And so it begins... "more of the same;" "same old politics;" "he wants a lobbyist in the job;" "they're all the same."
STOP ALREADY. President Obama has been on the job a little over a week. In that time he has sent an envoy to the Middle East to start negotiations with Israel and Palestine. He has sent a stimulus package to capital hill and visited Republican leadership personally to attempt to work with them. And he has shunned publicity for substance.
Less than a month on the job, and because nothing monumental has happened, it's the same old politics all over again? No, it's not. It IS far too many Republicans continuing to play the partisan game, refusing mediation, conciliation, and eschewing concessions. It is rather like a patient refusing to take the proffered medication, refusing diagnostic tests, refusing treatment, and then on her death bed pronouncing, "I told you doctors were ineffective quacks."
This nay-saying is even deeper, however. I continue to protest that Americans can and should make a difference even if government doesn't. We are discussing voting against our bank by transferring to a credit union. We are doing the research, to find a financial institution that is secure, where our money will be safe and earn us some money, with people who have not made million dollar mortgage loans to housekeepers and unemployed idiots. In other words, we plan to reward fiscal responsibility by entrusting them with our money.
We are about to sell our car and become primary users of public transportation. We live two blocks from a quality hospital, have a wonderful grocery story that does group deliveries, can take the Maxx train to the farmers' markets and to downtown Portland. The savings on our pocket book and to the environment loom large.
We donate, we work, we give. That is how we live. We do not consume voraciously (food may be an exception there), and wear sturdy quality clothing that lasts. We do not have more clothes than we will ever wear in this lifetime, and we support our local public library. It is amazing how much you save by checking out a book, rather than purchasing it. Does that mean fewer bookstore employees, fewer proof readers and publishers? Nah, I don't think so.
Conservation, fiscal conservatism, social concern and action, personal responsibility: these have all been sadly lacking on all levels of our society. It is the ultimate in hypocrisy if we all continue to live fiscally profligate lives while in the same breath condemning the government for conducting business as usual.
Change, as Mr. Obama reminded us over and over again during the election, starts from the bottom up.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Overworked Words
I like the word "change". It has so many meanings -- spare change; change of clothes; change your mind; change directions. Most of the different meanings of change are quite subtle. I'm not sure where the term "change" meaning coins or the money given back when making a purchase came from. I suspect it is a shortening of exchange, but I'm not sure. At any rate, change is one of those words that has movement, that implies motion in various directions, and alteration of our environment.
President Obama has made change nearly synonymous with his administration. And I am afraid the media are endangering a perfectly wonderful word. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting more than a bit bored with the variations of CHANGE that I am seeing everywhere. Of course, flagging businesses are picking up on it, as are boring tv shows, sports announcers, and every other idiot who gets five minutes of air time. And then we get "real" change versus what? What is the opposite of "real" change? If something is altered but doesn't suit our particular paradigm do we render it false or unreal, or "not change"?
There hasn't been much change yet, at least nothing hugely apparent, though the resumption of stem cell research and the removal of that idiotic no aid for abortion providers ban. Those were huge, but overall things seem to be going along the same as usual. Big change is slow, and builds momentum. GOOD big change takes time and careful choices, and equally careful implementation.
I was stunned to read yesterday that Limbaugh has stated "I hope he fails." I shouldn't be surprised at anything that blowhard says, but even my most staunchly conservative friends should be up in arms at that one. Because wishing the President fails is wishing that the country fails. Like it or not, the President leads not just the armed forces, he leads the country. If Mr. Obama fails, then the likes of Limbaugh will be wagging their fingers and yelling I told you so while standing on the rubble of our country and perhaps our very democracy.
I believe we are at that big a crisis point. The economy looms large over everything, but the big challenge is not whether we fix the economy. It is how we weather this as a people. We survived the Great Depression because we held together as a country. We survived all the calamaties that have faced us as a nation because we held together. Wishing that the President will fail is wishing that all that we have sweat and bled for should fall to naught.
We need to embrace one another, roll up our sleeves, and work to make the nation work. Creating something viable in your own neighborhood is how we do that. If everyone would work together even to save just one business in their neighborhood by shopping there, eating there, or whatever it takes to save it, that will enhance your neighborhood. It will mean several more people keep their jobs, keep feeding their families.
For every one of us who has enough to eat out these days, there are three others who don't have enough to eat in. That's a daunting number, but it is one that our food banks and the food stamp providers tell us is real. This financial crisis started years ago, but like a snowball rolling down a hill it has gained momentum and size and suddenly loomed out of the mists and fog and whapped us all, hard. It is time for those of us who have to turn and help those who don't have. It is time to resist buying that extra "thing" you don't need and instead buy some cans of food for the food bank.
It is time to change. Change is many things. It is time to stop acquiring fabric we don't need or use, clothing when our closets are full, more makeup when we still have enough, toys for children who already have more than they can or will play with, and cars that are huge and inefficient and destructive to the environment and the national pocket book.
Time to change our ways.
President Obama has made change nearly synonymous with his administration. And I am afraid the media are endangering a perfectly wonderful word. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting more than a bit bored with the variations of CHANGE that I am seeing everywhere. Of course, flagging businesses are picking up on it, as are boring tv shows, sports announcers, and every other idiot who gets five minutes of air time. And then we get "real" change versus what? What is the opposite of "real" change? If something is altered but doesn't suit our particular paradigm do we render it false or unreal, or "not change"?
There hasn't been much change yet, at least nothing hugely apparent, though the resumption of stem cell research and the removal of that idiotic no aid for abortion providers ban. Those were huge, but overall things seem to be going along the same as usual. Big change is slow, and builds momentum. GOOD big change takes time and careful choices, and equally careful implementation.
I was stunned to read yesterday that Limbaugh has stated "I hope he fails." I shouldn't be surprised at anything that blowhard says, but even my most staunchly conservative friends should be up in arms at that one. Because wishing the President fails is wishing that the country fails. Like it or not, the President leads not just the armed forces, he leads the country. If Mr. Obama fails, then the likes of Limbaugh will be wagging their fingers and yelling I told you so while standing on the rubble of our country and perhaps our very democracy.
I believe we are at that big a crisis point. The economy looms large over everything, but the big challenge is not whether we fix the economy. It is how we weather this as a people. We survived the Great Depression because we held together as a country. We survived all the calamaties that have faced us as a nation because we held together. Wishing that the President will fail is wishing that all that we have sweat and bled for should fall to naught.
We need to embrace one another, roll up our sleeves, and work to make the nation work. Creating something viable in your own neighborhood is how we do that. If everyone would work together even to save just one business in their neighborhood by shopping there, eating there, or whatever it takes to save it, that will enhance your neighborhood. It will mean several more people keep their jobs, keep feeding their families.
For every one of us who has enough to eat out these days, there are three others who don't have enough to eat in. That's a daunting number, but it is one that our food banks and the food stamp providers tell us is real. This financial crisis started years ago, but like a snowball rolling down a hill it has gained momentum and size and suddenly loomed out of the mists and fog and whapped us all, hard. It is time for those of us who have to turn and help those who don't have. It is time to resist buying that extra "thing" you don't need and instead buy some cans of food for the food bank.
It is time to change. Change is many things. It is time to stop acquiring fabric we don't need or use, clothing when our closets are full, more makeup when we still have enough, toys for children who already have more than they can or will play with, and cars that are huge and inefficient and destructive to the environment and the national pocket book.
Time to change our ways.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
A Day of Service
Martin Luther King Day, January 19th, has been declared as a day of National Service. I can think of no better way to honor Dr. King's memory. I went to the site and typed in our zip code, and found some 35 activities going on in my area, starting on the Saturday before. We will be participating in at least two of these projects.
Friday, January 02, 2009
A New Year of Caring
I've been trying to choose an activity to support this year, and I'm running into a brick wall. So many people and events have inspired me: the young man who learned that a $30 stove that saves wood could help in Darfur by allowing women to go gather wood less often, thus avoiding attacks and rapes. The micro-loan projects springing up in several major cities to help people slowly move out of poverty. There are other movements I am sure; I just can't grab hold of anything.
I keep returning to the incredible response I encountered when I asked for used but still usable art supplies for a mental health half-way house, and how very much those supplies meant to the people living there. I'm wondering if a similar donation project, but to recreation centers for inner city kids, might have the same impact.
What do you all think? If I were to identify the centers, give their addresses, talk about who goes there and what they do, would you send supplies? Would you have small or large amounts of fabric, fiber, glue, paint, paper, stickers, whatever, to send to kids who might otherwise not have access to creativity?
I keep returning to the incredible response I encountered when I asked for used but still usable art supplies for a mental health half-way house, and how very much those supplies meant to the people living there. I'm wondering if a similar donation project, but to recreation centers for inner city kids, might have the same impact.
What do you all think? If I were to identify the centers, give their addresses, talk about who goes there and what they do, would you send supplies? Would you have small or large amounts of fabric, fiber, glue, paint, paper, stickers, whatever, to send to kids who might otherwise not have access to creativity?
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