January 20th, 2009 For This White Man

The inauguration of President Barack Obama is a historic event without a doubt. It is a major event for this country in terms of its race relations. We are going to hear so much about what this means for African American men and women. We should hear it and continue to discuss it. As a thirty-something, straight, white male with a job and health insurance I can't even fathom what it means to African Americans throughout this country, nor will I try to act as though I do. But that doesn't mean this day means little to me.

This day means a good bit.

I look at this as a tremendously positive moment. I also look at this as a momentous opportunity. For my generation, positive moments that captivate and connect people at this magnitude have been rare if existent at all. The memorable moments for us, the moments that everyone around the country remembers where they were when these moments happened include the Space Shuttle disaster and the terrorist attacks on September 11th. These events either faded away after awhile or divided us even more down the road with the resulting wars in the middle east. We have also had the Rodney King beating leading to riots in L.A. and the O.J. Simpson trial which divided us by race.

I look back throughout our history and notice the negative events and issues past generations have also had to deal with like slavery, Civil War, Great Depression, two World Wars, the Civil Rights struggles and its set backs, segregation, Vietnam War and so on. I noticed great leaders rise from those events like F.D.R, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln. Even controversial leaders played their role like John Brown and Malcolm X. But who has my generation had? Ronald Reagan? Seriously?

While race is an important element to Obama's place in history and position in our country, I am looking to him as a leader of all people like Kennedy, Lincoln, King and the others. I am excited because I really believe he can lead us out of so much that is bad right now. There is no way he can fix everything or fix anything completely. I don't expect him to be a savior. And in the end it is us that will have to make the changes. But we can't and obviously won't without someone to lead us there.

This man can do that.

Whether it is mending the deep wounds that exist between blacks and whites and other groups, guiding us out of economic woes (which again will take US changing our lifestyles and living within or beneath our means for awhile), mending bridges with and earning back the respect of foreign countries, taking back a leadership presence in the world, improving education funding, or becoming more environmentally friendly, this inauguration of this man this day can begin to get us there.

Healthcare

I have a feeling it was "meant to be" that I write this post. I was thinking the other day about writing something in regards to universal healthcare. Then I read my cousin's note on facebook that ignited a rather heated debate with an extremely conservative, priestly colleague of his. My cousin, sister and I joined in this "conversation" regarding universal healthcare or socialized healthcare as this priest in training put it.

My original intention was to write about my observations and thoughts regarding a student of mine who has been out of school for a bit due to her sibling's recent health issue that is identical to what I have been through with my daughter. While I don't want to get into their private matters in a public post like this, I am certain they don't have the same insurance that I am lucky enough to have. But for the sake of discussion, let us just say that there are families in their position who are not insured because we know there are. So here I go in a stream of consciousness style of writing because I have very little substance to share.

How do families liek the one I spoke of above pay for the care they need? I recall being in that very same position in terms of health and all the emotions and thoughts running through my head WITH insurance. No matter how scared I was, I knew my daughter would receive care and I could afford my portion. Despite that I was stressed out and almost in a panic. This poor family. These poor families that must experience that, or worse, and not know where the money is going to come from.

I am speaking from ignorance, but do they even receive the same service? Do they get shortchanged because the doctors and nurses know they can't pay for it? Is this ethical or common? Is this where medicare or medicaid come in?

I realize this post isn't giving answers or opinions as much as asking questions. This is where I am with this right now. I feel horrible for this family and others families like them. Thinking about this makes me think we need to find some way to create viable healthcare for all. But I have no idea where to begin.

There is still part of me that gets frustrated when my tax money meant to help people like these in situations like these gets abused by these people. Or gets abused by the government in charge of passing it out appropriately. So I don't know exactly where I stand. I get tired of standing behind people in line at the corner grocery store across from my school watching them use food stamps ad then using cash to buy 40 ounce malt liquor and cigarettes. Or the food they buy is doughnuts and chips and other junk food. I am not speaking in stereotypes, this is what I see frequently. Am I wrong to judge like this?

Boy oh boy, just looking back on my experience in the healthcare system makes me count my blessings for how lucky I am.

Beginning of the End for US?

My friend comoprozac has kind of beaten me to the punch here. But I wanted to comment on this financial crisis thing. Once again, let me add a disclaimer that I know about as much about this as Sarah Van Palin does, our prospective VP. therefore, forgive my ignorance and feel free to fact check me or clear up any shortcomings.

Let me get this straight. We have a major financial problem. China owns a ton of our debt. The dollar is very weak. Our fellow common citizens are living beyond their means. The price of gas is skyrocketing leading to higher prices all over the place. Banks are failing as a result of the housing problems. The housing problem is comprised of a ton of people going into foreclosure because they can't pay their mortgages (see living beyond our means). I know from my own experience, I was approved for loans WAY higher than I knew I could afford. So I assume other people took the loans for higher than they could afford?

Is this all right?

The fault can be placed on many people's shoulders. The banks should not have allowed so many loans out so easily. The people taking these loans should have understand what they really and truly could afford and not just qualify for. Corporate heads are getting caught being corrupt. Government officials saw this coming and did little if not nothing (appropriate double negative correct?) to avoid or solve it.

How am I doing?

Sigh.

Now what?

The government bails out the banking industry by eventually passing it on to us through more taxes. But wouldn't higher taxes mean less disposable income? Wouldn't our habits to live beyond our means remain? Wouldn't China still own us? Will that really fix oil prices or the strength of the dollar? Could this just be the lesser of two evils?

Personally, I would rather have my tax money go to education, crime fighting, anti-drug campaigns, effective, safe, easily accessible birth control along with birth control education, roads, other infrastructure, afforable healthcare as well as other social service things than the banks. But maybe I don't see the ramifications here. I am confident my ignorance is blinding me here.

Like my friend comoprozac mentioned in his blog "Living in Misery," I too received a chain email about how the money used for the bailout should just go straight out to the common citizens. It went on to list all the positive outcomes of doing this as did comoprozac. For instance, we could use it to pay off these debts of ours. wouldn't that help the banks? Also, it could be used to make home improvements creating more money into the economy. Isn't that good?

I don't know. But this all scares me. It is more evidence of our impending doom. We are either going to fall apart as a country or be hit by the apocalypse in 2012 from this polar shift. The bees are disappearing and according to Walt Whitman, we got 7 years or whatever he said before we will be gone.

I'd prefer our country just quietly sink a bit out of superpower status and let someone else fix the world's problems while we leave everyone else alone and build up our borders. Isolationism I say.....sarcasm my friend. sarcasm. I wish we could.