Focus on the Big Picture

Wednesday, 24 June 2009 00:00 Written by Cornelia

Then there’s the commitment to get more done. Clean the garage, organize the closets before the start of school, and get rid of all that junk that has been accumulating. Not to mention the need to finish what was started so long ago. A pair of curtains, a lampshade cover, that plan or big secret project that you have been working on but somehow was delayed due to life.

Whatever you intend to do this summer be sure to focus on the big picture, because that is how your life’s story will be told. It won’t be the itty-bitty details that sidetracked us; it will be the big one that we finally brought in. It won’t be the length of stay, but whether or not you stayed at all and if the stay was enjoyable and refreshing. Again, it’s about the big picture.

Not the mortgage payment – but the house.

Not the destination – but the vacation.

Not the wedding anniversary – but the marriage.

Not the outfit – but the wardrobe.

Not the grade – but the degree.

Not the car – but the transportation.

I think you get my drift. Politically.

Not the medical bill – but health care reform.

Not the class – but meaningful education.

Not the heating bill – but the energy that we use to stay warm, or in this case, cool.

Not the political affiliation – but the right politics.

The big picture is what will define our moments in life. Be sure that yours covers what really matters.

Here’s to those happy, lazy summer days ahead, when we will get some things done and leave others for another season. By the way, if you're looking for some place to vacation, check Matter Planet Travel.

A Health Crisis Like the Economic Crisis

Thursday, 18 June 2009 00:00 Written by Cornelia

President Barack Obama unveiled how the administration plans to pay for the government-sponsored health plan that he promises will reduce costs and improve our healthcare system overall. This should be good news to everyone but its not. Key players who want to keep the status quo say that the president is wrong, that his plan, will limit patient choice and the quality of care. Are they right? Is the president wrong? Here are two ways to look at the debate.

In the first instance, the best argument against the plan questions who will pay for it and how the plan will limit the choices we now have. Here's how the President plans to fund his plan.

-Limit Itemized Deductions for Households making $250,000/year

-Reduce premiums for physician and outpatient services by $43 Billion over 10 years

Frankly, these are reasonable considerations to the current crisis and may be fairer to the folks who have no healthcare. In other words, everyone who may have an unfair advantage right now - households over $250,000, physicians with high premiums, and employees who don't pay taxes on their current benefits - have to pay up. Well gee whiz. How about that? Is that fair? You bet it is. More importantly, that's not socialism that's equal opportunity.

In addtion, to reducing costs, the president is advocating a complete transformation of the health care system by investing in the following:

-Health care information technology

-Patient-centered quality research

-Prevention and Wellness

-Paying providers for providing better care not just more care

These are progressive solutions. Technology - even Twitter - could fundamentally change the way healthcare is delivered. Patient-centered versus pharmaceutical-centered research - imagine that healthier - not over-medicated/drugged patients. Prevention and wellness - Mrs. Obama exemplifies that better than anyone else on the planet and we'll get to that in a moment. Pay for better care not more care - when was the last time you told your doctor - I don't want to see another specialist or take a stronger dose of narcotics - I want to get better not get more of the same. I say overhaul healthcare this time and let's do it before dinner.

At stake - $2.5 Trillion dollars, approximately one fifth of the American economy! At the center of the debate - how that money is currently divied and how to keep it from inflating. Let's consider the spenders/beneficiaries of that 2.5 Trillion.

Doctors, insurance providers, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals.

Make no mistake - the first argument from these providers is that their revenues will fall. Amazingly, everyone elses revenues have fallen this year, yet these people don't believe that theirs should, never mind that we are as a people are less healthy today than we were twenty years ago. In addition to fallen revenues, they mention patient care could be threatened. That we would have fewer doctors to choose from. That we would be in the waiting room longer. Excuse me is anyone listening? We all know how long a visit to the emergency room or physician's office requires - it is at least a half-day just due to waiting time. Frankly, these folks sound like the folks on Wall Street. We've already had an economic crisis. How about a health crisis before we give Congress the green light to reform healthcare?

The President wants to pass health care reform that allows one to keep their health insurance and choose their health care providers, expands coverage to the millions, and brings down the cost of coverage. Let's get behind him.

In the latter instance, First Lady Michelle Obama shared her thoughts about a healthier nation when she recenty harvested some greens from the White House garden with a group of Bancroft School students. Here's a good bite of what Mrs. Obama had to say and a number of pictures that were too precious to leave off the front page.

She explained that planting an organic garden was one of the first things she wanted to do at the White House because of the severity of health issues facing America’s children:

Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high-blood pressure are all diet-related health issues that cost this country more than $120 billion each year. That's a lot of money. While the dollar figure is shocking in and of itself, the effect on our children's health is even more profound. Nearly a third of the children in this country are either overweight or obese, and a third will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetime. In Hispanic and African American communities, those numbers climb even higher so that nearly half of the children in those communities will suffer the same fate. Those numbers are unacceptable.

You can read the full story here. but if you're short for time, here's to our health!

Yes to Healthcare Reform

Monday, 15 June 2009 00:00 Written by Cornelia

President Barack Obama made a commitment to the American people to reform Healthcare. I not only applaud his efforts, I support them. Healthcare is critical and our nation needs a solution to the crises that is brewing just beneath the surface. We are not in critical condition yet, the accident or plague hasn't happened, but when it does you can bet your bottom dollar you will want a healthcare plan that is guaranteed and that doesn't play games with pre-conditions, out of pocket costs, and inflationary premiums.

On one of the Sunday morning programs, a Republican referred to governments' plan as an elephant in the room with several mice, declaring that eventually the elephant will crush all of the mice. The reality is that currently we don't have an elephant, so we are subject to the mice and the mice are dangerously greedy. Further, their idea of an individual healthcare plan for someone who may be middle age (like myself) is about 750 per month. Now, I don't know about you, but I cannot afford to pay $1500 dollar per month for myself and my husband. That is an outrageous amount of money for "just in case" something happens. At that rate, I figure I am better off simply saving the $1500, realizing any captial or interest gains, and re-investing the money, while simultaneously refusing to eat anything with more than five ingredients on the label, I like to say if God Made It, Eat It, and continue my fitness program, you'd have to be stupid to take advice from Rush, given how he looks and that he admitted not very long ago that he was addicted to a crap load of narcotics.

That said, we have to look at the Healthcare Plan that President Obama is advocating. Here's a link.

After, I review it, I will break out what we at MatterMax think are the pros and cons. In the meantime, don't be so quick to judge, the naysayers have yet to offer us a better solution.

No Need to Suspend Living - Life Goes On!

Tuesday, 02 June 2009 00:00 Written by Cornelia

Why some Republicans are up in arms about President Barack Obama's selection for the Supreme Court takes ridiculousness to a new level. For all the years that we have seen one white man after another appointed to the highest court in the land while very few questioned their creditials or judicial integrity...the thought that this woman - could somehow - be wrong for the court is incredulous and is and of itself racist. Enough of the negativity.

What I love most about Judge Sonia Sotomayor is that she allows you to glimpse into her heart while speaking her mind, she recognizes that she will bring an extraordinary viewpoint to the court (in some instances it will be BETTER than a white viewpoint), and she is as educated as the next with more judicial experience than anyone else on the bench. As they say in my neck of the woods "You go girl!"

I look forward to reading some of her writings and decisions so that I can experience firsthand her legal reasoning.

On another note, the President and First Lady Mrs. Michelle Obama looked dashing on their recent date. It made me realize that I have not been out on a date with my husband in a very long time and that it is time to get dressed and enjoy ourselves! Something that I have every intention on doing when we celebrate another wedding anniversay later this month! By the way, I don't care what kind of money they spent on their date. He's the president and she's the first lady and no, I don't expect them to spend all of their off time in Washington, DC. I hope they get many nights out across America and the rest of the world and I hope that they have many outtings with the girls and other family members as often as they can.

I think the RNC was upset because our First Couple had a first class time out on the town while the rest of the nation did what - what they normally do - shop, eat, travel, work and anything else they dam well pleased. Don't give us baloney about "while the rest of the nation is hurting and the GM Bankruptcy." If the RNC really cared so much about the rest of the nation...they would encourage the capitalist to stop laying off people from full-time permanent positions, only to hire them back as part-time or contract workers with no benefits, stop the inbred hubris that has led companies into this economic and innovation slump, stop the racism and sexism that still permeates many workplaces and prevents companies from growing and prospering because the best and the brightest are often excluded from the table or held up in the backroom, and most of all, please RNC stop acting like your type had nothing to do with the funk that we are now in. I wonder if this is the same crew that advised Senator John McCain to suspend his presidential campaign when we learned that some of the nation's largest banks and other Wall Street institutions were actually failing. Please take note - no need to suspend living. In fact, stop criticizing everything our President is doing because in spite of eight horrific years and the mess that we are now digging our way out of - life still goes on!