I did not hear the president's speech last night. However, I heard part of an interview with him on Nightline. During that interview he said that he is very interested in changing the way health care is delivered in the United States. I found that to be a very clarifying comment. It really gets down to the crux of this whole health care reform issue. And it depresses me so much that half the country is okay with that.
Honestly, who is he (a lawyer and politician) to tell doctors how they should deliver their product. It is not the role of government to do that. Congress needs to back off and find another way to deal with people who cannot afford their own medical care (i.e., insurance reform, healthy lifestyles, tort reform, etc.).
If they do pass this huge, sweeping, reform bill, then someone needs to write a law that puts the American Medical Association in charge of reforming the legal profession.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Are sports life?
As if there were any doubt left about whether sports have become way to important in our society, get a load of the conversation I heard on the radio this morning. The morning host and the sports caster were arguing about the fact that Tony Romo has a new girlfriend. If you don't know, Romo dumped Jessica Simpson just two months ago and he is now apparently seeing another attractive, blond, semi-celebrity.
The sports guy was upset that this will be a big distraction to Romo and the team here at the start of a new season. The host felt like Romo has the right to a private life. Duh.
With all the junk going on in our world that needs to be newsworthy and that people need to talk about and deal with, and these guys think its important to talk about Tony Romo's love life. As if it matters to anything going on in the real world. We have so lost it as a society.
The sports guy was upset that this will be a big distraction to Romo and the team here at the start of a new season. The host felt like Romo has the right to a private life. Duh.
With all the junk going on in our world that needs to be newsworthy and that people need to talk about and deal with, and these guys think its important to talk about Tony Romo's love life. As if it matters to anything going on in the real world. We have so lost it as a society.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Edwards' town hall meeting
This morning Kris and I attended a little over half of Chet Edwards' town hall meeting on health care reform. It was in a large room at the convention center and we were in the back and had trouble hearing everything. Following are my observations on what I could hear and see.
-Nobody really understands everything the health care reform bill requires, what it will take to implement it, and the effects it will have if enacted.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of smaller government.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of lower taxes.
-A clear majority of those present were against the house bill in question.
-Half or more in the room would even favor doing away with Medicare and Medicaid.
-Chet Edwards does not care what his constituents want, he is going to support what he feels good about. But at least he was man enough to admit it. (Specifically, he said that he would never vote for a bill that took away Medicare or Medicaid and that he understood he could have honest disagreement with his constituents on those points. It seems evident however, that he is also more concerned with getting a health care reform bill passed than he is in listening to his constituents who do not want it.)
I have to be honest. What bothered me the most about the meeting was the way people behaved. A room full of adults and many, many of them acted like unruly school children. There was a good deal of downright rudeness; booing, cat calling, screaming, not letting the speaker talk, name calling, etc. It was very sad. It reminded me of what I said after the speech Obama made when he won the election. Namely, health care, the environment, education, the economy, etc. are not the real problems with America.
The real problems with America are in our souls. We, like all humans, are sinful. We will never solve any of these other issues until we come to the cross of Christ and let God deal with our sinfulness. America needs heart reform much more desperately than we need welfare reform, tort reform, health care reform, education reform, or anything else. Pray with me that we can see what the true problems in our land are and that we will choose the right solution.
-Nobody really understands everything the health care reform bill requires, what it will take to implement it, and the effects it will have if enacted.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of smaller government.
-A clear majority of those present were in favor of lower taxes.
-A clear majority of those present were against the house bill in question.
-Half or more in the room would even favor doing away with Medicare and Medicaid.
-Chet Edwards does not care what his constituents want, he is going to support what he feels good about. But at least he was man enough to admit it. (Specifically, he said that he would never vote for a bill that took away Medicare or Medicaid and that he understood he could have honest disagreement with his constituents on those points. It seems evident however, that he is also more concerned with getting a health care reform bill passed than he is in listening to his constituents who do not want it.)
I have to be honest. What bothered me the most about the meeting was the way people behaved. A room full of adults and many, many of them acted like unruly school children. There was a good deal of downright rudeness; booing, cat calling, screaming, not letting the speaker talk, name calling, etc. It was very sad. It reminded me of what I said after the speech Obama made when he won the election. Namely, health care, the environment, education, the economy, etc. are not the real problems with America.
The real problems with America are in our souls. We, like all humans, are sinful. We will never solve any of these other issues until we come to the cross of Christ and let God deal with our sinfulness. America needs heart reform much more desperately than we need welfare reform, tort reform, health care reform, education reform, or anything else. Pray with me that we can see what the true problems in our land are and that we will choose the right solution.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Health care
I'd still like your opinions on whether health care is a right or a privelege.
Here's the thing though, as far as the whole reform issue goes. There are lots of problems with our current system. Among these are medical malpractice suits, the incredible costs associated with medical technology, the cost in the pharmaceutical industy for R&D and advertising, the enormous overhead associated with medical practice, government mandates to insurance companies, etc. However, more government is not the answer because it cannot be the answer.
Government's job is to provide for our common defense, to make sure that free enterprise operates on a level playing field, to enforce the constitution, to protect us from crime, to protects us from tyrrany (political or religious). Government was never meant to operate health care or any other business.
Here's the thing though, as far as the whole reform issue goes. There are lots of problems with our current system. Among these are medical malpractice suits, the incredible costs associated with medical technology, the cost in the pharmaceutical industy for R&D and advertising, the enormous overhead associated with medical practice, government mandates to insurance companies, etc. However, more government is not the answer because it cannot be the answer.
Government's job is to provide for our common defense, to make sure that free enterprise operates on a level playing field, to enforce the constitution, to protect us from crime, to protects us from tyrrany (political or religious). Government was never meant to operate health care or any other business.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Senses and memories
Its very interesting to me how our senses can trigger memories. If any of you out there are into neuroscience you can explain it for us. I think its cool how certain sounds or smells can trigger memories and seem to transport you back to another place and time. You know what I'm talking about, right? Like hearing a certain song can make you feel like a kid again or like a newlywed again. It comes on the radio and suddenly you feel like you are back in your childhood home or on your honeymoon, or wherever. Has that happened to you?
This time of year if I go out in the morning and the dew is still on the ground and I smell fresh cut grass it takes me back to those early season two a day workouts of high school. There, I re-live some of the sensations from so long ago. The smells of the locker room--sweat, spray disinfectant, Kramer's heat balm all come back. Feelings too. Like the feel of the ground vibrating when the o-line comes off the ball, the feel of sitting down in the dew drenched grass to do the obligatory pre-workout stretches and the moisture soaking into everything, the feeling of the sun baking you and the temperature inside your helmet going up and up and up, the feel of exhausted, sore muscles screaming for a respite.
You know, come to think of it, there are a lot of good reasons why only young people play football. Maybe the stereotype of the dumb jock isn't so off base? ;-)
This time of year if I go out in the morning and the dew is still on the ground and I smell fresh cut grass it takes me back to those early season two a day workouts of high school. There, I re-live some of the sensations from so long ago. The smells of the locker room--sweat, spray disinfectant, Kramer's heat balm all come back. Feelings too. Like the feel of the ground vibrating when the o-line comes off the ball, the feel of sitting down in the dew drenched grass to do the obligatory pre-workout stretches and the moisture soaking into everything, the feeling of the sun baking you and the temperature inside your helmet going up and up and up, the feel of exhausted, sore muscles screaming for a respite.
You know, come to think of it, there are a lot of good reasons why only young people play football. Maybe the stereotype of the dumb jock isn't so off base? ;-)
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