I want one too

Today I saved my beta fish from my kitten. Does that mean I get a nobel peace prize too? I have always aspired to receive it one day...well no not really I made that last part up.

planes, trains, automobiles and...school tours?

On October 1st we began our fall school tours. We had 260 kids parents and teachers the first day. As with anything there was some apprehension in the days leading up to the first. We are doing the tours a lil different this year so we were worried about the flow of things and if the teachers that had been here in the past would like it as much. Thankfully the response to the changes so far have been nothing but positive. Not to be outdone by himself and his previous success with the tours my dad spent many-a-hour going over the changes to ensure a seamless flow of kids and fun (no one has ever accused dad of being and under achiever). What we did different this year was to give the walking tour the ax and instead do a presentation about corn and how the early pioneers and settlers used it. We do this down at the amphitheater we built this summer. We talk about the evolution of how people made corn meal; from the earliest pestle and mortar all the way to the advent of a grist mill. And as it happens we just happen to have a grist mill now so that works perfectly. To be perfectly honest I wasn't so sure that this would work so well or be a success. I was personally very fond of the walking tour because the kids got to learn more about early life before planes, trains and automobiles. I also wasn't sure if the kids and teachers that had been here before would like it. But once again I demonstrated why dad signs the front of the check and I sign the back! One thing is for certain and that is that he has a vision that is spot on with what people like. I still have much to learn from him. Here are some pictures of how the tour went....

rights, responsibilities and free healthcare

Well here we are in 2009, the Democrats have control over every facet of our government and they are making quick use of their new found power. Wasting no time they have taken control of various sectors of our economy with the guise of just fixing it. Automobiles, banking, where does it stop? If the far left gets their way then it stops when you have no freedom left.

Now that they have tested the waters and by making boogie men out of the automobile and baking industries in order to foster popular support for their un-constitutional take overs. Not that the constitution even matters to those on the far left. It is merely "a charter of negative liberties" anyways, right? So what is the next big thing for Leviathan to devour? Did someone call for Doctor Obama?
The health care industry has long been a prize that the Left has wanted to get their hands on, in order to "fix it" of course. Never mind the stubborn facts of the matter. We do have the best health care and the best standard of living around. Our patient care is phenomenal compared to those in Great Brittan or Canada, why else would the ones that can afford it come here for their treatment?

Socialized health care is a disaster for many reasons. One of the reasons are that the costs associated with it are staggering. We as a country are not in a position to spend the amount of money that would be required to provide a quality health care service to every citizen in this country. Unless, of course, it is not your intention to provide world class medical care to every citizen. "But you cant say that, of course that's the intention!" Is it? Really? Those that are in the elite political class don't do anything that would harm their political clout. If they see the opportunity to provide "free" health care and then in return the masses would repay them with re-election, they will do it. They also know deep down that it is impossible to pay for that kind of spending. What will happen is that there will have to be rationing. Rationing will be based on some kind of scale that the government will cook up. If you don't believe that fact then you are living in a fantasy world. Without adequate funding there is no other option than to deny certain people certain care.

For all the complaints you here today about the ER and how crowded it is and having to wait in lines if we let this socialized medicine pass we will beg to be able to go back to our current system. But it will be too late. Like Ronald Regan once said "Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!" How true that is. There will be even longer lines, longer waits, and less care to go around. If patients no longer have to pay for their own health care then where is the insentive to live responsibly? If a person smokes themselves into lung cancer is it my duty to provide for their treatment? If someone behaves promiscuously is it my duty to pay for their STD treatment? If someone drinks their liver into in-operation...I could go on and on. Those that say "It is a fundamental right that they have health care." would be the first to say that you couldn't deny care based on reckless decisions. However, with rights comes responsibilities. If it is their right to behave in a manner that is injurious to themselves, then it is also their responsibility to deal with the consequences.This is something that the left in this country tries to deny at every turn. I believe in personal liberty and the right of an individual to behave in a manner that they feel so long as it does not violate the law, but I also know it is their responsibility to live with the outcome of their particular behavior.

There will be tears shed by parents who can't get care for their children because the cancer treatment is not cost effective and it is not efficient to spend that much money on one person. There will be tears shed by children who cant get care for their aging parents because that new alzheimers treatment costs too much. My yet unborn children will rue the day I let this happen. I have made up my mind. I will not stand idly by and watch our once great republic be driven into the ground by simpletons. We must oppose this with every once of our being. Some may think it no big deal, and that I'm dramatizing the whole situation, but I know it would be a huge disaster. A disaster that will cost lives. We must stand opposed to this. We are on the moral side and the right side of history.

Do your research, read up on the subject. Don't just take my word for it. Educate yourself and others, that's the only way we can stop this madness. I will leave you with a quote from Thomas Jefferson, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people...They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

Semper Vigilo, Paratus et Fidelis