San Francisco has a great idea!

Recently we went to San Francisco and were eating at a restaurant on the Wharf. On the bottom of the menu there was an added fee that my daughter explained was to help cover health insurance costs for restaurant employees. (There is a Health Care Ordinance requiring coverage for employees in SF. There are certainly more specifics involved but the idea of everyone helping a little bit really got me thinking!)

I have been a server in many restaurants over the years, I put myself through school that way, and have worked in only one restaurant where there was insurance for the employees. Owners say it is just too expensive.
At the bottom of the menu there was a 4% added fee to every meal to help cover the cost of insurance for everybody who worked there.
So, take this a little further, suppose there was an added fee of 4 cents on the dollar, or whatever, on all the staples that everybody eats. Like milk, flour, tortillas, meat, fruit, vegetables...staples. Everyone eats, whether they are legal or not. If this money couild be set aside AND NOT TOUCHED, but put in a fund just for health insurance everyone would pay their fair share and there would be money available.
I know darn well that there will be those who say...the poor can't afford it!!! That is rediculous. A few pennies wan't make a difference when everyone shares the expense. A huge number of people not contributing and getting the major portion of uninsured benefits is too great a burden to pass along to a few.
If you can think of a better solution, more power to you. I thought this was a terrific one!

I've been thinking...

With the healthcare bill now to the point of debate, I am afraid that something will eventually pass.
what does that mean for you and me?
I think that on one hand, regardless of what is in the bill, we are giving too much power to the government. Right now, the honesty and good intentions of the countries political leaders are up for debate. What if some who have definate, dishonest or evil intentions for the American people gain control? Suppose one of the dictators we often see in the newsreels is the example for our leader? Just imagine the power over each of us and our families he would have. And, we gave it to him. Keeping more of our lives separate and our own makes more sense.
Here is another thing to think about, how will any healthcare company compete with our government backed system? If it doesn't have enough subscribers, just penalize those who aren't joining...if you aren't making enough money, cut benefits or print more money...there is no way for the private sector to win.
Something that really concerns me is this: let's suppose something passes. Now we are all being taxed, paying premiums, and maybe getting benefits or maybe just waiting for benefits. What if it comes to the point that we decide WE JUST DON'T WANT IT at all. Then what? How do we reverse it? The politicians who we elected are not listening now, what makes us think they will listen later when we know that WE DON'T WANT IT the healthcare system they created. Then what?
How about doing a 6 month trial...or even a year long trial. Then putting it on the ballot for the entire nation to vote on. (Even that may have inherent problems. If people who are getting benefits for the first time in their lives and don't have to do anything to get them I can't imagine them voting against it. We could lose that vote too.) Oh, well, food for thought!

This was sent to me...worth our consideration...

"Certainly food for thought........(or for hypocrites)

If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?

If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?

If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?

If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word "advice" would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is?
If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite?

If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?

If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?

If George W. Bush had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 9 months -- so you'll have three years and three months to come up with an answer."

Change is coming...is it really what we want?

Every day we hear commentary about the health bill that is under discussion behind closed doors. Will there be a public option, who will pay for all the people now covered who weren't covered before, will we receive less care or poorer care, why isn't competition across state lines an option...and the list of questions goes on.
Does any of this scare you? It sure scares me! If there was a truley open forum where we could hear the discussions maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Or if those voting on these changes were going to be relying on the resulting healthcare plan, maybe it would be reassuring,
But that isn't the case. We don't hear what is being decided behind closed doors. We don't know what concessions are being given to win votes and we don't know how this new healthcare plan will affect us at an individual level. Heck, we don't even know if our representatives will have read the bill before voting. If that isn't scarey, I don't know what is!
Here is something else to think about. How can any business or type of business have any chance of success when they are competing against the government?! If things don't go well with the government plan...change the rules. The private sector won't have that option. I just don't see how that can work.
And another thing, many people are up in arms about illigals being included in the healthcare plan. I am a firm believer in being strong on illigal immigrant policies. The first word in the description...illigal...is pretty clear. However, if there isn't some plan in place for illigal immigrants to buy into the healthcare plan, or something, we will be back to where we are now. Now those with no insurance go to emergency for every little thing because they have no other place to go where they will not be turned away. Insurance holders pay exhorbatant costs to cover their own expenses and those of the non-paying. It is a topic that needs to be addressed, not ignored. It exists, face it!
So, what this all boils down to is that we need to be vigilant, watching the current goings on and make our views be known wherever we can. If we don't get involved, we deserve whatever we get...not a happy thought.

I don't know about you, but I have a finite amount of income!

I apologise for not writing for a while. The things that are effecting everyone are also impacting me...so I have been sidetracked, sorry.

As I have been following the news and watching the goings on in Washington DC, I have been inspired. I understand something that I don't think our politicians do get. I have a finite amount of money to spend. I can work harder, maybe earn more, certainly then be taxed more, but when all is said and done, I have only so much money to spend and then I am done.

Our fearless leaders just print more...that doesn't help me at all. When my taxes increase, I have less to spend. When my insurance costs more, I have less to spend. When my insurance, which I am paying for, refuses to cover a doctor recommended treatment, if my money no longer covers it, I get no care.

Why don't they get that? No matter how well meaning our politicians are, there comes a point where I, (we), simply cannot carry the burden any longer. Then what?

I have a friend at work who has had medical things occur that have required treatment. He even took over a year off to have things taken care of. He is back at work, struggling every day to make a living. His wife who also has medical needs has just left her medical assist business because it has shrunk so much that it wouldn't pay 3 people. Since she needed medical care, she bowed out. If their earnings are taken to give to those who do not work...why shouldn't they just say, "we're done, take care of us...we are tired of working."

We are teaching people in our country and even throughout the world that Americans give. If you do nothing, have a need and you will get.

That is not OK with me.

I spoke with a man once who was from England, had worked in South Africa and at that time was working and living in America. So, I asked him, "where do you like it best?" His response was, "England is home, it will always have a special place in my heart. South Africa is fun, fun, fun. They really know how to play. In America there is so much of everything, Really, plenty of everything you could want, but wow, do you work. Americans really work hard!"

How long do you think people will work so they can provide for those who are capable but not willing to provide for themselves?

If you are a prisoner for breaking the law, you should be working in the fields growing your own food. Our streets, parks and freeways should be immaculate with all the prisoners working in chain gangs, cleaning our country. Working every day and living a spartan life...you earned it, you broke the law.

If you are a recipient of welfare, you should be required to perform some sort of work that helps those who are willing to go to school, get a job, get training...whatever. For example, suppose you have several children and are receiving welfare. Couldn't you help out in a supervised day childcare so that your children and those of others can be watched and their parents can get training or schooling to eventually get them off the dole.

I can't be the only one thinking these thoughts. How far is your money going these days? How hard are you working? Can you work harder? Can you spend  less? How are you making ends meet? Why don't our leaders get it?

The Afghanistan war against theTaliban.

Yesterday I had a thought. The news was talking about the need for more troops in Afghanistan. And General McCrystal was saying that the war was being waged on the Taliban in the mountains was overflowing onto the citizenry of Afghanistan. He followed with the realization that if we don't have the support of the people, we will never be successful in the war effort.
It all made perfect sense and I was happy to see him look at the big picture. But what I wondered is this: what would be a "win" in Afghanistan? Has that been clearly defined? We certainly aren't going to eliminate all the crazies who want to destroy the American way of life. We certainly aren't going to change the minds of the clerics who think and believe that we are "infidels" and are, "setting a bad example", for their people??? So what are we hoping to achieve? That they agree to leave us alone? That they stay in some set geographical boundaries and leave the rest of the world to live in peace? What?
So, short of killing everyone who is thinking these crazy things, which isn't going to happen, what what should we do? It seems to me that killing is stupid. Yes, I said stupid.
We are smart, we have a lot of resources, and we have the ability to do huge and devastating damage, but we also give humanitarian aid all over the place. If we were really hard core....REALLY hard core, couldn't we stop ALL money, food, aid of every sort to this area? The people would suffer, but they would stand up and turn on these insurgents and oust them. With food in their bellies and their children safe and fed, they have the energy to fight, Make them fight for their own physical survival and the survival of their families and maybe there won't be any energy left to fight us.
I get that because we have so much we are willing to share and try to lift the lives of others up. But maybe if we let them figure out what they want and how badly they want it, it would be better. \
Just a thought...

A great, fun evening is the movie, Julie/Julia

We went to the movie and had a great time. My mother and husband both liked it too...amazing. Since then I came across the book that came about after the blog but probably before the movie. In it Julie is talking about the ease of making Potatoe Leek soup...(in French). Anyway I made the soup, and yummmm! It was delicious and easy and healthy and filling. How can you beat that?

Why should water be denied to farmers in California's San Joaquin Valley?

If we stopped all the good works of America throughout the world, we would have the money to keep our country afloat...but we continue to give...should we apologise for those good works?

I would be embarrassed if Castro and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad applauded anything I said.

What do you think about President Obama's position on Israel?

There are so many things to talk about and I don't need to begin the conversation...

What do you think about the stance of our president? His apologising for you and me and our country?

ACORN????

The ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION FOR REFORM NOW...has been the center of controversy for years. I am surprised that after years of both questionable and ultimately illegal activities, money has continued to flow into their coffers.
This week a 20 year old girl and a 25-26 year old young man have made 4 stings exposing illegal tax advice and at the least immoral behavior. The women caught have been fired. That's OK, they should have been. However, is this all that should be done?
I am not talking about funding that may be cut off. I am wondering where the money has been going...it certainly isn't in the offices or for payroll. So where is the money and who is running the show? Someone has to be heading this organization up and hiring these people. Someone has to be telling these employees what to say and do. So, where is that person? Who is that person?
Here are some sites that might be informative. If you know more, I hope you will let us know...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/10/what-is-acorn/
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080924213603AAifNIx
http://www.zimbio.com/2008+Presidential+Candidates/articles/12825/C+O+R+N+care

Tea Parties...coffee, tea...or you and me?

For the last 6 months there have been Americans coming out to "tea-parties", (groups of people from all parties,Republican, Democrat, Independent and Libertarian, who want to speak out about our governments activities), who simply want to be heard and acknowledged. We vote in our elected officials and we think that they are working in our best interests. Lately, however, these elected officials seem to have their own agendas and are promoting them  with little or no regard for public sentiment. Those who have the courage to stand up for their beliefs are belittled and swept under the carpet. In our country, that's not right!
On 9/12/09 Tea-Party attenders arrived in Washington as a group of 10s of thousands exercising their rights of free speech. They filled the streets from the Washington Monument all the way to the Whitehouse. (A mile away.) What they are letting us all know is that the recent events in Washington, excessive spending, un-vetted Czars, unread bills being pushed through Congress and pressure to pass a Universal Health Care bill, are not representative of the desires of the citizens of America.  All they want is to be heard and their concerns and ideas to be considered.
(Guess where President Obama was...in Minnesota. Why wouldn't he want to be at the Whitehouse listening to his fellow countrymen? He is still promoting his health-care bill.) I have been in the automobile business for a long time. What I have discovered is that if you take the time to learn and understand the needs of your customer, and you really care that you offer the right solution to these needs, you are going to make the sale. If you don't know what the customer wants and try to "stuff" them into the car you want, more often than not, you will lose the sale and the respect of the customer.
The reception of what is happening in Washington DC is telling me is that America doesn't want what our national leaders are selling and these "leaders"  aren't taking the time to discover what we, the American citizens,  want and need. Shame on them!


http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/30479/video of the Tea Party in Washington DC 9/12/09 Check this out.

President Obama spoke to us about his healthcare plan.

As I listened to the President the other night, I had some thought going through my mind. I'll bet you did too. I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Here are some of mine...

For one thing...

I just can't see how the illegal aliens will not receive any benefits of health-care. That just can't be so. If there is someone sick, we are going to make sure they receive care. No one is going to walk by someone in medical need. Are we going to send back to their homeland all those with the flu, or any other contagious disease? Are we going to step over those who are dying in the street? If there isn't a specific plan in place, there is no way they won't be receiving health-care at the expense of those who are paying.

Here is another thing...

If the entire health-care plan expense is going to be paid for by eliminating fraud and excesses...what are we waiting for? Do we need a vote to figure out that waste, fraud and excess should be eliminated? Why not start now and stockpile some money to payoff some debt or even to just prove that it can actually be done? 

Also...

I was not crazy about the argumentative feel of the speech. If we are going to get a plan, we need to start from where we are, not play the blame game, and be receptive to diverse ideas...not only Democratic, or Republican or Independent...but the ideas of everyone. 

If you have an idea that might work...or just be something to build on, here is the place to get the conversation started.

Thinking of 9/11/01 and we, the Americans of today...

Today we are all remembering the morning of 9/11/01 as we watched the horrifying events unfold. As we followed the searching for victoms and saw the many, many heroic acts, these acts embodied our feelings about ourselves as Americans. We all hoped that we, too, would have rushed into the smoke and terror to save those we could. That's who we are. 

We live in a land of plenty. But plenty isn't just handed to us, we work hard for it...and we share it. We give to and share with the needy all over the world. That, too, is who we are. 

http://www.realamericanstories.com/ This is a link to a site with American, real stories, heroic stories. I hope you will take a moment and read them. You will be proud to be American all over again. And I think that is OK.

I am sorry that with all the political issues facing our country these days, we forget how great it is to be American. It really is pretty darn great. 

We live in a country with lots of everything, lots of opportunity, food, wealth, goodness, kindness, generosity..the list could go on. Really, our country is full of these things. We can choose to work hard. Choose to be kind. Choose to share our extra food and extra everything. We can even choose to not be mean, selfish, greedy, lazy, cruel, dishonest and whatever. We live in America! Let's be thrilled and proud and remember the best that our country has to offer and build on that instead of choosing the worst and tearing down from there. We can continue to make our country great! Lets!  

The FREEDOM OF SPEECH that we enjoy in the USA is a great thing!

Our young men and women fight in wars today to preserve our freedoms. They have fought for generations so we can continue to have free speech today, for example. That is not so in many, many parts of the world. We all shake our heads in sorrow at the limited and slanted information that is the only information allowed to be heard inside and world-wide from countries like China, Iran, Pakastan, and others.
But we only seem to value our right to speek freely when we speak our beliefs. When someone disagrees, suddenly, they are racist, biased, ignorant or whatever else. Maybe their life experiences, education, religious beliefs have brought them to differing conclusions. In the USA, that's OK.
If we can all talk freely, sharing ideas and experiences, maybe we can find a middle road or maybe just bring us to a better understanding of where the others are coming from. Or maybe we have to just agree to disagree. There are many differing thoughts today and to pretend that we will ever all agree is crazy.
Political-correctness is really hurting us in the end. In our efforts to offend no-one, we really offend everyone with our "bland" stand on things. Passion has a place in America. Strong beliefs have a place in America.  That is not to say that we can run over someone else's rights or beliefs, but promoting ours in an honest, straight-forward manner is good. And the right to have passion and strong beliefs is ours.
There are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Liberal Leftists, Conservative Right Wingers and many other groups. We need to all be heard and find solutions to todays issues that allow for all of our differing points of view, without name-calling and labeling. Maybe we can be examples to those in Washington, what do you think?

Are President Obama's Czars cause for concern...or at least discussion?

I think they are. If you go to the link below, there is a list of the czars, what their areas of responsiblilty are and what organization might already be covering that issue. What I am happy to note is how qualified each "Czar" is. What is cause for concern are 3 things:
1) If we are a nation that is financially stretched, why are we paying for someone to do a job that is already being done by an established government organization?
2) The way our government and its connecting organizations and departments is run is with checks and balances in place. President Obama has gone around the system and has brought these people on board with no oversight...no checks and balances. That makes me nervous!
(Even if this was the most honest, caring, best administration ever, it makes for a poor precident!)
3) Another point of concern is that there is no public vetting for these people. It saves Pres. Obama from the embarrasment of discovering after the fact that ...they don't pay taxes...like the rest of us...or have signed the list of 9/11 Truthers...or whatever. Vetting is a process of discovery and is a valid process.
Transparency doesn't seem to be all that transparent. Maybe not opaque, but certainly not transparent.
http://glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/29391/

This is fun, but a commentary on us...

Van Jones just resigned as the Green Czar for President Obama, largely because of the affiliation he had with the 9-11 Truthers. I think that a little more reliance on valid proof is a good plan for everyone. Anyway, check out this cartoon by Doonesbury. It ran in our paper on 9/6/09.

http://www.arcamax.com/doonesbury/s-606346-671081

You have to wonder...How did "they" decide which Chrysler dealers to close and which ones to leave open?

This article came to my attention today, and WOW did it get my attention! Could this be true? Did Obama and his Car Czar close dealerships because they gave contributions to the Republicans instead of Democrats? It seems pretty far fetched but this idea seems to be gaining momentum.
I do hate the idea of Czars of any type who are hired without any vetting and assume job positions with huge authority with no oversight. (And I think many jobs they are hired for are already being fulfilled by organizations with oversight.)
I hope you will check this out and comment ...do some more research and let us know...
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/MarkTapscott/Is-Obama-closing-GOP-leaning-car-dealers--46258432.html



"

Healthcare is a on everyone's mind, what do you think?

This is going to be a quick note...just to get us thinking.
Ideally, everyone should have excellent care available. So, how do we make it possible? Should those people who enter our country illegally have access to health care they haven't contributed to? Really, I am just asking. I don't think that the government is capable of handling the complexities medical care for each person in our country. It is just too cumbersome.
Some ideas I have thought of are:
1) How about each person contributing $x every month...or whatever...to put in a fund for health care? Then that money will be available to pay for care.  If you don't use all of what you contributed, it will be available to whomever.
2) How about making insurance compete acress state lines?
3) If illegals are willing to pay in, maybe they should have care available, too.
4) I think our personal health information should not be available to the government.
5) WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
I'm hoping we can come up with solutions, not just what we DON'T want.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Your ATTITUDE matters...mine does too!

Today I had to do a "thing" for our sales-meeting. We reviewed all the topics regarding selling automobiles that we had covered over the past 12 months. Then I asked, "what is the one thing that effects all of these things...for better or for worse." (A hangman was set up to assist in the solution of the question.) But it was figured out right away. ATTITUDE.
Someone can have all the answers, do everything right, but not get the sale. Sometimes it is nothing more than attitude. Another situation could be that everything was done correctly and the customer wasn't ready to purchase or may not "like" the vehicle. And the sale isn't made. As a result...could the salesperson have a bad attitude? Sure. This is their livelihood we're talking about.
Well, long-term success is going to be a result of sustaining a positive attitude over the long haul.
We, as Americans, in a struggling economy and facing all the challenges we are dealing with, need to choose to have a good attitude every day. That's right...choose. You and I really do have the choice. So, I was thinking that I should write in a more positive way. I will try. How about you...will you try to choose to be UP?

Here are a some things that have been on my mind...what do you think?

You and I have to live within a budget, why doesn’t our government?

Since when is the purchase of a home a guaranteed “investment”? (Historically, values raise and drop, it is normal)

Is it not so that any decision to hire, fire, promote, not promote, etc, that  is based on anything other than qualifications, is predjudice? (Color,( be it white, black, yellow, brown or pink for that matter), age, sex, or  disabilitiy are all things to consider when answering this question.)

Why are we all so concerned about sending our dollars overseas buying “foreign” oil, but have no problem sending our dollars overseas buying foreign cars?

Along that same line of thinking, why are the American vehicles, that are so highly sought after overseas, taxed 19% and an additional 10% import tax to bring into a country overseas, but  when the foreign vehicles are sold here in America, there are no import fees or levies and are sold on an equal plane as our vehicles made right in this country.  (A common response is that the Japanese cars are made in this country…employing a lot of people…that is correct. Be aware, the parts are all made in Japan, the vehicles are “assembled” here, and ALL THE PROFITS GO TO JAPAN.) Why is that OK?

Why is it OK for President Obama to talk about all the new “green” jobs he is creating in America when he is buying solar panels by the thousands from China.? (We can’t, don’t, make solar panels here in USA?)

There are millions and millions of people who are in trouble with their mortgages. Some lost jobs, lost hours, got sick…all unforeseeable. But others bought with the intention of paying on an “interest only” loan and then selling at a profit before the loan converted to the regular full repayment  schedule. When the market didn’t continue to increase in value, they got caught. Should they be bailed out? What happens to the people who did not think it was wise or prudent  to contract to make payments they could not afford? They still do not own a home but will share in the trillions of dollars that the nation will be in debt because of the imprudent. IS THAT OK?

We need a place to voice our opinions and ideas! Let's make this it...

There are so many things going on in our country that will have a huge impact on each of us and I feel like we are not being heard. Even at the town hall meetings, people are being called names and over-run by others with differing opinions and a louder voice.
Wouldn't it be great to be able to put your thoughts out there...to be considered. We can all make comments, offer differing ideas or bring up points that may have been overlooked. By doing this and having lots of participation, maaybe we can come up with solutions that work and that we can all live with.