Curmudgeon's Corner

The time for being a stand-up citizen of this great country is upon us once again! Will you be counted amongst the 20% to 30%, if that many, who may vote on Tuesday, April 3rd? Or will you be, once again, part of that great...or not so great...silent majority we hear so much about? That is the silent majority that doesn't vote, but who come out very vocally the next day with their laments about all that went wrong the day before.

Do you remember that men and women have died and are dying today so that we can exercise our freedom to vote? Do you care? I submit that, if you don't vote, you don't care. It is that simple in my book of books. You either walk the walk or you cannot talk the talk!

Are you one of the great complainers who go about the other 364 days of the year with a sour look and a ready complaint about the state of our government? I really don't care to listen to you. If you weren't there when your country needed you, on voting day, then simply keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way.

If you don't vote, you don't get the pleasure of complaining in my world! I don't want to hear your tired commentary on all that's wrong if you didn't even have the drive to vote! I won't accept excuses except in very rare and very extreme situations! Absentee voting is way too easy as it is; so you could've voted that way.

You can even register on voting day and cast your ballot...even though that is a travesty in and of itself! If you don't think enough of your country to register to vote a week or two ahead of time, then you simply should not be permitted to vote.

And, if you are one of those people who thrive on the dirt that now passes for legitimate political campaigning...please do not cross my path. The trumped up charges, the hidden contributors, and the mysterious, unsolved forever, political pranks such as punctured tires are simply the work of scum.

So, what number will I be when I vote on Tuesday afternoon? Will I be # 237 or # 568? or will I be #118 or #229? Imagine how much power my single vote carries with all the people who can't be bothered to cast their ballot. I hope those who stay away from the polls would've voted opposite me...maybe that'll teach them how important a single vote can be.

I see the news about Elizabeth Edwards and about Tony Snow…and I wonder.

Why is it always the good gals and the good guys? Why, when there seems so little common sense, do we see that those who appear to have common sense are given shortened life spans? Wouldn’t each of us be able to think of another person whom we thought should’ve received “the call” before these people?

The truth is…none of us has any control over our mortal destiny. We are destined to be here for so long as we’re here; no more and no less. Even though it doesn’t seem fair…we are the not the judges of fair or foul.

So, maybe we should focus more on what it is that makes some seem less deserving of the ultimate fate than others.

Some thoughts on that subject:

Their glass was always at least half full and never half empty.

They always managed to find a silver lining behind even the biggest, ugliest cloud.

They always had a smile and a pleasant greeting for us when we saw them…no matter what they had endured during that particular day.

They always made us feel special, even if we were so busy feeling special that we didn’t reciprocate.

They seemed to walk in a special light, to carry themselves in a special way, to always manifest a feeling of goodness in us for simply having seen them.

The good guys and good gals are special people. What makes them that special is subject to conjecture, but we know one thing for sure…when we lose one of the special ones…we feel a sense of great loss.

This must be the work of a being greater than anything we can imagine; a being that wishes only the very best for each of us whether we are deserving or undeserving. This must be the way in which we’re each helped to see the greater purpose of this life and imagine what we could do if we set our minds to noble tasks.

Found in a Podiatrist’s office: “Time wounds all heels”

On a Septic Tank truck in Oregon: “Yesterday’s Meals on Wheels”

On another Septic Tank truck: “We’re #1 in the #2 business”

On a Plumber’s truck: “We repair what your husband fixed”

On another Plumber’s truck: “Don’t sleep with a drip…call your plumber”

On a Church’s Billboard: “Seven days without God makes one weak”

At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee: “Invite us to your next blowout”

On a Plastic Surgeon’s office door: “Hello…May We Pick Your Nose?”

At a Towing Company: “We don’t charge an arm and a leg…we want tows”

On an Electrician’s truck: “Let us remove your shorts”

On a Maternity Room door: “Push…Push…Push”

At an Optometrist’s office:
“If you don’t see what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place”

On a Taxidermist’s door: “We really know our stuff”

On a Fence: “Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive”

At a Car Dealership: “The best way to get back on your feet is to miss a car payment”

Outside a Muffler Shop: “No appointment necessary…we hear you coming”

In a Veterinarian’s Office: “Be back in five minutes. Sit! Stay!”

At the Electric Company: “We’d be delighted if you send in your payment. However, if you don’t, you will be.”

At a Propane Filling Station: “Thank heaven for little grills”

Note: All came from an e-mail I received a couple of days ago; no names will be mentioned to protect the less-than-innocent.

The Village Board voted 7-2 Monday evening to give themselves a raise. The raise was $1,000 a year, or an increase of 23.8% according to JournalSentinel reporter Dan Benson. The village president received a raise of $2,000 a year or an increase of 33%.

Additionally, the board voted an expense stipend for themselves of $150 per month ($1,800 per year) and an expense stipend of $200 per month ($2,400 per year) for the Village President. The stipends are actually a greater amount than the annual salary increases.

Admittedly, we’re not talking about astronomical sums. And, in fairness, the raises will not commence until each of the members is re-elected. The stipends, however, apparently will take effect immediately.

The definition of stipend is: a fixed or regular payment, such as a salary for services rendered or an allowance. There are no expense reports to be submitted. There is no attestation to be made as to how this money was spent. So, except for the fact that a stipend can take effect immediately, there seems little if any difference between it and the salary increase.

If we were to look at the total increases as being salary, then the trustees are to receive another $2,800 per year while the president is to receive another $4,400 per year. What a difference a word, stipend, can make.

We have an election on April 3rd. The current village president, Charlie Hargan voted in favor of the increases while his opponent, Tom Kempinski, voted against the increases. Is Hargan so sure of re-election that he voted as he did? Or, is he so committed to this issue that he voted his conscience? The only other answer is that he didn’t think of the consequences, and that is difficult for me to accept given his political career. Kempinski seems to have voted his conscience given his voting history.

I have to admit, it would’ve been a lot easier for the board to simply not bring this to a vote until after the election. I have to commend them for not ducking, but I wonder why was this necessary at all?

Food for Thought…

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies [don’t spend more than you earn] and reliable parenting strategies [adults, not children, are in charge].

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and, a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a Band Aid to a student…but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and, his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I’m a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Note: This has been around on the Internet and various Blogs for awhile. There is no original author to whom it can be attributed so far as I know. A Google search returned 290,000 hits.

Having gotten fairly far along life’s road, I find myself thinking of more and more people that have left part of themselves with me as we brushed past each other on our separate ways. There are certainly the typical moms and dads, and grandpas and grandmas, and mothers and fathers-in-law. There is the love of my life who thinks that I am also the love of her life. Neat how life works.

Maybe more surprising are the children and the grandchildren from who I seem to have taken far more than I have ever given. These are good people from whom to learn. They love us and almost always have no ulterior motive for hugging us, squirting water at us or any of the other things we remember them for.

Then, we slip into the abyss of the rest of the people who’ve been influential in our lives…and from here on it gets a little bumpier:

There was Toni, a Captain who whipped a poor lowly cadet into what passed for an officer. There was Lorenz who took over where Toni left off and who nurtured me with one of those “love/hate” things that Colonels can be so good at. There have been innumerable bosses including Roy whose job offer brought us to this area and who taught me business; and, Cameron who taught me the intricacies of managed health care. There were other bosses and some of them taught me what to do and what not to do by their actions more than their words. Both types of lessons are equally important; it’s just that learning the “what not to do part” can be painful. The best bosses were those who permitted me to follow my dream, but who also kept reminding me that each dream had better produce a profit. Now, working as my own boss, I may have entered into a pact with the worst boss I’ll ever know; time will tell. He seems darned tough at times, but he let’s me sneak out for a cigar often enough, too. I am still the dreamer, but I have good team members who keep me pointed at profit.

There are innumerable friends, and among my great (self-admitted) faults is that I tend to lose track of my old friends. Ken just resurfaced after something approaching thirty years. That was one of those things we hear about where it seemed that we picked up right where we had left off all those years before. Those are good friends by my definition.

Among my friends and acquaintances are some whom I would refer to as my personal heroes or heroines. There is John who is way too young to be dying. He knows that he is, and that is a very healthy reminder to me that the same is true for me except I haven’t “officially” been advised. John has had his shares of ups and downs, but he is a survivor. For the most part, one would have no more idea of his mortality than of our own. We share laughs and jabs but we seem to look forward to seeing each other every so often. Those are good friends.

This list could and should go on and on: it would include a steel worker who is an excellent cook (and the third person in our “Three Stooges” group); a lady who displays just the right amount of attitude to let you know when you’ve crossed a line or when you’ve scored a point; and, a young lady entrepreneur who can bowl pretty good, too. It includes farmers with manure on their boots, and truckers as well as members of Congress. I must be honest: the farmers and truckers have a better grasp on reality with rare exception.

My list is probably about the same as your list. At least I hope so for your sake. Without my list (that could go on for pages), I wouldn’t be nearly the person I am.

So, as you can see, it’s not my fault I’m the way I am!

We've established before that I am involved in the health insurance field. I don't sell it but I am a licensed agent. I use it just like the majority of you and I'm frustrated by it. And, I probably understand it better than most who will read this.

My friends joke with me about health insurance companies and I usually make light of their good-natured jibes and then try to defend the industry. I have had, or closely observed, several experiences recently and I simply have to ask again: why does health insurance have to be so frustrating?

Why do health insurance companies make us jump through hoops and then not have the right people at the end of the course to help us? Why, when we've finally followed their rules and navigated the maze, do health insurers live up to their ever more popular reputation as bad corporate citizens? Why, when we finally reach a human in the department we've been forced to work through, are we told that something hasn't been received from our doctor? Or that we have reached the wrong department? Or that we'll have to call back next week when the person with whom we need to speak will have returned to his or her office?

Why is it that health insurance companies consolidate and then get worse as the result? Couldn't they consolidate and keep the better parts of the other company? Seemingly, there is a great rush to the bottom. One health insurer buys another and the acquirer seems to have the uncanny ability to rid itself of everything good it had purchased. This has begun to remind me of lemmings finding their way to the sea in that it is seemingly inevitable. There is one company (which will remain unnamed) that is reported to have lost its ability to bill its clients correctly. According to some agents with whom I talk, this company has even lost the ability to send an invoice at all. Of course, it acquired a functioning company and then proceeded to replace that company's functioning operating system with its own.

I know the game and even I tire of it. How can I expect my friends who don't know the game not to despise the industry of which I am part? How can I explain that pharmacy benefit management companies try to convince doctors to change prescriptions because they get paid to do so by the manufacturer of competing brands? How can I explain that a co-pay can actually cost more than the medicine would've cost without insurance? Insurance companies seem to have evolved to the point that they believe they thrive only when they exhibit a total lack of good judgment and any semblance of common sense.

How can we in the industry expect people to want our product and service when our product and service is so poor? How can we expect employers to continue to put up with insurers that are unable even to generate a correct monthly bill?

We may understand that higher insurance premiums are caused by higher health care costs...but when the insurer performs as poorly as most seem to do, we feel justified in blaming them for the woes of the whole health care industry.

Until health insurance companies begin to show we insured people that they care about us and not just about their profitability, they have no right to expect to be thought of benevolently! Until health insurers begin to deliver on their promises without resorting to tactics designed to evade paying claims, they have no right to expect us to think of them as anything but necessary evils.

Especially as fewer and fewer options remain available to us consumers, health insurers must get their acts together or we'll all be faced with the "solution that isn't"...single payer health care run by a government bureaucracy.

And if that comes to pass, we consumers will come to understand that, even as bad as they were, health insurers were no where near as bad as the replacement. We consumers will find ourselves hankering for the "good old days"...but they'll be nowhere to be found.

Health insurers...please get your acts together and begin to once again deliver what you promise and do so with compassion, caring and understanding! At least act as though you care. Is that too much to ask?