An interesting Post I found from my Uncle.

To My Birth-right Brothers and Sisters of America
Let freedom ring

The lernaean hydra of the second labor of Hercules is a fitting metaphor of the recent ascendancy of the peevish cry for political change. A litany of woes and horrors ranging from global warming through equal housing and economic crash unto health care access, have combined their naive and screeching voices, through the ubiquitous pandering of a defunct and sterile socialism, to usher in a utopian state-ism. The political promises of our recently elected priesthood of divinized statehood mesmerized the cowering populous seeking deliverance from this multi-headed dragon so poised all around to devour their lives as soon as they might venture out on their own. And so fooled, having only their freedoms to exchange for safety, they sought the comfort of big-brother, selling their birth rights, ballot for ballot-- over half their brother’s wishes, for this usurping red pottage. In this way was the battle for change engaged. We are, now, all after the looping of heads. Not voting for it, regardless, we are in for the tyranny of the majority, for our basic legal protection of the constitution is also at issue. Be not deceived: it is never the majority in the end, but rather the most miserable of the elite.

So, we ask, why the dragon of Lernaea? It possessed the unique ability to re-grow its nasty heads, two in the place of one, doubling its powers through the vary assaults laid against it. Housing solution policy brought about the multi-financial crisis, as the bailouts and interventions will themselves bring in their twofold nasty heads. Global warming solutions, ill-conceived blows to begin with, are bringing in their replacement heads. Now health care is being tilted by our Don Quixote’s. You think you had threatening heads before? Wait till you see what fallows this. Wake up my constitutional democratic republican brothers and sisters. Socialism possesses not the flame of freedom by which our forefathers seared the necks as the heads were lopped. Prosperity through private enterprise laid these heads to the ground, and small but well aimed government applied the flame of freedom to the severed necks to staunch their vile regenerations. Government is your servant, not your Lord. It is in the Herculean free market, in which you are called to venture life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that you will find your solution grounds. Let not your servants rule over you, sovereign lords, and my brethren. The next ballots are lying at your fingertips. Repent and cast out these usurpers and relight the flame of freedom. To error once is human, but to error twice alike is stupid. Bring not my bones into this Godless grave, but light up that city on the hill and let freedom ring.

God bless you my fellow Americans, Dan Gillespie Blaine

7 big money mistakes to avoid

 

I do not believe that anyone thinks that the healthcare system does not need reform.  My major opposition with reform currently coming out of Washington DC is that it will eventually lead to higher taxes in the future.  My suggestion is why not try methods to reform that will not cost the government anything first and look at other solutions later.  Some of these I have mentioned previously.

1. Allow health insurance to be purchased over state lines - this will increase competition and reduce prices.

2. Allow health insurance to be fully customizable - this will increase competition and allow people to buy the insurance that they need not what someone else thinks they need.  This will enable pre-existing conditions to be covered because the person buying the insurance will just pay more just in case.

3. Require Doctors to display prices if no insurance is used - Insurance private or public requires paper work and negotiation this requires doctors to hirer a person just to process the paper work and in turns causes prices to increase.  If no insurance is used it saves the doctors money and the patient money as well.  This will promote the use of health savings accounts and lead to lower insurance costs for bigger procedures.

My question to you is there any thing else that can be done that does not require increased payment by the government or taxpayers?

I think that effective health care reform should consist of the following:

1. Tort reform it is estimates the malpractice cost for doctors between insurance and payout runs at about 20-30% of the total cost including the required defensive medicine that doctors have to practice.

2. Allow medical insurance to be 100% tax deductable to individuals and allow for medical savings plans to be 100% deductable as well, that will increase competition for business and encourage people to buy it even when there job doesn't provide for it.

3. Allow insurance companies to sell across state lines; this will further increase competition and should lead to reduced costs as well.

4. Allow insurance plans to be fully customizable to the individual, though it means that not everything is covered it enables freedom of choice and will also further competition because companies can have a wide array of options or just specialize with single types of doctors and procedures to achieve economies of scale.

5. Require Hospitals and doctors to post the price of procedures if no insurance is used.  This will lead to increased competition between medical organizations and should lead to lower costs or people paying for procedures without using insurance and that will lead to lower costs as well.

A friebnd of mine heared a sound clip from the Episcopal General Conference currently being held in California. The clip was from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s opening speech at the conference during which she described the “great Western heresy” that was taking over the church.
At first, My friend figured she would talk about Gnosticism or the separation of “spiritual” and “non-spiritual” activities – but she didn’t talk about either one of those. Instead she defined the greatest heresy in church today is the notion “that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God.”

 

I agree with his assesment  that according to the scriptures you can be saved as indiciduals and will refer to his blog for further commentary

http://requisite_danger.bluecastle.us/2009/07/17/individual-salvation-heresy-say-again/

Recently I found this quote by Garrison Keillor as follows

"This is Democratic bedrock: we don’t let people lie in the ditch and drive past and pretend not to see them dying. Here on the frozen tundra of Minnesota, if your neighbor’s car won’t start, you put on your parka and get the jumper cables out and deliver the Sacred Spark that starts their car. Everybody knows this. The logical extension of this spirit is social welfare and the myriad government programs with long dry names all very uninteresting to you until you suddenly need one and then you turn into a Democrat. A liberal is a conservative who’s been through treatment."

I find this quote missing the point of being conservative.  Let’s look at the first part "This is Democratic bedrock: we don’t let people lie in the ditch and drive past and pretend not to see them dying." I don't see what democracy has to do with this hauling someone out of the ditch would be what I would classify as a morally correct thing to do and the humane thing to do.  "Here on the frozen tundra of Minnesota, if your neighbor’s car won’t start, you put on your parka and get the jumper cables out and deliver the Sacred Spark that starts their car. Everybody knows this." so he is saying we as individuals should help our neighbor.  I agree as a good neighbor I believe in helping my neighbors myself or through organizations I approve.  "The logical extension of this spirit is social welfare and the myriad government programs with long dry names all very uninteresting to you until you suddenly need one and then you turn into a Democrat."  I actually don't see the logical connection that Keillor claims I need to see, I see that we as neighbors should organize to support each other and help each other out.  Before the great depression none of these government programs existed to help out people and yet people were helped in fact during the great depression church giving increased to help out those less fortunate.  As a conservative and someone who works in a government program I have noticed great inefficiency and the inability to deliver on care or help because of red tape; red tape that usually doesn't exist in not-for-profits.  I would argue that every social service that the government currently provides could be done better to right people though a not-for-profit because a not-for-profit is motivated to perform and meet needs otherwise people will stop supporting it with donations.  The government could careless if funding starts running low it just raises taxes.  The government has no motivation to improve itself for efficiency and effectiveness. A conservative is a person who also believes in social program we just disagree on the method of delivery. I believe the not-for-profit sector is a better source than the government.