the world as I see it

Have you noticed a change in the world around you? Yes, I'm speaking generally to Americans in America. And I've been noticing a change.

It's taken place slowly, and I don't know that I can put my finger on when the change happened, but it's the rise of a new "protection" racket.

It's called Insurance.

Every time I turn on the television, I am bombarded with the messages about how I can be safe, how this company or that "protects" me, or can ensure that I don't suffer from the inconvenience of smashed cars, or trees falling on my house, or Allstate's "Mayhem". . . .

Even the term "Life Insurance" is a misnomer. They can't ensure my life, they can only pay money to my designee upon my death.

Same with accidents. Allstate doesn't "protect" me from "Mayhem", it pays money to repair the damage Mayhem caused. And if Mayhem caused a death? They are powerless to do anything but pay money. I don't know about you, but money can't replace life in my eyes.

Which leads me to the health "insurance" debacle. It's a racket which, combined with the threat of lawsuit (for which doctors obtain the "protection" of malpractice insurance) adds up to us paying a whole lot of money to people who don't provide health care! And who generally don't pay back enough for us to get the care we actually need. Does this make sense?

Then, the people who don't have the money to pay the people who don't provide healthcare and don't pay enough for us to get the care we need, show up in Emergency Rooms where they can't be turned away (insert law here together with legislator's stump speech about all the good he's doing the poor and disadvantaged) for treatment they don't pay for and make it difficult for actual emergency medical cases to be seen in a timely fashion. Oh, and in New York? The people who don't have medical insurance - but get Medicaid - might soon be able to apply for transgender surgeryunder that system! I'm thinking not many insurance companies would voluntarily pay to change the sex of their policy holder. . . .

Which leads me to the other major change I'm seeing, that of choice. We seem to think we have the right to choose just about everything or anything. But that's a subject for another day.

Meanwhile, I'm choosing to pay fewer and fewer insurance companies. The biggest problem with this is that once an insurance company gets into the field, the "providers" - those that actually do the work needed - get used to working with the insurance companies and they change their business practices. They bill the insurance companies less - but more often (and with guaranteed payment) - and they bill individuals a whole lot more. Have you noticed the change in your vet's billing? Me too. It's becoming another health care debacle, with sky-rocketing prices. And less and less choice for us, by the way. Now we get the prescribed optimum treatment, whether we want it or not. And if we can't pay for it - or don't want to give Fido IV's, for example - then we get NO treatment. It's an all or nothing proposition these days.

God, I hate this world.

Sorry - not a good way to start the day, is it? Meanwhile, I get to try and write a letter to one of my providers who has finally gotten around to sending a year's worth of billing to my medical insurance company. You got it: they denied the claim. And now the doctor wants me to pay thousands of dollars for treatment I assumed was being paid for by my medical insurance. . . .

The good news is that the rain has broken and we are predicted to have an absolutely beautiful day! A bit warmer than it's been. It will be a wonderful reprieve from the cold and wet and a time to relax a bit, before the cold and wet really sets in for the winter.

the lonely life. . . .

It was a very great insight to me to consider that prophets were generally not terribly well-received by the people around them. It makes me feel a bit better about my own writings and insights not generally having been enthusiastically received. . . . And for a while, there, it tended to shut me up a bit. Truth be told, I pretty much stopped writing for a while.

One reason was the lack of a kindly reception, the second, the king's general dislike of self-disclosure. You remember the king? My beloved spouse. And I do try and honor his preferences. But it's hard to write without self-disclosure. In fact, I think I'll say that good writing is impossible without it. My own writing was becoming more and more of an ordeal. So I've taken a break.

Am I back? I don't know. I rather hope so. I did want to check back in, though, and at least drop a line here. I've missed the prophet and the friends. Some prophet friends I keep in touch with in other ways, but some are only here. I write differently here than I write anywhere. I miss it. Over the last few days, I've enjoyed reading old entries, re-thinking old thoughts.

The country is at a cross-roads. If ever there was the need for clear vision, now is that time. But speaking of time, it's the wee small hours of the morning and propheting is probably best done on a good night's sleep. We'll see how this goes. Did anyone miss me when I was gone? I wonder. And I wonder if anyone will notice that I'm back! Ah - again - we'll see how this goes. Signing off again,

high road. . . .

frivolous defense

How is it that one can spend a half million dollars for a defense against frivolous claims of ethical violations?

If they're frivolous claims, what defense is necessary?

Now there's a concept for you! The Frivolous Defense.

What if, like those penalized for bringing a frivolous lawsuit to begin with, those who engage in excess "defense" would be denied their attorney's fees? No fund, then, for Sarah Palin, for allowing her lawyers to run up a cool half-mil in fees for allegedly defending ridiculous claims! As for the lawyers themselves, there is an ethical provision that one bills for work that is reasonably necessary. I'm thinking it's just not necessary to gear up for all-out warfare, when only frivolous allegations are being aired. That's the proverbial killing an ant with a cannon - or however that saying goes. Overkill, in other words.

undercover. . . .

Wow - talk about turn-abouts, there's a new book out by a guy who went to Liberty University for a semester and passed himself off as an evangelical, and has now written a book about the whole experience. . . .

Unlikely Disciple.

Now it's the Christians being infiltrated. . . .

This is big. On so many levels.

now hear this!

Who knew?

India's livestock's flatulence surpasses the greenhouse gases emitted by its cars.

I am not making this up.

Read it here, in Time Magazine.

Now we're really in trouble!

the new prophet

. . . in which I wonder whether I'm playing the role of queen of the world in new clothes, or whether I'm the little girl amongst the throng lining the procession route, who says: "Why doesn't she have any clothes on?"

Insofar as I have never experienced throngs lining my procession - but have often felt part of a faceless crowd in which I [apparently alone] am saying "I really don't understand this. . . . - I am hoping it's the latter.

Meanwhile, it appears that President Obama has started a bit of a shell game as to just who it is America is fighting against. No, it's not Muslim nations, nor Islam. Al-Qaeda is bad [for now] as are "extremists", but the rest of us are fast friends forever, to hear him tell it. Now all we have to do is get together and take care of the "bad guys".

Right.

Now - how do you tell which ones those are, again?

Birthday frosting

Yep. It's my birthday. Here's the view this morning. That's the sun peeking out in between the snowflakes, by the way. Cool, eh? Hey, if sun and rain is a sun shower, is snow and sun a sunfall?

That's my take on it and I'm sticking with it!

Here's my new favorite song. I awoke to find it playing in my head. Ignore the wierd woman in the hat.

simple. one sentence.

It is not simple to describe the "simple" life.

more fairness - more ponzi

I'm feeling a little tetchy.

I live in Maryland, where the estimate is that we will be having to spend some 11 million dollars as a result of the upcoming inauguration.

It appears now that our governor is asking that we not use the major road - the beltway - during that time.

Right.

Fairness at work. We pay for others. Fine, but who pays for me? That's where it always seems to break down.

Kind of like a pyramid scheme, you know? Which is pretty much the same thing as a Ponzi Scheme, which we keep hearing about on account of the arrest of Bernard Madoff, who is alleged to have caused a "loss" of some 50 BILLION dollars to his "investors".

Chump change, compared to the numbers contemplated by the various bailouts being tossed about by "Our Government".

When you stop to think about it, this is a Ponzi Scheme taken to new heights, in that we are not even "investing" money we have at this point. We're being set up to lose money we've borrowed. Who we're borrowing from is a little less certain, as is who will be paying it back. It's all magic. It's all about grabbing what you can, when you can. Sort of like Ireland, which used E.U. subsidies to build its infrastructure (leading to its "Celtic Tiger" booming economy) but which is a recent hold-out on ratifying an E.U. Constitution finalizing the formal relationship. It has also announced that it is opting out of a proposed 200 Billion euro European Union "Recovery Plan."

That's the problem with Ponzi schemes. The minute the have-nots become overnight haves, they stop wanting to give to have-nots. They "opt out." I am not being given that opportunity. Neither, however, have I been handed subsidies. What's wrong with this picture?

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed pages, by the way: "Atlas Shrugged": From Fact to Fiction in 52 Years.

Our lotto mentality has come home to roost. Nothing will change until we start working again. Hard work. For a long time. No more get-rich-quick schemes or overnight fixes.

Meanwhile, I think I'll take the beginning of next week off. And to preserve any semblance of a positive outlook, I think I'll also keep the television switched off. I've had about all the hope I can stand.