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...