Healthcare

See if you've heard this joke.

A man walks into a bank and hands the teller a note demanding $1 and healthcare. He waits patiently for the police to respond to the robbery and take him into custody. As a ward of the state, he is now receiving the healthcare he couldn't afford on his own.

The only thing is that this really happened. It isn't a joke. It was a reality, recently, for a 59-year-old North Carolina man. As Republicans and Democrats wage a war on the cost of national healthcare--whether you want to call it "Obamacare" or "Obamneycare"--there are people who cannot afford to receive life saving health care. They can't afford medications, medical procedures, or long-term life extending care, whether in public or private facilities.

Our country has the money and medical resources to guarantee each American top-notch medical care for those who cannot afford it through no fault of their own, whether or not they are homeless, laid off from work, injured, and the list can continue.

As American taxpayers foot the bill for two wars, which cost ten-of-billions of dollars annually, we allow our own citizens to suffer and die needlessly. Besides these two wars, we are set to fight another one in Libya. It's time for President Obama to live up to his promise of ending the Bush wars. Thus, bringing home those billions of dollars dumped into a bottomless blackhole located on the other side of the globe. There is no hope that these wars will ever end satisfactorily. My suggestion is to stop Libya before it begins in earnestness. It's not our fight. We weren't there when it began in 1969, why do we insist on being there at the end in 2011? Yes, innocent people are dying there, but the same is true about the United States. In the final analysis, who deserves our money most?

Republican Debate

The first Republican presidential debate of the 2012 primary season was held last night in Manchester, New Hampshire. I have to say it was probably a waste of time. I watched bits and pieces of it, but it was mostly attack Barack Obama and high praise of Ronald Reagan, who was president in a different time and climate.

Surprisingly, I didn't hear another Republican hero lauded. I am speaking, of course, of George W. Bush.

Weinergate

Who wants to see the pics that Congressman Anthony Weiner tweeted to me? Not to mention the inappropriate banter he forced me to read!

Oh Lordy! When will these politicians learn?

Accutane & Acne (Days 94-115)

Eureka!

I can report that for the past week I have been completely breakout free for the first time in about 19 years!

I first started getting spotty acne when I was 12 years old. For me, it is hard to believe that most people move beyond this skin ailment by the end of their teens and certainly by the beginning of their twenties; however, for me, I have been living with it for the majority of my life. The twenties were no relief, and my thirties certainly showed no sign of recovery. As I move into the end of my treatment, I am now concerned that once I stop taking isotretinoin that my acne may return. My dermatologist said in that case we'd simply start another regimen of isotretinoin, because it is possible for it to return in a mild form. I suppose I can live with that. Although the new acne is gone, I still have the visual remains of a decades long war on my face. I see fading hyperpigmentation and a very few scars along my right jawline. My scars are nothing compared to the discoloration. They are not even noticeable. If you looked really close you may see two or three. Of course, I've never seen my face completely acne free since I was 11 years old, so I may find more as time goes on.

Over all, I am happy!