Wisconsin Mortgage Satisfaction: Fill & Download for Free

It really does depend on where you are in the scheme of things. Because Canadian healthcare is centrally planned, what gets covered is determined by bureaucrats, not by the medical community. Which ends up with weird distortions: for example if you have a heart attack, you can get a catheterization in a timely manner. If you have angina it might be weeks to months. If you break your knee you’ll have it repaired the next day. If you have severe arthritis, it might be months to years before the surgery gets done (my Father-in-law in Yellowknife waited more than a year).Working out of my tiny, rural hospital in Wisconsin, I can get you a new knee in less than a week and a cath in a few days if its not an emergency (but IS necessary).OTOH, my brother has just been diagnosed with spinal cancer in Canada-he’s been in hospital, had neck surgery with implants, radiation and chemo. Everything went very quickly and the care has been top notch. And when he finally gets out, he won’t have any co-pays to compound his money problems. OTOOH, he may not be getting the most up to date treatment, as that tends to be available in the US first, mostly due to cost reasons (the provinces don’t necessarily want to pay for the latest and greatest).As to where do doctors have greater satisfaction? I’m happier here in the South. Taxes are enough lower that my kids were able to go to college with no debt (and no, university costs are not appreciably less in Canada), our mortgage is paid off and my wife didn’t have to work full time (all goals that we had when we were married). Our hospital does about 10% charity care, so it’s possible to have your surgery and not end up in debt forever, but it is NOT an ideal system.I would love to see a panel arrive at best practices for funding a universal health care system (much more likely to be the German or Japanese model than the Canadian, sorry) rather than the “making it up” and horse trading that went on with ObamaCare…

Where I Lived and Old Age ain't what it used to beLife in MilwaukeeI grew up in the late 1930s - 1940s in a Milwaukee urban environment; my family being Germans from Prussia (father’s side) and some red dog Irish from Dublin (mother’s side), who had immigrated to Milwaukee in the 1850s, entered into businesses (construction, pharmacy and diamond brokerage), and were as far back as I can remember, traditional Republicans. My adolescence were my immortal days when I was completely reckless, full of adventure, dared to do anything, was very physical, and thought the devil takes the hindmost. I can remember all those days well, so my adventures will make good story telling.Back then, Milwaukee was basically a European culture, with large German / Polish / British populations, a manufacturing center that believed in work, fair play and earned rewards. Milwaukee has always been a music-based town with ethnic festivals on the Lake Michigan waterfront celebrating national heritage. With religious zeal, Milwaukee was also a sports town that had a passionate love affair for the Green Bay Packers and Braves.It was home to parks every few blocks, the Lake Michigan waterfront, trolley cars, viaducts, corner stores and soda fountains, beautiful neighborhoods, an excellent school system, and was world famous for heavy manufacturing, custard, Brewies, Harley Davidson, Liberace, bowling, ethnic festivals, being an international sea port and USA freight train connector, Polka dancing, car racing, State Fairs, and the incomparable world class Milwaukee Zoo.Milwaukee was a working man’s politically and socially liberal city where unions prevailed, bars were on every corner, dance clubs dotted every ethnic neighborhood, and where new performing acts tried out and went on to become nationally famous like Buddy Holly, the Platters, Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley. Milwaukee teenagers in the 1950's conjure images of boys with pompadour hair dos shaped into Duck Tails, Drape pants, Spade shoes, leather Bomber Jackets and girls with pony tails, in bobby socks, poodle skirts and white saddle shoes. And Milwaukee was a ‘dance city’ that emerged a new generation from swing dancing to Lindy and Jitterbug, to Be Bop, to Doo Op, and into the age of Elvis Presley’s rock and roll.Between ice skating at Washington Park, skiing around Milwaukee’s hills and dales, camping at Menomonee Falls and running with the trains, going to Hoyt Park and on the amusement rides and to carnival side shows at the Wisconsin State Fair every year, exploring Milwaukee on my Schwinn bike, life was very entertaining. I bought my first car at 16 and became an auto mechanic to keep it running. Washington High School was great and I had the best time of my life with friends, working at KRAMBO grocery as a cashier, cruising downtown Milwaukee in my 1941 Pontiac Silver Streak, and going on double dates to the Drive in Movie Theater or one of Wisconsin’s lakes.Winters snows in Milwaukee were a constant thing, and would pile up and stay for the entire winter, but it was great for tobogganing sledding and skiing at Washington Park while farmers brought in their horse drawn sleighs to provide transportation for the city folk. Every snow fall left tons of drifts, often more than thirty feet high, especially when the City street snow blowers blew snow onto existing mounds of compacted snow laying about on playgrounds and front yards. We built huge snow forts and connecting tunnels with passageways that led to rooms we used as hiding places. But we never thought about getting a big snow collapse in one of our tunnels that could threaten our lives. Of course, with all the cold weather and snow, winter sports were king in Milwaukee. Skiing, sledding, tobogganing, and ice skating were all our winter play time favorites. And we never minded the cold, they say you get used to it.I received an excellent academic education in Milwaukee’s public schools. First there was Hi Mount Elementary, then Stueben Jr. High, and finally Washington High School, a full college prep oriented school system and at the time, Washington H.S. was ranked the third best high school in the USA (so the Navy told me when I enlisted, it was behind Julliard and the Bronx School of Science in New York City).Oh so young, strong and adventurous! I had ten horses, deep woods camped all over Wisconsin, canoed and portaged many lakes, rode my hot rod and got into motorcycles. My life has been full of getting a great education, working out and keeping fit, reading the classics, becoming expert on WW II Pacific battles in my youth.Life in the NavyIn the Navy I rode a WW II destroyer for three years through countless storm and hurricanes, traveling the western world to more than thirty ports and countries, was the leading Petty Officer for the Fire Control weapons division, marched miles in the desert with a 90-pound pack on my back carrying a Thompson Machine Gun on Recon with the Marines, was a really good street fighter, did Military Police and Shore Patrol all over the western world, survived countless fights and rough seas, traveled the world, and fought the Russians. I lived on the periphery of a war zone fighting the Cold War filled with extensive world travel and lots of Military Police duties and street fights with Communists and Islamists where people were killed or injured.Life in VirginiaBack to civilian life living/working there for seven more years as an IBM engineer at the Naval Base, 3 1/2 yrs Main Frame computer schools in upstate NY and doing extended assignments to Manhattan, Disney World, Cape Canaveral. I had a love vs. hate relationship with Virginia; I became a red neck but hated the segregation and evangelicalism and loved acquiring my huge gun collection and hanging with my good ole boy friends for six yrs hunting in Dismal Swamp and fishing on Chesapeake Bay in my 18 ft Cabin Cruiser.Life in NYCNew York, like so many large cities around the world, has always been a beacon to those yearning for a new life. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor has always welcomed generations of immigrants from distant shores escaping poverty, prejudice and tyranny. But, there is always the feeling, once you’ve made it here - you can make it anywhere. And there is also the experience of a lifetime. It’s New York. Even if you don’t settle down here, and while you live here, you do so on a shoestring budget - you have the experience of living in what many believe to be the greatest city in the world. There are jobs here, there is nightlife here, there is culture here and because of that there is a diversity of people that you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere else. If you want to meet and create with some of the smartest most interesting people, New York is the place to be.I hung out in Greenwich Village, became a Hippie and discovered Red Necks and Hippies have a lot in common - having core beliefs, passion, and living the life. Many people dream of living in NYC because of the feeling of being alive among the smartest, most talented and most ambitious people in the world. NYC offers a conflagration of ideas, perspectives, wits and an unrelenting competitive spirit. It is worth spending time in NYC to understand the true nature of skill and possibility.New York attracts top talent across many industries and professions. Many people move here to train in advertising, medicine, law and the arts. The culture is phenomenal; from museums, theater, and lectures to independent films and expos of every kind. The restaurant and food selections are unlike any other city; the "fair" restaurants are better than most cities. New York welcomes diversity and uniqueness. Most people are accepting and open-minded.NYC is one of the most diverse, competitive, aggressive cities on earth full of successful, motivated, ambitious and influential people from all different sectors, races and languages. Especially if you want to make serious money, wield influence in business and finance, it is unparalleled. I am not saying living in NYC makes them easy to achieve, but simply it lets you rub shoulder with the giants. If you have the networking capability, motivation, and willingness to learn, then you can use them to your advantage.There is always something happening somewhere in New York. Some things constantly changing, others not changing at all but between the myriad of cultures, professions, retail stores, bus stations, train stations, museums, indoor stadiums, restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, and a public park smack in the middle - (and that is just the island borough of Manhattan!) it is an endless cornucopia and kaleidoscope of vibrant living. Countless movies and television shows sell them on life in the big city. Some come in pursuit of a career in the arts, fashion, publishing, or finance. Some come to get rich. Some come to party and to have fun for a few years before marriage or in order to find someone to marry.There is always the feeling, once you’ve made it here - you can make it anywhere. And there is also the experience of a lifetime. It’s New York. Even if you don’t settle down here, and while you live here, you do so on a shoestring budget - you have the experience of living in what many believe to be the greatest city in the world. There is a feeling of living in the center of the universe - the place where everyone else WANTS to be.Life in Upstate NYAfter a 30 yr career in NYC, technology companies were downsizing, and all my terrific accomplishments didn't matter any more, and I took an early retirement at age 55. I moved from the corporate world in Manhattan to the rural world of Route Sales in Upstate New York. I wanted to be “that guy” who retired from his place of employment with a nice farewell party after a life of service, and spent his retirement babysitting his multiple grandchildren in the same house where he raised their parents. I wanted a permanency and sense of belonging!Interestingly, New York City and Upstate New York have always had a symbiotic relationship, as one needs the other for survival and both share multiple personalities. Whereas the City was a conflagration of social ills containing every ethnic type of person and culture, where some kind of opportunity existed for anyone on earth, where anything went and fun was exemplified at every turn, Upstate was the escape point from those big City manifestations, and was the place of relaxation, where camping, mountain climbing, hunting and fishing occurred. We lived in the Hudson Valley foothills of the Catskill Mountains which has acres and acres of dairy cows, farms, etc. I like the fact that its many small towns have bandstands with evening concerts, parades, not the big commercial extravaganza's like in Manhattan, butcher shops, bakeries other than at the supermarket, small mom & pop stores where you are greeted by name . . . The area is full of lakes, rivers and reservoirs available for fishing and hunting. You are close to the mountains and deep woods so you can escape modern life for an afternoon, go fishing or hunting, and be back in the evening at the local diner for food. I could go on and on. From our front yard you can see the Shawungunk Mountains. They are beautiful and I can see living in Upstate New York biggest bonuses, every morning, afternoon, and night the surrounding mountains and waters never look the same. Different light, weather, time of year, it's always beautiful. And it’s nice for being in the 'burbs but still close enough to commute to Manhattan for work and got out for nights on the town.Upstate New York is littered with small cities and towns. And while the jury is still out on whether urban or rural residents are happier, there's a strong case to be made for the mental health benefits of small-town life. City dwellers have a higher risk of anxiety and mood disorders, and children who are brought up in a city are twice as likely to develop schizophrenia later in life. When it comes to living well, Upstaters may be able to teach us a thing or two. When you are living amongst the hustle and bustle of New York City, you are likely paying at least $2000 a month to rent a room in a shared apartment with a living room and kitchen that share the same 100 square‑foot space. There is probably a rat infestation in your building, the view from your bedroom window probably overlooks a dumpster and a brick wall, and your bathroom probably doubles as a closet. When you live Upstate, the mortgage on your 2000 square foot house is less than $1000 a month.Life in GeorgiaI moved south at age 68 and immediately gained more weight, it's peaceful and quiet but just not as physically active here as in the north. I am about 40 pounds overweight based on Manhattan physical standards but considered skinny here in the south where fatness reins. Gods . . . there are a lot of really fat people here. And I have no arthritis, my hair isn't getting wispy and my voice is still strong and not changing. My skin isn't covered in weird little warts and brown shapes. Only a few wrinkles here and there. People say I look like I am in my late 50s or early 60s. Even my two heart bypass operations in my 50s didn't slow me down. I walk regularly at an exercise gymnasium. If you remain engaged and have passions and curiosity about life, nothing much changes. I have taken good care of physical myself and kept my mind in constant learning mode, whether with books or classes or experiences my whole life. So here I am, all that rambunctious and death defying stuff of my youth gone. Most of my friends have passed. As you get older, ones' circle of opportunities to live life and have friends’ ceases. I miss movies that tell a story. I’m not crazy about gore on TV or movies. Most of all, I don't like today's ultra conservative leaning on white nationalism Republican politics and evangelical (southern) religion - too extreme, radical and hateful for me! It's like America is not a nice place anymore! The USA is in shambles today. Trump and his supporters are a disaster. What a hateful bunch! So life goes on . . . Every time you enter a new decade it feels like you’ve gotten so much older. It’s the 9’s of each decade that gives you a whole year to anticipate falling into the next decade. And once you actually have a birthday, it just doesn’t seem as bad as you anticipated.City life vs. Country lifeAs a born-and-raised big city boy, having traveled the worked and USA widely and lived or visited just about everywhere in the USA, I now have adopted a country life in rural Georgia, and I think it is safe to say I have experienced the best (and possibly worst) of both worlds. They are two entirely different ways of life – each with their own advantages and disadvantages. As for me, I like beauty and nature, but also the convenience, diversity and open-minded people of the city who are also spoiling and have become a necessity to my happiness. OK, I admit it the country life has fewer opportunities but think about it it’s much healthier. You know that people who live in the city are like bees. They are precipitous and bustling. Because most people live in cities, they have a lot more social and business activities: shopping malls and restaurants galore, thrift stores, libraries, and concert venues, just to name a few. Space is at a premium, housing is expensive, you need more money than living in the country. But city life is exciting and fun with tons of things to do with a huge variety of people. Obviously, to get the most out of city life, you need to be able to afford it. Meanwhile, life in the country differs greatly from life in the city. Country nights are quiet and the expansive sky bounteous with brilliant stars that seem brighter than those in the city. The clean, evening air is permeated with the sounds of katydids, crickets and birds. It all depends, then, on what your preference is on where you'd be happiest. If you thrive around lots of people, don't like being out in the Sun much, and aren't keen on driving through miles of cornfields just to get to the nearest shopping center, then city living would probably be ideal. But if you have anxiety attacks, consider yourself an outdoorsy person, or enjoy being around animals, your life may be complete in the heart of the country.Old AgeI am making the most of my time on Earth? I’m coming up on 83 and feel, for the most part, like I did at 50 (which I considered the strongest period in my life). I abhor the saying “I’m bored” as there are ALWAYS things to do such as reading , writing, researching and always learning, working in my wood shop and activities that many people hire others to do. Nothing is too mundane for me to find satisfaction in. Any vices should be infrequent and not permanently debilitating. The body WANTS to sustain and regenerate, so listen to it.I feel the cold much more. My temper has mellowed and my patience is more. I don't get riled up easily, except over today's divisive politics. I don't like the socialist leaning Democrats much and left the destructive Republican party and am a social Libertarian now. My sight is slightly worse, but I can still drive safely without glasses, and can read a newspaper without glasses if the light is good. It takes me a bit longer to do serious brainwork. But I see no signs of real mental deterioration. Stuff I write gets published. My stamina has decreased. So far, no chronic aches and pains. Yes, minor injuries take a bit longer to heal, but nothing dramatic. The annoying feature is the need to pee more often: I carry around a rather precise mental map of public toilets or concealed spots when in urban areas.These are the best years of my life. Gone is the stress, competition and uncertainty. I have traded insecurity for wisdom and let me say, it feels wonderful. If you get to the end of your life with no regrets at all, you probably haven't lived that interesting a life. When your traveling days are done, you'll still wish you had taken just one more trip. Even people who had done a lot of globetrotting would wistfully say something like, "But I never got to Japan."My family members, military, work associates and friends keep passing away. Just recently two passed. When friends pass away, it is not just their presence that is lost, it is also the memories they have of you. The "Do you remember when...?" conversations that pepper the elderly reminiscences. Fear of death is actually rare and is commonly a joke. On the other hand, fear of losing one's memories, faculties, or independence is real. We put a great value on having people who we can trust - especially to carry out wishes when we are gone. Making final decisions can be upsetting, particularly if they relate to young people who are distant in age and lifestyle yet close in relationship. One gets comfort from familiarity; the same cup; the same chair; the same view. One can be disturbed by the disruption or criticism of established habits. Having pets is a comfort, but caring for them can be increasingly difficult when joints get stiff, and even bending over is an effort.One of the most important things you can do to stay healthy in your golden years is to maintain your sense of purpose by staying connected to people and things that matter to you. However, this isn't always easy-especially in a society that all-too-often views older people as a burden. Visit your local senior center. Spend time with at least one person-a family member, friend or neighbor-every day. Volunteer in your community, attend a local event, join a club or take up a new hobby.Perhaps in some ways, one wants to leave the world as one entered it; without fear or pain; without anger or distrust; without possessions or debts; without demands or expectations; in innocence.As for me, bottom line, I am highly organized, very adventurous, a big risk taker, considered a "take no shit tough guy" who doesn't worry and has a positive attitude that hangs around with good friends and life styles and avoided situations and people that annoyed me and am in constant learning mode. There is my desire to leave one's mark; graffiti on the wall of time; an apt engraving on a tombstone or small plaque on a park bench, so I wrote books and stories about my life and commentaries on politics and religion.