too tired

i cannot believe how tiring it can be to work outside the home.....i think using my brain is WAY more difficult than sitting at home eating bon bons!

there's so much i want to write about but i'm soooooo tired and just want to go to bed each night a little after we get the kids to sleep.

a few ppl give a shit over on fb

harvy and small bars

Highlights from "My Links"

I like to post/share links on FB, mainly so that I will remember them and re-visit them again.

"Why don't I just bookmark them, Sheila?", you may ask.

Well, I think it's my "trying-to-be-helpful" nature to share these things w my nearly 400 friends on FB, as well as my "I-like-the-validation-of-people- thinking- i'm- interesting- by- what- I- post" nature as well!

Oh, i have to give some credit to Reader's Digest for suggesting some of these in an article where they said, "The University of Melbourne found that workers who used the Internet for personal reasons were 9 percent more productive than those who didn't." And RD goes on to provide "Time-Wasting Internet Tips". (10/09 issue)

Here's a sampling (or if i get really bored, i might just cut n paste em all here...it is a rainy day and i'm giving myself a "break" today since i've been working so hard lately):

LINK # 1
Sheila Collins Ferguson go look at the blog suggested here...it's amusing and another good way to "kill time" on a rainy day!

http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/

LINK # 2
Sheila Collins Ferguson http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ Have some fun w this one...make your own drip art, when you click it changes the color!

(in response to the pollack site) so quinn did it and then asked "am I a great artist?"

LINK # 3
Sheila Collins Ferguson
This is pretty cool (especially for history buffs)! I think its interesting that nobody seems to show their teeth until Jimmy Carter and after Jimmy EVERYONE shows their teeth....must've been some PR-guru who told them it made them seem more au...thoratative? http://www.flixxy.com/presidents-morphing.html


LINK # 4
Sheila Collins Ferguson sooooooo adorable! what a GREAT Dad!

ModernTube: Young Phillies fan rejects dad's foul ball gift - Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
Source: sports.yahoo.com

LINK # 5
Sheila Collins Ferguson parking this here so i can show it to jack & quinn later.
Where the Wild Things Are

LINK # 6
Sheila Collins Ferguson Sharing a great tune! The lead singer, John Garrison, is one of my life-long friends (met him in Kindergarten!)

The El Caminos - Happy Day
video and editing reel by James Truax
Length:3:03

LINK # 7
Sheila Collins Ferguson thanks Shannon for sharing ... LOVED THIS! made me really happy...wanted to share w others....single friends, please try it if you get married!

JK Wedding Entrance Dance
Source: www.youtube.com
Our wedding entrance dance to Forever...yeah, forever. It took place at a Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

LINK # 8
Sheila Collins Ferguson I just finished reading this for the FIRST time! It was INCREDIBLE...just what I needed RIGHT NOW in my life as I am in major reflection mode! why have I been such an ignorant fool all these years and not read such good literature? this is my new new quest....please send recommendations!
The Good Earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1932. It is the first book in a trilogy that includes Sons (1932) and A House Divided (1935).


November 7, 2008 at 1:28pm · Comment · Like / Unlike · Share

Wendy Durham
I LOVE Great Expectations, but you've probably already read that.
November 7, 2008 at 1:52pm · Delete

Volita Welch Vinoski
Gotta recommend Vanity Fair by Thackery.
November 7, 2008 at 3:48pm · Delete

Carol Tidwell Simpson
Good choice! Looking for recommendations, huh? I'll have to think about it . . . . too much of my reading over the last few years has involved lifting the flap.
November 7, 2008 at 6:53pm · Delete

Katie Murphy Githens
I really enjoyed The Good Earth as well. It was a very interesting look at the kind of life we should all be glad we don't have! Jane Eyre is another one that I have always appreciated. The Grapes of Wrath is another...
November 7, 2008 at 6:53pm · Delete

Lisa Splan
I loved this book, too. I remember it being a favorite, might have to read it again!
November 7, 2008 at 7:05pm · Delete

Jim Vinoski
Hmmm...The Picture of Dorian Gray -- WildeDavid Copperfield -- Dickens (go Wendy!)The Fountainhead -- RandBrave New World -- Huxley... Read MoreCatch 22 -- HellerAnything by Vonnegut
November 8, 2008 at 1:41pm · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
THANKS for the suggestions! keep em coming!I DO love dickens and really loved both copperfield & great expectations! i read catch 22 and i keep trying to read The Fountainhead but can't get into it....maybe i need to start it on vacation so i can get "engrossed" before kids distract me!
November 8, 2008 at 2:28pm · Delete


LINK # 9
Sheila Collins Ferguson I LOVE THIS....do you remember that one of the beer companies "stole" it for their commercials last year?

Frisco Christmas Lights - Wizards in Winter
Source: www.youtube.com
www.friscochristmas.com - my home Christmas light display in Frisco, TX (This is my 2005 video - more videos from '06 and '07 to be posted soon). I am not the guy in Ohio (I did not copy his display - we both just happened to use the same song in '05 - I no longer use this song). ...
December 2, 2008 at 3:28pm · Comment · Like / Unlike · Share


LINK # 10
Sheila Collins Ferguson SOOO Funnykah

Adam Sandler original Chanukah (Hanukkah) Song
Source: www.youtube.com
This Adam Sandler original has become a holiday classic.
December 2, 2008 at 9:34am · Comment · Like / Unlike · Share


LINK # 11
Sheila Collins Ferguson great one that my kids have been singing since they could hum!
Muppets - Mahna Mahna
Source: www.youtube.com
The best version of The Muppet Show sketch, Episode 101: Juliet Prowse, April 25, 1977. Sung by Bip Bippadotta (Jim Henson) and the two Snowths (Frank Oz), complete with Kermit's introduction and commentary by Waldorf and Statler. ...

Parables: Update from the Road (the Search for Sagacity continues)

I am learning many wonderful, beautiful things in my "self-study" of Buddhism (currently listening to Jack Kornfield's "The Roots of Buddhist Psychology" in the car on the way to work--THANK YOU PAT for loaning them to me).


Below are a few stories I just love and are really motivating me to stay on my "Search for Sagacity". Each one gives me a lot to think about and I am enjoying interpreting them and applying their lessons to my life. I will comment further on them on another blog entry, another time.

Meanwhile, another new part of my life that is helping me on my journey and search for sagacity is my new fundraising position at SRVS (http://www.srvs.org/). This has been my first full week of going to the office EVERY day and I have been making an intentional point of trying to walk thru the Day Center or to talk briefly with our clients each day so that I can remind myself why I am there.

For those of you who don't know what SRVS is, it is truly one of the most amazing organizations in Memphis that serves some of our forgotten and many times "unwanted" citizens because they have intellectual or physical disabilities. SRVS offers comprehensive care to these individuals and their families to help them lead a happy life, and I feel honored to be able to help them.

A little from SRVS website:

OUR MISSION is a commitment to excellence in providing options and opportunities for persons with disabilities.

OUR VISION is a community that supports personal growth, happiness, options and opportunities for people with disabilities.

WE VALUE individual choice, dignity, respect, full participation in the community, strong family alliances, and health and wellness.

NOW, finally to a few STORIES shared by Jack Kornfield that are helping lead me to sagacity:

from Annie Dillard:

Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" Priest: "No, not if you did not know." Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?"

Old Catholic joke:

The story is told that one day in heaven Jesus approached Peter, who, acting in his role as admissions officer, was sitting at the pearly gates. Jesus complained about the quality of people Peter was admitting to heaven, noting how many of them were of somewhat dubious reputation at best. Peter responded, "I know Lord. But what am I to do? They come to me here and I turn them away. So they go around to the backdoor, talk to your mother, and then SHE lets them in."


"The Brave Little Parrot"

Adapted by Rafe Martin, from an ancient Jataka tale from India. Found in More Best-loved Stores Told at the National Storytelling Festival, (August House,1992.) Martin has published other versions of this tale in The Hungry Tigress: Buddhist Myths, legends and Jataka Tales (Yellow Moon Press, 1999) and as a children's picture book, The Brave Little Parrot ( G.P. Putnam's, 1998, illustrated by Susan Gaber.)

Once a little parrot lived happily in a beautiful forest. But one day without warning, lightning flashed, thunder crashed, and a dead tree burst into flames. Sparks, carried on the rising wind, began to leap from branch to branch and tree to tree.

The little parrot smelled the smoke. "Fire!" she cried. "Run to the river!"
Flapping her wings, rising higher and higher, she flew toward the safety of the river's far shore. After all, she was a bird and could fly away.

But as she flew, she could see that many animals were already surrounded by the flames and could not escape. Suddenly a desperate idea, a way to save them, came to her.

Darting to the river, she dipped herself in the water. Then she flew back over the now-raging fire. Thick smoke coiled up, filling the sky. Walls of flame shot up, now on one side, now on the other. Pillars of fire leapt before her. Twisting and turning through a mad maze of flame, the little parrot flew bravely on.

Having reached the heart of the burning forest, the little parrot shook her wings. And the few tiny drops of water that still clung to her feathers tumbled like jewels down into the flames and vanished with a hiss.
Then the little parrot flew back through the flames and smoke to the river. Once more she dipped herself in the cool water and flew back over the burning forest. Once more she shook her wings, and a few drops of water tumbled like jewels into the flames. Hissssss.

Back and forth she flew, time and again from the river to the forest, from the forest to the river. Her feathers became charred. Her feet and claws were scorched. Her lungs ached. Her eyes burned. Her mind spun dizzily as a spinning spark. Still the little parrot flew on.

At that moment some of the blissful gods floating overhead in their cloud palaces of ivory and gold happened to look down and see the little parrot flying among the flames. They pointed at her with their perfect hands. Between mouthfuls of honeyed foods, the exclaimed, "Look at that foolish bird! She's trying to put out a raging forest fire with a few sprinkles of water! How absurd!" They laughed.

But one of those gods, strangely moved, changed himself into a golden eagle and flew down, down toward the little parrot's fiery path.

The little parrot was just nearing the flames again, when a great eagle with eyes like molten gold appeared at her side. "Go back, little bird!" said the eagle in a solemn and majestic voice. "Your task is hopeless. A few drops of water can't put out a forest fire. Cease now, and save yourself before it is too late."

But the little parrot continued to fly on through the smoke and flames. She could hear the great eagle flying above her as the heat grew fiercer. He called out, "Stop, foolish little parrot! Stop! Save yourself!"

"I don't need some great, shining eagle," coughed the little parrot, "to tell me that. My own mother, the dear bird, could have told me the same thing long ago. Advice! I don't need advice. I just" cough, cough "need someone to help!"

Rising higher, the eagle, who as a god, watched the little parrot flying through the flames. High above he could see his own kind, those carefree gods, still laughing and talking even as many animals cried out in pain and fear far below. He grew ashamed of the gods' carefree life, and a single desire was kindled in his heart.

"God though I am," he exclaimed, "how I wish I could be just like that little parrot. Flying on, brave and alone, risking all to help ”what a rare and marvelous thing! What a wonderful little bird!"

Moved by these new feelings, the great eagle began to weep. Stream after stream of sparkling tears began pouring from his eyes. Wave upon wave, they fell, washing down like a torrent of rain upon the fire, upon the forest, upon the animals and the little parrot herself.

Where those cooling tears fell, the sparks shrank down and died. Smoke still curled up from the scorched earth, yet new life was already boldly pushing forth shoots, stems, blossoms, and leaves. Green grass sprang up from along the still-glowing cinders.

Where the eagle's teardrops sparkled on the little parrot's wings, new feathers now grew: red feathers, green feathers, yellow feathers, too. Such bright colors! Such a pretty bird!

The animals looked at one another in amazement. They were whole and well. Not one had been harmed. Up above in the clear blue sky they could see their brave friend. the little parrot, looping and soaring in delight. When all hope was gone, somehow she had saved them.

"Hooray!" they cried. "Hooray for the brave little parrot and for this sudden, miraculous rain!"

Last story for now:
One Vietnam war vet asks another POW, "Have you forgiven your captors?"

The other responds, "NO NEVER!"

The first says, "Then they still have you in prison."

Most Adorable - IN MY OPINION!!

Thought I needed some pix on my blog since i haven't added any in a while and this is a really good one outside the Tennessee Welcome Center in downtown Memphis when you come over the bridge from Arkansas....we stopped here on our way home from our big July trip.
























Here's Quinn's first day of 4 year old pre-school (that TOOK FOREVER TO GET HERE...one month after Jack started)!















Here's Jack so proud in his Tiger Cubs uniform!

Philadelphia Libraries CLOSING-UNBELIEVABLE!!

I was just passing along some interesting information (IMHO) about Philadelphia closing ALL it's libraries and look what discussion it "spawned" on FB. I'm really trying NOT to "stir the pot" any more than necessary on FB, but I guess some people just can't help themselves.

FROM FB yesterday:
Sheila Collins Ferguson Oh My!


Libraries: Philadelphia To Close All Public Libraries October 2nd
Source: consumerist.com
What frugal person doesn't like libraries? They're like a video store, only better. Which is why we're horrified to learn that thanks to the economic meltdown and the state of Pennsylvania's inability to pass its budget, the Phila...delphia Free Library is closing on October 2nd. ...Read More


Heather Mapel
Wow, this is unbelievable. I can think of several other ways they could save money without having to shut down the entire library system. Guess literacy really isn't as big of a priority as it should be there...
Yesterday at 4:50pm · Delete

Ken Forsythe
Double WOW!!!The Library Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin and a group of his friends (the Junto) as a means to settle arguments.
Yesterday at 4:59pm · Delete

Ken Forsythe
sorry...The Library Company, which may have been the first truly public library (members could actually borrow books), is still in existence as a nonprofit, independent research library.[20]
Yesterday at 5:00pm · Delete

Allen Elliotte
Damn right. Free libraries = Socialism. Next stop, privatize the Interstate system. Toll roads should sort that out.
Yesterday at 5:34pm · Delete

Megan Richards
that's crazy!
Yesterday at 5:40pm · Delete

Allen Elliotte
Yep, it is. I just cant see why government roads, police, military, Social Security, Medicare, National Parks, fire departments, public works etc are ok if a public option on healtcare is so scary. It seems that the only acceptable option to the Right is Mad Max style Capitalism.
Yesterday at 6:32pm · Delete

Mark Schieber
Hey Mad Max is AWESOME!!
Yesterday at 7:36pm · Delete

Cecelia McNamara Spitznas
To be fair there was quite a fight in the 30s over medicare & Social Security.
Yesterday at 8:17pm · Delete

Allen Elliotte
There was. There were also fierce arguments over Insurance reform early in the century as well. As a country we seem to be far more afraid that a few people may be getting away with something rather than making sure that everyone has access to basic services that other industrialized countries offer all of their citizens.
Yesterday at 8:37pm · Delete

Ann Barnes Wojcicki
Seriously? You're going to lump the military, fire and police in with an argument for healthcare? Providing for the safety of our country is a responsibility of the government, providing for healthcare is a responsibility of the individual. And as for Social Security and Medicare, they are going bankrupt just like every other government run entity... Read More. Give the free market what they need and they will provide us with what we need. If they don't it's their bank account that goes bankrupt, and I have found that people make much smarter business decisions when it is their own money they are risking and not someone else's.
Yesterday at 9:07pm · Delete

Allen Elliotte
Thats pretty much the argument. Just about every other industrialized country in the world offers public health care and they are not all wearing Mao Jackets or being converted to Soylent Green. Are you 100% sure that you will keep your present job and your current plan? I know several people who have gone from $60,000/year jobs to scraping by ... Read Morebecause of long term illnesses, which caused them their job and then lose insurance because they cant make the Cobra payments.These are educated middle class people who worked their asses off and now worry about keeping their houses.
Yesterday at 9:43pm · Delete

Ann Barnes Wojcicki
Actually, I am being laid off in two weeks, and I still hold firm to my belief that it is my responsibility to provide for myself and my family. I am fully aware of how fast our situation can change. If something happens and we rack up astronomical bills, they are our responsibility to pay, not someone else's. We simply pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and keep on trucking just like our parents and grandparents did.
Yesterday at 9:48pm · Delete

Allen Elliotte
Seriously, I hope it works out for you and your family. I carried my own insurance for years. If you get stuck, look into your local Farm Bureau insurance plans. I used them all through Grad school and later negotiated with them for a group health insurance contract for the employees of a small company I ran. Premiums are high but it covers the big stuff. Good luck.
Yesterday at 9:55pm · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
WOW! i wasn't even trying to "start something"....just thought this was an interesting piece of news and it kills me that one of my most beloved institutions is suffering from this economic downturn.
15 hours ago · Delete

New Fav Cheap Red & Good Advice

http://www.toastwines.com/r/products/paso-a-paso-tempranillo-2007

my new favorite cheap red wine is Paso A Paso Tempranillo 2007...it's a Spanish wine that Wine Advocate gave an 89. It's only about $10 but don't go to the Baptist Liquor store in Gtwn b/c i bought up their last 10 bottles today!

And while I'm at it, i urge you to read this brief blog entry from my friend John on the importance of being positive: http://dreamwithinadream-john.blogspot.com/2009/09/where-everybody-knows-your-name.html

Is the President really that "scary"?

"I've never seen, heard nor smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn't be talked about." Stephen Hopkins, a Rhode Island delegate to the nation's Constitutional Convention in 1776



Okay okay okay....come on give me a break!! Parents are actually "scared" to let their kids listen to THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES who plans an address to U.S. students this coming Tuesday, Sept 8 to encourage kids to study hard and stay in school.



Before I go off on my opinion of this latest conservative nonsense (it's my opinion and i'm writing it here on my own blog so I can be blatantly "snarky"), please review a few things I have read about the President's speech to school children.

NOTE: I know one of these is a commentary, and not an article, but these days all articles have some type of opinion-laden slant to them. I'm trying to balance the news sources b/c i know many people only get their "news" from one source and then make up their minds on an issue before looking for different sides to the story.

From cnn.com: Many conservatives enraged over Obama school speech
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/04/obama.schools/index.html#cnnSTCText

a quote from the cnn article:

"Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me," suburban Colorado mother Shanneen Barron told CNN Denver affiliate KMGH. "I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now."

From foxnews.com: Some Parents Choose Not to Allow Their Kids to Hear Obama's National Address
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/03/parents-object-obamas-national-address-students/

From the Memphis Commercial Appeal: When did our country start fearing speech?
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/sep/06/when-did-our-country-start-fearing-speech/

an hour later (and donuts consumed) just added this (came from a friend's FB): http://www.care2.com/causes/politics/blog/president-obama-terrorizes-parents-of-school-children/ (pretty funny and i'm glad my kids are naturally immune to PreziFlu!)

Now for My Opinions:

Quickly, before my opinion, I thought it was interesting that cnn.com thought it was important to note that past presidents HAVE addressed school children...of course, Fox fails to mention this.

Yes, I do think it's important for parents to take an active role in raising their own children. And yes, I do agree that there are some instances where parent's should have a choice as to what their children are exposed to. However, I do not really think all parents (and quite possibly these vocal ones who are "scared") truly know (or make themselves aware of) all the stuff that their kids are being exposed to at a public school. Just because this instance has been publicized, they are now acting all "self-righteous" about their rights as parents.

Do these parents get all upset when certain history lessons or current events discussions are in opposition to their beliefs and values (i stole this example from one of the commentaries noted above). Well, they may get upset but do they "storm the school office" and demand that these discussions cease?

If parents have done a good job, why would they be afraid for their children to hear something that is different from their beliefs? Wouldn't their children be equipped with the ability to listen and make their own decisions as to what they think is right and wrong?

Yes, I know we are discussing young children here who may still be impressionable, but seriously, why are these people afraid of an address that is supposed to be a positive message to encourage kids to stay in school and to work hard. Surely conservatives believe in these values? Or have we gone so far in the wrong direction and become so polarized in this country that no matter what the Democrats say, then the conservaties are going to demonize it!?!??!

I have more thoughts on this but have spent too much of my time this morning worrying over it....was killing time until the donuts arrived (they are now exactly 53 minutes late!).

okay, donuts still not here (now 65 mins late) so i had to add: I just sent an e-mail to Jack's principal to find out if his school would be showing Obama's address. I had not heard anything about it. From the fact that the PUBLIC school my child attends chose to allow teachers to NOT show the PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION and the rumor that some children who are not Christian have been discouraged to serve on safety patrol, this issue just may make me "STORM THE OFFICE"!

WOW ... comments on something i posted

okay, it was an easy one (health care) to get things started and ppl weren't actually responding to my previous blog post called "In Response...." but I'll take what i can get.

actually it's a little frustrating that ppl compose their responses and take the discussion in a whole different direction that i intended, but at least ppl are out there thinking about stuff!

here's the responses from FB when i posted:

Sheila Collins Ferguson

I couldn't fit it all in a little FB box, so here's my response to those friends who posted: No one should die because government rationing denies or delays health care, and no on...e should go broke because his business was shuttered due to socialist healthcare dictates.Read More

Jumpin Off the Bridge: in response....

6 hours ago · Comment · Like / Unlike · View Feedback (17)Hide Feedback (17) · Share

Kathi Doran Jeffrey
READ YOUR BLOG AND YOU RE RIGHT...COULD BE A WIN-WIN...GOVT NEED TO STAY IN IT'S ARENA AS DOES RELIGION.
5 hours ago · Delete

Jason F Kearney
"No one should die because government rationing denies or delays health care" This is statement is a total farce. Explain to me how the people without money or health care are getting their health care right now. Don't forget I'm on the front line. America is ruled by fear mongers. Our system right now is broken and it has the chance to totally fail. Fix it now or we will pay the price later.
5 hours ago · Delete

Paul Volpe
Was it a fear monger that said the system has the chance to totally fail?
4 hours ago · Delete

Jason F Kearney
Well check out emergency department visits in last ten years, overcrowding in the emergency departments increasing, aging of america, lack of primary care physicians, add a flu/pandemic or national disaster to the all ready overburdened system and you tell me what will happen. It's not fear mongering, it's fact. "I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room." George Bush
4 hours ago · Delete

Patrick Randolph
Interesting ....
4 hours ago · Delete

Jim Vinoski
Here are a few points to ponder: 1. Nobody has a right to my money to just make himself feel morally superior. 2. If you're gonna take aim at GWB, could you please first read about AIDS relief in Africa? Hmmm??? (Yeah, I know blindly parroting HuffPo is a lot easier.) 3. Government's gonna fix it?!? Are you frickin' kiddin' me? Uh, yeah, 'cause they're doing so well at everything else...
4 hours ago · Delete

Jason F Kearney
If you want to contribute to the discussion then help add some ideas how to take care of the situation. If you think the current system is good then I'm fine with that.
4 hours ago · Delete

Marisa Ellender Wittmann
You can't please all the people all the time. As with any election for office, no matter the outcome, half the people will be disappointed. With your argument, Bush's fund cuts affected science, and ultimately your family. Someone else will simply say that Clinton's or Obama's fund cuts affected them. It's a perpetual cycle. The healthcare argument is heated. I said in one of my posts "You can't invite millions more to the dinner table and expect the quality or quantity of the food to remain the same OR for only half the people to foot the bill." I am NOT anti-change and reform for helathcare, but a well-planned option needs to be discussed by people who are not slated to directly profit from this. It's why they don't allow referees to bet on the games. Greed takes over and those underfoot will simply get stepped on. The other thing that REALLY bothers lots of people is the "urgent need" to get this passed with minimal input from those who are not in agreement.
3 hours ago · Delete

Mark Schieber
I don't think that opposition to the proposed system is indicative of a lack of compassion. No one wants to see others suffer. Personally, I question how a system like this would sustain itself, particularly with our economy in the shape that it's in. I also don't believe that the government is able to administrate such a massive system. Medical ... Read Morematters are extremely personal, and people are understandably reluctant to welcome government involvement in them. I'm not demonizing anyone and I'm not even particularly political: I just don't think government health care can work.
3 hours ago · Delete

Mark Romer
Okay, here's the solution:At the federal level:1. Make medical insurance just as tax-deductible for individuals as it is for corporations.2. Reduce the cost of malpractice insurance and lessen the use of "defensive medicine" via tort reform. At the state level:1. Allow citizens / corporations to purchase insurance across state lines.2. Stop mandating what insurance policies must cover. Let the insurance companies offer a wider range of products that their customers can choose based on what is covered and how much the premiums are.At the personal level (here's the hard part):1. Financially support charities that assist the poor with their medical care.2. Be aware that not everything can be fixed. Accept that pain is part of life.3. Promote good citizenship so that today's children will grow up knowing they are expected to take responsibility for themselves.
3 hours ago · Delete

Jason F Kearney
Largest government run health care system in the world. The VAMC. Medicare and Medicaid large government run health care sytstems. I have a friend who works at the VA and his patients complain they don't want the government ruining their health care. They don't want "socialized" medicine. Not to realize that they already are on government run health care. My point continues to be >how to cover those that don't have health care now. The Walmart worker who walmart only works 32 hours so they do not get benifits. How is this person to afford health care with the current system for a family of 4. They are working and can't afford health care. The system is sustaining itself right now by charging those that do have health insurance more money. The charges are set up for those that do have insurance to pay for those that don't. Look how much insurance monthly payments have increased since 1994. Who remembers the days of $5 dollar co-pays for everything. Those days are long over.
3 hours ago · Delete

Kristine Wright Kalish
How many of you are living on the frontlines with no insurance, a chronically ill sick spouse and living at poverty level...Because I am, and It took a lot for me to finally get on a state sponsered health plan so I could get treatment for Darren. Now we have to wait 10-12 weeks to be seen by a primary care doctor and 15 weeks to get into the ... Read Moredentist. Fortunately, we went to the ER to get his immediate needs take care of. In Colorado, it's a lot easier if you just change your name to Fernandez or Gomez, then you get all the care in the world. I don't care what they do to healthcare as long as it is something. Although I am glad to at least have some coverage, I don't understand why healthcare is dependant on your job. Everyone says your taxes will go up but at my last job I paid $400.00 a month for insurance which was 1/3 my check every 2 weeks. Why not expand and better Medicaid and pay on a sliding scale? Why not have a public option? If we slimmed down congressional perks...
3 hours ago · Delete

Kristine Wright Kalish
I know I am having to declare bankruptcy because of medical bills. I know I got denied a better job because of medical bills on my credit report. I know Medicare/aid had over a billion or something in fruad and I know there are a bunch of slackers on disability. If Obama actually went line thru line in the budget and cut the fakers off SSI, we ... Read Morewould have lots of money to insure everyone. Preventative care is most urgent. And obesity...how much are we subsudiziong people who can't control their eating habits and cost healthcare. Smokers too. Want to be fat and smoke then ride your motorcycle without a helmet, fine. I just shouldn't have to pay for your bad choices. Tax junk food. make those who have poor choices pay a higher preminum
3 hours ago · Delete

Kristine Wright Kalish
sorry to go off, I have been on the phone a lot dealing with doctors. kinda had my fill of "healthcare"
2 hours ago · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
for those that don't know him, Jason is an MD (so is Patrick who merely said "Interesting...").
41 minutes ago · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
i know this touched off more "nerves" today as it did yesterday....not sure if ppl went to read my actual response on my blog....Mark did and in response to him, i want to say that I read a whole book (3 years ago and now i cannot remember the title) that listed many instances of how the funding in the Bush years was "rationed" for scientific ... Read Moreresearch...i will have to do more research to respond to your request for more instances b/c right now i cannot remember it all and i don't have much time at the moment....but maybe this weekend when i'm on vacation i might have some time...
38 minutes ago · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
ah, quick search of amazon and found it: Undermining Science: Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration by Seth Shulman (gotta love the Internet!)
34 minutes ago · Delete


Cecelia McNamara Spitznas
Haven't read the book but can say they sure tried to dabble in what we were doing and certain kinds of research was off limits; not just stem cells. People weren't put on scientific advisory councils because of what they knew but because of their politics. If you didn't want the death penalty for drug kingpins, if you were for needle exchange for drug abusers because it stops AIDS you were not an advisor at my Institute. From what I can tell that kind of monkey business is over. And it wasn't just the administration. Some congress people tried to defund some studies -mostly concerning prostitution (because we wouldn't want to treat prostitutes, heaven forbid). Fortunately they were overruled.
Yesterday at 7:03pm · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
i was hoping you would chime in cece since you are right there in dc and probably have a better knowledge of the funding issues than me (and probably most my friends too).
Yesterday at 7:40pm · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
oh and for the record i agree with both sides of the "alleged" argument that ppl shouldn't die b/c A, B, C, etc....i'm kind of anti-death no matter what precipitates it, but i'm also not naive enough to think humans can alter it's course.
Yesterday at 7:42pm · Delete

Colleen Brown Lyon
Love your blog. It's a temple of peace-- smart thoughts and wise quotes. I'm impressed. Speaking of jumping off a bridge, the lemmings who follow Rush and Beck et al are causing grief about the Obama address to students next Tuesday, calling our school demanding that their children be let out of any classroom that is airing his message of study hard, graduate and help America stay on top in this global economy. What the hell, people!
Yesterday at 10:12pm · Delete

Jim Vinoski
One more bit of snark, then I'll get serious: based on the original post the people on the left have been clogging Facebook with, I thought we were firmly in "smug, self-important, pointless prattling mode;" hence my earlier reply. My apologies for my misunderstanding.A quick logic point: several "appeal to authority" fallacies run through this... Read More thread: "I'm on the front line." "He's an MD." "She's in DC." Well, the good Dr. has already shown his inability to draw proper public policy conclusions, and the good lady in DC is guilty by association of massive failure. Pay that attempt to shout you down no mind, good people.The good Dr. made our point for us, but missed it: patients in the VA know they're in socialized medicine. They don't want more of it because they've lived its hell.Last point, then I'm done: the good lady in DC works with people who've put this country trillions (!!!!!) in debt. Never mind the arguments for Obamacare: we can't afford it. Ever.
10 hours ago · Delete


Sheila Collins Ferguson
to be truthful, as of this moment, i haven't closely read all the responses on this thread. i only added the comments about the docs and ms. dc (who is also a doc but not an m.d....she's my cousin) to give some context to the discussion. I was waiting for the weekend when i had more time to ponder all these things. Actually, from reading Dr. ... Read MoreJason's comments, i think he is responding to me like I was in support of the right-wing version of the "nobody should die" posting clogging up FB (from BOTH sides of the "aisle").
11 hours ago · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
jim, if someone is a scientist in dc, why does that make them "guilty by association"? even if they are a scientist employed by the govt, why does it make her guilty? trying to i'm trying to understand the logic in that one....i'm sure there are conservative scientists (or maybe that is an oxymoron?).
11 hours ago · Delete


Marisa Ellender Wittmann
"i'm sure there are conservative scientists (or maybe that is an oxymoron?)." This statement is a big part of why rational discussions go out the window. There are many degrees to the term conservative as there are many degrees of liberal. There will always be the extremes on each end as well as the ultra-squeaky wheels that get media attention. Someone can be more/less left/right depending on the issue at hand. One very loud member of your group does not always represent the majority.
September 7 at 12:52pm · Delete

Cecelia McNamara Spitznas
Here is a link to the National Institutes of Health Budget page. http://www.nih.gov/about/budget.htmNot only am I guilty by association but every scientist at a University who receives federal funding is also "guilty". And there's not just NIH funding. There's also NSF who funds basic science research. The fact is that ANYONE who attended a ... Read Moremajor university & took a science class, or medical school benefits from the knowledge produced by this process; It shows up in the curriculum you're taught and/or provides funding for the actual research and training programs provided by federal grants to train clinician scientists. There generally would not be MD/Ph.Ds without these kinds of funding programs (unless they were saddle with extreme debt which they could not pay back on a scientist salary). And even if a specific professor does not get federal money if anyone in their department gets federal money the U gets a share of it to "administer the grant". Many get more than 50%.
September 7 at 3:40pm · Delete

Cecelia McNamara Spitznas
And after the research is completed those test tubes or computers or whatever has been given as a grant to the University stays there. So chances are Dr. Peabody gets a grant to study mitochondria and 5 years later his laptop has been recycled to some grad student's dissertation project. If you want to know what's funded go tohttp://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm... Read MoreIn most cases there is nobody private who has the money or the interest in funding these projects. In many cases there is not even an advocacy group to raise awareness about the needs of certain populations (ie drug addicts). Even if there was would you want a Jerry Lewis Telethon for every disorder out there? Also how would you decide what projects to fund? The NIH has established a WORLD CLASS peer review system whereby its grantees review and rank applications for scientific merit. It is a huge undertaking and VERY WELL administered. Yes your tax dollars go to support that.
September 7 at 3:55pm · Delete

Cecelia McNamara Spitznas
And I must say the peer review system is cheap relative to if you actually paid private professional reviewers for the actual time it takes them to do reviews. NIH does pay for travel and the actual time people are at the meetings. That is a fraction of the time reviewers spend reading the applications and completing the written reviews. Here is ... Read Morea list of some of the accomplishments by NIH funded researchers. I only wish I was worthy of being associated with some of these things...http://www.nih.gov/about/almanac/historical/chronology_of_events.htm#twothousand
September 7 at 4:08pm · Delete

Sheila Collins Ferguson
this is wierd that i don't get updates on this post on my own wall...i just re-visited this after many days and saw more activity. To Marisa's last comment, I was being "catty" onthe oxymoron comment and perhaps it does come off irrational. I'm just kind of puzzled at how ppl have drawn some of their conclusions here on this post that do not seem... Read More very logical to me and I was "firing back" at my friend, Jim, in a joking way, but it didn't really come off that way....debates online are quite difficult when you can't really get a good "read" on ppl's tone.
2 seconds ago (sept 11 at 9:13 pm)

Sheila Collins Ferguson
and to my comment on conservative scientists, i think i read that the new head of NIH is an evangelical...so it seems that it is possible to believe in God and science (this is again being sarcastic....).
2 seconds ago (sept 11 at 9:21 pm)

in response....

...well i was wondering if conservative political thinkers ever believe in WIN-WIN? It always seems that when one of my conservative friends posts some political statement on FB then they feel like any other comment is in opposition vs. just possibly a comment to extend the thought, or to clarify or to get some discussion going.

Example: Posted by several conservative friends yesterday (in response to several liberals, however, i didn't realize this until after i had already "knee-jerk" responded then scrolled down to see where it all started):

Mr. C and Ms. C (they are not married, just both happen to have the same last initial for "conservative") say: No one should die because government rationing denies or delays health care, and no one should go broke because his business was shuttered due to socialist healthcare dictates.

Sheila says: nobody should die b/c science was stifled by a religious president either!

Now, I was just posting an additional opinion on the dangers of big government. Of course, they did not know or understand my meaning behind my post and yes, i was being a bit "oppositional" but I would think that the conservatives would have agreed with me that government should not be playing "God" in ANY case....however, here's what two separate ppl said in response:

Mr. C1: Sheila, you'll have to show me where science was stifled. I can't recall any case where science was forced to stop. If you're talking about embryonic stem cell research, the Bush administration was the first to approve federal funding for it, while trying not to cross the line into encouraging researchers to kill more embryos. Besides, (a) adult... Read More stem cells have produced much more actual working therapies than embryonic stem cells, and (b), the federal government has no business funding any scientific research anyway.

Mr. C2 (on a separate post from a separate friend, so it's interesting to note that):
Peripheral stem cell research thrived. and they are as viable as embryonic ones. We had so many oncology breakthroughs in the last decade you can't count them so, no to the stifled science argument. Doesn't fly.

Now i have more thoughts on all this, but again, i ask, why is big government okay when the president that more reflects your values is in office?

To respond to the science issue, was stem cell research the only science happening over the past 8 years? If so, then I believe my statement on stifling would be true. If not, please give me more examples of advancement in research. Unfortunately I have lost some people this year b/c science was not advanced enough to prolong their lives...not that I'm saying it's Bush's fault they died, but the way money was budgeted in his administration certainly did not benefit and advance research in the way it could have and now we are behind and must play catch up.

These are my opinions, and i need to back them up as well....so please give me a little time before "blasting" me and let's look for a WIN-WIN in all this. I see the "WIN-WIN" in that we agree that government should not be playing God. What do you see?