Just putting this out there, I HATE group projects. They basically combine all of the worst things in the world for me. I have to interact with other humans, the majority of which are dumb arses. If i get to pick my own group, that is usually fine, as I just pick my friends and am done with it. But when either the groups are picked for you, or I don’t like any one in the class, then this is literally living hell for me.

Now, I don’t mind projects, except when they involve speaking in front of groups (as this one does); but I do mind when my group consists of two people who are just fine with putting everything off to the last minute. I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to procrastination, but when something is due in three days, maybe it is time to start working. Just a thought.

But the worst thing is when I am the only one taking the project seriously, and so I end up doing all of the work. I don’t particularly care, but when members of the group tell me that we should probably get together and start the project, and I am already done, it just seems a little unfair. “Ryujin,” you might say, ” just don’t do everything. Make them help, too.” Easier said than done, I’m afraid. I don’t do groups well for the simple reason that other people’s ideas usually sound stupid to me.

Example: For this project, our group was supposed to find a topic related to technological advances through chemistry. When I asked my group members what they wanted to do, both of them said they didn’t care. so I chose a topic that I found interesting. When the time came to write a presentation outline, neither of them knew anything about the topic, so I ended up writing the outline myself. And of course, since I was the only one who had bothered to do any research at all, I ended up putting the presentation together. The only thing that my group partners will have contributed to this project will be their voices as they read off what I have already written.

Sorry for the rant, but honestly that is probably all I am going to use this blog for. So deal with it. Bitch.

-Ryujin

Days until Winter Break: 16 (aka Too Damn Many)

All I can say is, Get it done or get them out.

Don’t give me 50% when 100% is required.  You either give the generals on the field the resources they need on the battlefield, or you save lives and pull them home.  All I can think of Obama’s decision to only send half of the requested troops needed by McChrystal is political.  I think Obama is under the fear that an escalation in American “agression” would anger the rest of the world.  So he only tosses his hands up in the air and sighs.  “I did what I could to rein in our evil.  I’m sorry America is so concerned about what’s right and upholding human rights.  I’m working to fix our morality.”

Mr. President, I hate to remind you of this, but, you are our president.  Your responsibility is to us, and most importantly the soldiers that are sacraficing themselves on the front lines.  Is the job necessarily dangerous?  Yes.  Anytime you place yourself between the oppressors and the opressed, you risk your life.  On a personal level, I think our duty is to reduce the risks to those protectors as much as we can.

Having the resolve, the sheer guts to do what is needed has consistently proven to be the best course of action when it comes to agression.  Wether you like Bush or not, his troop surge worked.  We flooded the area with troops and snipped the head off any extremist that stuck his head out.  We’ve also seen what waffling does to the course of a war.  A few notable examples.

The famous of which has to be the Vietnam War.  Our politicians dithered over our position and how to fight that war.  We lost thousands of men in a war we could have easily won should politicians simply got out of the General’s way.  Heck, they still dither on whether it was a real war.

Prior to WW1, We dithered in isolationism while the world fell around our ears.  Only after the sinking of the Lusitania did we finally have the resolve to do the necessary.  After one year of our “doughboys” on the ground, we brought the other side to thier knees.

Prior to WW2, we did the same thing.  After Pearl Harbor, we woke up.  Harry Truman’s decision to nuke two cities in Japan saved thousands of our troops.

During the civil war, President Lincoln went through generals quicker than he went through hats.  He canned George Meade for indecisiveness after Gettysburg.  The rebel army was beaten and disorganized, providing the union forces the unique opportunity to end the threat from Robert E. Lee and possibly end the war much sooner than it did.  How many lives were wasted on Meade’s dithering?  Only when he found Grant did he find a general who had no compunctions about getting the job done.  Lincoln’s political rivals demanded Grant’s removal, Lincoln said “I can’t spare this man, he fights!”

What if Washington had wrung his hands over what others thought about him?  Would we still have an America?  Would we still be a part of the English empire?

Time, and time again, has shown us that agression only bows to resolve.  I don’t remember who coined the phrase, “Peace through superior firepower”.  Never have those words proven more true than today.  Regan’s dare to Gorbachev, “Tear down this wall” firmly put the ball in Russia’s corner.  Kennedy’s refusal to blink in 1961 forced Cuba/Russia to back down.

Obama.  This is management 101.  If you assign a job to an individual, provide that individual with all the resources he, or she, needs to accomplish the task.  Don’t watch over their shoulder.  Support them 100%.  Or replace them and give the next person the same support. 

Whether the war is yours or not is irrelavent at this time.  It’s your war to fight, Bush doesn’t have any authority to fight it.  Give us action.  Give us resolve.  Show our enemies that America does not back down and does not apologize for doing what we believe is right.  Do this, or pull them out.  There is no point in leaving our troops out there because you can’t find it in yourself the strength to do what you must to win.

God Bless

December 2, 2009

He was sitting at the table where I usually plug in my laptop at the Faithful Cup in downtown Sheffield.  His name was Mr. Gober and he has been a barber in downtown Sheffield for 50 years.  He  still works one day a week.  He lost his business partner six years ago, Mr. Holland, who accidently drove his lawnmower off the bluff.

“I was a Marine,” he said.  “In Korea.  Got cut off by the Chinese army.  137,000 of them and 23,000 of us.  Marines and one army unit.  It was 40 degrees below zero.  We had destroyed the Korean Army, but our intelligence didn’t tell us that the Chinese had slipped in between us and our only escape route.” 

“How did you get out,” I asked. 

“We knocked a hole in it and went through it,” he said.

“Knocked a hole in what,” I asked.

“The Chinese Army, “ he said. 

“How many did we lose doing that,” I asked.

“About 11,000,” he said.  “But just about as bad was the frostbite.  Lots of men lost their hands or feet or fingers or nose. 

“Did you lose anything,” I asked.

“Nope, I was one of the lucky ones,” he said.  “There were only a few thousand that didn’t lose anything to  frostbite. 

“Do you ever see any of the people you fought with,” I asked.

“Yes, I go to reunions,” he said.

“Do you ever see anyone at those reunions who have lost a hand or a foot,” I asked. 

“Oh, yes,” he said.  “There were 4000 men who lost both feet and both hands from frostbite.”

“I am sorry to say, that I didn’t really know we ever actually fought the Chinese.  I thought there was only the threat of war.”

“We fought them alright, and that is why General McArthur lost his job.  Truman was afraid that he was going to get us in to a war with the Chinese.  We had destroyed the the North Korean Army, but because the Chinese stepped in we decided to negotiate a cease fire rather than go to war with them. “ 

“Why do you think you didn’t lose anything to frostbite,” I asked.

“Army did a study on it and they decided us skinny guys didn’t have enough fluid in our bodies to freeze.  It was the bigger guys that usually lost something.”

A gripping book that is based on the actual events that unfolded in 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas.  It is about the murder of the Clutter family, for the small sum of about $50 dollars.  It is excitingly written by Truman Capote as he goes through the events that led up to, through and after the murders.

Obviously Dick Hickock and  Perry Smith could not have understood the implications of the horrible crimes that they committed; not only for themselves, but for the whole of America.  The book delves into the story of the family and Dick and Perry, but it also documents the hysteria, nervousness and worry that the small town residents began to feel after the murders.  Thankfully both of the killers were caught and paid with their lives for the crimes, but America would never be the same.

One of the great works of all time; a definite must read.

Generally speaking, the trip from St. Charles, where I live, to Kirksville, where I go to college, takes about three to three and half hours.

Today, it took seven and a half.

Missi and I left around 1:00 in the afternoon, planning on getting back at about 4:30, 5 o’clock at the latest. And then we hit traffic. Not so bad, until we narrowly missed a huge pile-up. And of course, the car starts rattling every time we give it gas. So we pull over about 50 miles from home. We call Missi’s parents, who get in their cars and start heading out to get us. McDonald’s being the only place with heating and seating nearby, we go in and work on homework. For two and a half hours.

Missi’s family gets there, we switch cars and are headed back on our way, the time now being 5:00; the time we were originally planning on reaching Kirksville. And then we hit more traffic. Not only do we hit traffic, but it hits back. We literally sit in the same place for ten minutes, move for a few, and then sit some more. The 49 miles to Columbia takes us two hours. It is now 7:00, we should have gotten back two hours before, and we still have an hour left before we get back.

The last leg actually went rather well, fortunately. Long story short, for various reasons I have a new found annoyance/hatred for the following: People who go the MIZZOU, cops, Mexicans, Wendy’s, and people in general.

Sorry for the rant, but it pissed me off, and thus I bring it to you.

-Ryujin

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope your day started out with an extended stay in your PJs, instead of the way mine started out, with a jog around the UT campus with 15,000 of my closest friends. I wore an OU shirt. That said Big XII champions. To run around the UT campus. In a year when, not only are we not Big XII champions, we aren’t even close. I felt so awkward, I didn’t want to get out of the car.

Actually, that’s not the reason I didn’t want to get out of the car. It was cold outside. And I’m a little claustrophobic. I don’t like to line up 45 minutes before the race starts with as many people as lived in my hometown. But Drew is serious. He doesn’t want to miss the race. He’s certain that if we aren’t there with everyone else, standing in the street, staring at each other, we’ll miss it. He leaves me no choice. I have to piddle.

So, I go through every single song on my iPod, diligently considering length and tempo as I compile a race playlist. I roll and unroll my pants. I tie and untie and double tie my shoes. I even brush my hair. The entire time, Drew stands like this.

Even as he acts like I’m the most annoying person he’s ever met in his entire life, I know he’s so excited to start his Thanksgiving day by running a race with me. And that’s why I’m thankful I can run the Turkey Trot every year with my husband. I’m thankful I’m married to someone who still wants to run with me, even though I whine. A lot.

I’m also thankful to be able to spend this day with family. A family who still loves to play board games, even though it’s 2009 and there’s so many other things they could all be doing. A family who says things like, “You own two stadiums? Who are you, Jerry Jones?” and “Trying to buy property without money. Typical, Donald Trump.”

PS – since when was Monopoly money worth $100,000?

I’m also so thankful for all of you who stop by this corner of the internet every once in a while, even though no one is ever naked here (except Truman). I truly love sharing bits and pieces of my life with you and I hope you’ll keep coming back.

After all, Truman will only get better looking.

From my little family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Nuestro compañero y miembro de la Big Fam, Edgar ya tiene su set-up en Valo-brand! entrad y miradlo

Felicidades compañero!

No dejeis de verlo en la página web de Valo:

www.valo-brand.com

Thanksgiving break is literally tomorrow, and with this realisation comes the less wonderful realisation that I have tons of homework to do. I have reading for my Exploring Religions class, a project for Spanish, a presentation for Freshman Chemistry Seminar, lab write-up for General Chemical Principles, and practice six pieces of music for orchestra. On top of this is the obligatory spending time with my family (unenthusiastic hooray) and hanging out with friends (slightly more enthusiastic hooray). At this point the only option is bringing something to work on to Thanksgiving dinner with my family. Current game plan is to get as much stuff done on Saturday and Sunday as I can, thus freeing up the week somewhat.

Days until Thanksgiving Break: 1

Homework Assignments Left: 4

-Ryujin

Thanksgiving is one week more, but that doesn’t keep me from flitting about in joy and anticipation.  My house is restless with break starting tomorrow evening, and there has been an increase in students either not giving a shit about homework and reading or simply not giving a shit about even turning up for class.  My psychology class this morning was missing a full third of its population–something rare with my strict teacher.

So, for the moment, I’m sitting in my room, checking Facebook, fiddling with the heater, and listening to a Pandora.com channel modelled after Lord of the Rings and Adiemus.  As my legs jitter below my desk, my eyes keep being pulled to the window.  Interesting people.  Many interesting people.  Men in tight, wool coats riding bicycles to class.  Someone smoking.  Another walking in his hooded sweatshirt.  I enjoy people watching, and it’s even more enjoyable during these moments of anticipation.

Tomorrow I will leave.  Leave.

To be honest, I’m unsure about that.  It will be nice to see my family, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to handle nine days with them; hell, I was suffering after two days earlier in the semester.  I fit at Truman.  Not Kirksville; the town is too tiny and uncultured.  But I certainly fit on campus.  I love my house, our discussions, movie nights, trips to Train Bridge.  I think what gets me so much is that we act like a family rather than just some kids forced to live together.  We’re always together, helping each other out, recommending new music and films, allowing each other to de-stress.  We act differently from other houses on campus, and we’re closer.

I’ll miss them over the break, and we’ll miss each other.  We may actually visit each other over break, too.  My friend Aaron lives in St. Louis, and we may meet up at some point.  Speaking of which, he recently did some modelling work for Mother Models.  I’ll copy in the link to his photos with Valeska.  Take a peek.

http://www.corridor40.com/2009/11/editorials/days-of-future-passed

That’s about it, though.  I’ll be going back to my jittering now.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill that included a public option for those who cannot afford private health insurance. As the debate roared on, the Republican opposition to this “government run health care” option became louder and louder. Democrats in the Senate should not fear the virulent conservative rage and press forward with the public option in their own bill. If we can get the public option created, there is little chance that it will ever be demolished.

Standing before the Democratic convention that nominated him some 77 years ago, Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged a new deal for the American people. Among the programs brought forth by President Roosevelt was Social Security. Conservatives have berated the program for decades as socialist in nature, yet nothing has been done about it. Seventy-four years have passed, and no Republican congress has yet dismantled the program.

Former President Harry Truman, then 80, was the very first to receive a Medicare card in the United States. A larger part of Johnsons “Great Society,” Medicare was an attempt to ensure that elderly Americans had health insurance long after they were working. Republicans blasted the program as socialized health care, and wanted the federal government to have nothing to do with it. Ronald Reagan saw the program as problematic for future generations and a curtailment of freedom. It has been forty-four years now since the Social Security Act of 1965 was passed, and the program is still around to this day.

These two programs constitute the largest examples of big-government programs in the federal government today. If Republicans were truly the party of no big government, Medicare and Social Security would have disappeared decades ago.

The track record of the Republican party is to fight hard against social programs put forth by the Democrats and then integrate them into their own platform some time later. They make no serious efforts to derail these programs once they are in effect, thus giving up on their “no big-government” attitude.

This is exactly why Senate Democrats must act swiftly to put our foot in the door for universal health care in the future. Once the public option becomes solidified within the federal government, Republicans would never dare touch it. Decimating the program would result in wrenching insurance out of millions of Americans hands. Not even Republicans are that callous.

From there, the program can be expanded to include more and more people. People who are simply fed up with their current, private insurance can switch to the government program. Then the program can be integrated with Medicare so that the poor, the elderly and the disenfranchised can all have reasonable insurance. The option must work in concert with Medicare to safeguard the most at risk in society, so the jump to universal health care will be a short one.

Providing citizens with the ability to receive basic medical services is an essential right, whether it is directly guaranteed by the Constitution or not. Universal health care is not a boogeyman that is out to get the American taxpayer. It is an attempt to create a society in which everyone has equal access to care so that all Americans can be healthy enough to pursue happiness.

Let’s hope the Senate does the right thing and keeps the option in the final bill so that perhaps we can make true progress for the first time in forty-four years.

Since I’ve had my own shop on Etsy, I’ve been spending much more time on there. Too much time. Maybe. Allyson over at The Life of Al does a regular weekly wrap up of her own finds on Etsy, and I love to see what she’s looking at. I usually try only to copy her, in fact, because that’s easier than clicking around blindly all by myself. But if I ever do click around blindly by myself and find something fantastic, you bet your bottom dollar I’m going to share.

So, behold my newest obsession, my one-of-a-kind vintage hair pins from Be Atomic Beauty.

These are created from antique clip-on earrings, which Heather takes apart, and then solders to silver bobby pins. They’re like Ginger Rogers for your hair.

That is, if Ginger Rogers had a very interesting shade of Christmas for a hair color. My, that is unnatural, isn’t it?

My point is, I think these beautiful hair pins would look fabulous in even the most natural of hair colors, so don’t let that jolly shade deter you. Heather also has bracelets, rings, necklaces and all manner of vintage wonderfulness. Visit her for great gifts for your loved ones (or yourself – you love yourself!)

On to spelling. I’m an editor and a writer. I’m not going to perch here on my cheap chair and pretend as if I’ve never misspelled a word, but come on, friends. When creating a document using a computer that is enabled with the word processing program Microsoft Word, you’ll find a friendly feature called Spell Check. This feature makes it almost difficult to commit a felony such as this that was sent to me by someone who knew it would give me a migraine:

This sign is like a diet to me. Every time I think I want to eat, I look at it, and I get nauseous. Why couldn’t I have seen this sign before my wedding?

Last but not least, I’m super, super stressed. I have too many things to do and no time to do them in, and for some reason I can’t pull all-nighters like I did in college. My entire body self-destructs at 10:00 PM every night no matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing. So I’ll leave you with this image. If you’re super, super stressed too, imagine yourself hanging out a window with your ears flapping in the wind, because it’s almost Thanksgiving. All this stress can’t follow me to Thanksgiving. I know my mom won’t set a place for it. There’s not enough stuffing.

Happy Wednesday!

“it is very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project”

In my humble opinion, the most ridiculous thing anyone can ever tell you to do is this:

Brush your dog’s teeth.

On Saturday, I took Truman to the vet for a flu shot. He scampered after the vet tech to the back rooms, even though shots are the only thing that ever happen in the back rooms. I don’t think he’s dumb, I just think he loves attention so much that he’ll take it any way he can get it, even if it means taking a needle to the hind end.

I have never known anyone that likes attention that much. Nope. Not one single person. I just can’t relate.

When he came back, just as thrilled to be alive as he had been before, the vet tech said, “Um, Truman has some stage one tartar on his teeth.”

I shrugged guiltily, but what I really thought was, “And?” I mean, do herd dogs on the ranch care about tartar? Do sled dogs think about about gingivitis? What about guard dogs? Just because my dog has a selection of seasonal sweaters, I have to care about tartar?

We all looked at Truman, who was busily hopping all over a gigantic German Shepherd sitting placidly in the corner.

“Have you met Truman?” I asked. “It’s a little difficult to get him to sit still long enough to brush his teeth.”

The vet tech smiled knowingly. “He is a bit of a wiggle worm.”

A bit? She knows nothing of Truman. NOTHING. Truman is no wiggle worm. Truman is a wiggle Tyrannosaurus Rex.

He has also learned to work his paws like hands. If someone invents a thumb implant for dogs, we’re done for.

But, what can you do when your dog is in a collared shirt and you’re getting lectured on his oral hygiene? You can’t make a case for how important his job is, how he can’t take time away from the cattle to attend to his molars. You just hang your head, buy some chicken liver-flavored toothpaste, go home, and ask your husband to brush his teeth.

Because those are your responsibilities. And that is what being an adult is all about.

Last month I visited Kansas City for the weekend, and I finally got around to editing the photos I took while there!  I got some great shots of the Truman Library and the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum.

For a slideshow of all of the photographs, click here!

Duane Hanson, Museum Guard, 1975. Polyester, Fiberglass, oil and vinyl

Wolfgang Laib, Without time-Without Place-Without Body. At the Nelson Atkins Museum.

Empty Exhibit in the Nelson Atkins

Statue of President Truman

Perry Smith mode…

PS- fetiche? sim, ultra weird? ok, just me…

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As the health care debate crescendos, it is difficult to pinpoint where the health care debate lost its way. Perhaps it never truly began in the right direction in the first place. So much anger is being directed at a potential public option and those who are uninsured that some of the most pressing issues — those of medical inflation and warped incentives built into the system — are often overlooked.

And why? Perhaps because they are more complex — they require a bit of explanation to understand, whereas soundbites about the levels of uninsured or lies about so-called ‘death panels’ take only a second to comprehend and elicit an emotion. And in the age of breakneck speed information, media outlets often opt for the quick fix, instead of the slow lecture.

If you have an hour, check out the “The American Life” podcast “Someone Else’s Money” for an excellent diagnosis of what is at stake in the health care issue.

So what should (in my opinion) a health care reform bill address? Well, the first thing I think the health care system needs is the average person to be more invested in their health care consumption.

Much of the problem of rising costs results from health care consumers not realizing the massive costs their health care entails — if people are more invested in the costs of their health care, they will take more care to avoid unnecessary treatments that they would otherwise order because the costs are invisible to them.

There are two philosophically opposing positions in regards to solving this problem (and from those two positions, a myriad of different solutions).

1. Wean the health care system off the employer basis on which it currently rests.
2. Continue the employer-based system, but reform how it works.

I’m mainly going to focus on the second. Theoretically, the money an employer contributes toward a worker’s health care belongs to that worker. However, the worker never sees that money — they only focus on their out-of-pocket expenses. To them, the money their employer contributes to their health care is invisible, except in cases of contract disputes and the like. Abolishing the employer-based system would call for this money to make its way into workers’ pockets, to allow them to pay for their own insurance (this, in turn, requires something like the currently proposed Health Insurance Exchange, but we’ll get to that in a moment).

That model, I think, is largely unrealistic. Although that money theoretically belongs to the worker, I don’t think it would work that way in practice. Instead, employees could have individual Health Care Accounts, into which their employers contribute. In the account lies all the money employers and the individual worker contributes. He/she can then spend the money in their account any way they see fit, as long as it is on health care. In this way, employees will be more invested in how their funds are spent, and will make more effective choices, like they do in other aspects of life. You’ll have more control over your health care than you do right now (since now, employers largely control which plans you can choose from), and you’ll be more aware of the costs, which should help stem the tide of medical inflation. Also, you can transfer funds from your Health Care Account to other people’s accounts (such as your spouse, children, etc…) if you want, and any funds you have left over after you pass away will not simply disappear, but can, for instance, be transferred to your child’s account.

Of course, this model also requires the creation of a Health Insurance Exchange — essentially a market in which insurance providers compete for people’s business. This will curb medical inflation and reduce costs as people gravitate toward the plans that will offer more and cost less. Providers will compete to give consumers what they want (as they do in other areas of our economy). This will get costs under control, and even reduce them. The competition will nullify the need for any kind of public option, which will in turn save a lot of money (though, if you want, there could be legislation for a “Public Option Trigger” which would kick in on a state-by-state basis if health care is unaffordable).

You can even allow Medicare- and Medicaid-eligible people to opt into a Health Care Account, and the government will contribute certain amounts to their accounts, based on their income. This will also help solve an issue that occurs with Medicaid, in which people who make over the threshold amount needed to be eligible for Medicaid instantly lose their Medicaid coverage. This threshold trigger encourages people not to make too much money, lest they be thrown from the Medicaid program and unable to afford health care. Gradating the amount a person on Medicaid receives will allow people to be weaned off of Medicaid as they make more money, not instantly tossed off.

Tort reform should take place — protecting doctors from expensive lawsuits that scare them into over-prescribing for their patients (which drives up prices).

Allow generic drugs onto the market earlier (give only a 5-year exclusivity to the original) — this will allow cheaper alternative for people, and drive Pharmaceutical companies to the next big discovery, instead of allowing them to coast by on 12 years per discovery.

As prices fall, more people will hopefully be able to afford medical care. The government can make income placed into the Health Care Accounts untaxed, which will encourage people to contribute into their own accounts.

A major issue are people with pre-existing conditions. There are a few ways to deal with this — you could legislate that no one can be barred from getting insurance due to a pre-existing condition, or you could give a tax break to insurers who carry people with pre-existing conditions and penalize via taxes those insurers who do not carry people due to pre-existing conditions (and distribute that tax money into the Health Care Accounts of those who are unable to purchase health care due to pre-existing conditions). In this way, insurance companies will have more of an incentive to carry those with pre-existing conditions, and those who aren’t carried are still aided. If the second option is to work, however, the taxes need to be high — the insurance companies need to have a strong enough incentive to take on such people and, if they decide not to, the taxes will have to provide enough revenue to fund the Health Care Accounts of the uncovered.

For those who, right now, do not buy health care of their own volition (mainly, young people), they will be able to contribute into their personal Health Care Accounts at their own speed, and accumulate money to use on health care for their futures. The responsibility for these people is thusly on themselves to decide which course they want to take — buy affordable health care through the exchanges, put away (untaxed) health care money into their accounts in case they need it or for their future, or they can take a gamble and do nothing.

As per those who can afford health care, but decide to take the gamble and do nothing, and then get injured and drain taxpayer money in the emergency room, there could be a deficit placed on their health care accounts that would be paid off incrementally through future taxes on that individual. This will retain free choice, but not penalize everyone at the expense of the few. It will also encourage people to purchase health insurance, just in case.

These are just a few reforms to help increase competition in the health care system and make it more affordable for everyone, while retaining the drive for ingenuity and efficiency.

Medicaid and Medicare also need their own reforms, to put them on the path to solvency, but that’s for another blog post.

“The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know“

- Presidente Harry S. Truman (1884-1972)

I am really excited about this, the Health Care bill narrowly passed in the House by just 5 votes 220 -215.  Now its off to the Senate, fingers crossed.  We are so close to a goal that we have been trying to attain since the Truman administration, for the first time since the election over a year ago, I am very optimistic about the way things are going now.