National Health Care: Bill Moyers’ Interview with Bill Maher

Bill MoyersWith all of the politics surrounding health care reform, I was relieved to watch Bill Maher interview Bill Moyers about this subject.  The conversation was spot on & I think everyone, regardless of their political opinions, should take the time to watch this interview & reflect upon the message.

Would you feel okay knowing that you can afford a $25,000 operation to save your life while a person on the next floor is being denied the same operation because they don’t have the means to afford it? The health of our society is not a privilege of the rich & it is time that we work towards a solution to fixing a broken system which is run by insurance companies, drug companies & Wall Street.

For those who fear Socialism don’t forget about the public school system or the public library.  Remember that Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid will be there to help you in retirement.  It is true that these programs are not perfect however with adequate funding there is incredible room for improvement, which brings me to my next point.

When we are channeling billions of dollars to fund wars all over the world, people mostly keep their mouths shut but when we begin to funnel money towards rebuilding & improving our own systems it seems as though people scream from the mountaintops.  I suspect that most of this noise is coming from a minority of people who have a financial interest in not having a public health care system (stock brokers, insurance & drug corporations and politicians who rely on these industries to finance their campaigns).

It isn’t enough to form your opinion based on what you see on CNBC or Fox News.  You shouldn’t listen to Bill Moyers or Barack Obama.  Instead, use your head to form your opinion based on what is in your heart.  I found a wonderful quote which I feel sums up the resistance by the general population:

The awakening of social consciousness has always been resisted by the ego. The ego is attached to it’s construct of reality which is based on it’s identity as separate from all others. Resistance to universal health care as a human right is the ego asserting its disconnection from the whole. The rest of the debate is just smoke, mirrors and projection.

For some reason we feel that we are better than the poor.  That we work hard for what we have and we feel that others should have to work hard too, not just have things handed to them.  The problem with this is that our health is not something we should have to earn.  We deserve to be healthy, even if we are poor.

Watch a portion of the Bill Moyers interview with Bill Maher here.

Carnival of Money Stories- Creme de la Creme Edition

"Venice's Carnival #16" by frabarbani @ Flickr

Hosting this carnival has brought me an opportunity to read a variety of interesting stories, articles and opinions.  I have sifted through the submissions and have included only the best articles for your reading enjoyment.  Submit your article to next week’s Carnival of Money Stories which will be hosted at Dough Roller.  Be sure to check it out!!!

Editor’s Pick:

If You Want to Get Ahead, Stop Taking This Path!” @ Redeeming Riches

There is always something else to take away our time, energy and money.  The difference between those who actually reach their goals and those who don’t is discipline.

The Best of the Best:

Depression and Debt- A Dangerous Combination” @ Debt Kid

Before the recession, debt had become such an ingrained part of our society that many people accepted it as part of life. Unfortunately this sense of normalcy left many people unprepared for the devastating reality of living with debt once their credit limit hit the ceiling.

Recession Lessons: The Art of Staying In” @ Next Rich Girl

A night out was sometimes in the neighborhood of hundreds of dollars… just for the two of us!  After the economy took a turn, those nights out were quickly eradicated from our life.  Staying in has the only thing on our agenda for most of the last year.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.

When should you replace your old car?” @ Christian PF

The difficulty with owning a beater is that it usually takes a lot of TLC and regular repairs, and now with the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” incentive, more and more people are ditching their beaters for new cars.

Your Home is Not an Investment” @ Bargaineering

A few years ago, when the housing market was sizzling hot, everyone and their mother talked about how their home was a fantastic investment…Then the housing market stalled. ARMs reset. People were in rough shape. Those who overextended learned something the prudent have always understood, as much as your home is a great place, it’s not an investment.

The Rest of the Best:

What Money Can’t Buy: Share Your Priceless Moments

Money Management Tips for the New Recruits and Recent Graduates

How to Lower Your Car Insurance Payments

I’m Losing 50 Bucks to Be Happy, and I’m not Crazy

How to Take Advantage of Free Extended Warranty from your Credit Card

A New Schedule

"Vintage Calendar" by Small Treasures @ Flickr

This summer has brought about many opportunities to pursue numerous goals and has resulted in a spontaneous posting schedule.  In order to return to a more regular posting interval, and to provide articles of substance, I will be reducing the number of posts scheduled throughout the week.

At times, trying to write 5 daily articles can be challenging on its own.  Attempting to continue that schedule while pursuing a degree will result in poorly or hastily written articles of little or no value.  I prefer to offer my thoughts and opinions in concise articles which provide thought-provoking ideas.  At the moment I am toying with the idea of limiting my posts to once or twice weekly.

I have also been considering the amount of posts which I dedicate to financial topics.  While money is important to accomplishing goals, I am not sure that I am the best outlet for complex financial advice.  I still intend to offer my personal stories and thoughts on frugality, consumerism & minimalist living as I always have but will shy away from topics such as taxes or investments.  There are countless writers more adept at writing about these topics than I am.

I believe that more people come to Hundred Goals to read articles which motivate & inspire rather than to learn about financial matters.  Of course, many people come here for motivation in financial matters.  As such, I intend to continue the premise of this site, “Accomplish Your Goals While Managing Your Finances” albeit on a different level.

Thank you for your continued support!

Two Guys on a Journey

"Half Dome" by tas_veer @ Flickr

Last Saturday marked the beginning of yet another journey, this time to Yosemite National Park.  The main purpose of the trip would be for my friend Noah to accomplish his goal of summiting Half Dome, a granite monolith and the heart of the Yosemite landscape.

After two days of driving, which included being chased down the interstate by a couple of angry hillbillies (which ultimately resulted in having to call 911 for help), we finally reached our destination late in the evening.  With all of the campgrounds full we decided to search outside of the park for accommodations.  We stopped by a hotel which was bustling with life & were surprised that they were asking $250 a night for a room.  We only needed a place to sleep for a few hours as it was late and our journey to Half Dome would start early.

We drove down the road for a few more miles but didn’t find any campgrounds or other lodging options so we settled on parking on the side of the road for the night.  After half an hour we knew that sleep would not be coming soon parked on the side of the road.  The traffic, even in the middle of the night, was frequent and loud.  We looked at the map and found a campsite where we hoped we would find an open site.  When we arrived we were fortunate to find an open space where we pitched our tent and were able to get a few hours of sleep.

When we woke up it was still dark.  We tore down camp and prepared ourselves for the trip to the top of Half Dome.  When we arrived the sun was just beginning to lighten the sky.  We filled our hydration packs and hit the trail.  The trail to the top is about 8.5 miles with a vertical gain of nearly a mile.  After climbing Mount Saint Helens I didn’t expect this hike to be much more of a challenge.  I was sorely mistaken.

By the time we reached the first waterfall my knee was already beginning to hurt.  A few miles later I found myself practically dragging my left leg instead of using it to walk.  Once we reached the base of Half Dome I had as much pain as I could handle but the summit was so close I couldn’t give up.  After a quick break we began our final ascent to the top.  Once we reached the top our real problems began.

As I looked at the vast expanse of landscape before me I took  a long drink of water and began sucking air.  I was out of water.  I would have to hike 8.5 more miles on a bad knee with no water.  Things weren’t looking good.  We spent some time taking photos and enjoying our victory of reaching the top.  Once we began our descent we realized that we were going to have a rough trip back to the valley.

After a few miles we were so thirsty that we asked a couple of hikers for some spare water.  Thankfully they had some extra which didn’t last long and we were soon thirsty again.  We remembered passing a river on the way to the top which we would soon be near and could satiate our thirst.  Of course this meant taking the risk of getting sick from parasites & bacteria as we didn’t bring anything to filter our water.  It was a risk I was willing to take.  I filled an empty water bottle and drank the cool river water which tasted slightly similar to a fish tank.

We continued on our way to the valley and about 2.5 miles from the bottom I puked from exhaustion.  All the water I had just drank to save my life was now running through the cracks in the granite.  Discouraged and concerned I pushed on, I had no option.  I needed to get to water.  Slowly I made my way down to the bottom where I reached a safe source of water and I drank as much as I could as fast as I could.  I rested on a rock for about 15 minutes before trying to finish the last mile of the trip.

A hundred yards later I was puking out all of the water I had just drank.  My body wasn’t accepting the water and I was really starting to worry.  My feet were sore and blistered.  I was exhausted.  I was dehydrated.  I had to get to the valley soon before things got worse.  I hobbled down to the bottom and once we reached the car I drank a Gatorade in hopes of rehydrating myself and replenishing my lost electrolytes.

I began to feel better and we were both hungry so we decided to get pizza in the village.  We ordered a large, but could only eat a couple of peices each.  We had accomplished a goal, but nearly at the expense of our well-being.  We learned a huge lesson in the process, bring plenty of water & food.

Our journey allowed us plenty of opportunity to accomplish numerous goals which I will be discussing in the next few days.  This trip has been unlike any other I’ve been on.  It has been a great experience and made me realize how vulnerable we are in the natural environment.  As strong as we think we are, we are at the mercy of nature.  That is a powerful lesson to learn the hard way.

Simplify Your Life: Bank Accounts

Our lives are complicated.  Fortunately there are aspects which we are able to control.  In a mini-series called Simplify Your Life I will briefly discuss methods you can use in order to simplify your daily life.

Today’s topic will discuss how to streamline your bank accounts.  I will discuss some methods to organize your accounts and get you started with online banking.

BANK ACCOUNTS: Who Owns WHO?

"Broke the Bank" by anthonyimages @ Flickr!

As we grow older, our finances become even more complicated.  Throughout our lives we have opened numerous accounts for a variety of reasons.  We have multiple checking accounts and numerous savings accounts.  Our accounts are scattered between multiple financial establishments.  Where do we begin to sort through this mess and streamline our accounts?

The first step is to review your bank accounts and determine if you can consolidate or eliminate any of these accounts.  A person should be able to suffice with a single checking account.  If you are in a relationship with mixed expenses it makes sense to also have a joint checking account in addition to a personal checking account. The only exception for having more checking accounts would be for business accounts which should be kept separate from personal accounts.

While looking over your bank statements be sure to check how many savings accounts you have active. You should have at least two; one for short term savings for things like vacations, new furniture, down-payment for a house, etc. & another for your Emergency Fund. If you have trouble building your Emergency Fund, try using an online bank account such as ING Direct.  By using such a service you must conduct a bank transfer in order to access your money.  This transfer takes a couple of days and may help keep you from impulsive spending.  It isn’t a foolproof method, but it has helped me.

While tidying up your accounts, check into online banking.  The majority of brick and mortar banks offer free online account services where you can check your statements & activity online at your convenience instead of waiting for your monthly statements.  Signing up for e-statements reduces the amount of incoming mail each month.  Check with your bank for your options & to see if they offer any incentives for signing up for an online account.

If you are like me and prefer to itemize your accounts for a specific savings goal, ING Direct allows you to do this easily under a single account.  In addition to my Emergency Fund I also have my Vacation Fund & Opportunity Fund here.  There are no monthly statements in your mailbox as everything is on-line for your perusal at your leisure.

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Note: I do not receive compensation from the websites which I recommend.  My purpose is to help simplify the lives of my readers, not to benefit myself by earning commissions through product endorsements.