The Endless Health Care Debate Wages On

How American Health Care Killed My Father

The incentives that drive our health care system have perverse (and sometimes fatal) consequences. It's time for a radical change.

After the needless death of his father, the author, a business executive, began a personal exploration of a health-care industry that for years has delivered poor service and irregular quality at astonishingly high cost. It is a system, he argues, that is not worth preserving in anything like its current form. And the health-care reform now being contemplated will not fix it. Here’s a radical solution to an agonizing problem.

by David Goldhill

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care

An interesting article on American Healthcare. Maybe, just maybe, the system isn't as great and perfect as we're being told it is. It's a scary thought, and perhaps President O'Bama's plan doesn't fix all of the problems; however, at least he is acknowledging there is a problem. Don't get me wrong, some of the most brilliant Americans are professionals in the Health Care Industry and I believe we have some of the best quality health-care in the world, but nothing is perfect. As Americans, we should the world's innovators, leaders, and free-thinkers, so why don't we get back to that and make our good Health Care system the best ever? We can do it together: Republicans, Democrats, Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Insurance Agents, and patients all working together to make our country a better place for EVERYONE.

Before we spit on President O'Bama's plan, let's consider if we have a better alternative.

A Goat Among Sheep

“Leading others effectively requires the ability to lead oneself.”
A leader possesses vision and direction for achieving standards set for themselves and for others. A leader’s ability to provide vision and direction for others originates from their own experiences in pursuit of the standard. This vision stems from personal insight into the necessity of transformation, enacting change, and courage. Developing these skills inside oneself further enables us to lead others effectively. A leader’s direction is where theory becomes practice so that passion created by the visionary transforms into action. We can all think of examples of leaders who lead out of their own knowledge and experience in the subject matter.

A prime example of leadership is my current Pastor Steve Derdowski. Steve’s vision is short, “Loving God and spreading his greatness,” but his ability to lead others stems from his own pursuit of this vision. He perceives the necessity of transformation from selfishness to Godly living and enacts change by modeling this vision for all to see. A few examples of Steve’s personal pursuit of this vision include his desire to reach out to members of the community by volunteering as the Secretary of his Homeowners Association, inviting others into his home, and welcoming visitors as one would welcome a friend. This is all not to mention his dedication as a husband and father of three children under the age of five. What enables Steve to lead others toward this vision is his passion for serving others, his ability to direct others toward change, and his exemplary life. Another one of my role models in life changed the world with his courage and dedication to his vision.

Martin Luther King Junior’s vision of civil rights for African Americans took direction, but even more courage in the face of opposition. Dr. King spent time in prison, faced lethal persecution, and persevered through verbal assaults. In spite of all this Dr. King maintained his character as a minister, respect for his opposition, and dedication to non-violence. Many do not realize that Dr. King alienated not only prejudiced Caucasians, but also militant African Americans. Thanks in large part to Dr. King’s courage African Americans gained their civil equality in principle and eventually in practice; unfortunately, the greatest tragedy is that Dr. King was not alive to see his dream realized. I consider Dr. King as a source of courage and as the perfect example of leadership.

My story of leadership is marked by successes and failures instilling the value of effective leadership. Leadership always requires a lot of hard work for me but I feel blessed by my experience and knowledge. As a young leader I always struggled with connecting my visions with the ability to direct others toward that vision. In High School and my first year of College I struggled to lead others effectively as a basketball captain, in student teaching, and as a summer basketball coach. In college I learned one of the most important principles of leadership: “Successful leaders are learners.”

This principle of leadership helped me connect my life’s vision to my own sense of direction which leads me to personal growth and development. As John Maxwell states, “The learning process is ongoing, a result of self-discipline and perseverance. The goal each day must be to get a little better…” While studying at Truman State University my life changed as I became an effective learner and therefore a more effective leader. As I learned to direct my own intentions and to effectively share my vision with others my leadership skills developed. While at Truman I lead small groups, volunteered, and gained priceless experience and knowledge. This direction enabled me to become a successful Youth Pastor after college, and eventually to move to Denver, CO, successfully find a job, and develop a life’s vision. My life’s vision is to impact the world by helping others, and my direction includes seeking a Master of Non-Profit Management, working in mission-based organizations, and eventually obtaining a Ph. D.

The world is filled with both effective and ineffective leadership practices, what separates leaders from supervisors is the ability to lead oneself. Leaders are capable of the insight necessary to form vision, direction, and courage to follow through. I hope to follow the examples of people such as Steve Derdowski and Martin Luther King Jr. as I pursue my vision of impacting the world by helping others.

Just a Small Town Boy

"There and back again and again..."

The first nineteen years of my life were spent in and around the state of Missouri. True, I was blessed with the ability to travel to California and Alabama (including the states in between) but for the most part I stayed relatively close to home. Basketball camps, shopping trips, and vacations provided solace for this young travelling addict, but as I entered and exited High School I was ready for the next great adventure. Finally, at nineteen I travelled to Montreal, QC, my first big trip out of the United States, even though Montreal is only a couple hours across the border.
The next three years presented the opportunity to expand my worldview even further. I fell in love with Montreal, and spent two months of the next summer working there. I loved the big city lights, all the activity, and the seemingly countless new activities and new people to meet. My wife and I were married at twenty-one and twenty, and we honeymooned on a cruise to Tulum, Mexico: my first exposure to something truly majestic and historical. We visited the Mayan Ruins, swam at the most wonderful beach hidden by large cliff walls, and strayed even further from my comfort zone. This was the first time I was completely surrounded by the ocean, my first flight (we used to drive everywhere), and my first trip away from the motherland.
Then the world as I knew it shattered! My wife stubbornly insisted that we go backpacking in Europe after her college graduation. We both quit our jobs, our lease was up, and we stored our stuff in our family’s garage. A six-plus hour layover in Philadelphia did nothing to dull our excitement, and after a seven hour flight we touched down in London-Hearthrow for our next grand adventure. By some small miracle we found the flat in London where we would stay for a week. We were staying with a family we had never met before, who we knew only through my mother’s church. We cleared customs, called for directions, and hopped on a train to lead to the wandering which became the norm rather than the exception.
The next five weeks involved a lot of wandering, map-gazing, getting lost, and discovering some of the Western world’s most historical places. All of the busses, trains, boats, and trekking took us from London to Paris, Lucerne, Venice, Florence, Rome, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, and finally to Frankfurt. We flew back different people, and our world changed forever. When you travel, the realm of possibility expands, and the globe becomes your playground, work sight, and realm of responsibility. We developed new appreciations for history, point of view, consumerism, and most of all ourselves.
A couple years passed as we moved from Missouri to Denver and struggled to get by. We both worked jobs we hated as she worked her way through Graduate School. Eventually we were able to make a trip to Ireland. This reinforced my appreciation for small businesses and my disgust at the fast-paced low-quality retail industry of the United States. In rural Ireland shops closed at 6:00, had decreased hours on weekends, and treated us like people instead of a source of income. Small shops dotted the many small towns, and the hustle and bustle was noticeably missing.
The United States now holds a new significance for my wife and I. For nearly twenty-three years I took our country for granted, but distance enhances fondness. Now I always enjoy the trip back to the lower 48, but I desire to impact the world in a positive way. There are so many areas of need, and I feel seeing the world changed for the better is not just possible but now plausible. We have great responsibility as one of the richest nations in the world. In many ways we are still the new kid on the block, and our legacy can still be redefined.
The United States is still seen as the land of possibility by many in the world, but by many others it is rightfully viewed as the bully. The United States has a long history of using, abusing, and forcing our will upon the smaller nations rich in cheap labor, oil, or whatever other whim our people decide we need; however, we Americans are also known by our generous deeds in the arena of relief and development. In a way we are helping the world in spite of ourselves, so now the challenge is to put aside our greed and consumerism and help our fellow brothers and sisters of humanity who would and are dying to have the chances we take for granted.

Ireland is upon us!

It's almost time for our amazingly awesome - once in a life time (unless you're us) trip to Ireland and we're getting really excited. Here is a sample of what we'll be doing while we're there.

Thursday, June 25th - Dept. NYC 10pm → Arrive Shannon June 26th @ 9:55am

Friday, June 26th – Co. Limerick and Co. Clare
10a – Arrive Shannon; Purchase Heritage Cards prior to leaving the airport; Get Luggage and Rental Car; practice driving…
12p – Check in at Hotel/Venture into Adare for market and getting food
Approximately 41 mins. From Airport to Hotel
• Options to Explore:
• Lough Gur – ancient site
• **King John’s Castle** (∈9 aka Trim Castle) – 13th Cent. Military castle
• Adare Castle?
• Fishing, biking, hiking


Saturday, June 27th – Train to Dublin; ∈15; 2.5 hours ride
In and Around Dublin (1 long day – leave early; get back late)
• Dublin (Transportation: by foot or city bus; ∈1-2 depending on travel time)
o Getting around in Dublin by foot and Bus; depends partly on time
• 59 Upper O’Connell St. – maps and passes (opens Mon 8:30-17:30, Tue-Fri. 9:00-17:30, Sat. 9:00-14:00, closed Sun.)
• Short Hop Pass, ∈9.30; includes DART trains;
o **Kilmainham Gaol → ∈5.30; covered by Heritage card (Bus)
• Historic Jail used by British as a political prison; today a museum telling of the suffering of the Irish people.
• Daily 9:30 – 18:00
o **Trinity College (go early) (Bus)
• Tour: given by students; 30 mins.; ∈11, includes ∈9 book of Kells
• 10:15-15:40 daily
• Book of Kells – Trinity Old Library; included in Trinity Tour
o **National Museum: Archaeology and History: Stone age to Today; (Bus) Free??
• Tue-Sat: 10-17:00; Sun 14:00 – 17:00; closed Mondays.
o Picnic Lunch at St. Stephen’s Green; nap…
• Relaxing park;
o Dublin Castle
• Historic, 700 year old castle
• ∈4.50 covered by heritage card
• Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00; Sat – Sun 14:00-17:00
• www.dublincastle.ie
o Guinness Storehouse (optional, possibly overpriced) → ∈14, includes a ∈4 pint; 10% off when booked online
• Daily 9:30 – 17:00
• www.guinness-storehouse.com
o **O’Connell Bridge and Street
• Landmark bridge spanning the River Liffey @ center of Dubline
• Street – grandest promenade and main drag, packed w/ history and ideal for a stroll.
o The Valley of the Boyne (if time permits or could go here first); Bus, ∈18, from Dublin’s Visitor’s center (allow roughly three hours).
• Newgrange
• Knowth
• Open 9:00 – 18:30 or 19:00; both covered by Heritage card.
o Traditional Irish Music Pub Crawl → ∈12, ∈1 discount w/ book; beer extra; allow 2.5 hours; starts @ 19:30
• Meet at Gogarty’s Pub @ corner of Fleet & Anglesea in Temple Bar area; www.musicalpubcrawl.com
• 3 pubs; two musicians; education in traditional Irish music; reserve ahead
• Around Dublin
o Trim Castle
o Wicklow Forest/mountains
o Glendalough
o Gardens of Powerscourt


Geographically Organized Days of Exploring
Sunday, June 28th
1. Co. Clare and the Burren (wear comfy clothes and good hiking shoes, it will be WINDY, don’t get blown off the cliff, not kidding)
• Get up early and head to the Cliffs to get some awesome views
• ***Cliffs of Moher***
o TI open 8:30 – 20:30; exhibit is ∈4
o ***O’Brien’s Tower/Castle***
o Holy Well
o Possible to take a cruise; 60 mins.; pier in Doolin; ∈22
• ***Aran Islands***
o *Dun Aenghus, stone fortress 300 feet above the ocean, 2000 years old
o Several ancient Churches
o Several Pubs
o Tour by mini-bus or by bike
• Doonagore Castle
o Possible place to visit if we have time
• Ennis (possible stopping point at the end of the day; 1 hour from Adare Manor)
o Bustling Market Town – do some shopping
o Ennis Friary
• Franciscan Friary; ∈1.60; covered by Heritage Card; open 10:00 – 17:00
• Ask guide to explain crucifixion symbolism in 15th – cent. Ecce Homo caving.
o Glor Irish Music Centre – maybe catch a performance – traditional dance, music and storytelling
• ∈12-25; shows usually at 20:00
• www.glor.ie
o Dinner in a pub and music
• ** The Burren
o Drive from Kilfenora to Ballyvaughan
o Possible Lunch in Kilfenora – Burren Centre Tea Room or Vaughan’s Pub

Monday, June 29th
2. Co. Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Rock of Cashel
• **Waterford → 2 – 2.5 hours drive from Adare Manor
o Stroll the Town; Crystal Factory (not taking the tour, just shopping); Gift shop
o Car Ferry; 5 mins. Crossing to Hooks Head Lighthouse, Wexford, ∈8
• Wexford
o **Hook’s Head Light House
• ∈6, 9:30 – 17:30
o Dunbrody Famine Ship
• Reconstruction of 19th cent. Ship
• ∈7.50, 9:00 – 18:00
• In New Ross
• Kilkenny, 1.5 hour drive from Waterford
o **Kilkenny Castle**
o Covered by Heritage Card; open 9:30 – 19:00
o ***Rock of Cashel ***→ covered by Heritage Card
• Open 9:00 – 19:00; parking is ∈3; go early or late in the day
• Self-guided tour pp. 123 – 129.

Tuesday, June 30th
3. Ring of Kerry, Cobh and Kinsale
• Possibly two separated days
• Kinsale and Cobh
o Kinsale Town Wander – stroll the old part of town and harbor
o Charles Fort
• Covered by Heritage card, ∈3.50
• Open 10:00 – 18:00
o Lunch @ Fishy Fishy Café or Patsy’s Corner, Mother Hubbard’s near Market Square.
o Quenstown Story – optional – history of Cobh
• Old Midleton Distillery
o ∈12.50 for tour; 9:00-18:00
o about 1 mile off N-21
• Ring of Kerry
o Allow most of the day to do this
o Potential stops: Muckross House and Kinassee Sheep Farm
o Follow the Self-Guided Tour on pp. 185 – 188.
o Potential Natural Detours: Skellig Islands (probably too $$ to actually go to, but worth a stop to look at from a distance); Magillicuddy’s Reeks, Sneem,
• Dingle Town and Dingle Peninsula (2 hours drive from Adare Manor)
• Start in Dingle Town via Conor Pass (p. 237); use waterfront parking lot west of the Tourist Information; ∈1/hour; pay at the meter and display on the dashboard.
• Be prepared to pay in cash for most activities/things
• Take Short walking tour (p. 205); self-guided and free
• Do Self-guided Tour (222 – 230) of Dingle Peninsula; look for Neolithic-age sites; there are a lot of them.
• End the Day with a short walk through the harbor in Dingle and pub music


Wednesday, July 1st
4. Shannon, Limerick, and Adare
• **Bunratty Castle**
• Dromoland Castle?
•

Thursday, July 2nd Fly out of Ireland
• Fly out mid-morning

Graduation Information

After two very academically busy years, it's finally here - GRADUATION!
Who: Andrea Michelle Skinner
What: Graduation from Denver Seminary
M.A. Community Counseling, Licensure
When: Saturday May 16th, 2009 @ 10:00am (doors open to guests at 9:30am)
Where: Southeast Christian Church
9650 Jordan Rd.
Parker, CO 80134
Why: Because I'm finally finished!!!!!...and Jon has only just begun...=)

Campus wide bar-b-que to be held on Friday May 15th from 5-7pm; $6/person

Small coffee, tea and appetizer reception to be held at our home after the graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 16th for family and friends who make the long trip. Reception will be drop-in-drop-out style and will last from 1-3:30pm. Our address is 3528 S. Depew St. #11, Lakewood, CO 80235.

Although we would absolutely love to host any and all who want to come celebrate with us, our little townhome is by no means equipped to do so. If you wish to stay for a few days, feel free to grab a room with a great rate at one of the following hotels:

Hampton Inn Denver, Southwest (approx. 2 miles from our home) $69/night
3605 S. Wadsworth Blvd.
Lakewood, CO 80235
1-303-989-6900

Courtyard and Residence Inn, Park Meadows (12 miles from Denver Seminary) $69/night
Offers shuttle service to and from campus/graduation
1-800-228-9290
http://cwp.marriott.com/deniv/denverseminary/

Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, $69/night

Best flight deal:
Southwest airlines - $69 each way KC to Denver
$79-109 each way St. Louis to Denver
www.southwest.com


Feel free to email either of us with questions.