Faced with dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the post office was $2.8 billion in the red last year and, “if current trends continue, we could experience a net loss of $6 billion or more this fiscal year,” Potter said in testimony for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee.
. . . OK then! I say: "Another government agency that is unable to function correctly, and make choices that will benefit the taxpayer."
But get this:
The other day I opened my mailbox, and I find a large, pre-printed piece of of paper from the US Post Office in my mailbox. As I scanned over the paper, I read that I should "waterproof" my mailbox.
(Excuse me?)
Yes, friends, on occasions the mailbox is hard to close, and so some of the mail gets wet if it rains. Do I care? Not really!
As I continued to read the "Official US Post Office Notification" I noticed a statement (or should I say THREAT?) from the US Postmaster of Camden: "If the issue is not resolved, delivery service maybe suspended"
So, let me get this straight: I don't have a choice if my mail gets wet once in a while, because the government dictates to me that I WILL receive my mail dry?
Here is a government agency that wastes taxes in the amount of almost THREE BILLION DOLLARS, and the same agency worries about rain on my mail?
OH . . . one more thing: One of the options on the piece of paper indicated that the post of the mailbox "has to be neat". (God forbid there would be a "paint issue" with my post)
My actions are clear: I will place a tarp over my mailbox, because I want to receive my junk mail to me neat and dry. And . . . in the meantime I will root for my US Postmaster to find other important issues to take care of.
So, the day has arrived! The inaugural day designed for a new President of the most powerful nation in the world.
As I followed the endless newscasts on TV and radio it appeared almost like this world will change forever with the new leadership that is ready to make a firm step into the history of the world.
I believe that all of our expectations are high. And if they are not, then you must be blinded by ignorance. But we do have to ask the question: "How can things change?" For many people our new President seems to be the answer to everything, from pollution to the economic crisis . . . from the war in Iraq to the stem cell research issue . . and so on.
We as individuals of a nation must be aware of our responsibilities toward others and the rest of the world. We can NOT allow for elected officials to take ALL the reign into their "lobbyist guided hands". We, as the people of this great nation, must be aware that we all seek the same: Peace and contentment in living out our dreams without interference of government who may believe they know better.
Government, as a body, should only protect the right(s) of personally designed fulfillments, and not implement them for us. Because once we have to follow someone elses' dream, it may lead us into misery for ourselves.
After much discussion in our coffee shop the temperaments of customers quite frequently flared up on both sides. I received many emails from patrons loyal to one political party, or the other, to convince me how to vote. I had never been in this situation, simply because I had no idea who I would vote for until about two month before the election.
But I did decide, and I would like to share why I voted the way I did. “Yes”, I think the Republican Party was fiscally irresponsible in many ways; “Yes”, I am not certain the war in Iraq is justified; and “Yes”, I am not sure the Presidential Team the R.P. elected was exactly what we needed and was able to direct ourcountry based on voting records, etc..
But, there was one agenda item that swayed me to vote for Obama. The issue of healt care! For the life of me I am not able to understand why we as a prosperous nation do not have universal healthcare.
Before you write any comments on this Blog, please consider the following situation:
Imagine you have healthcare now through your employer . . . (then you are not so much concerned about healthcare) . . . but now imagine that you lose your employment.
You will then have the opportunity to purchase Insurance through COBRA , . . . if you can afford it, because the rates are out of this world. Now, you may apply for insurance (for a 50 year old male/female) the monthly premium will be around $ 600-700, with a $2,500.00 deductable and then 80/20 split (meaning they will pay 80% and you will pay 20%) until you reach a $5,000 limit, then 100% will be assumed by the insurance.
The problem is that if you have any pre-existing condition(s), the insurance has the right to exclude the condition for a certain period of time, or they may exclude it totally . . . or they may not accept you at all! So you will be without insurance. (Welcome to the real world!)
But let us assume that you are not able to purchase insurance after you recently became unemployed, because of the staggering insurance premium rates and your doctor diagnoses you with Leukemia. You will need extensive treatments, and of course you will receive treatments, but the medical community will invoice you . . . and demand payments at some point.
And here is the catch: You will have to pay, simply because you have assets (house, savings, etc). In other words, you worked your entire life, and suddenly. . you may lose everything. (And yes, the medical community will allow you to make payments, . . .you will make them until you die!
But it gets better: Let’s assume you have no assets and you receive treatments, then those who pay insurance premiums pay indirectly for you. (Is that the American way?)
It makes no sense! Explain to me how healthcare can not be a human right. Why would it not be possible if every working American pays a certain amount of their income toward a universal insurance plan?
Those who mock the idea, often mock Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Norway, Canada and the list goes on. They argue that the system is not working . . . but I assure you (I have lived there) it is working and has been working for a long time. If indeed the American healthcare system is the best, then why is infant mortality the highest in the US among all other industrial nations?
There are some significant differences between the those countries and ours. One of the main differences is, that people in Europe have a different connection to their own life. They understand that a bypass surgery at the age of 92 is not necessary, since it adds nothing to the quality of life. They understand that keeping people alive under the worse circumstances ("just because we can") is simply stupid. Why keep a feeding tube in someone’s body, if we know that the person will die?
This European understanding about the quality of a human life drives the cost down and is very reasonable in comparison to ours, where we demand ANYTHING possible to keep us alive!
Furthermore, we must understand the importance of preventative care. If we would all receive a yearly checkup of our body we would reduce the cost of care dramatically. (Just a thought)
The control of insurance premium cost is determined by the insurance. Not only do they control premiums, but they also control the pay- out- amount to the medical communities for their services. And there is the catch: Premiums are not regulated by the pool of served clients and their care cost, but by the annual return of investments the insurance provider has annually.
No, my friends this is not the American Way! The lobbyist of insurance companies have raped us as consumers and the doctors. Don't even get me started on the pharmaceutical industry and for-profit nursing home care provider.
So now you know it. I am for change. Change in a very fundamental way. Churches are not willing to take on the issue and neither is the medical community and that is the reason why I rely on us, the American people, to seek justice for all of us, especially those who do not have a voice.
Did you ever think you really know people or circumstances well enough to judge them? I can tell you from personal experiences that I made many misjudgments.
As we are confronted with certain situations, we instinctively have a tendency to make a judgment. Often enough we analyze the circumstances based upon the facts that are given to us and we then reach a conclusion.
Unfortunately we hardly ever allow ourselves to seek the other side of the story, because we take given facts as the premise or foundation for our OWN larger picture that we have now formed.
Would it not be a great challenge for our life if we could just imagine to at least try to seek the "other side of the story" before we come to conclusion(s)?
Could it be possible to let all the facts given and learned to be true so we would be able not to become bitter and angry but to give, learn, love and at least try to understand?
Is it possible to be true to ourselves; and snap out of the paradox of life?
I remember when I was young (about five years old) I often sat beside a huge radio in my home and I listened to the songs and melodies of the time. I was fascinated by the difference of music and I distinctly remember how it influenced emotionally the moment I was listening.
As I grew older I became an avid music fan, without a specific genre. That does not mean that I don't enjoy some genres over others, or that I don't prefer some musicians over others.
So, for the last few weeks I often wondered, what happens to the soul when we hear a beautiful song or melody?
Is there more to music that touches us then we can even imagine? How is it that some music transposes 'light' into our emotions . . . and other music transposes 'darkness'?
Is there a musical pattern (of some sort) that we in are tune' with?
Is there a longing within us that needs to be fed?
. . . let me hear from you and share your experiences & thoughts.
I recently posted a picture/collage of Psalm 13 on the walls of Taffy's. I purchased the collage from a friend of mine in 1997 and always had it on the wall of my office. I recently decided to hang it over the couch at Taffy's.
The response to the picture was mixed!
Before I get to the comments of one of my friend and customer, I would like to share the visual in words: The collage is a depiction of Psalm 13 : 13:1 "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?"
Actually you must see the great collage to get the 'feel' for the meaning.
One of my good friends Chris A. questioned, why I would hang such a 'depressing' picture at Taffy's. I held my breath for a second . . . because I had never thought that it was depressing.
Is God not absent from us anyway? I believe that God is not present in our life at all. (That does not mean, that God is not present in the total picture) But is God available to us on a very personal level?
- I don't think so!
Although God knew us long before we were born in our mothers womb, and God certainly knows the the actions we will take; and God most certainly knows the outcome of our life on earth, . . .
But unfortunately God is NOT available on a personal level. If so, where would God draw the 'line'? Prayers are not answered when God fearing Christians ask to win the lottery and worse yet . . . in most cases we cannot even receive a physical healing from deadly cancer . . . no matter how hard we pray.
So, Psalm 13 for me represent the moment when we are no longer able to feel the footprint of God within us and the answers that were given to us personally (because I believe that all the answers for our questions are given to us by God, and are deep within us) long before we were born. The questions that remain unanswered transpose themselves into fear into our lives.
Fear and Love, the ONLY two component that motivate us in our life.
And that is really what the picture/collage is about . . . . seeking back the place of belonging; finding hope; comfort; and simply a moment of rest from the shadow of life that our God had never intended of us.
As gasoline prices keep on climbing as if there is no limit, most of us learn to understand how this impacts all of us. No, I don't want to talk about the gas prices I leave this up to the political and economic process . . . . But it does raise an infinite awareness of how things work together and helps us to understand how all things are connected.
When we grow up, we are taught, that if we do the right "thing" (if we take the right action, etc), our life will be good and we will be able to succeed (whatever that means) and we will be able to enjoy the gifts life has to offer.
But, . . . is that really so?
The older I get, and the more people I have gotten to know I realize that my life depends more and more on them . . . their actions and their understanding of the 'truth' then on my actions!
In fact come to think of it 80% of our life depends on circumstances that others create for you and me, other peoples behaviors and actions, etc. (you lose your job, your spouse leaves you, your child resends you . . . you get the idea) Quite contrary what most of us have been taught, we are not the master of our life.
This sometimes leads us to wonder, to live puzzled, encounter hurt and of course to rejoice.
So, knowing this I wonder if we could realize that for most of us "truth" remains a subjective matter. Truth is based upon our experiences, our fears and our geo-political environment. If my last sentence holds true, then we could make an effort to look at our neighbor(s) and contribute to the joy of his/her moment and make life what it was meant to be.
I know many people who have done so in my life and I call them friends. Some of them will never know how they changed my life.
Come and join that process! By knowing that you hold the power of change and perception in someone else's life is reason enough to recognize that WE (not I) are the master of this life!
Faced with dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the post office was $2.8 billion in the red last year and, “if current trends continue, we could experience a net loss of $6 billion or more this fiscal year,” Potter said in testimony for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee.
