$248 Billion

In a recent Facebook posting, I noted that it's no big deal to me that Ted Cruz is covered under his wife's Goldman~Sachs-provided health care plan.  If I could choose excellent health care coverage through my employer  OR  gilt-edged benefits through my spouse, I'd opt for the latter, too.  My issue was with the negative impact employer-provided coverage continues to have on our nation's health care delivery.  A friend's reply noted that costs of employer-provided health care benefits aren't footed by taxpayers.  Except, they are.

A core reason (among several) why businesses - especially large  ones - continue to support employer-provided health care coverage is due to the MASSIVE tax advantages it provides both the business and the employee.  The value of Ted Cruz' health care benefits is tagged at $20,000 - a sizable amount not included in his wife's taxable income.  And Goldman~Sachs gets to take it, in part or in whole (not sure which), as a business expense write-off.  Win for the employer, win for the employee.  NOT a win for the U.S. taxpayer.

In 2013 alone, it's estimated the U.S. Treasury will be out $248 BILLION ($240,000,000.00) dollars in health care benefits-related lost income & payroll taxes (a whopping 1.5% of the GDP, or more than the government pays for the interest on the federal debt).

 

I thank my friend for stating that tax-payers don't take a financial hit from employer-provided health care benefits.  Would that it was true. 

Dirt Happens - the power of short-term cleaning.

As young adults living in the same house, was always interested at how my sister tolerated clutter, but loathed dust, whereas I loathed clutter & tolerated dust.  When I mentioned this to a friend during one of Mom's long-stay jaunts down to Australia, she commented, "I guess, now that the two of you are responsible for cleaning the house, it's uncluttered & dust-free."  Nope, just the opposite - place looked like a hell hole by the time Mom was due home.  We had to set to & clean with a will to get it looking semi decent in time for her arrival.

While our housecleaning habits have improved over the years, that long-ago reality left me with an appreciation of short-term cleaning.   And wondering why it took me so long.

For most of my adult life, it was natural to put off what many of my friends considered "must do" daily chores.   Vacuuming was left until dust on the carpet became visible, dishes left unwashed to the next day, and so on (don't want to get too disgusting).  The bottom line is that I'd wait until cleaning became a major chore worthy of my attention, rather than making myself a "slave" to what felt like the thankless tasks of keeping things clean as an expected norm.  For me, having a house that was always clean& tidy spelled icky daily drudgery.  Better to tackle a BIG task, one worthy of my attention & effort. 

One of the great challenges before me RIGHT NOW is to take short-term cleaning part of my daily habits.  It matters to me, because the environment we live in matters.

That might seem obvious to most folks, but it faces constant resistance with me.  Why doesn't matter.  Getting past it does.  Because the environment I live in matters. 

There is no getting around the reality that my house ~ as it is at this moment in time ~ will never be as welcoming as my friends', none of who are fur-ever parents to a large clowder of cats.  Especially not since Sky joined the cabdoodle of kitties.  Seriously traumatized as a kitten, he daunted my efforts to keep the house fairly free of kitty smells.  For the foreseeable future, there will be no parties in our house.  But that doesn't mean I can't make it as clean & welcoming as possible.  There could always be an excuse to put off cleaning, but that's all they are - excuses.  It may never be as clean & welcoming as it was, but the reality is that our house can be, every day, as clean & welcoming as it can be.

But it can't happen without short-term cleaning.  A house that's only cleaned when it HAS to be is anything but welcoming.  Entering it, going from room to room, is a constant reminder of what needs to be done, rather than an invitation to settle in for rest & relaxation or whatever. 

Just hit with a reminder of something my sister once said - years & years & years ago, so it's probably something she long outgrew but which has stuck in the mind of her adoring baby sister - to the effect, "Why bother with dusting?  It's just going to get that way again."  Stunning, realizing that such a short thought - possibly just thrown away in jest - stuck with me all these years.

Short-term cleaning.  Knowing that I am successful by how at peace I feel in my home, rather than simply treating it as shelter.  Is it repetitive?  Does it sometimes feel like inane drudgery?  Yes & yes.  And worth every precious moment & extended energy.  

Dirt happens.  Keep the dust cloth at the ready & a good supply of vacuum cleaner bags, invest the time & energy, because an uncluttered, dust-free house (even one that sniffs to high heaven) is a treasure worth having.

Kaizen

Kaizen - a Japanese word meaning small successes.  The small successes which lead to big breakthroughs. 

When I think about it, can't bring to mind a single successful friend who hasn't mastered kaizen, investing countless small amounts of energy into equally small actions that accumulate ultimately into major accomplishments. 

And it is never too late to learn that mastering big things means first tackling, accomplishing, moving past the minor things to the major - because we understand that some of the steps might seem minor, but all are essential.  Kaizen