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September 13, 2013

Richmond CA Rotary Posted on by

The Flywheel
Archive issue

NEXT MEETING: September 13, 2013

Club Assembly

President Liliane Koziol, in her first Club Assembly of her term, will lead a discussion about the Club’s budget and the programs and projects it includes.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • David Brown gave Dan Tanita a club check for $500 for his school free dental program
  • Dan then told us about The New Generations Rotary exchange program. Under this program a recent dentistry school graduate from St.Petersburg , Russia, Mr Kokchain Ovanes, will visit and learn and stay with Dan for two weeks.  Josh Genser generously offered to have Mr. Ovanes to stay in his home for an additional two weeks. Dan thanked Josh.
  • From the Sunshine Report, we learned Michelle Itagaki is “doing well” after her hip surgery.
  • The Rotary Adventure 2013, District 5160 Conference at the Silver dollar fairgrounds in Chico, CA October 18-20th
  • Connie Tritt, Foundation Chair, reminded us that our club has set a goal for 2013/2014 of 100% EREY(EREY = Every Rotarian Every Year. ) That means that every member of Richmond, CA Rotary Club will each give at least $1.00 (that’s right, just one greenback!)  to the Rotary Foundation.  Last year we hit 71%.
  • Felix Hunziker thanked the club for our increased donation of $2500 for his tree project, where on the city of Richmond’s Arbor Day, October 19th he plans to plant 50 trees, with lots of help, at Lucas Park. Hands up who wants to help with the digging? Felix thought it would be good for membership to have a Rotary manned (or womanned) booth at the park all day.
  • Speaking of membership, Josh Surowitz announced we have two new members at the proposal stage: Jose Rodriguez and Brian Montgomery. He then made an appeal for regular attendance. He was preaching to the converted, though. After all, 50% of our members were absent. That’s not so unusual for a mid-summer meeting, though.
  • Pam Jones is looking for 10 volunteers to serve beer at Golden Gate fields Dollar days on October 20th, between 10-4. If we can find the members, the club will receive $1000.
  • David Brown rejoiced that the club raised nearly $3000 for Peres Elementary School. This gives each teacher $100 for school supplies, and Liliane the pleasure of handing out the checks in person.

MEETING OF September 6, 2013

Welcome

Pam Jones reprised her role as Club president some years ago, and stepped in to preside over today’s meeting. President-elect Stony, who would normally do the honors in the absence of our President, wasn’t  sure he could make it in time but did slip in shortly after the opening bell.

Sid’s thought for the day: “Some people find fault as if there were a reward for it!”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Pate Thompson, a Berkeley Rotarian, thanked the club for their matching grant and food for the Rotacare Clinics.

Recognitions and Happy/Sad Dollars

Hank Covell had Happy Dollars for when he joined the “Y” in 1952. Back then Fred Breen, the Executive Director said, “ Do you know why there are no dinosaurs at 33rd and Macdonald? Because they could not adjust to the change in climate.”

Was Hank’s message that if you can’t adjust to change, you can’t survive! Or simply that he’s happy that he’s not as old as the dinosaurs?

Norm’s Nonsense

More dating ads from a newsletter for a senior community in Florida.

-I am into solitude, long walks, sunrises, the ocean, yoga and meditation. If you are the silent type, let’s get together, take our hearing aids out and enjoy quiet times.

-Active grandmother with original teeth seeking a dedicated flosser to share rare steaks, corn on the cob and caramel candy.

-Male, 1932 model, high mileage, good condition, some hair, many new parts including hip, knee, cornea, valves. Isn’t in running condition, but walks well.

Program

Bringing Single Payer Healthcare to California

Our speaker was Pat Snyder, a health care policy activist. This is Pat’s second visit to Richmond Rotary. She provided an update on the decades-long effort to bring a single payer system to California. This single payer system promises to be truly universal, leaving no one without medical coverage. It is also more equitable and cost-effective than the complex Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

Under a single payer system, everyone pays into a single fund, like most seniors on Medicare do today. Private doctors, clinics and hospitals would then be paid out of that fund.  This system would eliminate the costly burden of billing that providers assume today, and more importantly, it would eliminate the expensive intermediate layer of insurance companies, which place the generation of profit above the provision of health care services.

The lively Q&A zeroed in on the role of government and the limits to what it can efficiently accomplish. Of course, this mirrors the debate about health care nationwide. Who says Richmond Rotary is not a diverse bunch of folks?

Personally. I thought how many more health plans will we need to unravel? It’s enough to make you sick.


Alan Blavins, Rotating Scribe

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