Saving money? Living better?

Is that trip to Walmart really going to help you "Save Money. Live Better?"

I recently had the excitement of shopping for a new car seat for my 1-year-old daughter. I researched the perfect, five-star, parent tested and reviewed, convertible car seat online at Walmart.com, and happily chose one that also happened to be in stock at the Portage Walmart store so I wouldn’t have to wait for shipping as I wanted to use the seat on vacation. Even better, the seat was on sale for $143.98.

I packed up my sweet baby in the old car seat, and drove to Portage (about $5 in gas). I located the car seat in the store, loaded up my cart with a bunch of goodies (another $25), and headed for the check-out. Imagine my surprise when I got to the check-out and paid $169 for the car seat. I took the seat, the Internet ad, and my receipt to customer service, and the employee’s reply to me was, "Oh, we don’t compete against ourselves (Walmart.com)." She went on further to explain that if I had a Shopko or Target ad with the lesser price, she would have been able to match their price. (There’s so many of these stores in Baraboo and Portage, it should be easy. There is a small print pricing disclaimer located at Walmart.com). I called the Baraboo store, and the in-store car seat price is also $169. If shopping in the store increases the price on the car seat by over 17 percent, I can only assume that the price I paid for the "goodies" was also marked up by 17 percent, which would be an additional $4. My total over-payment to Walmart comes to about $29 (not including the additional tax I paid). With the gas, my simple adventure to purchase the car seat cost me $34 more than I wanted to spend.

If I had thought about buying the seat a little sooner, I could have sat on my couch with the laptop, ordered the seat for $143.98, and had it shipped directly to my house for $.97. The "goodies" I bought that day were items I certainly didn’t need, but my donation to Walmart for just walking through and seeing something I thought I needed. From what I’ve heard from friends and relatives, this amount can vary from $5-$100, depending on what they see when they walk through the store. The problem, I didn’t think ahead. So now I’ll return the used, milk-spilled-on, Cheerio-stuck car seat to the store, and get my $169 back.

Then I’ll order the car seat off the Internet for $143.98 + $.97 shipping. I’m not sure how this can be cost-effective for Walmart.com or the local stores, but how else can I be sure I’m "Saving Money and Living Better?"

Shawn Dettmann, Baraboo

Free-market health care is best

On June 22, 2009, a political commentary by Bill Press titled "America in need of health care competition" appeared in the Baraboo News Republic. In this commentary Press defends President Obama’s plans for our health care system. I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Press and to President Obama’s plans.

In his commentary Press states; "In an ideal world, a single-payer system like they have in Europe or Canada would be the best answer."

I strongly disagree with this. In a 2005 decision striking down Port of Quebec’s universal care law, Canadian Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin wrote that it was undisputed that many Canadians waiting for treatment suffer chronic pain and that "patients die while on the waiting list." A single-payer system like Canada has is the wrong answer for our country.

Proponents of government run health care make quotes similar to the one Press makes when he states "almost 50 million Americans today have no health insurance at all." Numbers from the United States Census Bureau reported there were 46.6 million people without health insurance. About 9.5 million were not United States citizens. Another 17 million lived in households with incomes exceeding $50,000 a year and could presumably purchase their own health coverage. Only 30 percent of the non-elderly population who become uninsured in a given year remained uninsured for more than 12 months. Almost 50 percent regained their health coverage within four months.

Press also talks about President Obama’s "public plan option" which consumers could have private health care coverage (purchased on their own, or provided by an employer), or to opt for a new government run plan. Press states that "If required to compete with a public plan, private insurers won’t go out of business."

I refuse to accept this statement by Press that the Democratic establishment in Washington is going to create a government health-care plan that competes on a level playing filed with private insurance. The public option is a strategy to nationalized health care.

Take a look at what they did with the U.S. auto industry. President Obama and the Democrat controlled U.S. congress gave their union allies 55 percent of Chrysler and cheated the retired teachers and police officers who had invested in the company through their retirement plans. Then they gave $50 billion to prop up GM. Ford was left to fend for itself. This is not what I would call a level playing field.

Republican congressman Mike Pence from Indiana said it best, "Government insurance competes with private insurance like an alligator competes with a duck, it consumes it."

President Obama’s proposals to change our health-care system are not the answer. The free-market health-care system is not perfect, but it provides more care to more people than any other system.

Dale A. Finger, Baraboo

Thanks to Doc and Pam Hines

Doc and Hines welcomed approximately 1,000 people to their Oxford farm on July 4th for "Art on the Farm."

The Independence Day celebration featured artists and their creations, entertainment, gardening, wine and cheese tasting and a silent auction benefiting the St. Clare Hospice House Resident Fund.

Pam and Doc worked extremely hard to bring this wonderful event to the community for a second year and Home Health United tremendously appreciates the support provided by the Hines family.

Due to Pam and Doc’s support and the generosity of the many artists at "Art on the Farm," more than $1,500 was raised for the Resident Fund.

Thank you Pam and Doc!

Pam Godfrey, Home Health United, Development  coordinator