The book of Joe

Something good about Health Care

2010-03-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

I was not in favor of this new Health Care bill but if it becomes the law of the land we should try and find something good about it. I am an optimist so if anyone is reading this blog please send in what you know to be good and true about this bill. I want to compile a list.

I think the preexisting condition part is good but it could bankrupt the insurance company or they will have to pass on the cost to the healthy insured. My insurance company through my employer accepts preexisting conditions because they are getting a pool of healthy people and some sick people. So even so this sounds like a good thing it is probably not.

Next.

Where Woman came from

2010-03-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

Genesis 2:4-25 Where it is written that Adam named his newly created partner "Woman". That is not exactly how it happened. God made Eve from Adam's rib. When Adam first saw her he was excited and he approached her with let us say enthusiasm. Eve put her hand up in front to stop Adam and said, "Wo Man". The term stuck.

Ghost Breakers 1940 movie, best lines ever

2010-03-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

I just watched a movie tonight entitled "The Ghost Breakers" 1940 starring Bob Hope. Best lines ever.

Geoff (Richard Carlson) is explaining to Mary (Paulette Goddard) what a zombie is. "When a person dies, a certain voodoo priest has the power to bring him back to life. It's worst than horrible. A zombie has no will of his own. You see them sometimes walking around blindly with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they do, not caring". Bob Hope's character Larry chimes in, " You mean like democrats".

Rent it, watch it, live it.

Faith is a Journey (Part 2)

2010-02-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

I told you I would update you on the Journey of faith and I apologize if this is preachy. Around the same time that this young man told me about the book "The end of Faith", I was re-writing some verses of a song that I really like but as written it could not be sung in church. The last verse as I changed it sums up what I think of the aforementioned book.

Well maybe there is a God above
But faith and hope has taught me to
That Love alone will not get you through
It's not a cry that you hear at night
Somebody has seen the light
Life is a journey, a journey of faith
and it is always Hallelujah

The beginnings of Faith

2010-02-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

I worked this past weekend during Mardi Gras at our church. We actually sell bathroom passes during Mardi Gras for parade goers. The middle and high school kids work to clean the portolets after each use. The money we make is used to subsidize the misssion work we do over the summer.

A young college age man took time before going into the bath room to ask me about what we do with the money and the mission work we do. We had a nice conversation. Then he told me I should read a book entitled " The End of Faith" by Sam Harris. I am going to read the book and I will get back to you when I do. However, I believe the author completely misunderstands faith.

Life is all we have
Faith is where we live
We must always keep hope alive
Where would we be without dreams

A new year's resolution that everyone can do

2010-01-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

1. Start exercising. (check with your Doctor first)
a. First day walk a block and add a block a day up to 10 blocks.
b. Look at what you are eating and just cut back on something everyday.
2. If you are not already doing it, start helping someone who needs it. It could be a friend or stranger.
3. Send one extra dollar a week to a charity of your choosing, or a new dollar to a charity.
4. Go to church once a week for at least an hour. The church can be an existing church/synagogue/mosque or the church could be inside you. Go to a place where you can meditate/reflect on the past week and week ahead.
5. Sing a song even if you are the only one who hears it.
6. If you live alone get a pet. If you do not live alone get a pet.

There are other things I know you can think of. Make it easy, start small and we can all achieve our goals. As my son says, Peace out.

Merry Christmas Hope

2009-12-25T00:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all and I mean all. Christmas for christians is about the birth of Jesus our Lord and Savior. For others I hope what they take from Christmas is hope. Hope that tomorrow things will be better. Hope for a better life. Hope for peace. Hope for happiness.

I always say, "keep hope alive".

Health Care, all in

2009-12-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

I am not in favor of the President's new health care agenda because in the end I do not believe it will work but I have 3 statements.

1. If our health care system is in such shambles that we have to fix it now why do the people who need it have to wait until 2013 to get the health care that they so desperately need.

2. Like I said I am not in favor of what they want to do but I say let them get what they want like they want it. If it works great. If it does not we know who to blame and we can vote them out of office.

3. What we do not need is a watered down bill that will most certainly not accomplish anything for the people who really need health care.

There is a plan

2009-11-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

There is a plan. There must be because congress is hell bent on passing health care reform that probably will not reform health care. The talk is that something is better than nothing. Congress must do this now or what? I wish I knew.

I am all for people having access to health care but we should make sure that all of us have a stake in it and we all pay for it. If you get something for "FREE" that someone else pays for is it really "FREE" and will it be good. Will it be good enough for the President and Congress to drop their
health care and accept the Public Option as if it is really an option. For someone who does not have health insurance why do they call it an option.

I feel we will get what we deserve. There will be a ruling class and everyone else. If I hear one more person call me an ordinary citizen I will scream. Last I looked we are all the same.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner is the President

2009-10-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

What is there to say except he is in good company. President Jimmy Carter (middle east peace work), we are still trying to resolve that. Vice President Al Gore (A movie about Climate Change, global warming, and how man is responsible for it), what an ego to think that man has created this huge issue if it is an issue and then man has the ability to fix it. Last I looked whenever man has interjected himself into changing mother nature there are always disastrous unintended consequences.

Congratulation to President Obama. I hope and I hope that he can live up to what the world thinks he can do, our country and the world as we know it may depend on it.

Book Of JoJo

Miracles, safety and control

2009-09-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

I am reminded of a line in a film called “Miracle at St. Anna”, from the book by James McBride. The line says it all when it comes to what happens to people and nations when we have it too easy. We concern ourselves with many things that we can not control. Here is the line paraphrased.

“There is no control in life…wherever you go, wherever you hide, there’s risk… People pay for control (seat belts, safety devices, and so forth) even when they have none. Safety is the greatest risk of all, because safety leaves no room for miracles, and miracles are the only sure thing in life.”

Book of JoJo

Saints Game vs MIami

2009-09-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

My wife noticed a young lady walking up the steps with a Saint's jersey with double zero and my last name on the back. I got her attention by hollering my name. She turned toward me and I yelled hey that is my name too. She hollered back with her arms open saying, "I'm not married" and she walked off. What did she mean?

Who will read this?

2009-08-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have things to say even if no one reads it.

The Health Care debate

2009-08-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

The real issue on Health Care is not whether we need health care reform it is how.

It use to be that we would recognize a problem and we would discuss it. We may disagree
on how to resolve it but at least we agreed that there was a problem.

Now when people disagree on how to resolve an issue they call each other names rather then debate the actual issue. The American people seem to believe the set of facts that their ideology leans them towards. What the real facts are is very hard to determine. It is all smoke and mirrors on both sides of this argument and for the most part the media just reports what it hears.

Implementation of any proposal and the unintended consequences of health care reform are what I am worried about the most.

I am against any proposal that would create another bureaucracy like the IRS that will have commissioners deciding our fate and promulgating rules w/o congressional over site. I have heard the comment that we already have that and while that may be true it does not mean we need another layer of it.

Check out one flavor of the bill at: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text

Do a find for "Commissioner", you will find 100.

Title of Bill

H.R.3200 - America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.

Black Holes

2009-08-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know that they will creating mini black holes at CERN? There hope is that through studying the creation and death of a black hole they will be able to ascertain how the big bang started. The operative word here is the death of the black hole because if the mini black hole grows we could get sucked into it. I will go with Stephen Hawking on this and agree that the black holes will go away as fast as they start. He is truly a great mind.

What can we do?

2009-08-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have to reload your operating system of your computer? Once that was done it ran faster and more efficiently did it not.

Could this be done with our government? Probably not.

What can we do?

Step 1. "WE" all must stop calling people names. Once you call someone a racist, or a nazi, or anything derogatory, can there really be a frank discussion of issues?

Tell me what someone has said is wrong, why it is wrong and then back it up. Your opinion that this person is an idiot is not relevant.

The book of JoJo

Weight gain and loss

2009-08-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

The world (Earth) always maintains the same weight except for the occasional meteor and when we we send junk into space. When we applaud someone's weight loss just remember, for the world to remain in balance someone else has gained it. The book of JoJo