Health Care is making me sick. We need a death panel.

The debate over health care reform continues to ooze partisan puss like a fresh wound at a knife fight.
The Dem's and the GOP seem to have each found a way to define winning. It's by making sure the other side doesn't. And that's a prescription for lack of reform.
I think the GOP actually has some good ideas, and so do the Dems. Yes, let me buy health insurance across state lines. I can do it for car insurance with a national company, why not with health insurance? Yes, I agree there can be no long range answer on this until we deal with medical malpractice. Doctors can't be expected to help control costs while they are forced to practice "defense medicine", that is, ordering expensive tests out of fear of being sued.
But the Dem's also have good ideas, which include wanting to make sure my insurance company is prohibited from dumping my butt if it get's sick, and wanting to assure the insurance company can't turn me down because I don't look profitable.
Everyone says they want access to health care as soon as they get sick, so, YES, everyone should have a little skin in the game. I'm OK with saying everyone should be required to have some kind of insurance. We have to find a way to make it affordable. But choosing not to participate, and then showing up at the ER when you have a fever and expecting the rest of us to pay doesn't work. I know people who do this. They don't take part in company sponsored health care because there is a minimal cost to them, but have no problem skipping out on an ER bill when they get sick. Everyone has to take part.
There are plenty of good ideas from both sides. It's long past time for the various sides to do the hard work of merging these good ideas into a workable national health care access plan.
And when it comes to death panels, we should empanel one for the politcal careers of those who are more interested in winning that reforming.

Pars can come from anywhere - lessons from the Masters

I play golf with a friend named Charlie who, by every measure, plays better than me. Whenever my ball careens off a tree or plops in a bunker, Charlie just gently reminds me "Pars can come from anywhere". It's his way of saying "Hey, keep trying, you can still do it. An errant shot was no reason to declare surrender on that hole."
Charlies frequent reminders came to mind Sunday while I was watching the final round of the Masters. Angel Cabrera never gave up. Down two with two to play, no one would have suggested that he would be in a playoff, much less become the 2009 Masters Champion. It was to be Kenny Perry's day. With a two shot lead 16 holes into the final round, a visit to the famed Butler Cabin was just around the corner. Soon a green jacket would hang in his closet turned trophy case. But back to back bogeys meant a three-way sudden death playoff. It started on #18. Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell both hit wonderful shots that found the fairway. Angel Cabrera's ball landed in the woods. Advantage: Perry and Campbell, or so you would think. If my friend Charlie were there, he'd just turn to Cabrera and say "remember, pars can come from anywhere."
If you've read this far, you know that Cabrera punched out, got up and down and made par. Both Perry and Campbell missed the green. Perry made a great save for his par, but Campbell was not so lucky from the sand. He was eliminated.
Now it was down to a two man play off, and on the second hole of sudden death, both hit the fairway. But Perry missed his approach shot. Moments later, a giant grin and fist pump signaled that Angel Cabrera was the 2009 Masters Champion.
The real life lesson. Never give up.
Think about it: two down with two to play, and Angel Cabrara played with heart. He just kept grinding away. And now he is a member of the very exclusive group that can say they won the Masters.
The business and life lesson for all of us is that "pars can come from anywhere". Better said: Don't surrender. Keep playing. You can do it.

It's NOT always the Economy.

I joined many others last week who were saddened when we learned that Mollies was closing here in Hot Springs. Mollies was a little bit of heaven for many here in Hot Springs. I won't go into the cuisine, but suffice to say that if you are a fan of Matzoh Ball Soup, Stuffed Cabbage and other European/New York food, you already know about it.
The closure was first reported in the Sentinal Record here. And Paul Greenberg wrote a wonderfully descriptive column about the food and history of Mollies this past Sunday.
The long time owner was quoted as saying that she closed for a lack of business, which she blamed on all the competition, especially the national franchise restaurants that have populated Hot Springs.
This week, we get word that the A&P tax collections for the first few months of the year in Hot Springs are UP! People are spending money; even more than they spent last year at this time.
So, what happened to Mollie's?
One of my associates here at the radio station, when learning of the closure, said he wasn't sad at all. He pointed out that in all the years he's lived in Hot Springs, Mollie's never invited him over.
He didn't mean they didn't call him. He meant he never saw or heard them advertise.
We say all the time that "business goes where it's invited". He doesn't remember ever seeing the invitation.
I was a big fan of Mollie's. Despite that, I hardly ever ate there, because I hardly ever remembered it was there. Business goes where it's invited.
Do the national franchises have better food? I don't think so.
Do they have better servers? Again, I didn't think so.
I maintain that in this case, the difference was the lack of invitation.
It should be a lesson for all local business owners. You can't surrender to the competition. You must find a way to get and keep some top of mind awareness.
What the national chains do with national advertising, a local owner can do with local advertising.
Mollie's was a great lesson that business goes where it's invited. Or not!
I'll miss Mollie's. Really. I wish they would have done a little more inviting. Now there's no place to get a decent Matzoh Ball in Hot Springs.

How can 140 characters take so much time?

I remember being at a seminar with a futurist back in the early 90's who said time would be the new currency. She predicted that we'd be more time compressed, and would also face additional opportunties for things to do with our time. She said it would be a problem. Boy, was she right.

I find myself needing more and more self-discipline when it comes to staying focused on work these days. That's because my new found interest in "social networking" is often more interesting than work. When will the "new" wear off?

It started with blogs. I like to be informed, and I like informed opinions. So I enjoyed reading some blogs.

I resisted Twitter as along as I could. I recently had the chance to sit on a panel at the Little Rock Chamber's Leadership meeting, (along with Blake Rutherford and Philip Martin). Our topic was the media and politics. (Philip for print, me for broadcast and Blake for "new".) My resistence was starting to weaken, and Blake's comments put me over the top. So, I started to Twitter.

Yes, it's just a few minutes here, and a few minutes there. But, they add up. Much like one cup of $3.00 coffee doesn't really matter, but start having 25 of them a month.

And there is also Facebook. I've signed up, but I've really not found the time to do anything with that. But, every day there are e-mails inviting me to be friends with people I've known for years. It's great to hear from them. But where do they all find the time? And now I look like a slacker for not keeping my page up. Oh, the pressure!

And, as you can see, I've even started my own blog.

When I was doing daily radio, I had my own outlet for things I was thinking. The new blog is a nice replacement. But again, finding the time....?

Twitter. Facebook. Blogs. When it start's cutting into my golf time, there's going to be trouble.

Who knows best?

On Glenn Beck this morning, a guest from England, who was supposed to be some kind of expert on government was talking about our system of government. Among the things he said was that citizens know better how to spend their own money than government. That reminded me of the "10 word answer" portion of the debate from the West Wing. Worth a quick view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIy0AP1Sbrk

A Fight both Brave and Public.

Let me introduce you to Dick Antoine and his story. He is the host of "Talk of the Town" on Newstalk 1340 KZNG in Hot Springs. I heard a listener to his program call this morning to say that by listening to Dick, he felt like he'd lived in Hot Springs for 20 years, not just a few. Dick's involvement in everything Hot Springs, and his telling of those stories, makes people feel connected.

If you attended the World's Shortest St. Patricks Day Parade in Hot Springs this year, or any year in the past, you know Dick. He's the six-foot, four-inch Leprechaun and Emcee. Complete with a green suit and red beard.
If you are around Hot Springs at Christmas, Dick is the guy who spends most of December in a Santa Suit, playing St Nick at countless events, parties and functions.

And the rest of the year, Dick is personally involved in anything he thinks will make the Spa City better. He gets so personally involved, that a couple of years ago he was named the "Man of the Year" by the Chamber of Commerce.

Dick doesn't just show up. He works. He rolls up his sleeves, takes a lead, and is an ambassador for improvement.

One of Dick's passions has long been the fight against Cancer. He lost his father to Cancer many years ago. Dick has co-chaired the "Relay for Life", and with the leadership of Dick and many others, Hot Springs is a leading city in that campaign.

That fight is even more personal now.

A few of weeks ago, a lump on his neck led Dick to his Doctor, and the report that he had Cancer. Similar to the Cancer that took his father many years ago. There was surgery to remove the tumor, and now Dick is in week number three of radiation and chemo.

Radiation on the throat is not kind to a radio announcer. His throat is already dry, raspy and painful. The side-effects of the chemo are starting to appear. It will get worse before it gets better. Dick keeps us informed without sounding like he's complaining. Dick doesn't complain. At least I've never heard him complain.

I've told you just a little of what has happened. Far less than what Dick has shared with his audience every morning. He is dealing with his Cancer in his typical straight forward, optimistic, outgoing way. He had his Oncologist on the air to explain what they found and how they would deal with it, including the side effects. By the way, his prognosis is good. He's had his surgeon on the air. And he's kept his audience up to date on his situation every day. He has been so open, that I would guess the people in charge of HIPPA regulations are probably pulling their hair out.

When he finishes his radio show, he calls on clients and sells advertising. He takes his radiation treatment on his lunch hour. He takes a few hours off on Tuesdays for Chemo. With those exceptions, he's like the EverReady bunny of radio in Hot Springs. He just keeps going and going.

There was a front page article about Dick in the Sentinal-Record. Dick says the outpouring of support in calls, letters and cards has been very nice. A couple of Dick's friends have even launched a website about Dick and and what he's going through. You can link to it here: http://www.terrysystems.com/helpdickbeatcancer/index.html

People tell me that his openness and bravery are a beacon for all the families in Hot Springs who have a family member going through the same thing. Again, Dick is making people feel connected. He reminds them daily that the fight is tough, but worth it. He let's them know that they are not alone in their struggle. He's right there, in the ring with them, offering encouragement, support and hope.

He is fighting the brave fight in a very public way. It's just another way that my colleague and friend, Dick Antoine, works every day, even with Cancer, to make Hot Springs a little better.

Is the Oath of Office the problem?

I was struck by the video this morning of the people of Fargo, preparing for the flood threat in their town. In another city in the plains, the snow fell. Snow that would soon melt and add to mother natures threat of rising water. The neighbors stood, shoulder to shoulder, filling sandbags, or passing them from person to person in the line, preparing to build temporary walls against the water.


They saw the threat and were taking action to minimize the damage. And I couldn't help but wonder how much better we'd be if the self proclaimed experts in Congress and our regulatory agencies would have done the same.


Some warned, albeit too quietly, of the pending flood waters of sub prime mortgages and credit swaps. But where was the actioni? Where were the economic sand bags to protect the nation from the pending drowning? When there is a chance of a flood, someone actually goes out and assesses the threat, formulates a plan and action is taken. Why didn't that happen with sub primes and credit swaps?


And so I wonder what would happen if Congress was in charge of protecting Fargo and the other threatened cities in the plains. What if the flood waters could make contributions and buy dinners? The people of the plains would be told they were keeping an eye on the water, but that Fargo was strong and could withstand it.


And when the lack of a pre-emptive action led to catastrophe, Congress would not help dry out the houses. They would hold hearings into how it happened, and assign blame.


As the old saying goess, there are "talkers" and "doers". Lot's times, Congress is where you find the "talkers".
In the Plains this morning, people there were "doers". The pictures reminded me that average people understand the basics of disaster planning. Failure to act when trouble is in the wind is just plain stoopid. Before people get elected to Congress or are appointed to regulatory posts, you would think they, too, have that basic understanding.


Is it the oath of office that causes you to forget the basics?