is it wrong to rely on government health care?

One of the big debates looming on the horizon is the government health care issue. Numerous presidential candidates spoke of a national health care plan, while some avoided the subject altogether, as if to believe that our system works just fine. Some say it is a nod towards socialism, as if there were no socialist ideas already implemented here in the United States (think public schools, social security, etc).

Most Americans fully expect to receive social security when they qualify for it. Those that don't, suspect that it will be gone by the time they qualify (and I can't say that I blame them for that belief). However, it is also understood that social security alone will not be adequate for the rising cost of health care and our increased need for it as we age. So we take our hard-earned money and invest in supplement plans like medigap to cover costs that aren't picked up by programs like Medicare.

Regardless of whether you believe in the benefits of a little socialism here and there, you can't deny that social security and Medicare (as they exist today) are not adequate, and that it is a shame that anyone in this country (particularly the elderly) should have to live without sufficient medical care. It is also a very disturbing thought when we see how much financial assistance is being poured into countries in the middle east.

my parents are getting old

We have a roadtrip planned this summer to see my parents. It has been a while since we've visited, and I fear that they will have changed in appearance more than I am prepared to see. They've already started to exhibit signs of doing "old person" type things - like gambling at the casinos several times a week, and mixing up their childrens names on the phone. They both *seem* to still have their faculties about them (as much as they have had them up until now), although some of the stuff my mother says over the phone makes me wonder.

My father says that he is preparing for retirement, and that this time he will actually stay retired. I'll believe it when I see it. He's the type of guy who needs to feel useful, like everything that he is doing has a concrete, easily understood purpose. I'm the same way at times, so I guess that's who I get it from. I suspect that much of his "busy-bodiness" has to do with the fact that he and my mother are opposites and don't seem to get along very well. So they limit their time around each other by staying busy with other things, and when they do spend time together (going to the movies, gambling), they are still inattentive to each other to a certain degree.

I'll bet that my dad buys an RV when he retires. He seems to be about ten years behind whatever his neighbors are doing, so its only a matter of time before he picks up some of those polyester jogging outfits, a Cadillac, and his and hers adjustable beds. Why do people inevitably buy into these age-based product trends? Is it simply a matter of desiring more comfort in one's old age? There's *got* to be an alternative to those ugly jogging suits, though.

tired of preparing

One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to live more in the present. I'm so sick and tired of living for the future, always planning ahead and rarely stopping to sit back and enjoy where I am at. It's quite ironic, because I made some pretty heavy decisions in my life over the last few years that have radically changed my lifestyle and my overall stress level - for the better. But it seems like we have spent so many years trying to get to this plateau of satisfaction that it becomes unreachable every time you get there.

I blame this phenomenon on society as a whole. We are constantly being bombarded with "what if" statements regarding our future. What if we don't save enough for retirement? What if we cannot afford health insurance when we retire? What if we discover that our 401k is worth nothing because the stock market crashes? Honestly, I'm sick of it.

It may sound naive, but I'm truly considering the laissez fair attitude when it comes to my retirement. I know it is going to happen eventually, but I'm not going to pend my entire life trying to plan for the future. I've got the basics covered - we've pared down our expenses, ditched our debt, and are concentrating on living simpler lives, which goes hand in hand with living frugally. I've got my old 401k from my last corporate job, which I am still thinking of cashing in. I don't trust the stock market with my hard-earned cash. I've got term life insurance which should cover us until our youngest child has moved out of the house. I don't know if we'll renew or get another policy beyond that. Once the kids are gone, we can pretty much live like Ghandi and be happy. As for health insurance, I'm praying that somebody makes it into office that will push for a national healthcare policy. If not, perhaps I'll just wander into the emergency room whenever I have an illness and act like an illegal alien.

I just think that we spend so much time preparing for the future that we miss what is going on right now. My family has so much to be happy about, but I'm rarely feeling it because I'm always worried about what's going to happen next. Who made us this way? Our parents? Television? "Snap out of it," I keep telling myself. Perhaps one of these days, I will.

do you trust your stocks?

Lately, I've become a bit disgusted with the state of the stock market, and not only because it has been crashing. I hate to sound like a fatalist, but I often wonder what would happen in the case of a total stock market crash. Seeing as I am still relatively young, much of my 401k is invested in stock - the risky but most lucrative option for investments.

The problem is that things aren't looking so swell with the U.S. economy, and while we've been waiting for some sort of saving development or invention to rescue the country from falling apart, I'm not so sure that it is going to happen. It seems as though we're headed for a precipice and we're just going to have to jump and start over again to get things back to normal.

We need a new president (obviously). We need a more restricted government that follows the voice of the people - not big business. We need free media with an independent voice - not the watered down pap we are served with on a daily basis from television and radio. And while I am waiting for all of this to happen, I can't help but wonder how safe my money would be in stocks...or in any type of invisible investment. If the stock market crashes, my savings are worth zilch. Many of the top investors suggest investing in items like gold and silver, which isn't such a bad idea...but where do you store the stuff and do you trust that storage in the case of massive unrest?

So I've been contemplating buying some land instead. Seeing as I am young, my 401k will be taxed heavily if I withdraw it today, but what might I lose if I leave it in? Even the entire market doesn't crash, there's no guarantee that it's going to go up in value. Whereas if I put my money in a piece of land, even if the land value plummets I still have a piece of land that I can live on and wait with guns loaded for the next apocalypse.

Plus, the land that I buy today has a much better chance of increasing in value (thereby making it untouchable twenty years from now).