Published: March 28, 2009 12:09 pm      

Pleasant Hill Ramblings

I want to remind you that Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, located on Brown Town Rd., will have a yard sale April 4, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the church fellowship hall (in the rear of the church on the lower floor).

Since the sale is inside, rain will not be a factor. Come, browse and, I hope, buy. This sale will help raise money for youth activities later in the year. Your patronage will be appreciated.

Hippity hop, hoppity hop — The Easter Bunny is on the hop!

Did you stop in Kmart March 28 or 29? If not, try to "hop" into Kmart on April 4 or 5. The Easter Bunny will be at Kmart again this year on those days from noon to 6 p.m. He will be glad to see you.

Health care facts in Tennessee

From our health care clinic, I picked up more information to a constant need for health care in Tennessee. Reading this does not make for "pretty reading." In our present financial scramble, it is even more disheartening.

Health care, one of the big problems everywhere, is becoming more problematic as the current recession seems to continue to grow. Maybe you, too, have seen this. In case you haven't, here are some points to ponder.

1. Here in Tennessee more than 800,000 individuals are uninsured. This figure includes more than 120,000 children.

2. Some 13 working-age Tennesseans die each week from lack of medical help because they do not have health insurance.

3. Uninsured Tennesseans are sicker and die sooner than those who are insured.

4. During the first seven years of the current century, more than 3,600 Tennessee residents died from the results of no health insurance.

Turning to the uninsured U.S. population statistics:

1. About 47 million people are uninsured in the United States.

2. Nearly nine million are children (they never had a chance to grow up).

3. Of this total, eight out of 10 are hard-working families. They are not bums or moochers. The majority are under 40 years of age. This will probably increase as time goes by.

4. Maybe this will surprise you — one out of two uninsured people are from the ethnic population of the U.S.

6. A tragic statistic — one in three uninsured people who get prescriptions don't fill them after they get them because they cannot pay for them.

7. Sixty percent of people with chronic conditions (constantly recurring) skip medications because of the cost. And 60 percent of people who have chronic conditions just don't get medications because they are uninsured.

Stress times make life more stressful

That statement seems obvious. Unfortunately, these times will not be getting less stressful in the foreseeable future. Everyone is feeling more stressed as continual layoffs, sellouts, higher prices for things we need daily become problems. It is getting harder and harder for everyone.

This unhappy atmosphere is tough to cope with, but throwing rocks in public meetings or anywhere else, beating up someone who someone claimed grabbed the parking spot he wanted, breaking and entering, aggravated assault or criminal trespass are hardly helpful ways to respond to alleged disparaging remarks.

The Feb. 18th Chronicle reported a woman breaking into a home and throwing a rock at a resident in the area. She (the rock thrower) said the victim made "unkind" remarks about her lifestyle. Now, the rock thrower is in more trouble for "taking revenge," plus a few other charges including burglary and public intoxication. Apparently, she is (or was) spending some time in jail.

This episode reminds me some adages I heard in years long gone: "Look before you leap" to conclusions; "Think before you speak" and "Clean up your own act" before going after someone else. I've always liked this one: "Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you!"

Stop and think when tempted. What a lot of heartburn you can save yourself!