Really, Bill O’Reilly, this is how you conduct an interview with the sitting President of the United States?
And how much do the people that hate you bother you, Bill?
Today’s Running Tip: Improve your form!
Last month’s Runner’s World had an excellent article on full body workouts that help avoid injury and keep you (fair and) balanced! You can check it out here.
Last Saturday, while I was sitting in our monthly Home Owners Association Meeting someone I follow on Twitter (yes, I check Twitter while attending HOA meetings. Don’t judge me!) tweeted that a Congressman had been shot in Arizona. The post came in form of a question as it had only been a rumor at that point.
By the time I came home from our meeting details had emerged and it became increasingly clear that a gunman had attacked Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in front of a neighborhood supermarket in Tucson, had shot her point blank in the head and gunned down several bystanders afterwards.
I have to admit that I would not have known who Gabrielle Giffords is had it not been for Sarah Palin’s now infamous Crosshair map, a map on which she had put a target on Gabrielle Giffords, in addition to 19 other Congress people.
And only three days prior to the attack I listened to and interview with the Congresswoman on NPR while driving home from a doctor’s appointment. She had been talking about the GOP’s plan to repeal the Health Care Reform bill and told her Republican colleague that she had been reelected to serve for third term as a Democrat in a red state, even though she had voted for the Health Care Reform bill last year.
When I heard about what had happened in Tucson it sent chills down my spine. Not only had a member of congress been shot in the head but 19 bystanders had been wounded, 6 fatally, while the gunman unloaded his semiautomatic weapon into the crowd. I feel strongly that every life counts the same but of all the victims that had been fatally wounded none is more heart breaking than the death of 9- year old Christina Taylor Green, a young girl who got interested in politics during President Obama’s campaign and subsequent election. A girl born on September 11, 2001…
In the days since the internet has been swamped with opinions from the left and right as to how this tragedy could have happened and why. Some think that the ever increasingly violent language of certain political and media heads could have motivated the gunman.
Personally I believe that this was the act of a deranged and very troubled young man, a single act of violence in an era where a mentally unstable person can walk into a store and buy a semi automatic weapon and 300 rounds of ammunition without much difficulty. Something is very wrong with this!
I also strongly believe that although Jared Lee Loughner is solely responsible for what he did it does not mean that maps with Crosshairs targeting individuals, language of wanting people armed and dangerous while taking a stand against the Government have any place in a civilized society where we elect officials by a democratic process. This is especially true for public servants!
And as long as we as a nation treat mental illness as a stigma rather than the very real sickness it is we will continue to find ourselves horrified by the outcome of untreated individuals who live in the shadows of society and have the same access to guns and ammunition as they do to socks and shirts.
Last Saturday the unspeakable happened outside a supermarket in beautiful Tucson. 14 people were wounded, 6 were killed and we watched the news with sadness and shock. And then last night there was this:
And once more I was reminded why I am beyond proud that I helped get this man elected! With all the ugliness we witness daily and the sorrow we feel when the unspeakable happens, we have a President that rises above the ever present critics, their often foul and vile language and their outrageous lies, and shows us how to lead with poise, intelligence and compassion. We are indeed lucky!
Meanwhile in Alaska…*
Today’s Running Tip: There will be no running tip today!
* it is too grotesque for words!
”They pick a president, they put him up there and then they set fire to him because he couldn’t solve their problems;
because they’re always looking for somebody to provide for them!”
~ John Lennon (10/9/1940 – 12/8/1980)
After two weeks of TSA and WikiLeaks frenzy our country went into a tailspin yesterday when we found out that President Obama had “cut a deal” with Republicans in Congress on tax cuts and unemployment benefits. Both left and right voiced their opinion loud and clear on blogs and various social media outlets. The far left lost all sense of direction and consciousness as they went on to a verbal lynching of the man they had hung all of their hopes on to be at their beck and call and fulfill each and every one of their demands. The far right, well, it does not really matter what President Obama does or does not do, they are up in arms all the time anyway. As much as I like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, millionaires should be careful about proposing letting tax hikes whack the average person and unemployment benefits run out for the unfortunate millions who have lost their jobs thanks to what I call “America’s Longest Decade”: the disastrous eight years of the Bush Administration (it’s only fitting that on this day 10 years ago, the Florida Supreme Court by a vote of 4-3 ordered a statewide manual recount, a decision the US Supreme Court ended it a day later!). An extra $90 or $100 in a paycheck might not mean much for the likes of Jane Hamscher, apparently a “morally stalwart” progressive, who would probably whine if Obama declared today to be a holiday. And quite frankly I am just getting a little tired of her and her liberal mouth flapping that is no more than a noise machine that helped the outcome of our last mid term election!
What is most astonishing is how many of my fellow citizens do not know the first thing about the political process in this country. And the louder they shout the less they seem to understand that we do not live in a kingdom. Right wing attacks, based mostly on lies and misinformation have been running rampant from the moment Barack Obama announced his candidacy and as sad as it may be, we have come to expect outrageousness from the GOP, the Tea Party and their fans. Let’s face it, the Tea Party only came to exist because of Barack Obama. Take that and run with it any way you want! And as much as I despise Republicans, I have to give it to them, they know how to rally behind their leadership and stay on message. That includes their people in Congress as well as their average supporter. Something the Left could learn a thing or two from as they seem to be unable to govern even when they have the majority in both houses of Congress and the White House. In fact they cannot even defend themselves against the most outrageous of lies the GOP has put forth and that seem to have stuck:
President Obama tripled the deficit.
Reality: Bush’s last budget had a $1.416 trillion deficit. Obama’s first budget reduced that to $1.29 trillion.
President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy.
Reality: Obama cut taxes. 40% of the “stimulus” was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt, which is why it was so much less effective than it could have been.
President Obama bailed out the banks.
Reality: While many people conflate the “stimulus” with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts were requested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. (Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be “non-reviewable by any court or any agency.”) The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.
The stimulus didn’t work.
Reality: The stimulus worked, but was not enough. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs.
Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts.
Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.
Health care reform costs $1 trillion.
Reality: The health care reform reduces government deficits by $138 billion.
Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, is “going broke,” people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc.
Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!). Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.
Government spending takes money out of the economy.
Reality: Government is “We, the People” (although lately I am thinking it has turned into “I, the Person”) and the money it spends is on “We, the People”. Many people do not know that it is government that builds roads, airports, ports, courts, schools and other things that are the soil on which business thrives. Many people also believe that government only spends on “welfare” and “foreign aid” when that is only a small part of the government’s budget.
If tax cuts for the rich create jobs, why did Bush only create 3 million jobs in 8 years?
Since the GOP gave Obama less than 2 years to fix Bush’s mistakes I’ll give them less than two years to create jobs and fix the economy. Come on GOP get to it! Wave your little magic wand like you expected Obama to do and fix everything. The American People are waiting! As for the whiners on the far left, please take a break from your self pitty to look at this nice graphic ThinkProgress put together for us: http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/12/07/comparing-priorities/
And, by the way, whatever happened to the hysteria about the TSA?
Today’s Running Tip: Run to blow off some steam!
Go for a nice long run or an intense interval workout on the track to clear your mind! It’s amazing how a run can put things in perspective!
Go for a nice, long run or a vigorous interval session at the track. It’s amazing how your mind clears and puts things in perspective!
“It’s hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the disaster. We followed the most radical voices in the party, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat. ”
~David Frum (President Bush’s speech writer)
This past weekend was one that goes down in the history books as one to remember. Not only was it David’s birthday (the 23rd one we celebrated together) and we celebrated with friends over German food (yes, I actually slaved over the stove and made Gulasch with Spaetzle, Sauerkraut and Red Cabbage) but something happened on Sunday evening that many believed could never happen in this great nation of ours:
the House of Representatives passed the Health Insurance Reform Bill!
And this morning at approximately 11:30am Eastern Standard Time, President Barack Obama signed it into law!
Now, I understand that many citizens do not want to reform our health “care” system at all and many disagree with this specific piece of legislation. Everyone has the right to their opinion, I only ever ask anyone who disagrees with me to base their arguments on sound facts, not opinion based talking points. And quite honestly, so far I have heard very few arguments that tell me that an overhaul of our flawed health insurance system is not desperately needed. Instead I have heard repeated talking points form right wing pundits and talk show hosts, whose main goal in life is to get their audience riled up and angry to assure high ratings for their program for maximum profitability. Profitability that continues to afford them the best health insurance money can buy you in this country! If you belong to the top 1% of money earners! When Rush Limbaugh (I cannot even believe I am typing his name…) was hospitalized in Hawaii over the Christmas Holiday he so famously stated that “there is nothing wrong with the American health care system. I received no special treatment.” He forgot to mention that Hawaii is one of the few states in the union that has had nearly-universal employer-mandated health insurance since 1974. So, no, he did not get special treatment, even if he earns 33 Million a year and can afford the best health insurance which is unaffordable to most. And therein lies the clincher. Yes, American medicine is superb, no question! For those who can get it! But as Mr. Limbaugh so pointedly stated, even in a place with universal coverage you can still get excellent care and clearly no death panelist paid him a visit!
But enough of this guy, who also wants to make out that it is those who exercise and enjoy sports who drive the cost of health care up in this country…
So despite all the outrageous scare tactics and disturbingly foul language from the right, who I am guessing, bet their farm mansions that they could block health insurance reform with their appalling rhetoric thus diminishing the presidency of Obama (does “Waterloo” ring a bell?), the bill passed. And now the GOP once again finds itself on the wrong side of history. They failed and are now scrambling with even more disturbing rhetoric, fear tactics and lies in order to continue the confusion and to find a way to regain some power. It will be an even bigger circus than the one we have been living with until now. Bring popcorn!
Is this bill perfect? No! Is it a good start? “You bet ya!” Will we now live in a land where we have to address each other as “Comrades”? Of course not! Will the sun still continue to rise in the East every morning and set in the West every night? Of course it will!
To think that making access to affordable health insurance to every citizen of this country is going to throw us all into a tail spin towards socialism, communism and naziism even is absurd at best and highly disturbing at worst! That we now have to live in a country that is run by a Bolshevik Muslim who wants destroy this nation would be laughable if it wasn’t so very troubling that there is a large percentage of population who believe this to be true. Of course if they only took a few moments out of their day to actually look up and try to understand (I know it can be hard, but…) the phrases they so freely throw around, instead of watching the likes of Glenn Beck (wow, typing “Rush Limbaugh” and “Glenn Beck” in one post, my head might explode) all day long, they might actually find out that they would have to choose one over the other. Because unlike what they like to believe “socialism” does not equal “communism” does not equal “naziism”. And I have yet to come across a Bolshevik Muslim, although they might be on to something. So which is it? Maybe we should pass a law while we have momentum. A law that makes it illegal to use words you cannot spell let alone not know the definition of.
These days I often have to remind myself that those who are shouting the loudest and most profane insults are the desperate fringe and that there are many more rational thinking beings amongst us. Fellow citizens who see the value in this health reform bill, as flawed as it is. People who want our Representatives to build upon this legislation and make it better. Heck, there are even countless Americans out there who want universal health care, the same you can find in the rest of civilized societies (“civilized” is key here!). I am one of them!
I had the privilege of growing up in a country that offered universal health care: Germany! And it does so without the public option that has been talked about as a possibility for us here. In fact health care is provided solely through private insurance in the Fatherland. The big difference being that in Germans do not see any value in making profits off of the sick. It would be too tedious to get into all the details of the German health care system but if you want to get a better idea you can read about it here. I brought up Germany as the sole example as it is the system I have first hand experience with although I have relatives in the UK who are quite happy with their health care as well. And my part time neighbors from Canada tend to wait until they get back to their home to get medical attention as they like it much better than they do ours.
What is it like to live under universal health care? Well, let me just state for the record that Germans, British, French, Canadians,… don’t just all die in DMV like waiting rooms. And lets not forget the long life citizens of Mediterranean countries enjoy. I remember all throughout my childhood and young adult life that there was never once a hesitation to go to the doctor when you needed to do so. When you got sick or injured you called up your health care provider, made an appointment and were usually seen within a week, unless it was an emergency in which case you were seen immediately. You could choose any doctor you wanted and also any specialist you wanted or needed to see. He or she treated you and that was the end of the hassle. There was no nerve wrecking anticipation of a bill for out of pocket expenses and deductibles, no Explanation of Benefits to decipher, no countless phone calls to your insurance over declined claims and questionable bills. It was and still is exactly what health care should be like. My dad had triple bypass surgery two years ago. Since he lives in a small town with a small hospital he was flown to a major cardiac center in the nearest city. After successful surgery he was placed in a cardiac rehabilitation facility for five weeks. The total out of pocket expense: 200 Euros (for the rehabilitation facility).
You can imagine my amazement when I first came to this country of how health insurance works here. And back in the early 90s it was not even as bad as it is now. At least you could still get insurance if you were willing to pay! These days it is more a matter of luck and over the past 1 1/2 years I have joined the ranks of the millions of uninsured in this country due to a “pre existing condition”. My condition: a bout of severe bronchitis when I was a kid. Yes, that’s right. Let me explain: in October of 2007 I was in a major car accident when a utility truck driver who happened to be on his cell phone made an illegal left turn into oncoming traffic on a road with a speed limit of 55 mph. “Lucky” for me I was in a big car and escaped with only minor injuries, mostly soft tissue damage to my cervical spine. But since the air bag deployed and gave me a bloody nose the doctor in the Emergency Room wanted to be on the save side did a CT scan of my head, neck and upper chest. Instead of skeletal damage the CT scan showed a 3mm node in my upper right lung. Not overly concerned because of its extremely small size the doctor did not ring alarm bells but since he had found it he suggested I’d get a follow up CT scan in three months. I should have known better, although since one node had already been noted in my medical record it probably would not have made a big difference. At the time of the accident I was still insured through my employer but David, who is self employed, and I were about to move to our house in the desert permanently and I knew I was going to leave Fielding within a few months and have to apply for individual insurance. In preparation for this I went to my primary care physician for a full check up which I passed with flying colors and we started our application process to ensure that we would not lapse coverage. All was well, we thought but then the insurance companies we applied to all threw a wrench into the equation because I had noted that I was receiving Chiropractic care for the cervical strain caused by the car accident. Apparently no insurance will take someone on for a year after Chiropractic care for a cervical strain has ended. So we applied for temporary high risk insurance to hold us over for a year. In the mean time I was due for my follow up CT scan… This time a full chest CT with contrast which revealed 7 pulmonary nodes total, all under 7 mm. And with that my health insurance fate had been sealed. I had switched doctors by then as I had moved and the new internist did another full physical which again came back with excellent results. Since I had no symptoms of pulmonary distress the doctor did not feel that the nodes were any cause for concern but just to be sure he wanted me to have another chest CT in six months. I did have it, paid out of pocket thanks to the high deductible on my temporary catastrophic insurance only to have revealed that all nodes remained stable. And since no new physical symptoms had appeared my doctor felt that this was the end of the follow up and wrote me a nice letter stating that these nodes were completely benign and the result of a childhood infection. But when we applied for regular insurance they wanted no part of me. I was labeled “uninsurable” by all companies I applied to. It did not even matter how much I was able or willing to pay, with seven small stable pulmonary nodes I was never going to get health insurance again in this country. Until today!
So, yes, excuse me while I rejoice!
Today’s Running Tip: Finish strong!
A strong finish is always a great way to finish a race. A few weeks before your race practice running hard towards the end of your training runs. Come race day you will feel confident that you can finish strong thanks to your practice runs!
Destiny is not written for us, but by us! ~ Barack Obama
Let us never forget what we, who helped get this man elected, felt that night one year ago! Some of us might think he is not doing enough, not getting change accomplished fast enough. Our attention span is short, our patience already running out. Never forget the state our great nation was in when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Remember the hopefulness all those who voted for him shared, the tears we shed when the polls on the West Coast closed at 8pm Pacific Standard Time and all news channels called the election for this man. A man of great promise, a man that personifies dignity, calmness, and deep thought. A man who will not be pushed into making rash decisions. A man who might try our patience with his deliberate approach to policies that could potentially change the course of our history. A politician admired near and far. A president that received the Nobel Peace Prize in his first year in office solely for what he symbolizes for us and the rest of the world. Think about it! Don’t forget the promise! The excitement we all felt! The hopefulness we shared! And continue to support this man, a president who has been facing and will continue to face one of the toughest challenges in world history.
We, as a Nation as a whole can and should all be proud of what happened that night one year ago today!!! The majority of us made the right choice!!!
Today’s Running Tip: There will be no running tip today!