Reality shows revisited

American Idol is dull except for last nite when big mike almost got voted off. Do you care? I love Ellen on the show but all the judges seem to beg Simon to agree with them...am over Simon. But the best news ever is that Top Chef Masters is BACK! Who knew? not me! when I had time today, I turned on my dvr to catch up with Criminal Minds and saw Top Chef Masters was taped as programed last year to tape only new episodes. Oh joy of joys, I got to watch a really good reality show.

And Project Runway and Biggest Loser are coming to the judgement day end of the season.

You probably think I am crazy and you are correct,  I am. Too much time on my hands though the weather has been terrific so have been doing a lot of running around.. Face it, this is better than reading about te tea parties and obstructionist Republicans............watching reality shows is way less confrontational. Well some of them any way.

That's all for now folks, see ya

Health Care Reform and Health Care for Seniors

This past year, I was fortunate to be one of 5 bloggers who got to communicate with Senator Reid's office staff on Healthcare Reform and health care coverage for seniors. Today I received the following videos which I hope helps all of us to understand more about the changes ahead.

Now that health care reform has passed, we just finalized a video that explains what the health care bill does for seniors:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJJrBbZJ5vA

For any information you might need on the bill and it's provisions that affect seniors, please go here:

Section by Section Analysis of the HCR: http://dpc.senate.gov/healthreformbill/healthbill63.pdf

There is more coming on the Donut Hole for Seniors.

I heard today from the Huffington Post that the Republicans are using an old tactic in the Senate: leaving at 2 PM daily as their means of obstructing progress. Are they kidding? they did not have to leave at 2 to obstruct progress; they did that daily!

I hope everyone is aware of who voted no and why they did it. Most of these people need to leave the Senate permanently not just at 2 PM.  To read a brilliant blog on this and more,  please go to see "Listen to Me!"


http://www.birdsonawireblog.com

More to come

Scrooge and the Good in the Holidays

The holidays are here. Yeah. But they are tempered by some scrooge visits already happening. So here are my nominations, my opinions, for Scrooge of the Year:

The entire Republican Party: they know nothing about compromise and constituents and pay more attention to PAC funds from Managed Care Insurers then the health and well being of their constituents.

Senator Lieberman: who cares more about getting his name in the press then about health care or common sense issues.

President Obama: this one pains me greatly as I supported him and believed in him; and to an extent, I still do. But he did not step up to health care and is happy about a bill that will take 4 years to implement (unneccessarily) while impacting the over 160,000 people who will die over those years. Keep it simple and make it happen should be the mantra here.

My former employer which also pains me greatly. While this company does good things for people who reside in their communities, public documents filed in their recent bankruptcy show they made sure to financially stuff the pockets of the chosen few executives just 4 days prior to the filing while not paying the accrued time off earned by employees who agreed to stay to the end as part of a signed agreement with those people. These are people like you and me; good workers with families who got no money; no payment for time earned and not used which is a policy of this company, no severance and are struggling to live and provide for their children. Chances are these individuals will become part of the uninsured, the foreclosed and more. While executives were enriched. I wonder how the leaders can sleep at night, especially this holiday season.

The good: the kindness of strangers, friends and family to help each other in good times and bad. I wish for these people the best life has to offer. I wish for peace and joy and justice in 2010 and I want to especially acknowledge the employees of Social Security who are kind and never recognized. They helped me to get Medicare health coverage for 2010 so I would not be one of the uninsured. Thank YOU!

So Happy Holidays to all and to all, thoughts and prayers for a healthy and happy 2010!

The Great Divide: Republicans vs. Democrats,

I have been silent for awhile. Still searching for that great job. Still sick of partisan politics and those who put their own interests above the interests of the citizens of the US. sorry to see Project Runway end and Top Chef soon to end. No distractions from the reality of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Finishing the reduced COBRA payments; thanks President Obama for 9 months of affordable health care coverage.

Yesterday, the Senate voted on moving the Senate's version of the Health Care reform act to discussion and hopefully, a final vote. While its not perfect, it does contain a public option, albeit with an opt out. Who in their right minds would opt out of providing affordable health care to every human being in the U.S.? But then, who in their right minds would vote no to bring this health reform to the front of Congress for discussion and compromise and vote? Guess who? EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTED NO.

I can't say what I think of them here but think of an anatomical part you sit upon and that comes fairly close. I pray that all these self serving, money grubbing, PAC influenced senators get voted out in their next terms. They will do anything and everything to opose the President; even if its in the best interests of the citizens of the US. A conspiracy of sorts? Hello? Of course it is.

Almost all countries have some form of health care coverage. Not the US and our health care ranks very low in the world. A world leader? I think not. I was amused by a post by a woman opposed to health care reform who touted that we don't need this because her hospital never refuses treatment to anyone who comes in. HAHA! Clueless. Does she understand that the hospital loses a fortune on this care? does she not understand that ALL of us already pay for this in taxes. And doe she not understand that these people wait till they are really sick because they can't go to doctors to prevent illness? No she obviously is drinking the same KoolAid those republican senators are (I am not capitalizing those words on purpose).

Do you know the Congress has health care coverage you and I would die for (pun intended) and we pay for it. I wish I could introduce a bill into the senate that strips health care coverage from the "benefits" of those people.

Here is the full list of who voted: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00353

Though I could say more, sometimes less is better. Let's get those naysayers out of Congress! Whew, feel much better now. More to come...

Musings of a Mad Woman: Health Care, Republicans, Media

I am a cut to the chase person. Forget the BS and get to the bottom line. As I grow older, the ability to listen to pontificators, people who enjoy listening to their own voice, is gone. I cannot tolerate hypocrites either. I also absolutely have no use for those who use other people to embellish or push their own ambitions. This listing is a disclaimer to those who choose to read this blog for what's to come.

Media and Health care reform: Obviously, to me at least, the media must be struggling for readers/viewers because they have pumped up the pontifications, the polls, the exclusives, and more to demonstrate only this anchor, this station, this whatever, knows anything and everything about health care, politics, the president, and anything else that hits the news.

Example: Larry King and Michael Jackson. Larry's show has been declining in viewers even though Larry was a pretty respected interviewer, though on the soft side. Michael Jackson dies; Larry King's show is alive and well and up in ratings. Why? because he has someone or something about MJ almost every night since MJ died. What does this have to do with healthcare?

Simple: this is the prime example of leeching media who grasp at anything to get their names in the news and in ratings. And it translates to the mainstream news. Remember Rush Bimbo? and how he stated and was widely reported in every media outlet that he hoped Obama failed? Got attention didn't it? Worse, it reflects our political arena well.

I believe that is why the Republicans are stalling on the Supreme Court nomination and now health care reform. Plus it gets their names on the news. And the media are already grasping at the fact that they believe this could be the downfall of the Obama Presidency. Really? Excuse me but Obama has worked harder in his 6 months than any of the prior presidents did. Remember please, these so called elected officials and media types make money, have jobs, and even more have healthcare coverage paid for by their companies and by us for our Congressional reps that most of us would love to have. Maybe we should strip Congress, especially Republicans, of their health coverage and see then how quickly they would vote on health care.

I don't know about you but I don't want my views analyzed by people who, in my opinion, have no clue about the realities of life. You want reality, let me tell you about reality:

Medicare: It's not free. Med A and B is needed by most people because A is for hospital coverage, B is for doctor coverage: the cost of each is over $98 and it covers 80%. You are then responsible for the 20%. No prescription coverage unless you buy Part D: average cost $57/month and it only covers to $2500 then you go into the hole, that deep hole that requires you pay full price for meds until you reach another $2500 then it picks up again but in the new year, this all starts over again. In order to get coverage for the 20% not covered by Medicare, you need a supplement or a med advantage plan: cost is anywhere from$ 150-200 per month. Do the math. If you are on a fixed income, this takes up almost $500 per month. Nice huh. Does not affect our Congressional reps whose health coverage you and I pay for. And, in my mind, its age discrimination. But that is a story for another time and place. The problem with Medicare, in my opinion, is that it is staffed by people who have never practiced health care or been in real life situations; get rid of them

Medical Assistance is coverage for people who have little or no income. You and I pay for it. And whether they admit it or not, most doctors and hospitals treat these people like scum.

Some 50 million people have no coverage. But it still costs us when they go to hospitals and they go because they aren't able to go to doctors so they get sick and sicker. We pay for those costs also.

Excuse me but wouldn't it be better to roll all of this into one health plan that would share risk over some 100 million people? Got money? Buy what you want in health insurance. no money? you are still a human being who brings value to this earth. You deserve to get health care.

Obama took this on because good health care coverage means LESS cost. Do the math. It's simple. Even the American Med Assoc. and American Nurse Assoc get it.

I have a great idea. Take all the Republicans who are stalling to get health care reform done, and take away their health care coverage. Let them pay out of pocket. Betcha they would pass health care reform then.

I haven't even dealt with COBRA that affects 10% of the population now without jobs or benefits.

I urge you to contact your media outlets and your Congressional reps and push healthcare coverage NOW. Stop the BS! Let's get it done.