To the eyes of many, Luke Keesee might appear to be nothing more than an ordinary College student just like so many others on the tech campus. He is much more than that, he is someone people can look up to.
His girlfriend states, “ He is one of the most hardworking and trustworthy people I know…All around he is a great guy. Everyone has great things to say about him… You rarely ever see him in a bad mood.”
He has only been here for a little over a week but it is apparent that there is much that can be learned of this young man. He comes from Lynchburg Virginia, a modest distance to some, close to others, and very distant to a select few. His favorite school subjects are math and physics. He says he isn’t very organized but he gives the effort to improve his status on this situation. He is not to be seen as one to give up. He says that he “is very determined” and that he “loves solving problems”. Here at tech, he has picked an exceptional Major in the College of Engineering, mechanical engineering to be more precise. He has a good respect for the environment as he possibly minors in Green Energy. He adds, “Green energy is the future! (at least I think so)”. He has a staunch commitment has he says that he “… always wanted to go to Virginia Tech”. Picking Tech was, truly, the perfect choice for him as his girlfriend adds, “ He doesn’t settle for anything less than the best”.
When he was a young boy, he had a terrible case of asthma and it got to a point where he had to be put on steroids when he was four years old. This shows that he is, indeed, an overcomer of high adversity.
He also has very peculiar and interesting choices when it comes to pop culture as well as his personal life. His favorite meal to eat is Steak as well as Mac & Cheese. He also has good choice when it comes to beverages; rather than Alcoholic beverages (Which, at this point, he is too young for), or caffeinated soft drinks, his favorite drink he says is Kool-Aid. He also says that he loves all fruits.
As for choices of music, he has a very peculiar taste. He favorite artists and groups are Bob Marley, Zac Brown Band, and Eric Church. He says that he likes his music and adds that he “…hates working in silence”. He also has an interesting taste when it comes to his choice of movies. Cool Runnings, Boondock Saints, and Green Street Hooligans are considered to be his favorites. As for TV, however, he has only two favorites: the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. This might show his interest in how things are the way they are, but then again that’s up to him and not us but who knows. He says that he likes College and Professional Sports, the outdoors, biking, fishing, hanging out with his friends, canoeing, and playing sports. “ He loves to have fun and try new things” says his girlfriend. Indeed, some people aren’t that involved in their lives.These hobbies show that he is very active when it comes to finding something to do when he is not working on his schoolwork.
Polically, he is seen as pretty much a conservative with good moral values. He is opposed to the Presidents policies, claiming that they will not lead the country in the right direction. He describes himself as both a Christian (Methodist-Baptist) and a republican. These views and position show the quality of man that he is. One who believes what he thinks and says what he believes ( otherwise he wouldn’t tell anybody). Many people don’t have the guts to state what they truly believe in but not this guy
His life during high school was one of deep involvement in extra curricular activities. He played football all the way from his freshman year right into his senior year. He also played baseball in his freshman and sophomore years. In his junior and senior years in high school, he participated in track. He has also participated inmany different clubs while in high school. He was a member of the FCA ( Fellowship of Christian Athletes ). The history club, the math club, the First Priority ( another Christian Club ), the Spanish club, and the Weight-lifting club. His involvement in these activities show that he is a well-rounded guy to say the very least. And it doesn’t stop there. When he is out of school, he works in a warehouse and does body work on cars during the summer. He truly is a very busy and hard-working person. He found a way to balance his schoolwork, his extracurriculars and his freetime in a sophisticated manner and still managed to work a summer job after all that. These are even more reasons to follow the lead of a man of Luke’s incredible stature.
This is the legacy of Mr. Luke Keesee. A legacy that will continue to grow as the years go by and as he pusues in a brilliant career of engineer. He is one who will never give up or back down when things look tough, he will, without a doubt persevere. People can look up to him as a leader, a mentor, a teacher and, most of all, a great and highly respectable friend.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Healthcare topic blog
I would like to discuss the debate going on about healthcare reform. It is being discussed all throughout our news stations and other media outlets. Many people are strongly for and there are many people who are strongly against it. There are many different opinions on the specified topic of healthcare reform. Some believe that the current system being used is fine and do not believe that we should reform our healthcare system. Others believe that the system does indeed need changing but shouldn’t be changed drastically. Others say that the system is indeed in trouble and needs some serious revamping. I found it interesting because so much is at risk in this one particular discussion. Allow me to explain the situation in further detail.
These arguments are themselves one big argument. It shows that something is wrong with how healthcare is handled in the United States and how the problem should be addressed. As mentioned above, some preferably wish to do absolutely nothing and leave the system as it is today. Others wish to form a non-profit and government funded plan called a co-op. Others wish to form a government run insurance plan called the public option. This would compete against the private insurers and prevent them from cheating their customers. And yet others wish to create a system where the government controls everyone’s health care, called the single payer system which is used in many countries around the world except for ours.
There are debates going on whether or not to reform healthcare at all. Some believe that the price of premiums that we pay to private insurers are going through the roof. They believe some Americans are being discriminated against and exempt from treatment due to pre-existing conditions. These are the reasons being made in favor of reform of the current system. Others believe that the system is not flawed and is considered to be the envy of the world and should not be tampered with. That is the argument being made in favor of inaction.
The biggest of these choices is the government run insurance program which is the public option. The argument being made in favor of the public option is that it will offer those who have lost their insurance health insurance at an affordable price. Its low price of care will also create competition for the other insurance companies so that they are not cheating their customers out of their money. People in favor of the public option also believe they can achieve these goals. The argument being made against it is that it requires too much intervention and control from the federal government. Those in opposition to the plan believes that this will be extremely costly. It is estimated that this kind of reform will cost over $1 trillion and might put a large burden on taxpayers. This means a possible tax hike on the wealthiest Americans; it could also mean a tax on things like soda or other goods Americans purchase everyday. Another reason to oppose the plan is that with so many people getting on board without increasing the number of doctors. This means that care and treatment of patients would have to be rationed. It would dead to long lines and waiting lists for those who need medications and surgery.
The discussion of the public option is being debated now in Congress. Those in favor of government run insurance are mostly members of the Democratic party, whose members usually hold liberal views while the those who are against it are members of the Republican party, whose members tend to hold conservative views. Democrats have large majorities in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate; they could easily vote to pass the bill that they have proposed which you would think would be easy but it isn’t. The main problem that they (the democrats) have is that their more conservative members are skeptical of the plan to reform health care. They do not wish to burden their constituents with more government intervention in their lives nor do they wish to add to the federal deficit which seems to be getting larger by the day.
Support for this kind of reform was strong earlier this year but now the tone of the people seems to be shifting in opposition to it. Polls have shown that support for the public option has been fading and now it seems that more are opposed than they are supportive of it. The bill being debated passed through the necessary committees and will go to the floor for a vot. Unfortunately for the democrats, they brought it to the floor just before the August recess. They then have had to go back to their constituents that reside in particularly conservative districts and have taken a big beating. Some are intimidated and are unsure how to vote while the others are unaffected, calling the protests against reform artificial and that they were created by the insurance companies which have been taking a beating themselves by those said politicians. It has even gotten to a point where the President said he is open to dropping the public option in favor of the nonprofit co-op plan. That, however, has sparked frustration with more liberal members of the democratic party, arguing that a bill without the public option would not have the votes to pass as they would all vote against it.
This debate over health care reform appears to have been going on for months. Wrong, it is a problem that has been going on for years. Many US Presidents have tried to address this issue but have failed to do so successfully. Until this year, a bill has never reached the floor of the House which makes this the closest we’ve come to getting reform. Caution must be taken, though, there are serious risks being taken in this discussion, both for our country and for democrats. If this reform goes wrong, democrats will find their back against the wall come the next election. Nobody knows what will come of reform as of right now, it will be interesting to see how this all turns out.
These arguments are themselves one big argument. It shows that something is wrong with how healthcare is handled in the United States and how the problem should be addressed. As mentioned above, some preferably wish to do absolutely nothing and leave the system as it is today. Others wish to form a non-profit and government funded plan called a co-op. Others wish to form a government run insurance plan called the public option. This would compete against the private insurers and prevent them from cheating their customers. And yet others wish to create a system where the government controls everyone’s health care, called the single payer system which is used in many countries around the world except for ours.
There are debates going on whether or not to reform healthcare at all. Some believe that the price of premiums that we pay to private insurers are going through the roof. They believe some Americans are being discriminated against and exempt from treatment due to pre-existing conditions. These are the reasons being made in favor of reform of the current system. Others believe that the system is not flawed and is considered to be the envy of the world and should not be tampered with. That is the argument being made in favor of inaction.
The biggest of these choices is the government run insurance program which is the public option. The argument being made in favor of the public option is that it will offer those who have lost their insurance health insurance at an affordable price. Its low price of care will also create competition for the other insurance companies so that they are not cheating their customers out of their money. People in favor of the public option also believe they can achieve these goals. The argument being made against it is that it requires too much intervention and control from the federal government. Those in opposition to the plan believes that this will be extremely costly. It is estimated that this kind of reform will cost over $1 trillion and might put a large burden on taxpayers. This means a possible tax hike on the wealthiest Americans; it could also mean a tax on things like soda or other goods Americans purchase everyday. Another reason to oppose the plan is that with so many people getting on board without increasing the number of doctors. This means that care and treatment of patients would have to be rationed. It would dead to long lines and waiting lists for those who need medications and surgery.
The discussion of the public option is being debated now in Congress. Those in favor of government run insurance are mostly members of the Democratic party, whose members usually hold liberal views while the those who are against it are members of the Republican party, whose members tend to hold conservative views. Democrats have large majorities in both the House of Representatives and in the Senate; they could easily vote to pass the bill that they have proposed which you would think would be easy but it isn’t. The main problem that they (the democrats) have is that their more conservative members are skeptical of the plan to reform health care. They do not wish to burden their constituents with more government intervention in their lives nor do they wish to add to the federal deficit which seems to be getting larger by the day.
Support for this kind of reform was strong earlier this year but now the tone of the people seems to be shifting in opposition to it. Polls have shown that support for the public option has been fading and now it seems that more are opposed than they are supportive of it. The bill being debated passed through the necessary committees and will go to the floor for a vot. Unfortunately for the democrats, they brought it to the floor just before the August recess. They then have had to go back to their constituents that reside in particularly conservative districts and have taken a big beating. Some are intimidated and are unsure how to vote while the others are unaffected, calling the protests against reform artificial and that they were created by the insurance companies which have been taking a beating themselves by those said politicians. It has even gotten to a point where the President said he is open to dropping the public option in favor of the nonprofit co-op plan. That, however, has sparked frustration with more liberal members of the democratic party, arguing that a bill without the public option would not have the votes to pass as they would all vote against it.
This debate over health care reform appears to have been going on for months. Wrong, it is a problem that has been going on for years. Many US Presidents have tried to address this issue but have failed to do so successfully. Until this year, a bill has never reached the floor of the House which makes this the closest we’ve come to getting reform. Caution must be taken, though, there are serious risks being taken in this discussion, both for our country and for democrats. If this reform goes wrong, democrats will find their back against the wall come the next election. Nobody knows what will come of reform as of right now, it will be interesting to see how this all turns out.
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