October 30,2009
Greets and Huggers. Posted the evening of October 30, 2009. Its easy to watch the world walk by … when we have to deal with the annoyances in our lives, like how to pay the bills. Course, that’s not something any of our “Blue” or “Red” pigs in Washington have to worry about. In the news this week? The Democrat proposed “Health Care Reform” bill was announced. Washington (CNN) – House Democrats unveil $894 billion health care bill. “The battle over health care reform reached another milestone Thursday as top House Democrats unveiled sweeping legislation that includes a highly controversial public health insurance option. The nearly 2,000-page bill — a combination of three versions passed by House committees — would cost $894 billion over 10 years to extend insurance coverage to 36 million uncovered Americans, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, the bill’s total cost, including Medicare changes, is expected to be higher and could push the price tag over $1 trillion, according to an initial CNN analysis.” They promised to make the complete Bill available on-line, 72 hours, (3 days), before it is voted on. Is 72 hours really enough time to read and digest a 1,940 page document written in “gov-speak”? Has it really been thought through? Have the unintended consequences been considered? And I must be missing something. Share with me … what does this Bill have to do with lowering the cost of “health care”? If a medical procedure currently costs $1,000.00 … how will this bill lower the cost? It can’t. It can only redefine/shift who has to pay for it. Currently, those of us who have health insurance, indirectly insure those that don’t because health care providers have to pass on the cost of services provided to the uninsured by increasing the cost of services provided to those who do. That increases our insurance premiums. Put another way, after a visit to the emergency room for a sliced finger, a hospital has to charge your insurance company $5.00 for the $1.00 bandage used, to cover the cost of the 4 bandages it was forced to use, by government mandate, to treat the 4 uninsured people who also came into the emergency room. No different than a merchant having to pass on the cost of his shoplifting losses … isn’t it? Share with me … what is the per person cost of insuring one of the 36,000,000,000 persons with the $1,000,000,000,000,000 projected? I tried to do the math … but my brain shut down after the 10th zero. Can you picture what Military, (I have no clue, nor could I find, the current budget for military hospitals), and VA Hospitals could do if they had access to the $230,000,000,000,000.00 the VA currently has, the $230,000,000,000,000.00 currently spent on Medicare/Medicaid … and the $1,000,000,000,000,000.00 projected for “Health Care Reform”? As of July 2008, our America had 304,059,724 citizens, if you add 36 billion, 230 billion and 1 trillion together, what does that work out to per person? Makes my head hurt even thinking about the numbers.
I’m on Facebook and the SFIG has it’s own Facebook wall: Missouri Solo and Small Firm Internet Group. I enjoy the “instant messaging” and reading the “updates” of old friends, (some of whom I have not chatted with in years – like Law School Classmates.) Course, you can also go overboard, like getting sucked into some of the games on Facebook, like “Mafia Wars” or “Farmville” … so this doesn’t come as a shock: BBC NEWS – Sales of virtual goods boom in US. “Americans look set to spend $1bn on virtual goods in 2009, claims a report. The cash will be spent on add-ons for online games, digital gifts and other items that exist only as data. Total spend on such items is expected to be up by 100% over 2008 and to double again by the end of 2010, said the analysts behind the report … Now, people playing social games such as virtual agriculture simulation Farmville on Facebook are using real cash to purchase game dollars for additions to their farm. Firms such as Zynga, Playdom and Playfish are all growing fast on the back of the rise in social gaming.” Look, I certainly mean no offense nor ill will … but I really could care less that you now have a new barn in Farmville, or that you just completed the “Havana Job” in Mafia Wars. And share with me … why would you spend REAL money to buy another weapon to use online in Mafia Wars? Dude … use the money to buy a patio planter and actually farm … or use the money to pay for a lap dance at a Gentleman’s Club”!
In the “how sickening is this” news. Richmond, California (CNN) – Police: As many as 20 present at gang rape outside school dance. “Investigators say as many as 20 people were involved in or stood and watched the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside a California high school homecoming dance Saturday night … As many as 10 people were involved in the assault in a dimly lighted back alley at the school, while another 10 people watched without calling 911 to report it, police said.” … and an update today … (CNN) — Sixth person arrested in homecoming gang rape. “Police arrested another teen Thursday, the sixth suspect jailed in connection with the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl on a northern California high school campus. Jose Carlos Montano, 18, was arrested on charges of felony rape, rape in concert with force, and penetration with a foreign object, said Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan.” … as for the victim? (CNN) – Friend of gang rape victim blasts school officials over safety. “She had come alone to the Richmond High School homecoming dance, gorgeous in a sparkling purple dress and faux diamond baubles. The DJ played salsa, meringue, rap. When the teenager disappeared, her friends thought she had gone home early … Baker later described the 15-year-old girl as a churchgoer who struggled to fit in at Richmond High.” What kind of mindset, level of depravity, allows persons to watch this violation of another human being? How does a child become so indifferent to the suffering of another? Wildly popular movies that depict in gory detail, the dismembering of human beings, or video games that do the same? Doesn’t exposure to these games and movies desensitize and blur the line between fantasy and reality? Where is the moral guidance that parents historically instilled? And this occurred at a school function? Where was the supervision? I wonder what will happen to the folks who were supposed to provide a safe environment for the homecoming dance? Unemployment seems a tad light to me.
BBC NEWS – Curry spice ‘kills cancer cells’. “An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown. The chemical - curcumin - has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia … Dr Sharon McKenna and her team found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves, after the curcumin triggered lethal cell death signals.” So cancer cells start to eat themselves after being exposed to turmeric? Not exactly intuitive: would make more sense if they started eating each other. For some delightful recipes, click HERE.
(CNN) – ‘New Jews’ stake claim to faith, culture. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai about 3,300 years ago, he couldn’t have seen these Jews coming. A blogger writes about how one of Judaism’s holiest days ended, for her, in a strip club, while elsewhere a guy strolls into a tattoo parlor requesting a Star of David. Two women exchange wedding vows in a Jewish ceremony, and hipsters toss back bottles of HE’BREW, The Chosen Beer. A full-time software developer prepares to lead a group in Jewish prayer, as a PhD candidate in Jewish thought pens a letter criticizing Israel’s policies. Meet the “New Jews,” as some call them: pockets of post-baby boomers — or more accurately Generation X and Millennial (Gen Y) Jews — who are making one of the world’s oldest known monotheistic faiths and its culture work for them and others in a time when, more than ever, affiliation is a choice.” My Dear Friend Les S has a tattoo … I wonder what his mother, (whom his father, Alan S, calls “Big Red”), had to say when she found out about it. Our little SFIG “Family” was there with Les, on this Listserve, when his daughter, Nina, was born. Some of you may remember that. I do. Point being, I suppose, each generation looks at it’s parents and vows to do better – and if not better, different. While the older generation looks back at it’s children and wonders, “What in the h*ll are they thinking!! How can they listen to that crappy music!! And what’s with the weird clothes they chose to wear??”
Sitting here mourning the loss of “Jolly” Tuesday evening. Susan went to go to turn down the sheets and found Jolly dead at the foot of the bed. She has suffered a pulmonary embolism. She didn’t suffer. Jolly was a Basset Hound rescue from a “Puppy Mill”. After popping out puppies for several years, they wanted to get rid of her because she was getting too old. When she got to Ft Timmerman, she was not as fearful as some we have fostered. She needed to be loved and got it, here at Ft Timmerman. Last year, there were a couple of folks interested in adopting her, but this was her home now and she had found her “pack”, so we adopted her. Just an old basset hound, a lovely, loving, passive dog/ life, with overly large feet … large ears … just wanting to welcome me home with a deep baying voice, a whole bagful of wagging tail and a slurping Basset tongue … when … I got back from court. Susan and I will miss her. And since there was again a spot at the inn, little “Olga” is now a foster at Ft Timmerman: she is a miniature long hair, black with brown trim, Daschund puppy, about 3 pounds. She is small. Time to post these Ramblings, shut down my HP XW9400 Workstation, unplug all my hard drives, install a 160 gig Raptor and install WIN 7, then spend the weekend reinstalling device drivers and software. (As an aside, I see that Tech4Less has 2 available, factory sealed units: HP RB498UT xw9400 Workstation - AMD Third-Generation Opteron 2356 2.3 GHz Processor - 16 GB RAM - 500 GB Hard Drive - DVD�RW, for $2,610.26, that’s a 60% saving!) Later I’ll hit the sack and say a prayer of thanks for the many blessings in my life, for Susan … and prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?) Be and sleep well, after all, the folks in Washington will protect and take care of you … won’t they? I prefer to rely on our men and women in uniform, (and myself! If my post offends, I apologize, that is not my intent. As always …
A Warm Brotherly Hug
KarlT (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri … and the Editorial Staff, Willie, Karly, Dinker, my ‘Lil Buddy, Floyd … and Olga, the copy girl)