Health Care Reform

All I'm asking is people to read the bill, including the President and our elected representatives, take out the garbage extreme leftist policies and come up with a decent healthcare bill.   Yes, I intend to joing the TeaParty Express on the 12th in Washington, DC.  Tell me why you need to know the following or have access to the following in the proposed healthcare bill:

Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!!

Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get

Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill - YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED!!!

Pg 42 of HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC Benefits for you. You have no choice!

Pg 58HC Bill - Govt will have real-time access 2 individs finances
Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Govt will have direct access to you banks accountsts for electronic funds transfer

PG 84 Sec 203 HC bill - Govt mandates ALL benefit packages for private health care plans in the Exchange

PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Govt will ration your Healthcare!

PG 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill - Govt mandates linguistic appropropriate services. Example - Translationf or illegal aliens

Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Govt will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Govt HC plan

PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs of Benefit Levels for Plans.
PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill - Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automat ically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice

pg 124 lines 24-25 HC No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Govt Monopoly

pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill - Doctors/ #AMA - The Govt will tell YOU what you can make.

Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employer MUST automatiocally enroll employees into pubic option plan. NO CHOICE

Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay for health care for part time employees AND their families.

Pg 149 Lines 16-24 ANY Employer with payroll of 400k & above who does not provide public option. pays 8% tax on all payroll

pg 150 Lines 9-13 Business payroll between 251k & 400k who doesn't provide public option pays 2-6% tax on all payroll

Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn't have acceptable health care according to Govt will be taxed 2.5% of income

Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NON-RESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes.

Pg 195 HC Bill -officers & employees of health care Administration (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans financial/personal records

Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Govt will reduce physician services for Medicaid.

Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill - Doctors, doesn't matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same

PG 253 Line 10-18 Govt sets value of Dr's time, professional judgment, etc.
PG 265 Sec 1131 Govt mandates & controls productivity for private health care industries

PG 268 Sec 1141 Fed Govt regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs

PG 272 SEC. 1145. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS - Cancer patients -

Page 280 Sec 1151 The Govt will penalize hospitals for what Govt deems preventable readmissions.



Pg 298 Lines 9-11 Drs, treat a patient during initial admission that results in a re-admission- Govt will penalize you.


Pg 317 L 13-20 PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Govt tells Drs. what/how much they can own.

Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion- Govt is mandating hospitals cannot expand

pg 321 2-13 Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input required.

Pg335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 - Govt mandates establishment of outcome based measures.

Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Govt has authority to disqualify Medicare Adv. Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into Govt plan

Pg 354 Sec 1177 - Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of special needs people!

PG 425 Lines 4-12 Govt mandates Advance Care Planning Consult.
Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney. Mandatory!

PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Govt provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death

PG 427 Lines 15-24 Govt mandates program for orders for end of life. The Govt has a say in how your life ends

Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An "adv. care planning consult" will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates

PG 429 Lines 10-12 "adv. care consultation" may include an ORDER for end of life plans.

Pg 429 Lines 13-25 - The govt will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.

PG 430 Lines 11-15 The Govt will decide what level of treatment u will have at end of life

Pg 469 - Community Based Home Medical Services=Non profit orgs.
Page 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG.
PG 489 Sec 1308 The Govt will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means they will insert Govt into your marriage

Can't we just get to the basics of (1) no pre-existing conditions, (2) ability to pick own doctor, specialist, hospitals, (3) access to experimental drugs, (4) alternative healthcare (better coverage for acupuncture, chiropractic, etc., (5) menu of benefits ... why do I pay for maternity/well baby care when I don't need it... alcohol/drug rehabit when I don't need it; and (5) limit lawsuits/ doctors liability???? 

Also needed to be reformed is the pharmaceutical industry (but that's another post).

FOR THE FULL AAHCA BILL:


http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillT...

Bill Gates Says It All

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not, and will not, learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality,and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.   BTW, guess  ya didn't see this on any front page, tv...


Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called itopportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault , so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades, and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life...

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.

Do that on your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.



If you agree, pass it on.

If you don't agree stick your head in the sand and take a deep breath!

If you can read this -Thank a teacher!

If you can read this in English thank a soldier!!!

Cathy Bailey

Ketchikan

Now I can imagine what brawling, loud, raucous town Ketchikan must have been to Alaskan newcomers in the past. A first port of call to miners, trappers, adventurers, etc. Because the mountain range nearly reaches the shore, the early pioneers built “land” by sinking pilings and building piers on top of them. Many of the houses and restaurants are actually on stilts in the harbor. Some are restored, others built in replication of the old stores. However, like most cruise ports, Ketchikan boasts of at least 15 jewelry stores (including Bernard Passman, also in every Caribbean port). Mind you, I’m not against jewelry stores, but when u seen one uv seen them all, each having the same jewelry, each pitching they have a better price than the previous one. Of course, cruise ships get a cut of the profits so they conveniently put coupons for free merchandise in you stateroom to lure u into those stores the nite before port call.

Jo and Brenda (armed with a jewelry assault plan; Jay found the nearest bench to sit down) started hunting for their free charms, and gem giveaways. As a ‘seasoned’ traveler, these touristy traps I tend to shy away from. But not to spoil anyone’s ‘first cruise’ spirit, I marched along in joyful cruise attitude.

Fortunately, there was more to Ketchikan than the jewelry stores! Our tour guide (Jason….mighty fine) took us to Potlatch Park where we viewed the totem park, onto the carving shed, and to the Clan House.


Alaska.org - Potlatch Park - Ketchikan Alaska - Official Video - Watch the top videos of the week here

Next stop was the Deer Mountain Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Center where we got more than I needed to know about salmon. We saw the fish ladder were live salmon swam upstream, heard about raising Alaskan Salmon etc. Now I am not a big salmon eater, and it was the time of year when salmon go upstream to their birth streams, spawn and die, I think I became a lesser salmon eater.

Our easy-on-the-eyes tour guide Jason dropped us off on the pier just in time as the gangway would shortly be raised.

In the afternoon, the Statendam set sail for Juneau. Off to the Lido restaurant and bar for a lite snack and adult beverage (I ordered a Sidecar or two, I don’t remember. Did you know the original recipe for a Sidecar comes from Harry’s in Paris??????? Been there!!!!) Did you know they have a Friends of Bill (AA) meeting on board??? Missed that! Headed for an Advanced Editing Digital Workshop. Leaned a few things about “stitching” photos together to make a great panorama photo.

With Jo, Brenda and husbands having plans for the evening, I head off to experience the Pinnacle Grill, a reservation only dining experience. Smart casual was the dress for the evening but I’m glad I gussied up a little more since the restaurant had Bvlgari china, Frette linens and Riedel stemware (yes, I peaked when no one was looking). A panoply of servers began hovering around me; first, the napkin placer on my lap person, then the champagne server (I didn’t order that…oh, compliments of the house); then the server with the menu, then the server displaying the cuts of meat on a wheel glass-domed cart. I opted for the filet mignon with green peppercorn sauce with a side of asparagus and baked potato. Not to be outed by the other servers, the sommelier hands me the wine list (S*#*#, where is Lisa when you need her). I selected a Chatea Ste. Michelle Merlot, which I was well please with (I’m not the red wine drinker in the family).

I started with an appetizer called the Pinnacle Ocean Platter — carpaccio of lightly smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, sea scallops and wasabi cream. This was served on those nice white art deco plates… ya know plating is half the battle!!!! I followed that up with a lobster bisque soup which I would have put a tad bit more liquor in. After finishing the main course, Master Chef Sodamin, Indonesian who like to cook Italian (go figure), came to my table for the usual “how’s the food” routine. Actually, we ended up having a half hour conversation on cooking (thank God for Top Chef, Iron Chef, and all my cookbooks, etc.)

Not wanting to loose the evening ambience, I ordered a chocolate and vanilla creme brulee with a glass of brandy. Now only if I had a cigar, it would have been a perfect evening!!!

Stay tuned for the next episode.

North to Alaska - Ketchikan

Welcome to Ketchikan, Alaska -- Part 1

Let’s begin with a little travelin history on Ketchikan, our first port of call. Ketchikan has many names:

1. The First City of Alaska, because it was the first town travelers reached when ferrying north; 2. The Rain Capital of the U.S.,because it averages 162 inches of rain, including 32 inches of snow; 3. The Salmon Capital of the World, American settlers opened a salmon cannery in 1886, and by 1936, Ketchikan was one of the largest exporters of salmon in the world, producing 1.5 million cases per year. There were bald eagles (although some have their hair combed over the top -- tee hee) hanging around one of the local canneries, looking for leftovers. 4. Totem Town Ketchikan has at least 113 totems .The Totem Heritage Center houses one of the world's largest collection of 19th century totem poles, some up to 140 years old. Totems are generally raised during a potlatch (google that) to depict legends; to honor a deceased family member or to pay homage to some other momentous event.

Our tour guide took us through the city of Ketchikan out to Potlatch Park. We walked through the totem park, and to a carving shed where native craftsmen were creating totems that were commissioned for various potlatches, then to a Clan House where a native guide taught on the building of a clan house. We headed to Deer Mountain Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Center and heard the explanation of the life cycle of the Alaskan salmon. The Eagle Center housed a pair of injured bald eagle rescued by the center.

On the must see list is the Creek Street Historic District, This infamous, former red-light district, "where fishermen and salmon went up stream to spawn", contains about 20 houses built on wood pilings over Ketchikan Creek. In its heyday in the 1920's and 1930's, loggers and fishermen came to visit the Creek Street bordellos (of which there were more than 30) and kept the "sporting women" (as they preferred to call themselves) in business. The most famous of these proprietors was Big Dolly Arthur, AKA Thelma Copeland. Dolly's former place of business is now a museum, and open for tours.

OK, this is all very dry so I’m gonna sweeten the pot. Takes notes, print off the travel notes, whatever…’cause there’s a prize at the end.