A Small Victory for Healthcare

Like most Democrats, I was surprised to see the Supreme Court uphold "Obamacare."  I was expecting it to fail by a 5-4 decision.  John Roberts decision to go along with the liberal judges, approving nearly every part of the health care law, and actually writing the majority opinion himself, was a real head-scratcher for me.  If it wasn't for him, this conservative judge, the Affordable Health Care Act would have been dead.  The other four justices wanted to kill the entire law.

Unlike most Democrats, however, I'm not jumping up and down in elation at this law being upheld.  The law still leaves control of healthcare in the hands of greedy insurance companies, and they will make millions off of this.  Ultimately what I'd like to see is universal healthcare, where everyone pays into the system (yes, a tax!), just like Taiwan and Canada and almost every other civilized country, and everyone is covered.   A snake bite should no longer cost someone $143,000 to treat.  A week in the hospital shouldn't make you go bankrupt.  If my daughter can spend a week in a hospital in Taiwan for about $35, why can't we do it here?

So, this law is far from perfect, but it's a small step in the right direction.  While most of the people who oppose it complain about the individual mandate, there are still several things to like about this law:  you can't be denied for a pre-existing condition, your kids can stay on your plan until they are 26, no lifetime limits on benefits, insurance companies must now spend 85 cents out of every dollar on actual reimbursement for your healthcare, not on "administrative costs."  How anyone could be opposed to these particular aspects of the law boggles the mind.

Mitt Romney, the author of "Obamacare" is of course out there promising to "repeal and replace" his own creation if he's elected president.  What will he replace it with?  Who knows.  He, nor anyone in the GOP has said.  I think we'd all like to know his plan, since we obviously can't continue down the "pre-Obamacare" path.

Personally, I don't really understand why the Republicans hate Obamacare so much.  This was designed to stop the uninsured freeloaders from going to the ER for simple aches and pains (which I see at my hospital a LOT) and then not pay a dime.  Who ends up paying?  We do.  Of course, this will still keep happening even after the law is implemented, but the percentage will go way down.  Just look at Massachusetts as an example:  the uninsured rate dropped from 6% to 2%, the majority of the people approve of "Romneycare", and the state is consistently rated one of the best in the country (for healthcare.)  Imagine that: Democrats supporting a law that supports personal responsibility and discourages freeloading off the system, and the Republicans opposing it.  I think the only reason they hate it now is because Obama supports it.

Some Republicans will shout and complain that this is one step further toward socialism, and they shouldn't be forced to buy something or else be taxed.  Oh please...you are already being taxed for stuff you may or may not be using.  Schools, parks, beaches, post offices, fire departments, police departments, etc., all being paid for by your tax dollars.  Why not health care as well?  And believe me, eventually, one day, you WILL need health care.

Sea World & San Antonio

I have to remind myself of something and never forget it:  Never go to an amusement park when the temperature outside is 110 degrees.

(Back at the Alamo in downtown San Antonio)


We were in San Antonio on Sunday and Monday.  We arrived late Sunday afternoon, visited the Alamo once again (my third time, the second time for Christy and the kids), and then had dinner at the famous "Riverwalk."  On Monday morning, Christy went to the USCIS office for her citizenship interview (detailed in my previous blog.)  After that, we decided to go to Sea World.

(Kyle tries to stay cool at the splash park in Sea World.)


Sea World, I should point out, has gotten insanely expensive.  Adults are $59.99, children are $49.99.  Parking is $15.  Had we paid full price for everything, we would have spent $235. Luckily, Christy was able to pick up 4 passes, plus parking for $50 (a perk from the company she works for.)

(From the Sea World aquarium, one of the few places to get relief from the heat.)


 I never went to the Sea World in San Antonio before, only the one in San Diego (when I was a kid.)  Things have certainly changed, and not just the price of admission.  It's no longer just whale and dolphin shows.  Now it's become Disneyland, with whale and dolphin shows.  The kids just wanted to spend their entire day going on rides and getting wet in the splash park, and we didn't catch any of the whale or dolphin shows.  The only show we did see was "Elmo Rocks!", which had nothing to do with the sea or sea animals.

(Christy poses withe kids inside the Sea World aquarium.)


I was perfectly content to let the kids do what they wanted, since I was in burning in an outdoor microwave the whole time.  I didn't want to spend my time walking around in the sun, or sitting in the sun watching an animal show.  We're currently in the middle of another crazy heat wave here in Texas.  In Austin, it's 106 degrees.  San Antonio was somewhere between 110 and 113.  It certainly felt like it too.  I spent most of my time just trying to stay hydrated and not suffering from sun stroke.

(The kids pose with the Penguin Man, who I imagine is very uncomfortable in that suit.)


Constantly running for shade and drinking endless amounts of water is no way to enjoy an amusement park.  Rather than having a nice memory of a family trip to Sea World, I'll only remember the heat and my fears of ending up in a hospital ER from heat stroke.  I think Sea World should offer 50% off admission on days that are over 100 degrees.  Anything over that temperature, and it's no longer an amusement park, it's a "survival park."

The Undiscovered Austin: Lake Pflugerville & Juan in a Million

                         (Lake Pflugerville)

We've now been living in Austin, Texas for just over 4 years.  It's amazing how fast time flies.  When we moved here, Kyle was only 1 year old, and Sara was only 3.  (You can see pictures of our first visit to downtown Austin in 2008 here).
                                     

                      (Lake Pflugerville at dusk.)

What's great about Austin, or any other big city as diverse as Austin, is that you are always discovering something new.  Just a few weeks ago, we found out that there was a very nice lake about 15 minutes away from our house.  I had no idea this place even existed until Christy discovered it while looking at a website called "Free Fun Austin".

                  (The Lake Pflugerville "pebble beach.")
 
                          
Unlike Lake Travis, which everyone is familiar with, Lake Pflugerville seems to be hidden away, and can only be reached by driving deep in the countryside on those small farm roads.  It has a nice, 3 mile walking trail around the lake, and a small, pebble beach area where people can swim.  We've already been to this lake about half a dozen times, but I have yet to swim there.  I'm one of those people who worry about bacteria levels in lakes like this, but I do always see lots of kids swimming there.

         (More pictures of the "beach" at Lake Pflugerville.)

We also visited a restaurant recently called "Juan in a Million", a Mexican restaurant prominently featured on the cable television show "Man VS. Food."  "Man VS Food" is a show about a guy named Adam Richman who goes to restaurants all over America, and challenges himself to eat enormous portions of food (a giant hamburger, a giant steak, a giant sandwich, etc.)  Sometimes he succeeds, sometimes not.  What's amazing is that this guy hasn't dropped dead from these challenges.  He's not even obese (a bit chubby, though).

            (Juan in a Million, located in downtown Austin)

The challenge at Juan in a Million was to eat 8 "Don Juan" breakfast tacos.  You can get an idea of just how big  one is by looking at the picture below.  Both Christy and I ordered one.  She couldn't finish hers, and although I  finished mine, I was full the entire day, and couldn't eat another bite until about 8 hours later.  This guy from Man VS. Food managed to eat 5, although the record is 8.  That's truly amazing, not to mention dangerous.  As for the restaurant itself, it was okay.  Nothing particularly special to me, so I don't really understand its popularity in Austin.  It certainly wasn't the most delicious breakfast taco I've ever eaten.  I could go on about the embarrassing nature of a show like "Man VS. Food" to the rest of the world, and how it stereotypes Americans as gluttonous slobs, but you can watch the YouTube video below and read the comments there.  There are enough comments that reflect that already.  Typical comment I see is "...meanwhile in Africa...."

    (Christy attempts to eat one Don Juan breakfast taco.)


I highly recommend to my fellow Austinites to visit Lake Pflugerville.  And to anyone eating the Don Juan breakfast tacos, I also recommend the three mile walk around the lake after you're finished.  :)


(Below: the "Man VS. Food" episode from Juan in a Million.