This semester has been a trial of my writing skills. The Product Evaluation was hard for me. I felt that trying to describe a good product is a hard task. It's hard to describe what tastes are like, and what your own personal preferences are. I think that was the hardest essay to write this year. The Rant N Rave was amazing. It made me feel so much better to get everything out and not have any emotions that hadn't been dealt with. I don't know if this actually helped my writing skills, but it helped my soul and I'm glad we did it; it was my favorite essay! The Research Paper was actually really fun for me. I think that research papers are easy to write because you get to learn while you write; it was also easy because the topic I chose was very interesting. Also, I think it was good preparation for college because I know I will have to write more research papers in the future. This paper was also a good experience for my works cited skills. I learned how to cite very well without any online websites to do it for me; in fact, after this paper I don't even trust online websites to do my works cited. The first paper I did this year I messed up on my works cited so many times, but now I have it almost mastered. In fact, I didn't have one correction for my works cited on my Research Paper. The Lit Crit Essay was in the middle of the Product Evaluation and the Research Essay. It’s hard for me to look beyond the obvious point in the novel to something deeper and more hidden. I can read very well, I just don't consciously think about what deeper meaning there could be. In my first summary response I sort of just made stuff up to make it sound like I knew what I was talking about, but this semester I could actually see how the machinery was a symbol when I went back through and looked at it in the Lit Crit Essay.

I think I have progressed as a writer at incredible amounts. Before this class I just slid by because I could. This class I had to actually work on it and I couldn't just write it the night before and still get an "A" on it. I had to actually stick to the guidelines and go back over it multiple times before I was satisfied. My editing skills have also improved a lot. The first paper I just looked over it once and called it good, but now I know I have to look over it at least 5 times, and have at least 2 people peer read it before I trust myself to turn in the paper. I think this class has definitely prepared me for college; I learned that I will actually have to give it everything I got to make it an "A" paper. I would have been shell-shocked going into college without this class. Even though this class was a pain in the butt, and really challenging for me, I’m glad I took it. I’m glad that Mr. Schelle pushed my class so that we know where our limits are. Many of the kids in this class are naturally smart and this class taught us to push ourselves to new boundaries and made it to where we actually had to try. I am a better writer because of this class.

Amy Miller

Mr. Schelle

English 112

12 May 2010

The Head Ratched Tightens Up the Nuts

“She nods once to each [patient]. Precise, automatic gesture. Her face is smooth calculated and precision made”(10). Most people wouldn’t say this statement is describing a nurse. A nurse is supposed to be someone who is kind, caring, and full of sympathy, but in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest there is nothing warm and soft about the staff at the mental hospital. This classic novel was published in 1962 and written by Ken Kesey and is a mix between drama, comedy, and realism. The story is about a man named Chief Bromden, and his stay in a mental hospital. The head nurse’s name is Nurse Ratched, and she controls all the employees, the doctor, and patients. However, one day a new patient is admitted and their world is turned upside down. The new patient, Mr. McMurphy, is a strong-willed gambling man who doesn't like taking no for an answer. The men in the hospital look up to McMurphy and he creates a sense of camaraderie among the patients. Nurse Ratched becomes furious with McMurphy and an all out war between McMurphy and her breaks loose. Eventually McMurphy and Chief Bromden can't handle the nurse's "black boys" (her assistants) any longer and get into a fistfight with them. Chief and McMurphy seriously injure the men and are sent to the disturbed ward. Here, they get administered Electro Shock Therapy; this therapy usually leaves the patients without memory or control for a few days. The treatment seems to have no effect on Chief or McMurphy and eventually the treatment is stopped because there is no good coming out of it. McMurphy and Chief both wind up escaping from the hospital and forever living a life of freedom.

Throughout this novel Kesey uses many symbols to better describe the cold, harsh hospital and staff. Symbolism is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story (Mork). There are instances of symbols throughout this novel, but the most continuous and important ones are those that relate the machinery to the staff; the machinery symbolizes the staff’s cold, emotionless hearts.

The most obvious symbolisms of machinery relate to Nurse Ratched. Automatically the reader notices the Nurse’s name is similar to the world ratchet. A ratchet wrench is defined as a "type of wrench, or tightening tool, that uses separate, removable sockets to fit many different sizes of fittings and fasteners, most commonly nuts and bolts"(“Socket Wrench”). Nurse Ratched, whose name is only one letter off of ratchet, uses her intimidating demeanor to tighten the security and emotions throughout the hospital, which is similar to how a ratchet wrench tightens bolts and nuts. This is ironic considering people who are insane are sometimes referred to as nuts. Also, the black boys, the doctor, and other patients are sockets that she puts on to control and demolish the patients. She is the head of every movement, she just chooses whom she wants to deal with the patients directly; those sockets are her "tools" she uses to do her dirty work. A simile used in the book also relates Nurse Ratched to a machine. Chief Bromden describes her voice as having “tight wine like an electric saw ripping through pine," (127). This is obviously a reference to machinery, comparing Nurse Ratched's words, which are sharp and ragged and rip through the patients’ self confidence and heart, to the electric saw’s blade and a tree.

Chief Bromden’s main enemy machines are the Black Boys. These men are Nurse Ratched's assistants, and oversee the behavior and disciplinary exercises at the hospital. Every day these men see to it that Chief Bromden mops the floor, giving him the nickname of Chief Broom. The second paragraph gives a picture of the Black Boys as machines perfectly, "I creep along the wall quiet as dust... But they got special sensitive equipment [it] detects my fear and they all look up... eyes glittering out of the black faces like the hard glitter of radio tubes out the back of an old radio” (9). There are no human qualities given to the black boys in this entire quote. Their faces and minds are perceived as machine-like objects, hard and emotionless. Another quote reads, "I hear them mumbling behind me... Hum of black machinery, humming hate and death and other hospital secrets” (10). With this quote the author reveals that Chief Bromden doesn't feel that these men are talking like humans, he thinks they communicate like machinery, through the constant hum that dishwashers and TV's often have. Also, Chief doesn’t call these men by their names, which is odd considering he identifies everyone else by name; this probably is done to show that he sees the men as objects, more like robots than humans, who do not have names.

The hospital itself is often referred to as a machine. Chief Bromden calls the hospital and its operations the Combine. A combine is a machine that harvests grain crops and is combined into a single harvesting operation of reaping, binding, and threshing (“Combine Harvester”). While describing the patients who are too sick for release into the real world Chief states, "Across the room from the Acutes are the culls of the Combine's products, the Chronics". The Combine is the hospital and the Chronics have been rejected or set aside because they are inferior in quality. The Combine's products are the patients who are released and are a success, the crops of the Combine's harvesting, but the Chronics are the bad seeds that come with the harvest, and need to be separated from the patients who still have time to be helped. Also, Chief Bromden feels as if the Combine tries to make the patients machines as well. He thinks that the Combine tries to control the patients’ emotions and almost make them numb to the feelings around them. For instance, when Chief is talking to McMurphy he says, “They install things. They start as quick as they see you’re gonna be big and go to working and installing their filthy machinery when you’re little and keep on and on and on till you’re fixed!”(187). The author seems to show us that Chief feels that the hospital wants the patients to be cold and emotionless, so they install machinery in order to control the patients mind and soul; which is similar to how an engineer can control the robot he creates.

The symbol of machinery that represents the employees at this hospital seems to reflect the idea that many people who work in high crisis environments become cold. Often, individuals who work at hospitals appear emotionless and almost robotic, so they can detach themselves from the pain and disappointment associated with the patients they work with. Sometimes doctors and nurses seem as if they don’t even care about the patients, and have no sympathy when dealing with the patients or their families. If employees at hospitals got to know each patient for who they are, instead of what their sickness is then it would greatly help the recovery of patients. A warm heart would help patients to trust their doctors, and keep their minds at ease so they can focus solely on getting better instead of worrying about protecting themselves from the staff. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a great depiction of the harsh realities that surround hospitals.

Works Cited

“Combine Harvester.” Wikipedia. Web. 7 May 2010.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combine_harvester>.

Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York, New York: New AmericanLibrary, 2000. Print.

Mork, Rachel. “What is Symbolism in Literature?.” Life 123. Web. 8 May 2010.<http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/children-reading/what-is-symbolism-in-literature.shtml>.

"Socket Wrench."Wikipedia. 5 May 2010. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_wrench>.

Amy Miller
Professor Schelle
English 112
7 April 2010

Health Care Horror

Before the first hospital the Colonial American male’s average life expectancy was 25 years; today the average life expectancy is 79.36 years (Oliver). America’s health care quality has grown tremendously; unfortunately hand in hand is the expense of the care. The costs of health care are rising twice as fast at the rate of inflation, causing a huge individual and federal debt (“The Price of Health”). The federal government tries to compensate the cost of health care with programs such as Social Security, which was created in 1935, Medicare in 1965, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997 (Kovner, Jonas). However these programs have a reverse effect for national spending. In fact in 1964 only 5.8% of the Nation’s GDP went to fund health care; however now roughly 16% of the GDP, or $1228.5 billon is spent on health care yearly (Kovner, Jonas). The United States is the leading spender in health care worldwide; and the trend doesn‘t seem to be changing (“The Price of Health”).

The United States’ health care system is seriously flawed; this seems to be the one and only issue Republicans and Democrats agree on. Prescription drug costs, surgeries, national debt, and even annual physical rates are skyrocketing. The price for medical care has never been so high. Nurses and Doctors seem to worry more about malpractice lawsuits and insurance procedures than the patient sitting in front of them. Insurance companies are preying off the patients, and everyone has to fight for their personal well being (“Policies . . .”).

Although everyone knows what the problems with health care are, very few people know why these problems exist. Each country has its own issues with health care, and no one can seem to figure out the problem. I believe that in order for Americans to figure out how to find the solution they must first understand the history of the problem. Every problem encountered today has a history; some start as early as when hospitals were first created, and some have very recent creations (“Universal Health Care . . .”).

The biggest problem in health care is cost. From 1970-1991 health care spending grew roughly 12.4% each year; and has grown every year since. The national expenditures of health care come from 20% out of individual pockets, another 33% is paid through insurance companies and the government decides how to pay the rest. The problem is that the rate of health care spending is growing twice as fast as inflation, so Americans can’t keep up. Although new technologies are excellent for diagnostic and treatment purposes, they also increase national spending by large amounts. Dr. Kovner states that there are “astonishing increases in spending with commensurate gains in health status”. Much of this spending goes towards experimentations. Experimenting is necessary to find new cures and ways to fight disease but there is also a hidden problem with it. Other countries wait until America finds cures and invents new medicines, and then use America’s new products for their own. This means that most countries worldwide receive the same advanced treatments that Americans do, without having the pay the experimentation fees, which creates the high price of pharmaceuticals and treatment. However, if we don’t do these experiments the quality of our health care will not improve because there will be no advancements. They will never find a cure for cancer, or AIDS or paralysis; if there is no money spent on these things there will not be a gain in the health care field (Kovner, Jonas).

Prescription drug costs compensate for a total of 10% of the health care expenditures. Fiscal Policy states that “Three factors are contributing to the rapid increase in prescription drug expenditures: growing numbers of prescriptions per person; the entry of newer, more expensive drugs into the market that replace older, less expensive drugs; and price increases of existing drugs.” While health care in general is only rising twice as fast at the rate of inflation, prescription drug costs are tripling the rate of inflation, causing excessive spending. Even worse are the costs of “brand name” prescriptions. Fiscal Policy Institute facts show that “Brand name drugs became 10.5 times more expensive between 1998 and 2000, while the CPI (Consumer Price Index) for all items only rose by 2.8% during this time period. This problem can be solved quite simply. States have the opportunity to choose generic prescriptions over brand name drugs, unless otherwise stated by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (Fiscal Policy Institute).

The most expensive type of health care treatment is hospital care. A statistic by the Commonwealth Fund shows “Forty-five percent of the adults in the survey reported that they had a hard time paying their bills, even with health insurance, and had been contacted by a collection agency or had to change their way of life in an effort to pay their medical bills.” People often have to choose between going bankrupt or going without treatment they need. Eighteen percent of the people in the United States have high hospital costs compared to their annual income and 27% of Americans have debt related to medical care. The high costs create a rift between patients and their caregivers. Patients often feel they must keep their guard up at all times, and shouldn’t trust the decision making of their doctors (Cunningham).

There are many reasons that hospital care is so expensive. For one, poor patients often cost more money than wealthy patients, although this seems absurd there are actually good reasons behind it. The poverty patients are often malnourished which means recovery time and hospital time is often much longer, because their body was not healthy even before the disease or injury and their system is weak. Also lower income patients often wait until the problem is extremely serious due to the fact they don’t want to go to the hospital because of high costs. Therefore, they wait until the problem is actually more expensive because they are scared of costs. Also, the problem of after care is higher in poverty patients. Patients who do not have the finances they need for nursing homes or in home nursing care usually stay in the hospital longer until a deal can be worked out or until they decide they have to take care of themselves with no extra help due to their financial situation (Thorpe).

Another issue America faces is health insurance; the United States is the only developed nation that does not provide healthcare for all its citizens. The problem with health insurance today is lack of competition. Unlike auto insurance there are very few insurers compared to the population. In fact, “There are nine states where a single insurer covers 70 percent or more of the people. In Hawaii, one insurer covers 78 percent. In Alabama, it’s 83 percent, and in at least 17 other states one insurer covers at least half the population” (Underwood). With no competition these companies can increase insurance premiums and lower the percent covered by their company. This causes many Americans to simply go without insurance. According to the American College of Physicians there are roughly 35 million Americans without insurance. For these unfortunate people their average annual health care bill is about $4,340 per person, and for those who do have insurance the amount of insurance they have seems to be based more off of what they can afford rather than what they need (Kovner, Jonas). During the past eight years, insurance premiums have nearly doubled. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation the amount Americans have to pay for health insurance has risen by 30% however the income has only increased by 3% from 2001-2005. The math just doesn’t add up. The Employee Benefit Research Institute states “Retirees will need an estimated $635,000 (per couple over age 65) to cover healthcare costs in retirement”. This amount is estimated to give a retired couple a 90% chance of having enough money to pay for their health expenses beyond what Medicare covers (“A Collection of Problems . . .”).

Malpractice and distrust of doctors is a huge issue associated with medical care. The sad truth is that less than half of all medical care in the United States is supported by good evidence that it works, according to estimates cited by the Congressional Budget Office. They claim that the cost of medical malpractice litigation in the United States has steadily increased at almost 12% annually since 1975. Jury Verdict Research, a database of plaintiff and defense verdicts, says awards in medical liability cases increased “43 percent in 1999, from $700,000 to $1,000,000”. A group called Health Grades found that 195,000 hospital deaths in 2000, 2001 and 2002 in the U.S. were due to possible preventable medical errors (“Medical Malpractice”).

Another issue affecting malpractice is the population of an area. Patients in highly populated areas often have more cases of this because doctors know the patients can afford to pay for the unnecessary tests. However, doctors in low-income areas only run needed tests because their patients cannot pay for the excessive tests and screening. So now doctors have to be more worried about lawsuits than if the patient in front of them dies (“The High Cost . . .”).

The new health care bill is supposed to provide quality health care at a lower cost. This bill would also help control growth in health care costs in the future years. The bill is said to include the following benefits: coverage and choice, affordability, shared responsibility, controlling costs, prevention and wellness, and workforce investments (“Policies . . .”).

This bill would have to cover the 36 million citizens who don’t have insurance now, unless they choose the other option, which is to pay a fee, which will vary from year to year. There would be new rules and regulations restricting insurance companies from withholding coverage for pre-existing conditions. A “public option” would also be available. This “option” would be a “Government-run insurer [that would] compete with private insurers, with the dual aim of driving down costs and providing care for people who can find it nowhere else”. This means insurance companies couldn’t make the prices sky high if they wanted to stay in business, because they would have a more “fair” competitor (“Passing the Baton”).

Many Americans are questioning whether this bill will pay for abortion fees. According to the official White House website, Dan Pfeiffer writes that the bill will have “Strict Compliance with Prohibitions on Abortion Funding in Health Insurance Exchanges. The Act specifically prohibits the use of tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments to pay for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) in the health insurance exchanges that will be operational in 2014”; meaning this bill will not pay for any abortions unless they fall under the guidelines above. This is one of the main reasons this bill was able to pass.

There is a timeline set up for the structure of the new health care reform. Starting in 2010 all health insurance plans will be required to cover dependent children until age 26. There will be a high-risk health insurance pool set up in order to have an affordable coverage plan for uninsured Americans with medical problems. Insurers will be prohibited to write a policy that restricts payment for children with a particular condition. Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to put lifetime dollar restraints on coverage or cancel policies (with the exception of fraud). New tax credits will be provided to assist small businesses with fewer than 25 employees to help obtain and keep insurance coverage. The Medicare prescription coverage gap will be decreased by a $250 rebate that will be given to seniors stuck in the “doughnut hole”, and projected Medicare payments to hospitals, home health agencies, hospices, and nursing homes will be reduced (Zalvidar).

Finally, in 2010 the 10% sales tax on indoor tanning will come into affect. The next year will include more phases into the change of health care. In 2011, a voluntary long-term care insurance program will be provided to create a small cash benefit to help disabled people stay in their homes, or assist in nursing home coverage costs; the individual will need to begin paying a coverage fee five years before the benefits can begin. Medicare recipients will receive a 50% discount on brand name prescription drugs and will start filtering in more drug discounts. Primary care doctors and general surgeons working in conditions that are not ideal will be given a 10% Medicare bonus to improve preventive coverage. Medicare Advantage plans will be stopped in order to reduce payments to private insurers; this reduction will be filtered in over a period of 3 to 7 years. More money will be spent for community health centers providing more services for low-income and uninsured people. Employers will be required by law to provide written reports of the quality of care and benefits on the employees’ W-2 tax statements. There will also be a $2.3 billion annual fee for drug makers starting in 2011 (Zalvidar).

Starting in 2012, a program that will create nonprofit insurance co-ops will be set up in order to compete with insurers; and hospitals will be penalized for high rates of preventable re-admissions because of reduced Medicare costs. Coming into affect in 2013 there will be “standardized insurance company paperwork, first in the series of steps to reduce administrative costs.” Medical expense contributions will be limited in tax-sheltered FSA’s (Flexible Spending Accounts) to $2,500 a year to coincide with inflation. Thresholds for claiming itemized medical tax deductions will increase from 7.5% to 10% of income; however, seniors’ percentage minimum will still remain 7.5% until 2016. There will also be a 2.3% sales tax on medical devices excluding everyday products that can be bought at drug stores (Zalvidar).

The year 2014 will be when most of the regulations for the health care reform come into place. Insurers will be restricted from denying coverage or refusing to renew a policy to anyone with medical problems. The only differences of payment will be because of age, place of residence, family size, and tobacco use. Coverage expansion will increase due to new health insurance exchanges that will be for individuals and small businesses to buy. Low-income adults with no children will begin to be covered by Medicaid, which will also be covering people up to 133% of the federal poverty line. Citizens and legal residents will be required to have health insurance or pay a fine to the IRS; the fee will start at $96 per person in 2014 and rise to $695 in 2016. A penalty of $2000 per employee will be given if a company has more than 50 employees and have workers who get coverage through exchange and receive a tax credit (Zalvidar).

There are only two more steps on the timeline. In 2018, a tax on employer-sponsored health insurance will be imposed that will be more than $10,200 for individual coverage. Finally in 2020, the doughnut hole gap will be excluded from Medicare; seniors will still pay the 25% of their drug costs until the threshold for catastrophic coverage is reached when their co-payments drop to 5% (Zalvidar).

Although this seems picture perfect, there are a few flaws. For instance this reform would cost $1 trillion over the first ten years; which would mean an increase in taxes for households making over $500,000 a year. This also could mean a rationing of health care. Meaning that minor procedures and operations might not be available until the problem is more serious or perhaps even life threatening. However, the CBO has high hopes and feels if the bill is passed Americans would see a net reduction in national budget deficits of $109 billion just from the first year. The actual results of this bill will not be known for quite some time if it is passed, because not all changes will be put into place until 2020 (“Passing the Baton”).

This bill is somewhat contradictory and confusing. According to the white house the bill will be “providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history” but it is also said that it could cost the people $1 trillion. This act also provides, “$1 billion for prevention and wellness to improve America’s health and help to reduce health care costs; $1.1 billion for research to give doctors tools to make the best treatment decisions for their patients by providing objective information on the relative benefits of treatments; and $500 million for health workforce to help train the next generation of doctors and nurses”. It makes no sense that the middle class is getting tax cuts, but somehow the government is giving more money to the health care system (“Policies . . .”).

The health care reform that is being proposed now will more than likely be a tragic failure. Americans are going to revolt because they will have to be paying higher taxes and paying for other people’s health care. Some regulations seem socialistic such as the fact every American must either have insurance or pay a fee. Some aspects are useful though. There does need to be a government insurance company that can create a reasonable premium that other insurers will have to compete with in order to have customers; because if there isn’t a regulated insurance company then premiums will continue to rise and create more and more problems with uninsured patients.

The main problems with health care are the unnecessary spending and insurance costs. There needs to be more competition between health insurance companies, either by a government ran insurer or simply more private insurers. If the government doesn’t want to have their own insurance company then they need to offer more benefits for private companies to encourage more Americans to start new insurance businesses. Insurance companies also need to start covering more preventive care in order to reduce costs of after-care; such as covering Nicorette and other non-smoking aides instead of paying for lung cancer treatment, birth control instead of paying for hospital fees for pregnancy and labor or an abortion, and other minor procedures that can stop the spending of more expensive after care. Another regulation that could help insure more people at a lower cost would be to have insurance companies base the price of your insurance off of preventive medical care. There is no reason a baby who has done nothing wrong but was born with a birth defect should have to be denied coverage when there are individuals who can prevent their diseases. Americans who are not born with a thyroid gland problem and are overweight should have to pay more for their premium since because they are overweight there is a higher likelihood of preventable disease such as: heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. Tobacco users’ premiums should also increase because of the effects of expensive lung cancer treatment and oxygen, along with possible jaw cancer treatments. This seems to be a more fair way to assess the costs. Also, individual states need to take prescription drug costs into their own hands. Instead of taking the easy way out and just sticking to brand name drugs, the states need to search deeper and find more prescriptions that have the same effects but without the high cost. I think the government also needs to hire one person per every 2 or 3 hospitals to regulate the amount of unnecessary tests and screenings. Even if this regulator didn’t catch every mishap it would encourage doctors to stop running unnecessary tests and scanners if they knew someone was going to be looking to find those unnecessary expenditures.

States are already getting lawsuits together to sue the national government because they feel the new health care bill is unconstitutional. The 14 states include: Florida, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Alabama, Washington, Texas, Utah, South Carolina, Nebraska, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. The states are suing for two victims in the case; the states themselves and the individuals in the states. Florida’s attorneys’ filed complaint states that, “The new healthcare reform package exceeds Congress’s powers to regulate commerce, violates 10th Amendment protections of state sovereignty, and imposes an unconstitutional direct tax”. The lawsuits will first go through state courts and then eventually the cases will make their way to the Supreme Court, which will hold the ultimate decision. The first lawsuit was filed minutes at the president signed the bill; which means more problems are surely to follow after more time has passed. The United States’ health care system is seriously flawed, but the new bill doesn’t seem to be the answer Americans are looking for (Richey).







Works Cited

"A Collection of Problems with the US Health Care System”. HealthCareProblems.Org.
22 Jun 2008. Web. 22 Mar 2010. <http://www.healthcareproblems.org/health-care-statistics.htm>.

Cunningham, P. J. "High Medical Cost Burdens, Patient Trust, and Perceived Quality of Care," Journal of General Internal Medicine. 20 Dec. 2008. Web. 22 Mar. 2010.<http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/ 2009/Feb/High-Medical-Cost-Burdens--Patient-Trust--and-Perceived-Quality-of Care.aspx>.

Fiscal Policy Institute. “Escalating Prescription Drug Costs Reality and Options for Reform.” Fiscal Policy. 17 June 2002. Web. 28 Mar. 2010. <http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/Prescription%20Drug%20Testimony.pdf>.

"The High Cost of Health Care." New York Times. NYTimes.com. 25 Nov. 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/opinion/25sun1.html>.

Kovner, Anthony R., and Steven Jonas, eds. Health Care Delivery in the United States. 7th Ed. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, 2002. Print

"Medical Malpractice." Wikipedia,, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_malpractice>.

Oliver, Denise. “Health Problems in Colonial America: Diseases, Doctors, and Cures Explained.” Suite101. 03 Oct. 2008. Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://colonial- america.suite.101.com/article/cfm/health_problems_in_colonial_america>.

“Passing the Baton.” Economist 393.8657 14 Nov. 2009: 35-36. EBSCOhost. Web. 2 Mar. 2010

Pfeiffer, Dan. “One More Step Towards Health Insurance Reform.” The White House. 21 Mar 2010. Web. 26 Mar 2010. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/21/one-more-step-towards-health-insurance-reform>.

"Policies to Improve Affordability and Accountability." The White House, n.d., Web. 26 Feb. 2010. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-caremeeting/proposal/whatsnew/afford>.

“The Price of Health.” Economist 326.7803 20 Mar. 2009: 15-16. Academic SearchPremier. Web. 2 Mar. 2010

Richey, Warren. “Attorneys General in 14 States Sue to Block Healthcare Reform Law.” The Christian Science Monitor. 23 Mar. 2010. Web. 4 April 2010. <http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0323/Attorneys-general-in-14-states-sue-to-block-healthcare-reform-law>.

Thorpe, K. "Why are Urban Hospital Costs so High? The Relative Importance of Patient Source of Admission, Teaching, Competition, and Case Mix." PubMed 22.6 1988): 821-23. Web. 22 Mar. 2010. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC1065477/?page=4>.

Underwood, Anne. “For Many Consumers, Few Insurance Choices.” The New York Times. 19 Aug. 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2010. <http://prescriptions.blogs. nytimes.com/2009/08/19/how-much-competition-among-insurers/>.

"Universal Health Care (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against)." BalancedPolitics.org, n.d., Web. 1 Mar. 2010. <http://www.balancedpolitics. org/universal_health_care.htm>.

Zalvidar, Ricardo. “Health Care Reform Timeline: Immediate Change, Long-Term Steps.” Lawrence Journal-World. 24 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/24/health-care-reform-timeline-immediate-change-long-/>.

I chose not to put this on my blog so I don't offend anyone.

Energy Drink Analysis

Amy Miller, Sarah Koontz

English 111

January 24, 2010

Mr. Schelle

The alarm rings and I wake up to my mom yelling and the dog barking. I search my brain for the reason I'm awake and remember it’s a weekday. Which, in teenage terms, means I have eight hours of listening to a teacher try and explain something to me that I don’t care about, after which is followed by a sports practice, then I return home to do homework and try to have at least a little bit of a social life. This cycle repeats until the weekend. The weekend is full of athletic events, staying up until odd hours of the night talking to friends, and racking my brain trying to figure out the meaning of my life. As if this wasn’t all enough, I'm supposed to be perky and have a good attitude. Good luck right?

Thankfully there is help to get through the day without crumbling. We call them our saving grace . . . also known as energy drinks. Everyone argues which one is the best, and we decided to take matters into our own hands and test some various brands of energy drinks. After talking to our friends, we came up with five popular brands to put to the test: Monster, Red Bull, Nos, Amp and 5 Hour Energy.

Amp:

Red Bull:

Photo on 2010-01-19 at 10.24.jpg

Nos:

Photo on 2010-01-21 at 10.49.jpg

Monster:

2.jpg

The Survey

* This survey is weighted according to importance.

- The two most important elements are taste and energy.

- Next are availability and cost.

- Least important is nutrition.

First off is availability. No one wants to have to drive thirty minutes or more to get an energy drink, especially because you’re lacking energy! City Market is the highest score because most people go there on a daily basis, next is Robert’s and the rest are all out of town.

Availability: x2 Points

1= Grand Junction

2= Montrose

3= Wal-Mart

4= Robert’s

5= City Market

Next, is cost. No high school teen that I know of has a couple hundred bucks to spare on energy drinks per year. We tested this element by the price before tax.

Cost: x2 Points

1= Above $4.01

2= $4.00-$3.01

3= $3.00-$2.01

4= $2.00-$1.01

5= Below $1.00

Of course energy is the most important thing about the drink! If it doesn’t give you energy then it’s just like another soda or Gatorade. We took in the consideration of the type of energy and whether or not you had an afternoon crash.

Energy: x3 Points

1= Lack of Energy

2= Short Burst of Jittery Energy

3= Jittery & Unfocused

4= Focused & Energized for Under an Hour

5= Focused & Energized for Over an Hour

Taste is also a huge factor. No one wants to have to drink something that they can barely get down their throat. We wanted a drink that had a taste that didn’t give away that it was an energy drink.

Taste:x3 Points

1= On the Verge of Throwing Up

2= Have to Plug Your Nose to Swallow

3= Not Bad but Your Taste Buds Aren’t Totally Satisfied

4= Want to Drink Another

5= Need It All the Time

Although most teenagers never look at the ingredients or nutrition info on the back of a can, we decided to. We didn’t do it to keep our cholesterol down or to keep our heart healthy; we just didn’t want to have to by bigger pants or more acne medication!

Nutrition (Grams of Sugar): x1 Points

1= Over 50 grams

2= 35-50 grams

3= 20-34 grams

4= 10-19 grams

5= less than 1

Availability: Total Points

All of the drinks were found at City Market except for 5 Hour Energy. Monster, Amp, Red Bull and Nos all received 20 points for the availability test.

Cost: Total Points

Monster, Red Bull and Amp were all in the $2.01-$3.00 range. Since they were the cheapest of the drinks, they received 12 points for the cost test.

Energy: Total Points

In this category, we thought that 5 Hour Energy would have the most points, but in the end it was Monster that gave us the most energy and therefore earning 27 points.

Taste: Total Points

Amp was the best tasting energy drink, earning 27 points. Nos and 5 Hour Energy were the worst tasting drinks, the testers could barely finish the drinks because of the taste.

Nutrition: Total Points

5 Hour Energy always boast that it contains no sugar, and we found that to be true. Because it was the healthiest for you, 5 Hour Energy earned 10 points for the nutrition test.

Total Points

In the end, Monster was winner with 89 points, chosen by high school students. Amp came in a close second with 83 points, third place was Nos, Red Bull came in fourth and lastly was 5 Hour Energy.

Next time your eyelids start drooping and you need an extra boost to get you through the day you now know to reach for the “Green M”, and chug down a Monster. Those other energy drinks just can’t compare… so go ahead and “unleash the monster in you.”

This English class has pushed me to my next level of writing. The past three years of high school I have slid by in my English classes without really trying, because I didn't have to. The teacher's didn't expect much of me, so I didn't put much out. However this year was very different; I had to push myself to my hardest potential in order to receive a good grade. This semester I found out that I prefer informal writing to formal by a landslide. I hate having to deal with the sources, and not being able to add my own personality into the paper in formal writings. I find it much easier to use my imagination and figurative language to create a picture than to use sources and technical words to create a research paper. The descriptive essay was definitely my favorite paper to write because the only researching I had to do was to pick through my memoires. On the other hand, my least favorite essay was the argumentative, because of how many pages of research you had to skim through to find something to use as an argument. I am a procrastinator, but I only work decent under pressure. I wait until the very last minute to get things done, because I am easily distracted and often put things off. When I have to get something done I can sit down at the computer and the words flow to me easily, but I would like to begin starting projects earlier in order to not be rushed and do better at conventions. I feel sometimes I make stupid convention mistakes because I am rushed and don't take my time. I like to look at other works of writing before I begin my own. It helps me to get a basic idea of what each paper is supposed to entail, and I feel more prepared to begin the essay. Before I turn in my essay, I definitely need to have my peers read it. My eyes never seem to catch obvious mistakes, and I count on others to edit my paper so I don't fail. I have learned this semester that I am going to have to apply myself in college, because I won't be able to just slide by like I have in high school. I feel that this class has matured me both as a student and as a writer.

Amy Miller
Mr. Schelle
English 111
4 December 2009

One Time in the Gym…

High school is a time in your life most remembered: the friends, the fights, the laughter, and the tears. I attend Hotchkiss High school in Hotchkiss, Colorado. This brick school is implanted directly in the middle of the dobes. It seems quite out of place, and only consists of a couple hundred students; I am one of these students. My school is an average size building, but only one place vividly sticks in my mind. This place is where my first and last day of high school will be spent. It is a room consumed by triumph and defeat, joy and sorrow, tears and laughter, friends and enemies. It is a place where a piece of my heart and my body will forever remain. My memories of high school will be kept sacred in the Hotchkiss High School Gymnasium.

I walk into the gym as the cold air rushes through my lungs and makes it even more difficult to breathe. I say hello to my friends with a quivering voice and stare at my new home. This gym will be my best friend and worst enemy. My eyes drift across the banners hanging loosely from the pale ceiling. The walls whisper secrets of the past athletes and previous generations. My foot stumbles across a crack – or rather a canyon – in the floor, and I look to see if anyone noticed. My face radiates fear and the gym resembles a locked-down prison cell in my intimidated brain. Throughout the day, I stare at the broken clock positioned on the cracked bricks. Sadly, it moves faster than the working clock on the other side of the gym. My skin burns as I dive across the floor. The blood drips and mixes with the muddy concoction of sweat and dirt. I can taste the salt of the sweat that fills the stuffy gym. My senses are on high alert, ready for anything and everything. The tarpent floor binds my feet to the lines, and each step punishes my body. My heartbeat resounds in my head. My eyes fill with awe when I see the seniors hitting the floor with their bodies. I hope to someday own this gym the way they do. Finally, after five hours of intense volleyball, I step out into the brisk air and feel the freedom of the world outside the gym.

Once again, my feet walk toward the door. I pull it open and take in a deep breath. The smell of future victory engulfs my nostrils. My feet glide across the yellowish-brown floor and a sense of peace releases inside me. The wooden bleachers are squeakily pushed in and the gum sticks from one seat to another. We clear the floor before the start of our practice. Excitement radiates from inside me and transmits to my fellow seniors. Our black and white sneakers stomp across the cracked floor, punishing it for the weakness it shows. The victorious crimson banners match the color of the blood dripping from our knees, and they influence us to work that much harder. The word “Champions” glows from the cloth; before I leave, I hope to soon see my team’s triumph hanging in companion with these previous achievements. I close my eyes when I dive and I can hear the fans cheering and the whistle blowing. In everyone else’s mind, they see the hand-me-down scoreboard, but my eyes see a heart monitor, carefully watched over by everyone else. I come out of my trance and look to the broken clock on the wall; wishing time was really standing still. Running feet echo throughout the gym and overpower the constant humming of the ventilation system. Once again everyone leaves to their home, but I stick around for a little while longer. I sit cross-legged on the floor and take it all in, my senior year.

The final day of my high school career will be spent in this Gymnasium. The gym will transform into an area where no athletics take place, and academics are the main priority. The baskets will be raised and the ball racks put away where they can’t be seen. The gym will be taken over by platforms and chairs. Everyone will ditch the sweat stained uniforms for their nice clothes, and the air will taste of over-done perfume. The cracked floor will go unnoticed, because no feet will be running across it in chase of a loose ball, or in midst of a conditioning drill. Visitors from across the nation will attend the ceremony to see their friends and family start a new phase in their confused life. Voices will ring across the focused gym, talking of the past, present, and future. The banners will be pushed into the background and the victories will be forgotten for a day. Today is about a senior class, and their glory obtained not only in this gym, but also throughout the entire school and community. The walls will speak the rumors this class has already forgotten. The floor will cling to secrets of relationships, fights, kisses, losses, and triumphs. Memories will be whispered amongst the family members and friends of the graduates. Their voices will fall into the cracks and kept in the vault. Past days will flood our memories and soon the flood will evolve into tears that spill down our cheeks to be cradled by the gym floor. Today, the ever-present muddy concoction is tears, makeup and dirt. The emotional water will join all of the tears fallen since the first class to graduate here in 1982. We will then be considered the past of Hotchkiss High school, not the present, nor the future.

This gym will always be a place overflowing with memories, both good and bad. This gym is a safe of secrets whose security code is known only by HHS graduates. Each hour I spent here I gave another part of my soul to the gym. My spirit will roam across the bleachers pushing new teams and new athletes to be their best today and everyday. Although this was not the only place in the school, I know when I tell my future children of the times I had at HHS, almost every story will being with “This one time in the gym...”

Amy Miller

Mr. Schelle

English 111

16 Nov 2009

Digging America Out of Darkness

Half of American’s energy is generated by only one mineral: coal (Adams). Coal has been used by humans ever since the caveman era, and continues today. The Hopi Indians used coal for making pottery and cooking, while the caveman used it for heating. Coal was and still continues to be a practical way to create large amounts of energy. (“DOE - Fossil Energy . . .”).

Commercial mining of coal started roughly in the 1740’s in and around Virginia. This useful mineral is burned to create energy for a wide variety of industries today. Coal is burned to make steam, which turns generators and produces energy. Power plants across the nation use this mineral. Products resulting from coal-powered plants include paper, steel, iron, cement and ceramics ("Coal - Uses").

Many people opposed to mining believe coal mines are “destroying the land” (“The Dirty Facts . . .”). They feel having a good view from their front porch is more important than mining coal because of the large equipment. In the vast United States there are 2,379,964,800 acres (“How Many Acres Total is the US? . . .”). One hundred thirty-nine million acres of this land is dedicated to National Forests and grasslands (“How many acres of National Forest” . . .). According to the National Mining Association (NMA) Website, throughout the entire history of mining only five million acres have been mined. That is only 21% of our nations land and in 1978 Coal Mines started to reclaim and re-establish mining land. Since the start of this process more than seven billion dollars have been spent. Therefore in actuality there are even fewer than five million acres being mined at this point. Various politicians argue this point, the same politicians living in large cities, who feel that mining isn’t “pretty enough” (Fast Facts).

The most heard about argument is that coal destroys the ozone layer. A large amount of politicians believe that coal is “dirty” ("The Dirty Facts . . ."). However, today’s power plants emit 90% less pollutants than in 1970. Also, at mines in Colorado the sulfur content is even less than 1%, it comes out as .53% sulfur (“Fast Facts”). Companies like Tides donate roughly 120,000 dollars to groups that harass miners and company owners who use coal (Steven Adams). They believe that coal mining is depleting the ozone layer and needs to be stopped. However, instead of using this money to create a new way of power plants and creating energy, they use it to try and shut down mines. These companies have no plans of creating different sources of energy; somehow that part of the scheme is incomplete.

A great quality of coal mining is that coal is domestically mined. With coal, there is no need to have to buy this from other countries, because out of every ten tons of coal mined, nine of it goes to generating domestic electricity. Coal is found on 458,600 acres of land in 38 states, and there is a 235-year reserve in the US. Coal is used extremely often, yet there is still at least a 235-year reserve left in place. Coal is used so much that each person in the United States uses 3.7 tons of coal on average annually. With the United States’ falling economy the country needs to use each and every advantage that it can produce.

On average 61% of American’s money goes to purchasing imported goods. This doesn’t help our economy because buying imported goods often leads to the closing of manufacturing labs in the United States. Various countries do not have a minimum wage and pay their workers very little; therefore they can sell and distribute their products for less than American industries can. This leads to fewer US products being bought, which results in wage cuts or lay offs. Many companies still cannot compete with the low prices and factories shut down. Americans are then out of jobs and the economy falls. This problem doesn’t occur for coal mining, however, because it is domestically mined which means a better economy because US dollars are being spent in America (“Fast Facts”).

Many people opposed to coal mining argue that it is an unsafe occupation. Mining technology during the Californian Gold Rush wasn’t safe and sadly that is what most Americans envision when they picture mining. Of course canary mining and pick axes don’t make much for safety. However, individuals that have visited new mines will argue that mining is actually very advanced in safety. In fact half of the US mines went without any lost time injuries in 2007. Various jobs including construction, education, agriculture, retail trade, and health services all average more non-fatal injuries and illnesses that mining does. Americans that want to shut down mining due to safety might as well shut down construction services, farms, and schools ("Safety: Mining's Commitment").

One of the biggest hits the United States will take if the coal mines are closed is job opportunity. Coal mines employ roughly 138,600 people ("Fast Facts"). However, there are even more jobs that aren’t in the actual mining industry that result from coal mines. The National Mining Association states that for one coal mining job there are 3.5 other jobs generated from it. These jobs come from power plants and goods transportation. Yes, there are jobs in “Green Industries” but the wages don’t match up.Starting wages for a high school student with no further education is about 60% less in a wind industry than in a coal mining industry (“Green Jobs Struggle To Pay Living Wage”). With the falling economy $12 per hour will not support a family, especially with the increase of price for heat not generated by coal. According to the Heritage Foundation, if the coal mines close in West Virginia electricity prices could rise by $970.63 a month (Adams). So not only are workers going to either be unemployed, or paid less, they are also going to have to make up for the rise in their electricity bills.

In 2007 there were only 50,000 jobs in wind turbine industries (Wind Turbine Jobs Forecast). That same year coal mining employed over 83,000 people (“Coal and jobs . . .”). The difference then was not huge; however, the wind turbine plants are topped out at 50,000 jobs, while the coal mining industry’s demand for workers keeps increasing (Green Jobs Struggle To Pay Living Wage). In other words, the 138,000 people that would lose their jobs if coal mining was shut down would have no place to work in the “Green Industry”.

The planet is the people’s responsibility to take care of; however, coal mining cannot be replaced at this moment. There are not enough jobs, and not another valiant resource like coal available to the United States. Until a known way to create as much energy as coal does is found, there is no other option but to keep mining. The economy would fall apart, and the United States would be in distress. Coal is the glue holding the United States together.

Works Cited

Adams, Steven. "Leftist Foundations Work Against Coal Miners”. San Francisco Examiner. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/columns/oped_contributors/Leftist-foundations-work-against-coal-miners-62774842.html>.

Caldwell, Jack. "Coal Mine Wages: 2008 CostMine Summary."I Think Mining. 20 Feb 2009. Web. 6 Nov 2009. <http://ithinkmining.com/2009/02/20/coal-mine-wages-2008-costmine-summary/>.

"Coal - Uses."Science Encyclopedia. Web. 9 Nov. 2009.<http://science.jrank.org/pages/1538/Coal-Uses.html>.

"Coal and Jobs in the United States - SourceWatch."SourceWatch - SourceWatch. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Coal_and_jobs_in_the_United_States>.

"The Dirty Facts on "Clean Coal"."Coal is Dirty. Web. 8 Nov 2009. <http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/the-coal-hard-facts >.

"DOE - Fossil Energy: A Brief History of Coal Use in the United States."DOE - Fossil Energy: Office of Fossil Energy Home Page. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/coal/coal_history.html>.

"Fast Facts." NMA. Web. 8 Nov 2009. <http://www.nma.org/statistics/fast_facts.asp>.

"How Many Acres of National Forest are in the United States | ChaCha Answers."ChaCha - Mobile Search | Text Search | Questions and Answers. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://www.chacha.com/question/how-many-acres-of-national-forest-are-in-the-united-states>.

"How many acres total is the US? - Yahoo! Answers."Yahoo! Answers - Home. Web. 8 Nov. 2009. <http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070527131708AA3QJLe>.

"National Journal Online -- Energy/Enviro Experts -- Should We Start Swapping Coal For Gas?"National Journal Online -- Energy/Enviro Experts. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://energy.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/should-we-start-swapping-coal.php#1387697>.

"Safety: Mining's Commitment." NMA. Web. 9 Nov 2009.<http://www.nma.org/pdf/s_one_pager.pdf>.

"Wind Turbine Jobs Forecast."Wind Turbines Now - Generators Power Energy. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://www.windturbinesnow.com/wind-turbine-jobs.htm>.

"Green Jobs Struggle To Pay Living Wage."www.windaction.org | Welcome. Web. 10 Nov. 2009. <http://www.windaction.org/news/21534>.

Amy Miller

Mr. Schelle

English 111

Oct. 9 2009

Naïve No More

            “Is she breathing?” I try to scream but it comes out as a whisper. I can’t even see her face because of the crimson river of blood. The driver looks horrified and is hovering over her protectively. I can tell she’s not breathing and my mind is racing. How did this happen? Why didn’t I see them? This can’t be real. But it is.

            It was August 21, 2009. I had just finished a great morning volleyball practice. It was Friday, which meant it was the last day of two a days and I felt on the top of the world. I was a high school senior, I was kicking butt in two a days, I was the person to be. After my practice I went home and saw that my cocker spaniel had an ear infection so I called my mom to let her know. I decided to take a nap before my next practice. I fell asleep on my bed with a peaceful humming in my brain.

            My Garth Brooks ring tone slipped into my dream and I woke up to my mom on the phone. The vet was about to go to lunch so I needed to hurry and get my dog there. I left my house singing to the radio with the windows rolled down. I turned onto the back roads and laid the hammer down. It was 11:40 and I needed to get my pet to Paonia by 12:00. I knew I could make it. My red car chased down vehicles and passed them with ease. I had confidence in my driving, and my car was a lightening machine. After all, I knew wrecks only happened to other people, I was invincible; I was Amy Miller.            

            My beast of a car was in the town of Paonia by 12:00 but I still needed to go a couple miles west to get to the Vet’s office. I was jammin’ out to some hard rock and stopped at the stop sign at an intersection. I looked right then left then went. That’s when it happened. I saw the van a split second before I clipped it. I didn’t scream or swerve; there wasn’t enough time for that. My car hit and turned to the left 45 degrees. As soon as I felt the impact I looked over my left shoulder to the van. For a bit all I could see was dirt, then I saw a woman’s upper half flinging out the side passenger window. The next thing I remember was seeing that the van had stopped sliding down the highway of death. I flung open my door and tried to get my shaking legs to run towards the body. The van was roughly 100 yards from the initial wreck. I’m positive my face had a look of shock. I stopped at the stop sign, I wasn’t speeding, I wasn’t on my phone, and I looked both ways… This can’t be happening to me.

She was face down on the pavement. Neither she nor the passenger had their seat belts on, and they were both ejected from the van. I could see the blood pooling around her head. My mind registered that she was dead even before I asked. Call it intuition call it a negative attitude, but I knew. I asked the driver in a dazed confusion if he had called 911. He looked up with emptiness in his eyes. His mouth could not form words so he simply nodded his head yes. I look up to a woman with a stethoscope wrapped around her neck. She was local EMT who happened to be at Stop N’ Save, the store located 15 yards away from the wreck. When she came racing out my brain was fooled into thinking for a split second, “It’s a miracle she can save her!” but then I remembered all the blood and knew that it was too good to be true. They held her spine steady and rolled her onto her back. The blood seemed so wrong covering her peaceful face. The EMT got on her cell phone and called 911 to see if she should start CPR. I hear her say that the passenger is a 26-year-old female. Twenty-six… Barely starting her life… and now it could be over. The EMT started CPR while I stood dumbly watching. For once in my life I felt hopeless. There was nothing I could do… obviously I had already done enough by causing the accident. After three minutes I tore my eyes away from the already gone angel and walked back to my car. I got onto my phone and called my mom. I don’t remember what I said, I just heard her say she’d be there soon. It was the only relief I felt that day.

            A woman by the name of Sarah came to my aid. I don’t know why she was nice to me, I don’t know why she came to talk to me, but on that day I’m sure of one thing: God sent her to me. She told me to not talk to the police until my mom showed up. That’s when the thought of jail hit me. Jail… me? I’m an “A” average student, an all-conference volleyball player, one of the few who doesn’t drink in my grade, and I could possibly go to jail. The thought was diminished however when I remembered the innocent woman lying on the pavement. I hit the ground and prayed. My whole heart and soul was focused on praying. I wanted her to live, more than anything. I wanted God to take the painful breath from me and give it to her. I wanted my heartbeat to keep hers going. Out loud I prayed she would live, that God would take my life instead. I wasn’t being righteous; I just knew I couldn’t deal with killing someone. The lights flashed and greatened my confusion. Someone told me that they were going to flight for life her, I don’t remember whom; honestly, I don’t remember much of anyone but her. My lips were constantly moving in hopeless begging and pleading. My mind repeated the image of her body half way out of a moving death machine. From that day on my memory would be my worst enemy.

            My mom showed up about half an hour after my wreck. The EMT’s were checking my spine she first caught glimpse of me and I saw that her first expression was dead fear. She came running toward me like we were in a sad slow motion movie. She held me and my sobbing was so intense that my vision became tunneled from lack of oxygen. It felt like I was the motionless body instead of the passenger. My mom made me walk over and sit into the ambulance. I had to try and stop crying because my heart rate was so high that the EMT’s were worried I’d have heart failure; which wouldn’t help the already terrible situation. They were telling me to calm down and to myself I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me, I just killed someone and you expect me to calm down!” But somehow the sobbing stopped and the normal breathing began. Just as I’d stopped crying Mr. Hintz walked into the ambulance. I broke down again. I was so scared that no one would love me and the first thing he did was give me a hug. I couldn’t believe everyone was being so supportive after I’d killed someone. I realize now that everyone else knew people made mistakes, but I was lacking in that part of my emotional development. As I turned my weary head I caught glimpse of my dad’s stern face. This was what I had been dreading. My dad doesn’t make very many mistakes so he expects other people not to as well. He stepped in with a cold look on his face, said I’m glad you’re ok, and walked out to talk to the police. He figures out logical steps and doesn’t deal well with emotions. I guess that’s where I get it.

 A grief counselor, along with the police, asked me a couple questions and then I was finally released from the ambulance. We left the cursed place and started heading to the car. My best friend CeCe had heard about the wreck and was waiting by my mom’s car to see me. She wrapped her arms around me and I could feel the love radiating off of her. I never wanted to let go. We held onto each other and cried; we cried about the woman’s death, we cried for fear of losing each other, we cried for being grateful of each other. After our tears had stopped flowing we parted and my mother and I got into the car to head home. I checked my cell phone and had dozens of text messages and missed calls. The first person I called was my sister, she was grateful I was alive, but she also couldn’t believe this happened to me. Our family wasn’t bad, so we never assumed something bad would happen to us.

After I arrived home I sat on the couch in a dazed stare… I finally had accepted this was really happening. I replayed the accident countless times in my head, questioning my every move that afternoon. Dozens of friends and family friends came to my side that evening, full of shock and questions. My grandparents came up and I was surprised to find them calm and rational. Throughout time they had seen enough to know bad things do happen to good people. Something I didn’t want to accept. After the house calmed down I collapsed on the couch with my mom. She couldn’t seem to let me go that day. The possibility of death was too close earlier for parting words now. Around one in the morning I finally fell asleep. I dreamt of her body flailing out of the car, of her bloody face, and the man’s sobs. When I woke up I realized that nightmare was my new reality.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the terminator, but lately even he hasn’t been able to defeat the critical situation in California. His muscles can hold the fire hoses raging with water to put out the burning hillsides, and he can use his charm to convince citizens to recycle, but Schwarzenegger’s intimidation can’t even persuade Californians to get a job. Instead of trying even harder to show the value of hard work and determination, he just hands out money like it’s candy. The answer to his problems: welfare.

Welfare was developed in the 1930’s due to the Great Depression. Its purpose is to help families in need who have little or no income. When the wonderful world of welfare was first established, it was federally regulated. However, in 1996 Congress passed a reform law giving the power of welfare to each individual state. This is when California began transforming welfare into something negative and twisted (“US Welfare System”).

Each state has its own requirements and regulations for welfare. However, the federal government provides each state with TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) funds. The states are given this money to use, as they feel necessary, for the welfare system. Most states have similar ways of determining whether or not a family meets the criteria for welfare. A caseworker is assigned to each family that applies for welfare. The caseworker looks at the gross and net income of the family, size of the family, and also crisis situations such as pregnancy, loss of job, or medical emergencies. Welfare varies in different areas but mostly includes food stamps, cash aid, health care, childcare assistance, and housing assistance (“US Welfare System”).

It is federally regulated that parents receiving welfare must find work within two years after first getting granted welfare. Single parents must work 30 hours per week; families with two parents must work 35-55 hours per week. However, for some unknown reason, California doesn’t feel like it has to abide by these laws. Peter Foy, a California Chairman of Americans for Prosperity, a Ventura County Supervisor and a successful business owner states that “According to the Department of Human Services, Department of Social Services and the Welfare to Work Division, it is costing the state $330 million for their failure to meet [work to welfare] requirements California has lost 330 million dollars in the past five years”. The United States is already in debt, but no one in power seems to feel the need the take care of the issue in California.

            While the government ignores this issue, Pat Bagley exploits it. On August 31, Bagley’s cartoon of Octo-Mom was released. Nadya Suleman is pictured flying in the air with babies dropping out of her and a man and a woman with baseball mitts attempting to catch the kids. The artist portrays Suleman as irresponsible because of the fact she has a smile on her face and is flying away from her babies. This may symbolize that Octo-Mom did not necessarily have the kids because she wanted them, but instead she was only looking for attention and money. The statement at the bottom of the cartoon is “New Item: Single, unemployed mom tests the carrying capacity of the planet”. Bagley may be suggesting that if more people were irresponsible like Suleman that the world would be overpopulated, and extremely poor. Nadya Suleman is drawn as a carefree everyday mom; this more than likely shows Bagley feels that Suleman thinks as herself as a normal mom, but the rest of the world does not see her as that. Perhaps the author is trying to show America that people are abusing the welfare system; He hints at this through the two people catching Octo-Mom’s responsibilities. America is paying for a family whose 14 kids were all were conceived by in vitro fertilization (“Octo-Mom…”).

            Welfare is a debatable issue mainly because of the fact that some people abuse the system. Most Americans would be willing to help others who have fallen on hard times and need a helping hand; however, the system is failing. California is falling behind in payments because they are not strict enough on the work to welfare ratio. Only 21% of single parent families meet the work to welfare ratio in California and only 35% of two parent families do. The Sunshine State has 12% of the population in America but they have 29% share of the total welfare recipients. This problem could easily be solved. All that the state governments need to do is make sure all of the recipients of welfare meet the two-year requirement. This way, people could not abuse the system, and the welfare money spent would also decrease which would make the rest of America happy (Foy).

            Welfare is a serious issue. If someone as publicly watched as Octo-Mom can cheat the system, imagine how many everyday people are. America is struggling deeply in debt. If the United States doesn’t fix this problem soon chaos will break out.

 

 

Works Cited

Bagley, Pat. "8 Babies!" Daryl Cagle’s Political Cartoonists Index. 8 31 09. 6 Sep 2009

<http://cagle.com/ news/ 8Babies/main.asp>.

Foy, Peter. "California's Broken Welfare System." Flash Report. 03 23 08. 6 Sep 2009

<http://www.flashreport.org/featured-columns-library 0b.ph p?faID= 200 8042310573185>.

"Octo-Mom: ‘Student Loans’ Will Raise Kids." NBC Universal. 02 10 09. 6 Sep 2009

<http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/natlocto-mom-interviews--.html>.

"US Welfare System - Help for US Citizens." Welfare Information. 2009. 6 Sep 2009

<http://www.welfareinfo.org/>. 

Lately anyone who hears my name thinks of a wrecked car and a bloody body; not the best way to be remembered by your senior year. I planned on ruling the school, making it to state volleyball, and hanging out every weekend. Instead, I'm meeting with troopers, arguing with the insurance company, and trying not to have a mental breakdown in front of the whole school. Right now volleyball is the only thing I want to do, or even think of. The court is the only place where no one and nothing can touch me; it's my emotional outlet. Although my friends and family have been very supportive and cooperative, I'm still an emotional wreck. Hopefully the rest of my senior year goes better than the beginning. My name is Amy Miller and I'm part of the graduating class of 2010.

I've changed my mind countless times about colleges and majors, but who i want to be as a person has never changed. Throughout my life I hope I never lose track of what is important. My goal in life isn't to have a pretty car or a big house; it's to make a difference in teh world. I think, after about three years of confusion, I want to major in sociology. Being a social worker would be amazing for me because I would be able to help people every day. I hope ot change at least one person's life a year. This is who I hope to be.