I do not understand why Barak Obama has refused public campaign funds. Here are my issues:
1. Earlier in his campaign, Obama promised, if he became the Democratic nominee, he would use public funds and would encourage/challenge his Republican counterpart to follow suit. Now Obama is going back on this promise. Why?
The two main reasons I can think of are both unflattering.
One reason might be that he did not realize how "broken" the system was when he made the original promise. If this is the reason, it makes him look like a political neophyte. Inexperienced. A babe wandering in the woods versus a savvier more knowledgable opponent who knows the landscape. This reason also opens the door to all the questions about Obama's inexperience. Yes, Chicago local politics is not like Honolulu local politics, but c'mon...it's not like being seasoned on the national and international stage. Obama has not served a full term as a U.S. Senator, and most of that term has been spent campaigning.
The second reason may be that Obama did not realize how much more money he can raise if he refused to take the public funding and once he saw that fundraising power, he opted for what he felt would give him the edge over McCain (co-papa of some of the most significant campaign finance reform legislation of our time, even though much did not pass). If this is the reason, Obama looks opportunistic and willing to compromise his "beliefs."
2. I have listened to Obama's reasoning regarding this issue. If I understand him correctly, he is not taking public funding because it is a "broken" system. Well, this raises more questions for me than answers. Does taking private funding eliminate the corruption? Not necessarily. Big business, conglomerations and the like can contribute heavily to Obama's campaign. Will Obama feel less indebted to them because they gave him money directly rather than through the Democratice Party (aka soft monies and slush funds)? I do not think so. Does Obama think so?
And frankly, the only way he could probably get around that is to promise not to accept more than a politically "nominal" amount from any contributor like Ralph Nader or Jerry Brown have in past elections. I have not heard Obama say anything like that.
Furthermore, is Obama saying that public financing of elections is so irrevocably broken that he cannot function at all within its tenents? How does refusing public monies (and its subsequent restrictions) serve to fix or heal the "broken" system? Public campaign financing was supposed to be the great equalizer. Even the playing field. Why not agree to use only public air time? No "purchasing" tv time for political ads. Obama could have called for that and asked McCain to join him. It would have put McCain in a tough spot, because he has served as the champion for reform in this area. Why not do that? You see what I mean about more questions than answers.
I am confused. Someone who understands, please explain it to me, because I do not get it.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
"Sicko" Inspiration
I saw Michael Moore’s film “Sicko” this past weekend. This film spotlights the state of health care in America with special emphasis on the effect of insurance companies. How many of you love your HMO?
Now, I know Michael Moore has his critics. Notice I said I saw his “film” and not his “documentary.” While Sicko has documentary elements, as a whole I saw it as more of a personal call to arms rather than a Frontline production. Critics say Moore cherry-picked many of the statistics he used. I believe it. They say Moore’s own point of view influences his filmmaking. That’s true. They say his self-aggrandizement gets in the way of the facts. That might be a bit of an overstatement, but there is some legitimacy to that, too.
All the criticism however, does not mean this film is not powerful, heartfelt and sincere. I was not surprised that this film moved me. Frankly, I would have been surprised if it had not. Tragic stories of death and struggle. Of pain and helplessness. Of overcoming all the hurt and loss. Stories of heroic fights against insurance companies and bureaucracies that ended in the death of a loved one. The tears, frustration, anger and resilience of their families. I expected to be moved by all of that. And I was.
What I did not expect was to be inspired. To have my inner self and my core values lit by the burning flame of belief in untainted democracy, the connectedness of humanity and the passion for righteousness.
Moore interviewed some really interesting people. I have a new hero. His name is Tony Benn. He has been involved in British politics for decades and he rocks my socks. The content and meaning alone of what he says is powerful, but when accompanied by his passionate, sincere delivery…well…it just takes his ideas and ideals to a whole other level.
Benn talks about how good leaders are recognized by the people, as in, “Wow, look at the good things this leader has accomplished!” He said great leaders are not recognized by the people, instead the people say, “Wow, look what WE have accomplished!” He goes on to talk about how it is easy to govern a frightened, cynical, demoralized populace and much more difficult to govern an educated, healthy and confident nation.
America has become a frightened, cynical and demoralized nation. We are afraid of terrorists, so we give up our civil liberties. We are afraid of losing our homes and health insurance, so we stay in jobs that leech the life out of us. We are cynical; there is a pervasive feeling that nothing can change our circumstances. No matter what we do or say, we will not make a difference. Just look at how many eligible voters actually vote in our country. Our fear, our cynicism serves to demoralize us.
But Benn has an alternate vision. He sees the power of true democracy. He sees how it equals us, how it connects us and how it behooves us to be a moral people…not in the “my God is better than your God” way; but a society working to protect the voiceless, the disenfranchised and the powerless is a moral issue.
Which segues nicely to another individual interviewed by Moore in Cuba – Che Guevara’s daughter, who is a doctor there. She spoke so eloquently and so genuinely about how each life is precious and worthy. That providing care and offering dignity for each individual is a purpose worth fighting for and worth personal sacrifice.
I am not doing these people justice with my questionable memory and inelegance. And I know this comes across as socialist. But why is that a dirty word in America? The movie points to other areas where we readily accept these “socialist” ideals: police, fire departments, libraries, parks, public school.
When the people making decisions about what tests and treatments we can and cannot have, and what specialists we can and cannot see is a for-profit business subject to shareholders, there is an undeniable, colossal conflict of interest there. It seems rather obvious and straightforward to me.
When over 50% of families declaring bankruptcy do so as a result of injury or disease in there is something wrong. People should not lose their homes and what they spent a lifetime building because they got sick or were hurt in an accident.
Are we going to remain fearful and demoralized and sit here and do nothing, or will we become educated, strong and proactive? Will we storm the castle gates demanding health care for all our citizens? Our government is no longer scared of us…the people. They are scared of not getting contributions from big businesses and conglomerates. We need to once again become the people that cause decision-makers to shake in their little Brooks Brothers suits. We will no longer be manipulated and frightened so we stay quiet and hope no one notices us.
We need to get in touch with those buried revolutionary roots of ours. We need to remember that some ideals are worthy of the fight and sacrifice. We need to have confidence in the power of our voices. Methinks it is time for America to have another revolution.
Viva la revolution!
Now, I know Michael Moore has his critics. Notice I said I saw his “film” and not his “documentary.” While Sicko has documentary elements, as a whole I saw it as more of a personal call to arms rather than a Frontline production. Critics say Moore cherry-picked many of the statistics he used. I believe it. They say Moore’s own point of view influences his filmmaking. That’s true. They say his self-aggrandizement gets in the way of the facts. That might be a bit of an overstatement, but there is some legitimacy to that, too.
All the criticism however, does not mean this film is not powerful, heartfelt and sincere. I was not surprised that this film moved me. Frankly, I would have been surprised if it had not. Tragic stories of death and struggle. Of pain and helplessness. Of overcoming all the hurt and loss. Stories of heroic fights against insurance companies and bureaucracies that ended in the death of a loved one. The tears, frustration, anger and resilience of their families. I expected to be moved by all of that. And I was.
What I did not expect was to be inspired. To have my inner self and my core values lit by the burning flame of belief in untainted democracy, the connectedness of humanity and the passion for righteousness.
Moore interviewed some really interesting people. I have a new hero. His name is Tony Benn. He has been involved in British politics for decades and he rocks my socks. The content and meaning alone of what he says is powerful, but when accompanied by his passionate, sincere delivery…well…it just takes his ideas and ideals to a whole other level.
Benn talks about how good leaders are recognized by the people, as in, “Wow, look at the good things this leader has accomplished!” He said great leaders are not recognized by the people, instead the people say, “Wow, look what WE have accomplished!” He goes on to talk about how it is easy to govern a frightened, cynical, demoralized populace and much more difficult to govern an educated, healthy and confident nation.
America has become a frightened, cynical and demoralized nation. We are afraid of terrorists, so we give up our civil liberties. We are afraid of losing our homes and health insurance, so we stay in jobs that leech the life out of us. We are cynical; there is a pervasive feeling that nothing can change our circumstances. No matter what we do or say, we will not make a difference. Just look at how many eligible voters actually vote in our country. Our fear, our cynicism serves to demoralize us.
But Benn has an alternate vision. He sees the power of true democracy. He sees how it equals us, how it connects us and how it behooves us to be a moral people…not in the “my God is better than your God” way; but a society working to protect the voiceless, the disenfranchised and the powerless is a moral issue.
Which segues nicely to another individual interviewed by Moore in Cuba – Che Guevara’s daughter, who is a doctor there. She spoke so eloquently and so genuinely about how each life is precious and worthy. That providing care and offering dignity for each individual is a purpose worth fighting for and worth personal sacrifice.
I am not doing these people justice with my questionable memory and inelegance. And I know this comes across as socialist. But why is that a dirty word in America? The movie points to other areas where we readily accept these “socialist” ideals: police, fire departments, libraries, parks, public school.
When the people making decisions about what tests and treatments we can and cannot have, and what specialists we can and cannot see is a for-profit business subject to shareholders, there is an undeniable, colossal conflict of interest there. It seems rather obvious and straightforward to me.
When over 50% of families declaring bankruptcy do so as a result of injury or disease in there is something wrong. People should not lose their homes and what they spent a lifetime building because they got sick or were hurt in an accident.
Are we going to remain fearful and demoralized and sit here and do nothing, or will we become educated, strong and proactive? Will we storm the castle gates demanding health care for all our citizens? Our government is no longer scared of us…the people. They are scared of not getting contributions from big businesses and conglomerates. We need to once again become the people that cause decision-makers to shake in their little Brooks Brothers suits. We will no longer be manipulated and frightened so we stay quiet and hope no one notices us.
We need to get in touch with those buried revolutionary roots of ours. We need to remember that some ideals are worthy of the fight and sacrifice. We need to have confidence in the power of our voices. Methinks it is time for America to have another revolution.
Viva la revolution!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Democratic Nominee
Ambivalent. Yup, I think that is how I feel. Ambivalent.
Dictionary.com defines ambivalence as follows:
1. Uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things.
2. Psychology. the coexistence within an individual of positive and negative feelings toward the same person, object, or action, simultaneously drawing him or her in opposite directions.
Barak Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee and Hillary Clinton is out of the race. It's fairly accurate to say that I have positive and negative feelings about this.
I heard Hillary's concession speech and thought it was amazing. She hit all the right notes in throwing her support to Obama and in thanking her supporters by acknowledging the importance of what she (and they) was fighting for...and that it was not for naught. That their sacrifices and efforts on her behalf meant something. She was strong, gracious and nothing like the right wing's media pundits tried to portray her as: a shrieking, nagging wife. She was a viable candidate for President of the United States and they kept saying all American's would hear when she spoke was, "How many times have I asked you to take out the garbage." Bleh.
I know she was not the perfect candidate. She is institution. She is party machine. She began as the First Lady fighting the health insurance companies and ended up being the Senator who took contributions from those same insurance companies. She voted for the war in Iraq; and never publically acknowledged that was a mistake. But she is also savvy, has a vision and seems to genuinely want to provide all Americans with the same benefits and advantages she has had in her lifetime. The same can be said of Barak, too. I also believe he is savvy, has a vision and is genuine in his beliefs.
But his inexperience keeps rearing its head and getting in my face. When one applies for a job, the interviewer uses past experiences and behavior as the best indicator of how the candidate may act in the future. It is all he or she has to go on, since we don't really have Deloreans with flux capacitors. I know Hillary Clinton can handle criticism and legislative wrath. I know she can handle herself with international leaders. I know she can work with both sides of the aisle ( at least to some extent). I do not know these things about Barak Obama. He may very well be able to do them, but then again, maybe not.
Obama's crew has shown it can win campaigns. Does this mean he can be the CEO of the United States of America? I wish campaigning had more to do with one's ability to execute the duties of President. Great campaigners can be lousy leaders and vice versa.
And so I am ambivalent.
Dictionary.com defines ambivalence as follows:
1. Uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things.
2. Psychology. the coexistence within an individual of positive and negative feelings toward the same person, object, or action, simultaneously drawing him or her in opposite directions.
Barak Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee and Hillary Clinton is out of the race. It's fairly accurate to say that I have positive and negative feelings about this.
I heard Hillary's concession speech and thought it was amazing. She hit all the right notes in throwing her support to Obama and in thanking her supporters by acknowledging the importance of what she (and they) was fighting for...and that it was not for naught. That their sacrifices and efforts on her behalf meant something. She was strong, gracious and nothing like the right wing's media pundits tried to portray her as: a shrieking, nagging wife. She was a viable candidate for President of the United States and they kept saying all American's would hear when she spoke was, "How many times have I asked you to take out the garbage." Bleh.
I know she was not the perfect candidate. She is institution. She is party machine. She began as the First Lady fighting the health insurance companies and ended up being the Senator who took contributions from those same insurance companies. She voted for the war in Iraq; and never publically acknowledged that was a mistake. But she is also savvy, has a vision and seems to genuinely want to provide all Americans with the same benefits and advantages she has had in her lifetime. The same can be said of Barak, too. I also believe he is savvy, has a vision and is genuine in his beliefs.
But his inexperience keeps rearing its head and getting in my face. When one applies for a job, the interviewer uses past experiences and behavior as the best indicator of how the candidate may act in the future. It is all he or she has to go on, since we don't really have Deloreans with flux capacitors. I know Hillary Clinton can handle criticism and legislative wrath. I know she can handle herself with international leaders. I know she can work with both sides of the aisle ( at least to some extent). I do not know these things about Barak Obama. He may very well be able to do them, but then again, maybe not.
Obama's crew has shown it can win campaigns. Does this mean he can be the CEO of the United States of America? I wish campaigning had more to do with one's ability to execute the duties of President. Great campaigners can be lousy leaders and vice versa.
And so I am ambivalent.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Smoke Gets in My Eyes
The other day I decided to make this yummy chicken dish with whole garlic cloves, lemon, rosemary, etc. I added hassleback potatoes, putting a sliver of garlic between every other cut in the potato. For this dish, you slow bake the chicken for 2 hours at a low temperature, then turn up the oven to 400 degrees for the last 45 minutes so everything gets some nice color.
As the chicken is slow baking in my oven, I start to smell those delicious baking chicken and garlic smells. Eventually I start smelling chicken grease smells. Then smoky greasy smells. The chicken fat is melting and overflowing from my obviously too shallow pan and landing on the bottom of my oven. The heat is burning the fat and making smoke. The smoke is coming out of my oven though the sides as well as the little vent in the back.
I start to panic.
You see, I live in an apartment. I live in an apartment that has a smoke detector, which is part of a building-wide system. This system automatically calls the fire department. Also, every apartment has sprinklers.
I do not know what will trigger the sprinklers. Is it smoke for a certain amount of time? Smoke plus a certain degree of heat? Just a certain degree of heat? I also do not know if only my sprinklers will go off, or will all the sprinklers on my floor go off (there are 5 other apartments on my floor and 18 floors in my building). Will the alarm go off and evacuate everyone? Ack!
I turn off the oven even though I have not done the high heat for 30-45 minutes yet. I get a towel and fan somewhat frantically below the smoke detector, trying to avoid a building-wide evacuation. The smoke detector’s red light blinks. Does it always do that or does that mean it’s ready to go off? Why haven’t I been paying better attention so I would know these things?
Eventually, after much pondering, anxiety and towel waving, I sense the smoke beginning to dissipate. The oven is off. All is well. I lower my arms in relief. I take out the chicken. The potatoes are not completely done and the chicken is not nice and brown on top, but it is cooked. I eat one. Yum. Needs a little more salt, but yummy.
My body begins to relax. I have a bright idea. Why don’t I engage the self-cleaning feature of my oven? Then tomorrow I will have a clean oven and can finish baking off my chicken and potatoes and have a satisfying meal.
Looking back, I can only blame the left-over adrenaline/endorphins that must have still been running amok in my system for thinking such idiocy was brilliant.
I turn on the self-cleaner feature of my oven and have the first niggling in the back of my mind that this may not be as brilliant an idea as I think. I should’ve listened to my Spidey-sense. But nooooo. I set the oven to clean and then take a shower. By the time I am out of the shower, smoke is coming out of my oven. Not greasy, chicken-smelling smoke, but dark, acrid, scary smoke.
Duh! When an oven self-cleans, it goes on super-high heat to basically annihilate any crusty left-overs and turn them into ash. Except I don’t have chunks of left-over food, I have chicken fat and olive oil on the bottom of my oven. I see flames. I have created a grease fire in my oven.
Double ack! Triple ack! There are not enough “acks!” in the universe to express my dismay. My trepidation. My intense bout of panic.
I turn off the oven (Thank goodness it turned off. I think some ovens, once the cleaning mechanism is turned on, do not turn off until it is done). I fling open my apartment door and start feverishly fanning beneath my smoke detector with my bath towel.
I start to pray.
The smoke is toxic. Like a tangible entity, it hovers menacingly, burning my eyes so I am tearing. It burns the back of my throat, which has already constricted in my anxiety.
Then I have another item to add to my list of horribles: my bunny!
If these fumes are toxic, which they very well may be, how will it affect my bunny? I run to get a fan and put it on high by his cage, hopefully creating enough airflow to disperse the smoke. I grab another fan and put it in the kitchen. But now I think I’ve somehow made it worse by causing the smoke to swirl around rather than find its way out of my apartment.
I take the fan out of the kitchen and hold it over my head beneath the smoke detector, because my arms are tired of flapping my bath towel around. I wonder if I look like John Cusack’s character in Say Anything when he holds the boom box over his head. Then I think the smoke must be getting to me, because that is asinine.
I pray some more.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the smoke’s tentacles seem to slowly disperse, becoming less black, less gagging, less scary. I am exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I am sweating from all my frenetic exertions and need to take another shower. My whole apartment smells like bad grease fire.
So now I have some new items to add to my list of successful apartment living:
(1) Do not make Cajun-blackened steak (first brush with smoke detector going off, luckily sprinklers didn’t follow suit);
(2) Do not broil kalbi (who knew how much smoke some short ribs would generate?);
(3) Bake chicken in deep pan so fat does not drip onto oven bottom; and
(4) Should #3 occur, under no circumstances should the oven’s self-cleaning mechanism be engaged.
I may not be smart, but at least I’m educable.
As the chicken is slow baking in my oven, I start to smell those delicious baking chicken and garlic smells. Eventually I start smelling chicken grease smells. Then smoky greasy smells. The chicken fat is melting and overflowing from my obviously too shallow pan and landing on the bottom of my oven. The heat is burning the fat and making smoke. The smoke is coming out of my oven though the sides as well as the little vent in the back.
I start to panic.
You see, I live in an apartment. I live in an apartment that has a smoke detector, which is part of a building-wide system. This system automatically calls the fire department. Also, every apartment has sprinklers.
I do not know what will trigger the sprinklers. Is it smoke for a certain amount of time? Smoke plus a certain degree of heat? Just a certain degree of heat? I also do not know if only my sprinklers will go off, or will all the sprinklers on my floor go off (there are 5 other apartments on my floor and 18 floors in my building). Will the alarm go off and evacuate everyone? Ack!
I turn off the oven even though I have not done the high heat for 30-45 minutes yet. I get a towel and fan somewhat frantically below the smoke detector, trying to avoid a building-wide evacuation. The smoke detector’s red light blinks. Does it always do that or does that mean it’s ready to go off? Why haven’t I been paying better attention so I would know these things?
Eventually, after much pondering, anxiety and towel waving, I sense the smoke beginning to dissipate. The oven is off. All is well. I lower my arms in relief. I take out the chicken. The potatoes are not completely done and the chicken is not nice and brown on top, but it is cooked. I eat one. Yum. Needs a little more salt, but yummy.
My body begins to relax. I have a bright idea. Why don’t I engage the self-cleaning feature of my oven? Then tomorrow I will have a clean oven and can finish baking off my chicken and potatoes and have a satisfying meal.
Looking back, I can only blame the left-over adrenaline/endorphins that must have still been running amok in my system for thinking such idiocy was brilliant.
I turn on the self-cleaner feature of my oven and have the first niggling in the back of my mind that this may not be as brilliant an idea as I think. I should’ve listened to my Spidey-sense. But nooooo. I set the oven to clean and then take a shower. By the time I am out of the shower, smoke is coming out of my oven. Not greasy, chicken-smelling smoke, but dark, acrid, scary smoke.
Duh! When an oven self-cleans, it goes on super-high heat to basically annihilate any crusty left-overs and turn them into ash. Except I don’t have chunks of left-over food, I have chicken fat and olive oil on the bottom of my oven. I see flames. I have created a grease fire in my oven.
Double ack! Triple ack! There are not enough “acks!” in the universe to express my dismay. My trepidation. My intense bout of panic.
I turn off the oven (Thank goodness it turned off. I think some ovens, once the cleaning mechanism is turned on, do not turn off until it is done). I fling open my apartment door and start feverishly fanning beneath my smoke detector with my bath towel.
I start to pray.
The smoke is toxic. Like a tangible entity, it hovers menacingly, burning my eyes so I am tearing. It burns the back of my throat, which has already constricted in my anxiety.
Then I have another item to add to my list of horribles: my bunny!
If these fumes are toxic, which they very well may be, how will it affect my bunny? I run to get a fan and put it on high by his cage, hopefully creating enough airflow to disperse the smoke. I grab another fan and put it in the kitchen. But now I think I’ve somehow made it worse by causing the smoke to swirl around rather than find its way out of my apartment.
I take the fan out of the kitchen and hold it over my head beneath the smoke detector, because my arms are tired of flapping my bath towel around. I wonder if I look like John Cusack’s character in Say Anything when he holds the boom box over his head. Then I think the smoke must be getting to me, because that is asinine.
I pray some more.
Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the smoke’s tentacles seem to slowly disperse, becoming less black, less gagging, less scary. I am exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I am sweating from all my frenetic exertions and need to take another shower. My whole apartment smells like bad grease fire.
So now I have some new items to add to my list of successful apartment living:
(1) Do not make Cajun-blackened steak (first brush with smoke detector going off, luckily sprinklers didn’t follow suit);
(2) Do not broil kalbi (who knew how much smoke some short ribs would generate?);
(3) Bake chicken in deep pan so fat does not drip onto oven bottom; and
(4) Should #3 occur, under no circumstances should the oven’s self-cleaning mechanism be engaged.
I may not be smart, but at least I’m educable.
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