15,000+

...And just like that, 15,000 pharmacies disappear from the Tricare network. 

For those of you who may not know, Tricare is the health care system used by military, both active and retired. It's not a horrible system, but it isn't great either. Over the years, the retiree benefits have been whittled away, a little at a time. One of the best benefits was the pharmacy network. Nearly all pharmacies accepted Tricare. This was a big deal because a lot of people who served came from small towns in fly-over country. When they retired, they went back. They were comfortable in knowing that the Tricare network would serve them, even in the smallest of towns. Based on this latest action, can losing your local doctor be next? 

Starting Over

The other day I had my blogging efforts nearly come to an end.

Since my life requires a lot of time away from home I've taken to doing my blogging either from my phone (like now), or my tablet. My tablet is far and away my preferred method. Better keyboard, larger screen (Hey! I ain't gettin' any younger), better app for 1st and 2nd drafts, and more storage. 

I was in the middle of a blog post when my tablet said I needed to register it. Odd! I had done this step a few years back when I first purchased it. Didn't do it right away. Finished up the 2nd draft of the post, saved, then nighty-night time. The following morning I checked the work schedule when the tablet again indicated I needed to register.

Auto Industry Balks at Increase Mileage Standards

In case you are interested, there are negotiations going on right now that will have an impact on what kind of car you will be driving in the future and the cost of the that car.

The Obama Administration and the auto industry are currently working on vehicle and mileage standards, with the opening “bid” at over 56 mpg by 2025.

The Environmental Protection Agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Air Resources Board, which has led the nation in setting rough standards, are proposing regulations that would require new U.S. cars and trucks to attain an average as much as 56.2 miles per gallon by 2025, roughly double the current level. That would require increase in fuel efficiency of nearly 5 percent a year from 2017 to 2025. (Source: Seattle Times)

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Automakers say the standard is technically achievable. But they warn it would cost billions of dollars to develop the vehicles, and they express doubt that consumers would accept the smaller, lighter – and in some case, more expensive – cars.

I really have my doubts that folks in the Obama Administration give a dang about whether people will be willing to accept these cars. I think I can say with confidence that the prevalent thinking is “so what, if these are the only cars available, what are the rabble (that would be you and me) going to do, not buy a car?” Most of these people who are making these rules don’t live in the real world. These people have never had to work real jobs, jobs where people need trucks and the ability to haul their work with them. I would guess they have forgotten what it is like to have to haul your family around from school to practices to grandma’s house. You ride around in a limo often enough and you tend to forget that people actually have to drive families from place to place.

US automakers are beginning to stand a little more firm against Obama and his crew. A couple of years ago, when the auto industry was in serious danger of faltering, Obama was able to get increased mpg concessions (35 mpg by 2016) from the “Big 3” (actually, Ford wasn’t on board since they didn’t need the bailouts) as part of the bailout deals. Now that the industry is on a little firmer footing, they are pushing back a little.

Lobbyists are in full swing. Auto companies are seeking a standard at the lower end of the range by the government, citing studies that say meeting stiffer regulation would add thousands of dollars to the cost of a new vehicle and require a significant downsizing of vehicles in all classes. They also want certainly that there will be a single national standard and that California will not be permitted to pursue a tougher standard.

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Companies could receive credit for using low-polluting air-conditioner refrigerants, building cars that can run mainly on biofuels, putting solar panels to provide cooling powers and other gimmicks. (Source: Seattle Times)

Just so you are aware, that while the links provided will take you to the Seattle Times web page, the linked story actually originated at the ultra-liberal NY Times.  I point this out because there are a few turns of phrases that caught my eye. Things like “other gimmicks” and “Lobbyist in full swing” were purposely put in this story by a writer that I would be willing to bet fully supports these job killing and possibly industry killing mandates.

Big Government Stupidity In Oregon

Here are a couple of “big government” issues happening down the road in Oregon.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams has OK’d funds (taxpayer money) to pay for Portland city employees to get sex change operations.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams wants city benefits to include sex-reassignment surgery, saying they should match the city’s policy against gender discrimination.

“I think it’s fair, and it’s common sense,” Adams said in an interview Monday before leaving for weeklong trip to Brazil for city business.

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“This is basic, medically necessary health care,” said Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, a gay rights and gender-identity advocacy group. (Source: The Oregonian)

Hmm, a “basic, medically necessary health care.” I would sure like to see a like bit of proof that changing one’s sex is medically necessary. A man wanting to be a woman is not like having cancer or a broken leg. If someone wants to have this procedure done, then they should be responsible for it. There are those who would argue that pregnancy is not medically necessary: you get pregnant by choice. True enough, but I think if you asked most people, covering this as a part of medical insurance is a no-brainer. But electing to get your private bits changed around is not something that most people (IMO) should support having taxpayer money cover.

Title IX has always been a bone of contention for me. This law basically states that there must be as much opportunity for school-age girls to participate in sports as for the boys. Over the years of its implementation, many schools (high school and college) have had to cut sports for boys to start programs for girls. Often times, the sports cut is done unilaterally, boys get cut but no girls program developed, just to get the number of participants balanced.

Recently, a suit was filed against Oregon high schools that had an imbalance of the number of girls vs. the number of boys playing sports.

Sixty Oregon school districts have been named in a complaint filed with the US Office of Civil Rights for allegedly failing to provide high school girls with equal opportunities as boys to play sports, a violation of Title IX.

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Using 2006 data, the complaint lists the schools from largest to smallest in disparity, which is the difference between the percentage of girls who are athletes compared to the percentage of overall female student. About 30 schools top the list with double-digit percentage-point gaps in the number of girl athletes to girl students, according to the complaint. (Source: The Oregonian)

A couple of points here to make. The first one is that football should be thrown out of the equation. This really tips the scales due to the high number of boys who play football. Girls very rarely play football, and there is no corresponding sport with the same level of required participants needed to field a team.

Secondly, girls don’t play sports as much as guys do, it is a simple fact that these government busy-bodies never seem to acknowledge. This is not to say girls don’t play; they do, and in increasing numbers. But boys always have and always will view sports as a part of moving into manhood.

BTW: I could do a whole nother post on the wussification of America by these do-gooder busy-bodies. They spend a lot of time trying to fight nature. Boys are going to act like men, whether these femi-nazi want them to or not.

Way back when I was a kid, my mother, who was at the leading edge of the whole feminist movement, tried with all her might to keep me from playing sports. But participating in athletics was a natural as using the restroom. So I sneaked around. I would tell her I was studying. When I’d get caught, it would really be too late to have me quite. She’d tell me to stop sneaking around, but I would listen, then I’d get in trouble all over again. As I got into high school, she finally relented, but she never really took any sort of interest. She thought sports were barbaric and unenlightened.

Fortunately, the woman I married has a different view on boys and sports. She doesn’t care to watch them on TV and is not a fan of any sort. Except when her boys are playing. Then she is quite rabid.