Wyoming: health insurance premiums up 129 percent during past 8 years

We don't need no stinkin' health care reform!

Right....

Mike Bell, vice chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party, wrote a fine guest editorial about health care for Sunday's Casper Star-Tribune. Here's a sampling:

Over the past eight years in Wyoming, health insurance premiums increased by 129 percent, bringing Wyoming to an average family policy that now costs over $13,500 a year. Alternately, wages in Wyoming rose a paltry 37 percent over the same period.

To read the rest, go to http://www.trib.com/news/editorial/forum/article_7303a04e-dfb2-556d-9905-46e4036b02db.html or http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/

Tectonic Theater Project revisits Laramie w/update

The epilogue of "The Laramie Project" will be screened at a theatre or library or arts center near you on Oct. 12. It may not be anywhere near you if you happen to live in Wyoming. Off Stage Theatre Company in Jackson plans a screening. No word about any events in Laramie.

UPDATE: Oct. 12 presentation in Laramie

THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER: AN EPILOGUE

By Moises Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris, and Stephen Belber.

October 12, 7:30 p.m., FREE! Arts & Sciences Auditorium, University of Wyoming, Laramie

See the August 2009 press release from The Tectonic Theater Project here.


See the September 29, 2009 press release from the AP here.

This event is FREE and the public is cordially invited.

Sunday afternoon at the river

Daughter and dog on the Poudre

The Local Multiplier Effect: Make your money count more than once

The Local Multiplier Effect -- Make your money count?more than once.

Shared via AddThis

Feed the Future: localag vs. agribiz

No reset button. No safe havens. No navel-gazing. It's about "creating communities"

We’re so involved with the here and now that "we’ve hardly ever had a chance to step back and look around."

That’s Patrick Overton of the Front Porch Institute speaking at the second Wyoming Arts Summit in Cheyenne on Thursday. The view from his Oregon front porch is this: we’ve all been so busy consuming that we haven’t paid attention to what’s happening in our country and in our communities and in ourselves.

"Our greatest crisis isn’t ‘dumbing down’ but ‘numbing down,’ " Patrick said. During the past several decades, we’re let a lot of life just pass us by.

He’s not the only one who notices. Massive rumblings are afoot in the land, from left and right and center, although I'm not sure there is a center any more.

Patrick mentioned Kurt Anderson’s recent book, "Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America," which basically says that Americans can weather the storm and prosper just as we did in the last great "paradigm shift" of the Reagan era.

"I don’t want to go back 20 or 30 years," said Patrick. "I want to go someplace else."

Forget the nightmare of returning to the Reagan era – although all of us would be much younger. What led us out of that era were these things: "Greed is good" and trickle-down economics and union-busting and open markets and "send jobs overseas" and solid gold umbrella stands and bad mortgages and, worst of all, the "Me Decade." We all fell prey to me-me-me. I’m in this club too. I may have been a bit more involved in my community, but I still wanted mine and worked hard to get it. As Patrick put it: we had "increased expectations" and "decreased accountability." We felt we were entitled to certain things and we were going to get them, by gum, and we were going to get them even if it led us into the world as in "Wall-E." The robots do all the work and we all sit around fat, dumb and happy. Scratch "happy." Make that "numb."

The numbness seems to be wearing off. Americans are angry. Michael Moore is angry. Glenn Beck is angry. The 9/12 protesters are angry. The G-20 protesters are angry. The family that lost the house to foreclosure is angry. The guy who lost his job is angry. The young veteran just back from Iraq is angry. Grandma is angry. I’m angry.

We all seem to feel that things are slipping away. But, instead of yelling at the TV or a Congressman, we need to look around and see what is happening locally. Not navel-gazing. This is a valuable thing and writers engage in it often. But now we're going to have to look up and out.

Thus we return to the Arts Summit. Art is a personal thing to those who create it and those who appreciate it. But it takes a village to plan it and promote it and fund it. But what if it also takes a village to create it?

Patrick usually doesn’t mention the word "art" when he’s working with a small community. It conjures up too many competing emotions, fear the primary one. Often this ordained minister, poet and scholar is too busy serving as mediator among the town's various competing factions. First the peace talks. Later we can talk about the arts.

He challenged all of us in the arts world to "stop talking about art and start talking about creating community." He even has some new terminology for those of us who work in the arts. The terms "creative community" and "creative class" has been bandied around by deep thinkers such as Richard Florida. Patrick thinks that we are all better served if we start talking about "creating communities." "Creating" here is used as an adjective and not a verb. We arts administrators tend to think that we are creating creative communities. Truth is, each town and village must be creating their own community themselves. We can provide some tools, but then it’s in the citizens of the town to do the heavy lifting. No disinterested bystanders allowed. And no silly turf battles.

Talk about hard work. The shouters can’t just shout, and we can’t just make fun of the shouters. We actually need to talk to each other and work together. That sends a ripple of fear down my spine, that I would have to be part of the conversation instead of doing my shouting from the safety of this blog. But if I want to be a citizen of my town, I need to be involved. That’s Civics 101.

By working together, we all create. We stop talking about art and create our own masterpieces of civic responsibility. It will be messy in the way that real democracy is messy. We will rise out of our numbness, take a look around and see that there are many things to be accomplished.

Patrick sums up by talking about "the poetry of place." It’s the title of the book he's working on (writers always work the conversation back to books). "I try to focus on the ‘poetry of place,’ the relationship that people have with each other and how that impacts the geography. This is messy stuff because we don’t get along very well."

Tough economic times are forcing us to work together, Patrick says. "The world doesn’t understand that it’s important to be creative. We have constructive and destructive energy. If people don’t do the former, they will do the latter. And I don’t even want to go there."

During the summer we witnessed an inkling of that sort of country. We truly don’t want to go any further than harsh words and taunts and sign-waving and ridicule.

FMI: http://www.patrickoverton.com/frontporch.html

Dems meet, Alexandra Fuller to speak

The Wyoming Democratic Party is holding its annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Riverton Holiday Inn, Riverton. Speakers include Wyoming author Alexandra Fuller and Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak. It's a little late to register, but if you show up tomorrow with $75, the Dems will probably let you in. Call 1-800-729-3367 or visit web site at http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/.

WyoDems Czar Bill Luckett says that two new video ads will be previewed. And there will be a State Central Committee meeting at the hotel beginning at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26.

The evening festivities begin at 5:45 p.m. with a VIP Cocktail reception with guest speakers Fuller and Waak. Tickets to theVIP Cocktail are $100 a person. The dinner banquet follows at 7 p.m., and tickets are $75.

Greedy banks that got taxpayer bailouts try to stop student loan overhaul

From Monday's New York Times:

President Obama sharply criticized the nation’s largest banks for trying to stop legislation that would overhaul federal student loan programs.

Mr. Obama, speaking at a community college, said that American banks had received bailout money from the federal government, and yet were still fighting against a proposal that would eliminate an unwarranted subsidy which the banks receive for providing student loans.

“Ending this unwarranted subsidy for big banks is a no-brainer for folks everywhere,” Mr. Obama said, before lashing out against his favorite target of late. “Everywhere except Washington, that is. In fact, we’re already seeing the special interests rallying to save this giveaway.”

Support your Wyoming artists and galleries

On the local arts scene:

You're invited to "Wyoming Views" opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 24, 8-9:30 p.m., at Clay Paper Scissors, 1506 Thomes Ave., Suite B, in downtown Cheyenne. The show features Laramie artists Joe Arnold, Wendy Bredehoft, Linda Lillegraven and Susan Moldenhauer.

To see more details and RSVP, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163942570714

No Fox News zombies spotted in halls of local high school

Letter to the editor printed in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle under the headline "No brainwashed kids seen in hallways of Central High:"

Dear Editor:

Thanks for the thoughtful "From the Editor's Desk" editorial in the 9/12 WTE about the local reaction to the speech to students from Pres. Barack Obama.

I attended an open house at Central High School on the evening after Pres. Obama's "controversial" speech. At the open house, I expected to see phalanxes of bug-eyed students wandering the halls chanting: "Repeat after me -- I'm a socialist community organizer who wants to kill Grandma."

But I only saw a few, those whose minds have already melted down from watching too many hours of Fox News.

My daughter said she didn't have a chance to see the speech because her algebra classroom doesn't have a TV.

I can understand why. Leninist/Maoist/Hitlerist Obama messages might leak out of the tube and creep into the minds of the students who should be concentrating on equations.

She said that a couple of the kids had made snide remarks about Obama but there didn't seem to be any major protest or massive walkout or let's-all-yell-at-the-TV-screen event.

The school district had made viewing voluntary, saying that teachers could show it during class time, show it later or not show it at all. Students could opt out, spending their time in some worthwhile pursuit, such as sneaking a smoke out in the parking lot.

I did notice that two of the eight teachers I visited had inspirational quotes from Pres. Obama written on their white boards. That's something, I guess, although probably enough to get some Glenn-Beck-watching local parents wildly indignant. But they get wildly indignant about every little thing.

Too bad they didn't pay attention in civics class back in the day.

Sincerely, Michael Shay

This appeared in a slightly different form as part of an earlier hummingbirdminds post.

WyoDems' "Reality Check" on Sen. Enzi and health reform

Brianna Jones, communications director of the Wyoming Democratic Party, sent out this "reality check" today on Sen. Mike Enzi's comments regarding health care reform. She also sent out one on Sen. ("just call me Doc") John Barrasso on health care. There are a few differences, but both have a similar P.O.V. We'll show Enzi's comments first, as he has been involved in the Senate's lack-of-action from the beginning:

RHETORIC: Enzi Said That "Broad Bipartisan Support" Was Needed For Health Care And That He Would "Continue To Offer Constructive Ideas In Hopes That We Might Have The Opportunity To Develop A Bipartisan Solutions."

Sen. Enzi: "I have said for many months that the should have broad bipartisan support in order to gain the trust of the american people. Health care reform will affect the lives of every single american and have a dramatic impact on our economy in the future of our nation. It is too important to be passed by a narrow partisan majorities. Unfortunately, the efforts that -- the efforts were unable to produce a bill because of arbitrarily deadlines. This was imposed by the Senate leadership and the White House. Apparently in some circles there is a belief that passing a bill quickly is more important than getting it right. I regret that we ran out of time and were not able to resolve several key issues that i believe must be addressed in any comprehensive reform package. I will continue to offer constructive ideas in hopes that we might have the opportunity to develop a bipartisan solutions to address the health care challenges that are faced by our nation." [Senate Finance Committee Health Care Reform Mark-up, 9/22/09]

REALITY: ENZI IS NOT INTERESTED IN BIPARTISAN HEALTH CARE REFORM -- ONLY IN KILLING REFORM

Enzi: “That (Health Care Bill) Is Going To Take Awhile And I’m Pretty Sure It’s Going To Fail.” “Congress won’t start serious work on cap and trade until after the health care bill is taken care of. ‘That (the health care bill) is going to take awhile and I’m pretty sure it’s going to fail,’ Enzi said. Enzi, a former Gillette mayor and state legislator who lives in Gillette, has been touring the state during the congressional recess to talk about issues.” [Gillette News Record, 9/2/09]

Enzi Said Took Credit For Blocking And Delaying Health Care Bill. “This time, Enzi responded. ‘If I hadn't been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care,’ he said. ‘Someone has to be at the table asking questions,’ Enzi said, showing a flash of passion. He later quoted a favorite saying: ‘If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.’ ‘It's not where I get them to compromise, it's what I get them to leave out,’ Enzi said.” [AP, 8/25/09]

Enzi Said Democratic Health Care Proposals Would “Raid Medicare” And Intrude “In The Relationship Between A Doctor And A Patient.” “In the GOP's weekly radio and Internet address, Sen. Mike Enzi (Wyo.) said the Democrats' health-care proposals ‘will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving you money,’ and would also ‘raid Medicare’ and intrude ‘in the relationship between a doctor and a patient’ His remarks are the latest volley in a partisan debate that has grown increasingly heated during the August recess, as some lawmakers have reported hearing fervent opposition to President Obama's reform plans in their states and districts. ‘Across the country, people are concerned about the reform bills Democrats have proposed,’ Enzi said. ‘I heard a lot of frustration and anger as I traveled across my home state this
last few weeks.’” [Washington Post, 8/30/09]

Enzi Boasted About Voting Against The Health Care Plan That Passed The Senate HELP Committee. "Enzi, Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and member of the Senate Finance Committee, repeated his opposition to a government-run health care plan today while addressing the Casper Rotary Club. Over the weekend, Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sebelius hinted that the Administration may be willing to look beyond a government-run option. 'As I've said from the beginning, a government-run option is not an option. I voted against the Democrat plan in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month and would do so again,' Enzi said. 'A government-run plan would increase health care costs, lessen service and add to our huge debt. The American people are doing a great job of getting this message across to the Administration and Congress.'" [Sen. Enzi release, 8/17/09]

Sen. Enzi Predicted “Nasty, Nasty Town Meeting” For Democrats Over Health Care. “In an interview, Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, said he was committed to forging a bipartisan consensus on legislation that overhauls the U.S. health-care system. ‘We're past due for doing it, and the American people want it,’ said Mr. Enzi, one of three Republicans negotiating with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.). The Baucus-led talks are the only bipartisan health-bill effort on Capitol Hill. But Sen. Enzi said voters so far didn't seem impressed by what the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill has come up with, and predicted members of the House and Senate are in for ‘some nasty, nasty town meetings’ over the August congressional recess. ‘I don't think they like what they see so far,’ the senator said of voters.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/6/09]

Enzi, Along With Sen. Grassley, Brief The GOP Leaders Daily And Leader McConnell Said "They're Not Free Agents. They're Reporting To Us." "Grassley and Enzi brief a majority of the Republican Conference almost every Wednesday afternoon -- and have for months - and they brief GOP leaders almost daily. While Enzi, Grassley and Snowe say they aren't being urged to resist a deal, neither are they being given carte blanche. GOP aides say they have been reminded they are not negotiating on behalf of the Conference and could find themselves on an "island" if they agree to legislation without first getting it approved. 'They're not free agents. They're reporting to us,' McConnell told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday. " 'I don't think they're going to sign onto a deal that a vast majority of my Conference can't agree to. And we don't, so far, like much of anything we see in this big-government, high-tax, mandate approach that the Democratic majority and the president would like to pass.'" [Roll Call, 8/3/09]

Lummis No. 15 on the richy-rich list! And she doesn't want you to get a student loan!

Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne was ranked number 15 on Roll Call's list of 50 richest members of Congress. As you may remember, she was elected to Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat in November. Not sure how often she votes the Republican party line, but I estimate it to be 110 percent of the time. But it could be more.

Last week, she voted against a House bill that ends subsidies to banks and student loan companies that have a long history of ripping off students and their parents -- and racking up incredible profits in the process. Pres. Obama said: "This bill will end the billions upon billions of dollars in unwarranted subsidies that we hand out to banks and financial institutions, and will use that money to guarantee access to low-cost loans."

I've always been tickled by student loan companies denying loans to strapped 19-year-olds because their middle-class parents make too much money working three part-time jobs. The House bill's projected $87 billion in savings would be used to expand aid to students and colleges, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Read full richy-rich list at http://www.rollcall.com/features/Guide-to-Congress_2009/guide/38181-1.html

From Roll Call:

Lummis’ prosperity is tied to three Cheyenne, Wyo.-based cattle ranches -- Lummis Livestock Co., Arp & Hammond Hardware Co. and Old Horse Pasture Inc. — each valued at $5 million to $25 million.

The first-term lawmaker also lists the Laramie River Ranch in Wheatland, Wyo., valued at $500,000 to $1 million. Her husband, Al Wiederspahn, lists the Equipoise Corp. in Cheyenne with a value of $1 million to $5 million.

Lummis lists two mortgages for her Wyoming properties with a combined minimum value of at least $1.1 million.

Localit grows in Cheyenne and Casper and other Wyoming locales

During the past year, I've been talking a lot about my transformation into a locavore (a.k.a. localvore). I'm growing some of my own food and trying to eat foodstuffs grown and raised close to home. It's a daunting task. Cheyenne isn't Salinas or Iowa City or Vidalia. For that, I can only be thankful. But, people in these cities and other temperate climes have a lot better chance of locavoring than I do at 6,200 windswept feet in America's high dry prairie.

But I keep on keeping on. I have a new batch of strawberries, probably due to the cooling weather. Lettuce, too, its last seasonal gasp. I'm still watching the tomatoes ripen. My Superman-like laser vision has speeded up the process, but not by much. A freeze is forecast on Tuesday, followed by a slight warming trend which some call Indian Summer except the Indians. I may just cover up during the freeze emergency, and then see how many more days the tomatoes have.

As I dwell on fruits and veggies, I was thinking about arts on the local scene, especially writers and poets and books. Let's call it "localit," as in "local literature." Homegrown words by homegrown writers, or at least transplanted writers (like me) who took root in the rocky soil of Wyoming.

The second annual Wyoming Book Festival was held today in Cheyenne's Lion's Park. It may be a coincidence, but the park is also home to the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and a very impressive community garden. As I write this, two boxes of carrots grown in that garden by a friend await my attention. They're tasty -- I had a batch last week which I threw in with some Yukon Gold potatoes and some tasty local beets for a root veggie extravaganza.

Writers featured today at the conference were mainly from Wyoming: Zak Pullen, Casper; Craig Johnson, Ucross; Gene Gagliano, Buffalo; Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale; Peg Sundberg, Wheatland; and Tina Ann Forkner and Cindy Keen Reynders from Cheyenne. The only Coloradan presenting on the main stage was mystery writer Margaret Coel whose novels are set in Wyoming's Wind River Reservation but she lives in Boulder, Colo. Thing is, Margaret lives closer to Wyoming that most of the Wyoming presenters. Those borders are funny things.

Meanwhile, inside the Community House, other writers staffed tables featuring their books. The Cheyenne Barnes & Noble offered the books for sale. Outside, basking in the sunny September day by the amphitheatre, was Nancy Curtis of Glendo and her High Plains Press books.

You could fairly call this event an example of localit. Yes, I know B&N is not an indie. But its staff supports us local writers.

After hanging out at the bookfest for awhile, I was off to a meeting of the board for Wyoming Writers, Inc. It's a 35-year-old statewide organizations of some 200 writers, most from Wyoming but a growing number from surrounding states. It's an all-volunteer org that puts on an annual writing competition, annual conference, newsletter, listserv and web site. It birthed WyoPoets, which also holds it own annual writing workshop and has a fine web site. Almost all WyoPoets members are members of WWInc.

The board is planning its 2010 conference in Cody. WWInc has money in the bank and the conference is self-supporting. Last year's event in Casper featured former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser as keynote speaker. Other presenters came from Cheyenne and Jackson and Cincinnati and NYC. We take pains to assemble a great mix of presenters, realizing we sometimes have to reach far and wide to get the expertise we seek. We're seeking some great writers and editors and agents for the Cody event. And, at the same time, keeping the cost reasonable.

WWInc is an organization that it made up of both professional and hobbyist writers. An odd mix -- but it works. We do our best to support the pastime of writing as well as its professional pursuit. Next weekend, two WWInc staffers will be at the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association gathering to support books by members.

In two weeks, the Laramie County Community College Foundation is putting on its Literary Connection. Here's a short description:

The LCCC Foundation is excited to announce that the Literary Connection will be returning Oct. 2-3, 2009. We are pleased to introduce our three guest authors for this year: Pam Houston, author of the best-seller Cowboys Are My Weakness; Colorado native and Sky Bridge author Laura Pritchett; and essayist and fiction writer Bill Roorbach from Masachusetts. This year, we are introducing our morning workshop session on Friday with our three guest authors. They will each talk about the skills of writing, the process of literary development and more. On Saturday, we will reintroduce our authors as they present a guest lecture, again taking time to answer your questions and sign copies of their books. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please visit our guest authors' websites for more info: ww.pamhouston.net/bio.html; www.laurapritchett.com/about.html; www.billroorbach.com/bio.htm

Some might object to the fact that the community college spends money on arts-oriented events. But what better venue than a "community" college, which tries (not always successfully) to be the center of activities. As U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said this week at a statewide forum at Casper College: "The community college system here is among the best in the country," Duncan said. "We recognize this has been an underrecognized asset, an underrecognized resource."

What better way to say "localit" than your local community college?

Speaking of Casper College... The Casper College Literary Conference is Oct. 8-10. It features a series of workshops and presentation by fantastic writers, culminating in a chili feed and reading by the Wyoming Arts Council's creative writing fellowship winners at noon on Oct. 10. Three Wyoming poets will join fellowship Greg Pape, Montana Poet Laureate, for a reading in the Izaak Walton Clubhouse on the banks of the North Platte River in central Wyoming.

Write locally, read poetry locally, fish locally.

This local emphasis on the arts doesn't stop with writers. This summer, when I was in Jackson, local galleries were closing due to the economic downturn. Others were wondering if it wasn't time to act and think more locally, and depend less on tourist dollars and donations by politicos and CEOs and Wall Street arbitragers who have built second or third or fourth houses in Jackson Hole. Their fortunes are falling fast. Too much dependence on this fleeting wealth has skewed expectations.

Act locally, think locally, write locally.

Paint locally, sculpt locally, quilt locally.

New bumper sticker slogans for Wyoming.

A very short story set in the Old West to wrap up ADHD Awareness Week

"The pursuit of the big sky and the attitude of 'Don't fence me in' may be one of the reasons why Idaho leads the nation in per capita prescriptions of Ritalin for school-age children."
--From "Answers to Distraction" by Edwin M. Hallowell, M.D./John J. Ratey, M.D.

How the West Was Won

Idaho lies just over those mountains. Soon it will become a territory, and someday a state where potatoes will share the soil with concrete burrows of nuclear missiles. Ritalin will serve as handmaiden to its many children.

Our wagons stir the land, cause dust devils to rise. Black serpent cyclones rip the ridgelines. Native nomads, bison, tumbleweeds cross the purple prairie. Movement is religion. We are not destined for one place, but many; many mansions, as The Book says, many wagons filled with children, the amputated pasts of émigré nations.

My father farmed the same rock-chunked patch of County Roscommon land as his father before him, as his father before him, and all the fathers to back before the bastard Cromwell. Miserable sons of the sod. My father cursed the sick soil, dug the withered potatoes until only stone mingled with stone. The Great Hunger set us free and filled the coffin ships. Now our wagons prowl the prairies past forts and pox-plagued Indians, past Independence Rock, that granite lump like the devil's own hunched back, past grasslands that have no more sense than to act as carpets to the long horizon, to Idaho, and on to Oregon and the sea.

Our plan all along was Oregon, my brothers and I, but we grew distracted with the shades of Mormon children who whirl above our campfires. They can't get warm enough, can't move fast enough to escape last October's blizzard; it swallowed the Willie's Handcart party, froze 100 Latter Day Saints in mid-stride. Mormon youth are always on the move! One day, you will see them on bicycles from Beijing to Boise and Ritalin will be popular in Salt Lake City, Vernal, Provo. The Great Cities of Utah will vie with The Great Cities of Idaho and all the big-sky states for the coveted title of Ritalin Capital of the Nation.

At night, as the campfire dances in the constant wind, I stand within the circle of wagons and watch the stars wheel overhead. The comets are out there, weaving mists through the constellations; a shooting star streaks the firmament. In the hyperactive future, the lights of airplanes will always be visible, no matter how deep you push into the territory. Movement will still be religion, but my great-great-grandchildren in Pocatello will swallow a pill to give them pause and to muffle the nerve-twitching urge to move, that itch to be somewhere, anywhere but here.

Michael Shay, April 21, 2005
Originally published 2005 in High Plains Register

U.S. health insurance premiums go up and up and up some more

Reuters’s reporter Susan Heavey reports this:

U.S. workers getting health insurance for their families through employers have seen their premiums more than double in the last decade and the trend toward higher health costs is expected to continue, according to two reports released on Tuesday.

The Kaiser Family Foundation said the average premium for a company-provided family health insurance plan rose from $5,791 in 1999 to $13,375, a 131 percent jump.

Separately, the Business Roundtable, an organization that represents large U.S. corporations, said per-employee costs will jump to $28,530 in 2019 from $10,743 currently if nothing is done.

Read the entire article at http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE58E45420090915

My only comment: Yes, I know – personally.

Hummingbird Mind: My son Kevin, the climber

To commemorate ADD/ADHD Awareness Week (Sept. 14-18), I offer this essay, "We Are Distracted," which in a slightly different form appeared in the 1996 book In Short: A Collection of Brief Creative Nonfiction, W.W. Norton, edited by Judith Kitchen and Mary Paumier Jones.)

I. WE ARE DISTRACTED

We are distracted by the agility of my eight-year-old son Kevin as he clambers up the slick granite rock formation near Rocky Mountain National Park. He is fifty feet above us; we are a bit frightened by the risks he takes, the way he clings like a human fly to the sides of the rock. We all look up and watch one of Kevin's handholds become a fingerhold and just when it's about to become a no-hold, he pushes off the rock with his feet, leaps a three-foot gap between spires, and wraps his arms tightly around the precious purchase he has made with this part of the Rockies.

We are like three slugs on a slab -- Kevin's classmate Freeman, his father Randy, and I. We lean against the cool rock surface of this six-million-year-old mountain and watch Kevin. We look up and Kevin never looks down. It would break his concentration, interrupt his communion with the rock, I think. To concentrate is everything for Kevin. He can't do it for extended periods of time unless he is under the influence of Ritalin, a drug that helps him control his hyperactivity-inspired impulsiveness. Right now as he climbs toward the sharp blue Colorado sky, the Ritalin, a central nervous system stimulant, is working on my son's brain stem arousal system causing to not be aroused. Medical researchers are not sure why a stimulant has the opposite effect on hyperactive kids. Says the 1994 Physician's Desk Reference: There is no "specific evidence which clearly establishes the mechanism whereby Ritalin produces its mental and behavioral effects on children, nor conclusive evidence regarding how these effects relate to the condition of the central nervous system."

II. HYPER/ACTIVE

When Kevin is in the classroom and a bird flies to a branch on a tree across the street, he will stop everything and look at the bird. A whispered comment at the opposite end of the classroom might as well be a sonic boom. If he is surrounded by too much energy in his orbit, he absorbs the energy. It sometimes causes him to twist and whirl and slam into his playmates; not so much now as when he was toddler and his way of playing was FULL BODY CONTACT. Slam, bam - and there was suddenly a kid crying, one nonplused Kevin and usually a very pissed-off parent, who soon would be in my face, asking me why I didn't control my son on the playground because he was really going to hurt someone someday.

III. NAMES, ALPHABETS, NAMES

Physicians have been prescribing Ritalin (a.k.a. methylphenidate) for more than 30 years for a condition that has been known as Minimal Brain Damage (MBD), Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Children (MBDC), Attention deficit Disorder (ADD), and ADD with Hyperactivity (ADHD). If some progressive therapists and groups such as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder) have their way, the official designation may one day be changed to Attention Deficit Syndrome with hyperactivity (ADHS). This alphabet soup can be confusing. Once, on his first day at a new school, my son announced in front of the class that he had ADHD. The next day, several very nervous parents called the school, concerned about the new student who had AIDS. Being a "hyper" kid turns you into one type or pariah; AIDS carriers get special mistreatment. It was weeks before the confusion was straightened out. But the impression had been made. Kevin was different; different is bad.

IV. SOME THEORIES

Some critics, such as noted psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, regard ADD/ADHD as chimeras, non-conditions, a conspiracy by the entrenched psychiatric establishment to dose our children with drugs. "Just Say No To Ritalin!" could be their battle cry.Thom Hartmann published the 1993 book Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perspective." He once summed up his book this way: "If you lived 10,000 years ago, before the agricultural revolution, and were part of a hunting society, then the ability to have an 'open, highly distractible' state of mind would be an asset. Walking through the woods/jungle, if you didn't notice that flash of light out of the corner of your eye, you may miss either the bunny which is lunch, or get eaten by a tiger."

Hartmann surmises that the ADD hunters were survivors and their DNA went into the gene pool. "Modern people with ADD are those with leftover 'hunter' genes."

There are a few problems with the theory. Since impulsiveness is one of the hallmarks of ADD and ADHD, isn't it likely that the hunter with hyperactivity might charge headlong into a herd of charging mastodons without considering the consequences? Maybe he would neglect to tread carefully in saber-tooth tiger country?

V. CONTRAINDICATIONS

The pharmacist always gives me a yellow sheet with Kevin's Ritalin prescription. Under "Side Effects" it reads: "Decreased appetite; stomach ache; difficulty falling asleep; headache." Under "Cautions:" DO NOT DRIVE, OPERATE MACHINERY, OR DO ANYTHING ELSE that might be dangerous until you know how you react to this medicine." It says nothing about rock climbing, although you might infer that it comes under "dangerous," or at least, risky.

VI. TO FALL...

Kevin never has fallen. When he was two, he climbed the highest trees in the park near our Denver home. Fifty-foot-tall pines and spruces. The first time he did this, her looked down at me and said, "You worried, Daddy?"

"Yes," I said, which seemed to please him.

So what if he falls? Randy, Freeman, and I watch him climb and this occurs to them because Randy says, "Does this worry you?"

"Yes," I say, "it worries me." And it thrills me too. I've seen him all alone on the playground because the mothers won't let their kids near him. I've seen him mark time in his room, usually because he's been restricted in some way because he's had trouble at home or on the school bus or on the playground.

VII. TO FLY...

Do rock climbers dream about falling or of flying? Do hyperactive kids dream of solitude on a granite mountain? Or do they dream of this: dancing and laughing, surrounded by friends, the mountains a distant mirage?

From the author: This was written 16 years ago, when my son Kevin was eight. At 24, he's a college student in Arizona, doing his own thing.

"The Crucible" on UW stage Sept. 29-Oct. 4

My daughter is reading Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" in her American literature class. The class is studying the Puritans and some of the earlier U.S. writers (before it was the U.S.).

In a fine bit of serendipity, the University of Wyoming theatre program in Laramie is opening its season with "The Crucible." It plays at the Fine Arts Main Stage Sept. 29-Oct. 4 with Tuesday-Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

The story is about the hysteria surrounded the Salem witch hunts of the 17th century. But this was also Miller's response to the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950s -- another bout of mass hysteria. Miller won the 1953 Tony Award for best play.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Fine Arts Box Office in the Fine Arts Lobby or online at www.uwyo.edu/finearts, or by calling 307-766-6666. Ticket prices: $14 for general public, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students.

I'd like to be able to say this play is a hard-hitting commentary on our own hysteric times. But better to say it's a ripping good yarn.

P.S. Did you notice the six sixes (666666) in the UW Fine Arts phone number? Is this a coincidence, or does it mean that arts programs at UW are promoting "the mark and/or sign of the beast," a.k.a. Satan? I call for an investigation into these practices. Call your senators! Carry signs and yell out unintelligible things at meetings of the UW Trustees! Better yet, let's have a trial.

We don't need no stinkin' czars

Wyoming's lone U.S. Representative, Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne, joined other Republican deep thinkers such as Michelle Bachmann (R-Penn.), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), and Pete Sessions (R-Texas) as co-sponsors for H.R. 3226: The Czar Accountability and Reform Act or "CZAR."

I suppose this is an acceptable acronym. The legislators had to stoop to borrowing the first and second letters of "Czar." In reality, it should be TCAARA, but that's just an abbreviation and not an annoying acronym to wave in the faces of Democrats.

This bill proposes:

To provide that appropriated funds may not be used to pay for any salaries or expenses of any task force, council, or similar office which is established by or at the direction of the President and headed by an individual who has been inappropriately appointed to such position (on other than an interim basis), without the advice and consent of the Senate.

Sponsor is another deep thinker from the South, Rep. Jack Kingston [R-GA1]


I was surprised that Joe Wilson's name wasn't on the list of co-sponsors -- all Republicans, by the way. But you already knew that.

Sen. Enzi: Please explain why getting beat up by your spouse is a "pre-existing condition"

This Huffington Post article was also on AlterNet:

It turns out that in eight states, plus the District of Columbia, getting beaten up by your spouse is a pre-existing condition.

Under the cold logic of the insurance industry, it makes perfect sense: If you are in a marriage with someone who has beaten you in the past, you're more likely to get beaten again than the average person and are therefore more expensive to insure.

In human terms, it's a second punishment for a victim of domestic violence.

In 2006, Democrats tried to end the practice. An amendment introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), now a member of leadership, split the Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee 10-10. The tie meant that the measure failed.

All ten no votes were Republicans, including Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), a member of the "Gang of Six" on the Finance Committee who are hashing out a bipartisan bill. A spokesman for Enzi didn't immediately return a call from Huffington Post.

At the time, Enzi defended his vote by saying that such regulations could increase the price of insurance and make it out of reach for more people. "If you have no insurance, it doesn't matter what services are mandated by the state," he said, according to a CQ Today item from March 15th, 2006.

That’s disturbing. Wyoming isn’t the worst state for cases of domestic violence. You have to go to Alabama and Oklahoma and South Carolina (Joe Wilson’s and Gov. Sanford's and Jim DeMint’s state) for that. In fact, those eight states in which insurance companies are able to hang a label of "pre-existing condition" on domestic violence victims includes Oklahoma and South Carolina, as well as Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and my own state of Wyoming.

But all states with isolated rural populations have a high incidence of domestic violence. Wyoming is no exception.

The National Census of Domestic Violence Services conducts an annual state-by-state survey. The 24-hour survey on Sept. 27, 2007, of 18 of 24 domestic violence programs in Wyoming, yielded these stats: 349 victims were served in one day; 93 needed shelter or transitional housing; 256 requested counseling, advocacy or children’s support groups. 94 percent of providers could offer counseling, but only 22 percent could offer childcare or transitional housing. There were 61 unmet requests. Meanwhile, there were 107 domestic hotline calls answered.

What about medical care? No stats were given. But a National Violence Against Women Survey in July 2000 found this: "More than one third of all rapes and physical assaults committed against women by intimates results in injury in which women receive some medical care."

If each of those requests for help came from a different person, that would add up to 127,385. That would add up to almost 25 percent of the entire population. But let’s face it: many domestic violence victims are repeat victims – and the abusers repeat offenders. If you just took one-third of that figure, you get 42,462. They are mainly women and children. If one-third of them require some sort of medical care, that 14,000-some that probably won’t qualify for medical insurance under "pre-existing condition." Some of them will be dead, of course, such as the young woman gunned down by her Army sniper husband two summers ago in Cheyenne. He then drove to the mountains and killed himself. Their children were left behind.

How can we tolerate a "system" that allows insurance companies to deny coverage to women who made bad choices? Many of them leave their battering spouses, along with the kids, and find employment in lower-paying jobs that don’t provide health insurance. If they are lucky enough to find jobs with insurance, they may get nothing due to the pre-existing condition of accidentally walking into their husband’s huge fist.

Sen. Enzi has some explaining to do.

Read entire AlterNet article at http://tinyurl.com/or5d9y

"We're No. 37:" U.S. health care whipped by Morocco and Andorra