Weblog

Monday, 09 November 2009

Wednesday, 14 October 2009

  • Take down your American Flags!

    For the first time in a long time, I found myself feeling particularly politically motivated yesterday.  A friend from High School posted on an article on Facebook that really lifted my eyebrows. 

     

    The Oaks Apartments in Albany, Oregon have instituted a ban against flying flags of any sort in the complex.  That includes, you guessed it, the American flag.

     

    WOW.

     

    This morning I double checked to see if any changes were made to the story before I posted this, and I found quite a bit of new information on this story.  Here is the link to the article I am quoting:

     

    http://www.democratherald.com/news/local/article_d7d3c902-b4ee-11de-b11b-001cc4c03286.html

     

    The apartment manager had this to say about her course of actions:

     

    "I'm trying to avoid any conflict," Holcomb said. "I have a problem when tenants' rights to free speech come into contact with other tenants' rights of peaceful enjoyment. This policy is not a violation of anyone's civil rights.

    "We're a diverse community here, and we've had previous problems with this sort of thing," she said.

    WOW Again.  I didn’t realize flags were able to ruin the “rights of peaceful enjoyment” of another tenant.  It is this kind of nonsense that I am getting quite tired of from a political standpoint.  Rather than worry about people getting offended or having to think for themselves or learn to respect another culture, all of the cultures in that apartment complex are getting smeared, and quite frankly, the most important culture just had a moronic apartment manager take a big dump on it.  The most important culture in America is of course the AMERICAN culture.  You know, it’s that culture that allows us to BE WHO WE ARE regardless of your race or gender.  It is the culture that allows for individuality and freedom.  This is not a country that says “You can’t fly YOUR flag here” this is a country that says “You CAN fly your flag here, you just can’t do it above ours.”

    Doesn’t that tell you something?

    The ACLU managed to make a quote about this little incident as well:

    Jann Carson, the associate director of the ACLU of Oregon, agreed that Clausen and other tenants' civil rights are not being violated under the new policy.

    "It is my understanding in Oregon that an owner of private property can apply those types of restrictions," she said. "But if there is any evidence of racial motivation for those kinds of decisions on private property that are public accommodations, they could run afoul of state statute and federal civil rights laws."

    Ok Ms. Carson.  Who determines those factors?  Who looks at these types of situations and states “That was racially motivated!”  Does that include the nationality of American?  Was this policy in place when the tenants moved in to the structure, or is this a new policy?  Are the tenants being allowed to break their lease with no backlash from the complex if they decide this policy is not for them?

    Quite frankly this is a very simple solution.  The American Flag should be flown from any apartment at any point in time by any tenant.  We live in America and it is the right of every American to show support of their country in a symbolic manner they choose.  Any other flags can be displayed in the individual apartments.  If anyone finds their “rights of peaceful enjoyment” disturbed beyond that, I say let them be disturbed.  No matter how “diverse” your community is if the people within it are enjoying the rights and privileges given to them by the American Flag, then I say they should respect it and learn to live with it or move.

Thursday, 08 October 2009

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

  • Universal Healthcare is not the same as welfare

    Before you read this understand one thing:

    I do not read the news on a regular basis.  These are my thoughts on Universal healthcare from the standpoint of someone who works in Insurance, but NOT in Life/Health insurance.  In other words, I'm rambling my personal opinion only and trying to walk through it in my head.

    The definition of insurance is in its most basic definition a transfer of risk.  Two parties sit down and make a contractual agreement that one will pay a certain amount, and the other party will pay for covered losses etc. from that agreed amount.  Sounds simple right?  Not so much.  You see insurance companies cross their fingers hoping that an insured doesn't need to make a claim.  A claim cuts into the bottom line right?  Here is a true example:

    A storm damaged the turbine on the top of my house and caused a water leak.  I pay $2,343 a year in homeowners insurance.  This year I had a $2,600 claim for damage to my roof and my interior ceiling.  Guess who lost money on me this year?  Luckily it was my first claim in 6 years, so my company is keeping me around.

    Now, if you stop and think about this, you should wonder how an insurance company makes money especially if they are in Health Insurance!  Insurance companies try and spread out their risks as much as possible.  For example:

    Let's say an insurance company, we'll call it Southernlass Insurance, only insures houses in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas.  Let's say a big fat F5 tornado skips along those states and destroys ALL of the houses covered by Southernlass Insurance.  Guess what?  Southernlass is going to be filing bankruptcy!  In order to avoid this, insurance companies insure properties that are spread out all over the country in the hopes that they will make enough money from the "non-claims" to cover the people who cause claims.  With me so far?

    Now, if you look at Universal Health Insurance, you can somewhat compare it to property insurance.  There are certain groups that are defined as causing more claims, there are people with less claims, and there are people who have to hold out their hands once every 6 years or so for some oddball BIG claim.  The new insurance "company" of the U.S. Citizens would be paying for everyone to have insurance.  The hope is that there is more money coming in than going out through claims.  However, the whole "pool" of people are paying for the people with claims.

    I think what a lot of Americans are thinking about when they discuss Universal Healthcare is something like Medicare/Medicaid.  In my opinion those are not truly healthcare systems, they are welfare systems.  They are welfare systems that are not designed to help people get healthy and move forward.  They are systems designed for people who have no financial means to pay for insurance in any other fashion.

    Example:

    My roommate had breast cancer.  It was labeled as terminal breast cancer.  However, two years later she is alive, cancer free, and still on medical welfare.  Could I look at my roommate and say she is 100% well and ready to go back into the work force?  No.  Could I say that not once have I seen or heard her talk about the welfare office calling her to see if she wants to set up a meeting for career rehab, or to see if there is something they can do to speed her recovery?  Yes, I can say not once has anyone from Medicaid/Medicare called her to see what THEY COULD DO TO HELP HER get back to a "normal" lifestyle.

    That is not HEALTHCARE.

    I think we as Americans are so used to seeing people suffer on Medicaid and Medicare that we forget these are welfare programs.  I think we tend to look down our noses at these welfare programs because they are "not as good" as our healthcare programs.  Well, of course not!  Welfare and Healthcare are NOT the same thing!  Welfare is having a basic need fulfilled while Healthcare is a program that agrees to help you manage a healthy life.  A healthcare program encourages preventative medicine.  It encourages you to eat healthy, live healthy, and to keep yourself in tip top shape.  A healthcare program does not react to your needs it is proactive to your needs.  It doesn't say "You have cancer let's fix it." a healthcare program says "you are of an age to get X type of cancer let's do a prescreen for it". 

    While I haven't read too much on the Universal healthcare program the President is suggesting, I have noticed one thing that a lot of others are missing over.  Obama is not 100% saying the program will be solely government run.  There are still other options in the works, and I think we need to stop thumbing our noses at something that could potentially be a huge benefit to our society.  Let's open our eyes and realize that reformed "healthcare" is not the same thing as "welfare".

Tuesday, 18 August 2009

  • The start of the Scotland trip!

    My trip to Scotland turned out to be a major traveling adventure.  I took a flight from Little Rock to Chicago.  It was AWESOME seeing all the sailboats on Lake Michigan from the air.  As of that point in time Chicago was the biggest city I have ever been to.  Needless to say, THAT airport was an experience.  From Chicago I flew to Manchester, England.  Let me tell you...Customs people in England = total douchebags.  If they could ask me a question they did.  I seriously thought they were not going to let me in after 14 hours of travel.  GRRRR.  However, the British douchebag relented and allowed me into England.

    OK, so the first thing I noticed was this...You have to be FREAKING CAREFUL crossing the road. :(  Then you have to drag 9,000 lbs of luggage to a bus terminal...with a sprained back I might add.  Then you have to squeeze onto said bus with people who smell like the various flavors of the world.  You ride around and look really stupid when the bus driver stops and asks where you need to go.  "The train station," I said nice and clear.  He looked at me like I was daft and said, "Uhhh this is it love."  How the hell do you know?  It didn't SAY TRAIN STATION nor could see SEE a train.  I digress.

    I carefully dragged around the 9,000 lbs of luggage to the "Self Service" ticket machine.  The machine then proceeded to tell me I was a stupid American and to go to the ticket counter.  I looked at a very nice man who could not figure out why there was blue ink all over his hands and asked for some help.  As he kept twiddling his hands around and looking for the blue ink fairy, he politely told me I had to have the credit card the reservation was booked with to get my ticket....Which would be fine except my MAN booked it for me with HIS credit card.

    However, the blue man group fingered ticket person was nice enough to print out my ticket for me and send me on my merry way.  Dude, you rocked.  Thank you for not looking at me like I was stupid.  You were my favorite person in Britian!

    Then I proceed to go down to the trains!  I had a NURRRR moment and whipped out the camera and started chronicling my trip.

    Scotland Train Station and Callendar House 001

    Pink and Blue trains.... OKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK...

    Scotland Train Station and Callendar House 004

    More Pink and Blue trains.  I'd never been on a train before.  I live in Arkansas.  When people say "Public Transportation" we say " ??????"

    Scotland Train Station and Callendar House 012 

    Heh!  Luggage trolleys!

    Scotland Train Station and Callendar House 007

    THAT is NOT 9 3/4 dang it!

     Scotland Train Station and Callendar House 002

    Do you see that?  8:54 am GMT.  You know what that means?  2:54 AM Arkansas time.  At this point I had been awake for 19 hours!  (For those Harry Potter fans...there was nothing that even resembled Platform 9 3/4.  Very sad.)

    At this point my chronicling of the train station was stopped by a very nice British woman who reminded me that I was still technically in the airport and I had to stop taking photos.  Strike #2 for big dumb American.  GO ME!

    Eventually, my nice train, that was rebooked by my nice blue fingered ticket guy showed up and I hopped on.  A train ride into Scotland.  How awesome could that be?  I was going to get to see England and a fair chunk of Scotland through the countryside.  I was going to have to sit next to some stranger with 9,000 lbs of luggage and a back that was starting to scream in agony.  I was tired and getting grumpy, but hey it was only 4 hours to Edinburgh!  I could do it!

    I was excited to find a seat next to a nice British girl who was on her way home from Switzerland.  Turns out she is a translator there at a bank, and was coming home for a quick holiday.  We had a few nice chats and talked about the countryside.  I hate to break it to you Brits, but Manchester up to Northern England...looks...like...ARKANSAS.  The trees are different and the wildflowers are different, but if you stick cows in the fields instead of sheep...I'm home!

    I digress.  I sit and chat with the young woman next to me until she left the train and anxiously ticked off the little towns and villages on my way by.  I had to switch trains at Haymarket in Scotland to get to Falkirk High.  YUP!  That is what my ticket said.  So I hop off at Haymarket and instantly get pissed off.  Seriously pissed off.  There are no handicap RAMPS there.  I have 9,000 lbs of luggage and my train boards ON THE OTHER SIDE.  I had to carry 9,000 lbs of luggage up 2 flights of stairs and down 2 flights of stairs to get to the other side.  NONSENSE I tell you!  HELLO Scotland people...RAMPS?!  DUUUUUUUUUUUR.

    Then, I missed my train.  Now, you would think that a train would be easy to catch.  I'm going to Falkirk right?  The train says FALKIRK right?  Wrong.  It says Edinburgh.  Luckily there was another one 20 minutes later so the conductor could tell the dumb, sleep deprived, cranky American to get on it.  I was home free at that point.  In 40 minutes I would get to see my man and meet his mom for the first time.  I would take my first cab ride and then get a nice long shower.  Right?

    Wrong...

Southernlass

  • Visit Southernlass's Xanga Site
    • Name: Jilly
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 3/6/2008
    • True

Weblog Archives

Don't worry - your calendar is here… to see it in action just click "Save" above and refresh the page.

Subscriptions

Pulse

Chatboard (23)

  • Southernlass
    @Shearhappiness - I am much better! You can come over again!
  • Shearhappiness
    I hope you are starting to feel better...let me know if you need anything ok? ((HUGS))
  • Shearhappiness
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Sorry I won't be there tonight... Hope you like your gift though!
  • Southernlass
    @Shearhappiness - That is kind of nutty! Grats on graduating! I'll try and call you later tonight!
  • Shearhappiness
    hey chica! Good luck at your first day at the new job! It's funny that you are starting something new and I just ended something old hehe. I am officially a graduate now!
  • Southernlass
    @iluvcioffiiluvtea - Thank you for sending it!
  • iluvcioffiiluvtea
    Hi, thanks for accepting my friend request.Christy XO
  • OurLadyOfPerpetualMoodSwings
    Congrats on getting the Featured Question! =)
  • staceface2113
    it just gets funnier everytime i read it haha
  • staceface2113
    thats crazy..
  • staceface2113
    hahahahahaha
  • Southernlass
    @Shearhappiness - LOL I thought that was you. I'll call you later if you need soe help getting it set up!
  • Shearhappiness
    Woohoo! I am on here now...but there's just one thing--I have absolutely, positively no clue about how to use this site yet. I'm going to need your help one day. Oh and BTW, I LOVE those pics of Tim and I...I was cracking up!! You are so good with photos!!
  • Gniliamil
    Thanks for accepting me as your friend!
  • frank_montana12
    okay am sorry for not calling you sweety can you be online so that we can chat cos i really miss you
  • Southernlass
    @frank_montana12 - Sorry Frank, I don't use Yahoo! You are welcome to contact me here as long as you don't call me sweety!
  • frank_montana12
    hi sweety how are you doing am frank, i saw your profile and i like to be your friend .... this is my yahoo id {frank_montana12}add me at yahoo so taht we can have some chat there
  • Southernlass
    @indigolady - Not good. Tomorrow is my quit day....again. :(
  • indigolady
    How's the non-smoking going? I have a great blog written by another xangan if your interested.
  • koschalksphotography
    Just stoppin by to say thanks for the add