Separation of Church and State

Why do people still mix church and state? This is such a simple idea to keep them separate:

1) If you want to believe in a god and an afterlife, go for it. But keep it to yourself and others who share your beliefs. It is not okay to "preach" to people about how WHAT YOU BELIEVE TO BE TRUE is the only correct thing in life.

2) If you want to run for public office, go for it. But keep your personal beliefs out of it. Whether you believe in a god with a beard or a pink dragon that speaks only Russian, your beliefs are just that--YOUR BELIEFS. A deity that has no scientific proof of existence is not something to even utter in a public office.

3) If you're asked about religion when you hold a public office, just decline to comment. "That's not why I'm here" is a perfectly acceptable answer.

4) Just as well, if you're a religious person and you're asked about a potential candidate for public office, just decline to comment. "That's not why I'm here" is a perfectly acceptable answer.

If you look around, the world is controlled by religion. Every problem in every country is an effect of some religious cause. Israel vs Palestine, Republican vs Democrat, USA vs Middle East, etc. All of our presidential candidates are asked about their religion. They should all state that religion is a private matter and the public should ACCEPT THAT ANSWER. Furthermore, no public official should be influenced by religion, period. Public officials' goals are the benefit of their constituents and should be nothing more. They need to ask themselves, "will my decision help my constituents in the most beneficial way?" They shouldn't have to worry about losing an election because they might be atheist, agnostic or theistic.

The United States should have a law governing the "separation of church and state" clause even further in definition. It needs to be clearly defined that religion is a totally separate discussion from politics. Politics needs to be 100% beneficial for the people. Religion needs to be 100% private. But for some reason, the American people refuse to let the moronic idea go, that these two topics are related.

We know better. As humans, we know better. If you believe in a god, stop, think LOGICALLY, and admit there is no proof of one. No one will think less of you. In fact, people should think better of you for acknowledging that you believe n something that is false. It is PERFECTLY OKAY to believe in a god and a storybook in your personal life. Religion does not belong on the public stage. You can pray anywhere, just don't hold up signs that say "God Hates Fags". That is so stupid. Did "God" tell you that he (or she--or it) personally believes that homosexuals are wrong? How can you believe that? Homosexuals are simply people who love the same gender. So who are you to judge them? You believe that a man and a woman is the only correct relationship in order to procreate? Have you ever thought about the fact that a man and a man may not want to procreate? No one can tell another that they HAVE to procreate.

It is such a simple concept. Keep them separate.

Adjustable Healthcare

I'm no politician, economist, medical official or anything that qualifies me to support my ideas. So...

What if we, as a nation, had an adjustable healthcare program? It would be structured like a PBM but put short, you would only pay for what you use, and all plans would cover health, prescription, dental and eye costs. Say John Doe has hypertension and is far sighted. There's really nothing else wrong with him. He's 45 years old, in decent shape and has a wife and 2 kids. His plan could be Plan A (Low Risk). This would involve an annual dental cleaning, maybe new eyeglass lenses every 1-2 years, contact lenses every 6 months, and medication copays that don't rob them blind. Perhaps a tiered plan where Tier 1 through 3 have copays of $10, $25 and $50, respectably. Doctors visits may be priced according to codes billed. I'm not too savvy on coding so this would be someone else's department.

You get me? What do you think? Have any ideas?

What If...?

This post is more aimed toward the pharmacy employees in the world.

Have you ever caught yourself, in the middle of a shift, thinking, "this would be great if it were a TV show or movie!"? How about the time the patient came in with a Vicodin script at 8am reeking of alcohol? What about the time the patient said her MD was calling something in for her allergies..."Oxy-something...OxyContin...I think."?

What if we could make this happen? There are too many shows about doctors and emergency rooms, not to mention the addicts (Intervention). Why not a show (or film) about pharmacy life? Think of all the topics: Prior auths, refill too soon, doctor shoppers, crazy old people, store customers asking where the shampoo/bathroom/non-pharmacy-related item is, patients pulling down their pants and asking "what is this?", and so on. What do you guys think?