http://homepage.mac.com/agraham999/iblog/B652642334 The worthless musings of a person whose opinion of his work is much higher than the actual value. All rights reserved. Thu, 29 Jan 2004 15:34:08 -0500 Thu, 29 Jan 2004 15:36:38 US/Eastern iBlog 1.3.4 What's Wrong With This Picture?

My friend James pointed out to this photo regarding Bush signing the Partial Birth Abortion ban. And as he pointed out, there isn't one woman up there...just a bunch of white, smug, self serving, ultra conservative male alpha dogs. I assume all the women were in the kitchen where they belong.

In this case, their bite is worse than their bark.

And guess who was in the audience...



No surprises here.

Later Falwell went on to write about his experience at the signing of the bill on his website (which most news agencies failed to pick up on):

However, I can report to you that President Bush is just as adamant about fighting to defend the rights [code for religious right] of unborn children who cannot defend themselves against this horrifying procedure.

In a private meeting with President Bush following the signing ceremony in the Ronald Reagan Building on Wednesday, seven pro-life leaders and I had the privilege [we paid for through donations] of meeting with President Bush in an Oval Office gathering.

In this meeting, President Bush gallantly [arrogantly] declared that his administration would put all of its resources behind the partial-birth abortion ban in the courtroom.

Attending the meeting were Janet Parshall, author and host of the nationally syndicated radio broadcast “Janet Parshall’s America,” Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Dr. Jack Graham, former SBC President Dr. Adrian Rogers, American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, National Religious Broadcasters President Frank Wright, National Association of Evangelicals President Ted Haggard, and President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Dr. Richard Land.

After having a wonderful time of fellowship with President Bush, the president asked if we could all join hands and pray that God will bless our efforts to preserve life in our land [allow us to do whatever we want].

What an astounding moment this was for me personally. Standing there in the Oval Office I felt suddenly humbled to be in the presence of a man — our president — who takes his faith very seriously and who seeks the prayers of his friends as he leads our nation.

Following the prayer, I told [threatened] President Bush the people in the room represent about 200,000 pastors and 80 million believers [voters] nationwide who consider him not only to be our president but also a man of [our] God.

He humbly turned to me and replied, “I’ll try to live up to it. [I'll count on your vote, master]”

--------

However you feel about abortion...I think this is highly suspicious and self-serving.

]]> Fri, 07 Nov 2003 12:10:48 -0500 Wife: "You think we'll have sex again?"

Wife: "You think we'll have sex again?"
Me: "You and me?"
Wife: "Yes you and me! You were perhaps planning to have sex with someone else?"

My wife and I walk around the house, like ghost ships that pass each other through the night. I wake at 10am, drink some coffee, eat lunch, go up to my office, work until 5pm while my wife cares for the baby. I make dinner, we watch tv, we chit chat. At 9pm my wife goes to bed and I watch the baby (while working) until 2 or 3am. I wake my wife, we kiss. I help her set up for the last shift. I go to bed.

Sometimes it seems we are strangers who occupy the same space. We're so tired...and without a doubt, being a parent is the hardest job...ever...on the whole fucking planet. And I miss my wife...but I know this won't last...it will get better...and I'm just glad we spent five years building a strong relationship before attempting this...or we'd never have made it.

On the other hand...every morning when I get up...I get to see this face...



and it just doesn't seem quite so hard.

]]> Sun, 02 Nov 2003 23:00:14 -0500 So I'm writing this book and the subjects of this book take me to lunch at this fancy restaurant. I glance over at the lunch buffet and I see this guy looking it over...

...he heads over to the soup section and starts to examine his choices. He looks at one...then the other. Then he takes the ladle from one of the soups, dips it into the soup, retrieves it, then proceeds to pick something out of the ladle and put it in his mouth. And it seems the soup was not to his liking, because he got a salad instead.

]]> Sun, 12 Oct 2003 23:25:25 -0400 I'm now blogging over at O'Reilly. You can find my author page here, and all my O'Reilly blogs will be found here. There are a number of technology items I generally want to discuss or talk about...and I'd like them to receive the largest possible audience. Whenever I have a new blog entry on O'Reilly, I'll point to it from this blog.

NM

]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2003 12:21:45 -0400 The comments posted in response to my recent entries about socialized medicine have been divided into two camps.

There are those who believe that somehow healthcare and insurance is an issue of personal responsibility. They seem to follow the line that any socialized program would be a violation of the basic tenants of our free market system. They remark that they don't want the government taking more of their hard earned money to fund the care of someone else. This camp also points to other socialized medical systems as failures (although no one can name one). Some people from this camp have made comments that were knee jerk reactions, which had no actual basis of fact...and failed to do the research to back those statements.

Then there is the other camp. These folks believe that the health and welfare of our citizens, is as important as any other civil right. They believe that in a civilized society, the government should progress and do more to advance the well being of it's citizens, instead of just maintaining the status quo. Also interesting is that many of the folks who support this argument, actually live in countries where they provide this so called horrible socialized medicine.

I believe the first camp:

a) can afford medical insurance (I can't).
b) have never experienced a catastrophic loss of income or insurance (I have).
c) have never seen their insurance company tell them or a loved one they can't have a certain treatment (I have).
d) never faced losing everything they owned due to an illness (I have).
e) never taken care of a terminally ill family member for a year and watched their insurance run out (I have).

In the tradition of beating a dead horse (my last entry on this subject)...but continuing a strong and exciting argument...I have some more to say...

A physician recently posted comments discussing how bad the idea of socialized medicine is, and his own experiences in dealing with the VA...and I certainly won't defend the VA. However, I think that the VA medical system is in such a shambles because the government historically has never given a damn about the quality of care and the proper funding required to make it a good system. They also rely heavily on their own medical facilities and have no incentive to be competitive or excel. They also don't answer to the people they serve.

However...

Are you telling me our current system is the best? Are you telling me that this is the best we will ever get...because I propose to you that the insurance system has had it's way for umpteen years...and the medical establishment is in more trouble than ever:

-Drug prices have skyrocketed. Drug companies tell you that they have huge R&D and advertising costs...all the while their profits climb to record levels and their executives make money hand over fist. They wine and dine the medical establishment to push their drugs down peoples throats. The drug companies actually allowed people to die in Africa because they refused to lower their prices on AIDS drugs. And yet, other countries have been able to place cost controls on drug prices.

-If it weren't for the socialized Medicaid/Medicare programs, there would be millions of retired seniors on SS who couldn't afford to pay for insurance, much less co-payments and drugs costs. In fact, most senior drugs aren't just quality of life issues, but critical to life. We are talking about seniors making decisions about eating or buying drugs that keep their heart from stopping. The average seniors drug costs are over $6,000 a year.

-Insurance companies regularly dictate the treatment options available to you and cap your coverage.

-Medical malpractice insurance costs are through the roof.

I'm not asking for the government to operate the medical industry. I'm asking for them to pay for coverage. Medicare/Medicaid may not be perfect, but whenever my grandfather has needed treatment, he gets treatment. He gets to choose which clinic he wants treatment from. He even had in-home medical care when he got sick once.

Whenever you hear the word "socialized medicine," people shudder from this belief that is based on some planted horror stories of long lines and poor care. I'm not entirely sure that these arguments are 100% accurate...or just a farce to promote the status quo. Yes, I am sure these situations exist in some instances, but we're the fucking USA...can't we do better? Are you telling me that the insurance companies are better at providing or deciding on care? I don't think so. Their interest is not in providing the best care, but providing the cheapest care...they are a business after all. One example (along with drug companies) of a free market out of control.

We have many models to look at around the world, but people want you to believe that it has to be the same situation here. They are telling you that we, the American people, cannot solve this problem...we cannot learn from the mistakes of other nations and build a better system. Should Russia abandon the free market system and go back to the way it was, simply because it didn't work out for them...or should they keep trying?



My Alternative Healthcare System
By Alan Graham

This is a basic overview of what I would like to see made available to the citizens of this nation. Sure, there will be problems and issues that need to be dealt with, but I believe these issues can be worked out and smarter people than I can find the right solutions.

-Government collects a tax from your check (instead of your employer taking out $$ for insurance). That money goes into a single pay system. Everyone has a Medicaid type card.

-Employers no longer have the expense of providing care.

-Hospitals and clinics are private. They still have to compete with each other for business. And since they no longer answer to the insurance companies, they have to compete on the merits and quality of their care.

-Hospitals are open to government research grants and grants to improve their care. They can also receive private grants.

-When seeking treatment, you simply make an appointment at your clinic of choice...give them your card. Medical records are available through a central private database repository...and can be accessed no matter where you go for care. Only medical workers are allowed to see that data.

-Government enforces price controls on materials.

-Since you've just added 60 million new customers...there will be enormous growth within the industry. We will obviously need to make investments into the industry for infrastructure, but it will attract more medical professionals. More small clinics will be able to compete with larger clinic systems.

-Paperwork issues become a thing of the past. I know we are talking about beurocracy here, but it has to reduce the paperwork and manpower of tracking multiple insurance companies for patients. The cost of dealing with 5-6 different companies and their policies is much more complex than one system and one set of forms.

-Ease for the consumer and peace of mind. You have a patient bill of rights. You know what you get. You don't have to worry about switching jobs, or losing insurance if you lose your job.

-The government provides medical malpractice. You don't have to sue a doctor...you have a hearing. If there was malpractice...and it was criminal...they pull the coverage of that physician and he loses his license..and can't just move to another state and setup practice. If you are injured due to malpractice, you receive a settlement...and that settlement is capped at a certain amount depending on the injury...plus...a lot of medical settlements are for continued costs of dealing with the injury...but that isn't necessary because you still have full coverage...you will be taken care of. Also, if it was criminal...you are allowed to sue the doctor in a civil suit.

-No more insurance fraud. Now while some clinics or physicians might commit fraud...it won't affect the cost of your coverage. We all know that fraud is one major issue that causes our rates to go up.

-The type of treatment you receive is not based on the government or insurance company telling you what you will have. The physician can choose the best treatment. The AMA or some national group of Physicians can have a panel that approves certain treatments based on their safety.

-Preventative care. Each person is allowed a certain amount of doctor and dentist visits each year for preventative care. Preventative care will reduce the cost of medical care by catching things before they become serious. A simple visit to the dentist could reveal pre-cancerous cells which removed now...would not only save a life...but save hundreds of thousands of dollars in cancer treatment.

-Education. One part of this program is to teach children how to take better care of their health from a young age.

-By providing good preventative and regular medical care...we could eliminate many common diseases. We could have an impact on obesity, heart disease, cancer, infections, diabetes...basically eliminating many of the healthcare crisis which are hurting so many people in this country.

Of course these are just ideas...and there are problems with any solution...but I think the above is doable...and we can make it work.

]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2003 13:35:28 -0400 My mother died at 32.

One night we were at a friend's house for dinner. My mother became very ill and they rushed her to the emergency room. The next day they told me she had cancer. I was 12.

For the next year I watched her transform from the vibrant woman I knew, into the ghost of someone who I no longer remembered.

Her first day home from the hospital, there was a short moment when I was the only one in the house. I heard my mother cry out to me and I went to see what was wrong. She had yet to get the hang of her colostomy, and she needed my help to stop the feces pouring out from the gash in her side. It was the size of a vacuum cleaner hose. Something took over, and my normally squeemish constitution was set aside as I ran back and forth from the bathroom sink, washing out the rag and returning.

The treatments ravished her body.

One day I was home and a close friend was attending her. She went into a seizure and nearly bit her tongue off. She was vomiting and there was blood everywhere. I was 12.

I spent more time that year living in hospitals than in school. My friends were nurses. I spent my time wandering the secret passages and halls of the hospitals. I avoided my mother. I was frightened to be near her. My grandmother would always make me hold her hand. I remember when they gave her medical marijuana in a pill. She was out of control and I was terrified to be near her.

One day, during a particularly bad snowstorm, someone with a four-wheel drive truck came to get me from home and take me to the hospital. I remember the room. I remember where everyone stood. I remember watching her take her last breath. And for the first time in a year, I cried. I sobbed uncontrollably. I eventually passed out.

I remember going to the funeral home for the private viewing. I saw her lifeless, plastic body, unnaturally posed. My grandmother pushed me towards her. "Give your mom a kiss." I was mortified. Then there was the reading of the Rosary. And then came the public funeral. And then the flight back to Wisconsin. Another reading of the Rosary. Another public viewing. Another church service. And finally the burial. I refused to leave the car.

Three weeks later is was Christmas. I was 13.

Then the bills came. The fear of losing the house. Possibly having to move. We liquidated many things. We lost many things...and my stepfather and I drifted apart.

----

For years I carried the shame and guilt of not being a better son. Of not spending more time with her. I could have done better. One day I finally cracked open the journal she kept during the experience. She didn't see it the same way. She remarked on how brave I was. She was sad that she missed my birthday (the only one). She was proud of me.

And so...I was able to let it go...and start to heal.

----

I turned 32 this year. My mother died at 32. I have a baby daughter. Her middle name is the same as my mother's...my grandmother's, my great grandmother. I've been very fortunate to know some of the greatest women in the world...and the line continues...




Emry Ann Graham

]]> Fri, 03 Oct 2003 15:25:46 -0400 This creeps me out...

I recently dug up some old CD's and converted them to MP3. I ran across a The The album...and as I was ripping the file, the music was playing. I heard this track after perhaps 10 years...and realized that 14 years since it's first release...not much has changed.

Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)

Are you ready for Jesus?
Uh huh
Buddha?
Yeah
Muhammad?
Ok
Well, I like this
Let's Go

They're 5 miles high as the crow flies
Leaving vapour trails against a blood red sky
Moving in from the East towards the West
With Balaclava helmets over their heads, yes

But if you think that Jesus Christ is coming
Honey you've got another thing coming
If he ever finds out who's hi-jacked his name
He'll cut out his heart and turn in his grave

Islam is rising
The Christians mobilising
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

It's war, she cried
It's war, she cried
This is war
Drop your possessions all you simple folk
You'll fight them on the beaches in your underclothes
You'll thank the good Lord for raising the Union Jack
You'll watch the ships sail out of harbour
And the bodies come floating back
Watch the ships sail out of harbour
And the bodies come floating back

But if you think that Jesus Christ is coming
Honey you've got another thing coming
If he ever finds out who's hi-jacked his name
He'll cut out his heart and turn in his grave

Islam is rising
The Christians mobilising
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

"Get the gun, get the gun, get the gun"
"Stay away from the gun, stay away from the gun"

If the real Jesus Christ were to stand up today
He'd be gunned down cold by the CIA
Oh, the lights that now burn brightest behind stained glass
Will cast the darkest shadows upon the human heart
But God didn't build himself that throne
God doesn't live in Israel or Rome
God doesn't belong to the yankee dollar
God doesn't plant the bombs for Hezbollah
God doesn't even go to church
And God won't send us down to Allah to burn
God will remind us what we already know
That the human race is about to reap what it's sown

Islam is rising
The Christians mobilising
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds
The world is on its elbows and knees
It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds

Armageddon days are here again
Armageddon days are here again
Armageddon days are here again
Armageddon days are here


"It's saying that God doesn't commit these evil acts. The things that are committed in the name of God are not God's doing. They're just mankind's doing. All this wickedness is the animal nature of man being expressed. There is no Satan. The Devil lives in the human heart. The only devil is the human ego or the lower nature of man. The God that inspired the prophets is the one God no institution or religion has a monopoly on. That same force is here today for anyone to use it. God is not a relic from the past. It's a human birthright. I feel very strongly about the misuse of God as a tool for suppressing humanity, which is what it's been used for throughout the centuries."

-Matt Johnson/The The
Melody Maker 1989
------------



When this album first came out in 1989, I had just graduated HS and was off to college. I didn't know (or care) anything about Israel, Palestine, or the Middle East in general. In fact, I'm sure that prior to September 11, most Americans had their heads up their ass about the world. I'll admit that I first started to get concerned about the Middle East around the time the Taliban was destroying anything that they perceived as a threat to Islam (although Allah can take care of himself). I just couldn't believe that a governing power could be so backwards.

We all had a wake-up call on September 11 regarding our place in the world and the general stability of developing (and some developed) nations. We've learned that a governing theology (Iran) can be as dangerous as any governing ideology (North Korea).

I believe that Islam can be dangerous, in the wrong hands. I believe the same for Christianity. Any religion or idea can be twisted to fit the desires of a small group of people, at the expense of the greater population. This is why preserving the secular aspects of our nation are so important. The far right see no trouble with allowing prayer in school...or allowing religious faith to creep into our governing principles. On this ideal, many Christians are united. The problem is that they are only united now...what happens when they get their way, and then the cracks begin to appear in the facade? We have seen this before in this country.

How many different factions of Christianity are there? According to census data from 1995, there are over 150 different Christian denominations (including 19 different Baptist groups), and we know that number is low because every time there is a disagreement within a congregation, some group splinters off to form another. This same thing happens within Islam...who is the true Prophet?

This instability within two of the world's largest and most influential faiths goes to show you that ruling by religion is unstable and unreliable. You simply cannot legislate morality...you must teach it. A secular nation does not limit the individuals right to worship. Just because you cannot put the Ten Commandments into a Federal Court, doesn't mean your freedom to worship has been threatened. Last time I checked, you were still free to worship at home, on the street, in a Church, in your car, and most importantly, in your heart. The right made an awfully big stink about prayer in school...but I don't remember anyone saying that you were not allowed to pray to yourself. To some people, praying out loud is as offensive as someone who reads out loud.

When I was in 7th grade, I had a crazy Industrial Arts teacher who was trying to ban the works of Mark Twain from the Junior High library. Before each class he had a moment to say the Pledge of Allegiance. He told us we didn't have to participate, but went on to imply (and actually used the word) that we were communists. I was really upset that a person would tell a group of 13 year olds that they were un-American, unless they did what he perceived to be a show of American Patriotism. Personally, I didn't have any issue with the Pledge of Allegiance, but I knew in my heart that what he was doing was wrong. And so I refrained from joining the rest of the class...and I also joined the fight against his book ban. In another defiant move, I decided I would not date his hot daughter, even if she were to ask me (which she didn't).

I submit to the Christian right, that if an Islamic public school teacher got up in class and taught to the kids that Islam was the true faith, and that any attack on Islam was wrong...you would have their head on a spike. "How dare they teach my children about such things." But that is exactly what happens when you allow any faith to infringe on the civil rights of other people.

Religion belongs in your homes and in your hearts.

]]> Fri, 03 Oct 2003 14:10:06 -0400

I've got a cold, baby has her first cold...and my wife will probably soon follow. Um...I never knew how much I loved sleeping until I was unable to get more than two consecutive hours.

]]> Thu, 02 Oct 2003 12:34:54 -0400 If you read yesterdays post...I'd add to it by pointing you to this news piece. Essentially...

The ranks of the uninsured swelled by 2.4 million last year as insurance costs kept rising and more Americans lost their jobs and health care coverage.

and

A survey released this month from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy research group, found that private health premiums increased 13.9 percent between 2002 and 2003. A family policy, on average, cost $9,068.

If those damn uninsured people would just get off their asses and prioritize, they could get health insurance...just too lazy I guess.

sigh

]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2003 12:51:50 -0400 A lot of people responded to my short essay on why I felt this nation has failed it's citizens. Some of the responses were supportive of my ideas and others were not...but I wanted to respond to everyone who wrote their thoughts in a manner that wasn't restricted to a small comments window. So here goes...

I wrote this in a bit of a rush...but have at it...

Although many may argue the point, I believe that nature, is by definition, progress. Everything about our physiology and ecology denotes progress. To that, I add that our human nature speaks volumes as to why we must progress or die. This occurs on many levels, philosophically, socially, scientifically, etc. Part of progressing socially is that we must always be thinking of the advancement of our society. Our Bill of Rights and Constitution provide us with the protection and resources to ensure our progress, but they are not the end point at which we stop, simply the framework to try new things and go forward.

I propose to you that the Constitutional amendments were created and ratified because we progressed as a society. Others will tell you that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights give us the only rights we deserve as members of a society. But that argument is flawed, as both documents only work as a framework for where we as a society choose to go, which is why the Constitution is open to change. They do not limit us to certain rights and protections because our forefathers knew they must build a living breathing document which could change as society changed.

Because they trusted us to do the right thing

So I want you to ask yourself a couple of questions:

Q: Should the health and welfare of our citizens be a right to everyone regardless of their income, or should it be a privilege to only those which can afford it?

Q: Should our society (which is radically moving from industrial to technical) put an emphasis on education and provide an education to anyone who desires one, or should it only be available to those who can afford it?

Q: Should the destitute, working poor, or middle class bear more of a tax burden than the rich?

Now that I have made the statement above, I'll will attempt to remark on the comments left by others here. I've placed their comments in italics. And since they were harsh with me...I will be equally so.

The point is this: the responsibility of the government is NOT to make you feel good -- including your health. The responsibility of the government is to take care of those things that the best-intentioned individuals couldn't *possibly* take care of themselves: inter-state and municipal electrical systems; the mail; national and local defense, etc.

This is the type of argument that I find very interesting. It is the idea that the government has no responsibility to it's citizens other than to pave roads and deliver the mail. While we live as individuals in this nation, we also live in a society, which can define how it chooses to represent and take care of it's citizens. The Constitution does not mandate that the government should not take care of the people within the borders of this nation. While people will tell you that the forefathers never intended for the nation to function with a social conscious, I will argue that is exactly why they wrote these documents. In fact, the proliferation of the word "God" throughout our government denotes the idea of a social conscious and responsibility. In fact, the Bill of Rights and Constitution are probably the most important statements on the social welfare of a society in the history of the world.

You say that you cannot afford the additional $1200/year for your own coverage -- I suggest that if both you and your wife are working, as you say, that you could if you made it a priority -- you just don't. And I say that without knowing the details of your situation or finances.

Right, you say that without knowing the details of our situation or finances, which is why I can't believe you even opened your mouth. Until you know the intimate details of our lives, you have no right to comment, and your ignorance to our situation speaks volumes as to why your argument is weak...since you also don't know the situations of the 60 million people in this nation without healthcare.

Instead of evaluating your priorities, however, you would prefer to whine about the government and muse on Canada or wherever you can receive your socialized medicine. That's the easy way out. If you're a capitalist, as you dubiously claim, then you wouldn't want the government grabbing any more from you to PAY for the socialized medicine. If you think you can't afford the $1200/year for direct coverage, wait till you see what happens to your taxes under a socialized plan. The $1200 will look like a deal.

Okay, let's look at priorities. My priorities are thus:

1. Have a roof over our heads
2. Have food under that roof
3. Pay the utilities and other costs of maintaining a household
4. Have affordable transportation and insurance for it
5. Provide a good life for my newly born daughter who is insured
6. Stay in business so I can continue to earn a living.

After all the above...there isn't much left over...

Yes I am a capitalist...and being a capitalist does not exclude the idea that providing a government subsidized healthcare system is against every capitalist ideal. In fact, I would say to you that small and large business gets more handouts from the government than the poor...is that really a free market? How many Fortune 500 companies have accepted government handouts in times of need? Should we have let the airline industry crumble after 9/11 because the free market will take care of itself? Don't insult my intelligence.

I believe in free markets. But I also believe as a society we must make decisions...decisions on the quality of life that we will provide to our citizens, regardless of their income. And I propose to you that the same rights I want to see for myself, also protect you if for some reason you experienced a catastrophic loss of income and deterioration of health. At least you would know that they won't take your house to finance your hospital bill. My mother probably paid more taxes than most of you will pay in your lifetime, and yet when she became ill...what did she have to show for it? We lost just about everything.

Sir, I have seen what other nations, who provide healthcare, have done. The tax base for healthcare is set at the same percentage of income for everyone and is capped once you reach that amount each year. For example, in many nations, your healthcare tax caps at perhaps $1,200 a year (regardless of how much you make), at which point you no longer pay another dime for the year...so the idea that a person who makes a large amount of money is paying in excess of his part, is ridiculous. I find your argument dubious that most Americans would pay more than $1,200 in taxes to provide themselves with healthcare benefits. Do the math. Take 200,000,000 people and multiply an additional $1,200 a year in taxes towards healthcare. How much money is there? Enough to wage war and rebuild Syria, Iran, and North Korea.

With skyrocketing healthcare costs, and record profits, salaries, and benefits, I find it hard to believe that socialized medicine would bring the nation to it's knees.


Hope you get that tooth fixed; just not sure I should pay for it if *you* won't.

Who the fuck is asking you? I pay taxes jackass. And it isn't a matter of won't. For one thing, my insurance costs for me and my wife actually hover around $2,400 a year. By the way, that is catastrophic coverage, with a very large deductable. So even if I pay the $2,400, I also have to cough up an additional large payment for my treatment. Even with $2,400 in insurance, that doesn't count a dental rider. Oral surgery will run me in the neighborhood of $2,000 for my particular malady. And if I took the $2,000 to pay for my tooth, I just depleted my income to put towards insurance.


Live below your means; its the only way to build wealth. You can't make money without money.

The government doesn't owe you what your common sense should provide.


Your common sense should provide you with an internal dialogue that prevents you from making ridiculous statements. Live below my means. Um...what do you know about me or my means? What kind of an asinine comment is that? These comments are those that come from someone who doesn't know anything about who you are and what your situation is. Let's talk about means for a moment. We buy powdered milk instead of fresh. This saves us $100 a year. We buy almost everything second hand. We make all our food from scratch and buy everything in bulk. My wife and I don't exchange gifts for Christmas and we make the gifts we give to friends and relative. If we didn't live beneath our means, we'd be living on the streets...but thanks for the advice.

- Our government does provide health care, ever heard of Medicare? Anyone who is in dire need can not be denied medical treatment, that's law. If you are poor you get free medical care in this country (you may have to fill out a few forms and wait in lines, but it's free).

You should do a little more research before you make this comment...because you could not be more wrong. Medicaid/Medicare is not available to anyone who is poor or in financial trouble.

You must be:
1. 65 years old or older, and on Social Security retirement or railroad or civil service retirement.
2. Blind.
3. Disabled and eligible for Social Security disability benefits.

There are a few exceptions for pregnant women and children...but that's it. Also, for your information it is NOT the law that you must be provided with medical treatment.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) says Medicare hospitals with emergency departments are prohibited from inappropriately transferring or refusing to provide medical care to "any individual" with an emergency medical condition. All patients must be screened and those with an emergency medical condition must be stabilized.

So therefore, if you have cancer, only when you become critically ill and show up at the emergency room can you receive treatment...and that means they just have to stabilize you. ten years ago a good friend of mine who worked a full-time job without healthcare benefits got cancer. They would not treat her until she was at deaths door...otherwise she had to come up with $10,000 for surgery that she required. She died. By the time the cancer had progressed to where she qualified for emergency care, it was too late.

I recently went to a free clinic to get medical treatment. I was denied treatment because my income was $250 a month more than their cutoff. However in their great wisdom, they failed to take into consideration that as a self-employed person, I have certain business costs that aren't reflected until the end of each year. That means that even though I qualify for treatment on a yearly basis, since they only look at my monthly income and average it...I don't qualify.

- On taxes you are way off. The fact of the matter is that if you are poor the IRS gives you more money back than they take. If you look at the actual data from the IRS you will find that the top 50% of wage earners pay 96.09% of the taxes. How is that the poor and middle class getting taxed more than the rich. Have you honestly seen a tax law that, when all other things are equal, requires people making 10k a year pay more than people making 50k a year? Most people who make the claims your making don't realize where they fit in the national averages, and think of themselves as low-middle class income when it's really middle-high class income.

Actually not true. I'd like to point out that beyond the income tax rates, there are numerous federal and local taxes that you pay each day on food, telephone, fossil fuels, etc. In fact there are literally thousands of federal taxes you pay each year that you may not even be aware of. The fact of the matter is that someone who makes little money, bears a HIGHER tax burden than the rich. I pay the same taxes that someone who makes millions of dollars on everyday items I need to survive. Those taxes are a larger part of my income than a millionaire. So yes...everyday I see a tax rate that puts the burden on the poor. Someone who makes $10k a year as opposed to a person who makes $50k a year, pays higher percentage of taxes in proportion to their income. The federal and state taxes on gasoline affect the person who makes $20,000 a year much more than the person who makes $80,000 a year.

And while we're talking about the poor, let's put a face to them. Whenever people want to talk about how the poor just want handouts, I'd like to point out that the largest faction of poor in this country are what are considered the "working poor." People who work multiple jobs to eek out a living, but can't seem to get ahead. Are they all just living beyond their means? Or are they the same folks who aren't paid a living wage while they scrub the feces out of the public toilets? You know them...the faceless folks who pick up after you everyday. Are you aware, by the way, that the Federal minimum wage in this nation for a full-time employee is $5.15 per hour? That means the average person making minimum wage would make less than $10,000 a year before taxes. And by the way, only certain companies who make a certain amount in annual sales have to comply to this guideline. The working poor in this country total about 30+ million people...of a nation of roughly 260 million. Currently in our nation, there are over 60+ million people in this country without any healthcare coverage at all.

Folks, the government and society of this nation is whatever we choose for it to be. That's it...no mystery. Nowhere in the Constitution does it prevent us from providing benefits to all of our citizens, not just the poor. It is really up to you. I've been poor, rich, poor, rich and poor. I've seen both sides of the coin. It isn't a matter of just pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. Life is more complicated than that...and there is a story behind each statistic. It's easy to look at numbers and forget that there are actual people behind them.

We are the richest nation in the world...we can do better...and those who make the argument of "every man for himself" just expose themselves as the selfish people they are.

]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2003 13:38:24 -0400 My latest book may not be ready in time for Christmas...but you have Apple to blame for that...

Okay, I can't actually blame Apple...but I want my book to reflect the changes in Panther, and Apple is still making changes, so I really can't turn the book into the publisher until I am satisfied it will reflect the most accurate information.

Now about the book:
There sure are a lot of Mac books out there, and I'm well aware that folks don't want to spend $27.97 willy-nilly. This book, however, is the ultimate guide to things you never thought you were capable of. There are a lot of reference books, OS books, hard core geek books...but not much in the realm of someone with geek tendencies, who just wants to do more with their computer...but thinks Unix is super scary.

The book contains a lot of topics that don't justify their own book or chapter, but gosh darn it...people want to do them. You'll learn to easily setup your own web server, Internet radio station, home automation, networking, live video broadcasts (with audio), VHS to DVD, LP and cassettes to MP3...and much more. Many of these topics have proven to be very popular in my O'Reilly columns .

Every book you purchase is 1/10 of a box of diapers for my new baby, Emry Ann. I will start to beg if you make me.

]]> Mon, 29 Sep 2003 11:52:20 -0400