Stop Pulling the Wagon

Yesterday was our day to go to the State Fair.   My wife, myself, our daughter and one of her friends.  We planned the day so that  after we all had enjoyed  the animals, county exhibits,  some food and bought a few souvenirs, my wife and I could find a shady place to sit and people watch and the girls could go off to the fun of the Midway and the Rides.  It was a pleasant day with a light breeze and we found a bench in the shade and just rested. 

Relaxing there on that bench I remembered something I heard on the radio a couple of days earlier.  It was a news report that in preparation of implementing the new Government Run Health Care Plan, the Administration has issued instructions and guidelines on a new data base to be built.   Over the next couple of years they plan to collect information on each of us as individuals.  This will include our name, address, height, weight,  body mass index (BMI), whether or not we smoke, consume alcohol, etc. etc.  

The plan is that with this information they (the government) can develop healthy living plans for each of us.  Are you scared yet?

After “people watching” (and  looking in a mirror to include myself), I came to the conclusion that there was a whole bunch of  us folks that might not meet the governments guidelines on the Body Mass Index charts for “ideal” or “normal” weight to height ratio.  This applies across all age, racial, ethnic and social lines.

Coming home and doing a little on line (Google)  research I found a whole lot (too much) information and charts on the Body Mass Index (BMI) but I will include here one of the simplest to understand charts that I could find.  Keep in mind that what these indexes attempt to do is develop an “ideal” (and narrow) weight range based on height.  The ones I found do not take into consideration the fact that some people have smaller/larger  bones and body frames than others.  

Looking at this chart I realized that the only time in the last 25 years that this chart would not have considered me on the upper end of overweight or obese was after I discovered that I had a serious health issue.  Among other things, I went on a very strict diet to the point  that my doctor directed me not to lose any more weight and my family and friends told me I had become  emaciated and looked like an escapee from a concentration camp.  I didn’t believe them until I got my new drivers license picture and realized they were right.  At that lowest weight point, based on the BMI Chart, I was still a couple of squares into overweight  category and the government would have considered me still “fat”. 

I am not positive but I would guess that a whole lot of us Americans are going to get really “ticked off” when the “Feds” come knocking on our door and tell us that we are too fat and since “they” will be paying for our health care,  “they” have the right and the power to tell us what and how much we can eat and drink. 

I don’t know what kind of approved government foods I could have eaten at the State Fair.  I didn’t see any food vendors offering  boiled Rutabaga stew.

Now,  are you scared yet?                                          …….Bob   

My mother-in-law gave me the above ticket telling me that my father-in-law had carried it in his wallet for many years. 

In my mind it takes me back 40+ years in time to the mid/late 1960’s during the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson.  I was a young man, filled with idealism,  and his promise of a “Great Society” and a “War on Poverty” seemed like a good idea.  

The intended consequence of the Great Society was to  eliminate “Social Injustice” and “Poverty”  permanently.  I envisioned an America where there would never again be “Poor” people. 

In the four decades since that time our nation has “invested” (spent) Trillions of (taxpayer) Dollars on this plan. 

Have we eliminated Social Injustice or Poverty?  Or, has the unintended consequence been to  create a Welfare State which has become a tool to destroy many American families?  Have we not created an opportunity for millions to behave irresponsibly without personal accountability while taxpayers pick up “the tab”?

 Have we learned anything from the Great Society!  Or, have we, as a people, sold our Freedom and become slaves to the empty promise that “Big Government” will take care of us?

I don’t often quote the Bible on this site but I’m going to make an exception here because what it says applies so appropriately to this subject.  In 2 Timonthy 4:3 (NIV) the Apostle Paul says: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

Substitute the words “sound doctrine” with the word “truth” and the word  “teachers” with the word “politicians” and read it again. 

If you do not like quotes from the Bible how about this slogan I had on a favorite tee-shirt many years ago.  “I HAVE GIVEN UP MY QUEST FOR REALITY AND AM NOW SEEKING A GOOD FANTASY”

My fear is that we may have reached, or are perilously close to, the time that one of our Nations Founders predicted.  That Democracy would only last until the people figured out they could vote themselves largess from the public treasury. (not an exact quote but close)  Are we there yet?   

Bob Bandy

Watching episodes of Jay Leno’s  “Jaywalking” , “Battle of the Jaywalk” etc. ( check it out on Youtube)  is very entertaining and funny.  Many of  those interviewed and questioned are clearly well educated people.   A substantial number saying they were college students/graduates, teachers, managers etc..  Many of the answers given were amazing.

When asked where the Cold War was fought, one of Jay’s questionee’s figured it had to have been fought in Antartica because its cold there.  I guess we defeated the Antarticans?

Now I don’t claim to be the brightest person around.  Just sort of an average guy.   But I am real sure of three things:

• The Cold War was not fought in Antartica.
• You don’t give the keys to your new car and a bottle of whiskey to a teenager.
• You can’t spend your way to prosperity with a credit card.

But I would be willing to bet  that if we presented the above as questions to those in charge of our government (Federal and State) they would probably not score more than 33% on the test.

California is getting ready to release thousands of felons because of budget cuts and some Federal Judge who decided that they are overcrowded and not getting all the health care and other things they are entitled to.  (They receive better health care now than probably 90% of the rest of us.)

Maybe we should send these released felons to serve in Congress.  I’m thinking they would likely steal less and waste less money than the group that is in there now.      

Bob Bandy