Readers write
Change takes work
A few years ago, I decided I needed to change my kitchen. I wanted to open it up so that traffic would flow easily, especially when we were entertaining. I spent several months looking at other kitchen plans and asking people what they thought I could do. I finally decided to take out the bar and put in an island instead. I called a contractor to give me an estimate and his ideas on what should be done. I liked some
of his ideas, but his price was more than I wanted to pay. The big thing that we agreed upon was that my original plan would relieve the congestion in my kitchen and that some of his ideas would make the kitchen both attractive and functional. But there was a whole lot that we did not agree upon. So, I continued to think about some of his ideas to see if any could enhance my own plan.
I finally decided to take the big step to start the renovation even though I knew some issues might cause big problems, like the size and shape of the island, if moving some cabinets around and having a couple built would really work, when to redo the flooring, and if I could get some new appliances I wanted. Creating the island immediately relieved the congestion in the kitchen and I was very pleased. However, we spent several months living with an island top that was a painted piece of wood. The new cabinet we had built did not exactly match our other cabinets. So, we had to find a fix for that. But after about a year and numerous headaches, we have a kitchen that is extremely functional and very lovely.
But why would you care about my kitchen?
My renovation work is kind of like the current state of health care in this nation. Just as I knew I wanted a kitchen that was more functional, our nation has known for many years that our health care system needed some overhaul.
Under President Obama’s presidency a health-care bill was passed to do many of the things that Americans wanted. It covered people with pre-existing conditions, took away lifetime caps and allowed children to stay on their parents’ plans. It gave health insurance to millions of people who never before could afford it. That gave hope, health and life to many people.
However, like my kitchen renovation, the ACA has run into other problems that may not have been fully anticipated. I didn’t throw away my whole house because I ran into some problems. I looked for solutions to make my kitchen wonderful. We need to find solutions to the health-care plan
because the premiums and deductibles are too high for many people. I do not know these solutions, but my guess is that if enough people put their heads together to find a solution instead of just blaming each other, one will be found.
Carol Parete,
Celina