Just for consideration. Imagine that the people could come together a provide a better way to health care. The following is a brief description of an idea that I have been working on. By sharing this vision, I have two thoughts. The first is to gauge support for the idea and the second being to risk that someone will borrow the concept and make it their own. I'm tired of waiting and praying for a true Universal Health care option. The people that we have elected are not trying hard enough to provide the relief that we need. My greatest belief is that we could locate enough people, with a common purpose and that we can combine our smaller means into a greater cause for humanity. By providing for others, we will have what we need. Please feel free to add your ideas or support either in the comment section or on the facebook page. This would not be insurance but simply a way to pay for proper health care.
Monthly premiums- $300 for individual and $700 for family plan.
We would have to reach a certain commitment level before we could begin the program.
People would have to pay into the program for 6 months before they would be eligible for a claim or benefits. This to establish the fund for paying claims.
There would be zero deductible and no such thing as a pre existing condition.
This program would cover 100% of doctor, dental and surgery cost, including Rx.
The program administrators and workers could make a maximum salary of $100,000 per year. If there were a National sales person, they could have travel expenses paid but there would be no huge income rates or golden parachutes.
If the program was based on 1,000 members to start and the rate was based upon the minimum of $300 per month, in six months, the program would have $1,800,000 to start paying health care for the people. As you can see, the numbers only improve with more members and the coverage would be the best available. Since it is not insurance, we would have the ability to negotiate rates for Rx and doctors if we so desired. The intent of the program would be to provide a full coverage health care plan for all members by placing monies into a common fund. If the numbers were big enough, there would never be a lifetime limit of payout of claims...like the insurance companies like to do at 2-3 million. Some folks would have big claims and some would have very little but the numbers speak for themselves. The biggest threat would not be competition because no other insurer would be willing to cap the salaries or provide 100% benefits but rather, the biggest threat to the program would be that the insurance giants would try to buy the fund out. My idea would be to further place a contract over the fund that would prohibit the selling of it for an extended amount of time as well.
The idea sounds simple and it really is but I believe that the power of the people is strong. This program can cross political lines and be the basis for the health care that we all deserve and need. Please add your voice to this page and feel free to share the concept with others. I will be starting a facebook page for the idea as well. If you agree with the concept and would be interested in becoming a part of the fund, join the facebook page and if the numbers prove to be large enough, maybe we can make the dream a reality.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=157980040882789&ref=ts
TSD- 09/06/2010
The Southern Donkey is dedicated to establishing a voice for Democratic, Liberal and proggresive ideas in the South. Stand up and be heard. The South needs a new voice.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Rich and the Wrong
The Southern Donkey has a pedigree is religion. Sometimes my rantings and observations lead to friends and readers asking if I still retain my faith. The truth us, that life has offered me much sadness and heartache in this area. The more that I am honest with myself, the more I question everything. I notice that the real problems within the church can almost always be traced to power and greed. I recently sat under a sermon from a well meaning Pastor and the scripture being preached was on the following...
Luke 18:18-23 (with the context of vss. 24-30 also)
[18] A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
[19] "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good -- except God alone. [20] You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
[21] "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
[22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
[23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
If you are a true believer, these verses are pretty simple and straightforward, the first lesson being that Jesus did not like being called "good" but yet we have reached a point that the religious leaders do like being called good and perfect and like being given free things and receiving discounts on everything. The second lesson is that the rich young ruler lied by saying that he has always kept every commandment which is of course, impossible so Jesus one ups him and says that since he has kept all the commands, then he needs to sell all his stuff and give all his wealth to the poor. This makes the rich young ruler sad because he was very wealthy. The health and wealth preachers love to say that this is not a sermon about how evil money can be and that the real story is that we allow people and things and attitudes to come between us and God. Given the chance to speak out against the big and rich church society, it is rare to ever find a Pastor that will do so. The problem is that many of the Pastors are well paid and well supported by the cheering crowd of the well to do and aspire to have more and more wealth and benefits. There is never a reason for big religion to have fat bank accounts and money horded up while the world around them dies and goes without. Playing church for show and dough is and always has been a sin. The church is no place for rich and powerful elite people that are racist and use their wealth to influence the pulpit with political party support and to silence the real message that should be shared.
Luke 18:18-23 (with the context of vss. 24-30 also)
[18] A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
[19] "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good -- except God alone. [20] You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
[21] "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
[22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
[23] When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
If you are a true believer, these verses are pretty simple and straightforward, the first lesson being that Jesus did not like being called "good" but yet we have reached a point that the religious leaders do like being called good and perfect and like being given free things and receiving discounts on everything. The second lesson is that the rich young ruler lied by saying that he has always kept every commandment which is of course, impossible so Jesus one ups him and says that since he has kept all the commands, then he needs to sell all his stuff and give all his wealth to the poor. This makes the rich young ruler sad because he was very wealthy. The health and wealth preachers love to say that this is not a sermon about how evil money can be and that the real story is that we allow people and things and attitudes to come between us and God. Given the chance to speak out against the big and rich church society, it is rare to ever find a Pastor that will do so. The problem is that many of the Pastors are well paid and well supported by the cheering crowd of the well to do and aspire to have more and more wealth and benefits. There is never a reason for big religion to have fat bank accounts and money horded up while the world around them dies and goes without. Playing church for show and dough is and always has been a sin. The church is no place for rich and powerful elite people that are racist and use their wealth to influence the pulpit with political party support and to silence the real message that should be shared.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A Republican Prayer
Father forgive me for I have sinned
I have taken from the poor and provided for the rich
In your name I have declared wars and taken lives
I have taken bribes and embraced controversy
Hate and deceit have been on my tongue each and every day
I strive to obtain power no matter the cost to my fellow man
Pride has allowed me to sit in places of honor and esteem
While the poor and helpless wonder in the street
I have not been accountable in my moral state
But I have judged others as guilty with no shame
Money and greed have been my only concern
As long as I have mine, who cares if the world burns
Deny my fellow man the same rights I have
Don’t you know marriage is only between a Woman and a Man
I have no respect for the leader elected by choice
But I have questioned his birthright with a loud voice
Can there ever be hope or change for a sinner like me
Or have my choices confirmed my own dark destiny?
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Top 10 Reasons to be a Democrat in the South
10. It's a ground floor opportunity. Lots of room for expansion.
9. You don't have to worry about matching any outfits to a rebel flag motif.
8. You can have ethnic friends.
7. It's a great way to make a preacher cuss.
6. You don't have to watch fox news.
5. You can have other hobbies besides shooting wildlife without questioning your manhood.
4. You can admit that Global Warming is real.
3. You don't have to be wealthy to have a voice.
2. You can run for office and make a difference.
1. There are plenty of parking spaces at our meetings.
9. You don't have to worry about matching any outfits to a rebel flag motif.
8. You can have ethnic friends.
7. It's a great way to make a preacher cuss.
6. You don't have to watch fox news.
5. You can have other hobbies besides shooting wildlife without questioning your manhood.
4. You can admit that Global Warming is real.
3. You don't have to be wealthy to have a voice.
2. You can run for office and make a difference.
1. There are plenty of parking spaces at our meetings.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Distorted Fireworks
The 4th of July should be a time to celebrate the independence of the United States. In the South, this means fireworks, overeating and jumping in a pool or pond. The meaning of this date should be simple but it is often lost and revised by well meaning Americans. On this day, let us reflect on the good and the bad.
The Good- America was founded for many reasons. Some of the early settlers that came here from Europe wanted a chance at a better life for themselves and their families and others came here because of religious conflicts with the Church in Europe. There was no established and or accepted one reason for the people coming here. The original settlers seem to have tried to coexist with the Native Americans and contrary to popular conservative belief, the Europeans were strangers in the land.
The Bad- America has been made out the be a noble establishment sanctioned by God without fault. We have been glamorized into a perfect foundation and it was our "christian " right to possess the land and oust the savages that were here before us. We have also rewritten history to place into fact that the founding fathers were all christian men and founded the Nation on God and the bible.
I found myself at a local church service today. It is always cause for concern for me when a patriotic holiday occurs on a Sunday. This is because of the mixing of the political and religious that has taken place over the past 20 years or so. I have in the past, observed people in the congregation, raising their hands and worshiping to the star spangled banner and I have seen veterans stand and do infomercials for the military from the pulpit. Of course, the common inference is always that God and Country and Republicanism are the same and equal thing. These days often turn into Obama or Democratic bash-a-thons and it is almost more than any normal person can stand.
The undeniable fact is that this Nation declared it's independence from Britain and it's self imposed tyrannical rule and then we imposed our own tyrannical rule and will on the Native American people. For lack of a better term, we are a bastard Nation that took a Country by force and exterminated the Native occupants almost to extinction. I know these are not words that make us want to celebrate and party but they are true nonetheless. I sat through a local pastor today that stated that this Country was founded by christian men and that the men that signed the Declaration of Independence were mostly christian and based that document on biblical and christian beliefs. My questions are many. If these founding fathers were as smart as we say that they are, then why did they not specifically state the christian beliefs in this document? If these were really Godly men, why did we not mention slavery being a bad idea? The local pastor said that the founding fathers wanted the bible to be taught in schools and that we could not find even one current congressmen that would support that notion nowadays. Not only do we have one that would support that, but we have every Republican and some conservative Democrats that would be for that. It would be a horrible idea and it would violate the very intent of the founding fathers documents. He also placed some art from the capital on a big screen above the sanctuary. The first painting was one of Pocahontas being baptized. The pastor was so proud to state that the legends of Pocahontas had left out the fact that she had become a Christian and had changed her name to Rebecca...a more Christian and less Savage name. I found that statement to be very offensive in and of itself. He went on to state that the Founding Fathers were not Deist like some would contend. He gave examples of approx. 6 of the men that signed the Declaration of Independence that were Christians. He said that he would not bore us with naming more of them for time sake. The funny thing was that 5 of the 6, were hardly known men and he used Samuel Adams as the anchor. This is coming from a pastor of a church that preaches against drinking at all and he is using Samuel Adams as his best example? I think he did not continue with more example because for every one that he gave, I could provide 2 that were not christian but were at best Deist and no, Deist is not Atheist. Deist believe in God only. They do not support or argue over his front men or prophets.
My point is, that I am getting very tired of the sentiment that we were founded as a christian Nation and that all the Founders were perfect christian people and that this Nation has been chosen by God to rule in dominion over all the earth. There is always negative comments about the current society being bad when compared to the good old days. I even heard a local speaker at a christian golf tournament say that we are an illegitimate Nation as he was referring to single parent households and Liberal ideas. As you will remember, I called us a bastard Nation earlier and we are but the bastardization started at the founding and has gotten worse because of our self righteous beliefs and our bull mentality toward anyone and anything that we don't understand or like.
On this day, let us reflect on the good and the bad but in our own way, let us better ourselves and speak out against the overreaching of these United States. Celebrate Independence and acknowledge our faults and strive to make this a better place for future generations. And the lesson that I learned today, is that the next time that there is a patriotic holiday on a Sunday, this Democrat will not be attending.
The Good- America was founded for many reasons. Some of the early settlers that came here from Europe wanted a chance at a better life for themselves and their families and others came here because of religious conflicts with the Church in Europe. There was no established and or accepted one reason for the people coming here. The original settlers seem to have tried to coexist with the Native Americans and contrary to popular conservative belief, the Europeans were strangers in the land.
The Bad- America has been made out the be a noble establishment sanctioned by God without fault. We have been glamorized into a perfect foundation and it was our "christian " right to possess the land and oust the savages that were here before us. We have also rewritten history to place into fact that the founding fathers were all christian men and founded the Nation on God and the bible.
I found myself at a local church service today. It is always cause for concern for me when a patriotic holiday occurs on a Sunday. This is because of the mixing of the political and religious that has taken place over the past 20 years or so. I have in the past, observed people in the congregation, raising their hands and worshiping to the star spangled banner and I have seen veterans stand and do infomercials for the military from the pulpit. Of course, the common inference is always that God and Country and Republicanism are the same and equal thing. These days often turn into Obama or Democratic bash-a-thons and it is almost more than any normal person can stand.
The undeniable fact is that this Nation declared it's independence from Britain and it's self imposed tyrannical rule and then we imposed our own tyrannical rule and will on the Native American people. For lack of a better term, we are a bastard Nation that took a Country by force and exterminated the Native occupants almost to extinction. I know these are not words that make us want to celebrate and party but they are true nonetheless. I sat through a local pastor today that stated that this Country was founded by christian men and that the men that signed the Declaration of Independence were mostly christian and based that document on biblical and christian beliefs. My questions are many. If these founding fathers were as smart as we say that they are, then why did they not specifically state the christian beliefs in this document? If these were really Godly men, why did we not mention slavery being a bad idea? The local pastor said that the founding fathers wanted the bible to be taught in schools and that we could not find even one current congressmen that would support that notion nowadays. Not only do we have one that would support that, but we have every Republican and some conservative Democrats that would be for that. It would be a horrible idea and it would violate the very intent of the founding fathers documents. He also placed some art from the capital on a big screen above the sanctuary. The first painting was one of Pocahontas being baptized. The pastor was so proud to state that the legends of Pocahontas had left out the fact that she had become a Christian and had changed her name to Rebecca...a more Christian and less Savage name. I found that statement to be very offensive in and of itself. He went on to state that the Founding Fathers were not Deist like some would contend. He gave examples of approx. 6 of the men that signed the Declaration of Independence that were Christians. He said that he would not bore us with naming more of them for time sake. The funny thing was that 5 of the 6, were hardly known men and he used Samuel Adams as the anchor. This is coming from a pastor of a church that preaches against drinking at all and he is using Samuel Adams as his best example? I think he did not continue with more example because for every one that he gave, I could provide 2 that were not christian but were at best Deist and no, Deist is not Atheist. Deist believe in God only. They do not support or argue over his front men or prophets.
My point is, that I am getting very tired of the sentiment that we were founded as a christian Nation and that all the Founders were perfect christian people and that this Nation has been chosen by God to rule in dominion over all the earth. There is always negative comments about the current society being bad when compared to the good old days. I even heard a local speaker at a christian golf tournament say that we are an illegitimate Nation as he was referring to single parent households and Liberal ideas. As you will remember, I called us a bastard Nation earlier and we are but the bastardization started at the founding and has gotten worse because of our self righteous beliefs and our bull mentality toward anyone and anything that we don't understand or like.
On this day, let us reflect on the good and the bad but in our own way, let us better ourselves and speak out against the overreaching of these United States. Celebrate Independence and acknowledge our faults and strive to make this a better place for future generations. And the lesson that I learned today, is that the next time that there is a patriotic holiday on a Sunday, this Democrat will not be attending.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Life Within the Bubble
"These are the times that try men's souls." If you know your history, you already know that this statement was made by one of our great founding fathers, Thomas Paine. This is my favorite founding father and his writings are highly recommended but that is for another day. The aforementioned words were spoken in relation to the tyranny of Britain toward the United States. We did prevail and establish our Nation as free. We have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and are the “most free” Nation on the Planet. The former President even liked to say that we were attacked because of our freedoms. But I want to submit a question…are we truly free? We do have freedoms but often, personal freedoms come at a great cost. Thomas Paine, one of the founding fathers and no doubt, a patriot, ended up as an outcast because of his religious writings. He only had a few people that attended his funeral for fear of being associated with him. I have found that living in the South offers a very limited box of freedom. Although you can go anywhere that you like and you can for the most part, even harm your own body with all types of drink, pills and smoke, you are placed into bubbles of reality. Being involved in any of the recognized religions, will place upon you a lot of restrictions and will curb your freedoms greatly. I speak to many friends that I have grown up with and although they say the right things and behave the right ways, they are often very oppressed on the inside and would live much differently if they could do so without being ostracized by friends and family. When you are a part of the establishment, you are often crushed by parents that feel that it is their job to break you into submission. The parents mostly mean well and consider it to be their duty that you go to heaven and declare openly that you accept their religious ways or they will have your blood upon their hands. This is not unlike the ways of Islam and other world wide religions that make it the parents and spouses jobs to convert and keep you in their ways. Again, I am not being anti God but I want to express that unless a person comes to accept these ways as their own, then they are largely meaningless. It is impossible for a person to save another persons soul. With that in mind, we must allow expressions that may roam and not agree with our personal guidelines and beliefs. Freedom is only free when it is given away and allowed to be exercised. Many people in the South are quick to judge and quick to hate anything that is not common or comfortable. The irony that exist is that many that struggle with demons in their own lives, often speak out loudly against those same issues the loudest. How many times have you seen a political leader or pastor speak against being a crook and then they are one or speak against being LGBT and they are those things as well? If we could ever allow for true expression, we would find a truly free society as a result. Honest debate is always acceptable but bullying and hate are not allowable and are not family values. We already have laws to act upon if there would be those that carried the freedoms into areas that exceeded the legal limits. Freedom to speak your mind but not in anger, freedom to be different in appearance through the way we dress or make ourselves up, freedom to explore who we are inside and out and freedom to be as religious or non religious as we determine would be the hope of this simple writer. If you have a daughter and all she hears from you is a hatred for “black” people, then she may end up doing exactly the opposite of your wishes and by the way, once and for all, there is no biblical restrictions or teachings to support racism is association or dating or marrying. I know, “be not unequally yoked” and this does not apply. The bible speaks of not being tied together or married with unbelievers. I was almost removed from a local church for telling a youth group this. It is common to have rebellion in kids and the more extreme the upbringing, the more extreme the rebellion can be. We just can’t wash our hands of others, especially children for making mistakes or deciding to be different. You do not have to agree or condone any actions but also, you can’t force someone to conform through guilt or threats. Guilt is the greatest weapon used in the South and maybe in the Nation. We are taught to feel guilty from a young age and many are never able to live a normal life without guilt and shame and biting and chewing fingernails. I have gone through many major events in my life including a near death car wreck and legal battles. The one thing that I have learned through it all is compassion. I try to make peace and offer understanding to those that may not have anyone to do so. I try to have no shock factor because sometimes folks need to feel that they are acceptable as they are. Tattoos and piercing are expressions and should not be criticized as are music and the arts. There are myriads of people out there who are awesome musicians and painters and free thinkers but they will never stoke the fires within because they have been mentally beaten down into submission. My one desire for all would be that you can truly find your passion and be able to follow it until the fires burn low. We might find room for all to exist and less room for hate in the end.
The Southern Donkey-06/18/2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
At What Cost?
I have heard that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I would offer that the road to enlightenment or the straight and narrow path is littered with toll booths. Because of my writings, I have been asked if I have a problem with God? I do not have a problem with God but I do have many issues with his front men. I believe that access to God is free and easy, if you choose to believe in a God figure. It seems as though there are myriads of people that try to copyright God and claim to have exclusive access to him. If you will only pay a fee, you too can enjoy full access to all that is God. I can speak from a Christian background. We have often been taught that you can come to God as you are and that salvation is free but of course the free part is for a limited time only. Once we join forces with a church, the fees begin. We are expected to pay tithes and offerings or we are guilty of robbing God. If you are not a faithful tithe payer, then you cannot hold any office in church and you are no longer on the good list. It is amazing how we can go from free access to fee requirements to being a thief.
Christianity is not the only religion that ask for fees. Pretty much all cult set ups ask that you give up all of your material goods and give them to the leader who either is God or has access to God. It is ironic that the person that ask you to give up your possessions and money will then keep your treasure and live like a ruler or a king. Sounds familiar to the prosperity gospel that I have heard on television by what I call the superstar preachers. These folks will tell you that it is God’s will for you to be rich and to have fat bank accounts. This leads to all sorts of problems. An end result is that we now have “Christians” that are against helping the poor directly as well as the vile mixing of politics and religion that breeds hate and contempt for anyone that is not just like you. We transfer the beliefs that all other religions are wrong and we now believe that it is not possible to be a Democrat and a Christian and that all Democrats, Catholics, Muslims, Hindu, Mormans , Jehovah Witness, Atheist, Deist and any other non approved church or political party is wrong and headed for a Hellish end.
The fees for all religions are not always limited to monetary. Inherent in pretty much every religion is the belief that there is only one God and that only that specific faith has the access and that makes all other religions and even all other sects of that faith wrong. The fees can range from submission to the power establishment in the faith to working for free to even laying you life down in the hopes of obtaining a harem is the afterlife. In the current economic times, we are beginning to see the emphasis being placed upon the church member to give till it hurts. To give even at the risk of shorting the needs of your family is the mantra and cannot be supported by biblical scripture or by common sense. The leaders of the churches are concerned first with preserving their current lifestyle. Most pastors are given housing, have their expenses paid, including cars, insurance, utilities and any other expenses that are deemed worthy. This is a pretty sweet system and would be easy to get use to and hard to live without once you are in the system. I recently heard a Pastor state that he could not wait to get back to Church from a vacation so that he could give his tithes. This is a funny statement because it would be easy to give back a small portion as a rebate of what the Church just gave you. I promise that if you will give me $100 right now, I will gladly give you $10 back and we can repeat the process over and over as long as you like. I would sign up for that gig but the positions are few and the aspect of living with yourself and the inherent greed would be more than an honest person could stand.
If you step away from your bias and consider the big picture, each faith is built upon having a God. Most all require living by a moral code and most are based upon eventually reaching an afterlife destination or being punished in the afterlife in a hell or equivalent bad place. The purpose of hell seems to be a threat to keep subjects in line and to maintain the law order and fees required to keep the doors open on buildings required and to support the chosen ones with salaries and all expenses. The threat of hell leads to a guilt complex and makes even the most moral people question their motives and live under a weight and fear of an image of a God with a sledge hammer that is waiting to swing down on the heads of the guilty.
The churches and religions will seem to always demand an almost all voluntary support army. These are the people that out of obligation, guilt or kind heartedness run most all labor functions of the church. Teaching of Sunday school, collection of offerings, cleaning of the church, landscaping, etc. are some of the many examples of free labor demanded so that the upper management that is paid, can enjoy the power and Lordship that they have come to expect. The larger churches seem to have developed a system by which the higher up clergy as well as many chosen business people can profit. The good old boy system is alive and well in the church, especially in the more prosperous ones. There are contracts awarded for lawn maintenance, construction jobs and upkeep of facilities. The purpose of any church or religion should be to serve “God” and provide support and assistance to all who are in need. The purpose should never be to get rich or prosperous at the expense of the less educated and guilt ridden sheep that place their trust in you. If you truly follow the gospels, you would realize that ministry has nothing to do with a payment system, salaries or hording up money to pay for large buildings and political functions. Capitalism should not be welcome in church or in any religion and until we are free to take an honest look at the cost that we are paying and the fees that are being demanded, we can never be free to assist the ones that are in real need.
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