A Time of Reflection and Giving Thanks

Memorial Day, a time set aside to reflect upon the sacrifices that so many have made to provide us with the life we so abundantly enjoy. Whether the conflict was popular (World War II), or unpopular (Viet Nam), our military has stood tall and taken care of business. Never once has our military been defeated - Viet Nam was lost through the failures of gutless politicians sitting in safety in Washington DC.

Some have come home to massive celebrations; others have been showered with chicken guts and called baby killers. Regardless, the next time they were called upon, they went and took care of business.

Many have gone into harm's way only to come home and find that the benefits they had been promised had been eliminated by lying politicians and bureaucrats who had never faced any danger greater than getting a bad haircut.

Despite the best efforts of mainstream media, liberal politicians and cowards hiding behind academic credentials, the majority of the American people have never forgotten that the men and women of our military are true heroes deserving of our full support both on the field and once they come home.

As you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend in this the year of our Lord 2008, please ponder on this: once again liberal politicians are trying to turn a military victory into defeat in Iraq, liberal politicians are spending more tax dollars supporting illegal criminal aliens than we spend on caring for our returning vets and there are still American troops listed as POW/MIA.

So America, let's all raise our glass in a toast to our military and make a sacred promise that

1. We will never again allow a lack of political will and/or cowardice to dishonor the missions that our military undertake

2. We will never allow our returning vets to be treated with anything less than full respect and accorded the fullest measure of our support and assistance

3. We will never allow their sacrifices to be forgotten

To each and every member of our military, past and present, know that our prayers and hopes are always with you. God Bless You All.

Universal helath care is NOT a RIGHT

Sorry Hillary, Barack and all the other polpigs beating the drums but universal health care is not a right. It is not even a good idea. Especially if all it means is 'someone else pays'.

Would I like someone else to pay for my health care costs? Hell yes, who wouldn't? In fact, I would be happy to just be able to afford decent health insurance. But not if it means another bloated, government mangled program that serves no purpose other than to inflate costs and assure a hefty income to a select few.

Face the facts folks, all government programs are paid for by taxpayers, you and me. You may think you are getting a great deal
but someone is going to have to pay for it and that someone is the TAXPAYER. For the record, TAXPAYER means you and me.

Health care is expensive, far more than it needs to be. Is it because of greedy doctors scheming to rip you off so they can buy another BMW? Is it because of the evil insurance industry more interesting in profits than in providing service? Is it because of excessive government interference or ridiculous malpractice suits and settlements? The answer to all is 'to some degree, yes'. But the big reason costs are so high is because we are willing to pay the inflated costs. And why are we so willing to pay the price? Because we simply send the bill to someone else to write
the check.

Not only are we willing to pay these high costs but we do so for purely elective reasons. For instance:

1. Vanity surgery - lasix, liposuction et. al.

2. Junk medicine - pick any of the diseases du jour such as the latest magic cure for obesity

3. TV-esque heroic efforts - "House" is not real life folks

4. Emergency room visits for non-emergency issues (a simple cold is not an emergency)

Beyond these reasons, there is also our fear of aging and death, a fear brought about through a lack of true faith, a fear that power hungry polpigs are all to willing to exploit.

Can health care costs be brought down without massive government intervention? Without a doubt. The key rests with us folks, the common citizens who pay for everything. Start by accepting the fact that you are going to die someday and there is nothing modern medicine can do to change that fact.

Next, take personal responsibility for your own health. If you are fat, cut down on what you eat and exercise more. If your kid has the sniffles give them chicken soup and tuck them into a warm bed for a day or two. When you do actually need to go to the doctor, ask about the prices and alternatives.

Health care is a complex topic and I do not mean to minimize the importance of a good health care system. But folks, the solution to every complex problem starts with simple steps.

Last but not least - never believe a polpig who tells you that health care is a right and that they will give us good health care. They are a large part of why it is so expensive and can not be trusted to do anything that will actually benefit us.