Saturday, March 29, 2008

Loose Ends

Sorry to take so long to write a new post. Life is just busy. So wrapping up some loose ends:

1) When I said I would vote for Clinton in a previous post, I was referring to the primary held that day in Texas. I was not talking about the general election. Which by the way, if I had wanted to vote in the Republican primary here in Montana, but I could not. Why? Because only elected officials and precinct captains could vote in the Republican caucus. That's right, only about 2,000 people in this state were allowed to determine the Republican delegates from this state. Where is the ACLU when you actually need them?

2) Andrea wrote a great comment about health insurance. I was really tired and not making a lot of sense that day, but she said most of what I think. What I really think is that we should all carry just disaster insurance. Example: insurance only kicks in after you shell out three grand or so for the year. This would bring a lot of pricing down because people would ask how much things cost. When was the last time you went to the doctor and asked how much a straight up visit would cost?

3) I will be starting a new job soon. It doesn't make a big difference for this site, since I don't really write about my job, but for those of you who know me in real life, I will be working for hospice. I am really excited and a little nervous to be starting a very different way of being a nurse.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Back to our ...

regularly scheduled silliness. Here are some more 10 commandment signs for your viewing pleasure.

This is on the front of a church.
In a random field. Isn't that a nice barn?

Not quite sure where this one is, Jana took it.

Don't forget the billboards.

And another billboard. I stopped taking pictures of billboards because there are so many of them.

If I still lived in Texas...

I would go cast my vote for Hillary today (I can't believe I wrote that). But you can vote for whomever you want. But for your reading enjoyment, here, here and here is why I am not a fan of Obama. (Not that I am crazy about Hillary, I just think that she might not send our county into as bad of a recession.)

Monday, March 03, 2008

Just a dip

To appease Mrs. J, I am posting a few thoughts about national health care and such. But just this one time. I promise not to make a habit of it. Any by the way, feel free to disagree with me. Many intelligent and caring people fall on both sides of this issue. But no name calling, please.

This is simply to say that I think a national health care system is a horrible idea. I am not saying that we have a great system, but putting the government in charge is not the answer. Anything that the government tries to do, can be done much better most of the time by someone else. Anytime the government has tried to help make something affordable it makes it worse (anyone heard of gas lines in the 70's? Anyone noticed that college tuition went through the roof when student loans were so easy to get? The money pit that is the public school system? Tariffs on sugar so that our food will have corn syrup from that American farmer and we are now all fat?)

Just some thoughts:

1) One of my nursing instructors explained that when she had researched British health care, the government did not pay for kidney dialysis after the age of 50. So you turn 50, you have a big party and 2 weeks later you are dead. The government decides how valuable your life is. I have been to dialysis centers in the U. S., 90% of the people I saw are on dialysis because they are drug users, did not control their blood pressure, or did not control their diabetes. But someone (the federal government) pays for their dialysis. I don't see how having nationalized health care would make it better.

2)Our local paper ran an article the other day talking about the huge number of Canadian babies being born in the U.S. because the Canadian hospitals are full. So Canada ships laboring mothers to the U.S. If Canada could not use the American system as a back up, they would be in trouble.

3) Studies have been done that show that people who have good health insurance in the U.S. overuse the system.

4)People in the British heath care system are often on waiting lists for months to have surgery or see a doctor. When was the last time that you heard of someone in the U.S. being placed on a waiting list for care? (It happens, but it is rare and often involves the government paying for the care.) Or check out this Canadian lady's experience.

5) Click here, here and here for some interesting articles.