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"Disneyland Dad": Opinionated MAMA's Perspective On Divorce

Never would I have believed in the Disneyland dad phenomenon if I were not living it.   The strange thing about divorce is how many surprises and challenges it presents. Even in the case of a relatively amicable situation between the adults, MAMAs shoulder a majority of the day-to-day grind...carpools, homework, appointments, bed, bath, and plenty of emotional fall out to handle...it's no Electric Light Parade every night, if you know what I mean?! (I know that there are plenty of you DADDY-Os who shoulder...

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IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY TRY AGAIN: Re-Starting The Healthcare Debate

President Obama is trying again with a new attempt: Healthcare 2.0. When our kids fail at something the first go round, we encourage them to try again.  Don’t send a plan to the scrap yard, just because it is difficult to achieve.  It’s the same in Washington. All agree that healthcare is a mess and needs to be fixed.  How to bang the dents out of the current system is the question.

The administration has published its new healthcare plan online and it’s being described as the President’s bill.   Its purpose is to re-start the stalled healthcare engine. The overhauled plan includes covering pre-existing conditions, bending the cost curve on the national debt, prevention of arbitrary rate hikes, giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to block premium increases and doing away with the special “Nebraska deal.”  It will require most people to buy coverage, would provide insurance subsidies for lower income families and would impose new taxes on higher incomes and Cadillac insurance policies.  In essence, it’s a hybrid of the current House and Senate bills, combined with the fruits of the recent discussions between the leadership in both houses. 

The plan was presented online to start the ignition for more talks before the scheduled televised White House summit with congressional Republicans today.  When the televised summit gets cranked-up and that engine turns over, it could prove to be a lively debate between the president and the Republicans.  There is a lot at stake for both sides and for the country.   Democrats, especially centrists in conservative states, feel that their constituents want something done before the November elections or fear losing races to Republicans.  Republicans fear a big price tag and political defeat for giving the Democrats a "win."  Citizens want to see democracy in action.  After all of the lane changing, sputtering and wheel greasing, the country wants to see its government working for its best interests.  We’re ready for the checkered flag, signaling that healthcare is going to finally get a tune-up.   What do you think the solution to healthcare reform should be? Remember, your opinion counts because mom knows best!  Hit the Heathcare Hot Button with your thoughts.

 Moms talk to our kids about tenacity in reaching their goals by:  1) Helping them set realistic goals.  Becoming a millionaire at 19 is probably not one to go for, but putting away a set amount of money in the bank each year might be. (2) Telling them that setbacks are part of the process.  Reminding them that we often learn more from our mistakes than our successes.  So, they need to learn the lesson and keep on truckin’ (3) Letting them know you are on their team and support their efforts...each and every time they try!


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  • scrooge001

    There is no provision in the U.S. Constitution giving the federal government the power to take control of healthcare, auto companies, etc. The federal government needs to perform those specific duties the Constitution stipulates it to do. All other duties & powers should be left to the states and the people as the Founders in their infinite wisdom knew. The healthcare debate has precious little to do with healthcare. It has been a Progressive dream for decades to gain complete control of the masses through control of access to healthcare. If the Progressives succeed in grabbing control of healthcare then we will cease to be a free people. At any rate, with the current U.S. debt in the trillions, are our kids going to be free or be slaves to the tax man? I think we all know the answer. We cannot afford another entitlement program. That is what it all boils down to.
    on 02/27/10
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  • Debomama

    Loved seeing our elected officials interacting in a relatively civil and respectful way today. All came to the table with well thought out and intelligent points and cooler heads prevailed. The media coverage was disturbing. We had to hear them calculating who won and lost each point and there was lots of airing of the soundbites that were the most "contraversial". Disappointing as it did not reflect the spirit of the session that I watched. During the breaks the Senators and President could be seen having informal side conversations, just like "regular" businesspeople. Not so scary, threatening or mysterious. Don't know if anything was resolved, but at least we, the people, got to see our elected officials in action and behaving like normal folks.
    on 02/25/10
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    • momof3

      ABSOLUTELY agree. It just made me feel like they can actually communicate with each other...they don't have to "win" or "lose" just talk to each other about this stuff out already...listen and TRY to find common ground! And, every article I read, or TV commentary I saw talked about "tension" and "anger" and I really didn't see much of that through out the day. There were moments, but they were handled much better than "advertised."
      on 02/26/10
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