Kevin's Weblog

On the radio this morning they were talking about problems with overcrowded emergency rooms and high uninsured rates in California and they mentioned proposals to create a statewide universal health care system. At one point they said that it was estimated this would cost the state $7-9 billion a year. I imagine most people think that’s a lot of money, but if it’s really true it would be a phenomenal bargain. There’s about 36 million residents of California, so we’re talking between $200 and $250 for each person. Given that Yahoo! claims that they spend about $5000/yr for health coverage for each member of my family, that’s an incredibly low number.

It’s so low that it seems like it has to be wrong. Either that or someone’s definition of “universal” is a bit different from mine.

Sounds like something you pick up in Tijauna, but no, it’s our favorite flower. Witness the first Neomerica bloom of the year:

This year the plant has put up 5 flower stalks, and last year’s single stalk produced a dozen or more blooms, so we’re looking forward to enjoying lots of these. We were a little worried about the plant because we made the mistake of planting it in the ground in the front flower bed, and absolutely nothing grows well there. Our theory is that this is because the house has no gutters, so when it rains all the nastiness that settles on the roof runs off into the bed and basically poisons it. At any rate, we transplanted the Neomerica into a large container of fresh soil a couple months ago, and just look at it now!