LET'S HONOR FAMOUS MISSOURI WOMEN

          Isn’t it great to have a Missouri Hall of Fame where we can honor those individuals who have contributed so much wisdom and leadership and have even greatly influenced the culture of our State?  Such men as Harry Truman, Mark Twain, and Walt Disney.  And, now, the latest, Rush Limbaugh.

          But wait.  These are all men who are being honored.  How about selecting a few women?  There must be a number of women who have made both cultural and economic contributions to our State.  Of course, we would be hard put to come up with a nominee the stature and magnanomosity(sic) of a Rush Limbaugh.  But, surely there must be some women who have served our State well who would warrant such an honor.

          One lady in particular comes to mind.  Helen Gould Beck.  According to Missouri Life magazine, this lady was born in Elkton in Hickory County in 1904.  She became famous at the Chicago World’s Fair as a featured dancer.  Seems she invented a titilating dance using two large ostrich plumes to cover her naked body.  Her stage name was Sally Rand.

          We could erect a life-size statue of Sally and display it alongside the enormous bust of Limbaugh (he has a BIG head, remember) in the Rotunda.  People from all over the world could gaze on the tremendous range of honorees who grace the halls of our Capitol.  And, it would recognize the tremendous contribution that women have made in our State.

          I can see Sally and Rush, side by side.  What a message that would bring.  Think about it.

                                                                     

SOMETHING OF VALUE

     These last few days have been terrible.  I have had nightmares almost every night.

     Two nights ago I dreamt that I was the Director of Public Relations for Penn State University.  I was drafting a speech to defend an indefensible position.

     Then last night I dreamt that Mitt Romney had repealed the Affordable Care Act.  It’s no wonder I am stressed out.   I am at the age where health is a major concern.

      If Romney is elected and if he is successful in his plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, would this mean:

·       We would no longer be able to keep our young adult kids on the family health policy,

·       Insurance companies could cap the amount of care we receive and cancel our policy if we get sick,

·       The requirement for insurance companies to cover preventive services like mammograms would be eliminated,

·       Insurance companies could refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions,

·       The plan to build and improve hundreds of community health centers would be scrapped, and

·       Tax credits to small business owners to help them afford to offer quality health care for employees would also be cancelled?

     What worries me most is that if the Republicans are successful in torpedoing this constitutionally approved health care plan, we don’t have a clue as to what they would do to replace it.   As far as I can tell, their “plan” is doing whatever it takes to beat President Obama and take over both houses of Congress.

     Many years ago I read Robert Ruark’s novel  “Something of Value.”  The social philosophy of this novel was the warning, “If you do away with the traditions of the past, then you must first replace them with ‘Something of Value.’”

      It is time that Romney and his Republican cohorts provide us with “Something of Value” if they persist in destroying our nation’s first major health plan.

                                                           

                                                                                                                                        

                                                                     

     

WARRENSBURG CENSUS OFF BY TWO 3/10/10

     When the census numbers are finally announced, I am alerting everyone that the population reported for Warrensburg will be two people less than it should.  Unless something really exciting happens, neither my wife nor I will be counted.

     Here is why.  After discovering that all of my coffee buddies, neighbors and lots of people I don’t even know have already received their census forms I wondered why we had not received ours.  So I called the local post office and got a toll free number to call – 1-866-872-6868.

          So, I called that number.  I got what I think was a “census office” recording which gave me a number of options.   After finally selecting “English” as my preferred language, I was asked what I wanted – the standard English form, the different language form, the special form that explains how to fill out the form -- in the language of your choice, or how many census takers did it take to turn on a light bulb.

          Obviously, I selected “Standard English form.”

          Next question.  “Please give me the number right above the bar code and address on the form sent to you.  We must have this number before we can send you a new form.”

          Since I did not receive the census form (in an envelope with a number on it) to begin with, I couldn’t come up with the number.  I seriously considered making up a number but realized that I would probably upset the entire census operation if I did.

          So, I’ll just continue my role as a senior citizen without a care in the world.  But when the population of Warrensburg is reported please add two more long-time residents to the reported number.

          Sure hope this doesn’t ruin Warrensburg’s chances for a new restaurant.