Our Second Amendment Rights?

There's nothing catchy or witty to write about today after looking at this video- Very disturbing! It's pretty apparent that citizens have to be vigilant on numerous fronts for us to end up, still a Republic, at the end of Four years, hopefully, or Eight years if the voters go to sleep or surrender! We can't assume anything when there are Obama minions working on so many fronts to increase control by the Federal government. This administration apparently can find people like Senator Lugar behind almost any rock who are totally confident that they know what's best for us.
Much like the DC liberals who have "wonderful" ideas for Public Education while continuing to send their own children to private schools, I have no doubt that the provisions under any gun control legislation would exclude our elected officials.

I grew up in an extended family who hunted as a matter of fact. I did too but I haven't fired a gun in the last 25 years. Nevertheless, I recently joined the National Rifle Association, an organization of some strength that gets things done in Washington! Unlike many lobbying organizations, the NRA's membership believes passionately in their rights and they vote to preserve those rights! Could this be the time for you to join up. Until next time, be vigilant.

Say What? You Want Me to Do What?

Can you imagine two Washington bureaucrats talking. Let’s listen in on Ralph and Harry, C.P.S. (i.e. career public servants) as they talk about Medicare…

“Ralph, you know there were millions of folks over 65 we literally gave Medicare coverage to, some even getting coverage for the first time back in 1965. What a fun time! We put 'em under the Social Security system at NO cost back during LBJ’s administration. You remember the Great Society idea that the Democrats were pushing then; guns AND butter, that sort of thing. The USA could afford it all."


"Harry, I remember it differently. We actually charged for the Doctors' part. Can't remember what we charged starting out in '65 but I know in 1971 they were charging $50 a month. That's when my mother enrolled. A real bargain for her as she was getting pretty sick!"

"Those were great times! But now, well, we got to start cutting back. There’s just too many people in the program now and not only that, they’re living too long! We can’t afford them. But how can we do it?"

"Hmmmm.

I know one thing we can do. Let’s start pushing "End of Life" Counseling. Nice ring to it, huh! Kind of a “stealth” approach. Better use the ole "spinmeister" on this one. If anyone asks, just say that we’re going to be counseling the oldsters on living wills and other paperwork, stuff like that. We know these folks are already bummed out over their life anyway, not feeling too good, taking lots of pills and feeling pretty well useless. We could probably even sell them on the idea that an early exit would be the patriotic thing to do! Yes, I bet we can!”


The dialogue is imaginary but the facts are true. The Federal government tried to do what they always try to do-Give things away and get re-elected. Stay tuned, it's going to get more interesting!

Who Can You Trust?

One of the serious fundamental battles going on today, intentionally or unintentionally orchestrated by the present administration is the pitting of the two major age groups against one another. This is particularly troublesome to me as a senior citizen as my group is the most vulnerable and dependent on the good will of the younger generation for our protection and provision.
As long ago as I can remember the debate over the funding of Social Security has simmered, always asking the same basic question, “Will the younger, working class be willing to finance a system that only benefits the older age population?” This question became even more nettling as the costs have gone up, the population has aged and the number of people still working has shrunk in total numbers. The fundamental question regarding Social Security benefits has never been answered satisfactorily. Of course, with the addition of the Medicare program to the Social Security system, this disparity was exaggerated and the shortfall greater.
The introduction of Medicare by LBJ and the Democrats brought millions of U.S. citizens, many covered by health insurance for the first time, into the Federal system without a business-like method of paying for it. (Haven't we heard this song recently?) The new program started out, virtually broke! Many proposed fixes have come and gone without providing any real answers, with each session’s Congress saying let the next session take care of it.
Today, this Administration has come forward with a plan that will fix Social Security and Medicare, once and for all! Even though time is against a simple fix because 1) People are continuing to live longer and 2) There are fewer workers available to pay into the System.
The administration’s plan is simple, elegant and theoretically will work well.
Their plan is to simply convince the older generation that as good Americans, they should expect less from the System and over time their deaths and decreased use of medical facilities will bring the System back into balance, along with the funds to pay for it. In the meantime, the plan calls for massive infusions of money from a bank account that’s busted!

The Universal healthcare bill that every one is talking about has already broken the ice. The idea of Euthanasia and withholding or rationing of treatment based on a set of formulae and boards of review have already been introduced in the proposed plan so that everybody is already getting “comfortable” with the proposed treatment for the old folks. Even the loving child who wrote the above letter to the Dallas Morning News earlier this week probably loves her Granny and Grandpaw, but let’s be practical-This young person sees that her Granny and Grandpaw taking up space and they have to go because, “like Health Care is scarce”!

I sure hope this 17 year old isn’t on the Review Panel when my time comes!

Balkanization of the United States

Mr. Obama doing what he promised when he was elected. He said he would redistribute wealth and privilege, taking from the Haves and giving to the Have-nots, no matter how these assets had originally been acquired. We've seen this redistribution in some of the financial rescues, even down to which auto dealerships would remain open and which are to be closed under the dictate of the Federal Government. This again proves that when dealing with the Government, the adage that "All are equal, but some are more equal than others (if they have friends in D.C.)".


We still have the redistribution of wealth through taxation to look forward to. As predicted, the increased taxation of the Middle and Upper Classes Tax Payers is clearly signaled (but is yet to be disclosed) by Obama and is certain to favor the Lower Class Tax non-payers. Additionally, the commitment of Trillions under the guise of pork-ladened Recovery spending is going to result in the overall pauperization of the U.S. Middle Class. Of course, the Poor will do well with their increased entitlements (with still little or no taxes to pay) and the Wealthy, seeing the future, have already placed much of their own wealth beyond the taxman's reach through clever tax shelters, off-shore investments and other devices. Who does that leave to do the heavy lifting?


Let's see now. His policies have divided the Red states from the Blue, the Patriots from the "One Worlders" and the Young versus the Old. Take a look next time to see how this last division, Young versus Old is playing out in the world we find ourselves in today.

A Look Behind the Curtain

I see where the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett has been roused from his sleep and has raised the alarm that, Yes, we are facing major inflation! “Unchecked greenback emissions will certainly cause the purchasing power of currency to melt,” Buffett said. “The dollar’s destiny lies with Congress.”


Can you believe that it's taken him this long? Of course, Warren has a few Billion (that's with a B) so he's getting prepared by going off-shore in investment with a lot of Berkshire Hathaway cash. If you followed the past presidential campaign, Obama asked Warren for financial advice and because of that apparently, Buffett anounced his support for O. Wow, what a wake up call for Warren when O started throwing around money the U.S. didn't have.


Buffett is followed by the investment community closely and all you have to do is read the financial forums to see how even some of the very sophisticated investment people speak of him in hushed tones, normally reserved for gods from Mount Olympus. Kind of gives credibility to my suggestion in yesterday's blog. If any of you are interested, Buffett's biography, "The Snowball" debunks a lot of the baloney that surrounds him. For an 800+ page book, it's a fun read.

Is it true, can I come out now?

Mr. Fisher, the head of the Federal Reserve here in Dallas, a normally conservative fellow, has declared that the Economy's "healing" process has begun. I believe that this actually means that the U.S. public is beginning to BUY again, the one thing we remain world class in and ahead of any other known country here on earth.

What's it been, a year? Have we learned anything from this, the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression?

I was reading some comments by G.K. Chesterton concerning our World this morning. He said, "The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite...It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is: its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wildness lies in wait."

I believe that this recent trouble tells us that we must begin to measure situations and not let the "experts" make our decisions for us. As adults we need to start depending on our own best assessment, giving it more weight than what "they say". I hope that you agree.

How Texas Demystified Insurance Talk

Last time I promised to write about Texas and how they made health insurance much more understandable. Like other states, Texas is charged with protecting their citizenry against misunderstanding and fraud. Health insurance policies are complicated and if there's a desire to sell a "pig in a poke", it can be easily hidden in the complicated language of the policy form. The Texas Department of Insurance saw this danger and established the following criteria: They require that (1) a short, succinct "Outline of Coverage" be included in the presentation to the prospective policy buyer, written in simple, easy to understand language and (2) any Policy Form, Outline of Benefits, Application, or any advertising material must be processed through a readability test called Flesh-Kincaid Readability test and pass before being approved. The passing results can not be lower than 70.
As a bench mark, here are the examples of some popular publications and their scores. In the Flesch-Kincaid Readability test, higher scores indicate material that is easier to read; lower numbers mark passages that are more difficult to read. Scores can be interpreted as shown in the table below.[1]
Score Notes

90.0–100.0 easily understandable by an average 11-year-old student
60.0–70.0 easily understandable by 13- to 15-year-old students
0.0–30.0 best understood by university graduates

Reader's Digest magazine has a readability index of about 65, Time magazine scores about 52, an average year 7 student's (eleven years) written assignment has a readability test of 60-70 (and a reading grade level of 6-7) and the Harvard Law Review has a general readability score in the low 30s. The highest (easiest) readability score possible is around 120 (e.g. every sentence consisting of only two one-syllable words).
My question is: If a state agency can mandate the use of such a scale, why is the proposed National Health Plan being offered to the U.S. Citizens in the overblown, complicaed form that even its advocates can't explain?

What Are You Suggesting, Sir?

Are we really being seen as reactionaries that pushing back after being fed bad information by those ole insurance companies, the Republican party, the astroturf Tea Party leadership or maybe lobbyists with their even darker agendas ? That could be the point of this cartoon. There certainly are some pretty radical charges and responses being thrown around by both sides! So why the confusion?

Some would see this confusion as being a ploy of the Administration to ram something through that is purposefully hard to understand and that is filled with landmines for us once we accept it. We know that many of our own representatives in D.C. haven't read the proposed bill and have relied solely on their staff's interpretations and their handler's outline of talking points.

Others, being more charitable will say that the benefits and procedures are too complex to understand for the layman and should be left for the professionals to sort out. These may be the same folks who are willing to allow the Federal government to have their way because the government is working in our best interests!

The State of Texas solved the complexity problem of Health Insurance policies some years ago by employing the Flesch–Kincaid readability test, a system that is available and one that could be used to take the mystery out of the proposed National Health plan benefits. Tomorrow I'll give you a more detailed explanation of this nationally respected approach to communication.

Would You Folks of Good Will Please Stand Up?

My cousin and I were exchanging emails the other day about a columnist we both admire, Charles Krauthammer. This man, for those of you who might not be familiar with his work, is one of the lead columnists for the Washington Post newspaper. Other than being probably one of the most coherent writers with clearly Conservative leanings, we agreed that he was also one of the most honest and fair writers we see in the overheated political climate today. He has not fallen victim to the use of Hyperbole instead of Fact or Emotion over Reason.
Later I started thinking about how easy it is to find someone that we agree with and line up behind him or her, forgiving them the use of a little bit of distortion or a phrase that is plain wrong but plays well on youTube or the evening news.
There's a lot of talk about self-reliance but what's going on today is too important to leave to someone else to decide what we should believe. I'm making a pledge to spend at least as much time studying the issues as I spend in front of the TV so that I can make an informed decision. I hope that you will join me.

Is Insurance Hard to Understand?

As a guy who made his living working for these "blood suckers" I am always amazed how everyone outside the insurance industry has the answers as to what's wrong with it. Simplistic answers, it's true, but answers that play well with the public. Mechanically, insurance is a simple mechanism with only one variable that ALL the companies, either Life or Health have to keep in mind when developing a product for the public and that variable is THE PUBLIC. The public is predictable-When they are well, they don't want to pay for insurance but instead they want to see the latest movie, buy a big screen or maybe just take an expensive vacation;Anything but pay those blood-sucking insurance companies for that cheesy sheet of paper that doesn't entertain us, amuse us or even feed us tasty food. After my 40+ years of experience, this group tends to be the young, the healthy and the carefree.
Now, the second group which tends to start at about age 45 are those folks that begin to find they don't feel as good as they used to and that along with other more obvious signs that the ole body is not what it used to be, are more than willing to begin to buy and pay for insurance, the more the better. We've found that over the years, people actually want to use life insurance to create an estate for their children to replace the monies that they should have saved and didn't when they were younger.
Now, here's the simple part. The insurance company is usually either a stock company (owned by their investors) or a mutual company (owned by it's policyholders). There a few other types but are insignificant in size or influence. In either of the two major type companies, there are managers. Their jobs are to make sure that they have more income than outgo. If they get mixed up and their outflo is greater than income, over time the management is replaced.
It is no trick to pay claims but the trick for every company is to entice the young, and presumably healthy lives to remain as policyholders in enough numbers to off-set people like me who not only are older but are almost guaranteed to have health or life claims, sooner or later, probably sooner.
I've often thought that part of the compensation that employees in the insurance companies receive should be called "defamation pay". They are universally cursed and rediculed and come out just above lawyers and used car salesmen in polls of the worst professions in the US.
One more item for you to ponder; Why do you think major corporations pay fees to insurance companies to "administer" their benefit plans, even though the major corporation is actually the insuror of the group. Here's the secret: The insurance company who is employed to keep the bad risks out (and keep the group plan solvent) steps in as the surrogate BAD GUY and takes the shots that would otherwise be directed toward the employer.

Just kidding about being a blood sucker industry. We're pretty good guys; Just ask an widow or someone coming out of the hospital with 80, 90, or even 100% of their treatment covered.

Watch Your Flanks!

There's a strong scent of victory in the air for those of us who oppose the proposed Single Payer(also called Federal Government operated) health plan. Do we have victory or is this thing a multi-headed monster that's going to keep showing up until the brain is replaced!


I believe the latter! How can we seal the victory?


Short term- the pressure must be maintained!-Letters and emails to the legislators, co-ordination with other like-minded citizens, letters to editors and any other opinion makers that can sway public opinion. Use the interet.

Long term-Repeat after me, everyone, "In every Local, State, and National election I will study the issues, vote my conviction for the good of our Country, and I will never vote a "STRAIGHT" ballot, ever again."

Remember-The most dangerous time in any campaign is when victory is declared and everyone relaxes. THAT'S THE TIME TO WATCH OUT FOR A COUNTER-ATTACK!

Does AARP Speak for Me?

The American Association of Retired Persons has placed their organization squarely behind the national health care plan being pushed by the Administration and the Democrats. Even though they reduced the membership age minimum to age 50 some time ago, they still walk, talk, and act as if AARP has the mandate (i.e. mindless support) of the retirees of the United States and speak for a membership of 50,000,000. What would be the benefits of such a claim? As a lobbying organization they certainly get the attention of any legislator and unless refuted, they will maintain to all who will listen that they are the VOICE of the retired American population! Even to their own dues-paying members, this role is promoted. Doesn't it seem odd that a major reason for the growth in the numbers of the AARP membership and the assumed strength this implies is the healthcare and excellent treatment provided to its members under the current system?

It would be a real American success story if the Management (Don't kid yourself, they're not all volunteers!) can transform this little association originally formed years ago to sell insurance to old people into a major servicing organization of the Prescription Drug program or maybe a claims-paying behemoth by supporting the Single Payer plan being promoted by Obama. We can only guess the size of fees that might be generated from such an arrangement. Opportunities are great if you back the right horse even when wearing a phony jersey!

A Hero's Monument

On my blog yesterday, I mentioned that even under intense pressure from their authorities, how some patriots continued to make their presence felt, some even to the point of death. While in Oslo, Norway just a few months ago I snapped the enclosed picture. A pretty site, huh?

Can you believe that only a few decades before, a group of Norwegian patriots were lined up by the Nazis and shot dead on this site because they resisted the rule of their country's conqueror, Adolph Hitler? Thankfully the rule of law here in the United States has not been snuffed out so lawful protest should still be welcomed by our elected representatives. As a proud American, I believe that the orderly demonstrations taking place around our Country are not only legal but should be encouraged by our elected representatives so that they might know our Country's true heart. Speak out, friends, speak out.

Quisling-A term from the Past (Maybe 60 years ago)

A friend just sent over a email reporting our junior senator's objection to the latest faux pas by our new president and his posse. Apparently the administration is objecting to the internet communication between people of like mind who are rejecting the insane terms of the proposed Universal Health plan currently being railroaded through the congress. While many are too young to remember the term QUISLING I have my trusty Webster's right here-This term is attributed to Vidkun Quisling, a Norweigan politican who coorporated with the Nazis back in WWII, resulting in the death of a number of the resistance fighters during that war. (On a side note, I have a photo that I took about three months ago of a memorial in Oslo dedicated to these fallen patriots). Quisling simply informed on his fellow Norweigans and collaborated with the Nazis. Later this term was applied to any nationality that did the same.


On Thu, 8/6/09, Senator John Cornyn <newsletter@cornyn.enews.senate.gov>



Either this is an example of arrogance from the Oval Office or bad management of what some have called Chicago thuggery practiced by an un-named staff person without supervision.

In His Own Words

How do you tell a Politician is lying? Answer: His lips are moving! Watch this unless the gov. has taken off:
www.breitbart.tv/uncovered-video-obama-explains-how-his-health-care-plan-will-eliminate-private-insurance

Another day older and ...............

A good Sunday so far. Church this morning and a lively discussion over the proposed Health Care package during lunch with some good friends. Much like trying to find anyone who will admit to voting for him, I can't find anyone that trusts what Obama's Health Care bill will provide to the average citizen. As far as the people who will vote the final compromise into law, who knows what they are thinking? Reminds me what somebody said the other day, "The reason congressmen work so hard to be re-elected is so they don't have to live under the laws they write for us!" As an older American, I just hope that the cost of keeping me alive and healthy does not exceed the government's guidelines. Does this worry anyone but me?

Concern for the World and its sojourners

Each day after I read the morning newspaper I feel like the last man on shore as I watch the rest of the world leave on a boat! A generally happy and reasonably satisfied individual, I am becoming more and more uncertain as to my fitting in here.

Over time (of which I've spent many years) I seen myself move into a more decidedly minority position. The values that prevail no longer are mine, the entertainment in public venues are so over-amped as to actually be painful to my ears (as is the content in many cases).

If I were to try to diagnose my self, I would write in "Paranoid". But, am I really?

The new reality that we see and read is that even though being overweight is unhealthy and leads to Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Stroke, Diabetes and other complications, it's OK and the US should continue to medicate itself by over-eating!

I just got back from the Baltic states and all I saw were physically fit nationals jogging, biking, and walking. What I didn't see were overweight people (except for US tourists like me). Sorry for this rant. I promise that I'll get off the soapbox next time.