pictures I posted of a hike our family took on Sunday.
By the way Falk Family, my lungs are improving, or I would have never been able to make the hike and I paid the Dr. with my own money, did not use any of your taxes to pay for it.
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Homestay Mama said...
Beautiful! I want to go there! I'll call you and get directions! I've been 'itching' to get out in the woods again! My Japanese student is finished with summer quarter this coming Thursday! We should celebrate with a hike, don't you think?Loved your family portrait! Especially the clowning! LOL
August 16, 2009 11:48 PM
FalkFamily said...
Great pics - looks like fun - how are the lungs??
August 17, 2009 8:36 AM
Aussie Therese said...
what a fun outing. Great photos. I think I want to go there when I come and visit you.
August 17, 2009 5:27 PM
Emily the clarinetist said...
that looks like one of my family portraits. i have a huge extended family so the pictures are always intresting :)
August 17, 2009 8:32 PM
diddleymaz said...
nice walk but your politics is so wrong on so many levels.Obama won get over it.Socialism is actually OK after all we have had it in the UK for 100 years and wow are we better for it, and social health care ie NHS is wonderful. I have heard so many ridiculous lies from right wing usa .We may moan about it but its great and we wouldnt dream of getting rid of it. UK has longer life expectancy,less infant mortality than USA.
August 18, 2009 6:57 AM
Aussie Therese said...
Is the NHS really that wonderful? I have children with diabetes and I heard of a family in the UK that a doctor didn't want to test their child for diabetes because she wasn't ill enough yet. This child had had some really high blood sugar numbers and some other symptoms but the doctor decided that she wasn't ill enough yet to test for diabetes. I remember thinking that maybe this wouldn't have happened if the child had been seeing a doctor privately. There certainly are some advantages to a Govt health system but I know here in Australia it has also had a lot of disadvantages.
August 18, 2009 3:23 PM
http://www.blogger.com/profile/18359744428745009730 said...
busy busy busy! ferry rides, hikes up to beautiful falls...FUN!Karin
August 18, 2009 8:18 PM
diddleymaz said...
I dont know what the Aussie system is, looking forward to the final Test though!Ashes coming home.As for Health Care of course there are mistakes but all human systems are liable to error.Once someone has been diagnosed with Diabetes in the UK tey know that they get all care free for the rest of their lives.Heart and eyesight checks, footcare,diatetics and all meds and eqipment are provided and dental.No matter about jobs or insurance or how ill you are for however long.And the same goes for all serious conditions and even if you have to pay prescritions its very low and here in Wales we dont pay at all!If people moan its because they want more gov spending not less.
August 19, 2009 4:12 AM
Gramma 2 Many said...
HMMMM I wonder what your taxes are for? Nothing in life is free. Even under communism.
August 19, 2009 9:41 AM
Gramma 2 Many said...
I am rethinking free. What is the definition of free? At no cost? But everything has a cost to someone. If Health Care is free, do the Dr's donate their time and efforts to heal the sick at no cost? Are they reimbursed? How do they afford to receive an education if they donate their efforts? Is their education free also? Under this type of system why should anyone work if the government is going to care for them? Why should anyone try to do better if everyone is the same?Someone pays someplace. It is called taxes. Once no one is willing to produce there will be a huge deficit in revenue and your precious government will no longer be able to carry you and give you everything for "free".Give me my system and the AMERICAN way of life any day. Long live CAPITALISM the system of innovation and discovery. The system that has produced so much good for the rest of the world.I will die proud of who I am and the way of life my country provides me. In fact I am willing to die for it.
August 19, 2009 9:49 AM
Sorry friends, I know I try to keep this blog fluffy, but could not resist sharing this one.
7 comments:
Hey gal, I am sure glad those lungs are healing well. Now take care and Please don't over do it...
Elsie <><
I am glad you pointed out the conversation Evy.
It is true that nothing is free.
Some of the things about public health system in Australia:
1: when you are in a public clinic waits are generally long and tiring.
2: appointments are made automatically here for children with diabetes to go to other clinics. I remember receiving a letter from the eye clinic that because I hadn't shown up with Tom at a certain appointment, I couldn't attend the clinic for 12 months. I didn't even know about the appointment because I hadn't made it and they had failed to inform me of the appointment.
3: appointments can be changed at a moments notice. When Tom was nearly 2, we had an appointment in Adelaide to see the endocrinologist. We lived 400 km away from Adelaide then and when we arrived, they told us that our appointment had been changed to the following week. I explained to them that we had just traveled 400 km and could not come back next week. They did agree to see us but we had a long long wait that afternoon. I think we sat there for 90 minutes before we saw anyone.
4: Because we have a public and private system here there is a double standard system. If you show up at a public hospital you are treated the same if you are a private patient or public patient but when you compare public clinics with seeing the doctor privately it is like comparing chalk and cheese. They are vastly different.
I have had people say to me that the public health system is so bad that they would go without food to have private health cover.
5: without private health insurance, we would not have been able to get a pump for Tom. People that opt to be public patients are not offered the latest treatments.
sorry --- i'm laughing at my comment in the midst of the stream. boy, i should read what EVERYone has to say before I go about sounding like the Happy Smurf!
gad!
anywho...isn't there a blog for this somewhere? ;) see, it wasn't my fault - I wasn't expecting to see this dialogue here!
oh - and as if it needed to be said, "Here-here, Gramma."
The reason people are getting so loud is because 'commonfolk' aren't being heard. I don't want to pay any more for insurance for the people sitting on their front porch on any given day than I already do. My husband works very hard for his living. And we benefit from it greatly. The Bible says a wise man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. May we be so blessed to be able to build up and keep our money that long.
Capt. John Smith, upon returning to the colonies, discovered them to be in disrepair. He decreed that from then on, if you wanted to eat, you had to work.
Now, I am not saying that everyone out there without insurance is unemployed. But I do know there are people out there who prioritize their big trucks over decent health care. We do not. I am not interested in paying for someone else's lifestyle. Free, indeed!
And, I believe our forefathers fought to LEAVE England.
Keep it coming, Gramma. You have my undying love and adoration.
Thanks Karin, it is returned tenfold. Love how you pointed out about John Smith. Had forgotten that little detail. You know, the last history class I took was at least 45 years ago. Can't expect me to retain everything.
Rationing is the key word when it comes to socialized medicine, and in the United States, under the proposed ObamaCare, senior citizens wouldn't receive basic medical care.
Under ObamaCare, private insurance would be completely wiped away by a non-competitive government-run health care HMO/co-op. Everybody, regardless of age or situation would eventually lose their insurance. People without insurance, namely illegal aliens and non-citizens would receive free health care. Or, said another way, illegal aliens would steal American health care away from American citizens.
I met a guy on Monday here in California who was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. He had surgery nine days after diagnosis. And it saved his life. That wouldn't have happened in Canada or in the UK.
Canadians and Brits and people from around the globe come to America for specialized health care for one reason: It's the best in the world.
Anybody who tells you that American health care isn't the best health care in the world is lying to you.
"Canadians and Brits and people from around the globe come to America for specialized health care for one reason: It's the best in the world.
Anybody who tells you that American health care isn't the best health care in the world is lying to you."
And this is Fact...You can Bank on it.
Diddleymaz, if you are still reading, I just want to say, I'm glad you commented. My ancestors came from England and Wales, so I feel we're kindred spirits of sorts. I have college students from all around the world who come live with me while they attend college here. They come from countries that have socialized medicine. They, like you, think Obama is great. So I understand where you're coming from.
Now let me tell you why I am opposed to socialized medicine here in the USA. Before I retired, my employer contributed to my health care insurance. My insurance allowed me to go to naturopaths, chiropractors and other alternative healthcare providers in addition to medical doctors and specialists in all fields. I loved the freedom of choice that I had. I loved my naturopath and received excellent care from her. I fell and broke my wrist last year--and ended up needing surgery. I had the best orthopedic surgeon in Seattle--he was recommended by a good friend. My insurance covered the hospital stay, the surgery, doctor's care and the physical therapy afterwards.
This year I retired and am now on Medicare (its our government run health care program for seniors).
IT SUCKS!
Under Medicare I can no longer go to my naturopath. I have to find a new doctor. Unfortunately, excellent doctors that have been recommended to me by my friends are not accepting Medicare patients. I don't blame them. Trying to get paid by the government is a long, drawn-out, laborious, multiple-forms process. Medicare limits what procedures they will cover. Hence, Medicare alone isn't enough to cover anyone's medical needs so we senior citizens must also enroll in a Medicare supplemental insurance program through private insurers. And even with the additional supplemental insurance, I still cannot go to my naturopath!
It is well known by most of us here in the USA that anything run by the government is a behemoth in non-efficiency, and waste. I do not want my hard-earned money to be eaten up with increased taxes to pay for yet another inefficient, government-run health care program.
Oh, by the way, I still pay taxes because I still have to work. Why? Because Social Security (a government-run retirement program) is a BIG JOKE! Anyone trying to live on their social security income alone is living way below the poverty level!
Here is a blogger that I feel explains Obama's healthcare proposal very well. It is short and easy to read. I hope you will read it.
http://adriennescatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2009/08/insanity.html
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