Enough is Enough- Where I Buy My Prescriptions is Not the Government's Business

Ever since the government implemented it's totally unconstitutional law stating we as citizens of the United States, a country that takes great pride in being free enterprise, are not allowed to buy our prescriptions anywhere we please our prescriptions have gone up, way up. I can give you examples of what I am talking about.

I use an albuteral inhaler, as needed, for asthma. It went from $42.00 to $74.00 and that was at Wal-Mart. My husband was put on Plavix (Clopidigrel) a few years ago. We were told by the doctor to get the generic because the name brand was too expensive. It is what the hospital dispenses so there is actually a generic. I was told by several pharmacies that there is no such thing as a generic and they didn't know what the doctor was talking about. They didn't appreciate my comeback, we'll just say that. Where is hospital getting it? The cost of the name brand is $200.00 for thirty (30) pills. I checked online at Canadian pharmacies, even though we are not allowed to shop them as mandated by the pharmaceutical companies- oops, I mean Congress. The cost is $134.00 (rounded off) for two hundred (200) doses. What?! (Can't arrest you for looking!- Yet.) He also takes Methotrexate for his arthritis. That went up from $41.00 a month to $76.00 a month also, and when we asked for a paper prescription so we could shop around for a better deal the doctor refused unless we drove an hour a month (one way) to pick up the prescription a month at a time because there are too many people getting their medications from Canada. Well, imagine that. He couldn't outright deny a paper prescription; that is illegal, but he can place restrictions on how we get it. He should be ashamed of himself. When my husband told me what he told him, I told him it was a good thing I wasn't with him. I would have embarrassed him to no end and I would have asked the doctor who was in his wallet. Seriously, once that prescription is out of his office, it is none of his business where we get it filled whether it is in Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, or Timbuktu. That is completely our business as consumers in a supposedly consumer-driven economy. It is not the government's business either, thank you very much.

I will never be convinced that Big Pharma didn't pay for that law that only they benefit from, because we Americans certainly do not. Other people may have a small co-pay with their insurance to get their prescriptions, but others, like ours, require its participants to keep the receipts and send them in once a year and then they decide how much they will reimburse for them, if at all; sometimes they decide the medication isn't covered, unbeknownst to us. That doesn't help the many people who don't have the exorbitant amount in the first place. It still leads to a food or medications decision every month.

There are probably a lot of people who will say I am un-American or anti-government. I assure you I am as all-American as they come. When I worked in a building that displayed the American flag, I said the Pledge of Allegiance every day with my hand over my heart. I am anti-bought-and-paid-for by (any) business government, and that is what we have come to have in the recent years. Am I alone in this?

Government Shutdown Needs Solutions

The government has shut down, which hasn't happened since the Clinton Administration. They are, of course, in complete disagreement about pretty much everything so they are choosing not to work at all. Amazing how alike the two presidencies are- both determined to turn our democratic (not to be confused with Democrat) society into a socialist government where the government runs the people and everything they do. We are not socialist or communist. The government works FOR US. We hired them by virtue of the vote- all of them. It's bad enough that the average working American is seeing less and less of their pay because the government takes it in taxes every paycheck, but the very people who campaigned on not raising their own pay did just that, and raised it and you can bet they are being paid for this debacle of non-cooperation . You know, I don't recall that when I work for someone I get to tell them I AM getting paid more whether you like it or not. So now, our employees (senators and congressmen) are telling those who work for the government to go home and others to work without pay. Now if I were to tell my boss what I will and won't do and that they are going pay me more even if I am not doing the job they assigned me, they would tell me to hit the bricks or get to work. If our senators and congressman cannot get their collective butts back to work and resolve the issues we hired them to, then they too should go without pay (only seems fair since they are doing it to other workers) or they should get the hell out so we can get someone who is willing to do the job. Don't you think so?

Codename: Cipher Now Available on Kindle!

I am so excited! Now available from Amazon.com for your Kindle e-reader device is my new book Codename: Cipher. (You'll notice the Morse code on the cover- it translates to Codename:Cipher!)

This is the first book in a series (I am already working on a sequel as yet un-named) with the main character Grant Sommers. Grant, breaks code as a hobby. His father, a government code breaker, taught him to do this after he and Grant's mother divorced. They had fun communicating this way as Grant grew up. However, Grant's hobby has led to some major trouble.

Have you ever gotten unsolicited emails with pictures you would never let your kids near? Grant did. He usually just deleted them, until one day one loaded while he answered the door and he discovered there was what appeared to be just random words at the bottom, only to Grant it was a code to break, and he did. After a pattern emerged, his father, who had retired, took the messages to one of his former co-workers who told him it was nonsense. Grant's father got killed for what he knew and now Grant is on the run, not knowing who to trust after he was kidnapped and let go by people who said they were from the government. He goes through a lot trials and learns a lot of life lessons along the way (like, be careful who you trust). Do you think Grant will ever be able to turn the tables on these terrorists and stop the killing? What mayhem will these people cause? To what lengths will they go? And will they get away with causing turmoil in the United States as planned? You'll have to read Codename: Cipher to find out!

You can go directly to the page on Amazon.com here:
Ihttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CBK4EGI

Questioning the Electoral College

As the presidential election of 2012 is rolling around, I think it is time for a little lesson in voting. Did you know that even though one votes for a candidate, all the votes are tallied, and someone has received the most votes, they may not actually win the election? That's right. That vote can be overturned in a sense by the Electoral College.

The Electoral College has been around since our country's first election. The framers of the Constitution for some reason decided that election of a president by popular vote was not good enough and so created an electoral college to do it for us supposedly based on the popular vote. Seems like an un-necessary extra step to me. Members are based on various factors: number of senators in each state (2), and the number equal to how many representatives there are for each state which is based on population and will vary as the population does (Census figures), and three for Washington, D.C. These electors are usually voted in by popular vote. Supposedly, the electors vote according to who their individual states have popularly voted for the president, only actually they do not legally have to do that at all. It has happened four times in our history, as recently as 2000 when Al Gore, who won the popular vote, lost the electoral vote and therefore was not put into office. Regardless of how anyone feels about who won or lost the election that should not be legal. If someone won the popular vote that is who should win the election.

In this day and age when business people and politicians are often bought and paid for in various ways, otherwise there wouldn't be any lobbyists out there; it would be way too easy for someone to buy an electoral vote. I'm not saying that has happened, but it potentially could. Some states have sanctions for not voting with the popular vote- a fine and not being able to be an electorate again. Big deal! Anyone could pay the fine for them and if they truly are just trying to rig the election, then they don't care if they are not voting in the next one. At least Michigan negates the vote of the person not voting according to their state's wishes; others just give a slap on the wrist, so consequences vary wildly all the way to only being replaced.

When I checked the National Achieves (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/electors.html) it listed how many representatives there were for each state and how many states had no laws or pledges regarding the electors voting with their state's popular vote - that means no penalties. There were 24 of them. That's 24 states' electorates potentially voting against the popular vote – almost half!

I don't see how we would have the right to point fingers at other countries' elections if we can't guarantee we would have an absolutely fair election. This is from a Constitution-believing, proud patriot: The Electoral College must go if we can't find a way to guarantee they will vote with the people they represent. I understand the College is supposed to make lesser populated states just as heard as the larger ones, but unless we want another play out of the 2000 presidential election, changes need to occur. Maybe jail time should be part of the deal for not voting as they are supposed to and it should be counted as election fraud. I am not a politician and I do not have all the answers, but together, as a country, the way the founding fathers did, we should figure out a solution.

A Birthday Card to America

Happy Birthday to my country- the United States of America. We have many patriotic holidays, but I must say this is our most  precious and patriotic of all of them. Men, at great risk to themselves and their families, signed a proclamation that we wanted our independence from British rule and after years of fighting and many dead men, women and children, we earned that right. We won the right to vote for our representatives in government and our head of government -the President of the United States. We may not like who gets into office, but they were put there by a majority vote of everyday people like you and me and not forced upon us as some other countries have.

There are a few thank yous that need to go out today. Try the members of the Armed Forces - Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard and Reserves, and the United States Border Patrol. (HUH?) The Border Patrol agents are for more than trying to keep non-citizens from crossing our borders; they watch for those who might try to do harm to our country and stop them at the border (they need our help and support too by the way). If you see a serviceman or woman today thank them. Someone before them served to give us our freedom, keep our freedom, and stop our country's enemies. The tradition continues with today's members. Please give them the respect they deserve. And while you're at it, thank a veteran. They don't get that often enough, they really don't. Many have made great sacrifices or the ultimate sacrifice (thank their families). Help when you can and celebrate our independence every day.

While you watch the candles glow and sparkle and fizzle (the fireworks) and listen to some great music and exploding rockets (again the fireworks), participate perhaps in a barbecue, or enjoy your family, raise a glass to our country and wish it a happy birthday with many more to come.

Maybe the Education Isn't as Bad as All That

I have commented on the No Child Left Behind Act before and I still think it is a bad idea. However, recently I have run into some exceptional youth that makes me wonder if the those undereducated I have been dealing with both in the office and in the general public (as well as online) are actually the exception and not the rule. Of course television and movies do help advance the cause portraying uneducated, smart-mouthed, and ill mannered youth as normal, so other youth think they should behave the same way.  I have seen some young individuals who are proving they can take the reigns of our future as a country and have left me with confidence that as long as it doesn't got to hell in a hand basket before they can get where they need to be, then we may be all right after all.

We recently had the Spring General Elections in Wisconsin and you would not believe what has come out of it. In Wisconsin Rapids twenty-four-year-old Zach Vruwink won the mayoral race, in Price County eighteen- year-old Travis Nez won a seat on the Price County Board of Supervisors. I interviewed Nez for an article and he is very impressive; smart, thoughtful, and is absolutely humble stating he thinks people his age in the military have more responsibility than he will ever have. Nice attitude! These two young men have backgrounds, as it were, in politics. Vruwink has an aunt Amy Sue Vruwink (D) 70th District, in the state legislature and Nez worked on the campaign of State Senator Pam Galloway (R) 8th district. Both have visions of bringing industry and thus jobs back to their respective areas. Vruwink is already an entrepreneur with his own technology business and Nez will be attending college for a business degree. Our governments should be run by people with experience in business as government has become a business with money being mismanaged left and right. There are many with law degrees who are in politics and business just isn't being attended to in a fiscally responsible manner. Maybe these two will help their areas.

I also noted that another eighteen-year-old was elected as mayor in Iowa in a write-in campaign. Wow. Granted the town only has seventy-three people, but it's a start. The incumbent mayor only got eight votes. Jeremy Minnier will go to college close to home so that he can carry out his duties for the four-year term.

With these young people at least, and I'm sure there are more, they are showing they are educated and can carry on. Congratulations to you all and best of luck in your endeavors.