NPR.org - Medicares Math Problem: Taxes - Benefits = Trouble

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Medicare and you.

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In Defense of Obama

This whole Birther issue is a BIG distraction while the elephant in the room is being ignored. Has President Obama been the best president ever? Certainly not. Has he made concessions and compromises? Yes. Many of us wish he would have stuck to his guns on many an issue. The issue here is that the wise leader is consultative, deliberative and even-handed. Obama has been all of these things. And with Republicans saying "no" at every turn, its hard to get things done as fast as folks would like. Like him or don't like him, we all have to admit that he is President during a very difficult time and no decision he has made or will make will please everybody. That's what living in a democracy is all about: people expressing their differing views with the majority winning out. But that only works when we stay on target and focus on the issues at hand.  But when leaders in Congress cloud budget debates with anti-abortion rhetoric and official statements that weren't meant to be 'factual', how can the work of the people be done? Let's not let facts get in the way of the truth.

Now, even though many liberals and conservatives don't like the the recent budget deal (I know I don't), I think it is the best deal for the country at this time. The reason I say that is the same reason people don't like the deal: that is, compromises were made. In a democracy (especially one this size), compromises must be made. That's how things get done; we all give a little so that business can move forward.  Ask yourself: how much time was wasted with birth certificate and abortion issues that could have ben spent dealing with the budget and the nation's debt ceiling? Why didn't those so-called leaders calling for government shut-down also vote in favor of stopping their own checks if the government shut down?

When Bush was in charge it was almost treasonous to question him. Only a brave few questioned him when he told us going into Iraq was the right thing to do. And they were quickly silenced and branded as unpatriotic.  I actually had a college classmate say that to me. Me?!! I gave this country 9 years of my life in the Army (all without being a Citizen) and some clown questions my patriotism?  I, along with many others, served unquestionably and my honor is doubted? Patriotism is not about blind compliance, it's about reasoned thought. Now it has become common place to say the most insulting things about our leader.  Never mind that the "real" reasons for the invasion of Iraq are still unclear. Never mind that a significant reason for the large deficit is the fact that the true cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were kept off the budget, hidden under Bush-Cheney. Never mind that a federal government shut-down was instigated by people who say they love America, but who clearly can't stand Americans.

That brings to mind a quote from one of my favorite movies, The American President with Michael Douglas. I have included it here and replaced some of the movie-specific references and inserted references to the current debates:

"...America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight.      It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". [...The] problem isn't that [Obama's opponents don't] get it. [Their] problem is that [they] can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, [certain people are] not the least bit interested in solving it. [They are] interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character. And wave an old photo of the President [...] and you scream about patriotism and you tell them, [he's] to blame for their lot in life [...]"


------transcribed from The American President 1995


President Obama didn't cause the problems we are facing...he is trying to fix them. Why don't we help him?

A Boy and His Daddy

This past week I went to Barbados on vacation. I went expecting to spend a lot of time on the beach and to support my father in his quest to reconnect with his long lost uncle. His uncle Vernon left Guyana when my father was 2 years old; so my father never knew him.  I went on vacation and I got so much more.

I don’t really know much about my father’s side of the family; and I guess I didn’t really know much about my father by extension. My father has always been a mystery to me. He was an immovable force that, until now, has been a tough nut to crack. I was deeply honored that he asked me to join him in Barbados to re-connect with his uncle.  To hear him tell it, he has been meaning to visit his uncle and connect with him since he came to America 20 years ago. It was one of those things that he was “planning” to do, but never got around to it. I don’t know what made him decide to do it this year, but I am glad he did.  I am glad because I saw my father differently on this trip. I also glad because I know he would have been truly hurt if Uncle Vernon died before he met him, knowing he had all this time to do so.

On the day we set out to visit uncle Vernon, I could tell something was different about my father. At the time I didn’t know what it was. There was pep in his step; there was a different air about him. He seemed more relaxed than I have known him to be. Our friend, Jermaine drove us from our lodging to the quiet street in Saint Michael, Barbados. The house stood out in that it had a very tall, not-so-green evergreen and a public phone booth in the front yard (weird combination). As we exited the car and walked up to the house, I didn’t know what to expect. We rapped at the door and young lady who I didn’t know answered and let us in without really knowing who we were. It was as if she recognized that we were family.  The ‘New York” in me was cautious, though.

We entered the home and a shirtless man, named Oral, emerged from a back room holding a baby. The woman that answered the door was his wife, Crystal.  There was a 3 year old boy in is underoos running about and playing; I later learned his name was Caleb.  My father’s uncle came out from the kitchen area looking very much like a man who had spent some time in the Caribbean.  He had on a loud orange, short sleeve buttoned-down shirt and plaid shorts. He was barefooted, of course. The resemblance to my father was uncanny. He had the same hairline as my father and the same shaped forehead.  My father, a man who I have always known to be stern and stone-faced, lit up like a kid on Christmas day. A small tear welled up in my left eye. My father had always seemed to keep his emotions in check and wasn’t known to me to be loose with his affections. But here he was, excited to see a stranger as if he had known him all his life. It warmed my heart to the point of tears.  I was proud to be there for my old man. Those who know me know that have a savior complex.  My daddy needed me, and I was there.

We sat down and talked. Before we came, my father told me that his uncle was in his 80’s and didn’t see or hear well. There was also the implication that Uncle Vernon may have mild Alzheimer’s.  None of that was evident this day. My father and his uncle sat and carried on a conversation about the family bush (our family is a bush not a tree) and long lost relatives. Uncle Vernon’s recollection of past events was spot on and I think that made my father even happier. I think knowing that his uncle remembered the same family and places he knew solidified the kinship my father felt. I almost forgot that my father had these types of feelings.

There were several moments where my father repeated how glad he was that he came and met Vernon; a rare moment indeed. I took many pictures of them conversing, but most of the time I was playing with little Caleb. He likes being upside-down. Some time later I asked my father what his favorite moment was of our little vacation. Not surprisingly, he said his favorite moment was meeting his uncle.  For him, the vacation was over; he did what he set out to do.  I was touched to hear my father describe his feelings about the trip that way. For so long I had thought I had our dynamic figured out. As my parent, he was supposed to be there for me. It never really occurred to me that there could be a time that I could be there for him, to support him in one of his life goals. I tell you, I have never felt closer to my father as I did then. For the first time, he wasn’t just my daddy; he was Gladstone, a man looking for a connection to his family and to his past. In that moment, my father seemed more human to me than I had ever known him. 

Thank you, daddy. Thank you for allowing me to share that moment with you. Thank you for showing me that side of you.  I love you.