I Implore You!

Recently Newsweek did a great article on the truth about the healthcare plan. You can find it here. It does a great job of ironing out the truth/fiction of the proposed law itself, as well as reasons why some of the falsehoods are so strongly believed.

I am not sure which iteration of the plan I prefer - but let me say this: The President's job is not to be our best friend. It is not to be popular. It is not even to be reelected. It is to do what he thinks is best for the country and the people. I believe President Obama is doing that. And without healthcare reform - people will continue to suffer. We need healthcare reform. People are paying too much for healthcare, and being denied services they need to improve their quality of life. We need change. And I trust our President to get it for us.

Mr. President - please don't let us down. Don't let ludicrous rhetoric and idiotic popular opinion polls dissuade you from this most important task. And Congress - same to you! You can do it. This is the time. PLEASE reform healthcare. It is the right thing to do!

We Did It

Barack Obama is the President of the United States. I get chills just typing that. Could it have been a greater day?

We had a viewing party with some close friends today. Ate one of Obama's favorite foods (chili), I made Michelle Obama's shortbread cookies, we drank Hawaiian beer, played Obama Bingo, and toasted with Champagne.

The kids had Obama coloring pages, and we did did Inauguration trivia.

But most importantly - we watched and listened, were inspired and had hope. A great day for our nation.

$5000 - a drop in the bucket for healthcare

Under current law, the health insurance benefits provided by your employer are exempt from taxes. Under Sen. McCain’s health insurance plan, this exemption would be eliminated and instead families would receive a $5000 tax credit to purchase health insurance. This tax credit would NOT go to individuals - but directly to the health insurance provider. Given that the average annual cost of health insurance for a family of four is $12,000 that is still a hefty price tag for consumers. Add to that the fact that many employers are likely to stop offering coverage, and the price on health insurance could skyrocket (since employees generally pay less than individuals because they are purchasing as part of a pool). And if you are old, unhealthy, or have a pre-existing condition – forget about it. The Urban Insitute reports that the McCain plan would make insurance coverage less accessible and affordable for those with high health care needs. Although the plan would increase coverage among the currently uninsured, it would reduce the number already covered by employers, leaving about the same number of people uninsured. Even worse, since the value of the credit doesn’t increase witph time, it is likely the number of uninsured will start to climb dramatically after 5 years.

By comparison, Senator Obama’s plan would provide government subsidies to allow low-income workers to obtain health insurance. The Urban Institute anticipates Obama’s plan would reduce the number of uninsured by 18 million in 2009 and by 34 million in 2018. There are currently 45 million Americans without health insurance, according to the Census Bureau.

Although Obama would not get to "universal coverage" - it would take a step in the right direction.

Tax and Spend

Ok...so there has been a lot of talk about the tax plans of the 2 Presidential candidates. I think this chart says it all! Basically, the more you make the more you benefit from the McCain plan, and the less you make, the more you benefit from the Obama plan.

Now, we (DH and I) make plenty of money. And I certainly would love to pay less in taxes. But seriously - just look at the directions of the taxes in the chart. Does that look right to you?!!?? Should the greatest tax cuts be gong to individuals making over $2.8 million dollars??!!! Honestly? While the middle class sees little to no change? This just says it all to me. I'll get into the healthcare debacle later..but on just taxation alone, I think this chart is very illuminating.

How Can This Be???

I stole this from Minivan Mom. I LOVE it.

America is Scary

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you're a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack, you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* If you name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* If you graduate from Harvard law School, you are unstable.
* If you attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system, while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

Seriously. I read these polls and I cannot believe it. What is going on in this country??!!!

Feminist Bull*&$%

An article in the Washington Post yesterday made me really mad. It talks about the NOW (Natl Org of Women) effort to elect Hillary Clinton. This regional director of NOW said that Hillary isn't winning because of sexism. She said that people are voting for Barack over Hillary because they don't want a woman President. Her quote was "Would they like a white man instead of a black man? Of course. But they'll take a black man over a woman." This just SO pisses me off.

Do I believe there are people who will not vote for a woman President? Absolutely. But please, Obama is black. Racism is, in my opinion, a much bigger problem in this country. I have certainly experienced sexism. My first job on the Hill, I was in an admin job trying to get into a legislative job. The chief of staff, my colleagues, were all trying to help me get one. They all said I'd be great at it. Then there was an opening in our office - I figured I was a shoe in. And they didn't even interview me. I stormed into the COS office fuming. He quietly explained that they all thought I knew - the aged white man who was our boss wouldn't accept legislative advice from a woman. While that was the most blatant experience I had, there have certainly been more. But to suggest that not voting for Hillary is sexist is just nuts. The NOW director even suggests that Barack pulling out Hillary's chair before the debates is somehow sexist. "You can bet that's a calculated move," Wagner said, "and it's absolutely demeaning." Demeaning?? Where I come from its called manners. And very nice ones at that.

Now don't get me wrong - I think there are many legitimate reasons to support Hillary Clinton. But her being a woman is NOT one of them. In the same way, there many legitimate reasons to oppose Hillary. Being a woman is not one of them. I am not supporting Barack Obama because he is a man, just like I am not opposing Hillary because she is a woman.

We all need to vote for the candidate we think we do the best job for the country. I guess this really bothers me because I consider myself a pretty liberal feminist. But this is just crap.

Chesapeake Tuesday

Doesn't really have the ring of Super Tuesday, does it? But nonetheless, we are voting today here in DC, VA, & MD. Last night we got 5 political calls - all from Republicans - 3 Huckabee and 2 McCain. Now my husband is registered independent, but I have been a Democrat since I was 18. The funniest one was the message from a "neighbor" calling to remind me that Huckabee is the only candidate who really supports our Second Amendment Rights. I wish I had been able to speak with her - Lady, I OPPOSE the current interpretation of the 2nd Amendment!! I am HUGELY in favor of gun control - as in, I'd abolish them all. Knowing he is in favor of gun rights certainly wouldn't make me vote for him. I would think that would be an iffy topic for most people in the area where I live. Surprised they would lead off with that.

Ah well. Brought K with me to the polls this morning. I was trying to explain how it is an historic election, where we are voting on either a woman or an African American - neither of whom has ever been President before. She told me she would vote for the girl. I asked her why, and she said that since a girl hadn't been President before, she should be. I said that we'd never had an African American President either and she said but he is a boy, and we already have a boy President.

I wish it were that easy. Before heading to the polls, I was excited to vote for Obama. But hearing her, I felt pangs of regret. On the surface I would love for her to see a woman President(course she didn't even know we never had one before I started this conversation -- and frankly, was torn about telling her then, less she feel there are things she can't do), but for me, it’s just not this woman. I asked if she had any girls in her class that she didn't like. She said no. I asked if she could think of any girls at all that she didn't like, she said no. So, I just told her that Mommy didn't particularly like this girl, and didn't want to vote for her just because she was a girl. She seemed to accept that, but still wanted me to pick the girl.

I have to say there was a part of me that wanted to as well.

Election 2008 -- does what happens now even matter?

So, there have been all these grumblings about the Democratic Presidential hopefuls beating each other up. I have tried not to read much of it, but here is my question. Does it matter? We are still 22 months from election day. While I would like to believe that things like Iraq, the economy, the deficit, etc will still be on the electorate's mind by then, I don't honestly have confidence in that. I would certainly hope that personal attacks and squabbles that occur would be long buried.

At the same time, I do wish they would cut it out. I mean, I know they get asked things like "why are you a better candidate than X?". But just because the media asks you something you don't have to answer it. If GWB has taught us anything it should be that. Ignore the question and say what you want to say. Candidates should answer that question by talking about their good qualities, and should refrain from saying anything about their fellow candidates -- at least of the same party. Because when you later pick that person as your running mate (or they pick you), that clip will run every 10 seconds for the remainder of the campaign.

Grow up people!

BTW....I LOVE this cartoon: