70 years ago today, heroes from the United States and other Allied nations made the first push to take back Europe from a socialist tyrant determined to take over the world. We remember their courage, and commit ourselves to their belief that freedom is never free, that liberty is worth any sacrifice, and that tyrants only fear men and women who understand those truths.
This was a great story, about a 93 year old paratrooper, Jim Martin, who made another parachute jump over Normandy today.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
2014 UT Commencement Speech - Navy Seal
A Navy Seal, Admiral William H. McRaven, the Commander of the US Special Operations Command, gave this year's University of Texas commencement speech, and it's very worth 20 minutes of your life:
Now, go change the world.
Now, go change the world.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Socialized Medicine in the Veterans Administration
I have been following the Veterans Administration scandal with disgust and anger, but not with surprise. I served in the Air Force and have friends who are retired or disabled vets. I have experienced, witnessed and heard about the socialized medicine that the military provides our active duty, retired and disabled veterans. I have also known active duty doctors and nurses who have shared firsthand what goes on in hospitals and clinics. They were all wonderful professionals who did their best to take care of our people in spite of a fundamentally broken system. When I separated from the Air Force, I had issues for which I could have pursued disability, but chose instead to entrust my health to the open market. It has undoubtedly cost me more, but I am more than satisfied with my choice.
If I or my family members need an appointment, I call my doctor's office (that I like) and never have to wait more than a day or two to be seen. Most of the time it is no later than noon the first day. If I want to see a specialist, it takes a little longer - maybe a week or two, and with my plan (that I like) I don't have to ask my "primary physician's" permission. If I have a minor emergency, I go to Urgent Care which is literally 3 minutes from my house. If I have a major emergency, I go to the ER or call an ambulance. I pay attention to what doctors and facilities are in my network, but I still have plenty of choices. It's not quite a free market (since I am limited to my insurance provider's contracts), but it's not bad, and I am very free to go to an out of network doctor if I want to.
In the overwhelmed and understaffed VA system, patients have to wait days, weeks and sometimes months for care. We have heard horrific stories from Arizona where veterans died waiting for treatment. Doctors, nurses and receptionists have been blowing whistles all over the place that wait times are being falsified, that patients are given an appointment date, but not given a choice, and that records are falsified that the patient chose the date. We are hearing that care is substandard, patients have little say in how they are treated, and the whole thing is a mess.
I was disgusted to hear the news, but not at all surprised. Back when Obamacare was being pushed, I read that some Democrats were holding up the VA as a successful example of what they wanted to accomplish with the Affordable Care Act. I couldn't help but laugh. I, like so many other veterans, knew exactly where they were heading - and it is a disaster. Remember, Obamacare isn't the end goal - the progressives' real goal is a single payer, government run system just like the VA.
The VA is the perfect example of government run, single payer, socialized health care, and it's a complete disaster that needs to be replaced with a subsidized free market system, with veterans given vouchers for private insurance and private doctors. Privatize the VA hospitals and clinics and reduce the VA to an organization that simply administers the voucher program.
Furthermore, Obamacare needs to be scrapped. Medicare and Medicaid need to be drastically overhauled and replaced with a similar voucher program, and the rest of us should be allowed to purchase insurance on the open market and across state lines. A properly functioning Medicare program could provide a safety net for people with chronic or terminal illnesses, and employer and groups purchasing insurance together than ensure further protections for the consumer.
The VA is a disaster that has been festering for a very long time - before Obama, before Bush, before Clinton, in fact, all the way back to World War I. Its has been fundamentally flawed from the beginning, just like Obamacare. The only viable solution is replacement, not finger pointing, firing people and pretending to be surprised.
If I or my family members need an appointment, I call my doctor's office (that I like) and never have to wait more than a day or two to be seen. Most of the time it is no later than noon the first day. If I want to see a specialist, it takes a little longer - maybe a week or two, and with my plan (that I like) I don't have to ask my "primary physician's" permission. If I have a minor emergency, I go to Urgent Care which is literally 3 minutes from my house. If I have a major emergency, I go to the ER or call an ambulance. I pay attention to what doctors and facilities are in my network, but I still have plenty of choices. It's not quite a free market (since I am limited to my insurance provider's contracts), but it's not bad, and I am very free to go to an out of network doctor if I want to.
In the overwhelmed and understaffed VA system, patients have to wait days, weeks and sometimes months for care. We have heard horrific stories from Arizona where veterans died waiting for treatment. Doctors, nurses and receptionists have been blowing whistles all over the place that wait times are being falsified, that patients are given an appointment date, but not given a choice, and that records are falsified that the patient chose the date. We are hearing that care is substandard, patients have little say in how they are treated, and the whole thing is a mess.
I was disgusted to hear the news, but not at all surprised. Back when Obamacare was being pushed, I read that some Democrats were holding up the VA as a successful example of what they wanted to accomplish with the Affordable Care Act. I couldn't help but laugh. I, like so many other veterans, knew exactly where they were heading - and it is a disaster. Remember, Obamacare isn't the end goal - the progressives' real goal is a single payer, government run system just like the VA.
The VA is the perfect example of government run, single payer, socialized health care, and it's a complete disaster that needs to be replaced with a subsidized free market system, with veterans given vouchers for private insurance and private doctors. Privatize the VA hospitals and clinics and reduce the VA to an organization that simply administers the voucher program.
Furthermore, Obamacare needs to be scrapped. Medicare and Medicaid need to be drastically overhauled and replaced with a similar voucher program, and the rest of us should be allowed to purchase insurance on the open market and across state lines. A properly functioning Medicare program could provide a safety net for people with chronic or terminal illnesses, and employer and groups purchasing insurance together than ensure further protections for the consumer.
The VA is a disaster that has been festering for a very long time - before Obama, before Bush, before Clinton, in fact, all the way back to World War I. Its has been fundamentally flawed from the beginning, just like Obamacare. The only viable solution is replacement, not finger pointing, firing people and pretending to be surprised.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Good Riddance
Oh, and Piers Morgan is off the air. Maybe he'll move back to Great Britain where he can argue for banning knives and claw hammers. I'm sure he'll be just as irrelevant there.
Friday, January 17, 2014
How many rounds are enough?
How many rounds do you need to defend yourself, your family, or other innocents? The bottom line is, you don't know. You can't predict whether you will be assaulted by one bad guy who runs when you draw your weapon or a gang amped up on who knows what drugs who need 3 or 4 rounds each to stop the threat. You don't know if it will be at home, at work, at church, on the street or anywhere else. You don't know if you'll have enough warning to arm yourself and barricade yourself and your loved ones in a room, or if it comes out of nowhere within bad-breath distance with no time to draw a gun requiring hand-to-hand, hand-to-knife or hand-to-gun skills.
NRA news just produced this great video on the topic.
If you don't know, neither do the politicians in Denver. It's time to repeal the idiotic gun laws our overlord Democrat legislature and governor rammed down our throats last year. While were at it, it's time for Udall, Hickenlooper, and a pile of Democrat legislators to be fired as well.
NRA news just produced this great video on the topic.
If you don't know, neither do the politicians in Denver. It's time to repeal the idiotic gun laws our overlord Democrat legislature and governor rammed down our throats last year. While were at it, it's time for Udall, Hickenlooper, and a pile of Democrat legislators to be fired as well.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! One of my favorite Christmas hymns by one of my favorite bands. I love the blues/rock arrangement on this one.
Here is my favorite Christmas hymn!
Jesus is our hope, our peace, our joy, our love and the long awaited Messiah. Celebrate Him this Christmas!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Victory!
Colorado State Senator John Morse has conceded the recall election! This is a victory for Representative Government.
While the media kept saying this recall was about the gun laws he pushed, it was more about the way he went about it. He quashed dissent, refusing to allow pro 2nd Amendment citizens to testify against the laws during Senate debate. He refused testimony from Colorado Sheriffs who opposed the bills. He described phone calls and emails from citizens opposing the bills as "toxic." He chose to represent New York Mayor Bloomberg and President Obama in the Colorado Senate instead of the people of Colorado.
Not only that, but throughout the recall process, he used (or allowed others to use) every trick in the book, from lying robocalls to lawsuits to avoid facing the voters in a recall election. An honest representative of the people would have welcomed a chance to take his case directly to the voters, but not a tyrant like John Morse.
John Morse was derelict in his duty to represent the voters in his own district, and now he has paid the price.
The people of Colorado have spoken and on behalf of the citizens in your senate district, Mr. Morse, YOU'RE FIRED!
Mayor Bloomberg, let this be a lesson to you. Keep your New York nose out of Colorado politics. We don't want your liberal nanny state policies here in the West where we value liberty, self sufficiency and a government that keeps its nose out of our business and its hands off our God-given rights.
While the media kept saying this recall was about the gun laws he pushed, it was more about the way he went about it. He quashed dissent, refusing to allow pro 2nd Amendment citizens to testify against the laws during Senate debate. He refused testimony from Colorado Sheriffs who opposed the bills. He described phone calls and emails from citizens opposing the bills as "toxic." He chose to represent New York Mayor Bloomberg and President Obama in the Colorado Senate instead of the people of Colorado.
Not only that, but throughout the recall process, he used (or allowed others to use) every trick in the book, from lying robocalls to lawsuits to avoid facing the voters in a recall election. An honest representative of the people would have welcomed a chance to take his case directly to the voters, but not a tyrant like John Morse.
John Morse was derelict in his duty to represent the voters in his own district, and now he has paid the price.
The people of Colorado have spoken and on behalf of the citizens in your senate district, Mr. Morse, YOU'RE FIRED!
Mayor Bloomberg, let this be a lesson to you. Keep your New York nose out of Colorado politics. We don't want your liberal nanny state policies here in the West where we value liberty, self sufficiency and a government that keeps its nose out of our business and its hands off our God-given rights.
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