Health Care Reform is Killing Me

I hate to talk politics. I hate getting those slamming chain emails that bash one side or the other full of bullshit statements that have very little or no validity(those of you who send them, please stop). I hate that as a tax paying American, my voice is not heard at all. I voted to elect people who I think can make a change; and in turn it's just more of the same.

I don't get the whole problem with passing health care reform. OK, I'll be the first to admit I am dense when it comes to politics. I followed the last election, I watched all the debates, I actually liked and voted for my choice. But all I hear is rhetoric. "Political posturing" seems to be the key phrase. Nothing is getting accomplished. Each side is hell-bent on making sure the other side doesn't win. In the end, none of us wins.

Me, as a middle-class person is getting screwed. My health insurance premiums went up AGAIN! UGH. I can't take it anymore. I literally will not be able to afford one more increase. After a year of reduced pay and benefits, the premiums are wiping out my savings. If my deductible increases anymore what will the point be of even having insurance. I may as well take my chances and bank the cash.

For God's sake I have a $5000 deductible. I can't afford to go and get a mammogram, because I can't afford the extra out of pocket expense. God forbid I get bronchitis or have to be hospitalized. This is just ridiculous that I spend over $6000/year and can't even go to the doctor when I need to. Something is wrong with our system, big time!

OK, I don't want the Government running my life either, but nor do I want the Insurance companies to take over my health care. I want a choice if I can go to a Naturalpath or a GP. If I get the flu I want it to be covered under my ridiculous premiums I've already paid. I should get to have some care for all the money I pay out. I want preventative maintenance, like an annual MRI to detect anything brewing within, a Mamogram, PAP/Prostate and Heart and Colon checks.

I figured it out, in the last seven years I have paid out well over $50,000 in premiums/payments. I have been to the Doctor less then 10 times. At $5,000 a visit, I think I am the only one getting screwed, seems like the Docs and Insurance companies are doing just fine.

What do we have to do as citizens to get congress to stop all this bullshit and get some policies passed. Why does every bill have to be so damn detailed that they argue about it for months. Why can't they write and pass simple legislation. Just take one step at a time. First and foremost on the insurance forefront would be to limit premium hikes. To put a cap on what the insurance companies can charge. So now they pass this bill and instead of working with it now all the Republicans have to waste more of our tax payer money to fight the decision. God, when does it ever stop?!

And we, as American citizens are getting screwed. I guess it's just politics as usual, no big change---the rich get richer, the middle class pays for everything and the little guy gets squished.

I'd like to strip the politicians of all their benefits. Take away so much of their income that they have to live like the poor, and middle-income poor that they are creating. I'd like to see them struggle to make ends meet every month. To worry and stress so much about losing their job and not being able to find a new one that they end up in the ER with chest pain. I'd like to see them get screwed time and time again by large corporations who suck the life out of the people they supposedly serve. I'd like to see them go into foreclosure, fight and argue with banks and lose everything they have ever worked for because some arrogant SOB in congress is more worried about their political party winning then actually working for the people who elected them.

I bet things would change then.

Do it for the Chickens

Ok, most of my blogging life has been pretty politically correct. I haven't gone off on any real tangents or complained too much about politics, war, health care or anything else I feel is beyond my control.

But today I would like to discuss the movement of Organic vs. Conventionally produced products. I have become a naturalist, well about 80% natural anyway, and every day I learn more and more about just how bad conventionally produced products are.

Today, my case in point is about eggs. I buy organic eggs because I don't believe that chickens should be fed hormones. I suffer with a major hormonal imbalance and I figure that I just don’t need anything else messing me up. But I guess I really didn't realize the real difference in organic eggs vs. conventional eggs.

Did you know that organic eggs have 22% more Omega 3's in them then conventional eggs? That is a staggering difference. And if that isn't worth the extra $1.50, then read on.

Conventional chickens are kept in tiny cages. Most cages are less then 2 sq ft and they share that cage with up to 9 other chickens. There is not enough room for them to stretch and spread their wings. The cage conditions are dirty, crowded and unhealthy to say the least. Most of them live less then 2 years. They are force-fed hormone-laden corn feed, which by the way, is not what a chicken would actually eat if they had the choice. Their beaks are cut off. They are never allowed to roam freely and hunt and peck as a chicken does, they never see the light of day. Then, when they have served their egg-bearing purpose they are slaughtered and the meat is used to feed us. And that's the meat you get in 80% of the restaurants and grocers in the country. There are dozens of other reasons not to buy conventional chicken and eggs that you can read here, for me, it's too gross to post. http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/afrikan-wholistic-health/14393-chicken-unhealthy-white-meat.html

Organic chickens by contrast, especially free-range chickens, are allowed to roam. They get exercise, fresh air and sunlight. They can eat worms and bugs, seeds and greens – anything their little chicken heart desires. And in being able to live the life of a normal chicken they develop much more Omega 3's, protein, vitamins, enzymes and other nutrients. They develop muscle and strong bones and lead happy little chicken lives.

I admit, over the years I have sort of buried my head when it came to "industrial farming". I know in the back of my head how truly disgusting the practices are. But because I like protein, I have not completely acknowledged that disturbing fact. I just don't want to know. But in my quest for better health I have to look at the whole food process, I need to know the realities.

If the chickens are being fed all that junk and we eat their eggs and meat then it stands to reason we are also being fed all that junk. That just makes me sick. No wonder we have so many health issues in our country.

The old saying, "you are what you eat" really applies. If you want to ingest chemicals, eat today's conventional produce, meat and dairy. If not, buy organic. And if you won't do it for yourself, then do it for the chickens, they have no choice.

Adopting Creativity

A fellow writer just posed the idea to me that a creative person needs to adopt creativity as though it were a child. You need to nurture it, spend time with it, teach it, and grow it...I had never thought of it like that before, but it is profoundly accurate.

I get people all the time that say, “oh, you are so creative...I wish I could do that”. And I always think, “You can, you just have to try. Take a class, expand your mind...”. Lord knows I’m no Da Vinci, but creativity sort of comes second nature to me I guess. It’s like breathing or sleeping...it’s just something I need to do every day. It’s part of the essence that is my being. But it wasn’t always that way. It’s come and gone throughout my life. I wasn’t born with it.

I wasn’t born knowing how to paint, I can’t draw people or animals to save my soul and I for sure can’t sing. But I have a fire within that keeps me questing after more. I have the ability to visualize. I have a need for knowledge.

I’ve taken many, many writing classes and painting classes and courses on interior design and color analysis. I’ve trained on software programs for graphic arts and computer design and learned from other artists and mentors in my field. When people have asked me to design a piece of jewelry for them that they have seen in a magazine, I may not know how to readily do it, but I’m willing to learn. Of course there’s something there that I was born with--a flair, a knack, an instinct maybe. But I have spent a lot of time developing my creativity too.

And sometimes creativity comes to you at odd times. Last weekend a book idea came to me in my dreams, I dreamt the plot, the murder, the romance, the setting and personalities of my characters. When I woke at 5am I had to write it all down before I forgot it. Within a few hours I had 6 pages of premise together and a rough outline of the characters. I’ve never written a novel before, but what the hell, I’m willing to give it a shot. And I’ll go take some classes to learn a few tricks of the trade – maybe something comes of it, maybe it doesn’t; but the experience is still worth having.

I had an idea for a jewelry design hit me so hard one afternoon, I feverishly filled pages of notes and ideas. Sketches, materials, and the name, its marketability –all of it just hit me like a sack of potatoes. When that happens you just can’t ignore it, you have to run with it when you can. I figure that idea came to me so strongly for a reason, it’s up to me to figure out why.

I’ve written poems, laid out a landscape plan for my garden, and redesigned a room all in my head while driving to work. If it comes to you it’s a gift and must be acted upon. Just like a child that is crying or sick, creativity needs immediate attention. And that person was right, it must be nurtured with classes and mentors. It must be given room to grow. You must spend time with it, answer any questions it has or learn from its mistakes. It’s a comittment that must be honored and respected throughout its lifetime.

So yes, I guess you could say I adopted creativity, I am committed to it. And I will follow its journey.