Ted Kennedy

We have heard news stories most of the day on the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. I just finished watching CNN's rebroadcast of an HBO special about him - In His Own Words. I won't pretend to think that everybody thought he was great. I am sure he has had his detractors. However, speaking for myself, it saddens me a bit to see the last bit of the Kennedy clan fade off into the sunset.

He is really the only living and breathing political Kennedy that I have been aware of all of my life. JFK died before I was born and I was only two when RFK was killed. They say the torch was passed to him after so many losses, but I think it was he who picked it up and ran with it.

He seemed to be a durable presence to his family and in his role as Senator. It makes you wonder what great things could have been if JFK and RFK were to have lived as long as him?
What would have the world been like if he won the Democratic nomination in 1979 and faced Ronald Reagan instead of Jimmy Carter? Lots of "coulda wouldas" here.

Who picks up the Kennedy staff now? Does someone really need to? Ted Kennedy has left a lasting impression on the world. The funny thing is his father probably never predicted that this son would go so far and last so long.

But he did.

Monday evening ramblings

It occurred to me this evening that we are almost 3/4 done with 2009. Is it possible? The year has gone by so fast that I am thinking that I must be late doing something.....Christmas shopping.....etc etc.

A few more thoughts for the evening:

• Lockerbie - Can someone tell me what has gotten into the Scots? Yes yes.....let's free the terrorist! I understand it was for non-political reasons......a compassionate release. Righto. It was very compassionate on his part in 1988 when he participated in blowing Pan Am flight 103 right out of the sky. I can also understand the Scots non-political reasoning in releasing this gentleman. Other than the Lockerbie disaster.....what terrorist is targeting Scotland? Men in kilts people!!
• YAY! FOOTBALL SEASON! No more needs to be said.......
• Health plan - Still more confusion being spewed in every direction on the contents of the bills. Yes....it will take money to make this work. It can't be any more expensive than the Iraq War. How quickly we forget......
• Rosie on Sirius - That's right. Rosie has her own show on Sirius Channel 102 - Monday thru Friday from 10am to Noon ET beginning this Fall. How long before she talks about her old cohorts on The View? Its good to have her back. Satellite radio is a good outlet for her.
• LifeLock - I signed up for this a few weeks ago after someone tried to buy $600 worth of jewelery on my credit card. Technology is great but it is also a curse these days!
• Scarefest - For those of you who need the bejeezus scared out of you. Not a horror fan myself, but I do believe in ghosts. Boo!
• Twitter - Who's using it? Is it a fad that is fading or just ramping up?
• Blogger - I want an iPhone app for my blog. Dammit.

Ok....that just about wraps it up for me this evening. Time to sit back and fall asleep to the television. Maybe that's where the last eight months have gone?

TA TA

Universal health care

I am sure that it isn't a likely topic at most gatherings. Some of us probably don't even think about it because we are already covered with our employee based programs. At some point however, we have all seen and heard the debates in-progress on Capitol Hill and have likely heard or read the misinformation about it. Trust me.....it does swirl around even when we are not in the midst of a campaign.

We are at a turning point in our American culture. Do we provide government administered heath care for all Americans or do we continue to allow all Americans to pay for those who cannot afford it today? Every time a person goes to the Emergency Room and cannot afford to pay for his/her treatment, we all pay. The rising costs of prescriptions are affecting everyone from young children to aging adults. In my own life, I watch my father every month try to pay for his Plavix prescription. There are no generics for Plavix. It is $148 a month.

President Obama's plan does not dictate who your doctor will be. Nor does it make you drop your employee based insurance plan or a plan you pay into yourself today in favor of this health care plan. It offers care to those who don't have it or lose it.

If you are confused about what is being offered or if you are confused by the conflicting rhetoric, take a look at some of the Political Fact blogs to gauge an honest opinion. There are a few credible ones out there but here's one for starters - PolitiFact.com. This site works to ensure that all statements from either side are interpreted correctly. Sometimes it is not always what we want to hear but it is good that someone is trying to set the record straight.

If you still have questions about universal heath care, consider this. We already have a form of government administered health care available to some Americans. It's called Medicare and it serves those Americans who are over the age of 65 and cannot afford to pay for insurance.

Why should health care only be administered to a select portion of our American society? Shouldn't everyone be covered?