Friday, February 22, 2019

政府之應與能/莊峻華


政府之應與能/莊峻華

自從川普當上美國總統,許多民主黨人,紛紛提早投入下屆總統
選局,提出許多政見,指出一些政府之應該優先政策,和能作之
公民迫切之福利政策,這和共和黨人之政見有異,川普之說法是
恢復美國第一,和減稅,兩黨政見迥異,減言之,減稅就是避免
公民福利政策。甚麽是當今民主黨人指出之公民福利政策?我可
列出幾項,一一討論,例如全民健保,最低工資,移民政策,和
大學生學債問題等等。

歐盟國家中,像英國有全民健保,台灣也號稱有全民健保,我親
自體會兩國之門診業務,和美國之平常門診操作,有不同品質,
當然這是經費之差異,美國國力,尚不能維持目前有限健保之品
質,到全民健保之地步,除非增稅,增加國家和地方稅收,或者
是減少國防支出,增稅可以減少工作狂,可以減少國內旅行,可
以減少餐館消費,我想到上餐館,需要繳地方稅和小費,幾近四
分之一,我就無食慾,讓慷慨消費者,貢獻稅收。我們家僅有一
人,沒有像樣之健康保險,因為資產和收入,無法進入貧民健保
,抑或便宜之奧巴瑪健保,只好冒險自保,只好再忍耐三年,子
女均有全職工作,團體健保,我已經有老人健保傘。

最低工資問題,我最喜歡提我們家元兒之故事,他之超市工作,
一週約二十五小時,剛好符合全職定義,有團體健保,解決首要
問題,超市工資幾十年不變,事關操作成本,我能了解,而且有
應付對策,我們把元兒留在家,免費提貢食宿,鼓勵儲蓄投資,
無視於政府之應與能,去年其投資儲蓄股息,已經超過工作收入
,每年有絕大工作收入,放在退休金帳戶,股息全部投資再儲蓄
,美國政府鼓勵全民儲蓄,有許多稅務優待。

大學學債問題,有債要還,借錢要還,這是做人原則,因為此款
來自民間儲蓄,銀行倒閉,政府需要賠款,因此政府之倒閉保險
費高昂,操作成本高,但可以維持美金幣制穩定,全世界之錢,
都借給美國,不喜歡讀書者,無需借太多學債,幫忙大學操作基
金,畢業後要養成努力工作習慣,聯邦政府對學債,有稅務優待
,讀公立大學即可,避免私立大學昂貴之學費,這是家政101。

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Important to be healthy/Carlos Pueblo


Important to be healthy/Carlos Pueblo

While we were waiting for Dr. Jong to check on Arthur’s right eye after
the second week of cataract procedure, we saw many patients came in
for the morning appointment , registration and insurance verification.
I recommend him for a regular checkup with all his physicians, internal
medicine, dentist, and Dr. Jong, etc. for all his medical need. His employee
does provide basic group health insurance which passes the Obamacare
requirement. When we run into illness and begin to seek doctors’ help
is not quite an idea to keep us in longevity and it is true that have witness
those die at young age who do not have adequate health coverage.

There is no national healthcare in the United States and the reasons are
varies. If the U.S. is a small nation and easier to maintain the national
healthcare, it would provide it yet I don’t believe that it would. I believe
that at least of 25% of the U.S. population don’t have adequate healthcare;
therefore, it becomes a national issue. The national priority may change a
little bit in 2020 and I hope that may come true one day.

I lost my group health insurance after I lost my contract with a major life
insurance company after I ran short of 6 months to make a requirement
of 10 year tenure to be eligible for continuing the self-paid group coverage.
I have attempted several times to find jobs which were provided health
Insurance and failed, like to be a school teacher and returned back to an
Insurance company. That 40 million un-insured is not important enough
to draw the enough national attention. I have been lucky that I have been
under Medicare ever since I reached age 65. Both of my children are working
with group health coverage and only Amy has inadequate individual major
medical with huge deductible to satisfy Obamacare with not tax penalty.

I understand that the national healthcare can’t guarantee the health of the
Insured yet at least the coverage can make the insured less stressful for the
high cost of healthcare. This is one of the main reason why people with health
insurance can avoid unexpected illness such as cancer, diabetes, all kinds
of cardiology failure by regular physical checkup.  


身體健康之重要/莊峻華


身體健康之重要/莊峻華

元兒白內障手術後,兩週續檢完畢,鍾大夫非常滿意,相約一年
後再見,接待室等候中,病患陸續來到,我和元兒提到一年,應
來看眼科大夫一次,內科大夫一次,還有牙科洗牙兩次,如此可
盼預防意外狀況,維持身體健康,我看早逝者,多半容忍病況,
一直到病入膏肓,無法可救,這就是工作之重要,工作可以有健
康保險,來應付昂貴之醫藥費用。

身體不適,可以馬上看醫生,美國已經習慣收保險病患,我倒鮮
見有付現金看病者,買藥也信用付款,沒有健康保險,在美國甚
難生存,精神壓力甚大,內分泌失調,直接影響到器官之運作,
因此常見之疾病,焉然而生,工作高壓,睡眠不足,影響賀爾蒙
,癌症茲生,是有關係。

幾次門診經驗,我建議元兒日後,應注意身體健康,小時候元兒
有早產併發症,六歲後始穩定,爾後身體雖瘦小,但無大礙,而
且沒有疾病,是有視力問題,現在右眼白內障手術,視力大增,
亂視可以鏡片調整,因此身體已無問題,再來就是日常保養。

他同意馬上預約內科醫生,做身體檢查,這女大夫,一直是他幼
童時代之家庭醫生,也是我工作時之內科大夫,我真想陪他去拜
望。

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

A busy week/Carlos Pueblo


A busy week/Carlos Pueblo

My busy week begins on Saturday. My league tennis match starts at 8:00 am
If my captain can arrange me to play on the first round of matches. I must
quickly finish the 11 games match in order to catch on my beginner Spanish
class at 10:00 am about 20 miles away. I feel very good of the renewal study of
Spanish and Japanese classes after so long of slowing progress.

I had to deliver an eulogy for a funeral service for a deceased alumnus on Sunday
morning. I quickly took the task on late Saturday night and posted them, both
in Kanji and English edition, on my blog and the funeral home made both on
one page paper for me to read. After the ceremony, we followed the casket to
the cremation and a lunch with the deceased family. He was 77 and died in
natural cause which I was informed as at least one major organ ceased functioning.

We went to Austin on Monday morning to visit our daughter Michelle. My job is
to mow her yard and apply the fertilizer while Amy would clean inside and help
weeding garden. We came back on the following day due to my Tuesday night
tennis. It started raining in the morning on Tuesday.

My Japanese class is on Thursday and we’re working on some basic conversation
skill and repeated practice. Nagamoto sensei is going to bring three of his international
students to our class to converse with us. We’re going to do self-introduction and
a daily life which we have practiced so far. I have had my own study on sentence
pattern at home and feel very interesting.

I plan to do my income tax return on Friday and on Saturday, I’ll have a full day
schedule again starting with league tennis, Spanish, an alumni association lunch,
and a seminar of Taiwan under Chinese Nationalist’s rule.   

Monday, February 18, 2019

繁忙一週/莊峻華


繁忙一週/莊峻華

從未想過不做事,仍有繁忙之一週,今晨需要趕往奧斯汀,拜訪
琳兒,幫忙整理她之庭院,估計其毛桃成熟時,我們想大規模鹽
漬食用,這是幼年台灣家庭水果食物。昨日校友告別式,美蘭妮
告知,週末校友餐會,報名者渺,我再不參加,校友會惟恐關閉
矣,責任重大,今年起週六忙碌,清晨網球賽,趕往西班牙語課
,直到中午。

週日,我需要煮牛肉麵,給元兒晚餐,感謝他捧場多年,煮牛肉
湯,需要一整下午。從奧斯汀回來,需要趕上週二夜網球局,我
們幾位老頭,希望繼續活動筋骨,若一兩局雙打下來,夜晚容易
入寐,一覺到天亮。

週三與五,準備申報聯邦所得稅,週三先處理自己,週五處理元
兒,愛美和元兒,都將開始學習申報。週四上午有日文課,現在
日西語課先生,學問高教學認真,進度神速,我在家努力溫習,
可能有突破。

剛剛將珍珠號愛女合照寄畢,我已經注意多時太陽號,從智利聖
帝牙哥返回邁阿密,船價接近可以,只是單程機票昂貴,又與愛
美洛杉磯行衝突,我想已作罷,專心四月下旬之英國行。

春天已來到,今年檸檬花苞已冒出,只懼冰霜和無蜂蝶,我也需
要開始割草,幾日前購妥肥料,準備年度施肥,還好愛美喜愛庭
院,否則我真是不勝其煩。

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Remember Dr. Neng Chyang Leu/Carlos Pueblo


Remember Dr. Neng Chyang Leu/Carlos Pueblo

Dr. Neng Chyang Leu passed away recently and I have had this
privilege to deliver my remembrance of our friendship in the
Taiwan Normal Alumni Association. He was one of our chapter
President and had contributed very much for our activity
Including the scholarship to help students in our beloved Alma
Mater.

One time, he described to me of his humble childhood. He was
brought up in an orphanage and I was mistaken that he was
an orphan of a deceased solider during the big pull back in
1949 from China. Mrs. Leu told me last night when I asked. It
was actually not because of the hardship of the family, his
parents had to leave two of the siblings to the orphanage. This
fate didn’t hinder his efforts to pursue advanced education. He
made it to the Biology major  at Taiwan Normal and eventually
came to the U.S. to get his Ph.D. in biology and served at Houston
VA Hospital until his retirement lately.

On side of his scientist profession, he was also an inventor. One
Time, he showed me his key board invention with a pattern and
was ready to put into production. It was all before the current
overwhelming computer world. Mrs. Leu told me that he was
still doing something at home. I admire him and his life as a
good husband and father.

懷念呂能強校友/莊峻華


懷念呂能強校友/莊峻華

能強兄因病告終,令人扼腕,我有此榮幸,在此道別,茲述幾十
載校友會相會一場,祝兄一路順風,我們佛家曰人生有苦諦,生
老病死,愛親別離等,平素兄沉默寡言,剛毅為人,學業事業有
成,家庭美滿,令人羨慕。

我們在校友會中共事,蒙兄多指點照顧,校友會得有今日基礎,
兄曾語我其幼年艱困,在孤兒院照顧下成長,我道是烈士遺屬,
今聞曉芹解釋,始知家中子女眾多,父親失業,被破寄放子女於
孤兒院,兄人聰穎過人,潔身自愛,在困阨環境中,脫穎而出,
考上我們生物系,畢業後,來美留學,博士學位後,一直在聯邦
政府隸屬,榮民總院服務,直到最近退休。

職業順利,並非偶然,抑或運氣,而是幼年鍛鍊出來之毅力,我
甚佩服和羨慕,因特地描述。兄不僅是專業科學家,而且也是業
餘發明家,曾展示我其打字鍵盤設計專利,只遺憾其嗜好努力,
為今日電腦網路所淹沒,我不認為這是一人生損失,兄有過人之
智慧,穩定之職業工作,熱愛家庭,為人楷模,令人懷念。