Healthcare quickie

Here is my concern with healthcare reform. Well, first let me say I know that we need to reform the system. Healthcare has way too much waste within it. There are too many hands in too many cookie jars in healthcare. But that isn't my concern.

My concern is that we need to ensure people are given an incentive to be healthy. I don't want us (taxpayers or insurance payers) to continue to pay into a fund while 33% of people in this country are obese and don't seem to really mind. We suck down soda and eat fast food at INSANE rates. I want that to matter. I want that fixed. I want there to be an incentive to take good care of your body. Obviously the natural incentives (more energy, longer life expectancy...) aren't enough.

I don't want to come off as some skinny kid pissing and moaning about this, but when do we take an honest look at this? One of the reasons our healthcare system is a mess is because we take terrible care of our bodies. Don't believe me? Google 'children obesity rates.' It will BLOW YOUR MIND.

I am not asking for everyone to be skinny and in triathlon shape, but if we can watch 4 hours of TV a day how do we not have time for a half hour of exercise? Go for a walk? Jog? As we struggle to revamp our healthcare system I hope that we also take time (I know we won't because we are stubborn) to revamp our lifestyles as well because the economy and healthcare system has been (at least partially) ruined by us. Not by government or other people. Take accountability and take better care of your life.

Go to the game? I might rather stay home!

I am reaching a point in my 'sports fan' career that I never thought I would reach. There are times I would rather watch the game than go to the game.

I used to be the guy that wouldn't sell his Badger tickets for anything. Wisconsin versus Ohio State? I didn't care I could get $100 plus dollars for my tickets, I was going. There was always something about being in the stands, hearing the crowd, yelling at B.J. Tucker or the refs, and everything else that goes with being at the stadium. This holds true with my Brewers tickets. There is always something great about being at Miller Park, although the culture at Miller Park is nowhere CLOSE to Camp Randall.

This is all changing now, and I am not completely sure why, but I have a few thoughts. First, the crowds at sporting events have changed, at least at Brewer's games. Gone are the days where fans went to support THEIR team, now fans go to support a winner. Fans don't want to just watch the Brewers, they want to watch the Brewers win. If they don't win that day the world is going to come crashing to an end as the abyss swallows us. I love fun-loving, sports-loving crowds that are happy to be there. If the home team wins, great, if not, at least we had a good time. Joe and I can talk baseball all day, but if we have to put up with more fans telling Doug Melvin how to do his job we might snap. I am to the point now where my favorite part of being at Miller Park is tailgating. Not that I love the Brewers less, I just hate the fans screaming and complaining all game.

Second, people have better televisions. This has more people staying home, inviting some friends over, and watching the game that way. The company is just as good and the beer is cheaper. Sign me up. Why deal with the stresses and cost of the stadium? There are perks, but HDTV is shortening the gap between being at the park or being at home.

Third, I have a life. I don't mean that people that go don't. Not at all. I just find it hard to donate an entire day to a game (in college I could donate an entire weekend!). But I am not willing to give up the 'parking lot' time with my buddies because this is sometimes the only time I get to talk with them.

Finally (although I could list more), I think fans are more rude than they used to be. Fans find almost as much pleasure rooting against a team, as for their team. Cubs/Brewers games are the best example. Fans scream things at each other for no good reason. I would rather cheer for my Brewers than against the Cubs. I know I don't share this view with most fans, but that is my choice (and why I sell Brewers/Cubs tickets if Joe lets me).

One of my favorite sporting events ever was the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights. Golf is great to attend because people don't get negative like they do at team sporting events. People are generally just happy to be there. That is the kind of crowd I can get behind.

So as teams experience a severe decline in revenue and attendance because of the economy, I will be interested to see how many fans come back when the economy turns around. I honestly believe that more people are enjoying watching the game with THEIR crowd, rather at their favorite sports bar or having some friends over to watch the game.

I will always go to games. Opening Day will always be one of my favorite days of the year. Being at Camp Randall will always hold a certain mystique. I am simply saying that I don't need to be there like I used to.

Why am I against Lance Armstong?

If you had told me 5 years ago that in 2009 Lance Armstrong would be riding in the Tour de France I would have assumed I'd be excited. I used to watch the Tour. I used to really care. Yet here we are, Lance is riding (and riding well), and it almost angers me to see him performing well. I am trying to figure out why.

I blame Brett Favre for most of my feelings against Lance Armstrong. Brett Favre was the classic "I will retire, I won't retire" athlete. I consider that a 'God Complex.' Every summer Brett Favre danced with Packers and their fans. Every summer the media was there to analyze every move and quote. The sheer amount of Brett Favre coverage lowered my tolerance for athletes and their "God Complexes." Now I feel generally the same with Lance Armstrong. If I were one of his teammates (because cycling is very much a team sport) I would be terribly upset. Here is Lance, retired for 3+ years, who decides to ride and swoops in to assume the number one spot on his team. "Sorry guys, Lance is back, please move to the back of the bus." Probably similar to the setting when David Beckham came over and played for the L.A. Galaxy.

The Lance Armstrong God complex is also aided by my addiction to twitter. Lance is one of the few celebrities or athletes I follow. Lance's twitter feed was everything I feared it would be (and why I hope Tiger Woods never has one) because it is all about him. He simply has started to annoy me because he thinks I should want to be him (eat his food, listen to his music, and anything else he does). Twitter could be an amazing tool for an athlete to show they are normal people, that they drink coffee in the morning just like the rest of us. Sadly Lance's (and seemingly other athletes) miss that opportunity.

So I will cheer for Lance, even though I bet my boss he would lose. I just hope that he is humble if he wins. It would be a story, and I will be interested to see how he goes about it. Will it be "of course I won, I am Lance Armstrong," or "my teammates were amazing by allowing me, and not them, to have this opportunity."

Causing more trouble...

Since I am already in trouble and angered a few people, I will expand upon my view in an effort to clear the air. Feel free to post your views/comments below and tell me how stupid and wrong I am. I don't mind, but I do hope that if you disagree, tell me how I am wrong, not just that I am stupid.

I don't believe my stance on this to be overly cynical, rather I see myself as realistic and my stance as what is preventing the economy from regaining traction. I don't claim to have answers because I trust there are people smarter than me, much smarter than me, trying to solve these issues. I just think I get it, whatever 'it' is.

Let's use Janesville, Wisconsin (near where I grew up) as an example. Janesville used to have a GM plant that employed the vast majority of the cities residents. That plant is now empty and all of the people at GM lost their jobs. The city now has a lot of unemployed people, lets say 10,000. Those 10,000 now have no or little income, which means that the other stores around the area become impacted because there isn't as much money flowing through the city. Meanwhile, the former GM workers were used to a lifestyle that they are not going to find anymore. Those GM jobs are accustomed to a lifestyle that doesn't match the value of their skills in our economy. You cannot make $70,000 in manufacturing anymore because GM isn't going to pay you $70,000 if they can pay someone else $40,000. That math doesn't take an economist to figure out.

Ok, so now Janesville's resident are cutting their budget because of the tough economy and every store is hurting in town, except one. There is one store that has weathered this recession, and that is the ever-popular Wal-Mart. Instead of going to Target (a little classier and therefore pricier of a store) many former GMers find themselves going to Wal-Mart because they have to stretch their unemployment check. Wal-Mart's sales grow, so guess what, THEY NEED TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE. They post openings for associates at their store. You get paid $12 an hour and might have to work weekends and some holidays.

This is the dilemma facing many of our unemployed and laid-off workers, right? Do I take this much less desirable job, for much less money? I (the hypothetical me) used to make ~$70,000 at GM, never worked a weekend, and never worked a holiday. Why should I have to do that now? Well you have to do that now because the economy has shifted, and likely isn't shifting back.

The second type of person I see is the person that wants to do 'JOB A,' despite that job being completely either unreachable or inconceivable (think, 'I want to be a CSI agent). I believe that people should always pursue their dreams. My wife and I are pursuing ours, there is no reason you shouldn't pursue yours; however, you need to research your dreams to make sure they are reachable and what it takes to get there. I am not a dream crusher, but if you are 30 and have kids, you might not be able to become whatever you want. For example, I want to be a writer for a living, but that isn't going to happen. I didn't choose the right path or make the right choices to get there. My options are continue down the path I am on now (which I like) or quit work, go back to journalism school, and become a journalist (which has about as much job security now as working for GM). My mortgage prevents me from being unemployed, so I work where I work, progress my current career, and have plans to someday write for a journal in higher education (obviously down the road since I am not even close to experienced enough yet) or teach at a local community college. Oh, and I fulfill my itch to write to writing this BLOG that gets 5 readers a month (I actually have no idea how many people read this and assume twitter has brought in a few more eyes, but not many). Part of me also wants to direct a non-profit company, so I am taking the steps to volunteer through Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Milwaukee. Instead of waiting for my dreams to find me I am doing what I can NOW to get where I want to be in the future. Think about Katie's life right now. She wants to be a pediatrician, but I bet she doesn't want to work 80 hours a week, or have only 4 days off a month, but those are the steps she must take to get there. If you want to reach your dreams, take the steps required to get there because there probably aren't any short-cuts.

Lets more forward 3 years. Both the GM workers and the 'I want my dream job' unemployed have settled for lesser jobs working customer service and retail. These jobs pay less, but they pay more than being unemployed. So there is more money circulating through Janesville, which allows stores (like Home Depot and Starbucks) to survive, restaurants don't close, and the general economy of the small city doesn't collapse. I believe it would actually grow because as the economy moves up, more businesses (assuming Jim Doyle stops raising taxes) would come in and create more jobs. This drives up the amount places are paying because they want to hire the best employees, not just the leftovers.

If people don't take jobs, those stores close. Wal-Mart closes. Home Depot closes, and eventually the city turns into a ghost town.

Maybe I am cynical, but I think I get this situation. If my employer told me today (since I work today) that my services are no longer needed, I promise I would find a job. Not because I am spoiled or privileged (although I am very blessed), but because I would evaluate my worth in the job market (not what I feel I am worth) and then find a position that matches those evaluations. I wouldn't hold out for a job in journalism or as a consultant because I am not experienced or trained to do those.

Searching for a job is a very painful and humbling experience, I believe that is why many job searchers are so jaded. It becomes easy to assume that there is something working against you (looks, race, job market, etc.), but in the end, if a company believes you can add value to their company, and that your value will outweigh your costs, they will hire you. For example, if my employer felt that they are paying me more than I am worth, they would let me go. If Wal-Mart thought I would bring in more money than they would have to pay me (total cost, not just salary), they would hire me. Makes sense.

My advice to job searches, really anyone who might be looking for a job ever, is to set a foundation NOW for a good job search. Maybe you need to start planning weddings for free to start a successful wedding planning business. Maybe you need to volunteer your time doing something to gain some experience. Maybe you need to take that entry-level job and work your way up through a company. You might have to change your lifestyle for awhile, but in the end you have established (hopefully) the career that you were hoping for, right?

Terrible Job Economy?

Given the nature of my job I speak with many people that are looking for work.

I want to say that I am sick and tired of people using the 'bad economy' as their crutch for why they cannot find a job. I promise that if you are employable, you will be able to find work. Plain and simple.

If I am a business owner I would add people to my staff if I felt their value outweighed their cost, and that were the problem comes in. People overvalue themselves.

People want to make more money than they are worth. Sure, that is impacted by the market. I think the amount that executives, directors, and sometimes even middle management is completely ridiculous in some (most) cases; however, that is the current economic client, so cope. An entry-level employee (which is where you typically need to enter a company) isn't going to pay you more than $30,000-$40,000, and if they are the schedule or work is going to be terrible. You cannot find your dream job right away. COPE.

I dearly hope the economy gets better, but I hope that our current economy leads to effective change in a few areas, and one of them is employee compensation. I hope people start to earn their money, and that people up and down the corporate ladder make what they are worth and what they deserve. I hope that employees have a reality check about what skills and characteristics they bring are really worth because I personally think I bring intangibles that most don't. I hope the days of showing up late, leaving early, taking 2 hours worth of smoke breaks, ETC. are gone because that will benefit someone like me who takes their profession very seriously.

One last note, people need to learn that job searching is like dating, you need to be DATABLE. You cannot show up and look unprofessional. Well, you can, just don't complain when you are unemployed.

And can we, as a country, stop supporting people that choose to be unemployable? If you choose to drop out of school, or not go to college, or swear during interviews, or misspell words on your resume, or wear a baseball hat to an interview YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY FINANCIAL SUPPORT. You are choosing to be unemployed because you are unemployable. People need to get their act together.

End of story.

Life as a resident's spouse

Being married to Katie is amazing, being married to a doctor during her residency is terrible.

Recently I posted on facebook that I missed my wife, and a friend I have barely spoken to since High School turned me towards this documentary about doctors called Doctor's Diaries. I think this is an amazing portrayal of Katie's (and hence mine to a point) world and I highly encourage everyone to watch it. I enjoyed it because it lets me know that her emotions aren't just her, that most doctors (and those in training) feel that way as well. I also liked when they interviewed the spouses of the doctors to let me feel that I am not insane. Anyway, here are some my observations of being married (and engaged) to a resident pediatrician.

You Will Not Get Sympathy

First, no one will ever feel sorry for you. Doctors are doctors. We mostly assume they are too smart, too rich, and too whatever else for us. We tend to not feel as bad for people when they are compensated handsomely for something. This makes it terribly hard (I imagine both on the doctors and their family) to talk about the subject because unless you are in the 'world' few people truly understand, although most don't think our situation is that different from their own. The old saying 'walk a mile in my shoes' really fits here, and is especially true when I am talking with Katie. I have no clue what she goes through on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Often I try to compare her situation to mine, but after watching Doctor's Diary's I relearned that her life truly is remarkably different.

The differences are more than just the scheduling demands. The pressure and stress cannot even be comparable, although we all feel we work a lot, have a lot of stress, and are under pressure at work. Doctors, although no better than you, are probably under more.

The Look

Second, you are always going to get that look. The look I am describing is the look people give one or both of us when they find out that Katie is a doctor. We are to the point now that we try to avoid telling people that Katie is a doctor to avoid that look (typically one arched eyebrow followed by a tilting backwards of the head) where you can tell the person is thinking "ah, you are a doctor," or "ah, you are married to a doctor." A perfect example is when we went to Associated Bank to create our 'married' checking account. The man moving our funds around was making small talk and asked us what we did. Katie, as our typical unspoken policy, said that she worked at Children's Hospital, but never said what she did there. This usually works, but this man then asked what she did there, so the cat was out of the bag there (and then he gave us the look that we both had a good laugh about later). This look is especially true (at least in my mind) because I am the male and not the doctor (not that I care). Some of my male friends give me that look which I take to mean "you hit the jackpot." I love my wife, and she is like hitting the jackpot, but not because she is a doctor. Let me tell you this, no one would go through this if you were not deeply and truly committed to the relationship.

Life Does Not Get Easier

Third, it gets harder before it gets easier. I thought that medical school was hard to support Katie through, but that is NOTHING compared to her intern year (she just started her second year of residency). Katie rarely has time for herself (including to sleep), let alone for us. For example, last week I was up north for a few days fishing and would get up around 5:30am. Typically I would then need a nap (or at least want one) later in the afternoon. Katie gets up at 5am, and she is fully functional for at least 16 hours, and sometimes more than 32 hours (when she is on call). She functions well on little sleep, but there is no doubt that she is pooped when she comes home so that even when she is home she left most of her energy at the hospital.

This demand on her and her time makes things difficult on those around us, although I am not sure that they always even know it. She gets four days off a month. We struggle greatly with figuring out what to do on those four days. Yesterday was a perfect example. It was the Forth of July and we had a few sets of people that were kind enough to invite us over to celebrate, but Katie wanted to just stick around the house and get her life in order since it was her first day off in over two weeks. I am sure people are upset at us for that, and we never look for sympathy, but that is just the way things are sometimes. Getting our friends and family to understand that is very difficult. Joe is probably the best at understanding because he lived with us for a year and understands how difficult it can be. Maybe that is why so many doctors are friends with other doctors, and doctors seemed to be married to other doctors-- they understand.

Conclusion

I write this not to complain, beg for sympathy, or any other ulterior motive. I have learned that won't happen, and I get that. We are truly blessed to have what we have. Katie has abilities most people would love to have (remember that she has worked her tail end off to get where she is). I am not sure why I am even writing this. I guess it is because yesterday we didn't go to my brother's for the fourth (and his birthday). We don't like to miss those things. Granted, there are probably times where we could abuse Katie's demands to get out of going to things we don't want to, but we don't do that (at least we haven't yet).

We appreciate and love our friends and family. We have been supported by many, and people are very patient with us. Just wanted to let people into the world of a resident physician, and their lonely spouse (she is on call tonight so I will see her when I get home tomorrow at 8pm). Perhaps most important is trying to explain that our life is different, while not making people feel like we think our life is more important or better. Everyone has issues and obstacles and no one gets to do what they want, I get that. Just trying to explain what we are working with here.