Thanks A Lot!

Since this is the season for giving thanks.....

I am thankful that the employer mandate in the Affordable Care Act was delayed for a year.  I can guarantee that Cumulus Broadcasting Incorporated would have been one of the first companies to choose to drop health insurance coverage and just pay the penalty--I mean "tax" for constitutionality purposes.  That would have meant even more rants in this space about the failure of the HealthCare.gov website (which everyone--except Kathleen Sebelius and President Obama fully expected) as I tried to find coverage as affordable at the $30 a month that I pay for my current High Deductible Health Savings Account policy with which I am more than happy.

I am also thankful that I am not in charge of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tomorrow.  Who would think that a family event like this would become so politically charged?  It started with South Dakota cattlemen raising a stink about vocal vegan Joan Jett being selected to ride on their state's float.  She got moved to a different float.  Then along comes PETA and other animal rights activists who have decided to protest the Sea World float.  They saw the CNN documentary on the treatment of killer whales at the theme parks: Blackfish and have decided that Free Willy needs to happen in real life.  It just goes to show that the term "proper venue" no longer applies to protests of any kind.  And to add injury to insult, high winds may ground the famous parade balloons--meaning Al Roker and Chris Christie will have to fill in as "big, gas-filled displays" instead.

I would also like to thank the lifeguards at the 20th Avenue YMCA in Oshkosh for keeping such close watch over me in the competition pool.  I've decided to add swimming to my fitness regimen--but unfortunately, I have no natural buoyancy.  That means most of my effort goes into not sinking to the bottom of the pool--rather than actually moving forward in the water.  Those lifeguards seem to hover around my side of the pool as soon as I hit the water--waiting for that rare moment that they will actually get to put their training to use.

And finally I would like to thank the people that stop me when I'm out and about around town and tell me how much they enjoy My Two Cents.  I'm glad that I get the chance to make people think or want to change the way things are going or just have a good laugh every once in a while.

Happy Thanksgiving!