Monday, November 1, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Perfect Breech
This was to be my seventh birth. The whole pregnancy had been my easiest so far and, though anxious to get it over with and hold my baby, I was feeling pretty good.
I had been having contractions every morning (3:00ish) for several days, but when these woke me up at 3:30, July 24, I could tell they were a little different. I was a few days past my due date, and I could tell from previous experience these were the real thing. I walked around some and then, lay down to try to rest. About 4:30, they were coming 5-7 minutes apart and were getting stronger.
"I'll wait this one out and one more, and then call Andy. Another 15 minutes or so, if things don't slow down, I will call M" I thought to myself.
At that instant my water broke.
"Oh, Andy."
"mmmmmyeahmmgm?"
"My water just broke."
"Ok...zzzzz"
So enthusiastic. :-)
I called M and my mother, and then took a quick shower. I have had three previous labors start with breaking water. This time it hurt though. Unusual
Andy helped me breath through the contractions while we waited for everyone to get here. He is great at keeping me from getting too stressed at any time, but especially during labor. He cracks jokes and talks about, anything I show an interest in, but mostly just sits close and holds my hand, helps me breathe and tells me it is almost over. I often look into his eyes during the worst part of a contraction and try to blow the hair out of his face. It really does help (he has a beard).
My mom arrived at 5:30 and began picking up and washing my dishes. For some reason I had not felt like washing them before bed last night. M arrived shortly thereafter. She took my vitals and called A, her assistant. My children usually get up around 6:30, so we discussed what I wanted done with them. We decided to wake them up and for Mom to take them to her house. I have had short labors before, but I have also had a couple of long ones. I decided I really didn't want them here for the worst part (it would distract me too much) and they were fixing to wake up anyway.
I don't really remember when A arrived. I was a little busy. I do remember thinking about a birth story I had read on the internet a few days ago where the woman called her contractions surges. They didn't hurt she said. I told myself "These don't hurt they are just surges." I answered "Yeah, right!" What I didn't realize was just how close to birth I was and that they really didn't hurt in comparison to this point in past births.
"I feel a popping sound during the contractions."
M just looked puzzled. I don't know if it was an unusual thing to experience or if my grammar was too bad to understand. I don't always make a lot of sense when I labor.
I did try very hard to concentrate on not tightening any muscles in my body this time. I guess it did help to reduce the pain because I was kind of surprised when M asked me to move to the couch where she had just set up for the birth (as per a previous discusion we had had).
"Is that an order or a suggestion?" Andy asked.
"A STRONG suggestion." M replied while watching me breathe through another contraction. I moved with help from Andy and A. I had one bad contraction just as I got down on the couch. I couldn't see or reach Andy so I grabbed A's hand and blew the hair out of her eyes for this one. She has pretty eyes.
"Are you comfortable?" A asked me when I was settled.
"No" I replied. Ok, you shouldn't try to crack jokes when you are in labor. (Yes, A I was as comfortable as could be expected at these times. Thank you.)
M had not had a chance to do an internal to check progress yet so she began to prep for that. My body began to push the baby out without my help. I informed M and tried very hard not to push while not tightening muscles either. That is kind of a contradiction of muscle control.
After one of these contractions, I could feel something at the birth canal opening. I saw A look at M and say
"Uhh, M?"
"Babies crowning. Doesn't feel right." I thought to myself
"I see" M nodded to A
"Let's get a baby!" to me.
"Can I push?"
"Yes"
I don't know how many times I pushed but it wasn't many. I could feel M delivering the baby. I know from previous births that the head is the hard part, then you get a minute to breathe, then you push the shoulders out.
"How long is this head?!" I asked myself. She just kept delivering baby and delivering baby. The relief of the neck was a very long time in coming.
Finally, I could feel the neck, after M did something that hurt. I didn't take time then to figure it out then, but now I know she pulled the hands down out of the way.
"Ok, I get to breath a little until the next contraction." I thought.
"Can we have one more push?" M asked. She delivered my two previous babies and never had told me to push (I already knew when to from previous births and anyway, your body tells you). She was perfectly calm and quiet now, not the least bit upset, but it registered as unusual to me.
"Something is wrong. My Baby needs me to push NOW" I thought. One more good BIG push (even though I was not having a contraction) and she was out. I opened my eyes (I close them when pushing) and saw my baby lying between my legs ... upside down! Breech!
This one was a little purple. I had flash backs to my first baby who had been born with the cord very tightly around her neck and had been down right blue. They had to put her on oxygen and I hadn't been able to hold her for four hours. Thankfully, she is fine now. Our newest one began to breathe immediately and pinked right up. No need of Oxygen.
We now knew the popping sound had been; the foot kicking my cervix. That is also why the water breaking hurt; she kicked me.
At ten pounds even, she was my biggest baby, yet I believe this was my easiest birth. Official birth time is only around four hours of labor. I have only had one faster and he was induced in the hospital. M and A were wonderful; my little girl is strong and healthy. Andy is a proud Papa and shows his little girl off. I am thankful for all of God's blessings He has given and for keeping us safe during this whole thing. I had prayed that God would do some miracle to have us in the safest place for Jacklynn's birth. I believe He hid the breech position from us so we would stay home, the safest place for this child.
I had been having contractions every morning (3:00ish) for several days, but when these woke me up at 3:30, July 24, I could tell they were a little different. I was a few days past my due date, and I could tell from previous experience these were the real thing. I walked around some and then, lay down to try to rest. About 4:30, they were coming 5-7 minutes apart and were getting stronger.
"I'll wait this one out and one more, and then call Andy. Another 15 minutes or so, if things don't slow down, I will call M" I thought to myself.
At that instant my water broke.
"Oh, Andy."
"mmmmmyeahmmgm?"
"My water just broke."
"Ok...zzzzz"
So enthusiastic. :-)
I called M and my mother, and then took a quick shower. I have had three previous labors start with breaking water. This time it hurt though. Unusual
Andy helped me breath through the contractions while we waited for everyone to get here. He is great at keeping me from getting too stressed at any time, but especially during labor. He cracks jokes and talks about, anything I show an interest in, but mostly just sits close and holds my hand, helps me breathe and tells me it is almost over. I often look into his eyes during the worst part of a contraction and try to blow the hair out of his face. It really does help (he has a beard).
My mom arrived at 5:30 and began picking up and washing my dishes. For some reason I had not felt like washing them before bed last night. M arrived shortly thereafter. She took my vitals and called A, her assistant. My children usually get up around 6:30, so we discussed what I wanted done with them. We decided to wake them up and for Mom to take them to her house. I have had short labors before, but I have also had a couple of long ones. I decided I really didn't want them here for the worst part (it would distract me too much) and they were fixing to wake up anyway.
I don't really remember when A arrived. I was a little busy. I do remember thinking about a birth story I had read on the internet a few days ago where the woman called her contractions surges. They didn't hurt she said. I told myself "These don't hurt they are just surges." I answered "Yeah, right!" What I didn't realize was just how close to birth I was and that they really didn't hurt in comparison to this point in past births.
"I feel a popping sound during the contractions."
M just looked puzzled. I don't know if it was an unusual thing to experience or if my grammar was too bad to understand. I don't always make a lot of sense when I labor.
I did try very hard to concentrate on not tightening any muscles in my body this time. I guess it did help to reduce the pain because I was kind of surprised when M asked me to move to the couch where she had just set up for the birth (as per a previous discusion we had had).
"Is that an order or a suggestion?" Andy asked.
"A STRONG suggestion." M replied while watching me breathe through another contraction. I moved with help from Andy and A. I had one bad contraction just as I got down on the couch. I couldn't see or reach Andy so I grabbed A's hand and blew the hair out of her eyes for this one. She has pretty eyes.
"Are you comfortable?" A asked me when I was settled.
"No" I replied. Ok, you shouldn't try to crack jokes when you are in labor. (Yes, A I was as comfortable as could be expected at these times. Thank you.)
M had not had a chance to do an internal to check progress yet so she began to prep for that. My body began to push the baby out without my help. I informed M and tried very hard not to push while not tightening muscles either. That is kind of a contradiction of muscle control.
After one of these contractions, I could feel something at the birth canal opening. I saw A look at M and say
"Uhh, M?"
"Babies crowning. Doesn't feel right." I thought to myself
"I see" M nodded to A
"Let's get a baby!" to me.
"Can I push?"
"Yes"
I don't know how many times I pushed but it wasn't many. I could feel M delivering the baby. I know from previous births that the head is the hard part, then you get a minute to breathe, then you push the shoulders out.
"How long is this head?!" I asked myself. She just kept delivering baby and delivering baby. The relief of the neck was a very long time in coming.
Finally, I could feel the neck, after M did something that hurt. I didn't take time then to figure it out then, but now I know she pulled the hands down out of the way.
"Ok, I get to breath a little until the next contraction." I thought.
"Can we have one more push?" M asked. She delivered my two previous babies and never had told me to push (I already knew when to from previous births and anyway, your body tells you). She was perfectly calm and quiet now, not the least bit upset, but it registered as unusual to me.
"Something is wrong. My Baby needs me to push NOW" I thought. One more good BIG push (even though I was not having a contraction) and she was out. I opened my eyes (I close them when pushing) and saw my baby lying between my legs ... upside down! Breech!
This one was a little purple. I had flash backs to my first baby who had been born with the cord very tightly around her neck and had been down right blue. They had to put her on oxygen and I hadn't been able to hold her for four hours. Thankfully, she is fine now. Our newest one began to breathe immediately and pinked right up. No need of Oxygen.
We now knew the popping sound had been; the foot kicking my cervix. That is also why the water breaking hurt; she kicked me.
At ten pounds even, she was my biggest baby, yet I believe this was my easiest birth. Official birth time is only around four hours of labor. I have only had one faster and he was induced in the hospital. M and A were wonderful; my little girl is strong and healthy. Andy is a proud Papa and shows his little girl off. I am thankful for all of God's blessings He has given and for keeping us safe during this whole thing. I had prayed that God would do some miracle to have us in the safest place for Jacklynn's birth. I believe He hid the breech position from us so we would stay home, the safest place for this child.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Breast cancer awareness
In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month
This is the month we take to remind ourselves of the possibility of breast cancer and to raise money to find a cure for the disease. I have heard numbers as high as “one in three women will get breast cancer.” I know the overall cancer rates are this high.
So to share the information I have gathered in my studies and hopefully to help some woman out there to avoid ever needing a cure for breast cancer (or other cancers either)…
To Prevent Cancer (especially of the reproductive organs such as breasts, ovaries, uterus)
• Never have an abortion. Women who have abortions after the age of eighteen have a 50% increased risk of cancer of the breasts. Abortions before eighteen raise your risk by 100%. This is because when you get pregnant your body immediately begins to change your breasts to prepare for breastfeeding. It doesn’t know what to do with those changed cells after an abortion so they become cancerous. Miscarriages don’t raise the risk because most miscarriages are caused by inadequate estrogen in the first place which prevents the natural changes from starting. (These numbers were found by a PRO abortion researcher who had lost several relatives to breast cancer. She was floored, to say the least.)
• Never take birth control pills or use any other hormonal birth control (the patch, shot, IUD, etc.). The active ingredients in hormonal birth controls are estrogen and progesterone. Excessive amounts of either (you know, more than God placed in your body naturally) cause the body (and especially the breasts) to begin the changes towards pregnancy but, since there is no baby, the cells become cancerous. Those who have taken birth control (especially after age forty) are at significantly increased risk.
• Have lots of babies. Every baby you give birth to lowers your overall cancer risk by 7%. This is because God designed us to have babies. It is not natural to have the more than 400 periods that modern women have in their lifetime. Periods are what wears a woman’s body out, not pregnancy (of course, a pregnancy when your diet is poor will stress you, but the only reason for an American to have a poor diet is lack of education).
• Breastfeed your babies for as long as possible. Every accumulated year you breastfeed reduces your chance of cancer by 2%. Once again, following God’s design instead of man’s gives you greater health.
Of course add the standard “high fiber, low fat diet plus plenty of exercise” that will reduce your risk of all cancers.
Cancer is not part of God’s original creation. It is the result of the Fall. When we live as close as possible to God’s original design (exercise a lot, eat natural foods, have lots of sex with our spouse and lots of babies feeding them the way God designed) we greatly increase our chances of avoiding many of the diseases of modern society and significantly increase our quality of life.
This is the month we take to remind ourselves of the possibility of breast cancer and to raise money to find a cure for the disease. I have heard numbers as high as “one in three women will get breast cancer.” I know the overall cancer rates are this high.
So to share the information I have gathered in my studies and hopefully to help some woman out there to avoid ever needing a cure for breast cancer (or other cancers either)…
To Prevent Cancer (especially of the reproductive organs such as breasts, ovaries, uterus)
• Never have an abortion. Women who have abortions after the age of eighteen have a 50% increased risk of cancer of the breasts. Abortions before eighteen raise your risk by 100%. This is because when you get pregnant your body immediately begins to change your breasts to prepare for breastfeeding. It doesn’t know what to do with those changed cells after an abortion so they become cancerous. Miscarriages don’t raise the risk because most miscarriages are caused by inadequate estrogen in the first place which prevents the natural changes from starting. (These numbers were found by a PRO abortion researcher who had lost several relatives to breast cancer. She was floored, to say the least.)
• Never take birth control pills or use any other hormonal birth control (the patch, shot, IUD, etc.). The active ingredients in hormonal birth controls are estrogen and progesterone. Excessive amounts of either (you know, more than God placed in your body naturally) cause the body (and especially the breasts) to begin the changes towards pregnancy but, since there is no baby, the cells become cancerous. Those who have taken birth control (especially after age forty) are at significantly increased risk.
• Have lots of babies. Every baby you give birth to lowers your overall cancer risk by 7%. This is because God designed us to have babies. It is not natural to have the more than 400 periods that modern women have in their lifetime. Periods are what wears a woman’s body out, not pregnancy (of course, a pregnancy when your diet is poor will stress you, but the only reason for an American to have a poor diet is lack of education).
• Breastfeed your babies for as long as possible. Every accumulated year you breastfeed reduces your chance of cancer by 2%. Once again, following God’s design instead of man’s gives you greater health.
Of course add the standard “high fiber, low fat diet plus plenty of exercise” that will reduce your risk of all cancers.
Cancer is not part of God’s original creation. It is the result of the Fall. When we live as close as possible to God’s original design (exercise a lot, eat natural foods, have lots of sex with our spouse and lots of babies feeding them the way God designed) we greatly increase our chances of avoiding many of the diseases of modern society and significantly increase our quality of life.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Feeding Children
Child raising principals:
1. Children belong to God. They are only on loan to their parents.
2. The greatest ministry any parent will ever have is their children.
3. The parents are the bosses in the house answerable to God for what their children learn and do.
4. How a child responds to their parent is how they will respond to God as adults. So how do I want my children to respond to God?
a. Cheerfully
b. Quickly
c. Completely
5. To allow a child to disobey is to allow him to sin (“Obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.” Ephesians 6)
I have observed many parents having problems with their children over food. I have seen many engage in a battle they won’t win. In fact, many of the parents I have seen are setting their children up for obesity by what they teach their children at meal time. Because of this, I determined when my oldest was little that food would never be a major point of contention in my home. I set up a few basic principles that we live by;
1. We have assigned, consistent meal times. Breakfast is at 8:00, lunch is at 12:30, and supper is at 6:00. Because of my Hypoglycemia and the fact that children have small stomachs we add snacks in at 10:30 and 4:30 (this last one is a big part of why we don’t have that killer, before-supper, stress time anymore. All the blood sugar levels are evened out and no one is cranky from being starving.) I also give them one glass of milk at about 7:30pm. This consistency helps digestion and is best for little ones especially.
2. Each meal has an assigned, nutritional content to ensure maximum health for everyone:
a. Breakfast is 1 protein, 1 whole grain, 1 fruit. (This can be oatmeal with raisins and a glass of milk; eggs, orange juice and toast; bacon, pancakes, and canned peaches, etc.)
b. Morning snack is a protein (helps school go better). (Cheese sticks, leftover chicken, boiled eggs…)
c. Lunch is 1 protein, 1 whole grain, 1 veggie, and fruit until you are full. (Peanut butter, jelly on whole wheat with carrot sticks; mac and cheese with whole wheat pasta and celery; etc…)
d. Afternoon snack is a fruit (apples, oranges, fresh peaches, etc.) or at the end of the week when we can be short of fresh fruit, cookies made with whole wheat, oats, honey, raisins.
e. Supper is a protein (dead animal by hubby’s request), bread of some sort (pasta, mashed taters, tortillas), veggie, fruit and usually a green salad.
f. We only serve desert on the weekends. These are usually some sort of junk food like Twinkies or jelly beans.
g. And as I said, one glass of milk before bed. Milk is high in tryptophan which aids sleep.
3. My children get NO snacks other than those mentioned above; no candy, cookies, chips etc. I don’t even have them in the house except for hubby’s stash most of the time. I attempt to feed them good enough at home that it doesn’t matter so much what they eat away from home (which, since we homeschool, is only once or twice per week). Because our meals are nutritionally balanced, I know they are getting what they need to build strong, healthy bodies.
Junk food isn’t bad so much because of what is in it but because of what you don’t eat when you eat junk. If you fill up on foods that are devoid of the nutrients you need to live you either have to over-eat to get your vitamins and minerals or you simply don’t get them. If you eat chips you aren’t eating carrots and getting your beta carotene. If you are eating candy bars you aren’t eating apples and getting your fiber and B vitamins. If you drink sodas you aren’t drinking water, milk, juice and teas that provide you with minerals essential for life. This lack of nutrition is probably the actual cause of most of our modern diseases.
4. Other than one taste of veggies and two bites of protein at meals, I don’t insist my children eat. The last thing Americans need is to be forced to eat even more! Making a child eat when they aren’t hungry is setting them up for obesity. I trust them to know if they are really hungry or not. If they say they aren’t hungry, I believe them. Little kids really won’t starve themselves (though I have no idea how 3-5 year olds survive. They don’t seem to eat anything!) To force them to eat is to teach them to eat after they are full, again, making them fat. Besides, a little fasting is good for the soul. The self-discipline necessary to choose to go hungry is very good for any of us to learn. It is the same self-discipline that keeps a man from raping a pretty girl or keeps a girl from maxing out her credit cards at the local sales or gossiping about her neighbor. Since our meals are regular and frequent, I know that even if they don’t eat at one meal, it won’t be that long until the next one (though I have been known to (cheerfully) remind them at supper that it is a long time until breakfast).
5. I absolutely don’t let them snack between planned eating times. If they eat between meals, they won’t be hungry at meal time and since snacks are easier to give in to the junk-food cravings, that means they aren’t getting the nutrition they need. (I did read about one woman who let her children eat literally any time they wanted to. The catch was that the only thing in her house to munch on was her fresh baked, whole wheat bread filled with whatever her farm was producing at the moment; eggs, milk, fruit, veggies. She figured this bread was so nutritious that it didn’t matter when they ate.)
6. I don’t praise them for eating. Again, this sets them up for obesity. I act very unconcerned whether they eat or not. Now, it IS an act. I watch their consumption carefully. But they don’t know that. I show no pleasure or displeasure when they eat a lot or a little, though if their appetite drops I look for signs of illness later.
7. Everyone must stay at the table until nearly everyone is done eating. Children will get so excited with what they are playing that they will barely sit down until they are up again and then realize half an hour later they are hungry. When they are done eating, I tell them they need to stay at the table and visit until most of the family is done (if our family was smaller I would make it until the whole family is done). A child who is too busy to be hungry if allowed up imediatly will nibble down a full meal if he just sits still long enough. Also, one child may really not be hungry and eat no more, but if I let him up others (especially little ones) will want to get up before they are finished. Besides, it is rude to leave the table before every one is finished.
Over all, I make sure they have good, nutritious foods available at meal times, don’t allow them to fill up on junk, and don’t make a big deal of the amounts they eat. The only time we have had “issues” over food is when a two year old refuses to eat his green bean (yes, singular and all but one child has chosen to fight me on green beans). That is a discipline issue, not a food issue and is dealt with as such.
With eight children and a hubby to feed, this plan has the benefit of keeping me from being a short-order cook. They eat what I serve or “fast” until the next meal. That is their choice, and as I said above, this builds great self-discipline for many other areas of life, too.
We mommies must be tough. I know it’s hard when your little one comes to you teary-eyed saying they are hungry just an hour before or after a meal. It’s heart-breaking. But it is essential for their future health (physical and spiritual) that we don’t give in. We need to be as tough as when we hold them still for their vaccinations. It really is what is best for them.
1. Children belong to God. They are only on loan to their parents.
2. The greatest ministry any parent will ever have is their children.
3. The parents are the bosses in the house answerable to God for what their children learn and do.
4. How a child responds to their parent is how they will respond to God as adults. So how do I want my children to respond to God?
a. Cheerfully
b. Quickly
c. Completely
5. To allow a child to disobey is to allow him to sin (“Obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.” Ephesians 6)
I have observed many parents having problems with their children over food. I have seen many engage in a battle they won’t win. In fact, many of the parents I have seen are setting their children up for obesity by what they teach their children at meal time. Because of this, I determined when my oldest was little that food would never be a major point of contention in my home. I set up a few basic principles that we live by;
1. We have assigned, consistent meal times. Breakfast is at 8:00, lunch is at 12:30, and supper is at 6:00. Because of my Hypoglycemia and the fact that children have small stomachs we add snacks in at 10:30 and 4:30 (this last one is a big part of why we don’t have that killer, before-supper, stress time anymore. All the blood sugar levels are evened out and no one is cranky from being starving.) I also give them one glass of milk at about 7:30pm. This consistency helps digestion and is best for little ones especially.
2. Each meal has an assigned, nutritional content to ensure maximum health for everyone:
a. Breakfast is 1 protein, 1 whole grain, 1 fruit. (This can be oatmeal with raisins and a glass of milk; eggs, orange juice and toast; bacon, pancakes, and canned peaches, etc.)
b. Morning snack is a protein (helps school go better). (Cheese sticks, leftover chicken, boiled eggs…)
c. Lunch is 1 protein, 1 whole grain, 1 veggie, and fruit until you are full. (Peanut butter, jelly on whole wheat with carrot sticks; mac and cheese with whole wheat pasta and celery; etc…)
d. Afternoon snack is a fruit (apples, oranges, fresh peaches, etc.) or at the end of the week when we can be short of fresh fruit, cookies made with whole wheat, oats, honey, raisins.
e. Supper is a protein (dead animal by hubby’s request), bread of some sort (pasta, mashed taters, tortillas), veggie, fruit and usually a green salad.
f. We only serve desert on the weekends. These are usually some sort of junk food like Twinkies or jelly beans.
g. And as I said, one glass of milk before bed. Milk is high in tryptophan which aids sleep.
3. My children get NO snacks other than those mentioned above; no candy, cookies, chips etc. I don’t even have them in the house except for hubby’s stash most of the time. I attempt to feed them good enough at home that it doesn’t matter so much what they eat away from home (which, since we homeschool, is only once or twice per week). Because our meals are nutritionally balanced, I know they are getting what they need to build strong, healthy bodies.
Junk food isn’t bad so much because of what is in it but because of what you don’t eat when you eat junk. If you fill up on foods that are devoid of the nutrients you need to live you either have to over-eat to get your vitamins and minerals or you simply don’t get them. If you eat chips you aren’t eating carrots and getting your beta carotene. If you are eating candy bars you aren’t eating apples and getting your fiber and B vitamins. If you drink sodas you aren’t drinking water, milk, juice and teas that provide you with minerals essential for life. This lack of nutrition is probably the actual cause of most of our modern diseases.
4. Other than one taste of veggies and two bites of protein at meals, I don’t insist my children eat. The last thing Americans need is to be forced to eat even more! Making a child eat when they aren’t hungry is setting them up for obesity. I trust them to know if they are really hungry or not. If they say they aren’t hungry, I believe them. Little kids really won’t starve themselves (though I have no idea how 3-5 year olds survive. They don’t seem to eat anything!) To force them to eat is to teach them to eat after they are full, again, making them fat. Besides, a little fasting is good for the soul. The self-discipline necessary to choose to go hungry is very good for any of us to learn. It is the same self-discipline that keeps a man from raping a pretty girl or keeps a girl from maxing out her credit cards at the local sales or gossiping about her neighbor. Since our meals are regular and frequent, I know that even if they don’t eat at one meal, it won’t be that long until the next one (though I have been known to (cheerfully) remind them at supper that it is a long time until breakfast).
5. I absolutely don’t let them snack between planned eating times. If they eat between meals, they won’t be hungry at meal time and since snacks are easier to give in to the junk-food cravings, that means they aren’t getting the nutrition they need. (I did read about one woman who let her children eat literally any time they wanted to. The catch was that the only thing in her house to munch on was her fresh baked, whole wheat bread filled with whatever her farm was producing at the moment; eggs, milk, fruit, veggies. She figured this bread was so nutritious that it didn’t matter when they ate.)
6. I don’t praise them for eating. Again, this sets them up for obesity. I act very unconcerned whether they eat or not. Now, it IS an act. I watch their consumption carefully. But they don’t know that. I show no pleasure or displeasure when they eat a lot or a little, though if their appetite drops I look for signs of illness later.
7. Everyone must stay at the table until nearly everyone is done eating. Children will get so excited with what they are playing that they will barely sit down until they are up again and then realize half an hour later they are hungry. When they are done eating, I tell them they need to stay at the table and visit until most of the family is done (if our family was smaller I would make it until the whole family is done). A child who is too busy to be hungry if allowed up imediatly will nibble down a full meal if he just sits still long enough. Also, one child may really not be hungry and eat no more, but if I let him up others (especially little ones) will want to get up before they are finished. Besides, it is rude to leave the table before every one is finished.
Over all, I make sure they have good, nutritious foods available at meal times, don’t allow them to fill up on junk, and don’t make a big deal of the amounts they eat. The only time we have had “issues” over food is when a two year old refuses to eat his green bean (yes, singular and all but one child has chosen to fight me on green beans). That is a discipline issue, not a food issue and is dealt with as such.
With eight children and a hubby to feed, this plan has the benefit of keeping me from being a short-order cook. They eat what I serve or “fast” until the next meal. That is their choice, and as I said above, this builds great self-discipline for many other areas of life, too.
We mommies must be tough. I know it’s hard when your little one comes to you teary-eyed saying they are hungry just an hour before or after a meal. It’s heart-breaking. But it is essential for their future health (physical and spiritual) that we don’t give in. We need to be as tough as when we hold them still for their vaccinations. It really is what is best for them.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Ants bite
Yesterday while my feet were being bitten to death, I looked up to see my entire flock of chickens calmly and determinedly marching out our front gate. They acted like they knew where they were going! Jackie (5 11.5/12yo) and I herded them back, but goodness! Why travel an entire acre to go who knows where? Especially when you are at the bottom of the food chain. Dumb clucks.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
What to do about healthcare.
Sadly,I think this author is right on about what will happen. Add health insurance to thelist of industries the Dems have destroyed in their quest for communisim.
Health Care: Arbitrage Obama And The Dems - The Market Ticker
Lumber
Ranching
Charity
banking
Automobiles
Oil
And many more that don't come to my mind at the moment.
Health Care: Arbitrage Obama And The Dems - The Market Ticker
Lumber
Ranching
Charity
banking
Automobiles
Oil
And many more that don't come to my mind at the moment.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Who Pays?
Doctors, nurses and other medical technicians all have to pay their rent and buy food. Hospitals and doctor’s offices must pay mortgages, electricity, and gas bills. So, someone has to pay for the medical services rendered to patients.
Who ever pays the bill gets to decide who gets what treatments.
Who do you want to make that decision for you and those you love? Some committee appointed by congress or the president? This is what Medicaid is and no one is eager to enroll in that program. (Also, think post office, DMV, and all the other government programs out there in order to get an idea of what medical care would become like under government control. There is no reason to believe health would be any more efficient or cost affective under government control.)
Now, I don’t want some board of some insurance company making those decisions for me either. Our system does need changing, but more government control is not the answer.
Less is.
Our current system is not a system a free-market system; it is simi-socialist. The government mandates certain businesses to provide health insurance (instead of paying their people enough they can pay their own bills), regulates a good deal of the industry, and for those who can’t buy their own (and for the elderly whether they can or not), they have their own programs. The government programs set the base line for cost and services eliminating the free market forces that keep costs under control.
Prices in health care began to rise dramatically about the time Medicaid was invented. The truth is that ANY industry ANY government in history has put its hands into has seen sky-rocketing prices and declining quality. Doesn’t matter if the industry is housing, bread making, or education; happens every time.
That is what has happened to our health care and the government taking it over will only make it worse.
“But what about the poor who can’t afford to pay their doctor’s bill?”
You know, we have allowed those who do not value freedom to brainwash us into thinking that the government is the only answer in many areas, especially where the poor are concerned.
Before the government began to mess around in charity, families, churches, friends and communities got together to help any one in need whether it was paying the doctor’s bill, educating or feeding their children, or raising a barn that had burned down. We weren’t little babies who needed to be “taken care of” by Big Brother. We took care of ourselves and each other. We can’t do this today because we pay so much in taxes (40% or more per family when you figure all the income, sales, property, value added, business, and employee taxes and all the fees for DMV and other things) we don’t have anything left to help ourselves much less each other.
It’s time to quit being babies and grow up. It’s time to take responsibility for ourselves and our neighbors instead of telling the government to rob others to pay the bills.
It’s time for freedom.
Who ever pays the bill gets to decide who gets what treatments.
Who do you want to make that decision for you and those you love? Some committee appointed by congress or the president? This is what Medicaid is and no one is eager to enroll in that program. (Also, think post office, DMV, and all the other government programs out there in order to get an idea of what medical care would become like under government control. There is no reason to believe health would be any more efficient or cost affective under government control.)
Now, I don’t want some board of some insurance company making those decisions for me either. Our system does need changing, but more government control is not the answer.
Less is.
Our current system is not a system a free-market system; it is simi-socialist. The government mandates certain businesses to provide health insurance (instead of paying their people enough they can pay their own bills), regulates a good deal of the industry, and for those who can’t buy their own (and for the elderly whether they can or not), they have their own programs. The government programs set the base line for cost and services eliminating the free market forces that keep costs under control.
Prices in health care began to rise dramatically about the time Medicaid was invented. The truth is that ANY industry ANY government in history has put its hands into has seen sky-rocketing prices and declining quality. Doesn’t matter if the industry is housing, bread making, or education; happens every time.
That is what has happened to our health care and the government taking it over will only make it worse.
“But what about the poor who can’t afford to pay their doctor’s bill?”
You know, we have allowed those who do not value freedom to brainwash us into thinking that the government is the only answer in many areas, especially where the poor are concerned.
Before the government began to mess around in charity, families, churches, friends and communities got together to help any one in need whether it was paying the doctor’s bill, educating or feeding their children, or raising a barn that had burned down. We weren’t little babies who needed to be “taken care of” by Big Brother. We took care of ourselves and each other. We can’t do this today because we pay so much in taxes (40% or more per family when you figure all the income, sales, property, value added, business, and employee taxes and all the fees for DMV and other things) we don’t have anything left to help ourselves much less each other.
It’s time to quit being babies and grow up. It’s time to take responsibility for ourselves and our neighbors instead of telling the government to rob others to pay the bills.
It’s time for freedom.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
More on healthcare reform
This entire “reform” was really about taking total control of this country for the government. That is, those in office telling us how to live our lives. After all, if the goal was really providing healthcare to those who need it, they could have taken a post-it note and written “Anyone who wants Medicaid, come sign up.” We already have the infrastructure and policies in place for the “public option.” This whole deal was about plunging us into full-fledged socialism.
Socialism= dictatorship by committee.
What is in that thousands of pages? I know of some who have actually read it. Here is one example; every parent of a new-born baby will be visited by a social worker to make sure they know what they are doing and taking care of the baby instead of abusing it. How would you like that? A government employee comes into your home without just cause of wrongdoing or a court order, presuming you are guilty of child abuse until you prove you are not. This is a direct violation of our Constitutional Fifth Amendment rights!
Did you know that this all comes back to evolution? If evolution is true, than “right and wrong” are constantly changing, evolving. Society decides what is good and evil. Thus, those in office (being smarter and better educated, of course, or survival of the fittest wouldn’t have allowed them to lead), have the right to tell us what is evil (not buying into insurance, having too many babies, homeschooling, preaching from the Bible, witnessing, going to church, saying anything negative about the president….) and what is good (saving the whales, recycling, abortion, euthanasia, …). The things in the Constitution, and especially in the Bill of Rights, only apply to the 18th century and have nothing to do with us.
However, if Creation is true, there is a God who has told us what good and evil is (Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not be selfish. Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not be mean. Thou shalt not commit adultery. See Galatians, Ephesians, and Exodus). He is the only One with the right to make those decisions. These standards are universal. Our founding Fathers searched out these universal truths and codified them in the document we call the Constitution with the addition of the first ten amendments we call the Bill of Rights.
Honestly, do you really want to live in a society where the leaders do not believe in absolute right and wrong? Many citizens say they don’t believe in absolute morals, but I bet they would change their tune quick if the government decided their particular group was bad and needed exterminating.
And what is to keep our government from making such a decision? Without the foundation of Biblical morals, there are no restraints whatsoever. That is what this whole “healthcare reform” is really about. This group of people thinks that, because they are in charge of the most powerful country in the world, they have the right to decide good and evil. Why should they respect private property rights, parental rights or the right to life? There are NO controls; no reason to acknowledge such rights.
Why not kill the handicapped?
Why not steal private property?
Why not lie?
Why not force people to hold the jobs you want them to hold?
Why not force people to marry who you want them to marry?
Why not force them to live where you want them to live?
Why not remove all foods from the market except the kinds you like or think people should be eating?
Why not keep all the technology to yourself?
Why not let elderly people die? (It’s much cheaper than treating them)
Why not force women to have abortions? Or even kill their wanted babies if they are inconvenient?
Why not?
What is to stop them?
Socialism= dictatorship by committee.
What is in that thousands of pages? I know of some who have actually read it. Here is one example; every parent of a new-born baby will be visited by a social worker to make sure they know what they are doing and taking care of the baby instead of abusing it. How would you like that? A government employee comes into your home without just cause of wrongdoing or a court order, presuming you are guilty of child abuse until you prove you are not. This is a direct violation of our Constitutional Fifth Amendment rights!
Did you know that this all comes back to evolution? If evolution is true, than “right and wrong” are constantly changing, evolving. Society decides what is good and evil. Thus, those in office (being smarter and better educated, of course, or survival of the fittest wouldn’t have allowed them to lead), have the right to tell us what is evil (not buying into insurance, having too many babies, homeschooling, preaching from the Bible, witnessing, going to church, saying anything negative about the president….) and what is good (saving the whales, recycling, abortion, euthanasia, …). The things in the Constitution, and especially in the Bill of Rights, only apply to the 18th century and have nothing to do with us.
However, if Creation is true, there is a God who has told us what good and evil is (Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not be selfish. Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not be mean. Thou shalt not commit adultery. See Galatians, Ephesians, and Exodus). He is the only One with the right to make those decisions. These standards are universal. Our founding Fathers searched out these universal truths and codified them in the document we call the Constitution with the addition of the first ten amendments we call the Bill of Rights.
Honestly, do you really want to live in a society where the leaders do not believe in absolute right and wrong? Many citizens say they don’t believe in absolute morals, but I bet they would change their tune quick if the government decided their particular group was bad and needed exterminating.
And what is to keep our government from making such a decision? Without the foundation of Biblical morals, there are no restraints whatsoever. That is what this whole “healthcare reform” is really about. This group of people thinks that, because they are in charge of the most powerful country in the world, they have the right to decide good and evil. Why should they respect private property rights, parental rights or the right to life? There are NO controls; no reason to acknowledge such rights.
Why not kill the handicapped?
Why not steal private property?
Why not lie?
Why not force people to hold the jobs you want them to hold?
Why not force people to marry who you want them to marry?
Why not force them to live where you want them to live?
Why not remove all foods from the market except the kinds you like or think people should be eating?
Why not keep all the technology to yourself?
Why not let elderly people die? (It’s much cheaper than treating them)
Why not force women to have abortions? Or even kill their wanted babies if they are inconvenient?
Why not?
What is to stop them?
Friday, December 11, 2009
Health Insurance
Here is an interesting article arguing that a big part of the problem with health insurance is that we are too rich. Really.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
More on healthcare reform
This entire “reform” is really about taking total control of this country for the government. That is, those in office telling us how to live our lives.
Socialism= dictatorship by committee.
What is in that 10,000 pages? I know of some who have actually read it. Here is one example; every parent of a new-born baby will be visited by a social worker to make sure they know what they are doing and taking care of the baby instead of abusing it. How would you like that? A government employee comes into your home without just cause of wrongdoing or a court order, presuming you are guilty of child abuse until you prove you are not. This is a direct violation of our Constitutional Fifth Amendment rights!
Did you know that this all comes back to evolution? If evolution is true, than “right and wrong” are constantly changing. Society decides what is good and evil. Thus, those in office (being smarter and better educated, of course, or survival of the fittest wouldn’t have allowed them to lead), have the right to tell us what is evil (not buying into insurance, having too many babies, homeschooling, preaching from the Bible, witnessing, going to church, saying anything negative about the president….) and what is good (saving the whales, recycling, abortion, euthanasia, …). The things in the Constitution, and especially in the Bill of Rights, only apply to the 18th century and have nothing to do with us.
However, if Creation is true, there is a God who has told us what good and evil is (Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not be selfish. Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not be mean. Thou shalt not commit adultery. See Galatians, Ephesians, and Exodus). He is the only One with the right to make those decisions. These standards are universal. Our founding Fathers searched out these universal truths and codified them in the document we call the Constitution with the addition of the first ten amendments we call the Bill of Rights.
Honestly, do you really want to live in a society where the leaders do not believe in absolute right and wrong? Many citizens say they don’t believe in absolute morals, but I bet they would change their tune quick if the government decided their particular group was bad and needed exterminating.
And what is to keep our government from making such a decision? Without the foundation of biblical morals, there are no restraints whatsoever. That is what this whole “healthcare reform” is really about. This group of people think that because they are in charge of the most powerful country in the world they have the right to decide good and evil. Why should they respect private property rights, parental rights or the right to life? There are NO controls; no reason to acknowledge such rights.
Why not kill the handicapped?
Why not steal private property?
Why not lie?
Why not force people to hold the jobs you want them to hold?
Why not force people to marry who you ant them to marry?
Why not force them to live where you want them to live?
Why not remove all foods from the market except the kinds you like or think people should be eating?
Why not keep all the technology to yourself?
Why not let elderly people die?
Why not force women to have abortions? Or even kill their wanted babies if they are inconvenient?
Why not?
What is to stop them?
Socialism= dictatorship by committee.
What is in that 10,000 pages? I know of some who have actually read it. Here is one example; every parent of a new-born baby will be visited by a social worker to make sure they know what they are doing and taking care of the baby instead of abusing it. How would you like that? A government employee comes into your home without just cause of wrongdoing or a court order, presuming you are guilty of child abuse until you prove you are not. This is a direct violation of our Constitutional Fifth Amendment rights!
Did you know that this all comes back to evolution? If evolution is true, than “right and wrong” are constantly changing. Society decides what is good and evil. Thus, those in office (being smarter and better educated, of course, or survival of the fittest wouldn’t have allowed them to lead), have the right to tell us what is evil (not buying into insurance, having too many babies, homeschooling, preaching from the Bible, witnessing, going to church, saying anything negative about the president….) and what is good (saving the whales, recycling, abortion, euthanasia, …). The things in the Constitution, and especially in the Bill of Rights, only apply to the 18th century and have nothing to do with us.
However, if Creation is true, there is a God who has told us what good and evil is (Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not be selfish. Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not be mean. Thou shalt not commit adultery. See Galatians, Ephesians, and Exodus). He is the only One with the right to make those decisions. These standards are universal. Our founding Fathers searched out these universal truths and codified them in the document we call the Constitution with the addition of the first ten amendments we call the Bill of Rights.
Honestly, do you really want to live in a society where the leaders do not believe in absolute right and wrong? Many citizens say they don’t believe in absolute morals, but I bet they would change their tune quick if the government decided their particular group was bad and needed exterminating.
And what is to keep our government from making such a decision? Without the foundation of biblical morals, there are no restraints whatsoever. That is what this whole “healthcare reform” is really about. This group of people think that because they are in charge of the most powerful country in the world they have the right to decide good and evil. Why should they respect private property rights, parental rights or the right to life? There are NO controls; no reason to acknowledge such rights.
Why not kill the handicapped?
Why not steal private property?
Why not lie?
Why not force people to hold the jobs you want them to hold?
Why not force people to marry who you ant them to marry?
Why not force them to live where you want them to live?
Why not remove all foods from the market except the kinds you like or think people should be eating?
Why not keep all the technology to yourself?
Why not let elderly people die?
Why not force women to have abortions? Or even kill their wanted babies if they are inconvenient?
Why not?
What is to stop them?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Health care points
An editorial in our local paper recently had the title “It’s time to stop the politics and just get behind Healthcare reform.” This is like saying, “Let’s stop all this playoff nonsense and just give the trophy to MY team.” Healthcare reform IS politics. Some facts:
We already have universal emergency care in America. Don’t believe me? Just go to your local emergency room without your insurance card. It is against the law for them to turn anyone away. The cost is absorbed by taxpayers (through hospital write-offs) and insurance companies (through higher premiums).
We already have non-emergency care available to the poorest of our country through Medicaid. In fact, if the real goal in healthcare reform was a single payer system, all they would have to do is raise the maximum income level for Medicaid by a few percentages a year. In no time everyone would qualify and insurance companies couldn’t possibly compete. No big meetings, no 10,000 page documents. Very simple, really.
“Ahhhh, but this bill will require everyone to buy health insurance thus sharing the costs.” First of all, we already share the costs through our taxes. Secondly, what this bill really does is make it illegal to pay cash. Surprise, surprise, there are some people out there who consider insurance to be one big Ponzi scheme and simply pay for their own expenses out of their own pocket. There are also groups who share each other’s expenses; not as insurance companies (paying before hand to “insure” the bill will be paid) but sharing the bill after it is made. This legislation will force them to buy insurance, thus forcing them to either pay twice for their care or to participate in a program they don’t want to (much like all those who provide their children with private education).
In fact, let’s talk about those “45,000,000 uninsured.” Two-thirds of those are illegal aliens who should be deported, not medicated. Now, I believe whole-heartedly that we should be allowing more LEGAL immigrants into this country. Since we don’t have enough babies, we need the extra workers. However, illegals are, by definition, breaking our laws by being here. They are criminals. Letting them stay is a slap in the face to everyone who has jumped through the hops to come here legally. It has also created an entire slave class who do not have the same rights as everyone else.
That leaves us with only about 15,000,000 uninsured. About half of those don’t have insurance because they are between jobs. As soon as they are reemployed they will be covered again. This is not an issue for healthcare reform, but for economics.
We are down to about 7,000,000 uninsured now. Half of those are in the category mentioned above: those who don’t want insurance.
So, what the politicians are really doing is trashing the best healthcare system on the planet for the benefit of 3,000,000 people. With a population of 350,000,000, that means less than 1%.
Do we have the best system? Surveys here and in other countries show that more Americans are happy with their care than any other country on the planet. People from other countries often come HERE for there care. In fact, all those who are saying Canada is so much better, do not go there for their care, even though travel is very inexpensive. They stay right here, using this supposedly horrible system while griping about it.
The healthcare systems of other countries are about to break them. They are collapsing and, in several countries, they are moving away from single payer systems. They have people dieing from ailments that are simple to treat (such as a dose of penicillin). They are totally messed up in most areas. Why in the world would we want to duplicate this??!!! We need to come up with our own solutions instead of following the fashions of the times. We need to be the leader, not the follower.
There are several possible solutions (if indeed a solution is needed at all).
The one with the most likely chance of passing is vouchers. The government simply sends each legal resident a check to put in a medical savings account. This money can be used to buy insurance or pay medical bills directly. Any money left over at the end of the year, the owner gets to keep. By putting the power back into the people’s hands, we reestablish the free market controls. No longer will the insurance with the biggest kickback for your bosses secretary get your business, but the one that best meets your needs at the cheapest price. No longer will procedures be chosen by what insurance will cover, but by what YOU think you need. No one will even need Medicaid or Medicare anymore. Everyone gets an equal chance at great insurance.
The better, though much less likely solution would be to remove the government from the entire industry.
A little history here: originally insurance was something everyone bought themselves, though only those in certain industries even needed it. During WWII the government froze wages. This presented a real problem, since companies needed to be able raise salaries to keep and attract the best employees. Since they couldn’t offer them money, they began offering them insurance. After a time, the government passed laws that all companies with a certain number of workers HAD TO provide this bennie. Then, because it wasn’t “fair” for the poor to not have it available, they invented the medi’s. They set the price that the medi’s will pay for procedures and the insurance companies follow along. And, as has happened with EVERY industry ANY government has gotten involved in, the price has skyrocketed and the quality has begun to fall.
Now, if you removed Uncle Sam from this equation, companies could pay their people cash instead of insurance if they wanted to and let the individuals decide if they needed insurance or not. And the free market would be able to control prices and quality again. Some businesses would still offer insurance to attract the best workers, but others would find that the higher salary would work better for them.
These solutions solve any problems (and it really is stupid that our insurance is tied to our jobs), and control prices and quality through the free market forces God invented.
Simple, natural solutions.
Unfortunately, they aren’t going to even be considered. Why? Tune next time….
We already have universal emergency care in America. Don’t believe me? Just go to your local emergency room without your insurance card. It is against the law for them to turn anyone away. The cost is absorbed by taxpayers (through hospital write-offs) and insurance companies (through higher premiums).
We already have non-emergency care available to the poorest of our country through Medicaid. In fact, if the real goal in healthcare reform was a single payer system, all they would have to do is raise the maximum income level for Medicaid by a few percentages a year. In no time everyone would qualify and insurance companies couldn’t possibly compete. No big meetings, no 10,000 page documents. Very simple, really.
“Ahhhh, but this bill will require everyone to buy health insurance thus sharing the costs.” First of all, we already share the costs through our taxes. Secondly, what this bill really does is make it illegal to pay cash. Surprise, surprise, there are some people out there who consider insurance to be one big Ponzi scheme and simply pay for their own expenses out of their own pocket. There are also groups who share each other’s expenses; not as insurance companies (paying before hand to “insure” the bill will be paid) but sharing the bill after it is made. This legislation will force them to buy insurance, thus forcing them to either pay twice for their care or to participate in a program they don’t want to (much like all those who provide their children with private education).
In fact, let’s talk about those “45,000,000 uninsured.” Two-thirds of those are illegal aliens who should be deported, not medicated. Now, I believe whole-heartedly that we should be allowing more LEGAL immigrants into this country. Since we don’t have enough babies, we need the extra workers. However, illegals are, by definition, breaking our laws by being here. They are criminals. Letting them stay is a slap in the face to everyone who has jumped through the hops to come here legally. It has also created an entire slave class who do not have the same rights as everyone else.
That leaves us with only about 15,000,000 uninsured. About half of those don’t have insurance because they are between jobs. As soon as they are reemployed they will be covered again. This is not an issue for healthcare reform, but for economics.
We are down to about 7,000,000 uninsured now. Half of those are in the category mentioned above: those who don’t want insurance.
So, what the politicians are really doing is trashing the best healthcare system on the planet for the benefit of 3,000,000 people. With a population of 350,000,000, that means less than 1%.
Do we have the best system? Surveys here and in other countries show that more Americans are happy with their care than any other country on the planet. People from other countries often come HERE for there care. In fact, all those who are saying Canada is so much better, do not go there for their care, even though travel is very inexpensive. They stay right here, using this supposedly horrible system while griping about it.
The healthcare systems of other countries are about to break them. They are collapsing and, in several countries, they are moving away from single payer systems. They have people dieing from ailments that are simple to treat (such as a dose of penicillin). They are totally messed up in most areas. Why in the world would we want to duplicate this??!!! We need to come up with our own solutions instead of following the fashions of the times. We need to be the leader, not the follower.
There are several possible solutions (if indeed a solution is needed at all).
The one with the most likely chance of passing is vouchers. The government simply sends each legal resident a check to put in a medical savings account. This money can be used to buy insurance or pay medical bills directly. Any money left over at the end of the year, the owner gets to keep. By putting the power back into the people’s hands, we reestablish the free market controls. No longer will the insurance with the biggest kickback for your bosses secretary get your business, but the one that best meets your needs at the cheapest price. No longer will procedures be chosen by what insurance will cover, but by what YOU think you need. No one will even need Medicaid or Medicare anymore. Everyone gets an equal chance at great insurance.
The better, though much less likely solution would be to remove the government from the entire industry.
A little history here: originally insurance was something everyone bought themselves, though only those in certain industries even needed it. During WWII the government froze wages. This presented a real problem, since companies needed to be able raise salaries to keep and attract the best employees. Since they couldn’t offer them money, they began offering them insurance. After a time, the government passed laws that all companies with a certain number of workers HAD TO provide this bennie. Then, because it wasn’t “fair” for the poor to not have it available, they invented the medi’s. They set the price that the medi’s will pay for procedures and the insurance companies follow along. And, as has happened with EVERY industry ANY government has gotten involved in, the price has skyrocketed and the quality has begun to fall.
Now, if you removed Uncle Sam from this equation, companies could pay their people cash instead of insurance if they wanted to and let the individuals decide if they needed insurance or not. And the free market would be able to control prices and quality again. Some businesses would still offer insurance to attract the best workers, but others would find that the higher salary would work better for them.
These solutions solve any problems (and it really is stupid that our insurance is tied to our jobs), and control prices and quality through the free market forces God invented.
Simple, natural solutions.
Unfortunately, they aren’t going to even be considered. Why? Tune next time….
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Stem cells
This is a letter I wrote to our editor following a desperate plea to legalize stem cell research:
Ms Gafford is absolutely right that stem cells hold great promise. They have already been used to grow a new tooth, used for blood-forming in transplants for 40 years, to treat leukemia and related bone/blood cancers, to regrow a trachea, and many other things.
However, these stem cells were all collected from consenting adults. The collection process does no harm to the donor (some cells are simply scrapped off the lining of the inside of the nose).
What Ms Gafford fails to mention in her letter is that she wants us to use FETAL stem cells. These are collected from unborn, un-consenting babies and the process kills them. This is human sacrifice to the “god of science.” It is evil. We will not succeed in doing good through evil means.
Other countries have been experimenting on these cells for years. They have come up with exactly ………. NO …….. cures or treatments for anything whatsoever. It doesn’t work.
Even if it did, do we really want to be a nation that gets her health from child sacrifice?
I have a few much better, more promising ideas: 1) Let’s do more work on cord blood and placentas. Though discarded as waste in America, they are used in traditional medicine around the world with startling results and may very well give many advantages while harming absolutely no one. And 2) Let’s put our money into learning how to prevent these diseases. Isn’t that much better than needing to cure them?
Let’s find the causes instead of killing for the cures.
Ms Gafford is absolutely right that stem cells hold great promise. They have already been used to grow a new tooth, used for blood-forming in transplants for 40 years, to treat leukemia and related bone/blood cancers, to regrow a trachea, and many other things.
However, these stem cells were all collected from consenting adults. The collection process does no harm to the donor (some cells are simply scrapped off the lining of the inside of the nose).
What Ms Gafford fails to mention in her letter is that she wants us to use FETAL stem cells. These are collected from unborn, un-consenting babies and the process kills them. This is human sacrifice to the “god of science.” It is evil. We will not succeed in doing good through evil means.
Other countries have been experimenting on these cells for years. They have come up with exactly ………. NO …….. cures or treatments for anything whatsoever. It doesn’t work.
Even if it did, do we really want to be a nation that gets her health from child sacrifice?
I have a few much better, more promising ideas: 1) Let’s do more work on cord blood and placentas. Though discarded as waste in America, they are used in traditional medicine around the world with startling results and may very well give many advantages while harming absolutely no one. And 2) Let’s put our money into learning how to prevent these diseases. Isn’t that much better than needing to cure them?
Let’s find the causes instead of killing for the cures.
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