Mark West
Pick 'em up
By Mark West
Health care prices! We've all got 'em, we all deal with 'em and we all hope insurance will pick 'em up. I paid a surprise visit to our family doctor this week. I call it a surprise visit because it was the first time I have visited our family doctor since we moved here in 2001.
Have you noticed that often it is the smallest parts of our bodies that cause us the most discomfort? It was my ear that compelled me to go see our family doctor for the first time. Sunday evening, my ear began to hurt. Monday I felt a tremendous pressure build up followed by more pain on Tuesday and eventually a horrible ringing of the ear on Wednesday. Wednesday evening I called for an appointment. Being a "new" patient, I would have to take what they had available, one Thursday evening that would interfere with our visitation program at church, or the other on Friday morning. I took the Friday morning appointment and wished all day Thursday that I had taken the Thursday evening appointment if you know what I mean!
On the way to my appointment I picked up a copy of the USA Today newspaper, knowing that I would have quite a wait. Believably, I had read every part of the paper that I was interested in before I got to see my doctor. My encounter with the family doctor was a little odd. He gave me the familiar eye. "You look familiar," he asked, "where do I know you from?" I had to admit to him that I had been in his office on several occasions with my wife and son dealing with their illnesses but had never been there for myself.
Upon examining my ear he says, "That ear drum looks rough, you need any pain killers?" I must have a high tolerance for ear pain because the Ibuprofen I was taking had knocked out most of the pain. I told him that I didn't need any pain killers. He proceeds to give me eight days worth of antibiotics, two bottles of nasal spray, and a prescription for some ear drops. After forking over $15 for the visit, I headed back to work to finish my day.
In retrospect, thank God I live in America! If I lived in one of these countries with a government-run health care system I may still be suffering from my ear infection hoping that "this" will be the week when I get medical treatment.
I'm also thankful that I live in a country that still, to some extent, promotes local control of the education system. Why? Do I not believe that the government could provide a better education for my children? No, I do not. Americans invented automobiles, airplanes, computers, and spaceships before the government decided it should have a say in how we educate our children.
Parents should be the authority on the raising of their children. While I realize that some parents are incapable of such decisions, every case has an exception, in general we have no right to tell a parent what kind of education their child should receive. It's a matter of freedom, not obligation. Our obligation as Americans is to respect freedom. We should respect the freedom to get an education and freedom to not get an education.
I believe that both issues can be boiled down to a common denominator. Local people are capable and able to fix local problems if only the federal government would stay out of the way. Federal regulation doesn't really fix problems, it merely slows down the pace at which the problem can be solved. We have become a nation of do-gooders that have lost regard for the fact that we may not be right about what is best for another individual. Abortion is an example. Pro-abortion groups argue that it is immoral to allow a child to be born into a situation of spousal abuse or drug abuse or poverty. However, these groups ignore two very important things. First they ignore the fact that God allowed the person to become pregnant. While the child may be the result of sexual immorality, the child is still put into the womb by God for a purpose. Second they ignore the fact that adoption is always a better option than abortion. Any child can be put up for adoption.
What should True Patriots do in regard to the health care and education problems that we see around us? Pick 'em up! Pick 'em up by walking alongside those who struggle with either so they will have the support to walk and the freedom to blaze their own path. If we pick 'em up, they will learn to depend on themselves rather than the federal government. If we pick 'em up, we have a better chance of showing Jesus to them and guiding them to dependence on Him to bring them through this troubled walk we call life.
Where do I stand?
I believe that health care problems can be fixed on the local level and that there exists no need for trillions of dollars being pumped into the health care system. I believe that education is better left as the choice of the parents opposed to being the choice of the government.
Where do the candidates stand?
President George W. Bush (Republican Party) believes that health care must receive tort reform and that individuals need to take responsibility for their health care. Supports No Child Left Behind. I give President Bush a B+ (9 points).
Senator John F. Kerry (Democrat Party) believes that government must run the health care system at the expense of the tax payers. Government should provide health care to everyone. Supports No Child Left Behind but believes it isn't being fully funded. I give Senator Kerry a D+ (3points).
Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party) believes that government should have no role in either health care or in education. I give Badnarik an A (11 points).
Michael Peroutka (Constitution Party) believes that government should have no role in either health care or in education. I give Peroutka an A (11 points).
David Cobb (Green Party) believes that the government should run both the health care and education systems. I give Cobb an F (0 points).
Ralph Nader (Independent/Reform Party) believes that the government should run both the health care and education systems. I give Nader (0 points).
We finish with President George W. Bush (Republican Party) with 60 points, Michael Peroutka (Constitution Party) with 60 points, Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party) with 51 points, Senator John F. Kerry (Democrat Party) with 16 points, Ralph Nader (Independent/Reform Party) with 12 points, and David Cobb (Green Party) with 8 points.
© Mark West
Health care prices! We've all got 'em, we all deal with 'em and we all hope insurance will pick 'em up. I paid a surprise visit to our family doctor this week. I call it a surprise visit because it was the first time I have visited our family doctor since we moved here in 2001.
Have you noticed that often it is the smallest parts of our bodies that cause us the most discomfort? It was my ear that compelled me to go see our family doctor for the first time. Sunday evening, my ear began to hurt. Monday I felt a tremendous pressure build up followed by more pain on Tuesday and eventually a horrible ringing of the ear on Wednesday. Wednesday evening I called for an appointment. Being a "new" patient, I would have to take what they had available, one Thursday evening that would interfere with our visitation program at church, or the other on Friday morning. I took the Friday morning appointment and wished all day Thursday that I had taken the Thursday evening appointment if you know what I mean!
On the way to my appointment I picked up a copy of the USA Today newspaper, knowing that I would have quite a wait. Believably, I had read every part of the paper that I was interested in before I got to see my doctor. My encounter with the family doctor was a little odd. He gave me the familiar eye. "You look familiar," he asked, "where do I know you from?" I had to admit to him that I had been in his office on several occasions with my wife and son dealing with their illnesses but had never been there for myself.
Upon examining my ear he says, "That ear drum looks rough, you need any pain killers?" I must have a high tolerance for ear pain because the Ibuprofen I was taking had knocked out most of the pain. I told him that I didn't need any pain killers. He proceeds to give me eight days worth of antibiotics, two bottles of nasal spray, and a prescription for some ear drops. After forking over $15 for the visit, I headed back to work to finish my day.
In retrospect, thank God I live in America! If I lived in one of these countries with a government-run health care system I may still be suffering from my ear infection hoping that "this" will be the week when I get medical treatment.
I'm also thankful that I live in a country that still, to some extent, promotes local control of the education system. Why? Do I not believe that the government could provide a better education for my children? No, I do not. Americans invented automobiles, airplanes, computers, and spaceships before the government decided it should have a say in how we educate our children.
Parents should be the authority on the raising of their children. While I realize that some parents are incapable of such decisions, every case has an exception, in general we have no right to tell a parent what kind of education their child should receive. It's a matter of freedom, not obligation. Our obligation as Americans is to respect freedom. We should respect the freedom to get an education and freedom to not get an education.
I believe that both issues can be boiled down to a common denominator. Local people are capable and able to fix local problems if only the federal government would stay out of the way. Federal regulation doesn't really fix problems, it merely slows down the pace at which the problem can be solved. We have become a nation of do-gooders that have lost regard for the fact that we may not be right about what is best for another individual. Abortion is an example. Pro-abortion groups argue that it is immoral to allow a child to be born into a situation of spousal abuse or drug abuse or poverty. However, these groups ignore two very important things. First they ignore the fact that God allowed the person to become pregnant. While the child may be the result of sexual immorality, the child is still put into the womb by God for a purpose. Second they ignore the fact that adoption is always a better option than abortion. Any child can be put up for adoption.
What should True Patriots do in regard to the health care and education problems that we see around us? Pick 'em up! Pick 'em up by walking alongside those who struggle with either so they will have the support to walk and the freedom to blaze their own path. If we pick 'em up, they will learn to depend on themselves rather than the federal government. If we pick 'em up, we have a better chance of showing Jesus to them and guiding them to dependence on Him to bring them through this troubled walk we call life.
Where do I stand?
I believe that health care problems can be fixed on the local level and that there exists no need for trillions of dollars being pumped into the health care system. I believe that education is better left as the choice of the parents opposed to being the choice of the government.
Where do the candidates stand?
President George W. Bush (Republican Party) believes that health care must receive tort reform and that individuals need to take responsibility for their health care. Supports No Child Left Behind. I give President Bush a B+ (9 points).
Senator John F. Kerry (Democrat Party) believes that government must run the health care system at the expense of the tax payers. Government should provide health care to everyone. Supports No Child Left Behind but believes it isn't being fully funded. I give Senator Kerry a D+ (3points).
Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party) believes that government should have no role in either health care or in education. I give Badnarik an A (11 points).
Michael Peroutka (Constitution Party) believes that government should have no role in either health care or in education. I give Peroutka an A (11 points).
David Cobb (Green Party) believes that the government should run both the health care and education systems. I give Cobb an F (0 points).
Ralph Nader (Independent/Reform Party) believes that the government should run both the health care and education systems. I give Nader (0 points).
We finish with President George W. Bush (Republican Party) with 60 points, Michael Peroutka (Constitution Party) with 60 points, Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party) with 51 points, Senator John F. Kerry (Democrat Party) with 16 points, Ralph Nader (Independent/Reform Party) with 12 points, and David Cobb (Green Party) with 8 points.
© Mark West
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