September 18, 2009
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Living the Good Life
To answer Socrates_Cafe’s three questions, I find I have to wander off the track a bit.
a. What about your life is the most satisfying?
I suppose freedom from worry about financial matters – something I haven’t had to worry about or a very long time. Fortunately I’ve been able to live my life pretty much on my terms – My career – teaching – was one I loved every day. I suppose it’s unusual for people nowadays to be delighted with our jobs but my wife (also a teacher) and I really did love our work. Since I had some inherited income, my wife and I could spend at least two months of every year traveling, studying, sailing, or camping. That’s how we found our second home here in Maine.
While we were teaching we had pretty good health and never had to worry about expensive health issues.b. What part of your life do you dislike most?
In the past few years our health has deteriorated dramatically. My wife has had serious and life-threatening problems for the past eight years which have resulted in her being confined to a wheelchair. My arthritis is such that I can’t do much but push her. We still travel – mostly just to and from FL & ME by car – and have had to give up boating. Fortunately we are able to afford our health care, unlike some others we know. We have long been on medicare and really appreciate this example of the “evils of socialized medicine”. Too bad all Americans don’t have it.c. How would you improve your life?
We have already begun. We moved back to Florida, giving up our over-large house and 12 acres of field and woods in Southern Indiana. We have made major upgrades on our Maine lake cabin – it is now pretty much disabled accessible – no mean feat when you are at the end of a rough dirt road and down a rock ledge. We added all sorts of modern conveniences we should have had years ago – spending our kids inheritance (just kidding).
We have done what we can about our health (Cataract laser surgery and all that stuff – remarkable – we can now see)
We are workers for and contributers to those working to change our country’s health care system to make it more affordable and humane.
BTW, Health INSURANCE ain’t Health CARE, in case you didn’t notice.
Comments (5)
Health is such a key issue for us to live life fully. I don’t know if these topics are really philosophical but it gives a good insight into who you are. Thank you for posting your story.
Dear Dick,
I just recently posted for Featured Grownups and I might give this one a whack for Socrates Cafe. (Possbily should have said that on the SC site but I’m not ready to post just yet, so I’ll post a comment there when I’m ready to link.)
I agree with Jurgens that this isn’t perhaps, “philosophical” in the Socratic sense, but it is something to think about. All the bases are covered in the topic, and you answer beautifully in your response. Now for your questions.
a. It looks like you were perhaps “smarter” than some of us prior to your retirement. I know that I’m not the only one of my “generation” who is looking forward to a “retirement” where we might be working till we’re past 70, because of one thing or another. (bad “investments” or bad judgement, in my own personal example) Do you think that the aspect of your retirement, where you are actually able to enjoy this time in your life, is limited to those who grew up in the 50s? Will the children of the 90s and the 00s be able to enjoy the same sense of security?
b. I have to chuckle at your reference to medicare as an example of the “evils of socialized medicine”. Do you personally think that the government should manage healthcare or should healthcare be in the hands of privateers? There is such vitriol being thrown about now in the blogosphere and in the press about healthcare, and the details of any real “bill” haven’t even been ironed out as yet. The Clinton Adminsitration couldn’t pass their healthcare initiative, and Obama is having lots of problems with his version. Medicare was initiated by the Johnson Administration, if memory serves. Will it get stronger? Or will it disappear?
c. Interesing point about the difference between health care and insurance. However, people who can’t pay for the care certainly need the insurance. The latest (conservative) flap I read this morning (on a blog and not in the “supposedly” regulated media) was that Obama is going to legalize all the illegal immigrants so he can give them “socialized” healthcare. What do you think about the real partisan rift we are witnessing concerning the healthcare issue? Even Obama’s standing in the polls (as if that really means anything either) is slipping. I’ve championed the values of socialism as outlined by Marx (but NEVER practiced) since high school. The U.S. has always seemed to balk at ANY idea of socialized medicine from as far back as I can remember. Again, and this echoes my question on b above. Is America any closer to a consensus on “universal healthcare” or will this partisan rift destroy any chance of the Obama Administration’s efforts to make a change?
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
To Mike and everyone else:
a. My wife and I were both smart and lucky – first, we married later in life and decided not to have kids, figuring eight hours a day with other people’s was enough. Second, we always lived without going over our heads with easy credit – and during my time as a school union negotiator, I made damn sure we got a living wage. I was unique in that job because I wasn’t locked too it – having inherited some money. The school board chairman knew me well – we had grown up together (in another city). Fortunately the rest of the school board and my fellow teachers did not know that – it made for interesting negotiations. Because of our situation, my wife and I retired in our fifties -24 years ago – and our retirement income has increased every year, even this past one.
b. There is no doubt that the government IS doing a better job of managing healthcare. Did you ever hear of anyone quitting medicare? elsewhere on this site, I’ve laid out the total cost of our Medicare, Medigap, MedicareRx. It’s about $319/mo each. The average worker and his employer pay over $13,000 a year for insurance coverage that is not as good. Medicare is in the same trouble Social Security is (they are linked) but I am confident their problem is solvable and will be solved – the systems are too popular with the voters to let fail.
c. There is a great difference between health CARE and health INSURANCE. IMHO insurance is about the stupidest way possible to pay for health care. It’s inefficient and costly and subject to NO regulation worth mentioning. Remember, for Insurance companies to make money their income must exceed their outflow; that’s why they are in business. They actually exist to make money off other people’s misery.
Americans WANT “socialized medicine” but they don’t want to call it that and they want to be sure they will get treatment when they are sick.
If Medicare was offered to those between 55 and 64, what percentage would jump to sign up?
I’m sorry to hear about you and your wife declining health. Thank god for health care.
I agree with your take on health insurance vs. health care. Seems as if you’ve done a good job taking care of your life and are reaping the rewards.
Pleasure to meet you (via baldmike2004).