Hysteria

I have watched very little television this summer....except to have HGTV on in the background...with an occasional glance at what they're doing. So I have not been listening to the "gloom and doom" of the status of our country.......the economy, the bail-outs, the health reform bill, etc. Of course, I hear the bullets that come on before the news or the constant talk on CNN or Fox if I happen to come into the room when Chuck has that on. But, I do not listen to that stuff.

All "that stuff" is driven by our 24 hour media stations and they ramp it up to near hysteria. I would like to think I don't have my head buried in the sand....but rather, I am choosing to not go down that dark, depressing road. I had to learn to stay in the day (my kids are rolling their eyes right now...because that is my mantra and they've heard it so much) and enjoy the moment at hand.

Yesterday, I enjoyed the company of my co-workers and before long, politics was brought up. I am not political. I think of politics as a football game. One team is always going to win......and never will the two teams compromise. Can you just imagine football players on opposing teams in a huddle together saying..."you guys can win the game....we'll play a while, then let you have the game's win on your record."

Our country is in financial and moral trouble. And there are 2 teams, liberals and conservatives, fighting over how to fix it. And I am just old enough to know that this has been going on for years. Years and years. And years.

I have my own beliefs based on my life's experiences. I was still a young girl when the Viet Nam war was going on and I can clearly remember the daily body count being shown on the evening news. It was disturbing for me then and I can't even wrap my brain around it now. So therefore, I do not believe we should be in a war. No war. No where. Is that naive? Maybe. But it's how I feel.

I see the money being spent on that war and think of all the good we could be doing with it. Naive? Probably. But frustrating....so damn frustrating.

I was newly married in the early 80's when the housing market fell in Houston. Chuck and I had a $105,000 mortgage on a home that wouldn't sell for $70,000. I could look out our front door and count at least 4 houses that had been walked off from. Oh, and our interest rate was 14%. I was pregnant with my second child and my company filed bankruptcy....and when I lost my job, I was losing an income of $33,000. So I think I know a little about what a bad economy feels like....the fear it instills and the worry about how in the heck you're going to pay your bills....or buy groceries when you only have six dollars in your checking account until payday....5 days away. And you owe the anesthesiologist a payment of $1000.00 up front for the epidural.

Health reform? I certainly don't know a solution to the incredible mess our health care....meaning insurance and cost of health care...is in. It's always been a mess. I can remember taking home the sanitary napkins that were left over in the box in my hospital room after my first baby was born. Those things were great! They were like mattresses. I packed them in my bag...because I figured they were just going in the trash if I left them. The insurance bill that came a month later, had a charge for $65.00 for those pads. That was 1985. Wow...those were some great pads. I think I understand a little bit about our ridiculous state of health care.

Just last month, I went to the doctor and paid my co-pay. But my insurance wouldn't let me go to the lab in their office....like down the hall from where I was standing. I had to drive to another lab for my bloodwork. And then I had to return to the doctor the next week....pay my co-pay again....to get the results of my lab work. And this is for a doctor of my choice. Well.....choosing from the list my insurance will allow. We pay hundreds and hundreds a month for our insurance premiums. And I am thankful that we can. But what if my husband loses his job? Will there be a safety net? And all those hundreds we have paid in for years and never used? What happens to all that money? Did it buy a yacht for MR. PRESIDENT OF THE INSURANCE COMPANY?


Reform means change. And I think it boils down to most people are all for change....unless it affects them in a negative way. Or cost them. Or only for it, if they reap the benefits immediately. Sometimes, change is necessary for a better tomorrow. But most people, don't want to make that sacrifice.

As long as there has been a democratic government, there have been systems in place to help those in need. And within moments of the systems being in place, there have been those who figured out how to abuse it. grrrr. Figure that one out. If they're smart enough to figure out how to abuse a system....can't they use that brain power and energy to get a real job?

Believe me, I am just as angry about it as you are.

I remember getting laid off and applying for Unemployment. And feeling guilty. Like I was one of those leeches that took from our government. When, of course, my employer had paid into it for years and it was there for me.

I believe in birth control, a woman's right to choice, security of our borders, an equal income tax for all citizens.....like 10%....10% of nothing or 10% of a billion...wherever you fall in that salary range.....no write-offs. I believe if you are over here....it should be legally and you should be paying taxes, too. I believe our country is so big.....that in our lifetime, we won't see a change for the better. I believe I have a right to my opinion and you have a right to yours. I believe if you listen to one side only, you will never know there is another side.

I believe we are only here for a short while. And we should all be getting our hearts in the right place. I believe I will think like a child and see only 5 feet in front of me. And try to please God each day.

I believe I will stick to watching HGTV. Where the worst thing that happens is color choice.