The ongoing saga… 

The Good – Oh, the things we discover!  Sometimes the little things in life create some of the best benefits.  For example, autistic children are benefitting from the use of fidget devices for controlling anxiety.   

The Bad – The world’s largest ice shelf is melting 10X faster than originally thought.  See section above on pollution…

The Ugly – “Now, we’re sending many of them through sanctuary cities, thank you very much. I’m proud to tell you that was actually my sick idea.” President Donald Trump in a statement that speaks for itself when at a Green Bay, Wisconsin rally he discussed how immigrants seeking asylum would be bused to cities that provide sanctuary from border patrol agents. 

The Really Ugly – Section 1557 of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (= the “Health Care Rights Law”) "…prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in certain health programs and activities".  Yet, the Trump Administration is trying to undo the law related to transgender identification through regulatory mandates.  

The ongoing saga…

 The Great – The response of the French community to the tragedy of the Notre Dame fire in addition to the fact that when you’ve got “Good” as good as right below – what could be greater?

The Good – The tides continue to roll in twice a day up in Kittery, Maine.  Social Security is not yet bankrupt.  The crocuses have peeked through the surface of the earth and are in glorious shades of yellow.  The trees are coming alive with buds.  The peepers are singing every night. The neighbors next door are really nice.  We’ve got lots of friends. And, our kids are the most wonderful people in the world – all of them!  Life could be a lot worse…

 The Bad – All things political seem to be hanging out at the extremes when if put in proper perspective, the solutions we adopt as a society generally seem to emanate from the middle.  Hmmm.  And, the meaning is?

The Ugly – The more than 300 days of campaigning we will have to endure before the next Presidential vote occurs in November 2020.

 The Horrible – The fire at Notre Dame is absolutely tragic!  It is the one place in Paris that I always visit – and, I will continue in the years to come!!

The ongoing saga…

The Good – In these times of division which seem to have ahold of the nation, we need to keep in mind Martin Luther King, Jr’s memorable words: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The Bad – Recent Kaiser Family Foundation polls suggest a consensus among the public on what health care issue they want Congress to address but, 34% are “not very confident” and 35% are “not at all confident” that Congress will be able to work on bipartisan legislation to solve the problems.  Gridlock is not the answer for solving the issues of health care.

The Ugly – I am part of the 71% of the American public calling on Congress to pass a bill reopening the government while budget talks continue. And, I’m also in the majority when the first order of business should be immigration reform and health care policy changes to make existing laws better.  The government shutdown is a quagmire… 

The ongoing saga…

The Great – Being with family over the holidays…

The Good – The Trump Administration released its 50 point recommendation list on what to do in health care but, for those of us who are policy nerds – it was a bit short on detail and action.  But, at least there is a list out there to facilitate discussion…

The Anxiety Provoking – The gyrations of the stock market are enough to give you the willies!!  I keep listening to the advisors; however, who tell us to sit tight.  Turning off the news helps too…

The Bad – The government shut down – to what purpose besides demonstrating total impasse?

The Ugly – The continuing animosity derived from tribalism – on both sides of the aisle – that seems to have a stranglehold on open discussions and debates at tables all across America.