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By
JIM STREET Ed
& Pub Is
government-mandated “healthcare reform” really dead? Or is it just lying
dormant until the Congress can get another chance to ram it down our throats? To listen to
President Obama, it is both. He said last
week that it “probably” would not pass in the present Congress but, almost in
the same breath, he said he will not “back down” from his goal of “universal
health care.” He later said
he is willing to meet the Republicans “half way. We’ll see. He keeps changing
his position. With all the
angst over how to “fix” healthcare and its ever-escalating costs, let me
offer a somewhat simplistic solution. OPINION We got into
this mess because we are using insurance and government to pay for
healthcare, which is exactly the wrong model. But if there
were a completely free marketplace, people could buy the plan that worked
best for them. Or no insurance plan, if they so choose. State laws
prevent that now but we can work in our own states to correct it. I said in
our own states – not the federal government. If a company
wanted to provide its employees with a plan that paid 100 percent of all
costs from a haircut to major surgery, it should be allowed to do so. Others might
choose a less-expensive plan such as “catastrophic” coverage in which the
patient pays routine costs out of his pocket but the insurance covers that
rare but serious illness or injury. If the company
chooses not to offer insurance – or if the employee does not like the company
plan – he should be free to pick a plan he likes best. Or no plan. Apparently,
most people have heard 30 years of insurance ads telling them their plan is
best because it reduces “out of pocket” costs. Fine. If you
want to pay $500 a month, say, for a policy so you don’t have to pay a $20
co-pay a couple of times a year, go ahead. If not, no one
should force you to buy anything. Why do we have
to provide proof of car insurance?
It’s not to fix our own car. It’s in case we smash into someone else,
we don’t leave him in a financial mess. But why should anyone have to have
insurance? If the
offender can’t pay to fix the damage, that’s wrong. But if he has the
resources, why in the name of all that’s holy should he have to pay an
insurance premium to someone else? A limousine
company I had part ownership in bought into the extended warranty scam hook,
line and sinker. They would much rather pay $3,000 a month for the ten cars
so the occasional $500 repair wouldn’t “cost anything.” But it did not
make economic sense. That was just one reason I am no longer a partner. One of the
“solutions” offered by many, including some Republicans, is to require
insurance companies to offer coverage in spite of “pre-existing conditions.” There is one
car insurance company advertising right now that says they won’t increase
your premium if you have an accident. Fine. That means safe drivers have to
pay more to cover unsafe drivers. If health
insurance providers have to offer a plan for those with high costs, that will
raise the premium for everyone else. The quickest
ways to reduce the costs of health care are tort reform and allowing – even
encouraging – “catastrophic” insurance, something present plans seek to
eliminate. Costs are
driven way out of sight by huge awards by jurors and doctors have to practice
defensive medicine, ordering up dozens of tests to protect themselves. Their
insurance premiums frequently top $100,000 per year – each. There are
better ideas out there. We carried a story last fall about Dr. Darrel Wells
of Huntsville and Sanderson who charges $45 for an office visit and he
doesn’t deal with insurance. Others offer a
flat annual fee for service and some offer to see those patients first,
eliminating the long waits between appointment times and time actually spent
with the doctor. Health clinics
are springing up around the country to take the pressure off hospital
emergency rooms. Let’s get
government completely out of healthcare – both at the federal and the state
level. Tort reform,
at the state level, is needed to stem the killing awards. And let’s
eliminate all the state licensing of healthcare insurance and let anyone who
wants to sell a policy do so. What about
protection against scammers? Clearly, a free marketplace is the best
protection from scammers – or just from the guy who charges too much. The free
market has always protected the consumer better than the government has. What we really
need is protection from the government. Watching the
Super bowl There was a
lot of talk going on about which team was the best or who was going to win
and everyone was picking a team. We went over
to some friends’ house to watch the game. Both teams fought very hard and it
looked like either team could win. After the game,
there were some happy faces because their team had been victorious but others
were sad because their team had lost. That game
reminded me of some future events and another battle – not a game – that is
going to be fought in the future. Prior to
Christ’s return to the Earth, things will get very bad. There will be many
worldwide record-breaking disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and
tornados. Worldwide
lawlessness and disorder and the rise and dominion of the Antichrist will
occur (2 Thessalonians 2:1 to 4.) Many will be
deceived and worship the Antichrist and be led astray (Hebrews 3:12,
Revelation Chapter 13.) The nation of
Israel will be persecuted and many will rise up against her and no other
nation will stand with her (Matthew 24:3 to 12.) At that time, Christ Jesus will return to Earth
with his angels and there is to be one great battle (Revelation Chapter 19.) It will be the
battle of all battles. Guess what? Our side wins! If you trust Christ
as your personal Lord and Savior, you are on the Lord’s team (John 1:12.) See you in
Church next Sunday. Brother J Mars closest this trip If you've been out in the early evening lately, perhaps you've
noticed Jupiter, which has been dominating the evening sky the past several
months, now sinking closer to the setting Sun in the west. And if you turned around and looked behind you, perhaps you've
also noticed another “star” rising after dark and dominating the sky in the
east. That "star" is the planet Mars. Traveling nearly 67,000 miles per hour, Earth orbits the Sun
once each year. Mars, the next planet out from the Sun, moves only 54,000
miles per hour, has further to travel and thus takes nearly two Earth-years
to orbit the Sun. Since we speed around the Sun more quickly, we regularly pass
between Mars and the Sun about every two years. When we do, Mars is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun,
which astronomers call opposition – and this is about to occur today, Jan.
29. At opposition, Earth and Mars pass nearest each other, making
Mars appear larger and brighter than usual. So now and for the next few weeks, Mars outshines all the
brightest stars except Sirius, which is now in the southeast in the early
evening. If Earth and Mars orbited the Sun in perfect circles, Mars would
appear the same size and brightness at each opposition. But since their orbits are elliptical, at some oppositions Earth
and Mars pass nearer than at others. On average we pass within 48 million
miles, rounding to the nearest million.
But the distance can be as little as 34 million miles or as much
as 64 million miles. This time around, we're passing at 62 million miles so this is
not one of Mars' more spectacular oppositions, although it will still be well
worth noting. Perhaps you recall the excitement in August 2003 when Mars
passed less than 35 million miles and was extraordinarily bright – that was
pretty spectacular. All the planets further out from the Sun come to opposition
regularly. The period between Jupiter's oppositions is about 13 months and
for the more distant Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, just over a year. At opposition, planets rise around sunset, are up all night and
set around sunrise. And since they are then at their largest and brightest, the few
weeks before and after opposition are the best times for observing them. By coincidence, on the night of Mars' upcoming opposition, it
has a companion to escort it across the sky – the almost full Moon. And then the first week of February, the Red Planet passes near
the lovely Beehive star cluster. They will be in the same binocular field of
view several nights in a row – a sight you won't want to miss.
Saturday, Jan. 30, the full Moon is called Old Moon and Moon
After Yule. Tuesday, Feb. 2, commonly known as Groundhog Day, today is also
Candlemas, a cross-quarter day celebrating the middle of winter. Thursday morning, Feb. 4, gibbous Moon is below Virgo's
brightest star Spica high in the south. Friday, Feb. 5, the Moon is at third quarter. Sunday, Feb. 7, the crescent Moon is to the upper right of
Scorpius' brightest star Antares low in the southeast. Thursday morning, Feb. 11, the crescent Moon is to the upper
right of Mercury very low in the east southeast at dawn and to the planet's
lower left the next morning.
The Sun, Moon and planets rise in the east and set in the west
due to Earth's west-to-east rotation on its axis. As evening twilight ends, Jupiter is setting in the west as Mars
is rising in the east. At the first light of dawn, Mercury is very low in the
southeast, Saturn is in the southwest and Mars is in the west. Stargazer appears every
other week, space permitting. Paul Derrick is an amateur astronomer who lives
in Waco. Contact him at 918 N. 30th, Waco, 76707, (254) 753-6920 or paulderrickwaco@aol.com. See the Stargazer Web
site at www.stargazerpaul.com. The Texas
Forts Trail By
TUMBLEWEED SMITH As you travel
along highways in central and west Texas, you’ve probably seen those blue and
white signs with crossed sabers indicating you’re on the Texas Forts Trail. It stretches
from Jacksboro to Aspermont on the north to Eldorado and Mason on the south. It’s a
650-mile loop containing eight historic military forts and one Spanish
Presidio. If you choose
to drive it, plan to spend at least three days, preferably five. Along the way,
you’ll see monuments to the Texas pioneer spirit and learn about unique
events like the goat cook-off in Brady or the world’s largest amateur rodeo
in Stamford. You’ll see the
stone chimneys at Fort Phantom Hill near Abilene, the only things left
standing after a fire. Just out of
Menard is Fort McKavett, which had more than 35 buildings in the 1870s. Fort
Richardson at Jacksboro was the biggest military installation in the country
in 1874. San Angelo’s
Fort Concho is called the best-preserved western fort in the United States. Other forts on
the trail are in Mason, Bronte, Albany and Graham. A Spanish
Presidio south of Menard, built to protect a mission, dates back to 1757 and
was the first place that Europeans in Texas came into conflict with Comanche
Indians. The Comanche
were fierce warriors and forced the Spanish to withdraw from Texas, leading
to the establishment of a new line of defense along the Rio Grande. Margaret
Hoostra of Abilene is regional coordinator of the Forts Trail and says it is
one of a series of historic trails set up back in the late ‘60s when San
Antonio was gearing up for Hemisfair, an event which drew large numbers of
crowds to the Alamo City. “Governor John
Connally wanted to give people coming to San Antonio the opportunity to visit
other parts of Texas,” Margaret said. “He got with the highway department and
developed a series of ten trails around the state, Forts, Brazos, Forest,
Lakes, Hill Country, Independence, Mountain, Pecos, Plains and Tropical.” The trails
were highly successful for a while, then nothing happened for several years
until George W. Bush became governor. Margaret said
he was interested in preservation and rural economic development. “He was
concerned that too many historic theaters, court houses and hotels were being
demolished,” she said. “He thought those places define who we are. “He pulled
together various agencies to consider the situation,” Margaret said. “The
Texas Historical Commission took a look at those old driving trails and made
them into heritage tourism regions. “The Forts
Trail was the pilot project,” she said. “In the late ‘90s, we proved to be a
very successful program. We increased tourism and awareness of history. “Now, all the
trails are up and active,” Margaret said. “Each one of us is an independent,
non-profit organization. “We get an
annual grant from the Texas Historical Commission and our job is to promote
our part of Texas, including the cities that don’t have a fort,” she said.
“We help them tell their stories. We don’t mix mortar but we promote and
encourage preservation of the forts so we don’t lose them. “We make
people aware of the forts, their importance and relevance and encourage
visitation to them,” Margaret said. “Every fort has a personality and a
unique story to tell.” |
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