tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799321221840032402024-03-19T04:14:17.128-05:00There Is A Better WayRandom thoughts about how to do life better...Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-34139827230635234902009-09-27T13:40:00.012-05:002009-09-27T14:35:22.612-05:00Taxing the fortunate<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I just can't sit quite any longer about the recent health care debate. It's crazy out there! The options being discussed are so ridiculous that at first, you might say that there is no way that this particular option or that one would be passed into law, so there is no need to comment. However, after a long time hearing the debates rage and realizing that the ridiculous ideas won't go away, I just had to say </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">something</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The latest bad idea thrown into the arena is Nancy Pelosi's </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/25/health.care.insurance.tax/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">recent suggestion</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> that the government should punish those who have good health insurance to help pay for those who don't. What? Can she be serious? Yes, she is considering taxing insurance plans with high value premiums and great coverage. This is possibly the worst idea to come from this legislature in recent memory. I thought the idea was to fix health care, to help those who can't afford it. I don't think she realizes that this tax plan would utterly stop employers or employee's from having excellent health insurance coverage and would transition them to lower coverage plans - in essence, taking away health coverage.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So why would they want to destroy the really good plans where people are fully cared for? It goes back to the issue of taxing the rich. Pelosi and her fellow collegues really do believe that the higher income class of America should bear the full burden of the lower income classes. They are not interested in promoting or encouraging people to succeed, but only punishing those who do. They don't believe that people who earn a lot of money through hard work, perseverance, or great risk have a right to keep it, but they do believe that those without income, who haven't worked for it, do have a right to some. Where is the logic in that?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I also see this as a step towards a single payer system. The next logical step would be to tax any insurance plan that provides better coverage than the government plan. Why not? It fits within their believe system that everyone is entitled to the same thing, irregardless of effort, personal hard work, abilities, or otherwise.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I spent some time thinking of a better health plan and wrote about it <a href="http://tiabw.blogspot.com/2008/12/better-health-plan.html">here</a>. I still think these are some good ideas. But, you must understand - I am a capitalist and believe in free market economics. I am not a socialist - which may be why Pelosi won't ever like my plan.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Roger</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ps. Don't hesitate to click on the adds in my blog. They generate revenue for the government to tax...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-36492688115450182202009-05-03T07:53:00.020-05:002009-05-03T10:03:43.278-05:00Customer Service<span style="font-family:arial;">I was surprised when someone answered the phone. Really! I was surprised not to get a computer answering service when I called. A human actually answered the phone first and I was able to talk to a person without going through an impossible menu system. It was very nice and the way it should be.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />I've observed a very annoying trend lately with corporations and even government agencies. They are replacing their telephone answering systems and people with a computer voice recognition system that asks you to say what you want and it tries to figure out where to direct you. Then it begins collecting information from you. After a couple of minutes of trying to get the voice recognition system to let you talk to someone, you then have to repeat your information. It usually takes 3 or 4 minutes just to work the system before your finally placed in the queue to talk to a representative or agent. Argh!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">This is incredibly annoying to me and I think I've figured out why. The problem is that if I call a company, it's only because I actually want to talk to a person. If I wanted to interact with a computer, I would go to their website and dig up the information or work through the issue that way. But if I call them - it's because I need a human to answer a question or to work through an issue with me. I need someone on the other end of the line that can think and solve my problem! Computers don't do this.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />These computer voice recognition systems have apparently been sold to these companies and gov't departments under the guise of providing better customer service. Boy how wrong they are! I would rather talk to a human in India than a computer voice system in Texas! At least the India support can think a little bit and understands most of the words I speak. The computer voice systems only recognize a limited set of words and usually there are many ways to express what my needs are. Which words are they looking for? Whatever I say, it rarely gets me to where I want to go in their menus.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4l659WhDszzMrymHYs7CD8mMAW634KJA35xB1Xp1iAKgWKdJI1DwNeDMTx_BzlPirj9GfTv3rbN0GAVYQU49JIy55R3LRjsP9QzTdXo1sQwdXRqUEOIIvvi9_xgX9qeyL4K5Ez4oMzP26/s1600-h/customer+support.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4l659WhDszzMrymHYs7CD8mMAW634KJA35xB1Xp1iAKgWKdJI1DwNeDMTx_BzlPirj9GfTv3rbN0GAVYQU49JIy55R3LRjsP9QzTdXo1sQwdXRqUEOIIvvi9_xgX9qeyL4K5Ez4oMzP26/s200/customer+support.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331595803440600466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">But, like I said at the beginning, I was surprised once last week. I called a local credit union and someone picked up the phone right away. I was so taken aback that I had to tell her thanks for simply answering the phone instead of making me work through a menu system. She then got me to the department I needed right way without any guessing. It was GREAT!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />For anyone reading this who is making decisions about their phone support - please, a human answering the phone is a far better way!<br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-69638114660056099562009-03-12T20:16:00.014-05:002009-03-12T21:23:39.978-05:00Better Records<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPeQ1V97JT3WTXfWYz_9ZFbU-hnXmrgOwjjeWaxdvq4lbgjyfO9urvXHv6f0VmX-AAZmCz9spbmo1Spx9nU8vGuEHVQqN7EZNfAk6-9TnyrD046UKQGgV9aU6jMMuYsKQseqv2iDUkb7A/s1600-h/records.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPeQ1V97JT3WTXfWYz_9ZFbU-hnXmrgOwjjeWaxdvq4lbgjyfO9urvXHv6f0VmX-AAZmCz9spbmo1Spx9nU8vGuEHVQqN7EZNfAk6-9TnyrD046UKQGgV9aU6jMMuYsKQseqv2iDUkb7A/s320/records.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312488771439409922" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Our medical records system has to change. In this one area, I actually agree with Mr. Obama, but only in part.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I went to the Dr. recently and spent the majority of my time there writing dow</span><span style="font-family:arial;">n my medical information. Very little time was actually spent with th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e doctor. Then he spent 2 minutes reviewing my medical history and then talked to us. When I go to another doctor for something else, I will need to repeat the procedure, but he won't see the information that the previous doctor wrote because the records are separate. I might even leave something off by mistake (or intentionally). This has got to change. In an age where information is so easily stored and accessed from anywhere in the world through a simple web browser, there is no reason not to have one source for all my information.<br /><br />We have to move to a single record per person for all medical issues and history. I don't mean a single repository for all records, but one place for my records and possibly another for yours. Read on...<br /><br />If all my records were in one place, then any doctor that I give approval to can view them and see all my history immediately and without duplication or error. He will have accurate and current info on my history, conditions, treatments, prescriptions, etc. I don't have to worry about forgetting something or worry about him not understanding something because it will all be in one place.<br /><br />However, I do have some caveats about this.<br /></span><ul><li style="font-family: arial;">This must be developed privately and not by the government. Have you ever accessed a government web site? They are difficult to use and not as good as most corporate sites. The government should not attempt to develop this technology but instead should simply reward the company(s) who do. Set up a development competition so that whoever meets all the requirements within the time frame will be rewarded nicely. Even if a $100 million reward was posted, this would still cost far less than the current estimates for the government to develop.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">There must be open competition so that there might be 2 or 3 good records storage providers competing for our business. This is critical to keeping the quality high and costs low. A government built technology will be stale and never keep up with technology.<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">The records must be portable so that if I want to switch providers, I simply export/import to a new record provider.<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">The records belong to the person (owner) only. No one else can access the information except those to whom permission is granted. When a doctor needs to see the records, he/she must be granted access permission from the owner. Same for family members.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">Neither the government nor the insurance industry will have access to these records unless granted by the individual.<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">When access is granted, it will only be for a limited time (maybe a week or month). This goes for Doctors as well.<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">All access to the information will be traced and recorded - visible to the owner so that he/she knows who and when their records were accessed.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">The providers will need to keep a subset of our records for their records. This is simply a legal CYA for them but it could be used for research if permission is granted by the owner.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">The owner will not be able to modify a doctor's notes, comments, or prescriptions. This will prevent the patient from hiding something, like getting duplicate prescriptions or conflicting medicines.<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">Security must be at the top of the list. Lots of people are concerned about this, but this is not an insolvable problem. Easy - no, but it is doable.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">It must store images (MRI's, xrays, etc), prescriptions, doctor's notes, nurses notes, owner notes, questions, scans of older records, etc.<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">It must not store billing information. If someone is having trouble paying, then that must be handled separately and not be visible by the provider.<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">It must be easy to use and intuitive. This is a good reason to keep the government out of it.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">The monthly cost can be paid by the owner/individual through subscription fees. However, someone will probably be able to be profitable through advertising or some other means.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">HIPAA laws must change to support and adjust to storing information this way.</li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">The list of requirements will surely grow since I am no expert here, but do have an opinion. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Did you know that Google is currently running a beta of health records? I poked around there and didn't get the sense that their first go around will be life changing. I think that IBM is also working on a solution and probably a few other big players. This is good - let the competition begin.<br /><br />However, do not let Uncle Sam develop it or think they own it. That would be horrible! Let it be done privately on the open market. This is a better way.</span>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-45984245143398769832009-02-14T12:40:00.005-06:002009-02-14T13:47:23.056-06:00A Better Love<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">On Valentine's day, there is lots of talk about love, about candy, flowers, cards with hearts on them, etc. But what is love really? I ran across this video on the statesman.com web site today and couldn't help but be amazed as people's definitions, or attempts to define love. Watch it...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1418565568" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=12403314001&playerId=1418565568&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="412" height="350" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Now, contrast this to the one who created love. He defines it </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%205:6-8&version=31">this way</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. It's not only a better love, it's the best love anywhere at anytime, period.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-38794561215933434892009-02-09T20:09:00.007-06:002009-02-10T08:17:47.777-06:00Socialism or bust<span style="font-family:arial;">That's what the President and his men think. Socialism or bust. They apparently don't believe in free enterprise and true capitalism. They believe that a socialist economy, where the government controls corporations and banks, is better than free enterprise and letting the natural consequences of peoples corruption and mistakes occur. Or why else would they want to print nearly a trillion dollars to "stimulate" the economy? Why else do they think they can make the country better by creating more government jobs? They apparently think that the government is a god that can save everyone from all trouble!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This whole thing was caused by lending money to people who couldn't afford to pay. Now the government is going to borrow tons of money with no reasonable way to pay for it. There's an old saying that goes "If a bank lends $500 to a man who can't pay it back, the man suffers. If a bank lends $5,000,000 to a man who can't pay it back, the bank suffers." But what if the government borrows $1,000,000,000,000 and can't pay it back? Everybody suffers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I really believe that the government cannot spend this country into prosperity. That is really upside down economics. What this country needs is confidence. Confidence that the government is not going to go broke. Confidence that inflation won't hit double digits in the next few years. Confidence that real change is ahead. Instead, we get the same thing from Washington - the same spending without knowing where the money is coming from, the same adding to an already humongous debt without a plan to pay for it. This is not change, but simply more of the same, just with bigger numbers attached than ever before!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">What this country needs is encouragement and incentives to save money, to buy things with cash not credit, to invest money, and to be generous to those in need. Our current tax system punishes people for saving and investing by taxing their interest on savings and capital gains. Our income is taxed like it belongs to the government instead of to us. We need a new tax system that rewards people for doing the right things.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've read about a better way of doing taxes called the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.fairtax.org/">Fair Tax</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. You should buy the book and read it too. It would be real stimulus and, in my opinion, would be real change that would encourage saving, investing, and would eliminate the dreaded income tax.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the meantime hang on, because our government will again be sending us money that it doesn't have so that we can buy things made in foreign countries. Why don't they just send us a coupon for a new car from Ford, GM, or Chrysler? This might prop them up for a while!<br /><br /><br /></span>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-16068977760017299532009-02-02T22:04:00.009-06:002009-02-02T22:34:34.264-06:00He would be sixteen<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;">He would be 16 years old tomorrow. Except he's not. He never took his first breath. I would be taking him to get his drivers license. I would be worried about his safety, about him wrecking my car, about him driving too fast, about the music being to loud and distracting. Except I'm not.</span><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It's amazing to think back about our excitement of his coming birth. We tried so long and hard to get pregnant. Spent thousands on infertility medicine, Dr's visits, and procedures. It took many attempts over 5 years and finally she was pregnant. On June 1, 1992 we got the news. I called my Dad and told him - we both wept in our happiness on the phone.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Thirty nine weeks later he was born. But not like we dreamed. Vasa Previa took his life. We were shocked and very upset. In my anger, I punched a hole in the Dr's wall. Not a great response, but it was how I felt.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">God sustained my wife and I through it all. He'll do it again, I'm sure. Now I look forward to seeing him in Heaven.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Brandon - I love you and miss you.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Dad.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-31511774707950017582009-01-16T19:40:00.011-06:002009-01-16T20:46:10.784-06:00The Swiss way to Health CareI still can't get this health care topic off my mind... I've been reading about the Swiss health care system and it sounds very interesting. I won't go into a ton of details because you can more read about it <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/bus/stories/DN-swisshealth_07bus.ART0.State.Edition2.21730ee.html">here</a>, among other places. I don't particularly care for their price fixing/negotiating but it is a place to start. Their employers don't pay for insurance but the individuals do. The Swiss are required by law to carry insurance, but they shop around for different plans that compete for your business. This seems a step in the right direction, but not yet there all the way.<br /><br />Author <a href="http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=bio&facEmId=rherzlinger%40hbs.edu">Regina Herzlinger </a>addresses the health care issues in the U.S. in her book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Who-Killed-Health-Care-Consumer-Driven/dp/0071487808/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232156868&sr=8-1">Who Killed Health Care</a>" and has some great ideas about overhauling our current system. I'm just a regular Joe (not a plumber), but Regina is a Harvard Business School professor and she understands that we need a consumer driven model. I'm ok with employers subsidizing the premiums, but not with limiting our choices. Would we be ok with our employer picking our houses for us? Of course not, so why are we ok with the choice of one health insurance plan that is typically offered?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.angieslist.com/Angieslist/">Angie's List </a>is a pretty interesting website because they allow you to read and post reviews of various service providers including doctors and hospitals. This is a great way to provide visibility into the quality of care (and even the cost) by hearing about people's real experiences with their care. Doctors who have poor bedside manners will either have to change or go out of business. This would be good! Angie's List just needs to catch on a bit more for this to be truly effective.<br /><br />I'm still convinced that a consumer driven free market approach will provide the missing transparency to the costs of care along with healthy competition for our business. Let's not be content with a government run, centrally controlled, and price fixed nightmare. I'm afraid that this may be what our new congress and president will want to offer us this coming year. Ugh! There really is a better way.Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-44130733360938215212008-12-30T20:56:00.018-06:002008-12-30T22:00:20.589-06:00Better Copays<span style="font-family:arial;">To continue in the same vein of trying to find ways to decrease health care costs, I want to address another issue - copays. Copays are designed to share the cost of a doctor's visit or a drug prescription between the patient and the insurance company. This (slightly) helps a person think twice before going to the doctor over something trivial or having a prescription filled that they may not really need. Have you ever had a precautionary script given to you? Just in case you need it you can have it available to you. If it wasn't for the copay, you might just fill it and let it sit on your shelf for two years.<br /><br />But the problem comes when it is time to shop around for your prescription. Who does this? Not me. I like my pharmacist, so I go to him. It costs me the same $10, $30, or $55 irregardless of who fills it - my favorite pharmacist or some other one down the street. I almost never know the actual cost of the medicine (what the insurance company pays). It might cost less at another pharmacist, but I don't know because I don't ask and I don't shop around. It's all the same to me - just the copay!<br /><br />Now if my portion of the copay was tied to the actual cost of the drug, if I could save money because one pharmacist charged less for the medicine than another, then I would be very inclined to go to the cheaper pharmacist or ask for less expensive drugs. Simple market dynamics in action. So, instead of having fixed copays, I think we should pay fixed percentages of the cost of the medicine. Example: if my insurance plan had a 20% copay for drugs, then I would certainly shop around and buy the drugs at the store with the lowest price. I would even ask my doctor before he writes the script about options that cost less than the latest and greatest high dollar drug that he is probably getting a kick-back on.<br /><br />Case in point - I can get my generic drugs at my local pharmacy for a simple $10 copay or I can go to Walmart (and now other places) to get a $4 generic. Guess what? I will endure the hassle of going to Walmart to save $6 per prescription! Why? Am I cheap? Maybe cost suddenly matters when it affects my wallet! I've even brought Walmart's list of $4 drugs to my doctor and asked him if there was anything on the list that would work for what was ailing me! It works!<br /><br />Likewise, if a doctor's visit copay was a fixed percentage of the actual costs instead of a fixed dollar amount, then I would seriously consider my doctor's costs and shop around to see if his billing is reasonable. Right now, I never ask because it's all the same to me - either $20 or $40.<br /><br />I really think that insurance companies with their current plan designs have done a disservice to health care costs because they have removed and isolated the patient (</span><span style="font-family:arial;">consumer) </span><span style="font-family:arial;">from the costs of their care. While at first this seems nice and comfortable, a great way to get health care at predictable prices for the consumer, it completely removes any initiative for saving money. Anywhere! The patient never makes a decision based on their actual cost of care. The insurance companies have fixed pricing contracts with providers and only pay what's in the contract. Since when has fixed pricing ever resulted in a free market or lower costs? Let the airlines be an example many years ago.<br /><br />There must be a simple connection between the cost of services and the patient's/consumer's wallet.Then natural market forces would then begin working on the prices that doctors and companies charge and the services that patients request. It just might be a better way.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-86558996523752181332008-12-14T22:19:00.024-06:002008-12-30T20:56:07.780-06:00A Better Health Plan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSb4RI3NPodGOTIMj3j8ylXhtUk7fbpCdx3LEd24UQC1a3kAtcB7obBejPUJynDfWsFGWTEJTsTAwbs4l5TJFVBnvVopzanuvdwQ6ERopHLKJaA9_EnEH37OQkHoQrK4Pip5r1B5mPYLy/s1600-h/Steth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSb4RI3NPodGOTIMj3j8ylXhtUk7fbpCdx3LEd24UQC1a3kAtcB7obBejPUJynDfWsFGWTEJTsTAwbs4l5TJFVBnvVopzanuvdwQ6ERopHLKJaA9_EnEH37OQkHoQrK4Pip5r1B5mPYLy/s200/Steth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279890839429846514" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The President elect has begun asking for ideas on how to make our health care system better. I have a few thoughts on the topic, but they may be naive. They're also not fully complete, but are just ideas being formed. Maybe you readers can help fill in some of the gaps. I also admit that I barely understand the complex nature of the health care system. I do know it is very controversial - but we need new ideas. Also, these ideas are my own and do not necessarily represent the ideas of anyone else, including my employer...<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The first thing that must be considered when you think of a new plan is understanding what is it that is broken that needs to be fixed? In my understanding of the national dialog, the two issues are 1) that many people don't have health coverage and 2) the health costs are climbing too fast. So the solution must provide a means to keep the costs down and a means to provide for those who don't have insurance. If I understand it right, the biggest reason that people don't have health insurance is that they can't afford it. Therefore, if the costs were brought down, then the number of people with coverage would naturally go up.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So when I think about how to address these issues, the following things come to mind:</span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Don't nationalize it. Just look at Canada and their costs. I can't think of any good models of nationalized health care.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Move away from the group health insurance model to an individual health insurance model.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Under this model, people shop around and purchase their health insurance like they do for their auto or home. This will provide free market forces and competition, which means lower prices.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Employers would provide health insurance premium vouchers to allow their employees to purchase whatever plan they choose on the open market. If the employer is currently paying $600/mo per family for health premiums, their voucher value would then be the same $600/mo.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Provide tax incentives for employers who currently provide health insurance to their employees to continue with the vouchers for their employees. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Provide incentives for employers who don't currently provide insurance to start providing vouchers of some value. Tax rebates or credits might do the trick.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We are required by law to carry auto insurance. Is this going too far for health insurance?<br /></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Provide incentives for people to save money themselves with their health care. One way could be high deductible insurance plans with tax exempt medical spending accounts to cover the deductible. Remove the copay for an office visit. Then each individual will begin asking how much a doctor will charge for services and maybe even shopping around for better rates. There are still the Dr./patient relationships that enter the equation and would make changing tough. But certainly for lab work, this would be easy! Then, if there is money left over in the spending account at the end of the year, it goes back to the individual as simple taxable income. Don't punish people by making it a use it or loose it endeavor (like current medical spending accounts are). Reward people for saving.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Provide incentives for good personal health. People who smoke and people who are overweight are shown to be at high risk for lots of medical problems and expenses. These are two things that people can (usually) control themselves if they want to. Therefore, if there were incentives to quit smoking and to exercise regularly and eat right, there would be huge future payoffs in both longevity and lower heath care costs. I think the best way to do this is through significant insurance premium discounts for non-smokers and those who can show they exercise regularly.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Structuring the health insurance industry like the rest of the insurance industry - on a risk assessment basis. The auto insurance industry charges higher premiums for those with a higher risk - like teenagers and those with previous accidents or tickets. They lower your premiums if you haven't had any claims for 5 years or if you are in a low risk age group (married and over 25). If you have extra safety devices in your car, you qualify for premium discounts. Home owners insurance premiums go up when you have a previous claim. They go down if you have a security system. These are simple risk calculations. What if the health insurance industry had similar risk factors calculated into individual premiums? Smokers would pay more than non-smokers. People who exercised regularly would pay less than those who don't, etc. People who get an annual physical get discounts on their premiums. People with lots of previous claims would have to pay a higher premium than those with no claims. </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What about people who are not employed? Their biggest front burner issue is lack of income. So they are probably on unemployment or welfare. While they are on these programs, the government could probably provide a voucher for their health insurance. I don't like this idea as a long term solution, but for a short term solution, it is palatable.</span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Today, I don't shop around for my family's health care - because the cost of a Dr's visit doesn't matter to me. My insurance company picks it up no matter what. This is the inherent problem and biggest disconnect in health care today. The person who chooses the provider is not the person who is paying. If we where to remove this disconnection so that each individual is connected to the cost of service and has incentives to save money and live healthy, then I think this would be a better way.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Thoughts?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-29872352919749640892008-12-08T18:54:00.012-06:002008-12-15T14:58:18.945-06:00The Auto Industry Microsoft Bailout<span style="font-family:arial;">Here's an idea just for fun - what if Microsoft did the auto industry bailout instead of the feds? Not by loaning them money, but by simply buying the companies outright. Microsoft has enough cash and short term investments to buy Ford, GM, and probably Chrysler outright at their current stock prices (notwithstanding the Trade Commission and Monopoly fouls)! Then they could run them the Microsoft way.<br /><br />So then I started thinking - what would a car be like that was made by Microsoft? Here <span style="font-style: italic;">might be</span> the results:<br /><br />1) You start your car by pressing <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ctrl->Alt->Del</span><br /><br />2) You get free upgrades each week to fix the bugs. New starters, new wipers, a new radio, etc. just shows up if you enable "Automatic Updates."<br /><br />3) Sometimes, you can get a new service pack if you need to - but you really don't know why you need them.<br /><br />4) When it isn't running right, just shut it off and restart it. No problem...<br /><br />5) You would buy a "Home" version for personal use and a "Pro" version for driving to work.<br /><br />6) You have to periodically take your car to the shop to remove all the ads and junk that just shows up in the trunk. You don't know how it all got there and it's too hard to remove yourself. But it weighs the car down so much it just can't hardly be driven anymore.<br /><br />7) After 2 or 3 years, it just doesn't go as fast as it used to. It now takes 20 secs to go from zero to 60.<br /><br />8) It comes with all sorts of free features and accessories from the factory, but you don't use them because the aftermarket parts work 3 times better.<br /><br />9) You have to have a signature on the car somewhere to make sure it is genuine and not an illegal version.<br /><br />10) It becomes uncool to drive the car instead of whatever Apple is selling.<br /><br />11) When you buy a new house, you can get a new Microsoft car installed in your garage at little cost compared to their price at a store.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">12) When you shut the car off, you will need to wait about a minute for it to finish.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hmmmm</span></span>. Just a few thoughts. Maybe the auto companies need to keep <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">beggin</span>' the feds....<br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-45298018914624677032008-12-03T21:53:00.018-06:002008-12-08T18:54:18.282-06:00An Emergency Fund<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">One of the first things that we all need to learn from the uncertainty in this economy is to be ready for bumps in the road. If you're a fan of </span><a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Dave Ramsey</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> like me, then you are well aware of the baby steps he sets out. The first and third steps are about starting and then fully funding an emergency savings account for - you guessed it - emergencies. Like this one.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The first and largest obstacle to building an emergency fund is wanting it. We have to really, really want it! If we want </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">things</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> more than an emergency fund, then we will never have one. Some might say that they can't afford to save, but I think that those who </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">actually </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">can't afford to would be a tiny minority. You would need to be at or below the poverty level to not be able to save </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">something.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Most folks simply spend as much as they earn or more and then don't have anything left to save. Living like you make $70K/yr when you only make $60k/yr is a recipe for disaster. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The second obstacle to building that emergency fund is having a budget and sticking to it. Many folks will simply balk at the word "Budget" and run! But I want to tell you about an easy and incredibly effective way to do it. And when the method is easy combined with desire - you've got success!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I've been using </span><a href="http://www.finicity.com/money-manager.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mvelopes Money Manager </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">by Finicity for years. It's way better than Quicken, MS Money, or even a spreadsheet in my opinion. For a small monthly fee, you can have instant visibility to your spending and know exactly how much you have left for any given budget area. Do you have enough to eat out tonight? Just a quick check and you can answer yes or no. And if yes, you can do it with no guilt or worry about what it will do to your other bills. You've already planned for them and know that you will have enough when those bills come in later in the month. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Budgeting, when done right, actually provides peace and security to your finances, not grief and stress. Stress is doing your finances the same way you've always been doing them and expecting them to turn out differently next time. Wrong! Try Mvelopes and see why I so highly recommend it. It automatically goes out to your bank(s) and credit card(s) each night and fetches your transactions. They show up the next day and you simply drag and drop them to the appropriate envelope. Whey you buy gas, you drag that purchase to the fuel envelope. Groceries to the food envelope and gift purchases to the gift envelope, etc.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Did I say gift? How would you like to actually to have money available to buy gifts for Christmas and not stress about it? It comes around every year whether you plan for it or not. So start planning for it and you will enjoy it much more. Simply set aside some money each month and when December rolls around, you're ready to go shopping </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">without </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">that credit card!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Will the car need new tires next year? Plan for it by setting aside some money each month in one of the envelopes and when next year comes around - presto! You can pay cash for those tires instead of putting them on a credit card and worry about when you can afford to pay for them. It's amazing!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When you get paid, you simply fund your envelopes according to your saved plan. Simple. Need to make an adjustment this paycheck? No problem. Just tweak your allocations slightly on a per paycheck basis. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I manage my budget in about 5-10 minutes every 2-3 days. That's all! Really! I can check it from any computer or mobile device and I can find out how much is left in any envelope very quickly. I even manage my own escrow for my house with it. Are you tired of your mortgage company adjusting your payment each year because of tax or insurance estimates being wrong? Do it yourself next time. It really works well!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mvelopes Money Manager is helping me meet my financial goals and live a stress free financial life. I really believe it's a better way.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-64113477841528638432008-11-14T22:13:00.009-06:002008-12-30T22:39:09.727-06:00A Good Pruning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe0KT0JIKiVmcgIn2oSvQupZB5gE3SX9SpqAHKK04BMzDVLI-ZosvxuNP3-LIwgT0yecTNTglqUPSBtitMAZ9AlghsxFZCNIXwIe_piQL1hY96kIGXpASYnB79BXQSNqLQuETMLUcELUE/s1600-h/pruning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe0KT0JIKiVmcgIn2oSvQupZB5gE3SX9SpqAHKK04BMzDVLI-ZosvxuNP3-LIwgT0yecTNTglqUPSBtitMAZ9AlghsxFZCNIXwIe_piQL1hY96kIGXpASYnB79BXQSNqLQuETMLUcELUE/s200/pruning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268732493932295346" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div>When I prune my shrubs and trees, it seems painful at the time. Large branches fall and there are large piles of debris to be cleared away. Sometimes, someone comes by and says "Wow - are you sure you should be cutting that much off?" But the next year, those trees and shrubs looks great. They are healthy, well groomed, and just the right size for my yard.</div><div><br /></div>Could it be that this economic downturn is like a good pruning? That what remains will be healthier and much better than before? If I didn't prune my shrubs, they would get large, uneven, and unsightly - growing in places I don't want them to grow. What if that is what is happening to us right now?</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What if this economy is just a reflection of unhealthy, ungainly growth? Growth based upon deficit spending with no way to pay. Consumers just buying things on credit and worrying about the payments later. Homeowners with mortgages and no reasonable way to make the payments. After all, what good lender approves a loan with no verification that the monthly payments can be paid? Or that the borrower is telling the truth about their income? Maybe it's good that such lenders fail...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What if the result of this is that people learn to buy things with cash, not credit? What if they learn to save and not borrow for everything? To actually put money aside for an emergency or for a rainy day? Or to actually verify income and their ability to make the payments on a home mortgage? Wow - who would've thought?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When things get easy for long periods of time, we have a natural tendency to get very lazy and complacent and we begin making assumptions that probably aren't true. We start putting our trust in things based on quicksand instead of real security. We forget that bad things can happen and when they do, we are shocked instead of prepared.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I hope that as the result of this pruning, we rethink our priorities, we readjust our values and we change where we look for security. Each of us has our own values and priorities for our lives. But it seems to me that the things I've mentioned could be embraced by everyone with tremendous benefit to all. I think it's a better way to live.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-7061475980391840402008-11-09T20:37:00.008-06:002008-11-14T14:45:53.532-06:00Can you fix it?<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; width: auto; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Georgia, serif; text-align: left; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The dishwasher just broke and it won't run anymore. The brakes on the car are making that awful sound for about a week now. The computer keeps getting this pop up that just won't go away. The more things we have, the more things break! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">So what do you do about it? Call a repairman or bring it to the shop? That's expensive. Fix it yourself? "No way," you say! You don't know how those things work, so there's no way that you can fix them. You feel trapped with no way out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUiC0IH7WNnksLB56JUSSNU-DCPHip5guiUPrRZzwTQxo2bWQ7m3GTay7Jd4dacqx1kw-o4UvVo59XmhW2UV7-iHeBlPvTNZfQvLQKbVlwe9gOSA8lZsKuKwb3DUv-wAH-GpD8HY8Zcx0/s200/Screwdriver.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266859356581825314" /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">One of the better "life skills" that I was taught is how to fix things. My Dad taught me much of what I know. Car things. House things. Toys. Motorcycles. Electrical things. Lots of things. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">I was also given an inquisitive nature when I was a child. I was always taking things apart to see how they worked and then tried to put them back together again. Sometimes they worked again - sometimes not. But Dad would help me or tell me what I did wrong and how to make it better again.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">This ability to fix things has paid huge dividends over the years. When things break - which they always do - I usually have a better than 50/50 shot at being able to repair it myself. And when I do, it saves a TON of money! How many times do we just cringe at the rates for a service call and wish that we could do it our self?<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">This is especially true for car repair. I am now able to repair about 3/4 of my issues that come up on my cars. This really helps because I buy used cars and then keep them up myself. It's a great combination - see my article </span><a href="http://tiabw.blogspot.com/2008/10/throw-100-out-your-window.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">I will also be teaching my kids how to do basic repair on their own cars. When they start driving, I feel it is essential to understand some basics about the mechanics underneath so that they have some level of understanding when something breaks. This will save them tons over the years of car ownership and will also give them the ability to talk with mechanics when they need to. They don't have to be able to fix everything. But they do need to understand simple things like the battery, the brakes, the tire pressure, oil changes, air filter changes, etc. Then having some level of theory on how an engine works, how an air conditioner works, how a transmission works will pay huge dividends when troubles come up. Depending on their interest and their mechanical aptitude, I could teach them much more.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">As for things around the house, I will try to teach my kids as much as possible. Sometimes they're not interested, sometimes they are. But that's because they don't yet know that they need to be able to do these things themselves at some level someday. Or maybe they'll marry a man who can do this himself - who knows. I hope the fathers of my daughters' future husbands are teaching them how to do these things, along with many other life skills.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">If you don't know how to do some of these things already, then take a few minutes to learn something each time something needs repairing. There are tons of places on the web that show how to fix specific things. But more importantly, let's teach our kids how to fix things. It's a better way!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div></span>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-21156808500276278512008-11-02T14:49:00.003-06:002008-11-02T15:39:38.889-06:00He will keep me awake at nightNo matter who gets elected on Tuesday, neither one will get everything right in my opinion. Neither one has all the answers that I am looking for and neither one will fix what's ailing our economy. However, one has the potential to keep me up at night extremely concerned and angry over the consequences.<div><br /></div><div>It won't be his tax policy. Even though <a href="http://tiabw.blogspot.com/2008/10/robin-hood.html">I don't agree with it</a>, I will probably still sleep sleep at night. It won't be his medical policy. Again, I don't agree with it, but I will sleep at night. It won't be his foreign policy. I don't agree with it, but I think I will still sleep. </div><div><br /></div><div>It will be his moral policies that keep me awake at night. His insistence for "a women's right to choose" along with the makeup of Congress that will keep me awake. How will I sleep when the person in the highest office of our country wants to pass laws to "protect" an individual's ability to kill a baby - their very own baby? Why is there this "god" in his belief system that a woman <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">must</span> have the ability to terminate her unintended pregnancy with a simple choice? Why is the life of this child not protected in our country and in our government? Just because a child is invisible to the eye and completely dependant on their mother, doesn't make him or her less of a person. Doesn't he believe that this person in the womb has the right to choose <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">anything? Ever?</span> How about the right of a child to take their first breath? I believe this right exists!</div><div><br /></div><div>His judicial choices will also keep me awake at night because it is our supreme court justices who have made this current ruling in our country. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be new justices appointed during this next presidential term and they have the power to interpret the Constitution through their own world view. The impact of their decisions will affect generations to come - both my children's and my grand children's generations.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is why I will be voting for the soldier. He is the one who has fought for our country and has placed his life on the line so that others can have life. He understands the value of life and what price has been paid and must continue to be paid to protect it. And, I will be able to sleep at night.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-14516330783003269872008-10-31T23:28:00.005-05:002008-10-31T23:41:38.421-05:00Growing up like Zac<div>I am really enjoying watching Zac grow up. I haven't known him but for a few short weeks, but I am hooked on his <a href="http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/">adventure</a>. He will turn 17 soon and is doing things that some of us will never know, let alone seriously contemplate. Would I ever send my son out on the ocean <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">by himself </span>to circumnavigate the globe in a small sailboat? Wow! Actually, I would love to do this myself, but I don't think I would have the courage to send my child out on his own. Am I too protective? Maybe. </div><div><br /></div><div>Zac is growing up and learning things that most of us will never learn and could never be taught in a classroom. Survival. Pacing. Navigation. Conservation. Communication. Ingenuity. Decisions under stress. How to handle loneliness. Dependence on others. Dependence on self. His inner strength to endure and persevere. He is seeing places first hand that we only read about and see in pictures on the web or in blogs. It's incredible!</div><div><br /></div><div>I want my children to learn these same things. But I struggle with the method. The control freak father in me wants to protect them and guide them each step. But the testosterone laden man in me wants them to take risks, learn first hand, maybe even fail some while the consequences are minimal. But am I willing to let them be tested and take risks when the consequences are high? When their very life depends on their succeeding? No way!</div><div><br /></div><div>If you were to ask me whether or not I was an "umbrella" parent, I would've said no way. But maybe I am after all. I would love to be on Zac's boat myself. But I would not want to have one of my kids on it! I'm guessing that I'm not weird but just a normal Dad on this. Where is the line when it comes to protecting vs letting them go? I know my wife and I are in different places here - I chalk that up to the general difference between Mom's and Dad's. I push the envelope while Mom holds back. Thank God for Moms!</div><div><br /></div><div>But Zac isn't pushing the envelope, he's defining a whole new package. I fully applaud and support his efforts and his parent's. It helps me to realize that doing hard things - larger than life idealistic endeavours, is worthwhile, realistic, and not out of reach.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks Zac for showing me a great way to grow up.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-75261568380042885992008-10-27T22:46:00.006-05:002008-10-27T23:20:00.603-05:00Robin Hood<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sSFgF-ntlydItbxUdioFI8RXVDQ0YPZFzuyjGBoXLhZQtNE9IlYTr7Bc0dDMtSrKLfDJ-YOl_BKYxYwkrWxNe9MIXgIOpxgNrAlj87oiQbkzYZBxSBmGhmygz-vMWKLRfhZLq4LmdrxI/s320/Robin+Hood.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 111px; height: 156px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262051804685928706" />I guess he thinks he's Robin Hood and is going to rescue everyone from the rich people. To "spread the wealth" or to move it from the rich to the poor - that is the Robin Hood principal. In the woods, it's called stealing. In the government, it's called taxes and welfare. Some would even call it socialism.<div><br /></div><div>I love giving to and helping the poor, as long as it is actually giving and not taking away. Giving the needy help, giving them a job, giving them needed care and justice is very important in any society. These are all good things. But they must be provided in a loving way, not by raising taxes on the rich and calling it "spreading the wealth."</div><div><br /></div><div>The business man with money must be allowed to invest and hire people, not to be taxed and have it taken from him. In my opinion, that's punishing success. Economic success comes from the top down, by allowing the people who've succeeded to invest and to hire others to succeed with them. I think the reason countries like China and India are growing and changing so much and poverty there is diminishing (not gone yet) is not because we shipped food in to them, but because we shipped jobs in to them. Now they work, earn their own living, and spend or save or give their own money. People with money hired people without money. Then they all had more money. I think this is a better way than Robin Hood.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regarding taxes - I'm actually quite fond of <a href="http://www.fairtax.org/">The Fair Tax</a>. I think I'll need to write on that some day soon. </div><div><br /></div><div>Please go out and vote this week or next Tuesday. Let your opinion be heard.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-68815591917017589382008-10-26T20:23:00.012-05:002008-10-26T21:19:14.393-05:00Throw $100 Out Your Window<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8MHUIRS-aFRqTS6_xsZIy2n2mpYVqUOMB4JrmVcccr1RekHKi4L1LYSBHtNFXGfeRKUEBJfklwCe6FzweO4ymqRqaZMRwgHLyDGXwHPG8l2knClyaWmOXphDnwQHrsP2gB_BNtkJ6lnY/s1600-h/carlot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8MHUIRS-aFRqTS6_xsZIy2n2mpYVqUOMB4JrmVcccr1RekHKi4L1LYSBHtNFXGfeRKUEBJfklwCe6FzweO4ymqRqaZMRwgHLyDGXwHPG8l2knClyaWmOXphDnwQHrsP2gB_BNtkJ6lnY/s320/carlot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261646770516721650" border="0" /></a><br />A friend of mine bought a new car yesterday. I'm sure the salesman and the dealer were happy to have sold a car in this market - any car! He traded in his other car which was only about 2yrs old. He told me that he got an "incredible deal!" He got a $35,000 car for $15,000, he said. Of course, this is net of his trade-in which was probably a $15,000 trade-in. So, I estimate that he still paid nearly $30,000 for the new car. I wonder if he figured this out yet. I also wonder if he realizes that his trade-in cost him around $25,000 two years ago which means he lost about $10,000 since then on it. I also wonder if he knows that his new car will probably be worth about $15,000 in two years. Maybe $18,000 if he takes good care of it. That's a loss of $12,000 to $15,000 in just two years which is $6,000/yr or more in lost value!<br /><br />Let me put this in perspective - loosing $6,000/yr is like throwing a $100 bill out the window as you drive to work every week. Every week! Just pick a day - say Friday, and throw your $100 bill out the window! Ouch! Every once and awhile, throw out two just to keep up. <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/">Dave Ramsey </a>taught me this!<br /><br />It's called depreciation. It's the single largest cost of owning a new car. You can find proof in the consumer reports magazines or just calculate it yourself. If you've ever sold a car you bought new, you don't need someone else to tell you how painful it was to find out that it was only worth _______ when it came time to sell it. Often times, this problem is made even worse by having a loan on the car that is still more than the car is worth! Ouch - that's called being upside down.<br /><br />I don't buy new cars - I buy used ones. I think it's a better way. I buy them after someone else has absorbed the depreciation cost. Then, I drive them for a few years and sell them for somewhere near what I paid for them or just a bit less. If I buy a car for $3,500 and drive it for 3 years, and sell it for $2,500, I've only lost $333/yr in depreciation. If I buy a $9,000 car and drive it for 3 years and sell it for $6,000, I only loose $1,000/yr. I've saved nearly $4,000/yr in vehicle costs minus maintenance.<br /><br />Maintenance you ask? Yes, there might be maintenance costs on a used car. But it should never add up to $4,000/yr! Just don't buy an old Hyundai or KIA (or a few others). Buy a Honda or Toyota. No guarantees, but they have a better record as good used cars. Investigate and learn what the good ones are. You won't regret it.<br /><br />The authors of the book "The Millionaire Next Door" documented the same thing as they interviewed actual self made millionaires in America. They discovered that most millionaires don't get rich by buying new cars. They buy used cars and are usually quite frugal. So understand - a new car is not your pathway to building personal wealth. It is actually your biggest hindrance.<br /><br />Buy used - I think it's a better way.Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-26132888882450406412008-10-20T22:16:00.010-05:002008-10-20T22:46:03.032-05:00Better Worship<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DMRxrGLMpUqVLkr4r5OHjxWcPWXXCJRPz_DwIxYbVrWKiX-ft2y7Ic4zyb3ocBVyfT11NvdXdxFnoLCFdQ3ZQzoYq-EEbOhk8Llb8M9Y0v_QNrXOIgTrdTdQlbul7LYhNChu6Ib5vKqC/s200/Worship.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259446514817449842" />She worships better now. I see it in her eyes and in her face as she sings aloud to God. It's different now. It's beautiful! Not that it was bad before, but it is now less hindered. Eager and anticipating. Like before you go on a trip, you anticipate it and thinking about it makes you happy.<div><br /></div><div>It's just different now that this thing came into our lives. This tumor. This brain tumor. This cancer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before this past May, I always thought that if she ever got some sort of cancer or life threatening illness that she would be really upset with God. That she would be angry, question him hard, say "Why me" over and over and be in despair over it... But she's not. She's hardly had any complaints and I think is really at peace with it. Not that the Dr's have given her a time frame because they haven't. </div><div><br /></div><div>But she worships better now with cancer. It's just like Job I guess. Will people still worship God in bad times as well as good? Actually, it seems, they worship better in hard times. In good times, the things around us distract us and make us feel like all is going to be OK. But they're just things. When times are tough, hard, or life threatening, it's just us and God. Pure worship!</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you honey, for showing me a better way to worship!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-84680760288108020562008-10-13T21:59:00.006-05:002008-10-13T22:26:16.520-05:00Shawn and HollyI saw it tonight. The love. The friendship. The caring. The willingness to do anything for a friend, no matter how unnecessary it seemed to them, it was important to her. So they did it for her.<div><br /></div><div>They've been there through everything. Nine years of fighting - they've been there with her and her husband. For them. Along side them. Carrying them. Crying with them. Celebrating with them. Now crying with them again. She is done fighting now. There's no more that can be done but to keep her comfortable and wait.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shawn and Holly are people that songs should be written about - except that I can't write songs. I 'm not sure I can even write... They were faithful to their friend when they said "I'll be there for you" and didn't really know what the road would look like, where it would turn, how rough it would be, or even how long it really was.</div><div><br /></div><div>My wife and I said "Who are our Shawn and Holly?" I think we know who they are. But everyone needs a Shawn and Holly in their life because no one knows what tomorrow may bring. These are the friends that will do ANYTHING for you. And I mean anything. For any length of time. No matter the cost. No matter the pain. They will fly with you to the other side of the world. They'll care for your kids. They'll forgive and understand your ugly times. They'll only remember the good times.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe another great question is "Who are we Shawn and Holly to?" Are we willing to go to any extreme for someone? We can't do it for everyone - we just don't have the capacity. But for at least one person or family?</div><div><br /></div><div>Shawn and Holly - they've shown me the better way.</div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-45321633769540345782008-10-10T20:03:00.008-05:002008-10-10T20:10:54.566-05:00A Better GiftToday, I finished reading the Old Testament. I <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=malachi%201:8;&version=47;">read</a> how God called his people "Evil" because they were offering gifts to him. Evil? Really? Why is that? They gave him their offerings...<div><br /></div><div>Oh, I see - the gift was flawed. It wasn't the best of the flock. Or perfect - like him. The people had some blind and lame animals that they didn't want or need, so they gave them as offerings to God thinking that God would be OK with that.<br /><br />The problem here is that the people treated God as the left-over God. Not the first or the most important. They forgot how jealous God really is. This makes me wonder if we offer God the same blind and lame sacrifices today? Do we give what we have left over each month? Only what we didn't need for ourselves?<br /><br />I think there is a better way. God wants and deserves the best of our flock. The first of everything we earn. Giving is a priority and a pleasure because we worship Him. He <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%203:9;&version=47;">tells</a> us to give this way - to honor him with our gifts. But, honor only comes when we treat as first importance, not last.<br /><br />Are you considering cutting back in your giving due to the current financial crisis? How about if we cut back on other things that we really don't need and give to Him despite our fears. That takes faith. And, it is a better way to give!<br /><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-75547309511321394752008-10-08T23:01:00.006-05:002008-10-08T23:26:39.968-05:00If it works......what do you do? Do you leave it alone out of fear of breaking it or suddenly making it not work? Or do you find yourself wanting to improve it? What you do under this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dilemma</span> may actually tell a lot about you. There are two sayings that tend to rule this decision - a) "If it works - don't break it!" or b) "If it works - improve it!"<div><br /></div><div>I guess for me, I'm a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tweaker</span>. I usually think that things can be done a little better, a little faster, a little bit more efficient, etc. I'll make an adjustment here, a tweak there, just small iterations that add up to large improvements over time. I guess that's why this blog exists - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">TIABW</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Are you a risk taker? If not, you will most always land on "Don't break it!" If you are a risk taker (like me), then you might tend towards "Improve it!" I guess it really depends on the application. If you're Intel making chips at a factory, you always "copy exact" the next factory. But technology in general works on the principal of improving it or your competitor will for you. When software is written, we know that if you make changes, it might break something unexpected. But you have to make changes to improve it, fix it, or add features. Besides, no piece of software is ever completely done - ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>What about life? Do we keep doing life like we've always done it out of comfort? Out of fear that something bad or unknown will happen? What if there are better ways of doing life? Are we open to learn and change? Or do we get grumpy in our old age and just growl back at change.? We all know someone who is simply stuck in their ways and won't change. We always say "I won't be like that when I get old." <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hmmm</span>. Are we approaching this point when we don't want to try new things?</div><div><br /></div><div>There is also a personality issue here. Some people just don't like change and must plan for changes. Otherwise their cart gets upset and they are out of their comfort zone. Others, just love change and actually can't stand to do things the same way twice. Maybe, somewhere in the middle is the healthy ground we should aim for. </div><div><br /></div><div>We should always be teachable and humble enough to admit that maybe we don't know more about a particular issue than everybody else. No matter how smart or "wise" we get, there is always something more we can learn. I learned that <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=prov%2012:15;&version=31;">here</a>. And <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=prov%209:9;&version=31;">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>So please, leave your comments on these entries and teach me a thing or two...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-14287053977871903792008-10-06T21:44:00.003-05:002008-10-06T21:55:42.657-05:00Be FlexibleWhy does my car have to have only one shape? Sometimes I want to drive a sports car. Sometimes, a regular sedan. Is there a way to have both so that I could choose depending on my mood? Maybe this is how it could work. BMW is thinking outside of the box and is trying to better connect our emotions to the automobile. This only makes sense to those who love cars and can really connect emotionally to their cars.<div><br /></div><div>If nothing else, it would be fun to drive! But will it keep me safe? I guess rocks would just bounce off it and the car door next to me wouldn't bother it a bit. Hmmm... maybe this is a better way?<div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><br /><center><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kTYiEkQYhWY&autoplay=0&color1=666666&color2=d3d3d3&rel=0&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></center><br /><br /></div></div></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-15606864801826174812008-10-04T13:52:00.013-05:002008-10-05T22:37:12.141-05:00Measuring Fuel EfficiencyIs there a better way to measure fuel efficiency? You know - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">mpg's</span>. We all use <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mpg's</span> to compare cars or trucks and figure out which will use less fuel. If I were comparing two cars whose ratings were 15 and 20 mpg, I would say the 20 mpg car had a big advantage in efficiency. But if I were comparing two cars who's ratings were 40 and 45 mpg, initially I would say that the 45 mpg car also had a big advantage over the 40 mpg car. Right? Well, not quite.<div><br /></div><div>A better way to measure fuel <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">efficiency</span> is to calculate fuel used for a given distance. Say we took an average year of driving - 12,000 miles per year. How much fuel would these cars use? Well, a car that gets 15 mpg would use 800 gallons of gasoline while a car that got 20 mpg would only use 600 gallons, a total savings of 200 gallons per year. Quite a lot. But now for the higher mileage cars. A car that gets 40 mpg would use 300 gallons of fuel, while a car that gets 45 mpg would use 267 gallons of fuel for a total savings of only 33 gallons per year. Not very much.</div><div><br /></div><div>What does this mean? It means that the more fuel that a vehicle uses, the more impact an improvement in fuel efficiency will have on your pocket book. Meanwhile, the higher mileage models don't have as much savings to gain. See the chart below and notice how the slope decreases as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">mpg's</span> increase. In the real world, this means that the automakers who try to improve the mileage of the big vehicles are making the most impact (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tahoe</span> Hybrid) while the smaller cars (Civic Hybrid) don't actually save as much because they already get such good mileage.</div><div><br /></div><div>So think in terms of fuel used per year, instead of MPG. It's a better way...</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQA5netPAeT4iDuvcBNjPjoROz5e-VR8kpszg73qPINp0vdL2QoA-R7BjchdFxQJ4VSJx8td3508UOTNNIIMKlg33h1nph8CXbK1I9pmpzuw40R2xBwKedZcgs-0ssf1xzIo4hS3sGgycv/s400/Graph.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253375883107913234" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-49304649496742791382008-10-03T17:27:00.004-05:002008-10-03T17:29:15.081-05:00Google has a better way<div>Did you ever wish that your employer treated you better than they did? Do you ever feel like they are just squashing the creativity out of you and your co-workers? The rules. The budget cuts. The formality. The cube farms. The boredom. Or whatever...</div><div><br /></div><div>Google might just be on to something. They have perks - lots of them. But not just perks for perks sake. That would miss the point. They have an agenda behind their perks. They are social engineering creative moments and atmospheres for their people - they call it "People Operations." Hmmm... Sound interesting? Take a look at this video and pay close attention to the comment at the end about hiring intelligent people. It might just be working.</div><div><br /></div>Here is Google's better way...<br /><br /><br /><center><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_QqT38QRA84&autoplay=0&color1=666666&color2=d3d3d3&rel=0&border=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></center><p></p>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-879932122184003240.post-68957617537744915122008-10-01T16:37:00.005-05:002008-10-01T16:44:50.791-05:00A Better BailoutThe bailout in Congress is being widely discusses around the watercooler. Is it a good idea to "Nationalize" these bad debts and assets? Is it absolutely necessary for our financial systems to keep operating? Maybe there is a better way to pull up before crashing?<div><br /></div><div>Dave Ramsey thinks that he has a better way, a "<a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/fed_bailout/">Common Sense Fix</a>" to our financial crisis. If you agree, follow his steps and send a message to your congressional representatives. I like Dave's thinking on many fronts. Voice your opinion now!</div>Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919086171774942581noreply@blogger.com0