Here's to You A&E! Braaaak!

Why, oh why,  does everything have to become an issue?  Duck Dynasty is meant to be entertainment, pure and simple.  And that's what it is.  Simple. Goofy. Redneck. Entertaining.

A show that has propelled a family to fame and fortune because they produced a great duck call.  Man, if that isn't living the American dream, what is?

With that fame and fortune come things that aren't quite so innocent.  A magazine interview becomes an expose on politically incorrect thinking which is seized upon by extremists for a cause - that everyone must view them as they view themselves.  Acceptable. Well, tough.  Not everyone feels the same.

So who are these bearded wonders?  I don't know. A family of Louisiana Rednecks who make no apology for who they are nor should they.  Certainly not to a cable channel that programs questionable content all the time if you choose to look at it that way.

It reminds me of the Paula Deen flap over having used the "n" word 30 some years ago.  Who growing up in the same environment didn't?  In this case you have a family deeply steeped in the teachings of the bible.  They don't fool around with other women.  They're a tight family unit.  They care for their kids and each other. They end their programs gathered around a table and thank the Lord for their blessings.

That the patriarch doesn't see homosexuality as normal,  but as a sin along with other oddities such as bestiality shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Why did it even have to come up in an interview?  These people are not and don't pretend to be the social arbiters of the nation or even of their fans.  They're just having fun and making oodles of money while they're at it.

If you find them offensive watch something else. For heaven's sake don't suspend one of them for having voiced an opinion after having been asked.  You might as well bench all of them because they probably all think the same thing.  And so do many who watch them.  What are you going to do to the fans?

Watch it or not.  I do and I will even knowing, gasp, how Phil thinks. Stuff your duck with political correctness and let the rest of us enjoy the show for what it is.  Entertainment.  Pure and simple.  And clean.  And reverent toward the big duck hunter in the sky who they have to thank for their success. We could do a whole lot worse.

The Waiting Game Promotes Wondering

The holiday season is not the time of year I like to sit in doctors waiting rooms but this year I seem to be doing little else.

It has gotten me to wondering about what sort of experiences those affected by the ACA insurance debacle will be facing come the new year.

I recently got a new primary care physician.  I like him and have found that there are times when a change can be advantageous.  Even so, long term associations that have been good are hard to let go even if you get to a point of diminishing returns. Which I had.

Being of ever advancing years, I have a handful of nagging issues that had for years never been satisfactorily addressed.  On the other hand, I'm not in as bad a shape as I had thought.  With the new cholesterol guidelines and new blood pressure guidelines I see pressures to take certain meds along with ones I am taking to soon go away.  Goes to show if you wait long enough...

As for those nagging ones, my lower back has been an issue for years.  I finally reached the point where meds were no longer working.  I don't want even stronger ones.  So.  The new doc does his poking and prodding and figures the previous diagnosis had either been a red herring or I had a combination of issues.  So.  A new x-ray of a new spot.  Bingo!  A pretty good dose of arthritis in the last joint of my tailbone.  Painful. That area had never even been considered. Off to a spinal diagnostician I go and he decides to do an MRI to confirm the x-ray.  Do you see the costs going up here?

Okay.  A shot to my bottom.  Owwww.  Now I need an MRI of the old problem because I still show symptoms and the two don't relate.  That comes tomorrow.  No shot though because it hasn't been the required 10 days since the last one.  Nor could he do the MRI the same day because medicare wouldn't pay for two the same day.  However that works.  More $$$$ to be sure.  All this last minute rush is to get it in before January 1 when the new deductible cycle kicks in.

If there is to be another shot I may squeeze it in right after Christmas but I doubt it.  Why?  I still have to have a spot checked out which I suspect is the return of a pesky basal cell.  Removal, if in fact I'm correct, will again come after the first when it will be out of pocket.

Not that any of you are interested in all this but I've been thinking about all the new doctors I've seen and will be seeing all based on the change of my primary care physician.  Fortunately I wasn't wed to anyone from my past and am actually looking forward to a better level of expertise than I've experienced before.  But it is complicated, time consuming and fraught with anxiety. Will they fix the problem this time or not?

There are always the questions.  Who did that procedure, who did another one.  Over the years it's hard to remember names of someone you may have seen but once.  So familiarity has its blessings.  But so does a look see through fresh eyes.

Hopefully I'm settled in with this new entourage for some time to come.  Hopefully I'll remain in relatively good if not better health.  And hopefully the Secretary will keep her nose out of it.

For those who are just approaching major changes in not only their insurance but their health care protocols in total, I can empathize though I've had it relatively easy.  Many won't and that's enough to make anyone queasy.

Walk A Mile In Paul Ryan's Shoes

Is it all for political show?  The idea that no Republican Senator supports the Ryan-Murray budget deal?  Because it doesn't go far enough when it comes to addressing entitlements, spending, etc?

They've gone right back to the Tea Party ways - our way or the highway.  What part of "you're not going to get it all especially at one time" do they not understand?  If it's just political posturing, what's the point?

That there is a deal at all is huge considering the climate of animosity in Congress.  I thought the other day that the Republicans might be getting smart but I see I am wrong.

I suggest any one of those Republican Senators who has the nerve to sit down across the table from Patty Murray, who is a  loyal, tough Democratic worker bee, and see if they can work out a better deal. Or a deal at all.

It's a good thing the Presidential elections are two years down the road.  Republicans are going to have a tough enough time with the mid-terms until and unless something gets through to the obstructionists and explains to them how politics actually work.  They who are holding up Ronald Reagan as their beacon, the man who knew 80% was better than none.  Take it in small increments.  The wins will build. Settling for nothing but everything guarantees you'll get nothing.

It seems elementary to me that in order to move the Republican agenda forward they are going to have to keep the House, take the Senate and the Presidency.  It isn't going to happen as long as the party remains divided or if the obstinate faction wins the battle for the heart soul of the party.

The excuse for the negativity is often blamed on their constituents.  "It's what I was elected to do."  Bull.  None of you were elected to block any sort of progress what-so-ever.  You were elected to figure out how to make things work.  That doesn't mean digging in for an impossible solution then bragging about how you stood on principle!

I'd think you'd have learned after the government shut down.  Apparently you haven't.  That nullifies loyalty and support.  How many of us can you afford to lose?

We Seniors Are ABout To Get Ours!

I really wish Congress had learned from Obamacare that any bill with the Secretary shall in it spells doom.  But they haven't and it scares me.

They are scheduled, today, to vote on the "Doc Fix" which will give the feds, as in HHS, authority to dictate "applicable use criteria" for medical services for seniors.

It's tied in with reimbursements to doctors which is woefully low to begin with.  The reason why it's so difficult to find a doctor to take a medicare patient.  What has been a short term fix from year to year is now scheduled to become permanent.  Woe is us.  It gives the Secretary the right to make a judgement on things like CT scans and MRIs.  To make matters worse, the doctors went along with this in order to get higher reimbursements and while they have a say in the decisions it's a weak one.  The power is with the Secretary shall.

Now I don't know about any of you, but I do not want Kathleen Sebelius anywhere near my medical care.  She knows nothing about me nor my needs and even if she did she isn't qualified to make any determination about what is or is not appropriate.  That's between my doctors and me.

At the moment this is aimed at radiological services but contains a provision giving the Secretary the authority to expand it to other services.

I'm not saying that Medicare doesn't need reformed.  It certainly does, but I implore the medical and senior citizen community to speak up against giving this power over to the government.  If the Secretary could micromanage effectively I'd not be so worried but it is evident this one cannot manage at all what's more micro manage.  If we've learned anything from Obamacare it should be that government has no place in determining, on their own, what is and what isn't important or appropriate in health care, no matter your age.

Is there such a disconnect that no one notices the language in this bill?  Don't they see the same red flags?  Have they even read the legislation?  Or are they so anxious to get home for the holidays they'll vote for anything just to get out the door.

You know, in a way I hope it slams shut on their foot.  And when they go to the doctor to get it fixed they find that the Secretary has determined they can't get an x-ray, a cast or even a pain pill.

One day those who vote for these ludicrous bills will be forced to abide by them just as we are.  It can't happen too soon. They ought, too, remember they will one day be old and until then their parents already are.  Is this really what they wish on them?

Are Republicans Beginning To Get It?

I actually like John Boehner when he gets mad.  He just doesn't do it often enough when he's dealing with the ultra conservative wing of his party. You know, the ones who refuse to vote for their own party position if it isn't exactly what they want.

They reared their ugly heads yesterday before the details of the new budget were known nor the ink dried.  Oh, the main stream, old guard Republicans caved they said.  It's another big step backwards.  You know, I wish they'd just go away.  Their methods cost the party far more than they are worth.

Okay.  The budget agreement isn't perfect.  The big thing is that an agreement was reached and it's not all bad.  Well, they didn't address all the major issues.  You'd think they'd learn that tackling all issues in one fell swoop can be disastrous.  Look at Obamacare.  Look at Ted Cruz's attempt to defund  Obamacare.  A big bite by both parties that didn't work for either.

John Boehner called these influencers ridiculous.  I'd use stronger language.  But this ilk of the Republican party are tough nuts to crack.  They are doing the very thing they accuse the President of doing - not bending.  Their way or the highway but disastrously within their own party.

At least Boehner realizes that even a small deal is better than no deal and that the country has no appetite for another government closure nail biter.  We have enough to contend with without that added anxiety yet again.  Consider the economy is making some small inroads toward improvement.  With a year long deal businesses can at least plan for that period of time rather than three months and hold your breath.

They've eased up on some of the more damaging areas of the sequester by allowing discretionary cuts rather than across the board.  This is especially advantageous for the military.  And no new taxes.  Isn't that the Republican mantra?

If just once they'd say, "Good job guys." But no.  It's always negative and divisive. Keep an eye on those who vote against this deal and keep it in mind when the elections come along.  If you're going to vote for an ideologue try voting for one who's ideology is 'country first, political ambitions second'.

While you're at it keep reminded what sort of legislation you get with nothing but partisan, ideological support.  It's called Obamacare.  Smaller bites are far more easy to chew and digest.  Gulps provide nothing but heartburn.

This budget bill is small to be sure.  But chew on it for awhile.  It may not taste so bad after all.