The call comes in shortly after 5 o’clock last evening. The answering machine picks up and I hear “Wesley….This is Grammy…” I grab the phone and Grammy proceeds to tell me the turkey attacked her and her hands and legs were all bloody. She wanted me to call Jake and have him come get the turkey.
I run upstairs and grab Jake’s number, then I run back down stairs, grab my wallet, keys, and cell phone. Then down to the basement to get my knife. I take the Tracker up to the mobile home and pull around to her back door. The turkey is sitting in the back yard.
Grammy was all cleaned up by the time I got there and the bleeding stopped. I go back out to the tracker and call Jake. His wife answered and said he had to work until 9:00 that night. So I decide I am going to take on the turkey, which is now on top of the mobile home roof.
I drive over to the house and get the gun. I grabbed the .22 as opposed to the shotgun. I figured, at least with the .22 I would have several shots before I had to retreat.
It takes a while, but I lore the turkey off of the roof and get it to follow me. I run around the entire house and sneak up on it.
Bang! One shot in the back. It turns around and charges me. Bang! Another shot in the chest. It is dazed and turns to run away. Bang, a shot in the side. It stumbles and falls down.
I take a few steps and decide to put another shot in it. Bang, right in the back. It squawks and moves a little. I figured a shot in the head will do it. Bang, I completely miss. Bang, I shoot it in the back again and there is no movement.
I walk over to check on and chat with Grammy for a few minutes. When I walk back over, I shovel the bird into a container and place two rocks on top of the lid for safekeeping.
I went back down to the house and finished my dinner, a hot turkey sandwich! Just kidding, linguine with shrimp and a lemon garlic sauce.
Bye Bye Birdie!
Don’t worry PETA, the kill was approved by the PA Game Commission.
April 28, 2006
March 22, 2006
Insurance Billing Errors or are they?
A few weeks ago, I went to the dentist for a routine cleaning and check-up. I try to take care of my teeth as much as possible to avoid pain and anguish at the dentist. No problems were found at my visit. I was in and out the door in under 30 minutes! Not too bad. My insurance pays the entire dentist bill, so I didn’t even need to worry about paying anything.
Last week, I received the billing statement from the insurance company. It had on there the following: Periodic oral evaluation, prophylaxis – adult, topical application of fluoride – adult, and bitewings – two films. What? I didn’t have any x-rays done.
I e-mailed the insurance company and explained the problem to them. Their response was less than enthusiastic about looking into the problem. I gave them all of the information I thought they needed, but, of course, they requested more information, which I sent to them in a second e-mail stating that I did want them to look into the problem.
Here is their response I received from them yesterday.
“Please be advised that Dr. ******’s office did submit a claim for the below referenced x-rays and have been paid for them. This does affect your account as it has reduced your available benefit by $28. We advise that you contact Dr. ******'s office and request that they return the $28 to **** [us] or allow you to have the x-rays done.”
Again I say, What? I have to call and complain to the dentist that my insurance company was overcharged! Don’t forget this is the dentist, you know, the guy who shoves sharp objects into your mouth, gives you shots in the mouth, and has a wide variety of other torturous tools that can be used. Or I could just go and have the x-rays done to avoid the overcharge! I only pay $3.51 per month for my dental coverage. Why would I want to complain over $28 that I don’t even have to pay for! But someone has to pay, right?
As I reviewed the information more thoroughly, I found out that our insurance company is simply a billing company. They charge my employer about $2000 per month to handle all of the billing claims. The insurance company pays the bills to the dentists and then bills my employer for those claims that were paid. Confused yet? Essentially, my employer pays for all dental costs plus a large fee to the “insurance” company. Therefore, the “insurance” company has no incentive to look into billing errors.
No wonder it is estimated that 85% of medical bills have errors on them. No one is held accountable for the contents. So who is really paying for these errors? In my case, the state and local taxpayers. In the case of corporations, the consumer will be paying the bill in the form of higher costs on the product or service the corporation is selling.
So the moral of the story is to pay attention to your medical bills!
Last week, I received the billing statement from the insurance company. It had on there the following: Periodic oral evaluation, prophylaxis – adult, topical application of fluoride – adult, and bitewings – two films. What? I didn’t have any x-rays done.
I e-mailed the insurance company and explained the problem to them. Their response was less than enthusiastic about looking into the problem. I gave them all of the information I thought they needed, but, of course, they requested more information, which I sent to them in a second e-mail stating that I did want them to look into the problem.
Here is their response I received from them yesterday.
“Please be advised that Dr. ******’s office did submit a claim for the below referenced x-rays and have been paid for them. This does affect your account as it has reduced your available benefit by $28. We advise that you contact Dr. ******'s office and request that they return the $28 to **** [us] or allow you to have the x-rays done.”
Again I say, What? I have to call and complain to the dentist that my insurance company was overcharged! Don’t forget this is the dentist, you know, the guy who shoves sharp objects into your mouth, gives you shots in the mouth, and has a wide variety of other torturous tools that can be used. Or I could just go and have the x-rays done to avoid the overcharge! I only pay $3.51 per month for my dental coverage. Why would I want to complain over $28 that I don’t even have to pay for! But someone has to pay, right?
As I reviewed the information more thoroughly, I found out that our insurance company is simply a billing company. They charge my employer about $2000 per month to handle all of the billing claims. The insurance company pays the bills to the dentists and then bills my employer for those claims that were paid. Confused yet? Essentially, my employer pays for all dental costs plus a large fee to the “insurance” company. Therefore, the “insurance” company has no incentive to look into billing errors.
No wonder it is estimated that 85% of medical bills have errors on them. No one is held accountable for the contents. So who is really paying for these errors? In my case, the state and local taxpayers. In the case of corporations, the consumer will be paying the bill in the form of higher costs on the product or service the corporation is selling.
So the moral of the story is to pay attention to your medical bills!
March 13, 2006
Driving Aggravation
Most people here in Rural Pennsylvania must drive a motorized vehicle to get to their destination. There aren’t any public transportation systems to utilize. After several years of driving and observing other people drive, I have come to some conclusions.
Someone is usually going to be driving faster than you and will either pass you or will be tailgating you. Solution: pull over and let the other driver pass you if it is safe.
Someone is usually going to be driving slower than you. Solution: don’t tailgate and pass the driver only when it is legal and safe.
You will eventually catch up to most of the cars that go speeding by you.
If you drive 30 miles to your destination, it will take you 30 minutes if you are driving 60 m.p.h. or 28 minutes driving 65 m.p.h. or 33 minutes driving 55 m.p.h. According to the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course for Professional Truck Drivers the average stopping distance for a passenger car is 225 feet at 55 m.p.h. and 316 at 65 m.p.h. That is a difference of 91 feet.
I always find it amusing when a police officer is sitting with radar, everyone slows down, usually below the speed limit. I never need to worry and rarely even look at my speed when passing a police car. I try to obey the speed limit all the time for several reasons.
It’s the law. Believe it or not, there is a reason for speed limits. Obey them.
I don’t have to worry about getting a speeding ticket or worry about getting pulled over for speeding.
I can’t imagine the emotional pain of wrecking and injuring or killing someone, but to know that I was speeding and disobeying the law would make the pain much worse, plus the ramifications of possible jail time.
If you are a habitual speeder and are having trouble getting to places on time, then you need to wake up in the morning and leave earlier. As shown above, you are really only “saving” a few minutes, but you are putting more lives at risk. Also, please don’t talk on the phone, put on makeup, eat, read the news, or anything else that distracts you from your main responsibility of driving.
Comments are always welcome.
Someone is usually going to be driving faster than you and will either pass you or will be tailgating you. Solution: pull over and let the other driver pass you if it is safe.
Someone is usually going to be driving slower than you. Solution: don’t tailgate and pass the driver only when it is legal and safe.
You will eventually catch up to most of the cars that go speeding by you.
If you drive 30 miles to your destination, it will take you 30 minutes if you are driving 60 m.p.h. or 28 minutes driving 65 m.p.h. or 33 minutes driving 55 m.p.h. According to the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course for Professional Truck Drivers the average stopping distance for a passenger car is 225 feet at 55 m.p.h. and 316 at 65 m.p.h. That is a difference of 91 feet.
I always find it amusing when a police officer is sitting with radar, everyone slows down, usually below the speed limit. I never need to worry and rarely even look at my speed when passing a police car. I try to obey the speed limit all the time for several reasons.
It’s the law. Believe it or not, there is a reason for speed limits. Obey them.
I don’t have to worry about getting a speeding ticket or worry about getting pulled over for speeding.
I can’t imagine the emotional pain of wrecking and injuring or killing someone, but to know that I was speeding and disobeying the law would make the pain much worse, plus the ramifications of possible jail time.
If you are a habitual speeder and are having trouble getting to places on time, then you need to wake up in the morning and leave earlier. As shown above, you are really only “saving” a few minutes, but you are putting more lives at risk. Also, please don’t talk on the phone, put on makeup, eat, read the news, or anything else that distracts you from your main responsibility of driving.
Comments are always welcome.
February 19, 2006
Money Magazine Article - All in the Family
Below is a letter sent to the writer and the editor of Money Magazine regarding an article that appeared on page 116 of theMarch 2006 issue. As always, I want to know your thoughts on the subject.
When I turned the page of the March issue of Money magazine and saw the picture of two women holding hands (All in the Family, page 116), I immediately knew the article was going to be about a homosexual couple. I was furious. I would expect that type of article in a magazine by Rosie or Ellen, not in my Money magazine. I was tempted to rip that section right out of the magazine, but I restrained myself and just skipped over it.
Later that evening while I was reading a study booklet about the Ten Commandments, (ironically the study lesson for the evening was on the seventh commandment, for more information see Exodus Chapter 20) I knew I needed to read your article and viscously respond to it.
I was expecting an article about how to “get around” the law and “beat the system”. However, after reading the article very closely, I did not see one sentence where you describe to them how to find any loopholes in the system. Instead, you simply give them advice to minimize their problem (which is, in my opinion, exactly what you are supposed to do). In fact, you clearly state to them that the law is not on their side and if they want to live that kind of lifestyle they are on their own. There were no opinions or judgments about their lifestyle or future plans to have another child. There wasn’t even a comment about how they blew much of the profit from the sale of their townhouse on furnishing their new house. I guess greed does not discriminate against race, gender, or sexual orientation.
The advice offered is sound advice that really applies to most people whether in a marriage or living a single life. Wills are important for pretty much everyone, attacking debt is critical to maintaining a healthy financial life, and saving is important not only for retirement, but for emergency situations as well. You even pointed out their financial mistake of signing up for domestic partner health benefits.
While I believe that homosexual or domestic partnership relations are wrong and hopefully will not be recognized by the government, there will still be many people that will want to practice that lifestyle, unfortunately. In this case, there is a child involved, and it is important that the child not pay for errors that the parent(s) make.
Thanks for offering the advice and writing the article, however, I hope I don’t see too many more articles of this nature in your publication.
Thoughts from Doe Valley
Wesley Matthews
Strongstown, PA
When I turned the page of the March issue of Money magazine and saw the picture of two women holding hands (All in the Family, page 116), I immediately knew the article was going to be about a homosexual couple. I was furious. I would expect that type of article in a magazine by Rosie or Ellen, not in my Money magazine. I was tempted to rip that section right out of the magazine, but I restrained myself and just skipped over it.
Later that evening while I was reading a study booklet about the Ten Commandments, (ironically the study lesson for the evening was on the seventh commandment, for more information see Exodus Chapter 20) I knew I needed to read your article and viscously respond to it.
I was expecting an article about how to “get around” the law and “beat the system”. However, after reading the article very closely, I did not see one sentence where you describe to them how to find any loopholes in the system. Instead, you simply give them advice to minimize their problem (which is, in my opinion, exactly what you are supposed to do). In fact, you clearly state to them that the law is not on their side and if they want to live that kind of lifestyle they are on their own. There were no opinions or judgments about their lifestyle or future plans to have another child. There wasn’t even a comment about how they blew much of the profit from the sale of their townhouse on furnishing their new house. I guess greed does not discriminate against race, gender, or sexual orientation.
The advice offered is sound advice that really applies to most people whether in a marriage or living a single life. Wills are important for pretty much everyone, attacking debt is critical to maintaining a healthy financial life, and saving is important not only for retirement, but for emergency situations as well. You even pointed out their financial mistake of signing up for domestic partner health benefits.
While I believe that homosexual or domestic partnership relations are wrong and hopefully will not be recognized by the government, there will still be many people that will want to practice that lifestyle, unfortunately. In this case, there is a child involved, and it is important that the child not pay for errors that the parent(s) make.
Thanks for offering the advice and writing the article, however, I hope I don’t see too many more articles of this nature in your publication.
Thoughts from Doe Valley
Wesley Matthews
Strongstown, PA
February 16, 2006
Minimum Wage Increase in PA.
Here is a copy of a letter sent to the local politicians. Let me know what your thoughts are.
Vote NO for raising the minimum wage. Studies have shown that raising the minimum wage increases unemployment. We do not need higher unemployment. I am not just some crazy constituent with an agenda; I have a degree in Economics and Finance, as well as, an M.B.A. I have done the research and have read the studies to support the evidence presented here.
The economic Law of Demand states that if prices rise, demand will decrease. The Law of Supply states that if prices rise, supply will also increase. A wage is a price paid for labor. The economic Laws of Supply and Demand hold true with labor as well. Therefore, higher wages increase the number of workers willing to work, but decrease the number of workers employers will hire.
Going further, many small business that are barely making a profit now, could be forced to layoff current workers (due to the increased cost), actually creating unemployment. They may even close their business. Studies have also shown, that the people who “need” a minimum wage suffer the most (teenagers, racial minorities, and low-skilled workers).
Yes, increasing the minimum wage may get you reelected to your position, but it will not help Pennsylvania’s economy or our local economy. Jobs will be lost. We need to reduce the cost of doing business in Pennsylvania and our local area.
We need a radical change in Pennsylvania. Eliminate the income tax (replacing it with a sales (consumption) tax) and change the formula for taxing businesses. This will promote investment into Pennsylvania. I do realize, that this is easier said than done, but it will work!
Sincerely,
Wesley Matthews
Vote NO for raising the minimum wage. Studies have shown that raising the minimum wage increases unemployment. We do not need higher unemployment. I am not just some crazy constituent with an agenda; I have a degree in Economics and Finance, as well as, an M.B.A. I have done the research and have read the studies to support the evidence presented here.
The economic Law of Demand states that if prices rise, demand will decrease. The Law of Supply states that if prices rise, supply will also increase. A wage is a price paid for labor. The economic Laws of Supply and Demand hold true with labor as well. Therefore, higher wages increase the number of workers willing to work, but decrease the number of workers employers will hire.
Going further, many small business that are barely making a profit now, could be forced to layoff current workers (due to the increased cost), actually creating unemployment. They may even close their business. Studies have also shown, that the people who “need” a minimum wage suffer the most (teenagers, racial minorities, and low-skilled workers).
Yes, increasing the minimum wage may get you reelected to your position, but it will not help Pennsylvania’s economy or our local economy. Jobs will be lost. We need to reduce the cost of doing business in Pennsylvania and our local area.
We need a radical change in Pennsylvania. Eliminate the income tax (replacing it with a sales (consumption) tax) and change the formula for taxing businesses. This will promote investment into Pennsylvania. I do realize, that this is easier said than done, but it will work!
Sincerely,
Wesley Matthews
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