Obamacare

This argument is from the 2010 election when groups were trying to unseat the Democratic incumbents that voted for Obamacare. Although my representative is Democratic, Jason Altmire, he didn't vote for that nor did he get unseated...

Having spent three weeks in a hospital in Naples, Florida with my wife, I couldn’t help noticing what was going on in the hospital and I had a lot of time to talk to the doctors and nurses about what I had observed. Below is a commentary from an ER Doctor. Do you think this might be a big reason our health care system and our social security system are so screwed up? Do you think this might be a big reason our taxes keep going up?

From a Florida ER doctor:
"I live and work in a state overrun with illegal immigrants. They make more money having kids than we earn working full-time. Today I had a 25-year old with 8 kids; all illegal anchor babies and she had the nicest nails, cell phone, hand bag, clothing, etc. She makes about $1,500 monthly for each. I used to say, “We are the dumbest nation on earth.” Now I must say and sadly admit: WE are the dumbest people on earth (that includes ME) for we elected the politicians who have passed the bills that allow for this."

If the immigrant is over 65, they can apply for SSI and Medicaid and get more than a woman on Social Security, who worked from 1944 until 2004. She is only getting $791 per month because she was born in 1924 and there's a 'catch 22.'

It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890. Each can also obtain an additional $580 in social assistance, for a total of $2,470 a month.

This compares to a single pensioner, who can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Maybe if more people knew about this, we can get the refugees cut back to $1,012 and help save Social Security. I don't want to persecute refugees because that would be unjust. They are my brothers and sisters in Christ. It's not their fault for accepting the money. That's the smart thing to do. It's the politicians fault for offering it and the voters being dumb for voting for those politicians in the first place. So I'm not asking to be unmerciful to people in need. If our retirees are in need of $1,012/month, then they should get it. If refugees are in need too, they should get $1,012/month too. They shouldn't get nothing like people on one side may say, and they shouldn't get $2470 like they are now. This way Social Security will be around a little longer to help out more people in need, retirees and refugees alike.

Maybe if more people knew what the majority of our elected politicians had been doing for years to over-taxed Americans, things would be better.

Marriage

Married or not…this is a story I found worth reading:

“When I got home that night as ...my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, "I’ve got something to tell you." She sat down and ate quietly. Again, I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly, I didn’t know how to open my mouth, but I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words. Instead, she asked me softly, "Why?"

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, "You are not a man!" That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage, but I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer. She had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy, but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally, she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce, which had obsessed me for several weeks, seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper, but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care, so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning, she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me, but she had something more. She asked me to recall how I had carried her into our bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door every morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable, I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. "No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce," she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed, so when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, "Daddy is holding mommy in his arms." His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms.

She closed her eyes and said softly, "Don’t tell our son about the divorce." I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face. Her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses, but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, "All my dresses have grown bigger." I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin. That was the reason I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly, it hit me…she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously, I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, "Dad, it’s time to carry mom out." To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly. It was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, "I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy." I drove to office…jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind. I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, "Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore."

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. "Do you have a fever?" she said. I moved her hand off my head.

"Sorry, Jane," I said, "I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore." Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, "I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us part."

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting cancer for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce—- at least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband…

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, or the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness, but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Spin

Here's a copy of an e-mail I recieved:

Brian,

Knowing that their candidate lacks a consistent conservative message, Romney's spin machine is once again working overtime.

That's why, even though Rick is busy campaigning in Louisiana today he wanted me to rush this email out to you regarding his comments yesterday about Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

Rick's response is here:

"I would never vote for Barack Obama over any Republican and to suggest otherwise is preposterous. This is just another attempt by the Romney Campaign to distort and distract the media and voters from the unshakeable fact that many of Romney's policies mirror Barack Obama's.

I was simply making the point that there is a huge enthusiasm gap around Mitt Romney and it's easy to see why - Romney has sided with Obama on healthcare mandates, cap-and-trade, and the Wall Street bailouts.

Voters have to be excited enough to actually go vote, and my campaign's movement to restore freedom is exciting this nation. If this election is about Obama versus the Obama-Lite candidate, we have a tough time rallying this nation. It's time for bold vision, bold reforms and bold contrasts. This election is about more than Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, or Rick Santorum - this campaign is about freedom and I will fight to restore your freedoms."

Please forward this email to your friends and family. Let them hear the truth from Rick, not what Mitt Romney wants them to hear.

Thanks for all you are doing.

Proud to stand with Rick,

Mike Biundo
Campaign Manager

PA GOP

I realize that not every reader is from PA, but this problem is reflective of the problem nationally.

www.reformPAGOP.com

The problem nationally is that the parties are not united. The social conservative party was generally the Republican Party because the Democratic leaders were pro-choice. A few Democrats were pro-life. Those Democrats won in swing states like Pennsylvania because Pennsylvania is not so liberal that the majority feel that a baby's life is less important than a voter's convenience. The majority of Pennsylvanian's believe in protecting those that cannot protect themselves.

That problem is not as apparent nationally as the divide in the Republican's party is. The obvious differences between Romney and Santorum highlight that the leaders of the Republican Party value money more than family values. However, a significant number of disenfranchised Republicans, who may not have money, but still have family values, support candidates like Santorum. This is quietly coming to a head in the upcoming Senate race where the Republican endorsed candidate, Welch, is a rich, Democratic convert instead of the more conservative Morris, who doesn't have much money. The reason seems to be because Welch can self-finance his campaign and the state Republican committee can devote money towards other races like the Auditor General or Attorney General that could cause problems for the sitting Republican Governor.

The Governor is going to have a difficult time running for reelection as it is . That's because he's cut so much from education that teachers and programs are being cut from K-12 schools and college students aren't getting the money they used to for college. To pay for the raises he gave to himself and staff above the previous Democratic administration, and keep education funding the same, taxes would have to be raised $225 a person. That doesn't seem like a lot to most people, especially if that amount was reduced by his administration's raises and if students got to continue in the programs they love.

It's more difficult to be an informed voter because the side with the money can get the message out more than the side that I support once I learn about them. Nevertheless, I'm going to keep doing what I can as a voter that's in my family's best interest. I imagine if you are the kind of person that reads this, you'll be doing the same if you aren't already.

Attention 7th and 8th grade teachers!

In regards to my school work, I must not talk or write about it much because one of my friends from work was surprised to hear that I expected to take 12 credits next year. I've taken 12 credits the last four years. I suppose regular readers of this blog may have been equally surprised. It's something that just doesn't up in conversation much. However, I bring it up now because I'm doing a study on whether 7th and 8th graders read better from print books or e-readers and need volunteer 7th and 8th grade teachers. It will take one 40-minute period next school on the day of the teacher's choice as long as they have Accelerated Reader and enough computers for half the class. I'll supply the e-books and books and explain the nitty gritty details once they are finalized. Two schools have already agreed to participate because each school gets the results and could use the results in applying for grants, etc.

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and started to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

'The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter - like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'.

'It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Please share this with other "Golf Balls"

I just did..

Karen Santorum

Karen Santorum reminds me of my wife without going through any of the phases Mrs. Santorum went through.

Neighbors

Here's a site that could hold a lot of uses for some people. You provide an address and they provide the addresses and phone numbers of all the residential neighbors.

http://neighbors.whitepages.com/

Of course, this post doesn't directly support anyone in particular, but anything to help to build community is worth sharing.

Priests

Since I let a priest make my argument against President Obama, here's a pro-priest clip from one of the few YouTube subscriptions I have:

General Election

Here's a good argument for why to not vote for President Obama this year compared to any of the Republican candidates, especially Santorum.

http://youtu.be/ltTd81XpDnc

GOP Race

My wife is no longer interested in hearing about any of this. She knows I supported Santorum when he was under 1% of the national vote and not even being invited to some debates. Now she knows I still support him even though she "knows" he doesn't have enough money to win. However, I don't think he needs as much money to win. He tied Romney in the Michigan primary by spending 1/6 of what Romney spent. That's because he has more donations to his campaign, even though those donations aren't as large amounts as Romney supporters can afford to give. What Santorum's supporters can do is vote and their votes are worth just as much, even though there isn't as much money behind those votes. Santorum has more people supporting him because he's the better person. That's why I want Santorum to win from among the candidates running. I actually would have liked Romney to have won over McCain in 2008, so I don't think Romney is bad. I just think Santorum is a little better than Romney. Either is better option than retaining Obama.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/exclusive-in-02-romney-touted-d-c-connections-federal-funds/?tr=y&auid=10384409