I love being Daddy.

Mei was sitting in my lap last night when she crawled up by my arm, wrapped her arms around my arm and fell asleep. I love it.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The above should be familiar to anyone my age or older…do they still require you to memorize this in school? It is the Preamble to our Constitution.

I think many times we forget what the Constitution actually says and doesn’t say. We seem to project things onto it as a way of defending our position one way or another. But the fact is, the Constitution is a very short document and deals with more restrictions on the government than anything. Reading the Preamble, it all makes sense now. I have been reading the Federalist Papers (its taking me quite some time) and the various items I have highlighted in the Preamble were things that the Founders were very concerned about and wrote extensively about. To me, the Preamble states the actual intent of our Founders…not some interpretive intent…if they were here and were asked what they meant the Constitution to be, they would point at the Preamble.

Why bring this up when talking about healthcare? I’ll answer that with another quote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness

The amazing words of the Declaration of Independence.

I bring both items up because they are the bedrock of our form of government. As I stated earlier, oftentimes we think our government has other purposes. One of the things I see happen all the time is people confusing their right to PURSUE happiness vs their perceived right TO happiness. There is a BIG difference. Government was not set up to give you happiness, but rather to allow you to be free to pursue happiness.

Let’s move onto the actual healthcare part of this essay.

The first question that needs to be answered is: Does government have a role in healthcare?

I think that Liberal and Conservatives can all find common ground here.

I am open to the idea of government having a role in healthcare. At the very least I feel that we should take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. I refer to certain cases such as: Downs Syndrome, childhood cancers, severe mental handicaps, cystic fibrosis, and a whole host of other afflictions affecting those who are unable to provide for themselves.

To me, having the government subsidize care for these types of individuals goes along with “promoting the general Welfare” intent of our Constitution.

Next question: To what extent should the government have a role in healthcare?

Ah, here is the real issue.

The answer comes down to “It depends”…

It depends on how you view governments role in your life.

A Conservative believes that the government should have very little role. We believe that government should set reasonable rules and then get out of the way so that personal liberty and initiative can flourish. We see that the government does only a few things well and that micromanaging peoples lives is not one of those things.

You will notice that this belief in limited government is not tied to hating poor people, kids or minorities….even though we are accused of that all the time. No, we believe that men and women should be as free as possible from government regulation.

A Liberal will argue that the government should play a large role in healthcare and many other areas. From what I can gather from my Liberal friends and from extensive reading, this belief that government should have a large role in various issues, seems to come from the thought that 1) a country as rich as ours should be able to afford these things, 2) the system is not fair, so something should be done to help those who have been screwed over and 3) to control certain behaviors to promote a certain agenda/goal.

I am sure I will get many comments saying that, no, no, Liberals don’t believe that at all.

Really?

Lets look at some of the views from the Left. What have we heard from President Obama recently? He has been talking about “Fat Cat Bankers” and “Fat Cat Wall Street”. Why does he do this? Because to a Liberal, the system is not fair and needs to be corrected. Those “Fat Cats” make too much money, that isn’t fair given how people are suffering out there. So they try to bring down these “Fat Cats”.

Another great example is the environmental movement. The Left wants to control your lifestyle/behavior to save the planet. Another misconception about Conservatives is that we hate the earth and want to pillage and destroy it. Again, false. But there is a balance between good stewardship and controlling people. Don’t believe me about the Left wanting to control you? Two words: Compact Fluorescents. Congress has dictated, under the guise of saving electricity, that you MUST purchase compact fluorescent light bulbs. In the future, the good old incandescent light bulb will be banned. It doesnt matter if you like the new lights or not, you will be forced to buy them in the future.

So what is the answer when it comes to healthcare?

I don’t really know.

Here is what I do know.

The government should not control peoples lives. In the current healthcare bills in Congress, the government mandates that you HAVE to purchase insurance or face fines. The bill tells insurance companies what they have to cover. Again, it is not the governments role to force people to do something.

Allowing the government to control healthcare opens the door to all sorts of other government control in the name of “health”. People made fun of me when I was upset about the lawsuits against the tobacco companies because I warned it would lead to all sorts of lawsuits against other things, like McDonalds and sugary drinks. Well, the lawsuits may not have happened…yet…but the government sure wants to control those things. They want to ban soda machines in schools…why?..to help with obesity. If government takes control over healthcare, watch for other sorts of control about your diet and how much exercise you need.

Despite what you may think, providing healthcare to all individuals is expensive and we cannot afford to do it. The only way to pay for it is to raise taxes. Well you cant raise taxes on the bottom roughly 40% who PAY NO TAXES already. That’s ok, per the current administration, we can tax the “Fat Cats”…i.e. the wealthy. Yeah, well here is the thing, there are not enough of the “wealthy” to pay for this thing. That means the middle class will have to pick up the largest share of the burden.

Do the poor create jobs? Nope, they depend on jobs.

Does the middle class create jobs? Yes, all the time. People in the middle class start business that create jobs.

Do the wealthy create jobs? Absolutely!

So, raising taxes on the two segments of the economy which actually create jobs is going to help our economy how?

Then there is the giant bureaucracy that would have to be created to administer the healthcare to the people.

Have you ever been to the Social Security office? Ever been to the DMV? How about the Post Office…

I am curious, do you like going to places like that? I didn’t think so.

Like I said, the government is very good at certain things…minute details involving my health…not so much.

So if not the government, then who or what?

It has come down to this. We can argue all day about how much the government should be involved and we can agree on some of the finer points, but the details get messy. But we can’t just sit back and do nothing.

See, here is the thing, we have invented ourselves into a corner.

In the last 60 years, medical advances have made it possible to live WAY beyond what was common.

I am not saying this is bad or good. I am just stating a fact.

But this increase in life expectance has gotten us stuck in a corner.

Things that once killed you can now be cured or treated, thereby prolonging your life. Thank you Jesus!

But, this technology and knowledge comes at a huge price.

We have come to the point in our history where you can basically buy your life. Want to live? Pay up. Want the newest treatment? Pay up. Want the best for your Mom or Dad? Pay up.

And pay up we do.

Again, not saying good or bad, just saying.

As the costs have gone up, so has the issue of health insurance and providing coverage.

Do you pull the plug on Mom? If there is no money, then who pays for the continued coverage? Need that new cancer drug? If there is no money, then who pays for the magic pill?

Here we are. What do we do?

If you point at Europe, then I will point out their high unemployment, their high taxes, their underfunded health plans and the fact that people from across the world come to the U.S. for cutting edge healthcare.

But what do we do? Do we let people die in the streets because they can’t pay? Do we pull the plug once it is determined they cant pay? Do we tax ourselves into high unemployment and total government control?

Can anything be done?

The thing to keep in mind is that governments can only raise so much money before the people rebel. If you place too much strain on a government, it will collapse and the result will be MUCH worse than our current problems.

Let’s talk about it. What can we do?

I am in a Radiohead mood today.

After that I may switch to some Drivn’ n Cryin’. We shall see.

Until then, here is a fun video: Best Fails of 2009

You’re welcome.

Today, WunderKraut.com turns 5 years old!!!!

I can’t believe that 5 years ago I started into this whole blogging adventure. There have been many changes in the format and content of this site. That and the fact that I tried to quit two times.

Anyway, it all started February 4, 2005. Actually, truth be told, it started around February of 2004, but that was when I was running WunderKraut.com as a sound file site, with occasional political commentary. For a taste of what the original site looked like, go here.

In honor of my little sites 5th birthday, I have put together the best posts from each of the 5 years. Also check out my YouTube page and our trip to China to get Mei.

2009
November 8, 2009 – California Trip – my trip out west to California, complete with visit to Ken’s ranch.

September 8, 2009 – Baptism – Nathan, my oldest, gets baptized.

August 30, 2009 – Notes On A Sunday Sermon – 6 – Self control! It’s in you!

August 21, 2009 – Hot Dogs Across Albany – Go on a culinary journey across Albany

August 4, 2009 – Day Trip To Atlanta – The WunderFamily has a big day out in Atlanta.

May 7, 2009 – Randomness – I love digging through the past

2008
December 28, 2008 – 2008 Year End Review – The WunderFamily 2008 year end video

December 17, 2008: How To Eat A Burrito – A must read

September 7, 2008: Yellow Jackets 2 – WunderKraut 0 – My run-in with a large yellow jacket nest

August 31, 2008: Autumn Moon – Memories of youth

March 19, 2008: 2007 Year End Review – The WunderFamily 2007 year end video

March 18, 2008: On Mei’s Birthday – My thoughts on Mei’s birthmother

2007
December 25, 2007: Granny – Memories of my Granny

December 11, 2007: The Breaking Point – Every man has got a breaking point. You and I have. Walter Kurtz has reached his..

December 6, 2007: Introducing Mei – We meet Mei for the first time

September 7, 2007: Fears – Yeah, I’ve got fears

June 10, 2007: Jennifer – My tribute to my wonderful wife

May 25, 2007: Finding Gold – Looking for the gold in peoples lives

April 11, 2007: Summer, Boxwoods and My Granddad – Memories from my childhood

February 28, 2007: Words – The power of words

2006
February 8, 2006: Do I Hate Muslims? – Short answer, No. Long Answer…read the post. Especially read the links at the end of the post

2005
September 29, 2005: The Great Flamingo War of 2005 – The War to end all wars. Make sure you check out the aftermath and the medal ceremony.

September 26, 2005: Heros – My thoughts on being a hero

July 24, 2005: Did You Know I Am a Sentimental Fool? – Madi taking her first steps

Today being the 5th birthday of this site, it is fitting that Ye Ol’ Blog has hit another milestone. Today, my sitemeter hit 300,000….

Granted most of that was imagine searches which happened until I figured out how to do my robots.txt.

We finally got around to watching Juno this week.

I really liked the movie. In fact, I tend to enjoy movies like this. Lots of rapid dialogue.

I really thought Ellen Page did a wonderful acting job. The best acting was when she told her Dad and Stepmom that she was pregnant. I can’t remember the Dad’s comment, but he made a comment that just ripped her heart out and she showed that emotion perfect.

Hello and welcome to Tuesday.

This day of the week is brought to you by John Lennon

I must say, John Lennon intrigues me. He always has. It’s a shame his life was cut short. I often wonder though, if he would have made really crappy music in the 80’s like everyone else….

One of my favorites – Yer Blues.

Checkout the lineup for this live performance. Wow.

BTW, gotta love YouTubes feature to allow you to start the video at a specific spot. I saved you 68 seconds of a very weird conversation between Mick Jagger and John Lennon and got you straight to the rock and roll. You’re welcome

Via Geekologie – which you need to be reading EVERY day. I’m talking to you, you and YOU, yes you, the one standing behind Darth Vader. I’ve got my eyes on you…

Behold!!!

Where can I buy one?

But I am back down to 185 pounds!

Hong Kong dieters warned over swallowing parasitic worms

But does it work? Look, I’m not saying it’s a good idea or that I would ever try it, hey pass me another “gummi”…

How bad can it be. It would sort of be like having a pet. Everyone needs companionship. Am I right?

The weight loss remedies use the eggs of Ascaris worms – giant intestinal roundworms which grow up to 15in in length in a host’s intestine and lay up to 200,000 more eggs a day inside the body.

Only 15 inches? Bah, that’s nothing. I once had a tapeworm so large that after they removed it, they were able to write the entire Bible on it, like they do with rice. True story.

He urged people to consult doctors before dieting and said the only healthy and effective means of weight loss was to eat less and take regular exercise.

Lies! Lies I tell you! Also, shut up you health Nazi!

Oh crap, I just broke Godwin’s Law….dangit….

Clinics and websites in the former British colony offer a bizarre variety of questionable weight loss methods including sweat-inducing body suits, fat-dissolving injections and even flammable paraffin wraps to literally burn off belly fat.

Ah, I love the smell of paraffin and burnt flesh in the morning…Smells like….Thursday.

*sigh*

Everyone gets snow but us….

We may at least get a flurry or two.

The last big snow to hit was the Blizard of 93…the only place north of Cuba NOT to get snow…yeah, you guessed it….

I hope so. Jen has a house full of kids waiting to see snow for the first time.

UPDATE: Its sticking better than I thought…so pretty. Here are some more pictures.

Lucy playing in the snow

Lots more pictures after the jump.
(more…)

Monday is brought to you by:

Jen’s sister’s 7 year old daughter, my niece, fell and impaled herself on a toy late yesterday afternoon. They rushed her to the hospital and she lost a lot of blood. They determined that she had a 5 cm laceration in her bowel.

So, they moved her to a children’s hospital in Macon (3 hours north of them and 2 hours north of us) where they operated on her late last night till early today to repair the laceration. She is on a colostomy bag and there is a very high chance of infection.

That’s all I know right now. Jen left last night to be with her sister and I have the kids. The doctor stressed that she is not out of the woods yet due to the threat of infection.

Please keep Olivia in your prayers.

Olivia was in a lot of pain last night and this morning her stomach is distended. The doctor has decided to insert an NG tube (Nasogastric intubation).

It is hoped this will reduce the pain and distension in her stomach.

I was able to see her yesterday. It’s a rough thing for anyone to go through. I can’t imagine being 7 and going through what she has been through. The trauma of the injury itself would be enough for anyone to handle, but now the colostomy bag and the NG tube and the pain.

This just really sucks.

But, I know that the Lord can heal her and remove the pain. Please keep praying.

Olivia (left) and her brothers and sisters

I know others have done this, but I finally go the nerve up to try it.

Also, you should know a few things about me. There are three things I do when I am stressed: I cook, I clean and I spend money….

So, enter this week and what happened to my niece. Also factor in I just got paid. Yeah, you get the picture.

We went to Wal-Mart the other night and I bought a charcoal starter. I have been wanting one of these for a long time and just never got around to getting one. I really wanted to cook a turkey on my Webber and I figured I would need the starter to keep the coals going. To my dismay, all the turkeys were frozen and I wanted to cook something that night. But I lucked up and found a double package of whole frying chickens.

When we got home, I took out one yard bird, washed and dried it and plopped it on a pan.

I love me some yard bird

Now came the critical part. What beer to use? I read a few websites prior to leaving for the store. Some advocated for stouts and others didn’t state a preference. The choice was easy to make. I needed something in a six pack. Why? Well, because due to my diet, my beer consumption has dropped off to zero. Anything larger than a six pack would sit for months on end in the fridge and I need all the space I can get in there.

My selection at Wal-Mart was limited to exactly one: Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.

It fit the bill. It was in a six pack and it was cheap.

Ah, good old cheap beer. Brings back memories of buying Natural Lite from college kids when I was on Spring Break in high school. Also, I like to be able to chew the last sip of my beer.

Yummy

Once the yard bird was thoroughly dried, I lubed her up with some olive oil and then patter her with some dry rub. Since this was the spur of the moment, I didn’t have time to prepare my own rub, so I cheated and bought pre-made stuff (Don’t knock it, it was good)

Sexy hand, no?

After a good rub down, I sat her up on my opened beer can. I made sure to drink half of it and then to remove the top with a can opener.

Does this beer make my butt look fat?

In the midst of preparing the bird, I stared the fire. I must say, I really like this charcoal starter. It worked great.

Purdy

I set up the coals for indirect heat and put the bird in the middle.

I added additional coals about an hour into the cooking. All in all, I cooked her for 2 hours.

Oh man was it ever so tasty! Wow. I plan on doing this again in the future….like tonight. After all I have one more bird and a few more beers.

UPDATE: She is going home tomorrow!

My niece, Olivia, is doing great!

The colostomy loop finally started working, she seems to be infection free and she ate real food yesterday. The doctor even mentioned the “Home” word.

It makes me smile.

Come on home sweetie!

Keep on praying.

Via Geekologie.

Behold!!!!

The bacon shirt!

UPDATE: Sophie is here! 7lbs 6oz. Haven’t seen her yet. I am an Uncle again!!! This makes 6!

My sister is in labor with her first child!!!!

Yay!!!!!

I may be an Uncle again by 3pm today. I will let you know.