This has been bothering me more and more. I’ve been silent long enough. I just sent the following letter to both Senators Casey and Spector of Pennsylvania:

Senator,

Recognizing that the current system in place to provide healthcare to Americans is flawed is no reason to adopt a system that promises to be even worse.

I keep hearing three constituencies being blamed for our current, flawed system; 1.) Trial attorneys, bent on ‘unfair’ lucrative lawsuits; 2.) Pharmaceudical Companies, raking in huge ‘unfair’ profits, and 3.) Healthcare providers, who routinely and ‘unfairly’ turn away needy patients, and employees who lose their jobs or change jobs wind up with huge COBRA payments if they want to keep their insurance.

The smokescreens that so-called consumer lobbyists are throwing up even now to confuse the issues cannot hide a few simple facts:

1. Today’s lack of portability in healthcare is the fault of the government, not the healthcare providers, any more than it is the fault of employers; remove that barrier by shifting the tax-benefit from companies to private individuals, and let the health insurance companies compete for our business as consumers, just as auto, homeowners and renters insurance companies do.

2. Patients are constantly barraged by patent-holding mega-pharmaceudical corporations to buy the next wonder drug, and the costs are exhorbitant. a.) The FDA is already in place to regulate what they can and can’t say and do. Let them do their job, and stop interfering by legislating more and more bureaucracy, and b.) the costs will go down if the pharmaceudical companies know that consumers will be paying out of pocket instead of getting ‘entitlements’ from the government. Costs ALWAYS go down when companies have to compete. The current system under which regulations require insurance companies to pay specific costs to doctors for specific medications undercuts the natural and good market order under which prices would settle to something reasonable.

3. Legislators are fond of blaming Health Insurance companies, when their own branch of government has left the industry little room to do much else than they are doing. DE-regulation of the industry, as I mentioned above, is the answer – not MORE stifling regulation.Supporting this bill is a sure way to remove yourself from public office; the general populace may not be paying attention now, but once this already bad environment gets worse, you can believe you will be rightly blamed for pandering to the polyanna expectations of a willfully ignorant constituency.

I have supported you in the past. If you support this ridiculous bill, I will be unable to do so in the future. I pray you will continue to earn my support.

Sincerely,

Tim Blosser

NOTE: We do NOT live in a democracy.  There’s a good reason for that.  The intelligent people who founded our great nation knew there is real danger in governments which pander to popular opinion, which is frequently ignorant of the facts and is capricious.

The job of our elected representatives is not to stop the car and buy the kids candy every time they whine.  The job is to make informed decisions in this greatest legislative institution of our time, and if that means informing constituents why ‘public opinion polls’ are wrong, I expect my representative to do the honorable thing and make a wise decision on our behalf – despite ourselves, if necessary.

Parents understand this.  Young, single knuckleheads frequently do not.  Why?  They’re too busy whining for more candy.

On my last deployment, my cousin sent me the following poem, which I pinned to the wall above my desk and read every morning for the rest of that year.

 

As I was packing up and getting ready to leave on this deployment, I found it in a pile of papers and salvaged it to once again adorn my workspace.  Here it is for your benefit:

 

Whom God Chooses

by Henry F. Lyte

When God wants to drill a man,
and thrill a man, and skill a man,
When God wants to mold a man,
To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man,
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch his methods; watch His ways.
How He ruthlessly perfects
When He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay
Which only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying,
And He lifts beseeching hands!
How He bends but never breaks
When His good He undertakes.
How He uses whom he chooses,
And with every purpose fuses him;
But every act induces him
To try His splendor out –
God knows what He’s about!

Go then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come disaster, scorn, and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
With Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, Abba, Father;
I have stayed my heart on Thee.
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

 

I’m fascinated by how easily opinions of ethics students are swayed with the reading of each new assigned research paper.  It makes me wonder how many of us have actually taken the time to ask ourselves not only what we believe, but why.

I enjoy asking people what they believe about, oh, say – ethical relativism versus a universal standard of right and wrong, and then ask for reasons.  The response I usually get is a lot of hemming and hawing, and very little in the way of a coherent thought.

As they stammer around, I begin wondering whether they’ve gone through the exercise of reconciling their new-found belief with its practical application.  We all (with few exceptions) live within a society, and within that society, within any number of cultural groups (work, religious community, family, social).  I’m struck by how much of our activity is the result of our understanding of expectations within those groups rather than any deeply held convictions.  Within those groups we act certain ways – sometimes (maybe often) – dramatically differently than we do in other groups.

It’s one matter to gush about the latest study results which suggest this or that ‘truth’ about ethics.  It’s quite another to live consistently.  Do you know what you believe?  Do you know why?  How well can you ‘defend’ your point of view – or do you prefer to believe that the professionals (clergy, psychiatrists, anthropologists, sociologists) will come to the rescue, and save you the trouble.

More importantly, how consistently do you live your life with the theories you espouse?  In other words, how well do you practice what you preach?  It’s far easier to blow with the latest breeze than to set a deliberate course and commit to it.  The world is full of followers, and always in need of leaders (good ones, that is).

Here’s the update:

We were married at Myrtle Beach – literally on the beach – with both her kids and mine present (see attached photo).  The minister was Lamar Boulware, a good Southern Baptist with a real soft spot.

We enjoyed a week there with our kids, combining holiday with honeymoon (more holiday than honeymoon).

Because of my pending military deployment, S will stay in Maine until my return, although she will be coming down to Pennsylvania as frequently as our finances permit until my departure.

We know that the challenges we face are unusual, what with the military deployment, our shared custody arrangements, and the 10 hour distance between us. But we also know that these are minor inconveniences in the big picture.

We are both content.

Thank you all for your wishes and regards.

Blessings to all,

Tim

  

As Liz Taylor is quoted as saying, "Marriage is something you only do seven or eight times in a lifetime, so you should take it seriously…."

 

 

14 years later, after that marriage dissolved, I went through a spiritual journey of despair, guilt, self-analysis, discovery, and maturity.  I finally came to terms with being single and content.  Then, completely unexpectedly, I met the most amazing woman I had ever met in my life.  Almost from the beginning, I was certain we were destined to be with each other for the rest of our lives.  I didn’t know how (we live 10 hours from each other), or when (we both share custody of our respective kids), but I knew God intended us for one another.

 

I used to hear people talk about this sort of confidence, and I would wonder what they meant.  Now, I was experiencing it, and I understood.  I knew that the intervening years of reflection and my lessons in contentment had prepared me to give of myself to a relationship for which I would otherwise have been unprepared – even unable to do so.  I knew that the crucible of self-doubt and the overwhelming sense of failure in the wake of a previously destroyed marriage had served to refine me and had prepared me to invest myself in a relationship with this amazing woman in a way heretofore foreign to me.

 

In point of fact, investing in a relationship is foreign.  It is unnatural, as our natural inclination is to be self-absorbed.

 

In two weeks, I will marry this amazing woman.  Then, in a few short months, I will set off for the second military deployment of my career.  During World War II, thousands of men and women waited patiently for each other as their nation called on them to sacrifice for a greater good.  They waited for years, and afterward most of them remained together for decade upon decade… until only death could part them.

 

 

Today we live in a culture that horribly under-values marriage, burdens it with unrealistic expectations, insists on bolting at the slightest promise of inconvenience.  50 years ago, the Great Depression and two World Wars within a matter of two decades prepared a generation of people to understand the values of sacrifice, loyalty, and the commitment of a daily investment in renewing love; not resting in the complacency of taking each other for granted.

 

What my fiancé and I share is greater than common interests and values; we share a mutual desire to give.  That giving is the life-blood of any truly healthy relationship.  The more I give, the more she gives right back.  And the more she gives, the greater my desire to give to her.

 

While I serve my country, I know that my sweet bride will patiently await my return; I cherish the knowledge, and know just how unusual that is, and how lucky I am.  I know that however many or few our years together on this earth, we share a hope to spend an eternity together afterwards.  Liz Taylor my become bored with her current partner… and the next….

 

As for me, I’m planning to keep this one not only for this lifetime, but the next as well.  Like Jacob, I know a good thing when I see it.

 

Friends,

 

Two dear ladies I know, one of whom I’ve known since my youth, are engaged in the most noble of enterprises.  But they need your help.

 

Tanya serves as the Executive Director of the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA), and Sarah just recently joined AFCA as their eBay Store Manager.  AFCA’s mission is to improve the lives of children and youth struggling with the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing cost-effective relief, services, medical and social support, education and advocacy to help these victims achieve their full life potential.

 

One of the ways that AFCA can earn money for the foundation is by utilizing eBay’s no-fee policy for non-profit businesses.  By doing so, AFCA is able to collect 100% of the profit.  It was for this reason that Sarah was brought on-board to help the foundation by serving as the manager for their online eBay store. 

 

Sarah recently sent out this request, which I gladly pass along to you:

 

…My reason for writing is simple:  I’m wondering whether you may have things around your home that you would be willing to donate to AFCA for us to sell on eBay?  If you are familiar with eBay, you may already know that the possibilities for selling are almost limitless!  Below are a few ideas of things you may have to donate…

 

§    Did you receive a gift for Christmas that you just know you’ll probably never use?  Perhaps it’s still in its original packaging?  Send it our way!

§    Are you an empty-nester who is looking to clear out all the “stuff” that your family accumulated over the years?

§    Maybe you’re not an empty-nester yet but your kids have outgrown the myriad of toys that you still have around the house…

§    Or, maybe you don’t fall into any of the above categories but you’re still like Jason and me who, even though we’ve only been married for 7 years, are still amazed at the amount of “stuff” we’ve accumulated!

 

These ideas just skim the surface of the possibilities that are there for AFCA to earn money using eBay’s services.

 

Of course, any donation you make to AFCA could be verified by a receipt for tax-exemption purposes.

 

So, if you’re looking for a way to get rid of a few things in your home, please contact me and I’ll be happy to make arrangements with you.

 

Thank you in advance for your help. 

 

Sincerely,

Sarah Ladner

eBay Store Manager

 

If you’d like more information about AFCA, please visit their website at www.helpchildrenwithaids.org.  Or, let Sarah know and she’ll be happy to provide you with a brochure.

 

American Foundation for Children with AIDS

Headquarters: 769 Grant Street, Lawrence, KS 66044

Main Office: 6221 Blue Grass Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17112

Phone: 888.683.8323 • www.helpchildrenwithaids.org • sladner@helpchildrenwithaids.org

 

I wasn’t able to attach the sheet Sarah sent me that provides more detail.  If you’d like me to email it to you separately, contact me privately, provide me with an email address and I’ll send it to you.  If you have an item you’d like to give that’s not mentioned on the sheet, please contact me and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.

 

Thank you in advance for your generous donations to this important work!

 Tim

I had heard this story before, and found it both humbling and gratifying to know that in the midst of evil the light of good shines brightest.  In the interest of full disclosure, I AM supporting this candidate for President.  Here is his Christmas story:

My Christmas Story

As a POW, my captors would tie my arms behind my back and then loop the rope around my neck and ankles so that my head was pulled down between my knees. I was often left like that throughout the night.

One night a guard came into my cell. He put his finger to his lips signaling for me to be quiet, and then loosened my ropes to relieve my pain. The next morning, when his shift ended, the guard returned and retightened the ropes, never saying a word to me.

A month or so later, on Christmas Day, I was standing in the dirt courtyard when I saw that same guard approach me. He walked up and stood silently next to me, not looking or smiling at me.

After a few moments had passed, he rather nonchalantly used his sandaled foot to draw a cross in the dirt. We stood wordlessly looking at the cross, remembering the true light of Christmas, even in the darkness of a Vietnamese prison camp. After a minute or two, he rubbed it out and walked away.

That guard was my Good Samaritan. I will never forget that man and I will never forget that moment. And I will never forget that, no matter where you are, no matter how difficult the circumstances, there will always be someone who will pick you up and carry you.

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas and Happy Holidays,

John McCain

www.JohnMcCain.com