Finished goal of running the distance of 2,080 miles from Lafayette, LA to Washington D.C and back!!!...plus 339.1 miles


0.0 miles run this week.
Daily running average for the week is 0.00 miles per day.
Total amount run in the past 800 days is 2,419.1 miles.
Daily running average overall is 3.02 miles per day.

Day39 Thursday 10/07/10

ran 2.6 miles
Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval poll indicates that 28% of Americans strongly approve of Barack Obama’s performance as president, while 41% strongly disapprove. His Presidential Approval Index is –13, compared to –17 on this day last week. Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of Obama’s performance and 53% at least somewhat disapprove.

Deviating from statistics and polls, the story about McDonalds and approximately thirty other companies being awarded exemption from Obama’s health care plan was jaw-dropping when I read about it. This makes no sense on so many different levels.

This attempt at health care reform, before it is even implemented, had to be waived for thirty major companies comprising nearly one million part-time or low-wage employees. These are the people that the health care bill is supposed to help most. The bill was designed so everyone could have health care. And now, the majority of people who need health care through intervention of the government, a government that wants other people to pay for it, at a penalty of fines if they don’t, may not be able to receive it because these companies threatened to drop the insurance altogether because they cannot afford it.

“Without waivers, companies would have had to provide a minimum of $750,000 in coverage next year, increasing to $1.25 million in 2012, $2 million in 2013 and unlimited in 2014.” USATODAY.com

If the government waives one single company, that is precedent to waive more. Perhaps if every company requests exemption we can turn this bad idea around. And what’s the end game? If these companies can’t pay these insurance premiums now why would they be able to at any other time in the future. This makes no sense. Our government conjured up this utopian health care bill, which they think is revolutionary and some how good (turn on your television and look at the riots and protests occurring in Europe; their behavior is a product of social programs going bad and running out of money---these plans are designed with the best of intentions, but they just don’t work…ever…anywhere, and our government is trying to do it after so many others have failed?), they believe it is indisputable and necessary, yet they so easily come to the aid of thirty companies, to save them from the costliness of the health care they designed, representing one million employees to grant them waivers from their own ridiculous health care program, which is designed to help, most of all, the very people who said they refuse to participate because it is too astonishingly costly. How can these politicians be so adamant and passionate about something that completely contradicts its intentions before it is even put into effect?

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded these waivers because the part-time and low-wage employees who currently receive minimum benefits were going to lose all benefits because these companies threatened to drop health insurance altogether. President Obama assured America that no one would lose the coverage they currently have. This may be one way to prevent him from breaking his promise but it is certainly not right. It is far from it.

This demands repeating: One million people, who this health care reform was primarily designed for, stood to lose their health insurance altogether, unless the government stepped in to exempt them from the health care plan that is supposed to help them, before it was even put into effect. How does this make any sense?

1,978.6 miles to go.