Dinner time!

Last night as I was sitting down with my kids for dinner (6:34pm), my phone rang. I have caller ID and could see that it was an unknown name but decided to answer the phone anyway…of course my greeting wasn’t very friendly- “It’s dinner time in the Baker house, this better be good!” After a pause of about 5 seconds, Sen. Obama starting talking. Instead of hanging up (which is what I wanted to do) I listened to the message. I still don’t get him….I don’t see the JFK-ness, maybe I’m the dumb blond in the room. Anyway, I listened to his entire 30 second message and hoped that there would some kind of opt out feature at the end……but there wasn’t. How come politicians get to shower us with their messages and we can’t opt out? I guess I can hang up but why do they get to call my house and interrupt my dinner time? I don’t like it.

AND…even if McCain or Huckabee called I would still be upset. Let’s let American eat in peace.

Have you voted yet?

Misty B.

Debate me, baby!

As most of the free world has heard on the 10pm news, NPR, the newspaper and countless (bad) blogs, tonight in Austin, Texas is going to be fantastic. It is the Democratic debate featuring Obama and Clinton. I tried to get a ticket; lord knows I paid everyone that would enter their email address in CNN's lottery system to get me in...but to no avail. I get to watch it on TV tonight with my kids and neighbor in a bad Mexican food joint down the street. At least the waiters know me and keep the margaritas coming.

I'm on the fence at this point on who to vote for. I've been told that Obama is a charismatic speaker, leader and stands for change but honestly, I don't get it. I've watched him talk, seen the crowds that gather for him and I just think....why? Can someone (not Sen. Kirk Watson) give me some real meat and potatoes reasons why this guy should be my man?

Hillary is another story. I almost feel like I know what she is about...and it isn’t good for people in my profession. But wouldn’t I rather have an enemy that I know, (and beat in the 90's)?

Either way, my nose will be pressed against the TV glass tonight listening to every word.

If you got a ticket for the debate and you're not going to use it...you know my number,

Misty B.

The Art of: Thank you.

It's not a Monday and I'm not even in a bad mood today but as I am purchasing my steaming cup of fat free chai tea this morning at Starbucks, I notice that the people around me are grumpy and well....ill mannered.

I was raised in a pretty strict household; I'm the middle child of a career military man. My dad made please, thank you, sir, and ma’am a household event (not to use them all in mainstream conversation could have resulted in major punishment). Was I the only one being taught good manners?

I, of course, teach my boys good manners at home (without the threat of a spanking) but when I go into a main stream coffee shop and hear a man, in is late fifty's order his grande latte with 4 splenda’s and I want it double cupped! without so much as a please or kiss my butt...I get a little offended. What happened to being nice to people, even with a simple act of please?

A friend of mine, a lawyer, usually says thank you after ordering and sits in quiet anticipation to see what his waiter will respond with. I can see the look of disappointment on his face when he gets a "uh-hu" or "no problem". The correct answer is: "you’re welcome".

In sales, i just feel better about myself when I say please and thank you. I try, very hard, to treat people with respect. We all deserve a little please and thank you in our lives...and say yes ma’am or yes sir the next time someone asks you a question. It won't make you seem weak...it simply makes the person you are talking to feel better.

Thank you for reading,

Misty B.

The chicken or the egg?

As I am driving to work this morning I usually think about the things on my “to do” list. I am a serious list maker both in my head and on paper. But before I get too far down the page the thought of the true cost of medical care comes to mind. I start to ask myself the age old question, the chicken or the egg…..or rather, the doctor or the insurance company.

So, which came first, the doctor’s charges or the insurance company?

It is a complex issue that began a long time ago. Doctors used to take chickens and trade goods for their expert medical treatment but as doctors got more advanced and the science of medicine more difficult to both learn and practice, doctors needed to charge more for their services. 50 years ago most of us just died from a heart attack rather than taking a pill everyday for prophylactic measure.

Insurance companies enter the scene around 1929 with the birth of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Americans were shifting from at home remedies to more scientific methods of treatment around then but needed a way to pay for expensive treatment. Doctors began to explore new medicine and the birth of prescription drugs enters the market. Penicillin begins widespread production in 1946. People are getting advanced treatment for syphilis, polio and x-rays come on the scene.

But where is the disconnect here? Are Americans so strapped for cash, or so unwilling to pay for services to save their lives that they skip out on paying their doctors? Did doctor’s graduate from medical school with the intention of becoming rich or with a mind to practice the science of medicine? When did insurance companies start telling doctors and patients what to do? Did consumers who bought an insurance policy think that their premiums would cover everything that their doctor wanted to do to them? And when a consumer was harmed or felt that they were harmed, when did the lawyers get their piece of the pie?

I don’t fault anyone for making money at their profession. Doctors’s, insurance company sales, drug reps, and lawyers are all a vital part of the health care debate. If all of these professions could come together and work on a solution that provides all of us with sound medical care, drug advancement, reasonable rates for income protection and law suit reform I think that we could lead the world with the kind of American spirit that made this country great. It is time to stop pointing fingers at each other and work on a private market solution that doesn’t harm any ONE profession-but benefits the American people.

I think I hear Kumbaya in the background,

Misty B.

Ronald Reagan speaks out against Socialized Medicine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs
There is no video to this but it a very powerful 10 minutes of your life. This LP (that is a record, or vinyl round thing that spins around on a turntable for you 20 something’s…please don’t make me explain turntable) was recorded in 1961.


Here is some background that I have found about the LP. This document is written by Larry DeWitt in September 2004. It is titled: “Operation Coffeecup: Ronald Reagan’s Effort to Prevent the Enactment of Medicare” http://www.larrydewitt.net/Essays/Reagan.htm


Read the section: Coffee-Klatch Politics


Good government can be found in the past…and often it is a roadmap to the future,


Misty B.

It is for the kids….well, it is for MY kid!

My son, Austin is 10 years old and is in the Gifted in Talented program in Leander ISD. (LISD calls it QUEST). He has decided to do his big project on the LISD ethical principal of civic duty, or voting. With the local and national campaigns heating up he will have lots of information to choose from. But he needs some help. He needs to interview any candidate that is looking to be an elected official. It could be a Williamson or Travis county race, a Presidential campaign, a judge, US Congressman, Texas House or Senate member. He is looking for campaign buttons, bumper stickers, newsletters, photos and most importantly face to face contact.

His questions are simple: how does the election process work from an insider’s point of view, what is the Electoral College, how do candidates raise money, and anything else that a 10 year old can dream up.

While he doesn’t vote (yet) he is very interested in how the process works and how he, as an elementary student, can help any campaign succeed.

Now, I know what you are thinking….and I haven’t pointed him in any direction. I won’t even tell him who I am voting for.

So, if you have any contacts, please let me know. If you would rather email him directly I will give out his email address privately. He is a smart kid and I know you will enjoy chatting with him.

It is for the Children of Texas!

Misty B.

Unleash the Power!

“Unleash the Power” was the theme of the 18th annual National Association of Health Underwriters Capitol Conference in Washington DC this week. I had the pleasure of attending this conference and had a chance to lobby on the hill…I feel like a Washington insider.

One of the most surprising events that happened to me in DC was the intelligence level and interest of the Legislative Assistant’s (LA’s) that I met with in both Senator Hutchinson and Senator Cornyn’s office. While I didn’t get to meet with either Senator personally (BTW, I have been to DC 5 times and have NEVER been able to meet with my Senator…and I vote) their LA’s were very helpful and asked some really great questions about the healthcare system. Maybe I was wrong in my last blog…maybe some of these LA’s are the way to solving the problems, these kids are bright & forward thinking. I applaud the Senators for hiring them.
Of course, I did tell the LA’s that I would be looking to replace them in a 7-11 years…I still have the Washington DC bug. That place is fantastic!

Another cool thing that happened to me was that I got to hear and see Grace Marie Turner of the Galen Institute talk for more than an hour. She is as brilliant in person as she is in the columns that she writes. If you want to read her stuff or donate money to her organization click here: www.galen.org

Security in DC is still tight. You can’t tour the House without a blood sample and 4 months notice. But the monuments are still fantastic, and muster up a certain sense of history. I stood in the spot where Martin Luther King gave his “I have a Dream” speech.

In addition to the great history lesson, sore feet and educational opportunities offered to me by NAHU, my 10 year old son, my x-mother in law and her sister (my x aunt in law?) all got to attend with me. For the 3 of them this was their first visit to DC. I think they had a blast. I am blessed to have a great kid and a great relationship with x-mother in law. She stepped right up to the plate when I wanted to give my son this experience. And since I had to be in meetings the majority of the time, I need to have a chaperone for Austin (the kid). Hopefully we will have video ready in a few days that we can share with you.

I love government (can I say that out loud?),
Misty B.