Who 'deserves' the HOPE Scholarship and Zell Miller Award

In last weekend's Atlanta Journal-Constitution online, a story was published regarding the HOPE Scholarship here in Georgia (Link to story), specifically about the 'full' scholarship called the Zell Miller Award.  This scholarship is awarded to students who perform at the top of their class.  According to the story, :


'Zell Miller scholars must graduate high school as the valedictorian or salutatorian, or with at least a 3.7 grade-point average and a 1200 on the SAT’s math and reading sections. While in college they must maintain a 3.3 GPA.'

To say the least, these students are the highest academic achievers in our state school systems.  The article goes on to question the legitimacy of the scholarship, due to the fact that the authors of the story believe that too many of the recipients are from affluent areas of Metro Atlanta.  Rather than debate the presented facts (which I believe are debatable... read the article and you may agree), I would rather debate the bigger story, which is, Why does it matter where the kids are from? 

The last time I checked, there were no guarantees that any parent, no matter how rich, was required to provide a college education for their children.  The education is for the student, NOT the parent.  So, are we to assume that just because a student's father or mother is successful, a student is entitled to their money and assets and therefore not worthy of a scholarship?  Just because a student's parents make a good living does not mean that this student is guaranteed success, let alone tuition payments.  It baffles me that we have become a culture that just inherently believes that all parents should pay for their children's educations... ever heard of student loans?  Or earning a scholarship? 

The AJC has a clear agenda in attempting to manipulate us, the people, into believing that the rich are getting richer, when the reality is that the students who work hard and earn their good grades are getting richer by getting the opportunity to graduate from college with zero to little debt... that sounds like capitalism at its finest to me.

“Free” coverages… Thanks ObamaCare!!

My employer’s benefits programs renew and update every March 1^st, so last Friday we sat down in a staff meeting to discuss the upcoming changes and enhancements to the program. During this meeting, we learned about healthy lifestyle choices, alternative ways to better use our benefits and insurance, and other riveting facts and figures. In attendance were representatives from our benefits broker agency as well as a representative from our carrier.

The representative from our carrier informed us of a new benefit we would be receiving. We now have the ability to go two times per year for ‘wellness’ visits. These visits will not even require a co-pay, she tells us! She is so excited about this feature that she actually personally thanked President Obama, and praised his “new healthcare initiative” (her words) as the reason for this change. My co-pay for an office visit ranges from $25-$60, depending on the type of doctor, reason for visit, and services rendered. So, at best, these two visits would save me $120 per year. On the surface, that is not a bad deal, and on the surface is where she left it.

Ten minutes later, our benefits broker stood up in front of his PowerPoint slides and explained to us that our rates were rising, and went through the variety of reasons that health care costs are rising. If my math is accurate, the increase in my premiums will be nearly $300 per year. Furthermore, my premium only represents a fraction of the total cost of my coverage, as my employer contributes a significant majority (75-80%) of the total cost. So, if my cost is going up $300, my employer’s cost for me is going up at least 3 times that much. Hmm, something is not right here… I now get up to $120 in wellness visits for free, but I am paying almost 3x as much in premiums.

I will not be so naive as to claim that this wellness visit option from ObamaCare pumped my premiums up that much. It is much more likely that the overweight, out-of-shape, always sick co-workers of mine had a significant impact as well, but that is a post for another day. But these “free” initiatives, such as the birth control mandate that has been front and center in the news this week, are NOT FREE. My favorite cliché from my years in college getting a business degree is, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. Someone always pays. The politicians who pushed the health care bill through in 2010 will claim that this cost is going to be picked up by the insurers, and on paper it will. But any business that seeks to make a profit (is there a business that doesn’t??) will be forced to take action. They will find other ways to pass the cost on, as they should. Every business that operates is in the same industry... the industry of making a profit. Even if they get subsidies from the government to cover their increased costs, we as taxpayers will foot the bill.

I think what makes me most angry is the fact that this representative could sit there with a smile and pontificate about the “free” visits and then listen to the broker explain about our increased premiums. Does she think I am stupid? Or is she that stupid to believe what her own words? Either way I lose.

He's baaack

Hello ladies and gentlemen... I mean lady and gentleman. My alter ego and blog writer, Stewie, called it quits last year on the posts.  Although I will miss him, I think I can handle the job from here...  I have been sitting on my hands stewing (no pun intended) for too long about some of today's hot topics. So I am back.

I plan on putting up at least a post per week for the foreseeable future. As those of you who know me can attest, I have a lot to say. Hopefully I can provide some unique and entertaining insights into topics and policies that have impact on our everyday lives. This election year should prove to be good for the posts, as we are in the midst of so many important decisions being made.  Whether you agree or disagree, please leave comments and if you see fit, pass this blog address on to those who may have an interest. Just click 'Follow' at the top of the page.

One request: I would love to have some new readers of this blog who will disagree with me.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy it, hate it, whatever... My desire is to make you think.