Author: Dr. Glenn

Fix Our Medical Insurance Dilemma

Give all Americans the option to buy into Medicare. I’ve paid into Social Security and Medicare my entire life. I’m still paying to be on plan B and supplemental coverage. I also pay for prescription insurance. I often feel like a coffee coupon from McDonald’s would pay for about as much medicine as my prescription card pays.

I no longer pay over $1600 a month in medical insurance but I still pay about $450 a month even with Medicare. Nothing is free.

Americans should have the option to buy into Medicare especially if medical insurance will not cover them and they can’t afford the sky rocketing premiums. It’s also time to get rid of medical supplements and prescription cards. Make Medicare a single payer of the doctor’s visits, prescription costs and all the above.

The government has more power to control the cost of big pharmacies and hospital costs. Most medical providers have “one price” but then the “price” they will accept from Medicare. Under President Trump Hospitals will have to display their secret negotiated rates to patients starting in January 2021. This gives you the option to shop around.

I’m all for having medical insurance available. Make it available from state to state. Make it easy for Americans to buy from pharmacies in Canada. Let senior Americans at age 55 buy 20-year term medical insurance plans if they would prefer to do so. Some Americans have no idea how desperate other Americans are when it comes to medical treatment.

Why make it so hard for Americans who do not have access to healthcare? Let them buy into Medicare. If they are unemployed or disabled then give them the Medicaid option. However, this is just more bureaucracy. This system needs to become one.

It’s also time to make 60 the age that retired Americans go on Medicare. In your late fifties and early sixties Americans have to start going to the doctor more. A friend of mine is waiting until she turns 65 and has Medicare so she can have a badly needed surgery. She needs it now. If she could buy into Medicare she could go ahead and move forward with her needed surgery.

We also need to turn the age back to 65 for collecting full Social Security benefits. American men die by the time they are 76.1 years old. Many die much younger. This is very little time to enjoy retirement. Sadly, many Americans aren’t having much of a retirement in their golden years. Many are working longer and spending less time doing what they had hoped to do.

The government wastes our Social Security contributions. They’ve spent trillions on foreign wars. They now tell us Social Security has been reduced by 25% in a few years. Rich political leaders want to push the age until 70 for you to collect your Social Security. This is not working for the American people. We are working longer with the prospects of collecting less. On top of this, older Americans are having to pay more of their dwindling retirement dollars for medical bills.

Bringing our troops home and spending less money in Iraq, Afghanistan and on rebuilding foreign nations is a start. We can and we must fix our medical insurance dilemma.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is an author and syndicated columnist. To contact him, email: GMollette@aol.com or visit: www.glennmollette.com.

Covid-19: Now What America?

America is now opening back up. People are starting to venture back to church. Places of work are reopening. Restaurants are reopening. State parks are reopening. The beaches are opening in many places. Most Americans are breathing a sigh of relief. Americans are sick and tired of Covid-19. We’re tired of hearing about it and we’re tired of the repercussions from it.

Today, more Americans are unemployed since The Great Depression and more unemployment claims have been filed than ever before. Many Americans filed for unemployment weeks ago and still haven’t received a penny. I continue to hear from people who haven’t received a stimulus check.

We are tired of the news and the latest countdown of every county’s death stats from Covid-19. If you want to increase our risk of mental illness just keep watching television eight hours a day, as many Americans have been doing. In my town we have to hear about how many have died from every county in three states. Our hearts break and grieve for these families. It’s just tough hearing the stats every day about so many counties in so many different states.

What must be next? We must find a vaccine for Covid-19. We must develop it in our country if at all possible, and we must not enrich China with billions of dollars with anything that comes out of that country. China has done and given us enough. We don’t need more from China of anything. By the way, quit buying anything made from China.

Use commonsense! Be safe, be smart. Don’t go to church if you don’t want to! If you have health or age issues stay home or go walk the park. People in church are going to be in close proximity. It cannot be avoided totally. Hallways are narrow and restrooms are small at church. You are going to be close to somebody. You can go to church later. Pray at home, read your Bible at home and if you have any income you can mail your church a check. However, if you want to go to church then go but respect other people. Wear your mask for now and be distant. Be courteous.

Go back to work if you still have a job. Your employer doesn’t want you to be sick. Your employer is financially struggling now too. He wants to keep the factory or the business safe and healthy. They can’t make it if everybody gets sick. Go to work and be a part of the solution— don’t be the problem.

Go somewhere if you can. America and actually the entire planet are stir crazy. Keep your mask handy and wash your hands a lot. Carry your disinfectants with you. Clean everything often. Respect social distancing. Be safe.

Next, start thinking about how you are going to vote this fall. If you don’t like how your elected leaders are leading then you can change it by voting.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is an author and syndicated columnist. To contact him, email: GMollette@aol.com or visit his website:href=”http://www.glennmollette.com.

No Easter for America?

Because of Covid-19 many churches will not be in their sanctuaries for Easter on April 12, 2020.

Easter Sunday can fall on any date between March 22 and April 25. The dates change because Easter happens on the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon. The word Paschal means “Passover” in Greek, which is a transliteration of the

Hebrew word pesach. The Paschal Full Moon is the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. This is sometimes referred to as the Egg Moon. This moon sometimes occurs in March and sometimes in April. So, April 12 is not locked in for Easter every year, but it is the date for 2020.

Easter 2020 will be remembered for a very long time, as the Sunday that America had no Easter or the Easter where churches did not gather in small and large buildings. This is disappointing to multitudes. It is the “one” Sunday that many Americans attend church. Globally, churches pull out all the stops for presenting their best music. Ministers have been working the last several weeks polishing up their sermons. But it’s the same story, the old story that, once a year, people come to hear.

Some people still buy new clothes for Easter. Americans are more casual than ever but retailers still make out good for Easter, but not this year. Macy’s and other retailers just furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers. For these retailers Easter has been cancelled and they are feeling it in their pocketbooks.

We don’t know the date of the first Easter but we do know that the followers of Jesus were terrified. They had just watched him crucified on a cross and they feared they were next. Financially, they were struggling because they had left everything to follow Jesus. They had “sheltered” themselves in fear of the religious opposition.

That first Sunday morning Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. In the middle of her sorrow Jesus appeared, spoke her name and Mary realizing it was Jesus called him “Teacher.” She must have put her arms around Jesus

because he said, “Don’t hold onto me, I have not ascended to my father.” John 20:17 Essentially he said, “Don’t touch me!” This story is more relevant all the time. The saddest weekend of Mary’s life turned into the greatest day of her life as she became the first witness of the risen Jesus, later exclaiming to the disciples, “I have seen The Lord!” Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of Easter? We will miss gathering in church this Easter but experiencing Easter and the risen Christ can happen even if you are alone.

There will be Easter on April 12, 2020. There will be Easter for every person on the planet who will take the time to celebrate the old story, the good news of Easter wherever you are and whatever your situation, this Easter 2020.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is an author and syndicated columnist. To contact him, visit:

GMollette@aol.com or visit his website: www.glennmollette.com

The Power Of Forgiveness

Many watched the powerful television report of Brandt Jean’s act of forgiveness toward Amber Guyger who killed his brother Botham Jean. The scene of him hugging her and extending forgiveness to her has been replayed over and again and has invoked a sundry of reactions from across the nation and the Texas community.

Former Dallas police officer Guyger testified that she shot her victim by mistake, in his own apartment while he was eating ice cream. She was sentenced to ten years in prison and many thought it would have been much longer.

Allison Jean, the mother of the brothers wrote on her Facebook page to her son Brandt, “Your load is lighter. Regardless of the views of the spectators, walk with God always. Forgiveness is for the forgiver, and it doesn’t matter what the forgiven does with it. “

From the Lancaster, PA community in 2006 comes the story of ten young schoolgirls killed in an Amish one-room school. On the afternoon of the killing an Amish grandfather expressed forgiveness toward the killer, Charles Roberts. That same day Amish neighbors visited the Roberts family to comfort them.

Later that week the Roberts family was invited to the funeral of one of the Amish girls who had been killed. Amish mourners would later outnumber the non-Amish at Charles Roberts’ funeral. The story told is that the killer was tormented for nine years by the premature death of his young daughter. He never forgave God for her death. Yet, after he cold-bloodedly shot ten Amish schoolgirls, their families and friends almost immediately forgave him and showed compassion toward his family.

In 2015, from the historic Charleston, South Carolina Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church also came the story of forgiving relatives. One by one those who chose to speak at his trial did not turn to anger. Instead, while the killer Dylann Roof remained impassive, they offered him forgiveness and said they were praying for his soul, even as they described the pain of their losses.

“I forgive you,” Nadine Collier, the daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance, said at the hearing, her voice breaking with emotion. “You took something very precious from me. I will never talk to her again. I will never, hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul.”

I don’t know what I would do. I can’t tell you what to do because I don’t know what has happened to you. It’s between you, whomever and God, and how you want to live your life. However, if you carry a lifelong load of hate, resentment and bitterness, it will wear you down.

The words of Jesus from the Bible remind us, “For if you forgive men their trespasses your father in heaven will forgive you.”

Think about it. Is there someone you need to forgive?

Glenn Mollette is an author and columnist. To contact Mollette, email: GMollette@aol.com or visit his website: www.glennmollette.com

Real Decisions And Moderation

Our lives are the summation of our decisions. We can decide to go forward. We can decide to stay the same. We can decide to make critical decisions that can make our lives better, healthier and more meaningful. Often, the worse decision is to make no decision at all.

If we decide to eat 3000 calories a day, we will probably gain weight. If we decide to cut back on daily food portions, we will normally lose weight. We make decisions about our eating patterns. Sometimes our decision is a strong mental assertion pertaining to what we are going to do every day. Sometimes our decision is to just follow our urges and satisfy any and all cravings without regard to what the outcome will be.

I suppose it would be nice if we could do whatever we want without worry of reaping what we sow but it doesn’t work that way.

If you drink soda pop, eat potato chips, candy bars and fatty foods, drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes every day you will have severe poor health. Our bodies were not made for all the junk we would like to consume. One sugary soda pop a day ups your risk of type 2 diabetes by 18 percent over ten years. Some people drink two or more every day. Consider some moderation and maybe drink one a week.

The decision to consume excessive amounts of alcohol will lead to fatty liver. Many people seem to be able to have two or three drinks a week without problems. However, excessive drinking can turn into alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. If you have become an alcoholic then you can’t drink occasionally. You have to stop and use all resources available so that you don’t start again. A very good friend of mine died two months ago from fatty liver disease. It wasn’t just from drinking alcohol, but it was part of her lifestyle that ended her life at an early age.

There are various causes of obesity ranging from overeating to physical inactivity to psychological issues and hypothyroidism and more. Which affects you? Is it your thyroid problem, or is it because you eat or snack four or five times a day? A fitness friend of mine says he eats five times a day. He looks fantastic but he never eats more then 300 to 400 calories per meal. This takes planning and determination, but he has proven it can be done. Some people simply have to limit their intake to one meal a day with maybe a tiny morning and late day snack. You’ll have to experiment with what works for you, but it will be your personal decision that no one else can make for you.

The point of all this is that we make our decisions and we need to think about what and how much we are putting in our mouths every day. A good meal with balance should be a daily pleasure and a wonderful, happy experience. Think about it and keep the practice of “moderation” and “balance” in mind.

Regardless, remember it’s important for “you” to take responsibility of your life and make real decisions.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is an author of 11 books and his column appears in all 50 states. For more information about Glenn Mollette, visit his website: glennmollette.comglennmollette.com.

Something We Can Learn From The Rescue In Thailand

The world celebrated the rescue of 12 Thai soccer players from a flooded cave in Mae Sai, Thailand. We grieved over the loss of one brave man, Saman Kunam who sacrificed his life to deliver supplies to the trapped boys. Many of us watched the media reports fearfully, while praying and hoping for a miracle.

The deliverance of all 12 young boys at the hands of skilled divers was something we jointly cheered about. Reports indicated that time was running out for them— more flooding was coming; oxygen and food were in dismal supply. However, thousands of people participated in the rescue effort, including 2,000 soldiers, 200 divers and representatives from 100 government agencies around the world.

We don’t want a scenario like what happened in Thailand to ever happen again. Such a scenario was a global nightmare and was something that no political group, religious entity or anyone would surely debate. Everything possible that could be done was done to save those young Thai boys.

Yet, everyday on this planet there are desperate plights playing out around the globe. Young children in Syria still live in desperate conditions daily. Families in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t face a day without the fear of who may invade their homes to rape, pilfer and murder their families. There are a lot of problems around the world. Hunger; clean water shortages; the availablility of good medical care; and violence exists to some degree, almost everywhere it seems.

We have all the above and more in America. Employment is better, the stock market is up and the military is stronger than it has been in a long time, yet with all we have going for us, how many people feel like they are in a watery cave and time is running out for them?

Throughout our country people still struggle with medical care. Insurance companies continue to call the shots on procedures and treatments. Doctors order tests and treatments they feel the insurance company will agree to, or pay for. Is that always in the best interest of the patient or is it always in the best interest of the insurance company? How many Americans are on the verge of drowning from inadequate medical care and are also up to their necks in debt from medical costs? Surely, this is a call for national concern and prayer, but more than anything, it’s a tremendous alarm for us to continue to work together to improve the situation.

The recent shooting in Annapolis, Maryland reminded us again that we have a violence issue, mental health issues and gun availability issues in this nation. Everybody should not have a gun in America. Do we not feel like we all die again and again every time there is a school shooting or some other random shooting?

We have to quit arguing about “your gun” and “my gun” and work together to fix all of this— and it’s a lot to fix!

Of course, poverty is still rampant in America. We have too many citizens that are afraid to drink the water in their communities. Kids are still being bullied at school. Nursing homes are often financial and emotional nightmares; and there is always another hurricane, tornado, flood or fire just around the corner.

There is so much about our everyday world that strains us and keeps us fighting for survival. Maybe, we can all learn something from the divers and the many people from all over the world who came together to rescue those young boys from a watery grave. If we don’t fight each other but work together to find solutions, we just might solve more of the problems that threaten to end our very existence.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is the author of 12 books. His syndicated column appears in all 50 states. To contact him, email: GMollette@aol.com or visit his website: www.glennmollette.com.

How to have a Merry Christmas!

Christmas is the most depressing time of the year for many people. New Year’s Eve is another difficult time. There are lots of reasons why depression and suicide rates soar during these holidays. Feeling alone, financial distress, health issues, family problems and the list can actually be long.

Here are some quick tips for you. Keep this column handy for reference over the next two weeks:

Plan to be connected to people during these holidays. Even if it’s sitting on the sofa making telephone calls all day, at least you are talking and hearing people. Actually this is a good idea anyway. Make a long list and call people and wish them a Merry Christmas or a Happy New Year.

Divide your list and call some one holiday and the rest on New Year’s Eve. Too many people sit back with the attitude, “Well, they haven’t called me.” Don’t worry about that because we are talking about your self-preservation here. Have people in your home whether it’s family or people in your neighborhood. Have them for just coffee and a cookie. Better yet, if you have family, relax and just roll with the holiday punches. There is absolutely nothing else to do on Christmas. Your local convenience store or truck stop might be open but that’s it. Enjoy and love the people you might be around— it’s only once a year that you are truly stuck all day with them. You can survive it.

Do not fuss about anything. Be nice to everybody. Let the stupid things that people say to you roll off your back. Smile and act like you are having a wonderful time even if some relative is driving you crazy. Just laugh and have fun.

Keep it simple. Don’t over spend and don’t rack up a big credit card debt. Let other people help you with any cooking, kitchen details and clean up. Share the joy with other people. Most people are happy to chip in and it makes them and you feel better.

Allow yourself plenty of time. My wife starts cooking Christmas dinner two weeks early. She makes something and puts it in the freezer. If she makes one thing every day we normally end up with enough food for the neighborhood. There was a time when she tried to do it all on one day. This drove her and all of us crazy. Last minute cooking, shopping and leaving home late to travel a long trip is all nerve racking and takes some of the fun out of the holiday.

Help one or two people along the way. No one person can save the world but you never know when your assistance might be a miracle for some one. Years ago, a man had tied up all of his money into a house when suddenly he lost his job and had no way to keep the house. The bank secured everything he owned and there were zero dollars available to do anything. He didn’t know what he was going to do including buy groceries or even find another place to rent.

A financially secure man in the town heard about the plight of the other guy and called him into his office one week before Christmas to announce to him he was going to buy his house from him. The man was overwhelmed with joy and was able to eventually secure another place to live, another job and move forward with his life. However for sometime he lived each day feeling and knowing that his life and family were in severe peril. He told me once that what happened was truly a life saving miracle.

You probably aren’t in the position to just buy somebody’s house in order to financially save them but maybe a good word, a small financial gift, or even trying to help somebody find a job might be miracle life saving acts that you might give to someone.

Christmas only comes once a year if we are blessed to see and enjoy the day. Be thankful! Give thanks to God Almighty for His blessings. Don’t give ugly gestures to people on the highway. Be nice to Republicans and Democrats and Independents and all other parties— at least on Christmas.

We need more joy, smiles and happiness in America. Do your part. You are one person. If every person contributes we can truly all have a very Merry Christmas!

Dr. Glenn Mollette is President of Newburgh Theological Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana. His syndicated column appears in all 50 states. To contact him, email: GMollette@aol.com.

Harvey, Irma and 911, We Can Replace the Stuff

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have been bad news to all in their path. Sadly, lives have been lost, houses demolished and personal items blown or washed away. Such horrific acts of nature remind us that we are all fragile and vulnerable. The right wind and rain can wash everything away including us— and people we love.

We love our stuff. We store it. We hoard it. We want to pass it on to our children and grandchildren. There are storage facilities being built almost everywhere in America because we love our stuff so much. Harvey and Irma remind us again that our greatest assets are our lives and the people we love. If we have our health, safety and valued people in our lives then everything is either secondary or worthless in perspective to life and people.

None of us wants to see our houses floating down a river or covered up by trees to never be lived in again. We don’t want to lose our photographs and everything we have worked so hard to buy and we cherish. Such loss is excruciating. However, it’s stuff and stuff is never forever.

I recognize there is much about this planet that seems to last forever. There is a huge rock formation above my old home place that we always called Buzzard Rock. It was a fun place to climb and play as a kid. I can’t see or tell where that rock has changed one bit over the last sixty years. It looks the same to me. I suspect a hundred years from now it will look much the same and another generation of people will have walked or played on that rock and passed on, while Buzzard Rock will remain for many others to come by for fun and play.

September 11 is once again here. Those of us who lived through that day will never forget the crumbling of the twin towers in New York. A new incredible building called the One World Trade Center has been built and is phenomenal. The tragedy of that day, is that so many innocent lives, were snuffed out by evil people. Those hardworking good American people are no longer with us and nothing can replace them. We remember them and their value to us all.

People are suffering in America today, from the people of Texas to all over Florida, Georgia and to all who remember September 11, 2001. However, it doesn’t have to be a hurricane or act of terrorism to shake our very lives. Often, it’s the everyday occurrences of life that sometimes go unnoticed by the masses of people round us. Often, it’s the death of an aging parent or the sudden loss of a young adult that shakes our lives. A person overdosing and dying from drugs breaks our hearts or it’s the man or woman we read or hear about who can no longer cope with the difficulties of life.

Take time today to value who and what really counts. Cherish those around you and help those you can. We can replace the stuff— it’s the people that we can’t!

Glenn Mollette is a syndicated columnist and author of 12 books. His column appears in all 50 states. You may contact him at GMollette@aol.com. Learn more at: www.glennmollette.com.

Ebola, stop the flights from West Africa

Ebola affected Liberians and other West Africans who can obtain plane tickets will be headed to the United States. How many more can we handle coming into our country? We only have a handful of hospitals that are currently equipped to handle Ebola. Each of these has only four or five equipped isolated treatment areas.

I have friends in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria. We must help them by providing West African hospitals with what they need to fight this fatal disease.

America spends billions on war every year. Spending a few billion on equipping West African hospitals and training staff will be a great investment in saving our planet. I hope the West African nations will help us financially since our nation is broke.

Closing commercial flights from this part of the world is a prickly idea for many. We have Americans who are living or visiting in Liberia who need to get back to America.

We can screen them and fly them home.

Medical teams, equipment and tons of medicine must go to these areas. There are plenty of planes that can be booked for the months and probably years of medical service that will be demanded.

This will not be a permanent situation. However, we cannot allow everybody to board planes to the United States and circulate in our country while spreading Ebola.

Securing our borders from illegals, drug traders, ISIS and Ebola is a task that seems almost insurmountable. We are not winning the war on border security. We don’t want to lose the Ebola war. There must not be any surrendering in this area of national security. A few hundred Ebola cases in this country would be more than we could handle.

The real answer to the Ebola crisis is finding a cure. More than ever we need billions of dollars invested in medical research. Millions of Americans simply endure and live with disease instead of beating disease. We are desperate for a new era in America’s medical research. It’s time for a cure for cancer, neurological disease and Ebola.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is an American columnist and author. Like his facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GlennMollette or visit: www.glennmollette.com.