So I'm sure (not really) that you are all wondering what dear ole' Sara thinks about currents events in the world...let's go through them one by one...shall we?
#1: The Royal Wedding:
I love the pic above...btw.
Okay...while I think it is CRAZINESS the amount of press this thing is getting in the US, I somewhat understand the obsession with the event. The US does not have any royals (thank goodness and the Kennedys don't count) so people like to follow the pretty people that England does have. plus, who can resist all the history!?
While I will not be getting up to watch the wedding, I will be DVRing it tomorrow morning. I will watch it sometime next week when there is NOTHING else on. I think Kate Middleton is a pretty girl. I think they are deeply in love. I think that she is NOTHING like Diana (I mean, they lived together...they probably did it once or twice...last week...sorry for my crudeness :)) I have NOT been watching all the TV covereage, which is probably the reason that I am NOT tired of it. But I am ready for it to be over. Sunday will be a good day...and then I guess, we can go on to wonder when Harry and Chelsey are going to get hitched. :)
#2: The Donald:
Y'all know that I am pretty open about my political views. At least I try and be.... I'm not a democrat or a republican...I'm not a liberal or a conservative. I'm a moderate. I don't stick with party lines on all the issues. I actually have a brain of my own and I like to use it. (every once in a while) I choose to...not judge...but decide what I think on issues and about people on my own morals and by using my own brain waves.
I don't think ANYONE in Washington D.C. is doing a GREAT job...some are better than others...but almost all of them suck in one way or another. I mean, I'm not happy with our district's representative or our state senators. I'm not happy with the president or the house speaker...but guess what...they are our leaders and they (I'm hoping at least) are doing the best job they can. But that's just it...I actually don't think some are. I think some were elected b/c we wanted "change"...change from what? Who knows? 2 1/2 years ago, I voted for the presidential canidate I thought could lead our country out of the recession. And the guy I thought was most connected to the people he served...US. We elect our representatives. (minus the president of course..that's another blog post though) President Obama has done the best job he could in the current politcal world in Washington...a volitile, blaming game, sespool of deception.
I digress, but I say all that to say this...
When we are constantly attacking each other, how can we attack the problems that our country is facing? The Donald has made a lot of ripples in the press with his "birther" talk. He's gotten people all amped up b/c he thinks that the president should show us his birth certificate. So, Mr. Obama did yesterday!
My questions are this...
1. Why did ask him to do this?
2. Did the previous 42 president HAVE to do this?
3. Would we do it for someone who's father (or mother) was an immigrant into the US?
Mr. Trump...if you are considering a run for the presidency...maybe you should focus on issues like, I don't know, national security, the Middle East unrest, Unemployment, etc. Just a thought. Shut up and sit down.
#3: As a constituent...
There are a lot of problems in this country. Problems that need to be worked on. (I hesitate to say "fixed" b/c I'm not exactly sure that they can be fixed at this point)
a. The economy = this included gas prices, housing prices, and unemployment
b. Health Care reform = now folks...back off a bit...at this point, i'm sure those of you that are still reading are screaming that I am a LIBERAL!!!!! I'm not...I didn't say socialized health care was the answer...I said that health care reform needs to take place! I'll give you an exlample.
At the beginning of this year, we were "forced" to change our daughter's doctor. While we like her new, current doc...we LOVED her old one. We were forced to change, b/c my husband's insurance coverage changed. In Springfield, MO, we've got two choices of hospitals. Both are GREAT...but employers pick an insurance provider based on the hospital and best (cheaperst) coverage. My husband's employer (my dad) picked the best (cheaper) choice. It just happened to be out of network for Molly's old doctor. This is a small example but I'm frustrated (still) that we can't pick the doctor we wanted.
I emailed (twice) my new representative, Billy Long, to inform him of the situation. I know, "more imortant issues Sara"...but as our representative (a new one even) I wanted him to hear from me. I got a reply today. I have copied it below.
Dear Sara,
Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 2 and H. Res. 9, two legislative measures which will begin the process of repealing and replacing the current health care reform law; I appreciate hearing from you regarding this important issue.
As you may know, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, respectively, became law in March of 2010. While the law has some positive components, it would increase spending by $2.6 trillion and does little to reduce health care costs.
The United States offers the highest quality of health care in the world with the best doctors, nurses and hospitals available. Folks from all over the world come here for health care, which reflects how fortunate we are to have such talented people in our health care system.
I firmly believe health care decisions are best left up to patients and doctors, and Washington bureaucrats have no place interfering with the patient-doctor relationship. We need to reform health care in a manner which allows the United States to maintain its top quality care while not causing our national debt to spiral out of control.
Additionally, claims that the health care reform law will reduce the deficit are inaccurate as the current law would eventually bankrupt the system. The current health care reform law relies on budgetary gimmicks, such as not taking into account the $115 billion needed to implement the law, counting the $521 billion taken from Social Security payroll taxes twice instead of once, and cuts in the Medicare program. The law also failed to account for the Medicaid reimbursements Congress annually allocates for doctors, which costs the U.S. Treasury billions of dollars each year.
I have no doubt the health reform law would severely damage our economy and our quality of health care, so I voted for H.R. 2, known formally as the Repeal the Job-Killing Health Care Law. I also voted for H. Res. 9, which instructs various committees to produce legislation which would improve the nation's health care system. Specifically, I would like to see reform which provides people with pre-existing conditions access to affordable health care, protects the doctor-patient relationship and allows students to remain on their parents' health insurance. It is my hope that any new health care reform will achieve these goals while preserving the first-class quality of our health care system.
Again, I certainly appreciate you contacting on this important issue. Hearing from all Missourians allows me to better understand your perspective on issues and how they impact the future of Missouri and the nation. For additional information regarding current legislation and my representation of the Seventh District, I invite you to visit my website... Signed Representative Billy Long
The return email was a form letter!!! I was blown away. While I didn't expect him to sit down and write a heart-felt email back to me...I did (somewhat) expect him (or someone that works for him) to READ the email that I had taken time to write. AND...his email back to me goes against EVERYTHING that I said to him!!!! I am fried up over this...I'm tempted to call his office. I doesn't represent me...if is representing his party...no wait...his wing of his party! Shame on you Mr. Long. This is the guy my area elected to represent us! Oh...and to add insult to injury...he's working to get rid of agricultural subsidies! We live in an agricultural district!!!!
Ok...rant over.
God Bless!
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