What a week – politics, football and kids. Three subjects we can really get hyped up about. So looking at politics first, my belief is that the Republican House passed a budget that would keep the country running, but not fund Health Care. The Democratic Senate and President would not accept the unfunded health care and shut down the government and then seemed willing to shut down the country over it. The House was not, so they "lost." Simplistic, I know, but that's how I see it.
And, of course, it's impossible to tell really how the new health care system is going to work out. Early reports focus on the software and web site glitches which, while aggravating in the short term, have little bearing on the program's long term success or failure. Here, instead, money talks. And if the average person, especially those who already have health care insurance, finds their costs increasing substantially, then the program is in trouble. Kathy and I have seen our BC&BS costs for 2014 and they are not increasing much. Of course, we are in good health for our ages so BC&BS is making money on us ... at least so far! PTL.
The next year or two will be interesting, to say the least.
Last Saturday (10/19) was an unbelievable college football event. "Down to the wire" games and upsets everywhere. With a few exceptions, it did not pay to be in the Top Ten. One of those exceptions of course was Alabama, where we watched our former student TE #88 OJ Howard score the first touchdown pass reception of his young career. Oh my, how exciting that was.
Children? Kathy and I have five children, all adults now of course, and all with successful careers. The fields are diverse: banking operations, business administration, science (Veterinarian), engineering operations, and human relations and sales. They live up and down the East Coast, so it's hard to occasionally celebrate their successes. Even with all the modern methods, we struggle sometimes. Life just seems to get in the way and, oh by the way, they aren't on national television almost every Saturday in the fall. Rutgers U will televise a football game, but not what their engineering department is accomplishing with food manufacturing.
Join me in finding ways to celebrate our adult children in their day-to-day successes. They are there. We just have to dig them out. It'll be worth it. Just as exciting as OJ's first college touchdown. And if you are the adult child, brag about your accomplishments to your parents. Believe me, they want to hear. We do.
Gene Canavan is a retired West Point Graduate and Paper Mill Utilities Manager and lives in Prattville, Alabama, USA.
