Many news organizations are biased toward anyone or any policy that supports their own agenda. If they could, they would do all the thinking for you. That's why when I hear/read/see something that tries to influence my opinions, I try to research the subject in question by looking at as many sources as possible to gather as much evidence as possible (it's the scientist in me) and applying gold ol' LSAT logic to the evidence so I can form my own opinion on the matter.

All politicians twist the facts to make them sound like something that supports their side. It's part of the marketing game, whether your selling toilet paper, computers, causes, or political offices. You simply can't trust any of them to tell you the whole truth. They leave bits out, they use words that imply things that aren't true, and they, of course, only stress their accomplishments and rarely acknowledge their mistakes. So whenever I hear something positive or negative from anyone running for office, I look it up myself.

A very good, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with any company, union, lobbyist, etc. is http://www.factcheck.org (they happily point out the mistakes, lies, etc. on all sides). But it should also be noted that FactCheck.org is primarily funded by the Annenberg Foundation, which was established by the publisher Walter Annenberg, a prominent Republican whose widow, Leonore, is a contributor to the McCain campaign. So keep that in mind when you're reading their articles. (Rule #1 in looking for facts in the media is always follow the money. Find out who is funding their paycheck before you believe a word they say.)

Labels: Activism

When I was growing up, whenever somebody used the phrase "make something of yourself," it usually implied "make money." The more money you made, the more of something you were, the more valuable you were as a person.

Lately with the economy in such a state of chaos, I'm surprised by how many people on television are distraught because they won't be able to continue to live in a big house or can't buy designer clothes for their kids. True, we all want to live comfortably, but do we really need to measure our happiness or security based on how much stuff we can afford or how many trips we can take by flying first class?

Honestly, there are only two things that really matter.

The first is what we crave when we are born: Do I feel loved? It's a hunger that we carry with us throughout our entire lives.

The second is what we crave when we die: Have I made others feel loved? In human terms, it's a question of whether or not we've lived a good life, that we've been a good person, somebody who will be remembered fondly.

I admit that the economy has put me at unease, and I sometimes catch myself feeling guilty because I haven't had my name somewhere in the Fortune 1000 list, and it's always a possibility that ends will get harder to meet, but as soon as I ask myself the two important questions of life (Do I feel loved, and have I made others feel loved?), an expansive wave of peace rushes over me, and I remember that dollar signs are not signs of love.

If you want to feel as though you've truly made something of yourself, you need to love others, and you need to show that love openly.

So perhaps that is the question that I need to direct my life, to make something of myself: What can I do to show my love for others today?

Labels: Deep Thoughts and Philosophy

Labels: Activism, Entertaining Myself

First off, I use the word "dependents" to mean anyone who is financially supported by the person in question. If the person in question can't afford health care, how are they supposed to afford it for the people they support?

• Children
  (because kids should not be punished with a lack of of medical coverage because their parents cannot or choose to not provide health care insurance for their kids)
  
  
• Parents of minor children
  (because kids can't survive/thrive without parents, and if their parents are too ill to take care of them, too busy working to pay for health insurance to take care of them, or too dead to take care of them, then kids won't be getting the parenting they need and may even end up in the far-less-than-perfect foster care system or left on their own and end up making bad choices such as joining a gang or getting involved in crime and ended up in the prison system, all of which costs far more than just paying for the parents' health care)
  
  
• Elderly people and their dependents
  (because they are often disabled and unable to work, so they can't afford it, or can no longer keep up at jobs that provide health care for them, and as honored elders who often have high medical bills, they really should get a break)
  
  
• Pregnant women and their dependents
  (the baby inside is a child, and since children should get coverage, the baby by default gets coverage; plus, it's hard for women to work while pregnant, so some women may need to take a leave of absence or quit which would take away their employer paid insurance plan or leave them without enough of an income to pay for their own)
  
  
• Physically Ill, Mentally Ill, and Physically Disabled people with either chronic and acute disorders and their dependents
  (many sick and disabled people often can't work, or can't work steadily, so they can't get insurance from their employer and they can't earn enough to pay for their own insurance)
  
  
• Employed people who don't earn enough income and their dependents
  (because sometimes even though you work 80+ hours per week, you still can't earn enough to pay for health insurance if your employer(s) doesn't provide adequate coverage; people should be employed at least 20 hours per week and income limits should be determined by number of people supported by the worker, location of residence, and cost of living)
  
  
• Anyone who needs emergency care
  (if your sick or injured enough to visit an emergency room, then your health care should be covered under emergency services, just as emergency services covers 911, the police , and the fire department)
  
  

Who's going to pay for it?

Republicans often talk about wasteful spending and how we can't afford to pay for health care, but they have been in the White House for nearly 8 years now, and the wasteful spending they've done during their shopping sprees on no-bid contracts, with companies whose profits benefit the politicians personally, could easily pay for health care programs. I'm not saying that the Democrats haven't wasted money, but the Dems aren't complaining about the cost of health care.

Labels: Activism