As I get older, I like to keep things simpler. But during the month of March, I found life was getting more and more un-simple.
For St. Patrick’s Day last month, I decided to make some Irish Soda Bread. The recipe called for four cups of all-purpose flour and one and three-quarters cup of buttermilk. So, I went to the local grocery store for what I believed would be a simple purchase. I was suddenly faced with multiple choices of flour. There was whole wheat, cake, pastry, 00, bread, self-rising, unbleached, and all-purpose. I seized the all-purpose flour bag and headed for the dairy section. There I found buttermilk. It came in pints and quarts, but I needed 1¾ cups. I could not recall the conversion of liquids that Mrs. Smith taught me in fourth grade, so I raised my smart watch and asked it to convert pints into cups for me. For your information, one pint equals 2 cups. I made the notation on the recipe for next year.
Speaking of flour bags. Someone should invent a simple way to open a bag of all-purpose flour. The top of this bag must have been sealed with superglue. I pulled with all my strength and when the bag opened, flour suddenly traveled from one end of the kitchen to the other. My red shirt, countertop, and floor were instantly transformed into a scene of wintery white. Surely, if we can invent a watch that can tell time and convert pints into cups, we can invent a simpler way to open a bag of flour.
Whenever I get a letter from my health insurance company, it is not just a simple listing services received. It is always accompanied by a list of foreign languages that occupies an entire sheet of paper- both sides. I suppose it is some government requirement. While the concept of better communication with customers has value, it is also costly. Let’s assume the cost to print and mail the page listing only foreign languages is four cents ($0.04). Let’s also assume that each person insured received four such pages per year. Anthem has 78,000,000 customers in the US. If I do the math correctly, and based upon my assumptions, Anthem spends over $12M per year on that single list of foreign languages. Having the option to communicate in a language other than English is good, but why can’t customers opt out. When you become a customer, indicate your language preference. If you select English, then stop sending that list of foreign languages at every mailing. The savings will not significantly reduce our premiums, but at least it won’t add to the cost of health insurance.
And while I’m on the topic of customer service, I recently called the City’s Retirement Office. No one was available at that time to answer my call, so I left a message. Of course, I was momentarily pisseddisappointed that no one was available at the time of my call. But then I remembered, as a former City employee, sometimes the number of customers needing me exceeded my ability to respond immediately to them. So, by the time I received my call back two days later from Retirement, my mood had changed. The voice from City Hall was both knowledgeable and reassuring. Please remember that those who are still working at City Hall are facing the same (if not more) bureaucracy than we did. They deserve a break.
It seems nothing is simple at City Hall either. City Council passed a Resolution that:
- Expressed sympathy for the human suffering in the Middle East;
- Condemned violence against civilians;
- Affirmed Cincinnati as a welcoming community for members of all religions;
- Supported the right of Palestinians and Israeli civilians to live in safety and peace; and
- Encouraged Cincinnati residents to offer to members of our community affected by the violence and loss of life.
One would anticipate a Resolution that condemns violence would easily pass through Council, but the vote was not unanimous. One Councilmember voted against the Resolution and another abstained from voting.
Council did not propose any similar Resolution related to the other 22 armed conflicts known to be taking place around the globe at this time. So, I took it upon myself to pray for peace everywhere in the world. I hope my prayer will do more good than the Resolution.
Based upon recent court filings, it appears some outstanding issues from the CSA are finally being resolved. It has not been a simple process and there are more issues to be settled. An update is scheduled as part of our General Meeting next month. The date is Saturday May 11. The meeting will start at 10:00 a.m. with a social period one hour prior to the meeting. Join us at the First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati located at 536 Linton Avenue. Parking is located across the street.
Until next month….