This reform is frustrating and upsetting to me. Also the amount of people so excited about this makes me think the media succeeded in highlighting the right parts of the bill without talking about the ramifications downstream. They took a great opportunity to make some real change but went with a partisan approach that will dig the hole deeper for the underlying issues. I don’t think this bill is a tenth of what its cracked up to be.
The insurance companies aren’t as out of control as they are being painted. The costs from hospitals and clinics are out of control as well.
While some changes in the bill are favorable. Preventing insurance companies from dropping coverage if you are ill, and children being able to be on parents plans until 26. (although the age 26 extension has huge side-effects)
A worthless experience to a clinic will still cost hundreds of dollars to the insurance companies.
I cant believe that they will now require you as a citizen to have buy coverage. Penalties if you don’t. Great timing on this one as unemployment rates are at highs.
Lifetime caps being banned = Good… that is until premiums continue to rise for companies with employees reaching and exceeding those caps. I believe a better solution is to team this one up with working on cutting costs in hospitals and providers, that could help to reduce the amount of people hitting these limits. Not all, but it would help.
Transparency in insurance company overhead is good.. I think it will wake up to the fact that the products are too expensive and there is less overhead than people think. The public needs to see this.
Ethan Daily, Honesty, Struggles health care reform, obama
1 week after receiving an incorrect order from Blinds.com the issue is still unresolved. I did my leg work up front. Sending all sorts of pictures of the incorrect blind and the order tag and build tags. Here we are 6 emails later an I am being asked about something that is on the label… By the same customer service representative.
A smart move would be for them to have just admitted fault, sent me a return label and maybe re-ordered the blind for me. Or at least a simple apology for the error. I have received nothing from blinds.com except for more questions and more questions.
If they’d look at my account they may realize that I have outfitted my entire house with blinds ordered through their website.
Blinds.com, you need to do something to redeem yourselves. And quickly…
Ethan Daily, Feeling, Honesty, Struggles
I find it funny that the majority of people willingly place their body in the way of closing elevator doors to avoid waiting for the next one.
How come we trust elevator doors with our lives but struggle to trust friends and family at the same level?
Ethan Daily, Life Journey, Struggles
I feel like we have no time for relaxation. Cabin weekend is needed soon. Weddings, friends, weddings, bbq, golf, stuff….
Too much going on.
Next Monday is our next free day! with nothing on the calendar, yet… need to say no.
Ethan Feeling, Life Journey, Struggles
Lately I have found myself trying to figure out if I am en expert at anything. Not just good or talented at something, but an expert.
With projects around the house, playing various sports, programming, friendships, and the list goes on. I know I am talented and very capable. But I don’t feel like I am an expert at anything.
It makes me wonder how many of us actually are experts at something. Last fall I read a great book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He mentions in the book that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, sports, music, law, finance. That is almost 5 years of your life working from 9-to-5 at something with no breaks.
I do 2 things that much, work and sleep. But I am not even an expert with those subjects. At work I do so many different things that I cant have the time or focus to become and expert at one of them.
One thing I am probably closest to becoming an expert is that I talk like I am an expert at everything.
“Jack of all trades, master of none”
I dont want to be that guy anymore. I want to become a master at something, an expert in that field.
Here’s the problem… I dont know what it will be…
Ethan Feeling, Honesty, Struggles
Saw it last night in a pre-release deal.
Interesting, yet my thoughts aren't fully grounded as I haven't read the book yet. I may now read it for more details. I guess the movie left large chunks of detail out.
I struggle with the big deal everybody is making about this book/movie. Isn't our faith supposed to be founded on the experiences we've had with Jesus? Not seeing him on the big-screen or pages of a fictional book. My faith is grounded on Jesus' love I experience daily. I think that questions are a great way to open yourself up to let Jesus' love pour in. I think even the tough questions that may shake the ground the Church was founded on are good questions for you on a personal level. I don't want to belittle the history of the Church with this post and thats not my point. My problem is that we focus on facts facts facts.
I wonder why we put all of our energy towards a book/story like this to have people "boycott the movie cause we dont want to line Dan Brown's pockets with even more money" Yet we sit and don't even know most of our neighbors names, have no idea about the life of the person behind the Caribou Coffee counter, or go to happy hours with co-workers and talk about nothing and go home with no idea of how they are loving their wife/husband or families and neighbors.
CHALLENGE: meet a neighbor you haven't met. learn their names… I've wanted to meet this couple for some time now, they moved in 2 houses away a year ago. But I have done nothing but wave from a distance, hoping they'd make the first move.. I am going to meet them this weekend…
Ethan Daily, Struggles, testing
This just came across the EO News Ticker…
I will be returning to El Salvador in July with the Upper Room community. I am thrilled as I was asked to be a team leader, I am very honored.
I will need to start gathering some prayer support and financial support and other logistics of the trip.
But i am very excited to go back. My life began to be transformed drastically last time I was there. I am excited to get back there and see Manuel again, experience the happiness of the people of El Salvador and grow with a community through the experience the trip brings…
Ethan Daily, Struggles
What a world it would be if instead of making fun of people who aren't like us, or judging them because of their differences, we would pray for them, engage them.. Or for starters just not even let those negative thoughts enter your head.
Friday I saw a movie with Kevin and Gennae, it was an early movie, Syriana. The theater wasn't too full, but the odd thing was that everybody gathered around us. In the row in front, behind and our row. There was 1 seat open next to Gennae, and a guy walked in by himself and saw the seat. I heard him exclaim with joy, "alright a seat right in the center of the theater!"
So he wedged between our group and the group next to us, akwardly close. Started commenting about the size of our popcorn, and saying how he was so surprised at the difference between a medium and a large. How he thought mediums would be bigger.
I was annoyed, I mean who was this guy to come interrupt our time in the theater and make it uncomfortable next to us.
Halfway through the movie I couldn't get this guy out of my head, because I started thinking. Its the holidays, he's at a movie by himself. I thought of my family at home I was going to see later that night. The friends I was with, the friends I was meeting later. and thought to myself maybe he doesn't have that. And I may have just cut down what he does have. Maybe going to the movies and talking to people is the only interaction he has with people.
My new equation for judging is this… In order to judge somebody, you need to know every possible detail about them. Otherwise any assumption/judgement isn't valid. Because there is information missing you can never be sure. I could be off about this guy. He could be like me on Good Friday last year when I went to a movie myself. It didn't mean I had no life/friends/family. It didn't mean I am odd. I am oddfor other reasons. And since we cannot know everything about somebody. Even though we may know a lot about somebody, we will never know everything. Therefore the judgment is reserved for the one who knows everything about us. Our Father in Heaven.
Ethan Daily, Struggles
Has been on my mind… Scott is a homeless man who has been coming into my local Caribou lately to sip some coffee and warm up.
My goal is to engage in a conversation with Scott.. Maybe give him a Caribou Card, although the girl working there gives him free coffee… Time will tell, I don't want to be upfront and act like I would be there to help in a "Christian" way that may turn him off, but to be there for conversation and love in a "Jesus" way.
Scott hasn't been in the last 2 days. When its below 0 and windy I wonder about those who survive on the streets, and those who don't… I guess I never have thought about those without shelter so closely. I was cold last night because I turn my thermostat down to 60 to conserve energy and money…
I hope you're doing ok Scott…
Ethan Daily, Struggles, Surprise Me
My mind has lots to say today.. Too much to write, I should hold a press conference.
I saw some old friends from a band I worked with a few years back. They volunteered their services for a benefit that was thrown last night. On top of that, I found that one of the members who is from New Orleans, has gone back there to help with the cleanup efforts. When he isn't playing music, he cleans carpets and also is a water-damage expert. So he told me he's been down there working, he also told me about the amount of money there is to be made down there… Wide opened eyes I had when I heard that number and even wider when he said he's been doing some of his jobs for free because he knows a lot of the residents have lost so much, and spending thousands of dollars may not be in everybody's budget. Its very humbling to see somebody aware of the financial possibilities and not taking advantage of an uncontrollable disaster…
Been thinking about a guy I ran into last night.. The bathroom attendant at the place where the benefit was. I can't confirm this, but have a pretty good suspicion that not many people give him the time of day. I'd imagine they think "oh man, I have to tip this guy?" when they walk in.. I did. But as I was taking care of my business before interacting with him I thought,"He is providing a service, just as I do at my job, just as the CEO of a major company does, just as a movie star does, and as their hair & makeup artists do. Why is there a negative thought in my head when I walked in?" I am glad I had the extra time to think about it before I interacted with him. He was a very nice man, really enjoyed where he was. I am wrestling with why i thought what I thought in the first place.
Another guy in my heart is a neighborhood dad. Sometimes I like running a little late, cause that is when I see him. I have never met him. I have a vague idea of which house is his. But during the school year. 8:00 AM he is on the corner of the street with his kids waiting for the school bus. Everyday! No matter the temperature, if his kids are there, so is he. Well for the past few years, every day I drive by, he goes out of his way to wave at me. I see other cars go by with no wave. But my car, never a miss… Cant think of a better way to start each day. It puts a smile on may face long enough to last a few missed lights on Excelsior Blvd… One of these days I will stop and say "hi" versus waving. Take it to the next step…
There's a ton more on my mind… These are the highlights, the ones that lighten my day.. The ones I want to focus on…
Ethan Daily, Feeling, Music, Struggles
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