Baldies' Blog began originally in the UK by a 26 year old journalist with a blood cancer on a mission to inform the world about bone marrow donation.

He has since died, and I took on the cause of making cancer care more transparent for everybody.

Cancer is a disease that will touch everybody through diagnosis or affiliation: 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed and 1 in 3 woman will hear those words, "You Have Cancer."

I invite you to read how I feel along my journey and
how I am continuing to live a full life alongside my Hodgkin's lymphoma, with me controlling my cancer, not my cancer controlling me.

I hope that "Baldies' Blog" will prepare you to handle whatever life sends you, but especially if it's the message, "You Have Cancer."

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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Sin Taxes

I want universal health care. I don’t think this is a secret.
I’m sick of my mailbox containing a minimum of two letters telling me how I will pay, will need to pay, or may need to pay sometime in the future for my right to live a healthy, fulfilled life.
I want to start this change in NH.
We’re right besides Mass. who has all ready instituted laws so no person ever goes uninsured. We can study a little bit of their methods.
I have an idea of how to supplement the expensive idea of how to provide insurance for all in NH.
It’s called a “Sin Tax.”
The UK all ready has one. They tax fatty foods in fear that their citizens may wind up as obese and unhealthy Americans.
Sin stocks have been all the rage recently. In a recession, there are a few vises that are still guaranteed. Gambling was one, but that has disappointed. Wall street doesn’t see it’s beer or cigarettes going downhill though.
Some things, no matter how strapped a person is, people will keep buying, just instead of Heinekken at the bar, they’re drinking Bud at home with the boys.
I say tax it.
NH had a little squabble year over raising the tax on cigarettes $0.25. I don’t even know if the idea ever went through.
In 2004, in Manhattan, cigarettes were $7 a pack, when the city tried to enforce the smoking ban in public places, a bouncer got stabbed and died. I’ve seen lines ten deep to pay $5 to get out of the club to smoke a cigarette then get back in.
That’s how serious smokers take their cigarettes.
I say tax them. I’d, personally, like to charge people when their smoke comes in my generally vicinity.
That would be one dollar please for risking my lungs and offending my nasal passages.
Obviously, these people have it. If they can risk the rising health care costs associated with bad teeth, stained fingers, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and esophageal cancer, they should pay for their future treatment upfront, with taxes.
Drinkers and unhealthy eaters should too. I don’t want the health care system further over burdened, and our hospitals eating more of the bills, because people made bad choices and have health issues that could have been prevented.
I want marijuana, in small amounts, decriminalized.
Mass. has done it all ready. Chasing small time, mellow pot smokers is expensive and not worth the costs.
Even better, if marijuana was decriminalized, we could tax that too.
I understand my last idea is a stretch. I probably won’t be pushing for that as much as I’ll ask for a “sin tax.”
I think our current government representatives are sympathetic to these ideas.
I like Gov. Lynch. I think he would lend a more than a powerful, sympathetic ear, but a strong vote.
I enjoy his wife also, since she’s a physician who has been advocating against childhood obesity for years.
Sen. Jean Shaheen is health care friendly. She has appeared with Michael J. Fox to encourage government funding of stem cell research.
I think she may see things our way if we ask. So all NH residents, here are our representatives and how to get a hold of them. Write, call, email, scream, stomp, and cyber stalk. We have a couple years to get our point across.
My favorite organization, the one I am a part of is:
http://www.nhcitizensalliance.org/quality.html
Their opening quote states:
"The U.S. (health coverage) system is terrible by comparison to (national systems in other countries). It is unfair, lacking in cohesiveness, and it is, overall, ineffective in providing for the health and welfare of all citizens."- Comments of a NH physician, NHCA HQI focus group, November 2001 (Yes, Physicians are on the people’s side. You’ll probably be as shocked as I am, but some even read me.)
Our current, working and staying, Gov. John Lynch (D) Office of the Governor- http://www.governor.nh.gov/contactus.htm
State House
25 Capitol Street
Concord, NH 03301; (603)271-2121; FAX(603)271-7680
He has, in the last two years, “reduced the insurance premium tax to attract more good-paying jobs to New Hampshire.”
Include his Wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, a Pediatrician, in your mailings. She completed her residency at DHMC. Please reference her ties if you are connected with the hospital.
Ask to PASS and expand the initiative “NH Health First”

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