annual chore is necessary? How simple it would be if there was just one provider and you all paid the same premium regardless of the severity of your medical situation. Even those with good insurance must not be too happy with this broken system now.

Before anyone starts screaming “Socialized Medicine” consider this: The president of the United States, his cabinet, the Congress and Senate all enjoy the single payer medical plan. The military (active duty and retired) also have a single payer plan. The single payer is you, the taxpayer.

When I have a tough decision to make I write two lists. On one list I itemize all of the reasons for taking action and the other list contains all the reasons against doing so.

I then write what will be the consequence if I decide to do the thing and what will be the consequence be if I don’t. Using that logic I will try to itemize all the reasons that are for a single payer health care system (pro) and all the reasons against (con). I will not be able to think of everything and I am asking those of you who read this to add your own thoughts on the subject.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH OUR SYSTEM: (This is the Pro side.)

• The insurance companies now dominate the medical system and, being a business, are only interested in the bottom line. Their motivation is profit and not the welfare of the patient..

• Insurance companies can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions and can deny expensive treatments or medication. They try to take only the healthiest of us.

• A referral is needed to see a specialist in an HMO (more red tape and paper work).

• The insurance industry can raise premiums and co-pays every year. The annual costs keep rising to obscene levels.
  

• The cost of paper work necessary for doctors to comply with dozens of different forms from different insurance companies forces the physician to have a large office and a large staff. You and I end up paying for that.
  

• Because the insurance industries compete with each other, they spend millions on marketing. Health care is a 'for profit' industry and salesmen sell it to you.

• We are just clients and to keep us informed the industry spends additional millions on pamphlets, books and reports that are mailed to us. I received a package that weighs as much as a small dog from my HMO. I am constantly getting something in the mail from my company and each time I think how many trees had to give up their life to furnish the paper for all of this. The postage isn’t free either.

• The Pharmaceutical companies are one of the most profitable industries in existence. The billions they spend on advertising would pay for the medical treatment for thousands of children. You can’t open a magazine or turn on a TV without being bombarded with ads for medicines that require a doctor’s prescription. What's wrong with this picture?
  

• The pharmaceutical industry claim they need to charge $75 for a pill that costs pennies to make because they need the money for research. If that is why perscriptions cost so much. I think they should be required to spend their profits on research instead of advertising. Isn’t the Federal Government subsidizing them for research and development?
  

• Both the insurance and pharmaceutical industries spend millions each year on lobbyists. This is disgraceful when people are dying for lack of medical care.

• Hospitals are going broke absorbing the cost of the uninsured who show up in the emergency rooms.

• Businesses like the auto industry have been bankrupted providing health coverage for their employees.
  

• The United States Government spends more per capita on health care than any other industrialized nation. In spite of that we have the poorest results. 41 countries have a lower infant mortality rate than the U. S.
  

• 43 Million people under 65 are without any coverage. 8.9% children are without any coverage. Many more have inadquate coverage.
  

• Hundreds of families are just one catastrophic illness away from bankruptcy.

• The total U. S. spending on Health Care in 2007 was $2.3 trillion or $7,600 per person. (From the National Coalition on Health Care site) Please don't tell me we can't do better.
  

WHY THE U. S. SHOULDN'T CHANGE: (The Con side.)

• The initial cost of changing over will be extremely expensive.
  

• Having to fight the resistance from the Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industries.

• Resistance from people who like their coverage and like the status quo.

• Difficulty in changing from one system to another.

CONSEQUENCES PRO:

• After the plan is implemented every single man, woman and child will enjoy good medical attention regardless of income.

• Once the plan is fully changed over the cost of medical care will be far less expensive for the individual and the government.

• It will be much more efficient with very little paper work for the provider, patient and doctor.

CONSEQUENCES CON:

If we don't simplify our medical system the price will keep increasing until no one will be able to afford coverage. It will not get better and everyone will suffer.

For those people who believe all the myths that you can’t choose your own doctor, you have to wait months for surgery, et. al. in government run programs let me reassure you that none of it is true. The facts do not back those anecdotal stories up.

PBS FRONTLINE aired a program by an investigative journalist who visited other countries that have a Single Payer system. He visited Japan, Switzerland, England and France. (Again, I am relying on memory for the countries. I was unable to find this program in the archives.) Even the doctors in France liked the system because it is so simple for them. They get paid a salary and don’t have the hassles and paper work that our doctors have to endure. He could not find a single person that didn’t like their medical plan. There were different forms of implementing the system and some of them had problems (Most were rising costs. Well, that’s not new to us, is it?) In some cases the patient didn’t even need an appointment; they simply walked in to the doctor’s office.

When one of the countries decided to change to a government run system (I think it was Switzerland) they sent a committee to each country that had the single payer system to study the their plans. They took the best from each system and adapted it to their own needs. Why can’t the richest country in the world do that? Why must hard working people become impoverished by one illness through no fault of their own? Why must children and adults die for lack of health care? Are we a humane country or are we a nation of the selfish elite who say, “I’ve got mine; now try to get yours.”?

Health Care Reform (2) or Just the Facts Maam

REMEMBER OUR VETERANS

Facts are stubborn things.

Yesterday I posted my own analysis of the broken health care system in our country. Later I was dismayed to read that some pundits believe reform must be put on the back burner until other problems are solved. Then I read that many economists believed that the economic downturn will never be fixed until the health care issue is resolved. If they are correct (and I believe they are) their assertion moves reform back to the front burner for immediate attention.

I would like to see reform happen before I die. My medical needs are taken care of, but my daughter has no coverage and she has some health issues that will be costly. For her, and the thousands like her, I sincerely hope that Obama will make this a priority in conjunction with the economy. I am enclosing an article of facts that, when studied, should make even the most die-hard opponent of universal health coverage think twice. Although this is a repetition of what I wrote yesterday it is written much better and is worth repeating. The article is from The National Coalition on Health Care.

Facts on the Cost of Health Insurance and Health Care

By several measures, health care spending continues to rise at the fastest rate in our history.

In 2007, total national health expenditures were expected to rise 6.9 percent — two times the rate of inflation.¹ Total spending was $2.3 TRILLION in 2007, or $7600 per person.¹ Total health care spending represented 16 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

U.S. health care spending is expected to increase at similar levels for the next decade reaching $4.2 TRILLION in 2016, or 20 percent of GDP.¹

In 2007, employer health insurance premiums increased by 6.1 percent - two times the rate of inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $12,100. The annual premium for single coverage averaged over $4,400.²

Experts agree that our health care system is riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, and inappropriate care, waste and fraud. These problems significantly increase the cost of medical care and health insurance for employers and workers and affect the security of families.

National Health Care Spending

• In 2007, health care spending in the United States reached $2.3 trillion, and was projected to reach $3 trillion in 2011.¹ Health care spending is projected to reach $4.2 trillion by 2016.¹
• Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense.³
• In 2005, the United States spent 16 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care. It is projected that the percentage will reach 20 percent by 2016.¹
• Although nearly 47 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens.³
• Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.⁴

Employer and Employee Health Insurance Costs

• Premiums for employer-based health insurance rose by 6.1 percent in 2007. Small employers saw their premiums, on average, increase 5.5 percent. Firms with less than 24 workers, experienced an increase of 6.8 percent.²
• The annual premium that a health insurer charges an employer for a health plan covering a family of four averaged $12,100 in 2007. Workers contributed nearly $3,300, or 10 percent more than they did in 2006.² The annual premiums for family coverage significantly eclipsed the gross earnings for a full-time, minimum-wage worker ($10,712).
• Workers are now paying $1,400 more in premiums annually for family coverage than they did in 2000.²
• Since 2000, employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 100 percent, compared to cumulative inflation of 24 percent and cumulative wage growth of 21 percent during the same period.²
• Health insurance expenses are the fastest growing cost component for employers. Unless something changes dramatically, health insurance costs will overtake profits by 2008.⁵
• According to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in the United States have been rising four times faster on average than workers’ earnings since 2000.²
• The average employee contribution to company-provided health insurance has increased more than 143 percent since 2000. Average out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-payments for medications, and co-insurance for physician and hospital visits rose 115 percent during the same period.⁶
• The percentage of Americans under age 65 whose family-level, out-of-pocket spending for health care, including health insurance, that exceeds $2,000 a year, rose from 37.3 percent in 1996 to 43.1 percent in 2003 - a 16 percent increase.⁷

The Impact of Rising Health Care Costs

• National surveys show that the primary reason people are uninsured is the high cost of health insurance coverage.²
• Economists have found that rising health care costs correlate to drops in health insurance coverage.⁸
• Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of the uninsured reported changing their way of life significantly in order to pay medical bills.⁹
• In a Wall Street Journal-NBC Survey almost 50 percent of the American public say the cost of health care is their number one economic concern.¹⁰
• In a USA Today/ABC News survey, 80 percent of Americans said that they were dissatisfied (60 percent were very dissatisfied) with high national health care spending.¹¹
• Rising health care costs is the top personal pocketbook concern for Democratic voters (45%) and Republicans (35%), well ahead of higher taxes or retirement security.¹²
• One in four Americans say their family has had a problem paying for medical care during the past year, up 7 percentage points over the past nine years. Nearly 30 percent say someone in their family has delayed medical care in the past year, a new high based on recent polling. Most say the medical condition was at least somewhat serious.
• A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that the average out-of-pocket medical debt for those who filed for bankruptcy was $12,000. The study noted that 68 percent of those who filed for bankruptcy had health insurance. In addition, the study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses.¹³ Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.
• One half of workers in the lowest-compensation jobs and one-half of workers in mid range-compensation jobs either had problems with medical bills in a 12-month period or were paying off accrued debt. One-quarter of workers in higher-compensated positions also reported problems with medical bills or were paying off accrued debt.¹⁴
• If one member of a family is uninsured and has an accident, a hospital stay, or a costly medical treatment, the resulting medical bills can affect the economic stability of the whole family.¹⁵
• A new survey shows that more than 25 percent said that housing problems resulted from medical debt, including the inability to make rent or mortgage payments and the development of bad credit ratings.¹⁶
• A survey of Iowa consumers found that in order to cope with rising health insurance costs, 86 percent said they had cut back on how much they could save, and 44 percent said that they have cut back on food and heating expenses.¹⁷
• Retiring elderly couples will need $200,000 in savings just to pay for the most basic medical coverage.¹⁸ Many experts believe that this figure is conservative and that $300,000 may be a more realistic number.
• According to a recent report, the United States has $480 billion in excess spending each year in comparison to Western European nations that have universal health insurance coverage. The costs are mainly associated with excess administrative costs and poorer quality of care.¹⁹
• The United States spends six times more per capita on the administration of the health care system than its peer Western European nations.¹⁹

Introspection and A Nice Story

Yesterday was not a good day. Bad days are no stranger to anybody. Sometimes it is bad news, or an unfortunate occurrence that spoiled the day. Other times it is an illness that suddenly appeared. In my case, it was waking with a slight headache, aching joints and a feeling of extreme lethargy and vertigo. It felt different than previous bad days I had experienced when I was younger. I mulled it over in my mind and I coudn't put my finger on why this was so.

Unfortunately, I had an appointment with an out of town stranger that I was to meet in a lobby of a clinic. There was no way to contact her and cancel my appointment; therefore, I had no option but to get dressed and go. I would like to report that as the day progressed I felt better. Such was not the case and I was most miserable as I rode to my destination. It was an important meeting regarding my cochlear implant and it was very productive. I was glad I made the effort to go, but I still felt lousy.

I ended the day by going to bed at 8:30 pm because I could not keep from falling asleep no matter how hard I tried. Obviously I needed sleep so my body could shake off whatever was plaguing me. I slept well but when I woke up I began musing on why a bad day seems so different now.

I think I have worked it out to my satisfaction. It should have been obvious from the beginning. The simple fact is that I am old and parts wear out over time. When I was young and sick I knew that it would be better soon and I would be over it. Now, I am never sure that I will be over whatever is making me feel bad. This time it could be the start of something else going wrong in my body. It might be a symptom of a really serious illness that is just beginning. And you wonder.

While all of our attention has been on the election, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue. I got this from an E-mail friend and want to share it with you. Whether it is true or not, it is a lovely story.

SACK LUNCH

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all
the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a
conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. I'll be there for two weeks for special
training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq '

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago ' His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to
the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill.
'Take a lunch to all those soldiers..' She grabbed my arms and squeezed
tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in
Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were
seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the
front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first
class. 'This is yours, thanks. '

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed He was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man
who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to
the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It
will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a
sandwich. God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow
travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their
safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could
only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it.'

The election That LBJ Won

This morning's editorial by Richard Cohen had the following quote:

Rosa Parks sat in 1955, Martin Luther King walked in 1963, Barack Obama ran in 2008, that all our children might fly.

I love that quote and it illustrates how far we have come in attitudes. America is growing up and there is hope that racism will be eradicated someday.

Years ago my husband and I were on a vacation trip to Puerto Rico and our guide told us a story. (I hope I have the correct name of the black man in the story, but memory often fails me now. If I am wrong, please correct me. Wickpedia was no help.)

The story goes that after failing to stir up hatred in New York, Adam Clayton Powell, a black politician and activist, went to Puerto Rico to try to stir up trouble against the whites. It didn't work simply because there is no racism there. Puerto Rican's , like Barack Obama, are of mixed racial heritage. In their case, they have Spanish, African, and White (English and Dutch) blood. There is no racism and the Puerto Rican's were immune to Powell's brand of mischief.

My point is, when we recognize that we are, as Barack said, all Americans the divisions that are still there will fade. I believe that one of the most important benefits of the election of Barack Obama is that the scars that have harmed this nation since it's inception will begin to fade.

And now for another election please read Richard Cohen's editorial. It ties into our current election and my opening comments.


By Richard Cohen

Tuesday, November 4, 2008; Page A17

If the polls are right, if it don't rain and the creek don't rise, the winner of the presidential election is sure to be . . . Lyndon Baines Johnson. When he signed the epochal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Johnson knew he was also signing away the South and, with it, much of the white vote elsewhere as well. "We have lost the South for a generation," he supposedly said back then. For that generation, time's up.

Barack Obama is often called a transformational figure, and this election, it then follows, is a transformational one. I beg to quibble. Barack Obama is a confirmational figure, and this election confirms what has been gradually occurring in American society ever since that July day when Johnson virtually outlawed most forms of racial segregation in America. We've been transforming ever since.

My colleague David Broder dates to Dec. 8, 2007, the moment he knew "this presidential campaign was going to be the best" he'd ever covered. That was when about 18,000 people crammed into Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines to see Obama and Oprah Winfrey, and you knew, if you were there -- and I was -- that something momentous was happening. There, on the stage, were Obama, his wife, Michelle, and Winfrey. I turned to my friend Joe Klein of Time magazine and said we were immeasurably lucky. We were witnessing history being made.

There, you see, was an immense throng of white people, with an occasional nonwhite face, sometimes Asian or Hispanic. It was a fairly young crowd, and no matter what their age or their race or their sex, they were drawn to this event by two black people -- Obama and Winfrey -- and it was hard to tell then who mattered more. At least in that place and at that time, the post-racial society had arrived.

I am not naive. Pockets of racism exist, and depending on the issue -- crime, for instance -- they can swell. But the country has changed. It has done so because of personalities, policies and actions that at the time might have been questionable. The civil rights acts of the Johnson era compelled whites to eat with blacks in the same restaurants and to share the same motels and hotels. Affirmative action accustomed whites to seeing blacks in positions from which they had, by custom or by law, been excluded. Blacks and whites could, in fact, work together. The racists were wrong.

Constant pressure on the entertainment industry to feature more African Americans paid off handsomely. Some of the top American entertainers are black -- Denzel Washington and Chris Rock, for instance -- and their audiences are multiracial. Still, it seems that certain themes do not do well. Washington's very good film "The Great Debaters," the story of the 1935 Wiley College debate team, was no box-office smash, maybe because it had a mostly black cast and was about a black college, or maybe because it had no car chases; probably, both.

Somewhere beyond the gaze of Karl Rove, America was changing. You could see it on TV all the time. Oprah -- not some white, Andy Griffith-type, as the 1957 Elia Kazan movie "A Face in the Crowd" envisioned -- had become the most powerful figure in the medium. Ellen DeGeneres also has a daytime talk show. She's a lesbian -- not reputed to be or reported to be, but proud to be. She's a hit, too.

America is a changed country. Blacks have been the mayors of majority-white cities and the governors of majority-white states (Massachusetts, for instance). The governor of Louisiana is Bobby Jindal, an Indian American, the senatorial contest in Minnesota is between two Jews -- one a former comedian, for crying out loud -- and the governor of California cannot even pronounce the name of the state.

The wedding pages of our newspapers announce the unions -- civil or otherwise -- of gay men and lesbians. The governor of Alaska accepted the vice presidential nomination of the family-values party accompanied by her pregnant, unmarried teenage daughter -- and (almost) no one batted an eye. Maybe this was because a recent president had extramarital sexual relations in the Oval Office and left the presidency with an approval rating in the mid-60s. It was the economy, stupid.

Just as John F. Kennedy was only incidentally a Catholic, so is Obama only incidentally a black man. It is not just that he is post-racial; so is the nation he is generationally primed to lead. This, of course, was the dream of the man who is buried on his beloved ranch -- the unheralded winner of this election. As he would put it: My fellow Americans, we have overcome.

LBJ, RIP.