Wednesday, October 30, 2013

A man with dangerous thoughts

History is filled with men and women whose thinking so shook the foundation of their society's beliefs that they were publicly ridiculed, excommunicated or worse; even burned alive at the stake. All of those courageous individuals have perished in time, as time will take each of us, but some of the institutions in which the condemners served still exist. Specifically in the form of governing bodies.
 

Giordano Bruno was an early proponent that the sun was just another star moving in space, and claimed as well that the universe contained an infinite number of inhabited worlds populated by other intelligent beings. It took a brave man to publicly express those beliefs in the face of the powerful Catholic Church during the Roman Inquisition. You can guess Bruno's fate.

“Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno

Many governments carry on the tradition of maintaining that they are right in all matters concerning their citizens, any and all contrary beliefs are wrong, and disobedience by refusing to subjugate will be punished. We no longer burn people at the stake. Apparently though, America does use the IRS. Speak out or challenge the powers that be and you will be audited. Not the same of course, but make no mistake about it, the IRS can make your life miserable.

Today, defending why his previous statements - "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor" and "If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan" seem to be misleading if not outright lies, the President, instead of admitting he got it wrong, told us what he meant to say was if your insurance plan meets the new government regulations then you can keep your plan. Or in the ultimate paternalistic big government knows best syntax, he actually said you people are too stupid too pick an appropriate insurance plan so we will pick one for you.

“If the butterfly wings its way to the sweet light that attracts it, it's only because it doesn't know that the fire can consume it.”
― Giordano Bruno

The President and Democrats have belittled, bullied and retaliated against every voice which has been contrary to their vision of universal health care and the Affordable Care Act. Let's not forget it was passed on a purely partisan vote. Translation: at least half of the population disagreed with it at that time. Interestingly the number of Americans concerned that health care will get worse under the new law continues to increase. And even more interesting is the fact that the main stream media is now reporting on the "inconvenient facts". The reason an increasing number of Americans are concerned about the Affordable Care Act is that as it continues to roll out, the inconvenient truths' are being felt where it hurts most, in our pocket books.

With a president who has played the 'dog ate my homework' card much too often we are left to conclude he is not deceitful, just inept. Apparently though, not so simple that he won't deploy the IRS when necessary... or at least have his minions do so without a clear trail to the oval office. President Obama will be well served to understand Deus est supra vobis.

Those of us speaking out against the health care law do so knowing the consequences and we persist despite the intimidation. The truth is becoming clear - we are not the one's with dangerous thoughts.

However, proponents of the law, those condemning contrary opinions, seem to be getting a little testy... Like the Catholic Church which for hundreds of years went to extreme lengths to silence opposition for fear the truth may undermine their authority, so too it seems the Obama administration is going to great lengths to prevent the truth from being revealed. I wonder why.

“Maybe you who condemn me are in greater fear than I who am condemned.”
― Giordano Bruno

Monday, October 21, 2013

This is the group that will be regulating your health care


 
A 2005 federal study found that the U.S. had virtually no affordable housing for the deaf. So the federal government helped build Apache ASL Trails, a 75-unit apartment building in Tempe, Ariz., designed specifically for the deaf. Ninety-percent of the units are currently occupied by deaf and deaf-blind seniors. But now, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development says Apache ASL Trails violates civil rights law - because it shows a preference for the hearing-impaired. "A preference or priority based on a particular diagnosis or disability and excluding others with different disabilities is explicitly prohibited by HUD's Section 504 regulations," says a HUD memo about the project. "There is no legal authority contained in any of Apache Trails funding to permit such a priority or preference."

So HUD is trying to eliminate the housing by forcing Arizona, at a facility with 75 units designed for the deaf, to limit the number of units for hearing impaired residents to 18.

"C'mon! What's'a'matter with 'ya?... 'Ya nuts?!"
- Moe

This goes to the heart of the concerns expressed by the Affordable Health Care Act's opponents - the government cannot properly manage it's current obligations so why would they ever place the health and care of their bodies in the hands of the government's minions?

Any of you who have experienced the helplessness and fear when an insurer denies health care might welcome a mediator or advocate to bring balance and support to the patient, and that is how the Affordable Health Care Act was sold. But consider for a moment combining the power of the insurer to give or refuse care with the bureaucracy of your local Department of Motor Vehicles, Drivers License Division... one can easily imagine questionable decisions being made by low level auditors in the Cincinnati office (wait, was that the IRS profiling?) or action delayed (by whom, we may never know - remember Benghazi?) in providing care due to improper paperwork. The size and complexity of this program means the opportunities for breakdown are limitless.

Oxycontin is a class IV drug meaning it is regulated in ways that other drugs are not. Bet you didn't even know we had a Federal Office of Diversion Control!

My late wife, Terri, was prescribed Oxycontin for pain while undergoing a brutal regiment for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Considering her prognosis, her doctors were liberal with their pain management - as they should have been - so over time, as her condition deteriorated her prescribed dosage increased. Following a particularly difficult week of radiation to the brain in conjunction with chemotherapy, her dosage was increased and a new prescription issued on a Friday afternoon. If you have ever gone to get your driver license on Friday afternoon then I'm sure you know where this is going. The pharmacist could not get authorization for the increase because at 4:15pm the only insurance company representative apparently authorized to give approval was gone for the day (weekend - only us peasants work on weekends). To make matters worse, the increase coincided with her normal refill date so she had just enough medication for the day under the new dosage. Following a short profanity laced, accusatory tantrum by none other than yours truly, the pharmacist gave me enough medication for Terri to make it through the end of the day on Monday allowing the insurance company to get back to their job of taking care of their customers. For the record, I apologized for my explosion. Just to be kind to the pharmacist, because I wasn't really sorry and have not forgotten the bureaucratic obstacles and lack of compassion displayed by everyone except the pharmacist.

I wonder if that pharmacist would make the same decision today considering the penalties and other new regulatory consequences provided for not following the rules under the Affordable Care Act?

Another interesting variable in the overall Affordable Health Care Act ponsy scheme came to light today. Like Social Security, the health care laws success is contingent upon young healthy members enrolling and paying premiums. The fact that they will not be utilizing many services allows their contributions to fund the services provided to our aging population. And our non-contributing population. We learned today that 15% of America's young adult population, age 16-24, those required to participate in the new health care law if it is to work, are currently not attending school and are not working. Hard for them to pay premiums under those circumstances.

Ponsy scheme's only work when another sucker comes along to participate. Today's youth apparently are not the rubes the health care act's architects thought they were. They know a free ride when they see one!

And I can't help but thinking those same young adults view our government the way they view the 3 Stooges. Old and no longer relevant. Not so funny when you think about it like that.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Tetrad: Four Blood Moons

Change is coming.

Of course the president and congress appear to be pushing it off again, the current proposal suggesting some time early next year. I find it stunning, literally unbelievable how our politicians - almost every one of them - run their campaign promising positive changes for the nations health and then immediately upon their election display the lack of courage necessary to take the steps required to accomplish just that.


Historically the Tetrad is just another doomsday prophecy. Maybe. But the science of predicting the astrological alignment creating a 'Blood Moon' effect is solid. The Four Blood Moons will occur.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for fiscal responsibility by the US Government. They have kicked the stability and security of the United States down the road again and are unwilling to make the tough choices and compromises required for our county's long term good health. The cowardice of our leaders foretells the struggles our nation and our children will face.

So much has been reported on the Tea Party's influence over the ongoing (could be ending today) budget and debt battle. But I haven't heard anyone recognize these facts:

The Tea Party did not create our $17 trillion debt.

The Tea Party did not create our $90 trillion (currently unfunded) entitlement programs.

The Tea Party did not support or are they responsible for the latest disastrous entitlement program wrapping its tendrils around the heart of our country's financial independence; the Affordable Health Care Act. It is not yet clear what this program will cost but health care represents about 20% of our economy or in the neighborhood of $2,500,000,000,000 annually. And like most government programs, cost overruns with this one are rampant -
The $2500 savings to each family promised by the President has become a $7500 expense.
The $900 billion estimated cost to implement the program now stands at $3.6 trillion and is climbing.
The $690 million price tag for the Health Care Act website appears to be a colossal waste of money as it does not work. And now we find out the real reason for the websites flaws... The design causing the websites access problems was intentional. It was purposely designed in a way that prevents an applicant from experiencing sticker shock by seeing the full cost of the insurance up front.

Who was overseeing this project? The NSA? Since they have all of our contact lists and email address books they could have just merged the information and signed up all of us automatically!

The Tea Party, however, is being blamed, in very hostile language I might add, by the President, the Democrats and even many Republicans for being the obstacle to our governments ability to spend more money. What is surprising here is that they are the ONLY voice of caution. The only voice of REASON!

For the record, the Tea Party supports health care for everyone. They do not support a government continually amassing greater power over the people or a bloated bureaucracy constantly imposing new taxation to satisfy its never ending thirst to spend without oversight.

Where is the voice for our children? Where is the voice for the future viability of the United States? Or for that matter the voice for the future relevance of the United States?  Certainly these wise men and women leading our country do not really believe we can spend beyond our means to perpetuity? We have to make a choice.

I urge you to take a moment to read this short bio on George Mason.

In 1787, Mason was chosen to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he was one of the most vocal debaters.  Distressed over the amount of power being given to the federal government and the Convention’s unwillingness to abolish the slave trade, Mason refused to sign the Constitution.  One of three dissenters, Mason’s refusal to support the new Constitution made him unpopular and destroyed his friendship with Washington, who later referred to Mason as his former friend.

"As nations can not be rewarded or punished in the next world they must be in this."
-George Mason

 Yes, a change is comin'...

Monday, October 7, 2013

Permanent, severe and irreparable harm and injury

That's what will befall all viewing this photo. At least that's what the ACLU and Freedom from Religion Foundation want you to believe. Seriously? Just by looking at it?

 
 
When waiting in a lobby or office I make it a point to observe the pictures on the walls, the magazines on the tables and other items indicating what values the daily inhabitants of the location might hold dear. I cannot remember any of the pictures in any of the buildings I have been in over the last 50 years.

There are other portraits on the school district's Hall of Honor wall, presumably of successful individuals who no doubt made considerable contributions and/or brought about positive change to their community, town, city, state, country and maybe even the world. I don't know that, because the other portraits are not mentioned in the article and are barely visible in the accompanying portrait.

It is not possible that any of the other individuals in the Hall of Honor were more influential in the world-wide history of humanity than Jesus. Of course there are many individuals who have made amazing contributions to humanity and I know people whose personal beliefs place someone other than Jesus at the top of their list of most influential person in history. Regardless of your religious beliefs or lack thereof, when it comes to historical influence, no person in history has had a greater impact on our world today than Jesus. Nearly 2000 years after his brutal execution by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion people including 77% of the US population attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.

And brutal it was - if you have not studied history or never seen the movie, this clip from The Passion of Christ will open your eyes to the unconscionable extent of Roman punishment. The scene begins with Pontius Pilate giving Caiaphas and the disciples of the Jewish Temple the choice of which prisoner he will release, Jesus or the terrorist and murderer Barabbas. The high priests and religious elders choose Barabbas to ensure that Jesus is executed. And ensure the riches they receive through the Temple are not interrupted. To them, a man who speaks the truth is more dangerous than a mass murderer. The clip concludes with Mary, Jesus's mother, watching in agony the horrible beating of her son. This is history, not propaganda. As a parent I cannot imagine...

For those condemned to death the verberatio, or scourging, is what you see at the end of the clip above. It is accomplished by beating the convicted with a wooden handled flagrum, a type of whip, containing bits of metal and sheep bone in it's leather tendrils. This instrument allowed legionaries of the Roman death squads to inflict maximum pain and damage by quickly ripping away flesh and muscle, often exposing internal body parts, bones and organs.

Jesus's lash marks extended from his head down to the back of his calves.

To be fair, Christians have also initiated many wars in the name of God and inflicted inhumane treatment on their adversaries for the same reason and still today some 'proclaimed' Christians espouse hate and intolerance. It is important to remember that was not in the teachings of Jesus. His messages focused on love, hope and truth.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Jesus Christ

Actually, now that I think of it, I do remember one picture on a wall and it turns out it too was in a government building. It struck me as unusual so I took a picture of it with my phone. It didn't fit with the picture of President Obama in one of the other rooms and since it was from President Lincoln, I was surprised that I had never seen or heard of it before. I have included it below for your enjoyment. At the risk of having the ACLU remove this too, I am not disclosing it's location.


When the activities of the ACLU include censoring whose values American citizens might revere or emulate, they have effectively outlived their usefulness.

For what it's worth, Abraham Lincoln believed Jesus was God.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Grossly Tendentious / Cautiously Optomistic

Two Leaders, two speeches, one conclusion: One is a leader and one is not.

One understands interpersonal relationships, one understands fear based motivation; one wants the other side to realize and share success, one wishes the other side would disappear; one would tell you his opponents have a just cause if not appropriate methods, one would have you believe the picture below represents his opponents.



"Change is inevitable. Growth is optional."
John C. Maxwell

The news cycle the last 48 hours has been filled with the phrase 'historical'. What with the insurance exchanges officially opening and the shutdown of the government, each moment of political maneuvering has been deemed historical.

I believe the real historical events will be the ramifications of the two speeches given today and of course we may not know just what those ramifications are for months or years to come. I listened to both speeches. The first clearly identified the need to achieve objectives while acknowledging his opponents value and worth and that historical sacrifices would have to be made by his government if a compromise were to be achieved. The second also clearly identified the need to achieve objectives but the similarities ended there. The leader exhorted and blamed his opponents intimating that the opinion of a majority of the country's citizens were at fault; no value or worth for these opponents. He went on suggesting, no demanding that compromise was not an option as if change was in fact not inevitable; demonstrating also that growth is not on his agenda.

The historical consequences of these two speeches will in time be known. The legacy of these leaders revealed. As always, while I share my opinion, I also present the facts. And you get to make up your own mind, not just about the topic but also what future this brings to America.

As a side note, we must now call the furloughed workers expected / not expected rather than essential / non-essential. We wouldn't want to bruise any egos...