BS

So Sam was on CHIP for 6 months last year. In that six month we had to take her for medical services once. The ER bill is now in collections because the hospital thinks we're trying to scam them with a false CHIP number because the provider keeps denying payment. I finally get through to a CHIP person who tells me that there was one single month where Sam's coverage was handled by a difference provider. Said provider didn't even notify us that they were covering her.

So I call the provider, and they say, "Sorry we aren't authorized to contact collectors without the parent present." I say, "I am the parent." Lady says, "Maybe, but your name isn't on the account. I can't do a conference call without the parent present.".....

That's what I call BS. A whole two hours of my day spent to be told that I might be my daughter's father, and that her medical coverage provider can't help anyone but her parents.

I don't see why anyone's worried about the healthcare bill. If this experience is anything like what will occur, there's nothing to worry about: people won't really get covered, so taxes shouldn't go up at all. Maybe this is why Medicare keeps going up and up, some providers actually pay?

I'm the King!!

Sam's finally taking a nap and Tiff just went off to nap too. I'm king of the house...quietly, lol. Thankfully I have my brand new wireless headset from Sony. They sound awesome!!

Veggie Tales vs. Disney

I'll never find the time for a good comparison, so I'll make it short.

I've noticed that religion-based stories frequently enforce the belief that one's parents are wiser and know what is best. Pop culture stories, however, frequently enforce the opposite. I realize that it's fun and healthy for kids to explore the fantasy where they are more knowledgeable and capable than their parents (they're role-playing as parents which is good), but don't Disney and Nickelodeon take this way too far?

It seems to me that in most pop shows out today portray all adults (and particularly parents) as bumbling fools where shows like

actually try to explain to kids that if they obey their parents everyone benefits.

I guess it just struck me suddenly how backwards our world seems at times.

Personal Reasons

One of the main reasons I am for universal healthcare is that there was a time when I couldn't afford insurance (we still can't on our own, but Best Buy has amazing benefits).

In 2006 we decided that it would be a good time to return to college and finish my degree. Tiffany had just finished graduate school and with the wedding over it seem like a good idea. A few months later, due to cold nights with no heater or TV ;), I was a college student with a part-time job at Bealls and Tiffany was pregnant with a part-time job at JC Penny.

We were lucky that I got my old job back when we moved back to Austin, but insurance was still way too expensive for us to afford. Not to mention that private insurance won't cover a woman who is already pregnant. If it wasn't for Medicaid we could never have afforded to pay off the hospital bills while we were also paying off loans.

It's not that Tiffany and I are horrible people taking advantage of the system - we legitimately needed help that would not have come from any other source. For that I am thankful, and I am glad that our government realizes that sometimes people just need a little help to get by.

Waste

I'm disappointed in humanity. We live in a world where we can disconnect from society so easily that we lose our ability to care for others.

I understand that many people are unfriending each other over the healthcare bill. It's sad when we find frienship to mean so little. Our relationships are the only things in this world that really matter, and there are just no words to describe how sad it is to lose a friend over a difference of opinion.

I thought we had advanced as a race to the point where diveristy was a value not a threat. I thought that it was good to test ourselves and learn from others.

Sorry

I know I promised to do a comparison of parental roles, but I haven't found the time lately. I'll get it done soon.

However I had two things pop into my head today.

One is just a made-up word that had a ring to it: extratard. BTW - do a google search, this is a new word. That's right, you're witnessing history. Extratard - a person so retarded (retarded as in acts so but is not in fact retarded) that they are beyond retarded - see also: Utratard, Megatard, or Geek Squad.

The other thought was that Money is like God. They both exist, but you can't prove it. You just have to have faith unless of course for you Money Is a God, but you can't really prove your god there either.

I came across this last one when discussing the healthcare stuff. One of the prime arguments is the "trillion dollar" thing. Money is entirely made up like my word earlier. As a global society we have agreed on a vague concept of value with which to trade, but when we're talking about a trillion dollar bill this money is completely imaginary. The money will be created from the hot butt-gas of a couple hundred old men and women in DC, so what's the fuss all about? If we're not spending real money who cares?

Obviously I'm being facetious here, but the question is still lingering in my mind.

What if...

What if Jesus hadn't been crucified?

At first I thought that Jesus would have done like Muhammad and eventually raised armies that would liberate Israel. BTW the Mecca Muhammad was a paltry hippy like Jesus. It was after left Mecca that he gained power gained and became a warlord -> Muhammad in Medina)\. Then I remembered that Rome was much more powerful in Jesus's day - His armies would have been crushed. Yeah, yeah, with God all things are possible and all, but really it wouldn't have been good.

Instead it was Rome's power that helped spread Christianity, so why crucification? Why not life in prison or on a slave ship? I mean, wouldn't Ben-Hur have been a better book than Paul going on and on and on about how awesome he is and how much everyone else sucks and will continue to suck and can't do anything but suck?

So tune in tomorrow for:
vs.

Car Bombings

On a recent post from a college friend it was mentioned that the car bombings in Iraq are somehow related to Islam being prone to violence. I want to state that if another nation invaded my country I would go terrorist on their asses too. Regardless of whether my country is wrong or the other country was more powerful or whatever. I love my country, and if someone were to threaten my home I would use violent force to help them reconsider - I mean VIOLENT force.

The nature of the suicidal bombing is related to the individuals sense of Jihad, and that is related to Islam. The reason the car bombings occur - this will blow your mind - is because WE INVADED THEIR COUNTRY!! WE INITIATED THE VIOLENCE!!

Bombings wouldn't be happening if they didn't feel threatened. How many Muslims are driving cars into buildings here in th US? Believe me there are many, many Muslims here. If Islam was the cause of car bombs we'd see more on this soil.

And think about this: if you were to go to a war zone wouldn't you expect to see violence? I mean really, it's called a "war zone." It's a designated area where people kill each other. Wouldn't it be odd to see people sitting around playing chess and sipping Coke in a war zone?

The fact is that ALL people become violent when they feel violence is the only solution to a problem. ALL people are peaceful when problems can be resolved peacefully. WOW!! Amazing concepts!! This is true of toddlers and adults, geniuses and the mentally challenged.

We've worked so hard in this country to eradicate prejudices and discrimination, but it seems that some groups just will not let go of old hatreds. It's really disheartening.

Frustrated

I get frustrated when people completely ignore requests for information during a discussion. There was pretty good discussion regarding the "violent" nature of Islam. Unfortunately, no one would cite any lines from the Koran, so the discussion is pretty much just opinion - not much of a discussion.

And here we go with people making me laugh

Nevermind

Yeah, after thinking about it for a while, I'm not going to mess with that.

Starting Up

So here I am starting a Blogger blog. Haven't done blogs since Xanga in...'06-ish?

I've been keeping a journal that I write in right before going to work, so I guess I'll begin by adding those entries here. Then I'll go from there.