Supporting our President

Listening to the bitter insults from angry Republicans in New Orleans sadened me. Mr. Obama is our elected leader. A majority of us voted him into office. The way the republican politico is acting, one would think Mr. President took over our country by revolution. Well maybe he did. But it was our revolution, and he is now their President and Leader too. He deserves their respect, not their childish, petty insults. He deserves our support. He is bringing respectability back to our country and is loved by many, and honored by the rest of the world. My European friends are shocked by the way he is treated by the Republican fanatics in this country, and we should be also. Our country is lagging behind the rest of the world in so many arena's where we should be leading the pack, instead of living in the past. We need to push ourselves forward into the 21st century. There is no place for prejudice, bigotry, greed, ignorance, and arrogance. We need our country to be pulled forward by compassion, tolerance, knowledge, and determination. Insulting our President like a bunch of mean little bully's in a school yard won't get us there.

Hawk sitting in the rain

One chilly, rainy, Saturday morning in February, the hawk came to sit on my back fence. She calmly looked into my life, as I admired her beauty in the shower. If hawks could talk...well she didn't need to speak, did she? Her very presence said it all. That such a creature even exists, and allows me to observe her, and photograph her, speaks volumes about the wonderful world we live in. Our eyes met; I had to hold my breath. Yes, there is much ugliness and sadness that the media, our friends, our neighbors and the unknown faces we encounter on the streets remind us of daily. But proof that such a peaceful beauty as this remarkable bird-of-prey can still survive, and share her grace with us is a testiment to hope. Thank you Lady Hawk.

The Healthcare question

While listening to a news report about how the governments plans to put a cap on CEO salaries in the financial industry, a thought slipped into my head. Many of the top CEO salaries (greater than 1 million annual plus bonus) goes to hospital and healthcare system CEOs. Now, let me think about the American healthcare crisis and attempt at reform. In Florida, there are over 200 hospitals. Now, if each CEO in those hospital's made 1 million dollars last year, that would be $200,000,000.00. That's a lot of zeros. Each of those hospitals accepts federal funding in the form of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. What if every hospital CEO had his salary capped at $500,000.00? That would save the federal government $100,000,000.00 in Florida alone. There are 50 states in the USA. Imagine if every state could save the federal government $100,000,000.00 each year by just capping the CEO salary? Well thoses hospitals also have CFOs and COOs and CNOs, etc.... many making in excess of $500,000.00 per year. What if we capped their salaries at $350,000.00. Think $50,000,000,000.00 (that's a lot more zeros) annually. How much healthcare do you think we could provide to American's with than many zeros? Just a thought.