Luna Moths

In past years, we have occasionally seen a Luna Moth. They lay their eggs on Black Walnut trees or sweetgums, both of which we have in our "yard". Yesterday, we had one on the kitchen window. Leaving for work, I showed Debbie that the moth was now on the porch. She then showed me a second, also on the porch. Going around the corner to feed our cat, we found a third, then a fourth! They are beautiful...

Another health care letter to the editor of the Chillicothe Gazette:
The AP had a story on Friday, July 17, with a headline of “House Bill Would Make Health Care a Right”. Many in this community may believe health care is a “right”. Health care is important, even critical in some situations. An acquaintance of mine tells a story about “Kevin” who suffered permanent heart damage because he was worried about the cost of health care and did not go to the hospital emergency room until it was almost too late.

That is my worry about making health care a “right”. By the time we realize all of the problems the proposed legislation in front of the Congress causes to our economy, the damage to our country may very well be permanent and irreversible. Look at the state of Ohio’s budget (or California…). Medicare and Medicaid are eating up so much of the budget that libraries (isn’t knowledge a right?), education (a right in our state constitution guaranteed to all children), transportation, public safety and various other programs are being cut to feed the “health care monster”. Governors, in both parties, oppose this legislation

The administration assures us this will solve our health care problems and insure the “50 million uninsured”. Isn’t this the same administration that assured us, if the Congress passed the stimulus program (emergency – do it right away or it will be a “catastrophe”!) that unemployment wouldn’t go above 8%? The same administration that said, months ago, that the stimulus program was “already working”? The administration that claims, if we don’t spend billions or trillions of dollars, right away, that climate change will end life as we know it? Haven’t we heard this song before? Why is everything always an emergency such that no one gets to read the bills before Congress passes them?

By the way, of that “50 million uninsured”, how many are citizens? I have a Christian desire to help the downtrodden, no matter where they live or to whom they pledge allegiance, but, as a US citizen, I really don’t want to cover any and all persons here illegally with my tax dollars. In addition, how many are young folks who could pay but choose not to? How many are temporarily without insurance because they are unemployed?

Food is a basic human need, as is shelter and clean water. The government, however, does not guarantee everyone the same food, shelter or water. They make services available to the poor (WIC, food stamps, section 8 housing, vouchers for heating assistance), but do not mandate that everyone eat the same food, live in the same kind of house, or pay the same bill for water.

What if we all had to pay a tax so that everyone could have a car? After all, in today’s society, you HAVE to have a car to get a job. It’s a necessity, so why shouldn’t everyone be given one by the government? The dream is that everyone would get a new Cadillac. The reality, however, is that we would all be driving used Yugos after a while. It’s just economics…

Let’s improve health care access for the deserving poor, the unemployed, the family beset by unexpected emergencies. Let’s not cripple the economy, though, by putting into law that health care is a “right” and forcing every man and woman into a system that takes away freedom and incentive, and replaces it with government mandates and rationing. Call your Senators and your Representative and STOP this dramatic restructuring of health care before the damage is permanent and crippling our economy.

Bees and Blooms

Should I send these images to the magazine "Birds and Blooms"? If it was called "Bees and Blooms", I might be a winner...

Sitting on the Porch

Having walked around a bit this morning, I again glory in the creation that God has given us. The daylilies, coneflowers, herbs, hostas, and black-eyed Susans glory in the coolness of morning. My dog is enjoying his breakfast (as well as polishing off the remnants of the cat's), the barn swallows are swooping for theirs, and various other winged creatures are calling to each other from the safety of the woods. I did plant two lobelia last night, and I really need to apply Roundup to the driveway. It will wait, as the light drizzle continues to gently fall and I post on my laptop...

Father's Day 2009. A special day for many. We went to Lowe's, and I bought some hybrid of Black-Eyed Susans that have a white center and a white and yellow petal. Really spiffy. Planted it behind the garage. Also bought more herbs for the herb garden, and planted some Monarda out in the island. I had some young men spread some mulch for me yesterday, and, as only teenagers can do - it was done! (not well, but inexpensively).

The herb garden - planted

Planted sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, borage, fennel, dill, tarragon, marjoram, bee balm, jacob's ladder, salvia, lamb's ear, and maybe something else. Pictures to follow someday relatively soon. Off to West Virginia in the morning for a regional meeting...

I am a bit miffed about a letter to the letter published in a local paper. Here is my response:
In response to the editorial titled “What Would Jesus Do About Health Care” in our local paper on June 8, 2009, let me start by stating that I agree with Dr. Cotton; Jesus commands us to love one another, to heal the sick, clothe the naked and feed the hungry. I, too, believe that we are our brother’s keepers.

You are waiting for the “however”. Here it is: I see nowhere a commandment or expectation that GOVERNMENT be the caregiver. It is a personal demand, or a directive aimed at the church. Christ did NOT say that Rome should feed the hungry or heal the sick. Jesus said his followers should do it. Hence, I believe that Riverside United Methodist Hospital in Columbus, or Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, or the Red Cross are all appropriate venues to reach out to the sick. The federal government, even if “cost-efficient and compassionate” (words this author finds strange when describing any federal government program), is not the proper authority to be in charge of health care.

A “single-payer” system – “cost efficient and compassionate” – exists in Canada. I would suggest that one looks at Canada to see how this would work here. Their single-payer system almost killed my sister. She was at a routine visit to her optometrist who noted an abnormality on her retina. He thought it might be a rare form of cancer. The visit was paid for by the Canadian government. He referred her to a specialist (also paid for by the “compassionate” government). However, the specialist was not able to meet with her for 6 months! How would you feel – grateful that the “cost-efficient” system severely limits the number of specialists, or angry that you might have cancer and cannot visit a doctor for 6 months? Canada, though, has a safety valve – the USA! My sister was able to get an appointment with a specialist in Cincinnati THE NEXT WEEK, and he was able to burn the cancer out with a laser (this treatment also not available in Canada). In a single-payer system, my sister would either be blind or dead.

“50 million people Americans thrown overboard to drown with no health insurance at all…” Dr. Cotton, I believe you are a compassionate and loving physician. Can you show us these drowning men, women, and children? Have you, or any hospital you have been affiliated with, ever refused care to a sick person who showed up? If “Kevin” waited 3 days to come and get free care (because the emergency room cannot and will not refuse care, regardless of ability to pay), is that the fault of a callous, greedy, and “market-traded source of profit/loss” or just a poor choice made by this man?

Please show me a socialist government that has ever made mankind better or any government program today that is “cost-efficient and compassionate”. Even the early Christian church (Acts 2 & 3), a model of compassion and sharing, failed to maintain itself. Other churches were asked to donate to those in Jerusalem, as they were having trouble making ends meet..

Humankind is flawed. That is why the founders of our country set up a system of checks and balances. A single payer system has no checks or balance; nothing will stand in the way of a government-run medical plan with no appeals. How did the government do in helping the folks in New Orleans? We all need to eat – should the government own all the food and run the restaurants? We all need a home – should the government own all the housing and give it to those according to their need?

Ask the folks in Great Britain – how do they like their single-payer system? Are people leaving the US to go to Canada for better care? The “50 million” more that have “slickly marketed underinsurance that guarantees only bankruptcy” – are they moving to Massachusetts where health care is guaranteed?

Again, I agree with Dr. Cotton that we are called to help the poor, feed the hungry, heal the sick and seek justice for the oppressed. I disagree with the thought that the government must do it, unchecked. The federal government is already trying to take over the banks, the automobile industry, the energy industry – now health care? Do we really want to live with faceless, nameless government employees – unelected and unaccountable – making all these decisions for us?

What would Jesus do about health care? He would, and did, make it a point to heal at every opportunity. He did not write letters to the editor, demonstrate on the courthouse steps, and spend His priceless time asking for the government to be “cost-efficient and compassionate”. He touched, healed, made the blind to see and the lame to walk. He raised Lazarus from the dead. His challenge to me, and to you, is to do the same. Don’t write President Obama, your congressman, or your Senator asking for government run health care – go help your neighbors as the Samaritan did!