Troy Talk

The “First” Among the Amendments

tt144.jpgHave you ever read a news story so laughably inaccurate that you said to yourself, “no one would ever believe this stuff?”  Well, guess what these stories aren’t that laughable anymore. In fact, it’s pretty scary how these stories are becoming more common these days. What’s worse is that they are being intentionally promoted to the public.

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Promoting Innovation in the Fight against Cancer

tt143.jpgI remember the phone call that transformed my life forever. It was in the early spring of 2015 and my father said to me, “I have cancer.” Families all across our country have felt the sting of those three words and the devastation that cancer can cause to our loved ones. I lost my father to this dreaded disease a few months after that call, and it spurred me to become a stronger advocate for using innovation and advances in medical technology to help us detect cancer sooner.

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A Perfect Dream: Human Rights

tt142b.jpgDecember 10 marks the annual celebration to commemorate International Human Rights Day, and its significance and importance should be apparent. Unfortunately, we still need to celebrate it as a reminder of what we have not yet achieved, even though many of us consider it a desired norm.

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The Wrong Prescription for Fixing Health Insurance in New Jersey

tt141.jpgSometimes an idea that seems too good to be true is just that. One of those ideas is being touted by President-Elect Donald Trump and the Republican leadership in Congress as a key component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) “repeal and replace” strategy. The idea is to allow health insurance to be sold across state lines. This regurgitated policy proposal is a popular sound bite, let consumers save money by purchasing health insurance coverage from another state where the policy may be cheaper. However, this proposal, which has been kicked around for well over a decade, is a bad idea.

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Why Love Thanksgiving?

tt140.jpgI don’t know how President Barack Obama or President-elect Trump are going to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I suspect at some point there will be a moment of silence and maybe a bowed head. They have much to be thankful for, as do all of us.

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My Formula for Fun

tt139.jpgEveryone loves to do something. Everyone.  And most of us love to do several things, even if we don’t quite think to place it in some mental category labeled “fun.”

In recent weeks, we have had a firestorm of political activity, and I’m realistic enough to know that each of us has daily, personal trials that we must confront.

It occurred to me that we need a break emotionally, spiritually and even physically, for some. It further dawned on me that the easiest, least expensive way to achieve some fun or relaxation is to learn how to do something that we’ve always thought about but keep in the “I’m going to get to it” category. It might even be some activity that we once did and now has slipped away.

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