I Am So Outta Here

I want to shed a little "lyte" on hiatuses.  Even deities need some downtime, in order to recharge our prodigious batteries.  I am off for a well-deserved vacation and will be back on August 3rd.  If you miss my musings, feel free to peruse my previous postings.  Say that 10 times fast!

I'm Walking On Sunshine

I want to shed some "lyte" today on hidden blessings.  America is in a dark place right now, there is a lot of pessimism about the economy and Obama's actions to alleviate it.  But there is a silver lining to this dark, dark cloud.  The company that makes Crocs is facing bankruptcy.

In the interest of full disclosure, my husband has a pair of Croc flip-flops and says they are the best flip-flops he has ever owned.  But my disgust for Crocs does not extend to the flip-flops; I simply detest the clogs.  

I remember going to visit my sister in Wyoming a couple of years ago and seeing all these garden clogs being worn by seemingly sane people.  Even men were sporting Kool-aid hued garden clogs.  When a daughter of one of my sister's friends showed up at her house wearing a pair, I asked why everyone in Cheyenne was wearing garden clogs.  "They're not garden clogs, they're Crocs!" my sister admonished.  "Well, you can buy them in the gardening center at Target, they're gardening clogs."

Frankly, call them what you want, they are ugly.  Practical, comfortable, and sanitary, but butt ugly.  The only people besides gardeners that should be wearing them are nurses and chefs.  But the rest of us need to wear real shoes for grown ups.

Because they are in addition to being ugly, also indestructible, the company that makes them is now facing bankruptcy.  You just don't need more than one pair, and doesn't lime green go with everything?  Analyst compare the rise and fall of Crocs to the boom and bust of our economy.  Whatever.  I am just happy that they jumped the shark.  Now, can we bring back jelly shoes?  Just kidding....

 

You Are Here

I am shedding some "lyte" today on weapons.  The House Minority Leader, John Boehner, has rolled out the latest salvo in the battle over healthcare reform.  Are you sitting down?  It is....a chart.

You can see only a part of it above.  But you can go to Time magazine's web site to be able to enlarge it and bask in its colorful glory.  Jon Cohn also offers an alternative chart that shows the current system.  They are both confusing, but the colors and graphics used by Boehner seem calculated to overwhelm and scare the average person.  I mean consumer.

We are identified as consumers on Boehner's chart.  This bugs me.  News flash, spray-tan boy, we are citizens, not consumers.  That label is very telling.  It illustrates what I have been harping about; that the current for-profit medical management system views us as potential profit centers, not people.

And while Boehner has rolled out a chart of the Democratic plan, we have yet to see or hear of a viable Republican alternative.  Why do these guys spend so much time on chatter and so little time on substance?  Our current system only gives access to top notch care to those lucky enough to afford it.  I bet if we took all the members of Congress off the government plan, and forced them to qualify for and pay for private insurance, we would see meaningful healthcare reform in record time.  With the vaunted bipartisan support.  

In the meantime, we are fed this drivel.  But it makes nice wallpaper. 

Oh Canada!

Today I am shedding some "lyte" on accessibility.  A friend of mine recently had some surgery and received a pretty scary diagnosis.  Not "Get your affairs in order" scary, but scary nonetheless.  Now, my friend has already had to declare bankruptcy because of medical bills and lost her home to foreclosure, so this diagnosis could spell total financial ruin, but it won't because she has Medicare and private health insurance.

When we went to start her treatment, the first person we met with was the financial manager.  She took one look at my friend's file and said, "You have nothing to worry about, what your private insurance won't cover, Medicare will."  We had to ask what happens when someone has either a) lousy insurance or b) no coverage.  She said they work out a payment plan.  Yeah, like a "100 year mortgage" payment plan.

The argument against the public option on healthcare is that care will be rationed and "some government bureaucrat" will come between you and your doctor.  But right now, care is rationed according to your ability to pay, and who would you rather have between you and your doctor, a salaried government employee or a private insurance employee who gets a bonus for denying you coverage?

If those arguments don't work, they throw out the "raise your taxes" scare.  Right now, you are already paying out the nose for healthcare.  Whether you call it taxes or insurance premiums, you're paying.  And I would choose to have an affordable public option and higher taxes with everybody covered, versus lower taxes, constantly higher premiums, and 50 million uninsured.

Then you'll hear the horror stories about care in Canada, Britain, and other countries.  Let's take on Canada.  Canadians have virtually the same lifestyle habits as Americans.  They trend overweight and sedentary, so it is a real apples to apples comparison.  Guess what?  Canadians enjoy a longer lifespan and lower infant mortality rates, and that's with their socialized, rationed, healthcare.

And make no mistake, we don't have healthcare in this country.  We have a medical management system.  Because our medical industry is for profit, there is no incentive to help Americans achieve good health, because healthy people don't visit the doctor as often, take a lot of prescribed medicine, or need frequent lab tests.  There is no profit in good health, only in managed poor health, and if you can afford it, you'll get the best there is.  And if you can't?  We'll work out a payment plan.   

The New Normal

I want to shed a little "lyte" on norms today.  The Senate Judiciary Committee is on day two of their questioning of Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court.  Sotomayor has a long, impressive resume, and has been on the bench for over 17 years.  But it seems to me that the Republicans on the committee are ignoring all that, choosing to focus on three little words, "wise Latina woman".

Judge Sotomayor made the mistake of using this play on Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's observation that a wise old man and a wise old woman would probably reach the same decision on a court case.  And the Republicans are going batsh*t crazy over it.

See, Sotomayor understands that judges are human beings.  And the richer, and more varied your life experience is, the deeper and more nuanced your decision making capacity is.  But Republicans hate nuance.  And white old men are so used to being in power, and to having their experience be the norm, they just can't stand the idea that theirs' is not the only worldview.  

First they had their world rocked by the nomination and election of an African American man as President of the United States.  They are not going to sit idly by and let some latin chick onto the Supreme Court.  Especially one who has the audacity to think that her experience is not only the equal of theirs, but actually better.  They are outraged at the thought that Sotomayor is a living example of equality.  Doesn't she understand that an underclass needs to be humble and deferential to the ruling class?

What we are witnessing is the dying gasps of a demographic that is moving from the majority to the minority.  And they are not going to go quietly into that goodnight.   

I F*@king Knew It!

Today I am shedding a little "lyte" on profanity.  A study out of Keele University proves what I knew all along, swearing is therapeutic.  Subjects could tolerate pain for up to 50% longer if they were allowed to drop a few f-bombs.

I am an avowed potty mouth.  I had to slap a governor on me when my kids were born.  It came off when they went to middle school and I heard how those preteens spewing filth as a waited for my little darlings after school.  I figured if they heard it from their peers, it wouldn't damage them to hear it from me.

The only person who was bothered by my reclaimed profanity was my husband.  This is ironic since he works in construction, where profanity and cigarettes are the foundations of everything ever built...ever.  I am not fluent in Egyptian, but I am certain that they were telling their slaves to put the f*@king backs into it and dammit, pull!

So now my profanity has a pay off.  It allows me to tolerate pain better than my saintly peers.  Hell to the yeah!  Life is full and pain.  Good thing I have a f*@cking huge, vulgar vocabulary.  

Secret Agent Man

I want to shed a little "lyte" on secrecy.  Am I the only one not surprised that the Bush administration's spying was a lot more extensive than what they admitted to?  A report out today gives some broad outlines on what was (and is) a massive violation of our civil rights, justified with the old saw, "9/11 changed everything".

The five inspector generals that authored the report call them "unprecedented collection activities".  I call it a stupendous power grab by the executive branch of our government.  All in the name of protecting us.  The report says that too few government officials knew what was going on, never mind having the opportunity to actually approve it.

And the kicker is, we may never know.  Again, using the protective mantle of "national security", a handful of Bushies spied on anyone, anytime, for any reason.  Why doesn't this make me feel safer?  And why don't I trust the current administration to make it go away?

Power, once seized, is rarely given up.  President Obama has show remarkable reluctance to shine any light, or make transparent, the darker side of government.  And Congress, being a reactive body, comes to the party a little late.  Now, they're demanding investigations?  I don't remember Tom DeLay being even the least bit curious.  I hope Nancy Pelosi straps a pair on and gets busy.

But I doubt it.  We Americans seem frighteningly comfortable with Big Brother.  Why are we okay with a government big enough to tap every phone line, and scrutinize every email,  but not with a government big enough to provide healthcare to all its citizens?  Is this the small government the Republicans are so proud of?  Small enough to fit into the earpiece of my Bluetooth?  I hope not.

Days Of The Living Dead

I am shedding some "lyte" on resurrections.  Michael Jackson is now officially dead and we can now go back to our regularly scheduled lives.  News of the pop star's demise dominated the headlines for the last two weeks, but sooner or later, the world moves on.  Rats!

Iranians are still angry.  A group of protesters were fired upon by government forces.  The protesters, numbering around 200 to 300, were commemorating the revolution in 1979.  Isn't it ironic that the government that was put in power by a revolution is so put out when they are the target of revolt?

And apparently, Nancy Pelosi wasn't scamming us when she said that the CIA withheld information from her and other members of Congress.  CIA Director Leon Panetta admitted as much to group of Democratic lawmakers.  A letter was released today.  Of course the Republicans are claiming it is all political cover up.  But I am not surprised that an agency whose sole purpose is to sneak around and pretend, did not come clean to a notoriously leaky Congress.

If Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada thought his little ole affair was going to be forgotten, he's got another thing coming.  The cuckolded husband released Ensign's farewell letter to his paramour to the Las Vegas Sun.  Ouch!  It looks like Ensign may have committed a felony when he paid his mistress a $25,000 severance when the affair ended.  There are also rumors that Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn urged Ensign to pay the couple "millions of dollars" to pay off their home and get out of Dodge, I mean Nevada.  So it looks like there is more to come on this story as well.

Oh, the halcyon days of summer.  I, for one, am happy to welcome back world unrest, political infighting and steamy affairs.  But I bet some wish that the mourning period for Michael's death was unending.  

The Stimulus Part Deux

Today I am shedding "lyte" on economics.  In case you haven't noticed, the economy isn't improving as fast as everyone would like.  Unemployment continues to climb and Americans are not spending money they don't have anymore.

One of the fears about the stimulus package was that it was too small.  Economist Paul Krugman warned that a feeble stimulus would be worse than no stimulus since passing a second bill would be a real uphill climb.  He is one of many that are calling for a second stimulus.

Vice President Joe Biden didn't help matters when he said that the administration had "misread" the economy.  Obama aides were quick to point out that is wasn't a misread, but more of a surprise that the economy and more importantly, unemployment was so bad.  I must admit, I am tired of hearing that particular excuse.  We were surprised by 9/11, we were surprised by the dearth of WMD in Iraq, and now we are surprised that businesses are laying off people in record numbers.  Doesn't anyone entertain worst case scenarios in Washington?

But a bulk of the stimulus spending is in construction.  And those projects take time.  Time to decide what project to do.  Time to submit and select a bid.  The problem is that Americans have no patience.  We like instant gratification.  We wanted this economic disaster over yesterday.  And it won't be over for years.

So what to do?  Is a second stimulus needed?  I am not economic expert.  But I know personally of people who are getting jobs thanks to the stimulus.  I have heard from people who have been able to refinance their mortgages and stay in their homes.  So the programs are starting to work.  But it is hard to see the unemployment numbers climb.  Those numbers  represent fellow citizens and their families.  My family was once one of those numbers.  I know how terrifying it is and how desperate you feel.

But I don't think now is the time for a second stimulus.  Let's get health care passed and Sotomayor confirmed.  It has only been six months.  Six scary, long and frustrating months, but this meltdown didn't happen overnight and the recovery is going to take longer.  Remember, creation is a lengthier process than destruction.  I am thinking of what I tell my kids when they want something and they want it now, "Practice your patience."  I have a hunch we are going to get a lot of practice.

Reeling In The Years

I am shedding a little "lyte" on time today.  My twins are celebrating their 15th birthdays today.  Gasp!  It doesn't seem remotely possible that they have been around that long.  I can remember when they were babies and the days seemed endless.  The quote, "The days are long, but the years are short.", comes to mind.

It has been a slog, raising kids today is not easy.  My husband and I decided that I would stay home with them.  I work, but I have always worked jobs that gave me the flexibility to be around.  And if I wasn't available, my husband was.  So aside from school, my children never spent time in daycare.

Not that there is something wrong with daycares, I worked in one back in the day.  But daycare workers are paid a pittance.  I have always found it ironic that people feel comfortable paying someone $50 an hour to repair their car, but can't pay someone $20 an hour to take care of their children.  I used to work with au pairs, young women and men who come to the US, live with a family, and watch their kids, all for about $5000 a year.  The hardest part was the money.  Parents balked at the price and these parents were not middle class, they were upper middle to just plain upper.  They spent $5000 on vacations, clothes, and manicures, but had a difficult time shelling it out for high quality care for their little darlings.

But back to the twins' birthday.  I can't help but feel proud that they are growing into being interesting, intelligent, responsible human beings.  Trust me, they still have a ways to go, but I am happy to say that they are getting there.  When your kids are small, it all feels like work and you have no idea what the outcomes will be.  

Parenting is an act of faith.  You don't start seeing the results until they get older.  Good or bad, the rest of the world has to live with your results as well.  So there is a tremendous amount of pressure to do a "good enough" job.  Especially for mothers.  We get the credit when they say, "Hi Mom!" to the camera at the Olympics.  But we also get the blame when they are showcased on "America's Most Wanted". 

So I am going to take a break and rest on my laurels today.  For the next 24 hours, I am going to bask in the warmth of a job done well enough.  Now, I got to go, I have a date with the orthodontist.  My kids may be damn near perfect, but their teeth are another story.  

If You Can't Stand The Heat

Today I am shedding some "lyte" on perseverance.  On Friday, Alaskan Governor, Sarah Palin, announced her decision to become the former Governor of Alaska in ten days.  She gave her two week notice.

Now, it is unusual in the least for an elected official to resign out of blue.  Often the catalyst is scandal.  There were rumors that Palin was being investigated by the federal government.  That she might be pregnant.  That another affair was about to be revealed.

But so far, it looks like none of those compelling stories are the reason for her quitting.  She quit because she wanted to.  Nothing more, and nothing less.  In her disjointed press conference, she talked about being a point guard under a full court press.  I don't think she even intended the pun.

I played basketball in high school.  I was a point guard, and never did my coach tell me to just set the ball down and leave the court.  Quitting is not an effective way to defeat a full court press.  And I find it amusing that a person that decided to run for a national office is surprised and dismayed to find themselves and their family being subjected to intense and uncomfortable public scrutiny.  Apparently the 24/7 news cycle doesn't exist in Alaska.

We should be thankful that she wasn't elected vice president.  What if something happened to McCain and she attained the highest office in the land?  And things didn't go her way?  Hey, I know being a lame duck isn't fun.  But she ran for the position.  It wasn't forced upon her at gun point.

I think Palin got a taste of the national spotlight and doesn't care to play politics in the backwaters of Alaska anymore.  It is no fun being governor when your state sees its revenues drop, your legislature hates you, and David Letterman is saying mean things about your family.  She only likes to be a winner.  She doesn't want to have to work, or make hard decisions, or compromise.  She is Sarah Palin, and she is going to do the mavericky thing.  She is going to quit.  She sees a vacancy at the head of the Republican party and she is just the girl to fill it.  You betcha.

So what is next for her?  A book tour, some speaking engagements, maybe a world tour and then a presidential run.  She couldn't stand the heat, so she is going back to her kitchen.  For now.  I am just thankful that she took the news cycle from Michael Jackson for a few hours.    

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough

I want to shed some "lyte" on satiety today.  If you don't recognize the word, satiety means the sensation of being overly full, of having too much.  And I am truly feeling full of Michael Jackson.

I give!  Enough!  I don't care what his will says, or what drugs he was on.  Or that he had a lesion removed from his nose days before his death.  I am not interested in tours of the sad, empty Neverland ranch.  Though I totally understand why it is still on the market, it is one ugly house.

I have heard enough tributes and memories.  I have witnessed plenty of photo montages and video recaps.  The guy was an entertainer, who at one time was innovative and then he morphed into an example of an Extreme Makeover gone very, very wrong.

I figured that there would be a media feeding frenzy over his death.  I never anticipated this much surface depth coverage.  When Anderson Cooper interviewed Bubbles the Chimp, the whole Michael Jackson memorializing officially jumped the shark.

The Associated Press even took President Obama to task for not being sufficiently sad over Michael's death.  They actually said that "people were upset over the President's lack of response."  Jesus wept, unemployment is at 9.5%, and people are worried that our President is not sitting shiva over the King of Pop?  

There is going to be a memorial on Tuesday for Michael at the Staples Center in LA.  In case you haven't noticed, California is broke.  The state paid its bills with IOUs this week.  LA is no different and it struggling to figure out how to cover the costs of security for the event.  How about we all send a dollar to LA with the caveat that after Tuesday, Michael is dead and stays that way.  No more tributes, no more speculation, no more sensation.  Priceless.  

If I Can Make There

Today I am shedding a little "lyte" on lifestyle choices.  A close friend of mine is in town from New York City.  She moved there a couple of years ago to pursue a dream of being a comedy writer and actor.

She was describing the gymnastics she had to go through in order to go for a bicycle ride.  It was pretty funny, her apartment is on the 2nd floor and she was telling us how she would have to unlock the door to her house, wedge that door open, run back upstairs, carefully manipulate her bike through her apartment door and landing, all while trying not to get locked out.  

She also was explaining to us how she has to carefully plan her day.  She has a day job and then attends auditions during her lunch hour, and then goes to classes, rehearsals, or shows after work.  So she has to make sure she brings everything she will need for her various activities, including scripts, makeup,clothing and shoes.  But most importantly, her Metro pass.  

Then she schooled us on how not to get mugged in New York City.  She told us to avoid all construction scaffolding, even it is well-lit.  To never walk down dark, empty streets.  And some streets are to be avoided even in broad daylight.  

All of us focused on different aspects of her day to day life in the Big Apple.  Some were appalled at the thought of living with the likelihood of being robbed (or worse) at any moment.  She told us about falling asleep on the subway and she woke up to some guy reaching for her, his intent unclear.  No one on the subway even glanced her way and she realized that if she hadn't woken up, she could have been robbed, raped, assaulted or all three without anyone even turning off their IPod to lend a hand.

Being a mom, I couldn't help but think about how her already complicated machinations to do the things I take for granted:  shopping, laundry, etc., would be multiplied into nearly super human feats by having a child along.  How could you maneuver a stroller, a toddler, and a grocery cart onto an apartment landing or up a few flights of stairs?

We kept saying, "What about driving?"  Her reply, "Cars are for rich people."  Even cabs are a luxury.  I couldn't imagine moving all my worldly possessions without a car.  How do you get a couch onto the subway?

But she loves her life.  She is chasing her dream and starting to see real results.  She is making it in one of the toughest cities on earth and doing it all on her own.  And you can see it in the confidence and joy she exudes.  I guess that is worth having to lug your dirty underwear several blocks to the laundromat, or having to plan your day with all the detail of a shuttle launch.    

Leaner or Just Meaner?

I want to shed some "lyte" on obesity today.  Despite the economic downturn, it doesn't look like Americans are literally tightening their belts.  We just keep getting fatter.  Obesity did not decline anywhere in America last year.

I am sure you have heard the statistic that 2 out of every 3 Americans are overweight.  This statistic uses your BMI or Body Mass Index.  Some think that using BMI inflates (pun intended) the numbers.  Even so, it is scary that fat is the new black.

I see it at work.  I work at a health food store, and people are always coming in looking for a magic pill.  There isn't one.  There is a magic formula though:  eat less and move more.  But no one wants to hear that.  

The thing is obesity is expensive.  Obese people live just as long as thin people, but they have more health problems.  And we are going to see a tsunami of obese retirees hit Medicare's ranks in the next ten years.  

So which state is the fattest? Mississippi.  The leanest? Colorado.  Southern states dominate the upper rankings.  I guess deep frying everything from okra to Twinkies does have consequences, big ones (pun again intended).

I don't have a clue how to get Americans to end their love affair with fast food washed down with sodas the size of bathtubs.  How to make salads sexy.  But I do know this, we are raising a generation of obese kids the likes the world has never seen.  The long term implications of this will be (once again, pun intended) enormous.