Moving To New Site

Hello all, just wanted to let you know that I am officially moving my blog to my own web domain. Give it a look and let me know your thoughts.

http://www.timyates.com

Tim

For Sale: Comfortable Bobsled $400

Here's my two cents regarding all of the health care debate that is going on within the U.S. these days. Now granted, I know that this is an extremely difficult problem and there are many sides both pro and con for providing insurance, but it seems to me that the true problem is that the COST of healthcare has grown so out of place with reality, that it is now untouchable for some people. In saying that I don't really understand the logic in trying to provide insurance to the masses, thinking that this will help "control" the costs of healthcare. In fact I think that this will grow the problem of rising healthcare costs. It's almost like the insurance industry has created the same kind of environment that we find in Casinos using chips instead of actual money. The reason being that people are more apt to gamble their "chips" away, because there is not the connection between chips and real money. That is until your down a couple of hundred bucks then it all becomes too real. The out of control spiral between the medical industry and the insurance industry has grown so much that the actual "dollar" that insurance spends has no real value to the customers. Prices have been so inflated, and those of us with insurance know that the insurance companies magically pay the difference regardless of the inflated costs. The real problem is where the insurance companies magically get the money they use to then pay the inflated prices.

So what does a bobsled have to do with this subject. In 1998 my daughter was born through a rather complicated birth. My wife and I were at the hospital two full nights while waiting for her to arrive into this world. Those two nights I was told I could sleep in this chair that laid down into what the nurse said was a bed. I would have to take her word for it, because the evidence while trying to sleep on it for those two night proved the contrary. I told my wife later it felt like I was trying to sleep in a bobsled. It wasn't until about a month later, when we received the statement from the insurance company, that we found that I and our insurance company paid $400 dollars a night for me to sleep in a bobsled. Yep $800 dollars, two nights in a fold away chair/bobsled. Priceless. And so goes the circle of insured healthcare...maybe unless something else happens, like... I don't know...regulation?

Easter At Valley Church, West Des Moines 09

Easter at Valley this weekend was awesome. The worship team did a fantastic job, and I've been told that it was the largest attended weekend in the history or Valley Church. Awesome!

The New iPod Shuffle.

Is it just me or is the new iPod shuffle getting too small?

Buyers Remorse.

The first time I felt buyers remorse was when I was 16 and for the first time had to actually work for the money that I was spending. It was 1983 and I was dying for a pair of the latest black Reebok high-top shoes that everyone who was anyone was wearing. The only problem is they were $78.00 dollars. A lot of money in 1983 to this young man. I begged my parents to buy me some and they informed me that I was free to spend my OWN money and purchase the shoes of my dreams. So at the first opportunity I ran to the nearest Foot Locker, pulled the plug and bought these wonderful shoes. It was as I walked out of the Foot Locker that I started to get that feeling of "What did I just do? $78.00 dollars for a pair of shoes? Am I insane?" I experienced the feeling of getting what I thought I wanted, but then realizing the consequences of what I just did.

Tonight our elected officials are walking out and heading home after approving one of the largest bills ever to pass through congress. And from what I've read many of them haven't even had the chance to view the bill they are voting for. I wonder if they too are having that same feeling that I once felt while leaving Foot Locker.

Throwing Shoes

I'm sure you've all seen the video of President Bush have a shoe thrown at him, well my friend Eric Bramlett found the video to go along with it. You can see it here.

If they guy actually did hit the President, it would have been hilarious if he said, "That really hurt! I'm going to have a lump you idiot! I mean really, who throws a shoe?"

Too funny!

The Missing Piece

Remember in "It's A Wonderful Life," Jimmy Stewart was granted the opportunity to see what life would be like if he never existed. Do you ever wonder what this world would be like if you never existed? No not in the suicidal way that George Bailey was, but in the positive. What kind of impact have you had on those you walk day to day with? Earlier this evening I was looking at some friends family pictures on Facebook. This is a family that in one way or another, direct or indirect, I have played a role in bringing together. Two friends joined together and then they have created entirely new individuals, their children. Do you ever think about stuff like this? I guess it's just nice to think that the world wouldn't be the same, well without...me.