George Offerman
Notre Dame just cannot seem to get it right. The open rebellion and scandals keep on rolling out of Our Lady’s University, to the shame and chagrin of the faithful. Just when you thought it was safe to bring out the Rosary beads, the University, in its ever infinite “Catholic” wisdom, decides to sponsor and hold a “Stand against hate week” that caters to the homosexual crowd. Here is a partial listing of events to be held, and a link to a petition by John Ritchie at the TFP Student Action site:
This is what's planned at Our Lady's university this week:
Pro-homosexual screening of "The Laramie Project"
Lecture on campus: "Homosexuality Under the Dome"
The hosting of a "Day of Silence" on April 16
Important note: The "Day of Silence" is a pro-homosexual propaganda tool designed by GLSEN (G a y, L esbian and Straight Education Network) to persuade school children and college students to accept homosexuality.
For your information, GLSEN:
* Promotes explicit homosexual reading material for teens
* Favors same-s e x prom dates
* Organizes pro-homosexual clubs in schools
http://www.tfpstudentaction.net/campaigns/index.php?option=com_chronocontact&chronoformname=protest_1010&utm_source=MailingList&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SAE1047+-+Notre+Dame+%22Stand+Against+Hate+Week%22
As much as this is incredible, it unfortunately is believable, given the recent track record of events and positions held by the current President and board of Notre Dame. It seems the only hate the University is willing to show is hatred towards the Catholic Church, its traditions and faith. For these theophobics, it is any mention of God and real faith that scares them, and they must hide behind some fake ideal of social justice to push this agenda which is very anti God and very anti Catholic. Evidently, it doesn’t matter when the name of the game is to please the liberals and get along with everyone, over the sanctity of the faith.
No one is advocating hate, but when the rebellious wing of the church wants to dictate the terms of the discussion, and the traditional side of the church stays silent, confusion is born, and crisis of faith then occurs. These self righteous weirdoes believe any disagreement with them is hate speech, yet it is they who engage in the most outrageous terms and names and try to convey that they speak for God and righteousness. The problem they seem to not get is, God does not bless sin, and has been extremely clear that the shedding of innocent blood (legalized child killing) along with homosexuality are about the gravest of all the sins, and Notre Dame now has openly promoted both of them.
One cannot claim to be speaking FOR God when what they are saying goes AGAINST what God has made clear is serious sin. In effect, those in support of such policies are really saying love is hate, and hate is love. It is love to correct those in error, and it is hate to deliberately steer someone on a path of destruction. And there can be no question that deliberately rebelling against Church teachings is an act of hate, as it leads to destruction. The spirit of rebellion has never brought about the fruits of peace, joy, serenity and unity, and what Notre Dame is proposing will result in none of these. Again, confusion reigns at Our Lady’s University, and it is one more scandal for the church, and proof that by their silence, the American Bishops are unplugged from their true source of power.
From the R U Kidding Korner…
Heard yesterday on the radio, Senator Chuck Schumer angered over an airlines proposed charging for carry on baggage “How dare they do that? Every time we turn around, they are adding fees. There needs to be legislation to stop that”. Really? Hey Chuck, have you looked at all the federal taxes, Homeland security fees, added fuel taxes that are add on’s to all airline ticket prices? Where do we go to get YOU to stop raising our taxes at every turn?
The government hates competition…
Some very creative accountants, taking the lead from the demovamps status of the undead, decided to file tax returns on those playing harps in the sky, and got busted. It seems they were able to bilk $95 MILLION since 2001, and are now looking at hard time behind bars. It seems the government is very serious in cracking down on those wannabe thieves, as the government is the biggest and the best at thievery, and hates competition. Now, the government ought to show the same concern, and go after the JP Morgan’s and Goldman Sachs who just walked away with $2.1 TRILLION of the taxpayer’s money in the past 2 years. Yeah, right. Cool picture of the undead on this link:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Tax-Returns-of-the-Living-Dead-90266732.html
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
HEALTH INSURANCE IS NOT AUTO INSURANCE
George Offerman
Obama has been doing his traveling circus routine over the past few weeks or so to sell the hell care law to the populace. One of his favorite analogies is to compare health insurance with having auto insurance, and the fact that the government ‘requires’ those who drive to have auto insurance. On the surface, this looks like a very solid argument and many people will stop any debate after thinking about this point thinking they don’t have much of a retort for this.
While this is not the main point of this posting, it should be noted that people, in fact, can and do drive without auto insurance, and at least in the state (Commonwealth) of Virginia there is the uninsured motorist fee and fund that in effect, allows those to drive without insurance. (One could argue the fine for not having health insurance is the same.) There are most likely similar laws in the other states, and some of the fees that those who have insurance go to the liability of those who do not. (I have a rider on my policy for that).
Auto insurance is used only for catastrophic reasons, and the point of having it is to protect lives, property and lawsuits. Auto insurance does not cover regular maintenance of the vehicle, such as oil changes, tires, tune ups, mufflers, and other problems that are typical of auto ownership and regular use of an auto. Auto insurance also does not cover negligence, such as burning out a transmission or engine due to poor maintenance. Auto insurance will not cover “cosmetic” changes, such as painting a car simply to change the color, or having all chrome parts for show. There are also no riders for suing auto mechanics if work is not done properly, and if the car is damaged, the burden of proof is on the driver to prove he did not cause the damage versus the auto insurance, or auto mechanic.
However, health insurance is seen as all encompassing, and according to proponents ‘should cover all health related issues, from pre existing conditions to some elective procedures”. It has come to be expected that all medical procedures, including regular doctor visits, common illnesses such as a cold, flu or other ‘maintenance’ maladies be covered either in totality or should have low co pays. Because of this, many people will utilize medical appointments, instead of relying on some common sense and taking care of many of these issues through use of over the counter medication. It is many of these appointments, that are primarily unnecessary, that clogs the system, and creates the most amount of paperwork. If it were fee based, like an oil change, the requirements would be much less, and the system would be far more efficient and many people would really consider whether they should seek medial attention or not.
Currently, most health care costs also pay for those maladies that are a result of ‘negligence’ or poor lifestyle choices. There are those who continue on making poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, overeating, drinking too much, not exercising, poor diets, and in the end, have this all covered. No one has mandated (yet) lifestyle standards that would reduce the need for health care services, which would reduce the costs for everyone, and ultimately allow for more time and resources when one actually needs to utilize the medical profession. For those who believe this is an unfair statement, consider that it is those who stay healthy who are actually paying for their care. Unlike auto insurance, that is a tiered system, health insurances are mandated to charge the same amount now regardless of the risk factors the individual has, and it ultimately penalizes the individual who works hard to stay healthy.
Finally, there will be certain ‘elective’ procedures that will be covered, and the most glaring of these is child killing on demand. There is absolutely no say so for those opposed to not only the law that allows for child killing, but no recourse legally to opt out of this system. Auto insurance allows for many different riders and tiers, but not health care insurance. So, people will be allowed to live any way they want, without anyone telling them what to do, yet these same people will then make demands on those willing to play by the rules (the healthy) that they subsidize these choices. Unlike Auto insurances, that can ‘drop’ the poor drivers, health insurance will be covered by new taxes and rate increases to those who ‘can afford to pay’ and will pay for them with no recourse.
So the next time you hear this malarkey from Obama, that health insurance requirements is similar or the same as auto insurance, just remember; this is the same guy who promised the most ethical, open, honest and fair government in the history of our country. Change we can believe in. Do you believe yet?
Obama has been doing his traveling circus routine over the past few weeks or so to sell the hell care law to the populace. One of his favorite analogies is to compare health insurance with having auto insurance, and the fact that the government ‘requires’ those who drive to have auto insurance. On the surface, this looks like a very solid argument and many people will stop any debate after thinking about this point thinking they don’t have much of a retort for this.
While this is not the main point of this posting, it should be noted that people, in fact, can and do drive without auto insurance, and at least in the state (Commonwealth) of Virginia there is the uninsured motorist fee and fund that in effect, allows those to drive without insurance. (One could argue the fine for not having health insurance is the same.) There are most likely similar laws in the other states, and some of the fees that those who have insurance go to the liability of those who do not. (I have a rider on my policy for that).
Auto insurance is used only for catastrophic reasons, and the point of having it is to protect lives, property and lawsuits. Auto insurance does not cover regular maintenance of the vehicle, such as oil changes, tires, tune ups, mufflers, and other problems that are typical of auto ownership and regular use of an auto. Auto insurance also does not cover negligence, such as burning out a transmission or engine due to poor maintenance. Auto insurance will not cover “cosmetic” changes, such as painting a car simply to change the color, or having all chrome parts for show. There are also no riders for suing auto mechanics if work is not done properly, and if the car is damaged, the burden of proof is on the driver to prove he did not cause the damage versus the auto insurance, or auto mechanic.
However, health insurance is seen as all encompassing, and according to proponents ‘should cover all health related issues, from pre existing conditions to some elective procedures”. It has come to be expected that all medical procedures, including regular doctor visits, common illnesses such as a cold, flu or other ‘maintenance’ maladies be covered either in totality or should have low co pays. Because of this, many people will utilize medical appointments, instead of relying on some common sense and taking care of many of these issues through use of over the counter medication. It is many of these appointments, that are primarily unnecessary, that clogs the system, and creates the most amount of paperwork. If it were fee based, like an oil change, the requirements would be much less, and the system would be far more efficient and many people would really consider whether they should seek medial attention or not.
Currently, most health care costs also pay for those maladies that are a result of ‘negligence’ or poor lifestyle choices. There are those who continue on making poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, overeating, drinking too much, not exercising, poor diets, and in the end, have this all covered. No one has mandated (yet) lifestyle standards that would reduce the need for health care services, which would reduce the costs for everyone, and ultimately allow for more time and resources when one actually needs to utilize the medical profession. For those who believe this is an unfair statement, consider that it is those who stay healthy who are actually paying for their care. Unlike auto insurance, that is a tiered system, health insurances are mandated to charge the same amount now regardless of the risk factors the individual has, and it ultimately penalizes the individual who works hard to stay healthy.
Finally, there will be certain ‘elective’ procedures that will be covered, and the most glaring of these is child killing on demand. There is absolutely no say so for those opposed to not only the law that allows for child killing, but no recourse legally to opt out of this system. Auto insurance allows for many different riders and tiers, but not health care insurance. So, people will be allowed to live any way they want, without anyone telling them what to do, yet these same people will then make demands on those willing to play by the rules (the healthy) that they subsidize these choices. Unlike Auto insurances, that can ‘drop’ the poor drivers, health insurance will be covered by new taxes and rate increases to those who ‘can afford to pay’ and will pay for them with no recourse.
So the next time you hear this malarkey from Obama, that health insurance requirements is similar or the same as auto insurance, just remember; this is the same guy who promised the most ethical, open, honest and fair government in the history of our country. Change we can believe in. Do you believe yet?
Friday, April 9, 2010
THEY REALLY DON'T GET IT
George Offerman
If it weren’t so pathetic, it would actually be humorous. An article in the UK Telegraph is attempting to depict the latest appointment of Archbishop to the L.A. Archdiocese as “revenge” of the pope against Hollywood for filming “The Da Vinci Code”. Archbishop Jose Gomez will be taking over the reigns from current Archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahoney upon the Cardinal’s retirement within the next year. The article also alleges it will ‘upset’ those Catholics within the Hollywood establishment, and seems to indicate there will be a confrontation concerning the order of business as it is currently being carried out. See link to article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7560105/Popes-revenge-as-LA-gets-Opus-Dei-bishop.html
It is interesting how the media all over the world has gobbled up the stories pertaining to abuse, and have relished the continual trashing of the Catholic Church. Now, a lot of it has been fact based and frankly, the Church has many issues that need to be resolved and dealt with completely and honestly. But here, we have a prime example of an Archbishop, who has actually lived out his vows and has been exemplary in demonstrating the power of prayer and self discipline that is the hallmark of Opus Dei. It is unfortunate that the public education pertaining to Opus Dei came from the ‘brilliant’ theologians Dan Brown and director Ron “Opie Taylor” Howard.
It is human nature to mock that which is not understood, when it challenges the status quo, and calls into question the reality as we would like it to be. It is totally foreign to most people, let alone the screaming liberals, that a group can live out promises to keep themselves pure, live a life of simplicity and holiness, and dedicate their everyday lives to the Lord. The vast majority of those belonging to Opus Dei that I have met, probably spend more time in prayer in a month than most pray in their lifetimes. They also happen to be some of the most joy filled, peaceful, serene and focused individuals one could meet, and they seem to reflect a real love for their fellow man. It is the antithesis of the ‘me first’ and ‘I need to feel gratified all the time’ philosophy that Hollywood and liberalism embraces and pushes as the new religion of the day.
The idea of church teachings and the demonstration of morality as being ‘revenge’ further demonstrates how the majority of the groups ‘don’t get it’. Revenge is motivated in getting even, sort of a ‘me first’ philosophy and the church is absolutely not guilty of this. It only demonstrates the mentality of those who make the accusations that it is they that think this way. The Churches divine mission is to be the light to the world, and the Master made it very clear that the world hates the light and will persecute the light. The more the liberals trash this group, the more they validate Opus Dei and their mission.
It really must stick in their craw that the 2,000 priests and bishops in Opus Dei have remained 100% faithful to their vows. It is no coincidence that there are NO scandals among those faithful clergy to the principles of Opus Dei, and it seems to absolutely not compute at all for the liberals that prayer actually works, and the faith the Church stands for is far superior to the liberal’s way of life. People actually keeping their promises and vows are a greater threat to the liberal’s way of life than finding scandal in an organization that wants to imitate the societal norms it interacts with.
This is why there will be many unfounded attacks against the soon to be Cardinal Gomez in particular and Opus Dei in general. Those who do not live by faith cannot fathom or grasp what it looks like to live by faith, and there is a need to mock and try to destroy them instead of learning from them. It is no wonder this move is seen as threatening because it will challenge those that claim to be Catholic to give up their hypocrisy and actually be accountable for their way of life. Prayer works and it is affirmed in the fact that the Opus Dei clergy have a perfect record when it comes to fidelity to their vows, and only faith and grace can explain this rate or success. Liberalism cannot boast of this, so they must destroy those that make the liberals look like the frauds that they are.
The greatest fear of the liberals would be that Cardinal Gomez succeed in his mission to straighten out the mess he is inheriting. It will prove that following Church teachings and living the faith is superior to their way of life, and thus require radical changes in their belief systems as well as behaviors. This is too much for them to handle, and do not be surprised to see a radical increase in lies, slander and disinformation concerning both the Cardinal and Opus Dei in the near future. Until that time, the faithful should be praying for Cardinal Gomez, and being thankful that the Vatican is making some positive moves for the future of this Church.
If it weren’t so pathetic, it would actually be humorous. An article in the UK Telegraph is attempting to depict the latest appointment of Archbishop to the L.A. Archdiocese as “revenge” of the pope against Hollywood for filming “The Da Vinci Code”. Archbishop Jose Gomez will be taking over the reigns from current Archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahoney upon the Cardinal’s retirement within the next year. The article also alleges it will ‘upset’ those Catholics within the Hollywood establishment, and seems to indicate there will be a confrontation concerning the order of business as it is currently being carried out. See link to article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7560105/Popes-revenge-as-LA-gets-Opus-Dei-bishop.html
It is interesting how the media all over the world has gobbled up the stories pertaining to abuse, and have relished the continual trashing of the Catholic Church. Now, a lot of it has been fact based and frankly, the Church has many issues that need to be resolved and dealt with completely and honestly. But here, we have a prime example of an Archbishop, who has actually lived out his vows and has been exemplary in demonstrating the power of prayer and self discipline that is the hallmark of Opus Dei. It is unfortunate that the public education pertaining to Opus Dei came from the ‘brilliant’ theologians Dan Brown and director Ron “Opie Taylor” Howard.
It is human nature to mock that which is not understood, when it challenges the status quo, and calls into question the reality as we would like it to be. It is totally foreign to most people, let alone the screaming liberals, that a group can live out promises to keep themselves pure, live a life of simplicity and holiness, and dedicate their everyday lives to the Lord. The vast majority of those belonging to Opus Dei that I have met, probably spend more time in prayer in a month than most pray in their lifetimes. They also happen to be some of the most joy filled, peaceful, serene and focused individuals one could meet, and they seem to reflect a real love for their fellow man. It is the antithesis of the ‘me first’ and ‘I need to feel gratified all the time’ philosophy that Hollywood and liberalism embraces and pushes as the new religion of the day.
The idea of church teachings and the demonstration of morality as being ‘revenge’ further demonstrates how the majority of the groups ‘don’t get it’. Revenge is motivated in getting even, sort of a ‘me first’ philosophy and the church is absolutely not guilty of this. It only demonstrates the mentality of those who make the accusations that it is they that think this way. The Churches divine mission is to be the light to the world, and the Master made it very clear that the world hates the light and will persecute the light. The more the liberals trash this group, the more they validate Opus Dei and their mission.
It really must stick in their craw that the 2,000 priests and bishops in Opus Dei have remained 100% faithful to their vows. It is no coincidence that there are NO scandals among those faithful clergy to the principles of Opus Dei, and it seems to absolutely not compute at all for the liberals that prayer actually works, and the faith the Church stands for is far superior to the liberal’s way of life. People actually keeping their promises and vows are a greater threat to the liberal’s way of life than finding scandal in an organization that wants to imitate the societal norms it interacts with.
This is why there will be many unfounded attacks against the soon to be Cardinal Gomez in particular and Opus Dei in general. Those who do not live by faith cannot fathom or grasp what it looks like to live by faith, and there is a need to mock and try to destroy them instead of learning from them. It is no wonder this move is seen as threatening because it will challenge those that claim to be Catholic to give up their hypocrisy and actually be accountable for their way of life. Prayer works and it is affirmed in the fact that the Opus Dei clergy have a perfect record when it comes to fidelity to their vows, and only faith and grace can explain this rate or success. Liberalism cannot boast of this, so they must destroy those that make the liberals look like the frauds that they are.
The greatest fear of the liberals would be that Cardinal Gomez succeed in his mission to straighten out the mess he is inheriting. It will prove that following Church teachings and living the faith is superior to their way of life, and thus require radical changes in their belief systems as well as behaviors. This is too much for them to handle, and do not be surprised to see a radical increase in lies, slander and disinformation concerning both the Cardinal and Opus Dei in the near future. Until that time, the faithful should be praying for Cardinal Gomez, and being thankful that the Vatican is making some positive moves for the future of this Church.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Cardinal George's (surprise) endorsement of a pro abort priest
George Offerman
As reported by life site news, Cardinal George, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the current President of the USCCB, has endorsed the very controversial and pro abortion priest, Fr. Michael Pfleger for the Racial Justice lifetime Achievement Award and will preside at the ceremony. See link:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10040606.html
For those who may not be aware or remember, Fr. Pfleger played a very pivotal role in the Obama candidacy by his activities on the Catholics for Obama Committee, and openly defying both the Cardinal at the time, as well as being the face for open dissention on church teachings that are extremely clear on the issue of abortion.
It is very interesting that those who support Fr. Pfleger in getting this award seem to minimize the fact that those who seek abortions are disproportionally African Americans, and that the first Biracial president in our history is also the most pro abortion in history. It is very clear that both Fr. Pfleger and Cardinal George do not really see the unborn as human, or alive, as one would never win an award for justice, while advocating for the extermination of the same group the award focuses on.
When asked to justify this position, Sr. Anita Baird used the convoluted word play of pro choice is not the same as pro abortion, and then cited the already condemned position of the late Cardinal Bernadin’s “seamless garment” argument. It seems the Chicago Church is hauntingly too close to the world of Chicago politics, which borne Obama in the first place. One would expect like from like, and it is really shameful that the president of the USCCB can take such a contradictory position in his own Archdiocese, yet make strong statements in issues such as the Notre Dame issue, which is not in his back yard.
Cardinal George’s stance and positions are symptomatic of the larger issues within the Church. The American Church has long ago sold out for many different reasons, which have been covered in previous posts, but it becomes disheartening and demoralizing when one of the top leaders in the American Church can be so blatantly out of touch with magisterial teachings and involve himself in a scandal that helped perpetuate the election of a man who is against core values and tenants of the church that Cardinal George has (or should have) pledged to uphold with his life.
It seems that Cardinal George is going out of his way to appease the left in this country. There is not even a valid reason to do this nor any pressure, so what could the real motivation be? There was no public outcry to give Fr. Pfleger this award and most likely, no one even saw this coming. For a Cardinal to blatantly disregard core church teachings, and reward a priest who has been defiant concerning the magisterial teachings of the Church is frankly an outrage of a very high magnitude. It is no wonder the faithful is confused at the least, and demoralized and outraged at the worst.
This goes a long way in explaining why the illustrious USCCB waited until the weekend of the hell care bill vote to make their pitifully weak statement, and lame appeal to the faithful to take action against this bill. Seeing that Cardinal George is going to reward dissention within the clergy, it is no surprise whatsoever, that as president of the USCCB, Cardinal George paid lip service to efforts to stop the funding of child killing. Killing minorities in the womb evidently does not count, and evidently, they are non persons. Sounds like the good old days of slavery. So much for Racial Justice So much for true church leadership.
So again, the next time this phony and weak group does an appeal for funds, let them collect from the party of the vampires and their strong armed cronies at the IRS. At this point, the USCCB ought to feel right at home, and they can spend the majority of the time looking at their ‘common ground’ and make up excuses for their gross incompetence in leadership and vision.
As reported by life site news, Cardinal George, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the current President of the USCCB, has endorsed the very controversial and pro abortion priest, Fr. Michael Pfleger for the Racial Justice lifetime Achievement Award and will preside at the ceremony. See link:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10040606.html
For those who may not be aware or remember, Fr. Pfleger played a very pivotal role in the Obama candidacy by his activities on the Catholics for Obama Committee, and openly defying both the Cardinal at the time, as well as being the face for open dissention on church teachings that are extremely clear on the issue of abortion.
It is very interesting that those who support Fr. Pfleger in getting this award seem to minimize the fact that those who seek abortions are disproportionally African Americans, and that the first Biracial president in our history is also the most pro abortion in history. It is very clear that both Fr. Pfleger and Cardinal George do not really see the unborn as human, or alive, as one would never win an award for justice, while advocating for the extermination of the same group the award focuses on.
When asked to justify this position, Sr. Anita Baird used the convoluted word play of pro choice is not the same as pro abortion, and then cited the already condemned position of the late Cardinal Bernadin’s “seamless garment” argument. It seems the Chicago Church is hauntingly too close to the world of Chicago politics, which borne Obama in the first place. One would expect like from like, and it is really shameful that the president of the USCCB can take such a contradictory position in his own Archdiocese, yet make strong statements in issues such as the Notre Dame issue, which is not in his back yard.
Cardinal George’s stance and positions are symptomatic of the larger issues within the Church. The American Church has long ago sold out for many different reasons, which have been covered in previous posts, but it becomes disheartening and demoralizing when one of the top leaders in the American Church can be so blatantly out of touch with magisterial teachings and involve himself in a scandal that helped perpetuate the election of a man who is against core values and tenants of the church that Cardinal George has (or should have) pledged to uphold with his life.
It seems that Cardinal George is going out of his way to appease the left in this country. There is not even a valid reason to do this nor any pressure, so what could the real motivation be? There was no public outcry to give Fr. Pfleger this award and most likely, no one even saw this coming. For a Cardinal to blatantly disregard core church teachings, and reward a priest who has been defiant concerning the magisterial teachings of the Church is frankly an outrage of a very high magnitude. It is no wonder the faithful is confused at the least, and demoralized and outraged at the worst.
This goes a long way in explaining why the illustrious USCCB waited until the weekend of the hell care bill vote to make their pitifully weak statement, and lame appeal to the faithful to take action against this bill. Seeing that Cardinal George is going to reward dissention within the clergy, it is no surprise whatsoever, that as president of the USCCB, Cardinal George paid lip service to efforts to stop the funding of child killing. Killing minorities in the womb evidently does not count, and evidently, they are non persons. Sounds like the good old days of slavery. So much for Racial Justice So much for true church leadership.
So again, the next time this phony and weak group does an appeal for funds, let them collect from the party of the vampires and their strong armed cronies at the IRS. At this point, the USCCB ought to feel right at home, and they can spend the majority of the time looking at their ‘common ground’ and make up excuses for their gross incompetence in leadership and vision.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
REAL REFORM IN HEALTH CARE
George Offerman
There are many real issues with the current health care system, but none of these were addressed with the passage of this new law. Cronyism is the nane of the game as far as this new law goes, and in the end, it is going to harm the people, and the leadership is not going to do anything about it. Those that have been in the field for a significant amount of time can remember times in which health care delivery and reimbursements were a simple and unburdened process, but those days are long gone. These are the true impediments of what needs to be reformed in order to continue to have affordable health care for all.
By far, the number one reform that would need to take place is tort reform. Like it or not, the lawyers run health care. This is demonstrated in the fact that malpractice insurance for most providers is obnoxiously high. A good friend of mine, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, told me about his insurance requirements, and stated “it’s when I get sued, not if”. His annual rates he has to pay for his malpractice insurance is nearly what my annual pay is, and it is rather disgusting that anyone should have to pay a significant proportion of their income to simply practice their trade. Insurers also can ‘dump’ a provider for almost any reason, and that is effectively the kiss of death for the provider.
The record keeping aspect is also very cumbersome, and again, is mainly geared towards a defensive posture. We are told constantly in our staff meetings, to write our notes ‘as if they are to be read from a witness stand”. This paperwork is required by insurance companies, and mandated by the ever twisted and contradictory federal laws and guidelines that are increased every year. We have a saying in health care that “we see patients between paperwork”. It is burdensome, and truly takes away from one’s ability to do his job as he would seem fit to do.
There is a great deal of concern over being sued by disgruntled patients, and it was not like this 20 + years ago. I have personally heard more than one psychiatrist say that they went ahead and prescribed psychotropic medication to patients rather than confront them on bad choices and lifestyles they have made. Lawyers constantly bombard the airwaves with “knowing your rights’ and it is reflected in the ever increasing entitled attitudes of the patients. Many of us feel like we are targeted as the enemy. Do you see or hear lawyers advertising to the general population about “knowing your rights” concerning trades like plumbers, architects, auto mechanics, groundskeepers and such and suing them? Not at all.
Secondary to this is, and I believe is related to the above issue, is the lack of personal responsibility taken by many of the patients. Along with feeling entitled to ‘perfect’ care, there is a great resistance in taking personal responsibility for one’s well being, and a belief that they can live any way they want, and it is up to someone else to make them better. I have some patients that have had over 100 medical appointments in a calendar year, and often they are the greatest complainers about the ‘system’ and how ‘it doesn’t work”. Many patients get ideas from television shows, or the internet, and then demand certain tests and procedures be done, regardless of costs and necessity. Providers often are reluctant to give much resistance to this, as any misstep taken by them will more than likely result in lawsuit, or a filing of a complaint against that provider’s license. Again, I have heard many physicians state they ran tests they did not believe were necessary, due to the insistence of the patient.
Then there is the ever increasing numbers of vaccines that are now required, and on top of that, all of the ‘elective’ procedures that many people believe they have a right to, but want others to pay for. This, on top of the fact that people live longer, and are more likely to die from a prolonged, chronic condition versus acute, such as flu or other maladies that would be less controlled for. Then, there is obesity and poor physical fitness, which causes an extreme number of conditions that, requires high maintenance medicine and treatment. Proper health care reform has to look at culpability of the individual and address some sort of accountability for this.
These are the main factors that plague our current system. Obamacare addresses none of these, and actually will create larger bureaucracies, that will only compound the problem. Many young people will decide to not pursue health care as a career option because there will be great risk, with little reward, and those already in will be looking for the exits. Either way, reforms that should take place will not, and excessive burdens, which should be lifted, will be instead added. Typical of any government meddling in areas they should leave to the real experts.
There are many real issues with the current health care system, but none of these were addressed with the passage of this new law. Cronyism is the nane of the game as far as this new law goes, and in the end, it is going to harm the people, and the leadership is not going to do anything about it. Those that have been in the field for a significant amount of time can remember times in which health care delivery and reimbursements were a simple and unburdened process, but those days are long gone. These are the true impediments of what needs to be reformed in order to continue to have affordable health care for all.
By far, the number one reform that would need to take place is tort reform. Like it or not, the lawyers run health care. This is demonstrated in the fact that malpractice insurance for most providers is obnoxiously high. A good friend of mine, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, told me about his insurance requirements, and stated “it’s when I get sued, not if”. His annual rates he has to pay for his malpractice insurance is nearly what my annual pay is, and it is rather disgusting that anyone should have to pay a significant proportion of their income to simply practice their trade. Insurers also can ‘dump’ a provider for almost any reason, and that is effectively the kiss of death for the provider.
The record keeping aspect is also very cumbersome, and again, is mainly geared towards a defensive posture. We are told constantly in our staff meetings, to write our notes ‘as if they are to be read from a witness stand”. This paperwork is required by insurance companies, and mandated by the ever twisted and contradictory federal laws and guidelines that are increased every year. We have a saying in health care that “we see patients between paperwork”. It is burdensome, and truly takes away from one’s ability to do his job as he would seem fit to do.
There is a great deal of concern over being sued by disgruntled patients, and it was not like this 20 + years ago. I have personally heard more than one psychiatrist say that they went ahead and prescribed psychotropic medication to patients rather than confront them on bad choices and lifestyles they have made. Lawyers constantly bombard the airwaves with “knowing your rights’ and it is reflected in the ever increasing entitled attitudes of the patients. Many of us feel like we are targeted as the enemy. Do you see or hear lawyers advertising to the general population about “knowing your rights” concerning trades like plumbers, architects, auto mechanics, groundskeepers and such and suing them? Not at all.
Secondary to this is, and I believe is related to the above issue, is the lack of personal responsibility taken by many of the patients. Along with feeling entitled to ‘perfect’ care, there is a great resistance in taking personal responsibility for one’s well being, and a belief that they can live any way they want, and it is up to someone else to make them better. I have some patients that have had over 100 medical appointments in a calendar year, and often they are the greatest complainers about the ‘system’ and how ‘it doesn’t work”. Many patients get ideas from television shows, or the internet, and then demand certain tests and procedures be done, regardless of costs and necessity. Providers often are reluctant to give much resistance to this, as any misstep taken by them will more than likely result in lawsuit, or a filing of a complaint against that provider’s license. Again, I have heard many physicians state they ran tests they did not believe were necessary, due to the insistence of the patient.
Then there is the ever increasing numbers of vaccines that are now required, and on top of that, all of the ‘elective’ procedures that many people believe they have a right to, but want others to pay for. This, on top of the fact that people live longer, and are more likely to die from a prolonged, chronic condition versus acute, such as flu or other maladies that would be less controlled for. Then, there is obesity and poor physical fitness, which causes an extreme number of conditions that, requires high maintenance medicine and treatment. Proper health care reform has to look at culpability of the individual and address some sort of accountability for this.
These are the main factors that plague our current system. Obamacare addresses none of these, and actually will create larger bureaucracies, that will only compound the problem. Many young people will decide to not pursue health care as a career option because there will be great risk, with little reward, and those already in will be looking for the exits. Either way, reforms that should take place will not, and excessive burdens, which should be lifted, will be instead added. Typical of any government meddling in areas they should leave to the real experts.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
THE FALLOUT CONTINUES
George Offerman
As more details come out about the hell care law, it is becoming more apparent why the demovamps had to create this in their darkened smoke filled cellars, as no sane and living person would ever come up with this garbage. The undead, ever so determined to get the last vestige of life out of the soon to be corpse, also has demonstrated that they have some protected groups they are watching out for. This law exempts Muslims, Scientologists and the Amish (who have proven to be the most loyal to this country and have earned the right to be exempt.). However, all of you (us) Christians have to line up and take our numbers, and comply with this demonic law.
There are disputes as to the exact number of new IRS agents that are mandated to be hired and to enforce the penalty for not purchasing health care. The lead demovamps are trying to sell this to the populace by stating “it is not a penalty, but one MAY have some of their refund taken if they don’t comply”. Now, what exactly are these agents going to do? They definitely are not being sent over to the Middle East to fight terrorism. They are going to intimidate those who may have a problem with a government telling them what to do, and enforcing a system that is going to be in large part immoral. These agents will be targeting a primarily Christian base, and those that have played by the rules. There, it is said, and let’s see the undead dispute this.
This law is nothing but punitive for those of the Christian faith, and those that play by the rules. 10-16,000 new agents for an agency that has its own set of rules outside of the constitution and are hired for the sole purpose of compliance seems to indicate that the demovamps are very aware of the resistance level, and they evidently are expecting some resistance from the populace as this fiasco plays out. There will be resistance and there will be those that will finally come to the conclusion that this undead version of what used to be America is nothing more than a parasite that sucks the life out of those who attempt to make their lives better by playing it straight. This law is going to end up making law abiding citizens criminals in the long run.
The hypocrisy of the demovamps is so severe that one would have to be brain dead to not see it. The demovamps charge that it is insurance companies that have the highest rate of rejection of services, when in fact it is in reality, Mediscare and Medicoolaid. The demovamps state they will save money, while in fact; their scheme increases the deficit by over a trillion dollars. The demovamps claim the system will be better than the current one, while exempting themselves from participating in the system. The demovamps want to reduce reimbursement rates to providers by at least 21%, and then expect quality and quantity of care to go up. The demovamps claim they have solved the problems of those without insurance, yet the scheme does not even go into effect for 4 years. (However, the tax increases are immediate).
What the demovamps really want to do is to destroy the current system, and have the population then look to them for a solution. If things go by plan, it will take 4-5 years to destroy the insurance companies, and at that point, good care will be so scarce, that the population will be willing to take any service and will be conditioned into accepting very inferior care compared to today. The only way to do this is through intimidation and passage of laws that will outlaw fee based services. I’m willing to bet those provisions are in the passed law, and that is one of the reasons the demovamps did not want this bill seen until its ugliness was seen in the light as the law of the land.
Well, I got news for the demovamps and the party of the undead. Those of us that have dedicated our lives to good care and helping people are not going to simply watch you destroy the best system on the planet. There are those of us that believe the promises we made to give the best care supersede any stupid, contradictory and convoluted attempt at making us zombies or members of the undead like you are. I hope you never need services from one of us, because like what Mediscare and Medicoolaid already does for many, we will deny you services. You demovamps need to experience the same thing that you require of us. Good luck finding good providers for your death system.
As more details come out about the hell care law, it is becoming more apparent why the demovamps had to create this in their darkened smoke filled cellars, as no sane and living person would ever come up with this garbage. The undead, ever so determined to get the last vestige of life out of the soon to be corpse, also has demonstrated that they have some protected groups they are watching out for. This law exempts Muslims, Scientologists and the Amish (who have proven to be the most loyal to this country and have earned the right to be exempt.). However, all of you (us) Christians have to line up and take our numbers, and comply with this demonic law.
There are disputes as to the exact number of new IRS agents that are mandated to be hired and to enforce the penalty for not purchasing health care. The lead demovamps are trying to sell this to the populace by stating “it is not a penalty, but one MAY have some of their refund taken if they don’t comply”. Now, what exactly are these agents going to do? They definitely are not being sent over to the Middle East to fight terrorism. They are going to intimidate those who may have a problem with a government telling them what to do, and enforcing a system that is going to be in large part immoral. These agents will be targeting a primarily Christian base, and those that have played by the rules. There, it is said, and let’s see the undead dispute this.
This law is nothing but punitive for those of the Christian faith, and those that play by the rules. 10-16,000 new agents for an agency that has its own set of rules outside of the constitution and are hired for the sole purpose of compliance seems to indicate that the demovamps are very aware of the resistance level, and they evidently are expecting some resistance from the populace as this fiasco plays out. There will be resistance and there will be those that will finally come to the conclusion that this undead version of what used to be America is nothing more than a parasite that sucks the life out of those who attempt to make their lives better by playing it straight. This law is going to end up making law abiding citizens criminals in the long run.
The hypocrisy of the demovamps is so severe that one would have to be brain dead to not see it. The demovamps charge that it is insurance companies that have the highest rate of rejection of services, when in fact it is in reality, Mediscare and Medicoolaid. The demovamps state they will save money, while in fact; their scheme increases the deficit by over a trillion dollars. The demovamps claim the system will be better than the current one, while exempting themselves from participating in the system. The demovamps want to reduce reimbursement rates to providers by at least 21%, and then expect quality and quantity of care to go up. The demovamps claim they have solved the problems of those without insurance, yet the scheme does not even go into effect for 4 years. (However, the tax increases are immediate).
What the demovamps really want to do is to destroy the current system, and have the population then look to them for a solution. If things go by plan, it will take 4-5 years to destroy the insurance companies, and at that point, good care will be so scarce, that the population will be willing to take any service and will be conditioned into accepting very inferior care compared to today. The only way to do this is through intimidation and passage of laws that will outlaw fee based services. I’m willing to bet those provisions are in the passed law, and that is one of the reasons the demovamps did not want this bill seen until its ugliness was seen in the light as the law of the land.
Well, I got news for the demovamps and the party of the undead. Those of us that have dedicated our lives to good care and helping people are not going to simply watch you destroy the best system on the planet. There are those of us that believe the promises we made to give the best care supersede any stupid, contradictory and convoluted attempt at making us zombies or members of the undead like you are. I hope you never need services from one of us, because like what Mediscare and Medicoolaid already does for many, we will deny you services. You demovamps need to experience the same thing that you require of us. Good luck finding good providers for your death system.
Monday, April 5, 2010
STUPAK'S STUPIDITY
George Offerman
My family and I spent a wonderful week on a cruise to the Bahamas, and one of the highlights of the week was to be away from all the news, electronic gizmos and computers. It was definitely enjoyable to experience summer temperatures and swimming in some of the most beautiful water in the world, while actually being in the early part of the spring. The food was out of this world, and the service was unbeatable.
Although this topic is old by now, I wanted to comment on an op-ed piece Rep (demovamp in training) Stupak wrote prior to us leaving on the trip. As typical of the undead, they often make claims to be experts in fields they have never personally been involved in or have studied much. Stupak and the demovamps have taken over 1/6th of the economy under the guise of knowing better than those in the field, and now Stupak takes his shot at theology, by now (mis) quoting scripture to try to justify a murderous position.
Rep Stupak quoted Matthew 7:3-4 that refers to removing a speck from a brother’s eye while ignoring the plank in one’s own as a justification for his vote on health care. Somehow, Rep Stupak seems to believe that he has the moral authority to make a determination, or judge for himself, who is to live and who is to die. But getting back to the verse Stupak quotes, Stupak lifts this verse out of the Sermon on the Mount discourse, and attempts to justify his unjustifiable position by using word play on a very clear Biblical principle. Stupak is trying to convince the reader that Unconditional Love, what Jesus was preaching, is the same as unconditional acceptance, which Jesus never preached.
Jesus NEVER and I mean NEVER, ACCEPTED THE STATE OF SIN AS STATUS QUO. Jesus forgave unconditionally, and was the perfect example of unconditional love. But he always commanded those who he forgave sin, “To go and sin no more”. Furthermore, Jesus reference to removing the plank out of the eye before removing the speck from a brother was a clear reference to the hypocrisy of the religious leaders forcing religious ideas onto a population that the religious leaders were not living themselves. A modern day example of this is the politicians enforcing new taxes onto the population, which shrinks the average person’s real household budget, while greatly expanding the politician’s budget, while the politician then using guilt as the method of getting the population to go along with it. The politicians then become hypocritical by demanding the individual live within a shrinking budget and show fiscal restraint while they themselves increase their own budget and show no fiscal restraint. It is Stupak and the demovamps that are hypocritical in their actions, and they were called out on it.
Stupak wants to present his immoral position as above reproach by making a very faulty argument that we should show “unconditional love’ by not questioning him, or his intent. It is Stupak who is confused, and believes we should interchange unconditional acceptance with unconditional love. Stupak is demonstrating that he is no theologian, just as he has demonstrated he is no health care worker, and is not much of a politician. No, Rep Stupak, it is not hypocritical to have your very convoluted position of using religious references to justify an unreligious position pointed out to you by those paying attention. If you want to engage in the realm of theology, at least do your homework, and be prepared to be challenged by those who actually know what they are talking about.
Unconditional love is to unconditional acceptance as loving the sinner is to hating the sin. I cannot, and have no right to judge the state of the individual’s soul or eternal destiny, but I have not only the right, but the obligation to judge the behaviors of those around me, as they affect the whole continuum of our existence. It is not ok to steal, murder, slander, lie and cheat, and we do have a right and obligation to stop this behavior. Allowing for the murder of children, for the sake of ‘good health care’ is not a tradeoff you, Rep Stupak, have the moral authority to make, as you are not the rightful owner and creator of all things. You taking an immoral position, and then trying to justify it through scripture is very close to blasphemy. This needs to be called out and corrected.
No, Rep Stupak, there is a Bible verse that is way more accurate in describing what you and the demovamps are doing. In fact, this verse is taken a bit further down in the Sermon on the Mount discourse, “You will know them by their fruits” Matt 7:16. Given the fact this bill had to be hidden from view until passage shows how hellish it really is. Truth has no fear of exposure, only darkness, and it is clear where the demovamps are on this. You, Rep. Stupak, are on record for voting for it and we know where you are on this regardless of the amount of smoke in the room. Claim what you want, but you are known by your fruits. Unfortunately, the fruits of this hellish bill are going to result in death, not only of the pre born, but now the post born. We reap what we sow.
My family and I spent a wonderful week on a cruise to the Bahamas, and one of the highlights of the week was to be away from all the news, electronic gizmos and computers. It was definitely enjoyable to experience summer temperatures and swimming in some of the most beautiful water in the world, while actually being in the early part of the spring. The food was out of this world, and the service was unbeatable.
Although this topic is old by now, I wanted to comment on an op-ed piece Rep (demovamp in training) Stupak wrote prior to us leaving on the trip. As typical of the undead, they often make claims to be experts in fields they have never personally been involved in or have studied much. Stupak and the demovamps have taken over 1/6th of the economy under the guise of knowing better than those in the field, and now Stupak takes his shot at theology, by now (mis) quoting scripture to try to justify a murderous position.
Rep Stupak quoted Matthew 7:3-4 that refers to removing a speck from a brother’s eye while ignoring the plank in one’s own as a justification for his vote on health care. Somehow, Rep Stupak seems to believe that he has the moral authority to make a determination, or judge for himself, who is to live and who is to die. But getting back to the verse Stupak quotes, Stupak lifts this verse out of the Sermon on the Mount discourse, and attempts to justify his unjustifiable position by using word play on a very clear Biblical principle. Stupak is trying to convince the reader that Unconditional Love, what Jesus was preaching, is the same as unconditional acceptance, which Jesus never preached.
Jesus NEVER and I mean NEVER, ACCEPTED THE STATE OF SIN AS STATUS QUO. Jesus forgave unconditionally, and was the perfect example of unconditional love. But he always commanded those who he forgave sin, “To go and sin no more”. Furthermore, Jesus reference to removing the plank out of the eye before removing the speck from a brother was a clear reference to the hypocrisy of the religious leaders forcing religious ideas onto a population that the religious leaders were not living themselves. A modern day example of this is the politicians enforcing new taxes onto the population, which shrinks the average person’s real household budget, while greatly expanding the politician’s budget, while the politician then using guilt as the method of getting the population to go along with it. The politicians then become hypocritical by demanding the individual live within a shrinking budget and show fiscal restraint while they themselves increase their own budget and show no fiscal restraint. It is Stupak and the demovamps that are hypocritical in their actions, and they were called out on it.
Stupak wants to present his immoral position as above reproach by making a very faulty argument that we should show “unconditional love’ by not questioning him, or his intent. It is Stupak who is confused, and believes we should interchange unconditional acceptance with unconditional love. Stupak is demonstrating that he is no theologian, just as he has demonstrated he is no health care worker, and is not much of a politician. No, Rep Stupak, it is not hypocritical to have your very convoluted position of using religious references to justify an unreligious position pointed out to you by those paying attention. If you want to engage in the realm of theology, at least do your homework, and be prepared to be challenged by those who actually know what they are talking about.
Unconditional love is to unconditional acceptance as loving the sinner is to hating the sin. I cannot, and have no right to judge the state of the individual’s soul or eternal destiny, but I have not only the right, but the obligation to judge the behaviors of those around me, as they affect the whole continuum of our existence. It is not ok to steal, murder, slander, lie and cheat, and we do have a right and obligation to stop this behavior. Allowing for the murder of children, for the sake of ‘good health care’ is not a tradeoff you, Rep Stupak, have the moral authority to make, as you are not the rightful owner and creator of all things. You taking an immoral position, and then trying to justify it through scripture is very close to blasphemy. This needs to be called out and corrected.
No, Rep Stupak, there is a Bible verse that is way more accurate in describing what you and the demovamps are doing. In fact, this verse is taken a bit further down in the Sermon on the Mount discourse, “You will know them by their fruits” Matt 7:16. Given the fact this bill had to be hidden from view until passage shows how hellish it really is. Truth has no fear of exposure, only darkness, and it is clear where the demovamps are on this. You, Rep. Stupak, are on record for voting for it and we know where you are on this regardless of the amount of smoke in the room. Claim what you want, but you are known by your fruits. Unfortunately, the fruits of this hellish bill are going to result in death, not only of the pre born, but now the post born. We reap what we sow.
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