I have to at least post something. I am feeling old (er). we are sitting here talking to our second college Freshman. Last week, Michelle took Liz out to Provo to get ready to start at BYU.
It was the crazy week from heck, and "losing" Liz at the end of it only made it crazier. we have been getting excited about her going out there, but it doesn't seem like it has been long enough since she was riding circles around Justin on her new bike, yelling "come on, you can do it", "even I can ride better than you", just before crashing into Granny's mailbox. She bounced right back up, and hasn't slowed down much, sincce.
She has grown into a pretty amazing young lady (yes, I know I am biased, but many others say the same thing), and lots of people are going to miss having her around all the time. But, we know she is moving on with life, and many great experiences and adventures await her.
And Ian is a senior, already getting piles of recruiting mail, because of his high test scores and good grades. And Justin will be home in December. We may very well be sending 3 to BYU next year! Yikes!!
Maybe it's time to look into real estate in Provo again?? 3 Apartments to rent, or one mortgage? Something to think about.
Liz is off to a freshmen orientation dance. Does that mean they point them in the right direction, to music?? JK.
She is having so much fun this week, but she is also excited about classes starting on Monday. Such a gem. we are blessed to have her as a part of our lives.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Legalized, mandatory gambling
I sometimes think I should not try to write something when I am right in the middle, and other times, I think that that is when I am at my best. The down side is, I may fire something off that I would like to pull back later. I guess that is the beauty of the delete and backspace buttons. I always read through my posts several times before I "publish" them, but I wonder if I give out too much info inadvertently.
This morning, my gripe is about insurance. Now, don't get me wrong..... I think it is a good plan, overall, but do we all know that this is legalized gambling?
Let me explain my thought process, and anyone who wants can straighten me out if they feel I am way off base.
Insurance companies make their money (read in "their fortunes") off the most careful and healthy and cautious individuals. That's just the way it works, but that's is not the only source. They play the odds. plain and simple. they base their premiums for any given policy or type of coverage on the statistical odds of having to pay that out. Hence extra riders to have flood insurance if you live anywhere near a river flood plain.
Take this week. We have had an accident. Along with other things, you could call it the week from ..... well. But my focus is on car insurance and the like. Liz got in an accident. She didn't cause it, but she couldn't avoid it. Short version: Car behind her passes her and the next car in a blind "s" curve, not knowing that there is an intersection (stoplight) just past the curve. Car A jumps back in the right lane, and slams on the brakes to make the stop. Car B (Jeep) locks 'em up, manages to miss car A, but Liz (car C) can't make the stop and creams the back of Jeep (car B). Light turns green, car A leaves without a scratch or a trace, leaving Liz and Jeep to trade insurance info. Police arrive, issue no citations, because both witnesses explain car A, but of course have no ID info. My car is totalled!
Our insurance coverage will probably pay for what is left of the car loan. It is only a year old, but we had a big down payment, and our loan remaining is about the same amount as the bluebook. So how is this gambling? When we bought the car, we paid a hefty premium for GAP insurance. We gambled that we could avoid a wreck for at least 6 months, on the payments we make.
You see, GAP cost us about $700 when we bought the car, and because of where our loan balance is right now, 1 year later, they will probably pay NOTHING, because our loan amount and our primary insurance are right about even.
If we had kept that $700 in an envelope for the last 12 months, we would at least have $700 to almost cover the deductible on our primary coverage. To say nothing of trying to come up with a down payment for a replacement car. In other words, our years of paying faithfully into our "insurance" slot machine have saved us from having to deal with a loan amount on a dead car, but leaves us nothing with which to replace it, and our lovely GAP policy would have been useful 6 months ago, but will be (or would have become) even less valuable each month from this time forward.
Maybe I am too naive. Or maybe we just constantly get the cheapest coverage available not realizing the "bonanza" available at the next premium level. Or maybe I am too honest. I hear people claim that their insurance coverage gave them a great boost. "look at the new car I got after my accident" Or that medical insurance had some "left over" and they used it to buy new furniture. For me, insurance has always been a gamble, and like most gambling, the "mark" loses.
The gamble is that we pay into a system ( by law, many times) in which we only "win" if our mishaps, bad health, damages happen very early on, or continuously. But most of us try to stay healthy, we drive carefully, we try not to build houses in the same flood zones that have been hit every year for the last 3 decades ( I said "most of us"), and in the end, our money is meant to protect the banks and goverment agencies, not us.
Of course, I say this not in ignorance. I know certain insurance is a great blessing when a house is destroyed or a child becomes very ill and requires surgery, or needs insulin his whole life. I know car insurance is a "game" of chance, and it lives because it protects the money, but for those of us who have little, it is frustrating. It doesn't really offer us a hand up when "life" happens, when our tired fingertips threaten to slip from our precarious perch on the edge of the precipice, it just keeps the banks from coming over with a hammer. I guess I can even see that as a blessing. Eventually.
This morning, my gripe is about insurance. Now, don't get me wrong..... I think it is a good plan, overall, but do we all know that this is legalized gambling?
Let me explain my thought process, and anyone who wants can straighten me out if they feel I am way off base.
Insurance companies make their money (read in "their fortunes") off the most careful and healthy and cautious individuals. That's just the way it works, but that's is not the only source. They play the odds. plain and simple. they base their premiums for any given policy or type of coverage on the statistical odds of having to pay that out. Hence extra riders to have flood insurance if you live anywhere near a river flood plain.
Take this week. We have had an accident. Along with other things, you could call it the week from ..... well. But my focus is on car insurance and the like. Liz got in an accident. She didn't cause it, but she couldn't avoid it. Short version: Car behind her passes her and the next car in a blind "s" curve, not knowing that there is an intersection (stoplight) just past the curve. Car A jumps back in the right lane, and slams on the brakes to make the stop. Car B (Jeep) locks 'em up, manages to miss car A, but Liz (car C) can't make the stop and creams the back of Jeep (car B). Light turns green, car A leaves without a scratch or a trace, leaving Liz and Jeep to trade insurance info. Police arrive, issue no citations, because both witnesses explain car A, but of course have no ID info. My car is totalled!
Our insurance coverage will probably pay for what is left of the car loan. It is only a year old, but we had a big down payment, and our loan remaining is about the same amount as the bluebook. So how is this gambling? When we bought the car, we paid a hefty premium for GAP insurance. We gambled that we could avoid a wreck for at least 6 months, on the payments we make.
You see, GAP cost us about $700 when we bought the car, and because of where our loan balance is right now, 1 year later, they will probably pay NOTHING, because our loan amount and our primary insurance are right about even.
If we had kept that $700 in an envelope for the last 12 months, we would at least have $700 to almost cover the deductible on our primary coverage. To say nothing of trying to come up with a down payment for a replacement car. In other words, our years of paying faithfully into our "insurance" slot machine have saved us from having to deal with a loan amount on a dead car, but leaves us nothing with which to replace it, and our lovely GAP policy would have been useful 6 months ago, but will be (or would have become) even less valuable each month from this time forward.
Maybe I am too naive. Or maybe we just constantly get the cheapest coverage available not realizing the "bonanza" available at the next premium level. Or maybe I am too honest. I hear people claim that their insurance coverage gave them a great boost. "look at the new car I got after my accident" Or that medical insurance had some "left over" and they used it to buy new furniture. For me, insurance has always been a gamble, and like most gambling, the "mark" loses.
The gamble is that we pay into a system ( by law, many times) in which we only "win" if our mishaps, bad health, damages happen very early on, or continuously. But most of us try to stay healthy, we drive carefully, we try not to build houses in the same flood zones that have been hit every year for the last 3 decades ( I said "most of us"), and in the end, our money is meant to protect the banks and goverment agencies, not us.
Of course, I say this not in ignorance. I know certain insurance is a great blessing when a house is destroyed or a child becomes very ill and requires surgery, or needs insulin his whole life. I know car insurance is a "game" of chance, and it lives because it protects the money, but for those of us who have little, it is frustrating. It doesn't really offer us a hand up when "life" happens, when our tired fingertips threaten to slip from our precarious perch on the edge of the precipice, it just keeps the banks from coming over with a hammer. I guess I can even see that as a blessing. Eventually.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Not anti-Chinese, just pro-American!
I heard something today at a school meeting, and then I got an email from Robin (sis-in-law) and I thought this is something to throw at the world. (Even if the part that "listens" to me at all is somewhat small.) If you agree, maybe you could pass this on somehow, or send others links to my blog.
We "know" that there are issues in China, with human rights, government oppression, economic and social controls that we disagree with, and even events of "unlawful" or unethical practices that hurt people both there and in many other countries. Two came to my "front burner" today.
Discussing curriculum issues in one of our teacher meetings, our new district curriculum specialist, while setting the stage for a discussion of common core curriculum, mentioned a conversation she had with an official in China this last year. State and district personnel were in china for some program comparisons, and as part of the Chinese bridge program, which is an effort to improve educational relationships between China and the US. (I guess). When comparing test scores and competency ratings, our personnel noticed that there were no special ed kids, and asked where they were in the school system. The answer was essentially "they are somewhere else." the same question was asked about handicapped kids, ADHD, autistic, etc., and the answer was the same. They are not a part of "the system", and therefore not included with the comparisons. why then are we so worried about not "looking as good" as China?!?
If they included all of their kids, would they even come close to us? And what about all these other countries that we are always claiming to be behind? Are they comparing apples to apples, or are there a bunch of oranges and bananas in the fruit bowl?
The other issue came in Robin's email, and it is so simple, yet so powerful that I feel I have to address it. We are in an economic "crisis"(?) in this country. There is very little made in China that does not have other roots. Why do we complain about trade imbalance with China, and insist that the government do something about it? Are we not trying to be masters of our own checkbooks and wallets? No on forces us to buy Chinese products. I know, on a budget, we try to find the cheapest items we can, but seriously, if the difference is a few pennies, why not support the American economy, and put down that "made in China" or made in PRC, or Hong Kong? If we quit buying food sent from china, guess how long places like wal-mart will keep stocking it? We fuss and complain at times that our government buys uniforms, supplies, flags, etc, from China, rather than support competitors in America, but what are we doing?
Every time we buy a product from China that has an american competitor, WE are adding to the massive trade deficit, and adding to China's power. WE are handing our economy to a country that does not respect us. WE are allowing our economy to deteriorate, for the sake of a few pennies, which would come back to America if WE would just support US (U.S.?) first.
Robin's email suggested trying it out, for a month. Check what you buy, and if it says Made in China, put it back and find an alternate!! If there is no alternate, do you really need it? If we can't live without China's inferior products for a month, we deserve the economic disaster that is coming.
We "know" that there are issues in China, with human rights, government oppression, economic and social controls that we disagree with, and even events of "unlawful" or unethical practices that hurt people both there and in many other countries. Two came to my "front burner" today.
Discussing curriculum issues in one of our teacher meetings, our new district curriculum specialist, while setting the stage for a discussion of common core curriculum, mentioned a conversation she had with an official in China this last year. State and district personnel were in china for some program comparisons, and as part of the Chinese bridge program, which is an effort to improve educational relationships between China and the US. (I guess). When comparing test scores and competency ratings, our personnel noticed that there were no special ed kids, and asked where they were in the school system. The answer was essentially "they are somewhere else." the same question was asked about handicapped kids, ADHD, autistic, etc., and the answer was the same. They are not a part of "the system", and therefore not included with the comparisons. why then are we so worried about not "looking as good" as China?!?
If they included all of their kids, would they even come close to us? And what about all these other countries that we are always claiming to be behind? Are they comparing apples to apples, or are there a bunch of oranges and bananas in the fruit bowl?
The other issue came in Robin's email, and it is so simple, yet so powerful that I feel I have to address it. We are in an economic "crisis"(?) in this country. There is very little made in China that does not have other roots. Why do we complain about trade imbalance with China, and insist that the government do something about it? Are we not trying to be masters of our own checkbooks and wallets? No on forces us to buy Chinese products. I know, on a budget, we try to find the cheapest items we can, but seriously, if the difference is a few pennies, why not support the American economy, and put down that "made in China" or made in PRC, or Hong Kong? If we quit buying food sent from china, guess how long places like wal-mart will keep stocking it? We fuss and complain at times that our government buys uniforms, supplies, flags, etc, from China, rather than support competitors in America, but what are we doing?
Every time we buy a product from China that has an american competitor, WE are adding to the massive trade deficit, and adding to China's power. WE are handing our economy to a country that does not respect us. WE are allowing our economy to deteriorate, for the sake of a few pennies, which would come back to America if WE would just support US (U.S.?) first.
Robin's email suggested trying it out, for a month. Check what you buy, and if it says Made in China, put it back and find an alternate!! If there is no alternate, do you really need it? If we can't live without China's inferior products for a month, we deserve the economic disaster that is coming.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Life moves pretty fast!
So much has happened since my last post.
And that is just the basics. I will say nothing here of my thoughts on major political and world events. That takes time that I will arrange another day.
I had a small group travel with me to German speaking Europe this summer. We visited Switzerland, Austria, and of course Germany. Oh, not to forget Liechtenstein, even though the 1.5 hour stop and roughly 1 hour to drive through the tiny country hardly counts as a visit.
I am falling in love with Vienna (Wien). The city has so much history and culture just right there in your face all the time! This was my second time there. As the royal capitol for nearly 8 centuries, you can see so much of European history represented all around you, to say nothing of the tours through palaces and museums and such. Some will consider this "history-nerdy", but to me looking at a sword that actually belonged to Charlemagne is breathtaking, even if the sword itself is nothing fancy to look at. Just the fact that it is a piece of real history more than a millenia old blows my mind!
And, of course, I love Switzerland! I look forward to some summer in the future just taking Michelle and spending a month or more in this beautiful country! We will travel to other places, but maybe do a house swap, or something, and just BE in Switzerland for awhile.
And Germany is always of interest to me. It was really a great trip! We had nice touring companions on our bus, and the guide and driver were exceptional! Our guide is a TV actor and vocal soloist named Matthias Unger. He was great! Had sooooo much fun on this tour!
Since my return, I have dealt with chicken farm issues such as burnt out fan motors ( I am getting quite good at handling electrical work), leaking water lines, feed auger systems which had to be repaired and/or replaced and so on. I have only got hands on training in all the plumbing, electrical, and industrial equipment work, but it is becoming rare that I have to go find Bob or some other "expert" for advice or help. I feel pretty good about that.
I did also go to Tulsa University, to get training for AP German, which will be offered at Conway this year!! Yeah! I haved worked hard to build this program to the point that District administrators will soon have to decide to hire another part-time German teacher or figure out how to tell parents that a school of 3000 students can't offer German to everyone who wants it! They will have to turn down about 20 this year as it stands. I hope next year the number is double that. That would be 2 classes!
Getting long, back to normal chicken farm life for the past few weeks! More next week, after school starts (for teachers). :( or is it :) Maybe better wait till October to decide; that's when I will feel like I am ready to start the school year.
And that is just the basics. I will say nothing here of my thoughts on major political and world events. That takes time that I will arrange another day.
I had a small group travel with me to German speaking Europe this summer. We visited Switzerland, Austria, and of course Germany. Oh, not to forget Liechtenstein, even though the 1.5 hour stop and roughly 1 hour to drive through the tiny country hardly counts as a visit.
I am falling in love with Vienna (Wien). The city has so much history and culture just right there in your face all the time! This was my second time there. As the royal capitol for nearly 8 centuries, you can see so much of European history represented all around you, to say nothing of the tours through palaces and museums and such. Some will consider this "history-nerdy", but to me looking at a sword that actually belonged to Charlemagne is breathtaking, even if the sword itself is nothing fancy to look at. Just the fact that it is a piece of real history more than a millenia old blows my mind!
And, of course, I love Switzerland! I look forward to some summer in the future just taking Michelle and spending a month or more in this beautiful country! We will travel to other places, but maybe do a house swap, or something, and just BE in Switzerland for awhile.
And Germany is always of interest to me. It was really a great trip! We had nice touring companions on our bus, and the guide and driver were exceptional! Our guide is a TV actor and vocal soloist named Matthias Unger. He was great! Had sooooo much fun on this tour!
Since my return, I have dealt with chicken farm issues such as burnt out fan motors ( I am getting quite good at handling electrical work), leaking water lines, feed auger systems which had to be repaired and/or replaced and so on. I have only got hands on training in all the plumbing, electrical, and industrial equipment work, but it is becoming rare that I have to go find Bob or some other "expert" for advice or help. I feel pretty good about that.
I did also go to Tulsa University, to get training for AP German, which will be offered at Conway this year!! Yeah! I haved worked hard to build this program to the point that District administrators will soon have to decide to hire another part-time German teacher or figure out how to tell parents that a school of 3000 students can't offer German to everyone who wants it! They will have to turn down about 20 this year as it stands. I hope next year the number is double that. That would be 2 classes!
Getting long, back to normal chicken farm life for the past few weeks! More next week, after school starts (for teachers). :( or is it :) Maybe better wait till October to decide; that's when I will feel like I am ready to start the school year.
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