Russetid på Kolbotn :)

Russetid på Kolbotn :)

Oslo, Norge

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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I'm Back! Jeg er tilbake!

Soon I'll be graduating from Norwegian High School in the town of Ski. Yahoo! I've ordered russekort and barrowed my brother-in-laws russebokser for the occation, so I thought I'd restart my blog. Here goes!

Snart blir jeg ferdig på Ski Videregående skole.  Huraa! Jeg har bestilt russekort og lånt russebukser fra min svigerbror for a feire begivenheten, og da syntes jeg at jeg burde igjenstarte bloggen min.  Så, nå starter vi!

-  Christopher "Fipher" D. Osborn
Kolbotn, Akershus, Norge

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

My View on Health Care

I have been living in Norway off and on for the past 3 and a half years.

I am against health care being controlled by the government. It's really a fundamental position rather than a practical one. I know that socialized medicine works fairly well. I also know, however, that true free-market health care would work at least as good, accept without as much cost.

I do not live in a country with free health care, and neither does anyone else. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is free. Norwegians pay an average income tax of 30%, a tax on the purchase of food of like 15%, a sales tax on non-food grocery items (like soap) at 25%. There are taxes on money you don't spend, there are taxes on inheritance, there are taxes on your social-security payments, there are taxes for owning a TV even if it's sitting in your house not being used, there is paying an average (depends on how many driving hours you end up needing) of 20,000 NOK ($3,365 USD) for a drivers license... I can't even name all the ways the government takes money from the Norwegian people because I've only been here for a few years and have no idea about what taxes on businesses are like accept that I know that the more you earn the higher income tax percentage you pay.

So the most obvious cost to near-"free" health care (as well as near-"free" education and all the welfare programs there are in Norway) are taxes, more than even people from my home state of Taxachusetts can imagine.

The less obvious, yet more important, cost to big government is freedom and choice. For instance: Because of the government near-monopoly on health care, if you want faster or better health care than the government can provide you basically have to be pretty well-off. Another example considering health care: Since the government is paying for it all, naturally the government gets to decide what sort of treatments you can get. This results in that many medicines and treatments that are commonplace in the US are either illegal or highly restricted in Norway.

There is a common over-the-counter cream in the States that I would always use under a band-aid if a got a cut. It protects against infection, relieves pain, and generally helps the cut heal faster and with a smaller chance of scarring. I can't remember the name of it now since it's been so long (I think it starts with an N), but I took a tube of it to a local pharmacist about 3 years ago to see if they sold it. He looked at the active ingredients and looked them up in his big book of medicine, and told me that one of them was available by prescription only, while the other was not yet approved for use in Norway. Meanwhile, the cream had been an over-the-counter drug in the USA for probably 10 years already. That is, I remember using it as a pre-teen. Another example of this sort of thing is that I have yet to use any cold medicine here that works as well as Nyquil.

But like I said, my objections are mostly ideological. Here's how the system works. All emergency care is 100% payed for by taxes. Any doctors appointments, psychologist appointments, medicine on the "blå resept" list, and approved medically necessary travel expenses get listed on a card you have called "Kvitteringskort for egenandeler" (Receipt-card for deductibles). Once you have spent more than 1,840 NOK ($309.57 USD) of your own money that is eligible to be put on the card, you send in the card in along with all your receipts. If everything is in order, they give you a "Frikort", which is a card you carry around with you that is valid until the end of the year which makes all the rest of your medical expenses for the rest of the year "free", or rather payed by the government via taxes.

Also, if you are pregnant you get the following for "free": 1 appointment with the doctor or jordmor (earth-mother, midwife which extra education in pregnancy and child-birth assistance) every 4 weeks, 1 ultrasound around week 18 of the pregnancy, and any extra care or ultrasounds that the doctor or jordmor deems necessary as a result of any complications. Our child isn't due 'till May, but I have heard stories from many that when the time comes they are reluctant to let you come to the hospital until you are 100% sure that the baby is coming. Then you get a minimum of 3 days at the hospital, longer if the baby is premature or something else complicates things. They are generally much more reluctant to give c-sections than in the States, but this varies slightly compared to where in the country you live. I do not know weather the government pays for abortions.

As for waiting lines for non-emergency care: they definitely exist. I had to wait 6 months for an appointment with a psychologist. This was not an anomaly, it was general policy written in the letter I received after my main doctor sent an appointment request on my behalf. I think they might have expedited it if I was feeling suicidal or something like that though. In a more serious case than mine though, I have a friend whose arm is permanently damaged because of waiting lines to get surgery. He used to be a waiter, but can no longer handle to load of bringing dishes to and from the kitchen.

Despite this, I must still admit that my problem with socialized medicine is much more ideological than practical. The Norwegian system does indeed work better for more people, in a practical sense, than the current U.S. system. However, I believe the U.S. system could be fixed via the use of more free-market principles. Any solution that allows for more personal freedom and responsibility is inherently better than a solution that puts power into the hands of the few.

Here are some things I believe would make the American system much better.

1. Allow the purchase of health insurance across state lines. This would automatically increase competition dramatically. Prices would go down while quality would go up, just like when competition increased in the car market or the computer market etc.
2. Make health insurance companies have to follow the law based on which State their headquarters are in. The State that has the best health care laws would get the most health insurance businesses. Based on that, other states could improve their own health care laws by copying the states which attract the most health insurance companies.
3. Doctors often give extra unnecessary tests for two reasons. The first reason is that they are afraid of getting sued. The second reason is because the health insurance covers it. I have read research that suggests doctors would be less willing to recommend unnecessary tests if they knew that their patient was paying out-of-pocket. Thus, if more people used health savings accounts, the cost of health care would decrease.
4. Make all legitimate health expenses tax-deductible, so people with lots of health problems would have a much lower tax burden.
5. Make the sale of all medical equipment and medicine completely tax-free. This would reduce the cost to hospitals, doctors etc. which would be eventually passed down to patients
6. Generally get rid of as many government programs as possible in order to get rid of as many taxes as possible. With less taxes to pay, the people would have more money to pay for their medical expenses and spend money in other ways that would create jobs for those who do not have them. The more money people have in their own pockets, the more money also they will give to charities which help the uninsured.
7. Either use force to kick out all illegal aliens, or give them all legal status. Their presence here as illegals, unable to by health insurance or demand higher wages, is a financial burden on emergency rooms everywhere.
8. Either end or dramatically change the Federal Reserve in order to prevent these financial bubbles and bursts which cause major economic havoc that in tern causes problems to being able to pay for medical care.

I am sure there in much more we could do to improve our country by reducing government power rather than increasing it. One place that I get much of my inspiration from is the Downsize DC Foundation. To check out some of their views on health care, click here. You can find more information on health care and other topics of interest by reading their blog archive by category or checking out their other campaigns.

I hope that isn't too much and you find it useful.

In Love and Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Siggerud, Ski, Akershus, Norge

twitter.com/mvfipher
fipher.blogspot.com
battleforheaven.blogspot.com

Friday, January 15, 2010

A Message from MoveOn.org on the situation in Haiti

First, here's a link to a place I group I trust from personal experience:

UPF: Water of Life for Haiti

Now, here's MoveOn's message which contains a few other links to other organizations which are helping out in Haiti.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Justin Ruben, MoveOn.org Political Action<moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Date: Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 7:43 PM
Subject: Haiti
To: "Christopher D. Osborn"


Dear MoveOn member,

The news coming out of Haiti is almost too terrible to imagine.

Three million people have been affected by Tuesday's earthquake, and the Red Cross estimates as many as 50,000 may be dead. Survivors are digging through the rubble with their hands in a desperate attempt to rescue those who are trapped.

With water and medical supplies in short supply, and the Haitian government paralyzed, international aid efforts in the next few days will be critical to prevent more human suffering.

These three charities, and many others, are providing care. If you can contribute to help fund their emergency efforts, please do.



Thanks for all you do.

Justin, Adam, Amy, Anna, Annie, Carrie, Christopher, Daniel, Danielle, Eli, Emily, Gail, Ian, Ilya, Ilyse, Joan, Jodeen, Kat, Keauna, Laura, Lenore, Marika, Matt, Matthew, Melanie, Michael, Nita, Peter, Scott, Stephen, Steven, Susannah, Tim, and Wes


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Christopher D. Osborn on January 14, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Just so you know, I've never donated a dime to MoveOn.org and I doubt I ever will. I get their emails chiefly to counteract the political work that they do. However, once in a while they do something I agree with, and this is one of them.

In Love and Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norway

Vote for JOSEPH L. KENNEDY

Below is first a link to Mr. Kennedy's website, and then an unfortunate email I had to send to President Obama.

To write-in Mr. Kennedy on your ballot in the case that he is not already on it for some reason, fill in:

Name: JOSEPH L. KENNEDY
Address: 20 Hyde Park St., Dedham
Party: Liberty

http://joekennedyforsenate.com/

Here's a link to the names and addresses of all 3 candidates for the Massachusetts Senatorial Election taking place this coming Tuesday:
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elespeif/senatorincongressmaelecan.htm

Message to President Obama via WhiteHouse.gov:

My message for you today is an important one. You may not think it's important, but it is.

I just received an email from you via barackobama.com where you said a few words about Tuesdays election for the Massachusetts Senate Seat.

Only you didn't call it that. You called it "Tuesday's special election for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat."

It is NOT and never has been Ted Kennedy's senate seat. That seat belongs to the people of Massachusetts, and no single man or woman, Democrat, Republican or Libertarian!

You calling it Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat represents a fundamental misunderstanding of great proportions, and shows that somewhere inside you care more about your own political party and it's goals than the true will of The People.

Next thing you know, you're going to start calling the White House "my house". Well let me remind you right now that that house belongs to The People too.

You aught to go back to your constitutional studies and humble yourself! I especially recommend checking out the 10th ammendment.

Don't get me wrong - you stand for a lot of good things. However, when you start implying that a government seat belongs to a single person, you are headed way in the wrong direction.

Blessings on you and your family, and may God bless America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts!

I hope he reads it, and I hope his candidate doesn't win.

In Love and Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norway

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Bring John Shadegg's 'Enumerated Powers Act' to a Vote

"The Enumerated Powers Act" would "require Congress to specify the source of authority under the United States Constitution for the enactment of laws."


DC Downsizer Michael Mitchell of Alaska compiled this list from Article I of the U.S. Constitution. These are all the powers that the Congress has.



  1. Borrow money
  2. Regulate commerce among the states
  3. Regulate naturalization
  4. Regulate bankruptcies
  5. Coin money
  6. Fix weights and standards
  7. Punish counterfeiters
  8. Establish post offices
  9. Establish post roads
  10. Record patents
  11. Protect copyrights
  12. Create federal courts
  13. Punish pirates
  14. Declare war
  15. Raise an army
  16. Provide a navy
  17. Call up the militia
  18. Organize the militia
  19. Makes laws for Washington, DC
  20. Make rules for the Army and Navy

And that's it! Mitchell continues, "According to the 10th Amendment, all else is controlled by the states or the people."

To learn more, go to the DownsizeDC campaign here: http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/87

In other news, Ron Paul is supporting Adam Kokesh for Congress. Honestly, he sounds a little nuts, but still inspiring. His wish to run for congress in encouraging, as it shows that dispite all his anger and passion, he still believes a peaceful revolution to be possible. Here's a link to his exploratory committee website: http://www.kokeshforcongress.com/

In Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norge

P.S.:

The Family Plege, point 8:
Our family, the owner of Cheon-Il-Guk, pledges, having entered the Completed Testament Age, to achieve the ideal of God and human beings united in love through absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience, and to perfect the realm of liberation and complete freedom in the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, by centering on true love.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Fwd: Washington D.C. Voting Rights

Hey, I just sent an email to Rep. William D. Delahunt (D-Mass 10th district) about the upcoming vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on H.R. 157 which is described as "To provide for the treatment of the District of Columbia as a Congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, and for other purposes. "

Here is the email I received back from Congress.org confirming the email was sent. Edited for security.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Congress.org
Date: Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Subject: Washington D.C. Voting Rights
To: "Congress.org"


Thank you for using Congress.org Mail System.

Message sent to the following recipients:
Representative Delahunt
Message text follows:

Christopher D. Osborn
[sender address was inserted here]


March 12, 2009

[recipient address was inserted here]


[recipient name was inserted here],

Hi, This is a really simple message, but a very important one.

I understand that the House will soon to discussing giving Washington D.C.
a real representative on Congress with voting rights.

Now, I'm not really from DC, but I was born in a hospital there and I have
friends there. But that's besides the point. I am an American and
believe strongly that every American should have REAL representation in
congress. It is especially against everything America stands for to tax
Washington D.C. residents without giving them proper representation. This
issue is Exactly why this country was formed in the first place! Every
citizen should have a real role to play in the legislature, and if they
don't have voting representation in the legislature then they have no real
ability to pay a role and no real way to get their interests out on the
table.

This is not just a Washington D.C. issue. This is an American issue. I
know that D.C. is mostly full of Democrats like yourself, and honestly I
don't want any more fiscal statists like yourself in congress. However,
what is more important is that the people of Washington D.C. have a voice.
I don't care if they elect a bonafide Communist, as long as they have a
voice, for it is not my right or anyone else to deny them representation
no matter who they chuse to represent themselves.

It is just plain morally reprehensible to tax people without giving them
representation to help decide what taxes should be levied (if any at all),
how much taxes should be, and how such collected tax money should be used.

I really hope you can support bringing liberty and power the people of
Washington D.C.

If you wish to contact me, please send me an email. I am currently
residing in Norway and will not be able to promptly respond to any
reconnaissance sent to my Massachusetts address.

Sincerely,


Christopher D. Osborn
[sender phone number was inserted here]


Christopher D. Osborn sent this message via Congress.org, which uses the
Capwiz·XC system. Congress.org is a free public service of Capitol
Advantage and Knowlegis, LLC. You may access Congress.org here:
http://congress.org

I really hope that this passes. It would be a huge step for Liberty in America.

In Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge

Friday, February 27, 2009

Fwd: The Revolution March!!!

I don't have any money to donate to anyone, but at least I can spread the word that they really need help.  I think a lot of the stuff their radio show talks about is crazy, but a lot is good stuff too and a opposition to the status quo is very important to our society.

In Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Revolution March
Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Subject: The Revolution March!!!



The Revolution March!!!

Link to Revolution March

Restore the Republic Radio Shutting Down Forever

Posted: 25 Feb 2009 06:19 PM PST

Just when we are on the verge of being self-sufficient through lowered server costs and increased support from advertising revenue, radio created by the revolution, for the revolution is about to disappear forever! If you've taken time to listen to Ron Paul Radio, Revolution Broadcasting, or RTR Radio over the past 18 months, you know how important this project is.

Maybe we are just another victim of the NWO planned financial collapse. Maybe every member of the revolution really has already had their wealth stolen from them by the government in collusion with the bankers. If that is true, we are about to lose our ability to tell anyone about it.

These days we are finding that even when we ask, we are unable to even raise the amount of funding in a whole month that we used to raise in a single DAY without even asking! And guess what? Our host lineup, content, and news department are stronger and more organized than ever.

When we brought you the full days coverage of the Revolution March, we raised $2500 in a single day. When we brought you the chuck-a-thon for Chuck Baldwin, we raised $600. When we brought you the Ron Paul press conference live from the National Press Club, we raised $500. You supported us as well when we brought you 3 presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate. One of the presidential debates could not be heard anywhere else!

Will you help us stay alive? Here's how you can help:

1) Donate: We only need to raise less than $1000 to get through this pinch. Even $5 helps! Please don't hesitate because you don't think you can make a difference.
2) Listen and Participate! Join us in our "Live Chat", and call in to many shows with our guest call-in line at 505-715-6522 . When you listen and participate, advertisers can see that we are having an effect, and they are more likely to decide to use us as a medium to sell their product or service!
3) Get Involved! Remember, we are radio BY THE REVOLUTION, FOR THE REVOLUTION! That means we are you- and you are us! Our weekend schedule has a few more openings for hosts! Our news dept needs writers, reporters, researchers, and audio technicians. If you are interesting in getting involved with us, contact Ray Powell via skype instant messaging at "rayzer42" or email ray(at)raymondpowell.com.
4) Support our advertisers! Take their messages seriously and let them know where you heard their ad!

Maybe, with your help, RTR Radio can get through this last crunch and finally become self-sufficient...

http://www.RTRRadio.com

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Keynesian Economics


This is a video on Keynesian Economics I wanted to share with you. The speaker is Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, former employee of the Heritage Foundation, and co-author (with Chris Edwards) of "Global Tax Revolution: The Rise of Tax Competition and the Battle to Defend It"

He's got a funny voice, but I think the video is still a good explanation of President Obama's basic economic strategy, which he in fact shares a lot in common with President George W. Bush.

In Liberty,

Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge