View from the Mountain

Time to think of the other person

I have to stifle laughter when I hear the commercial that we should slow down health care reform.  If the reform process is much slower, I will be dead long before anything happens.  Health care reform reminds me of widening Interstate 81.  Everyone knows it needs to be done, but no one wants to pay for it or compromise on how it will be done.

The folks who do not drive on 81 certainly do not want to pay for it, just as the people who have benefits from their companies want nothing to do with health care reform.  The system is working fine so why should they want any change.

There was a time when Americans thought about doing what was right for the majority of people.  Years of nasty politics where the driving force was "if I can get more than my share, too bad for you" have turned our country into warring factions.

The facts are that we have a lot of people who do not have health care. Paying for health care in our system is a competitive drag on our economy.  It makes our businesses less competitive.

We already face rationing of care, but the rationing comes from fighting with insurance companies who know how to play the system.  They also can easily drop you or charge you a premium so high that you cannot afford to pay it.

There is something inherently right about society assuming the risks for those people whose health has failed them. Granted we all need to try to lead healthy lives, but we all know that people get diseases and die even if they live the healthiest of lives.

What is wrong is assuming that the system we have can work to cover everyone.  My family and I lived in Canada for seventeen years.  In fact all our children were born in Canada.  We had very good health care.  In talking to people still living there, the system has some problems, but it is a far more efficient system than ours.

There are only three kinds of people opposed to health care reform.  One is the politician whose soul is owned by the insurance companies.  Number two would be the people who are already covered by their companies and could care less about people who have no coverage.  The third group would be those who need health care and cannot accept the fact that unless the government is involved, we will always be at the mercy of the insurance companies.

My wife and I pay a lot of money for health care because we are older, and my company does not provide health care.  It is a constant worry that we might lose our coverage.

I have seen the Canadian system work.  Just the fact that you went to the doctor when you needed one without worrying about the cost was a huge positive when we were raising our kids.

Those who do not want something in the US where people do not have to worry about losing their coverage are blinded by their own ideology.

The importance of meaningful communication

There are far more ways to communicate today than anyone could have imagined just a few years ago. In 1971 when I wanted to buy some property in Canada, there were really only three ways to get information. I could write a letter, pick up the telephone, or personally visit the area.

I remain unconvinced that more communication equals better information or more real communication.  I love comments to my blogs that create a dialogue.  The comments that drive me crazy are the ones that basically are "I wanted to say something meaningful, but I have nothing that qualifies, so great blog."

There is an old rule that says if you cannot add value to a conversation that keeping your mouth shut is a good strategy.  It should also apply to blogs, and at least offer a good reason not to type a response which has no value.

Then there are times when the conversation itself is the important thing, no matter what the words are.

When special events pass, it is important to take real time and make the connection even if your words are the same as everyone's words.

Those little courtesies of life are the glue that hold our relationships together. 

With all the ways to communicate, you would think it would get easier for people to touch the lives of others.

Sometimes I think the nature of communication today makes real communication even more precious and rare.

I know we certainly appreciated those touches that came to us yesterday when we were celebrating our anniversary.

A tropical anniversary

We are celebrating our wedding anniversary today. A long time ago, back in the seventies, we were married.  We were married so long ago that we get our anniversary cards by reading favorite ones at the drug store.

Several years ago we celebrated one of our anniversaries by going to Beaufort, NC.  I ended up loving the area, and eventually I convinced my bride to give the area a chance.

We have now been living in the area for three years.  We have learned a lot, met some great new people and have once again learned to see another perspective on life.

Our area is not too tough to take.  We are ten minutes from the beaches of Emerald Isle.  We also live right on the water.  Sometimes living on the water is a very good thing.

When it rains in the mountains, the rain often gets bottled up in the valleys and causes lots of flooding.  Yesterday we 1.75 inches of rain in just over 30 minutes.  It was an impressive flood of water.

Because we live on the coast just a few feet above sea level, the water does not have to go far.  There are no tightly constricted valleys to cause flooding.  The water just moves as a sheet into the river. 

I have seen the power of flooding so I have lots of respect for the power of water.  I think we are far enough inland to miss the worst of tidal surges.

However, this morning we are so humid that it has taken a while for the sun to burn the moisture off the windows.  That is another price you pay for living on the Southern Outerbanks.

Still I will happily wait for windows to clear because we love living where we can see the water.