|
If you wish to add or publish anything on eKonect, e-mail us at k@krystodrym.com. Thank you.
Health reform 101 at a glance
Health reform has entered a new phase.
Senate and House negotiators must combine their bills into one unified proposal that neither body will have the chance to amend. That means they have to reach politically delicate agreements on the many differences between the two approaches.
Some of the most politically charged debates center around abortion and a proposed government insurance plan, but there are dozens of other disagreements. Here is a look at some of the major policy areas:
How health reform would impact you:
Individual mandate
House: The proposal requires all Americans to have insurance, but has exceptions for American Indians, people facing financial hardship and those with religious objections. The fine for not participating would be a new 2.5 percent tax applied to your adjusted gross income above a certain level. That level is $9,350 for an individual, $18,700 for a family.
Senate: The Senate plan also includes a requirement to buy insurance, and it has the same exceptions as the House, but penalty would differ. It would start as a $95 per person penalty in 2014 and grow to a $750 fine by 2016.
The exchange and federal subsidies
House: The legislation creates a nationwide online marketplace in which small businesses and people buying their own policies can shop for coverage. It would not be available for most Americans, who are covered through their employer. The exchange would offer insurance from private companies and a government-run public option. The government would offer a sliding scale of subsidies to people making up to 400 percent of the poverty level (or $88,200 for a family of four).
Senate: The Senate legislation also creates an exchange and offers the same subsidies to low- and middle-income Americans. But instead of a nationwide exchange, it would call for states to create their own models. States could band together to offer a regional exchange.
The hot-button issues
Public option
House: The government would create a federally regulated plan that would negotiate payments with doctors and hospitals. The House decided against tying it to the cheaper Medicare rates.
Senate: The Senate version drops the public option entirely. Instead it allows private insurers to offer multi-state plans regulated through the government's Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the health program for federal employees.
Abortion
House: This version draws a hard line between any government money and abortion coverage. That means a government-created public option wouldn't pay for elective abortions and anyone receiving a federal subsidy couldn't pick a plan in the exchange that offered abortion coverage.
Senate: A carefully crafted compromise would allow women receiving subsidies to buy a plan that covers abortions, although they would have to send in two checks. One check would exclusively cover the costs of abortion coverage and the other would cover the costs of every other potential medical service. Insurers would have to set up separate bank accounts. The bill allows states to bar this practice.
Undocumented immigrants
House: No federal subsidies would go to undocumented immigrants, but the House version does let them use their own money to buy insurance through the government-regulated exchanges. That would include the public option.
Senate: This version draws a harder line than the House proposal. Undocumented workers would not get a subsidy and would be barred entirely from the insurance exchange.
The bottom line
The cost
House: About $1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Senate: About $871 billion over the next 10 years.
Paying for the plan
House: Leaders in the House plan to cover the cost of reform with a new tax on medical devices and a new 5.4 percent surtax on wealthy Americans (individuals making more than $500,000 or families making more than $1 million a year). They also would raise about $400 billion through Medicare, by reducing projected spending and trimming government subsidies to privately offered Medicare Advantage plans.
Senate: Democrats take a different route, funding reform with a series of taxes and fees, among them are:
A 40 percent tax on so-called Cadillac insurance plans where premiums for an individual top $8,500 in a year and are more than $23,000 per year for a family.
An increase of nine-tenths of 1 percent to 2.35 percent in the Medicare payroll tax for individuals making $200,000 or more and families with incomes at or above $250,000.
A 10 percent tax on indoor tanning. Fees on insurance companies, medical-device makers and drug manufacturers. Like the House bill, the Senate also squeezes future Medicare payments and slices subsidies to Medicare Advantage, raising more than $400 billion.
Net financial impact
House: The plan raises or saves more money than it spends, reducing the deficit by $139 billion over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Senate: This version reduces the deficit by $132 billion over 10 years, according to the CBO.
Compiled by Matt Canham
Analysis: Limbaugh's words keep him from a dream
By JESSE WASHINGTON
Rush Limbaugh getting axed from a group trying to buy an NFL team was bigger than Rush Limbaugh.
The conservative radio provocateur said it himself.
"This is about the future of the United States of America and what kind of country we're going to have," Limbaugh said Wednesday, shortly before his bid to become a limited partner in the St. Louis Rams was terminated.
By that standard, the decision to dump Limbaugh says that in today's America, regardless of wealth or fame, divisive racial rhetoric can place some things out of reach.
"This reflects where we're moving in an ethical nature," said Dan Lebowitz, executive director of the Center for Sports and Society at Northeastern University.
"The league has 78 percent African-American players," Lebowitz said. "Do you bring in someone who has made racist statements to own a team that's largely made up of players the owner has made slurring statements about?"
The decision to exclude Limbaugh was made Wednesday by a group led by Dave Checketts, chairman of the St. Louis Blues, who are trying to keep the Rams in town. It came after concerns were raised by players, their union, civil rights activists, at least one NFL owner and the commissioner of the country's most popular sports league.
All franchise sales must be approved by 24 of the NFL's 32 teams -- an ownership group that is overwhelmingly white, conservative and focused on the bottom line, which could have suffered if fans or advertisers were angered by Limbaugh.
"There's an argument that says the very principles Rush espouses -- the free market -- are what did him in," said the conservative radio host Michael Smerconish. "This IS the free market. These are private businessmen who made a decision about what was in the best business interest of their thriving venture.
"It's definitely ironic. There's a bit of hypocrisy here as well," Smerconish said, citing a study that showed 70 percent of NFL owners' political contributions went to Republicans. "Through their dollars they are very supportive of the sort of politics that Rush talks."
Said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was a loud voice of opposition to Limbaugh's bid: "It's remarkable in that he was denied by other powerful whites. At the end of the day, his own peers said, 'You are a liability.' Even the rich and powerful do not want to be identified with racism."
Limbaugh insists that he is not racist, and that comments such as one from a 2007 transcript on his Web site -- "The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it" -- have been twisted by his liberal critics, and sometimes flat-out fabricated.
Two of the racist quotes recently attributed to Limbaugh, which praised slavery and Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray, may have been falsified and then magnified in the media echo chamber.
The quotes were published in a 2006 book by Jack Huberman, "101 People Who Are Really Screwing America." Asked Thursday for the source of the quotes, Huberman said he had no comment. His publisher, Nation Books, also declined to comment.
But the record shows Limbaugh also was forced to resign from ESPN's Sunday night football broadcast in 2003 after saying of the Eagles' Donovan McNabb: "I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well."
Harry Edwards, a sociologist who studies black athletes and has consulted for several pro teams, said Limbaugh's failed effort to become an NFL owner shows how American society regulates itself.
"The system works," he said. "We are far from what we were 20 years ago or 30 years ago or 40 years ago. We have an African-American family in the White House.
"Does that mean we don't have intense countercurrents of racist sentiments in American society? Absolutely not. But we are moving in the right direction and managing those hot spots and flare-ups such as the Limbaugh bid that America has to manage to continue its momentum."
Pro football has largely overcome its own difficult racial past, which included resegregation of the league from 1934-46 and longtime barriers that kept blacks out of the quarterback and head coaching positions.
"The NFL has been a model for America's democracy and growth," said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was a college quarterback at North Carolina A&T. "The playing field is even, the rules are public, the goals are clear, the referees are fair. That's America at its best."
That history probably played a role in keeping Limbaugh out, said Alexander Wolff, a Sports Illustrated writer and author of a recent article on Kenny Washington, who broke the NFL color barrier in 1946.
"Because it's been such a painful journey for the NFL, and the end of that journey has come so very recently, there's a really heightened consciousness," he said.
"They have come to terms, to a great extent, with their history."
------
Editor's Note: Jesse Washington covers race and ethnicity for The Associated Press.
------
AP Researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THIS TIRED?
Click image to zoom in...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's Simple: Medicare for All
For many years, a handful of American political leaders -- including the late senator Ted Kennedy and now President Obama -- have been trying to gain passage of comprehensive health care for all Americans. As far back as President Harry S. Truman, they have urged Congress to act on this national need. In a presentation before a joint session of Congress last week, Obama offered his view of the best way forward.
But what seems missing in the current battle is a single proposal that everyone can understand and that does not lend itself to demagoguery. If we want comprehensive health care for all our citizens, we can achieve it with a single sentence: Congress hereby extends Medicare to all Americans.
Those of us over 65 have been enjoying this program for years. I go to the doctor or hospital of my choice, and my taxes pay all the bills. It's wonderful. But I would have appreciated it even more if my wife and children and I had had such health-care coverage when we were younger. I want every American, from birth to death, to get the kind of health care I now receive. Removing the payments now going to the insurance corporations would considerably offset the tax increase necessary to cover all Americans.
I don't feel as though the government is meddling in my life when it pays my doctor and hospital fees. There are some things the government does that I don't like -- most notably getting us into needless wars that cost many times what health care for all Americans would cost. Investing in the health of our citizens will enhance the well-being and security of the nation.
We know that Medicare has worked well for half a century for those of us over 65. Why does it become "socialized medicine" when we extend it to younger Americans?
Taking such a shortsighted view would leave nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance and without the means to buy it. It would leave other Americans struggling to pay the rising cost of insurance premiums. These private insurance plans are frequently terminated if the holder contracts a serious long-term ailment. And some people lose their insurance if they lose their jobs or if the plant where they work moves to another location -- perhaps overseas.
We recently bailed out the finance houses and banks to the tune of $700 billion. A country that can afford such an outlay while paying for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan can afford to do what every other advanced democracy has done: underwrite quality health care for all its citizens.
If Medicare needs a few modifications in order to serve all Americans, we can make such adjustments now or later. But let's make sure Congress has an up or down vote on Medicare for all before it adjourns this year. Let's not waste time trying to reinvent the wheel. We all know what Medicare is. Do we want health care for all, or only for those over 65?
If the roll is called and it goes against those of us who favor national health care, so be it. If it is approved, the entire nation can applaud.
Many people familiar with politics in America will tell you that this idea can't pass Congress, in part because the insurance lobby is too powerful for lawmakers to resist.
As matters now stand, the insurance companies claim $450 billion a year of our health-care dollars. They will fight hard to hold on to this bonanza. This is a major reason Americans pay more for health care per capita than any other people in the world. The insurance executives didn't cry "socialism" when their buddies in banking and finance were bailed out. But to them it is socialism if the government underwrites the cost of health care.
Consider the campaign funds given to the chairman and ranking minority member of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over health-care legislation. Chairman Max Baucus of Montana, a Democrat, and his political action committee have received nearly $4 million from the health-care lobby since 2003. The ranking Republican, Charles Grassley of Iowa, has received more than $2 million. It's a mistake for one politician to judge the personal motives of another. But Sens. Baucus and Grassley are firm opponents of the single-payer system, as are other highly placed members of Congress who have been generously rewarded by the insurance lobby.
In the past, doctors and their national association opposed Medicare and efforts to extend such benefits. But in recent years, many doctors have changed their views.
In December 2007, the 124,000-member American College of Physicians endorsed for the first time a single-payer national health insurance program. And a March 2008 study by Indiana University -- the largest survey ever of doctors' opinions on financing health-care reform -- concluded that 59 percent of doctors support national health insurance.
To have the doctors with us favoring government health insurance is good news. As Obama said: "We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it."
George S. McGovern, a former senator from South Dakota, was the Democratic nominee for president in 1972.
It is hard to say bye to yesterday
All of us experience change in our lives. Change is the one constant in our lives. There are changes that we look forward too and change that we fear. However, one thing is for sure. Things will not stay the same no matter how much we would like them too. When a life change occurs, we have two choices in how to respond. We can despair that a change has come and assume that things will be worse, or we can look forward with excitement at the new possibilities that the change presents.
Saying good bye to a great family, the Makano family, Dr. Makano, Mr. Makano and son Kuza, St Louis family misses you already.
On behalf of the Makanos, thank you to all those who organized and attended the event. We all know who:)
Here below is the fun memories we shared from the pinic at Creve Coeur Lake.
07/23/2009
| ||||||||||||
A BLACK GIRL ESCORTED TO SCHOOL: 1960 and 2009 BACK THEN IN 1960: A Black girl escorted to school. |
On November 14, 1960, 48 years ago, 6 year old Ruby Bridges faced hostile crowds, and had to be escorted by U.S. Marshalls because she was the first black child to attend a previously all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. (The Great Norman Rockwell created the painting above depicting that event).
That morning, 6 year old Ruby had only been told by her mother that she was going to be attending a new school that day and 'had better behave.' Little did little Ruby know that she would be bombarded with jeers and even death threats; and that she would end up being the sole child in her first grade class because all the other children were kept home by their parents. Why? Because Ruby was Black!
NOW (January 2009): Another Black girl escorted to school.
On January 5, 2009, 48 years after Ruby attended her school, 7 year old Sasha Obama, faced cheering crowds and schoolmates as she is escorted by her Mother and U.S. Secret Service Agents to Sidwell Friends Elementary School in Washington , DC. Her mum, Michelle Obama, the current First Lady of the United States of America, had Secret Service escort because Sasha's daddy, Barack Obama, is now the 44th President of the United States.
THINGS HAVE REALLY CHANGED!...
Your world at a glance..
Obama Inauguration Speech | Welcome the New U.S. President
Martin Luther King "I have a dream"
When Are WE Going to Get Over It?
For much of the last forty years, ever since America "fixed" its race problem in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we white people have been impatient with African Americans who continued to blame race for their difficulties. Often we have heard whites ask, "When are African Americans finally going to get over it?
Now I want to ask: "When are we White Americans going to get over our ridiculous obsession with skin color?
Recent reports that "Election Spurs Hundreds' of Race Threats, Crimes" should frighten and infuriate every one of us. Having grown up in "Bombingham," Alabama in the 1960s, I remember overhearing an avalanche of comments about what many white classmates and their parents wanted to do to John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Eventually, as you may recall, in all three cases, someone decided to do more than "talk the talk."
Since our recent presidential election, to our eternal shame we are once again hearing the same reprehensible talk I remember from my boyhood.
We white people have controlled political life in the disunited colonies and United States for some 400 years on this continent. Conservative whites have been in power 28 of the last 40 years. Even during the eight Clinton years, conservatives in Congress blocked most of his agenda and pulled him to the right. Yet never in that period did I read any headlines suggesting that anyone was calling for the assassinations of presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, or either of the Bushes.
Criticize them, yes. Call for their impeachment, perhaps.
But there were no bounties on their heads. And even when someone did try to kill Ronald Reagan, the perpetrator was non-political mental case who wanted merely to impress Jody Foster.
But elect a liberal who happens to be Black and we're back in the sixties again. At this point in our history, we should be proud that we've proven what conservatives are always saying -that in America anything is possible, EVEN electing a black man as president. But instead we now hear that schoolchildren from Maine to California are talking about wanting to "assassinate Obama."
Fighting the urge to throw up, I can only ask, "How long?" How long before we white people realize we can't make our nation, much less the whole world, look like us? How long until we white people can -once and for all- get over this hell-conceived preoccupation with skin color? How long until we white people get over the demonic conviction that white skin makes us superior? How long before we white people get over our bitter resentments about being demoted to the status of equality with non-whites?
How long before we get over our expectations that we should be at the head of the line merely because of our white skin? How long until we white people end our silence and call out our peers when they share the latest racist jokes in the privacy of our white-only conversations?
I believe in free speech, but how long until we white people start making racist loudmouths as socially uncomfortable as we do flag burners? How long until we white people will stop insisting th at blacks exercise personal responsibility, build strong families, educate themselves enough to edit the Harvard Law Review, and work hard enough to become President of the United States, only to threaten to assassinate them when they do?
How long before we starting "living out the true meaning" of our creeds, both civil and religious, that all men and women are created equal and that "red and yellow, black and white" all are precious in God's sight?
Until this past November 4, I didn't believe this country would ever elect an African American to the presidency. I still don't believe I'll live long enough to see us white people get over our racism problem. But here's my three-point plan:
First, everyday that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built I'm going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people.
Second, I'm going to report to the FBI any white person I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama.
Third, I'm going to pray to live long enough to see America surprise the world once again, when white people can "in spirit and in truth" sing of our damnable color prejudice, "We HAVE overcome."
Andrew Manis is author of Macon Black and White and serves on the steering committee of Macon's Center for Racial understanding.
It take a Village to protect our President!!!
Want more money? 15 jobs that pay $60,000
If you're looking to earn a few more dollars per paycheck, here are 15 jobs that earn between $60,000 and $69,999 annually, which are also expected to experience growth through 2016.
1. Appraiser
Annual mean income: $60,689*
Projected employment in 2016: 118,000**
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 17 percent
2. Architect
Annual mean income: $62,246
Projected employment in 2016: 155,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 18 percent
3. Communications editor
Annual mean income: $68,267
Projected employment in 2016: 124,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 9 percent
4. Computer Programmer Analyst
Annual mean income: $65,911
Projected employment in 2016: 650,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 29 percent
5. Counseling psychologist
Annual mean income: $64,851
Projected employment in 2016: 176,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 16 percent
6. Pediatric nurse
Annual mean income: $61,467
Projected employment in 2016: 3,092,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 23 percent
7. Physician assistant
Annual mean income: $63,655
Projected employment in 2016: 83,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 27 percent
8. Property leasing manager
Annual mean income: $65,320
Projected employment in 2016: 379,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 15 percent
9. Seismologist
Annual mean income: $66,749
Projected employment in 2016: 38,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 22 percent
10. Web developer
Annual mean income: $66,864
Projected employment in 2016: 157,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 15 percent
11. Media manager
Annual mean income: $66,931
Projected employment in 2016: 651,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 12 percent
12. Meteorologist
Annual mean income: $68,594
Projected employment in 2016: 9,700
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 11 percent
13. Purchasing manager
Annual mean income: $69,373
Projected employment in 2016: 72,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 3 percent
14. Vascular technologist
Annual mean income: $69,036
Projected employment in 2016: 57,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016: 27 percent
15. Video producer
Annual mean income: $62,476
Projected employment in 2016: 103,000
Increase between 2006 and 2016:11 percent
* Annual mean income from CBSalary.com.
** Employment projections based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data
Better Days Are Coming
Dear eKonectists
Now that President Elect Barack Obama has made public his economic team, and their approach to reining in our recessed economy, we will experience a better Christmas than initially forecast. I don't mean in terms of shopping sprees to fill our artificial Christmas trees with gifts - but better roads, bridges, schools, and fewer foreclosures because of jobs. The key to recovery is rehabilitating the workforce, rebuilding consumer confidence, and restructuring our tax code. I believe we will see a better Wall Street now that we have a president who cares about Main Street. Like it or not, the stock market must be healthy in order to assure our global neighbors we are worthy of investment and trade. The main thing about today's events is that President Elect Obama is not waiting until January to start having an impact on our nations future, he served notice today that he is in charge right now.
We residents on Main Street may not be big time investors in stocks and bonds but a capitalistic society like ours does not operate on a cash only axis. We are a plastic and commercial paper currency country now. I am advising my subscribers to steer clear of Gift Cards this Christmas because you don't know if the retailer will be around after New Years day. Having used a Credit Union as my primary bank for the last three decades makes me reasonably comfortable, but I check everyday to make sure it is still open. My national bank is solvent and seemingly sound, but I check daily to make sure my little piece of change is safe and available. As I listened to the President Elect today talking about how he intends to meet our economic challenges - I will soon be checking my banks just every other day. I continue to have confidence in the President Elect, and sense more Americans are feeling the same.
Having a President that really cares about we the people is a blessing that is coming right on time. You know the saying; "The Lord may not come when you want Him to, but He is always right on time." I continue to see this as divinely inspired change that we can invest hope into with no fear of being disappointed. Now this does not mean we can go out and throw away our money so please be frugal, cautious, even stingy for a little while longer. What I am saying is better days are coming because the incoming administration is headed up by a very capable leader. I am convinced we are about to experience the most productive eight years in American history so far as quality of life issues are concerned. I hope each of you will join me in continuing to pray for the President Elect, and let the gentleman do his thing.
Peace and Prayers - Rev G
Sounds like a joke, but...
Sounds like a joke, but........so many African countries relate to
this.....
45 years ago, Kibaki and Michuki were in Cabinet and Kennedy was running
for President. Obama was 1 year old. 45 years later, Kibaki and Michuki are
still in cabinet, and Obama is a candidate for the same seat Kennedy was
running. In 45 years, Obamas father is dead, we have had Johnson, Carter,
Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Clinton, Bush 1 and Bush 2 in USA in between as
presidents but in Kenya the same guys in their 70's and 80's are still
trying to tell Kenyans they can make development models that work?'
Makes u think??
Something is seriously wrong with Africa !!!!! Something is wrong with me
& you too!!!!!!!!!
Something Just Changed. Can you spot it?
This is no GED question, is it?
How does Wall Street work?
"Here is Wall Street 101"
Once upon a time, in a village, a man appeared and announced to the
villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.
The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to
the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10
and, as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.
He further announced that he would now buy at $20 for a monkey.
This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching
monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people
started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each, and
the supply of monkeys became so small that it was an effort to even
find a monkey, let alone catch it!
The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since
he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy
on behalf of him.
In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. 'Look at
all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected.
I will sell them to you at $35, and when the man returns from the
city, you can sell them to him for $50 each.'
The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys.
They never saw the man nor his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!
Now you have a better understanding of how Wall Street works.
Obama Will Be One of The Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Great presidents are made great by horrible circumstances combined with character, temperament and intelligence. Like firemen, cops, doctors or soldiers, presidents need a crisis to shine.
Obama is one of the most intelligent presidential aspirants to ever step forward in American history. The likes of his intellectual capabilities have not been surpassed in public life since the Founding Fathers put pen to paper. His personal character is also solid gold. Take heart, America : we have the leader for our times.
I say this as a white, former life-long Republican. I say this as the proud father of a Marine. I say this as just another American watching his pension evaporate along with the stock market! I speak as someone who knows it's time to forget party loyalty, ideology and pride and put the country first. I say this as someone happy to be called a fool for going out on a limb and declaring that, 1) Obama will win, and 2) he is going to be amongst the greatest of American presidents.
Obama is our last best chance. He's worth laying it all on the line for.
This is a man who in the age of greed took the high road of community service. This is the good father and husband. This is the humble servant. This is the patient teacher. This is the scholar statesman. This is the man of deep Christian faith.
Good stories about Obama abound; from his personal relationship with his Secret Service agents (he invites them into his home to watch sports, and shoots hoops with them) to the story about how, more than twenty years ago, while standing in the check-in line at an airport, Obama paid a $100 baggage surcharge for a stranger who was broke and stuck. (Obama was virtually penniless himself in those days.) Years later after he became a senator, that stranger recognized Obama's picture and wrote to him to thank him. She received a kindly note back from the senator. (The story only surfaced because the person, who lives in Norway , told a local newspaper after Obama ran for the presidency. The paper published a photograph of this lady proudly displaying Senator Obama's letter.)
Where many leaders are two-faced; publicly kindly but privately feared and/or hated by people closest to them, Obama is consistent in the way he treats people, consistently kind and personally humble. He lives by the code that those who lead must serve. He believes that. He lives it. He lived it long before he was in the public eye.
Obama puts service ahead of ideology. He also knows that to win politically you need to be tough. He can be. He has been. This is a man who does what works, rather than scoring ideological points. In other words he is the quintessential non-ideological pragmatic American. He will (thank God!) disappoint ideologues and purists of the left and the right.
Obama has a reservoir of personal physical courage that is unmatched in presidential history. Why unmatched? Because as the first black contender for the presidency who will win, Obama, and all the rest of us, know that he is in great physical danger from the seemingly unlimited reserve of unhinged racial hatred, and just plain unhinged ignorant hatred, that swirls in the bowels of our wounded and sinful country. By stepping forward to lead, Obama has literally put his life on the line for all of us in a way no white candidate ever has had to do. (And we all know how dangerous the presidency has been even for white presidents.)
Nice stories or even unparalleled courage isn't the only point. The greater point about Obama is that the midst of our worldwide financial meltdown, an expanding (and losing) war in Afghanistan, trying to extricate our country from a wrong and stupidly mistaken ruinously expensive war in Iraq, our mounting and crushing national debt, awaiting the next (and inevitable) al Qaeda attack on our homeland, watching our schools decline to Third World levels of incompetence, facing a general loss of confidence in the government that has been exacerbated by the Republicans doing all they can to undermine our government's capabilities and programs...
President Obama will take on the leadership of our country at a make or break time of historic proportions. He faces not one but dozens of crisis, each big enough to define any presidency in better times.
As luck, fate or divine grace would have it (depending on one's personal theology) Obama is blessedly, dare I say uniquely, well-suited to our dire circumstances. Obama is a person with hands-on community service experience, deep connections to top economic advisers from the renowned University of Chicago where he taught law, and a middle-class background that gives him an abiding knowledgeable empathy with the rest of us. As the son of a single mother, who has worked his way up with merit and brains, recipient of top-notch academic scholarships, the peer-selected editor of the Harvard Law Review and, in three giant political steps to state office, national office and now the presidency, Obama clearly has the wit and drive to lead.
Obama is the sober voice of reason at a time of unreason. He is the fellow keeping his head while all around him are panicking. He is the healing presence at a time of national division and strife. He is also new enough to the political process so that he doesn't suffer from the terminally jaded cynicism, the seen-it-all-before syndrome afflicting most politicians in Washington . In that regard we Americans lucked out. It's as if having despaired of our political process we picked a name from the phone book to lead us and that person turned out to be a very man we needed.
Obama brings a healing and uplifting spiritual quality to our politics at the very time when our worst enemy is fear. For eight years we've been ruled by a stunted fear-filled mediocrity of a little liar who has expanded his power on the basis of creating fear in others. Fearless Obama is the cure. He speaks a litany of hope rather than a litany of terror.
As we have watched Obama respond in a quiet reasoned manner to crisis after crisis, in both the way he has responded after being attacked and lied about in the 2008 campaign season, to his reasoned response to our multiplying national crises, what we see is the spirit of a trusted family doctor with a great bedside manner. Obama is perfectly suited to hold our hand and lead us through some very tough times. The word panic is not in the Obama dictionary.
America is fighting its 'Armageddon' in one fearful heart at a time. A brilliant leader with the mild manner of an old-time matter-of-fact country doctor soothing a frightened child is just what we need. The fact that our 'doctor' is a black man leading a hitherto white-ruled nation out of the mess of its own making is all the sweeter and raises the Obama story to that of moral allegory.
Obama brings a moral clarity to his leadership reserved for those who have had to work for everything they've gotten and had to do twice as well as the person standing next to them because of the color of their skin. His experience of succeeding in spite of his color, social background and prejudice could have been embittering or one that fostered a spiritual rebirth of forgiveness and enlightenment. Obama radiates the calm inner peace of the spirit of forgiveness.
Speaking as a believing Christian I see the hand of a merciful God in Obama's candidacy. The biblical metaphors abound. The stone the builder rejected is become the cornerstone... the last shall be first... he that would gain his life must first lose it... the meek shall inherit the earth...
For my secular friends I'll allow that we may have just been extraordinarily lucky! Either way America wins.
Only a brilliant man, with the spirit of a preacher and the humble heart of a kindly family doctor can lead us now. We are afraid, out of ideas, and worst of all out of hope. Obama is the cure. And we Americans have it in us to rise to the occasion. We will. We're about to enter one of the most frightening periods of American history. Our country has rarely faced more uncertainty. This is the time for greatness. We have a great leader. We must be a great people backing him, fighting for him, sacrificing for a cause greater than ourselves.
A hundred years from now Obama's portrait will be placed next to that of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Long before that we'll be telling our children and grandchildren that we stepped out in faith and voted for a young black man who stood up and led our country back from the brink of an abyss. We'll tell them about the power of love, faith and hope. We'll tell them about the power of creativity combined with humility and intellectual brilliance. We'll tell them that President Obama gave us the gift of regaining our faith in our country. We'll tell them that we all stood up and pitched in and won the day. We'll tell them that President Obama restored our standing in the world. We'll tell them that by the time he left office our schools were on the mend, our economy booming, that we'd become a nation filled with green energy alternatives and were leading the world away from dependence on carbon-based destruction.
We'll tell them that because of President Obama's example and leadership the integrity of the family was restored, divorce rates went down, more fathers took responsibility for their children, and abortion rates fell dramatically as women, families and children were cared for through compassionate social programs that worked. We'll tell them about how the gap closed between the middle class and the super rich, how we won health care for all, how crime rates fell, how bad wars were brought to an honorable conclusion. We'll tell them that when we were attacked again by al Qaeda, how reason prevailed and the response was smart, tough, measured and effective, and our civil rights were protected even in times of crisis...
We'll tell them that we were part of the inexplicably blessed miracle that happened to our country those many years ago in 2008 when a young black man was sent by God, fate or luck to save our country. We'll tell them that it's good to live in America where anything is possible. Yes we will.
********************
Bill Gates and a speech at a High School
Bill Gates gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings has created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try cleaning the cupboard in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
If you can read this - Thank a teacher!
********************
THE Charlie Schulz Philosophy
(This is so true!! Scroll thru slowly and read carefully to receive and enjoy full effect)
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.
You don't have to actually answer the questions.
Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials..
the most money...or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most.
'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia !'
''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!'
********************
UKZAMBIANS MAGAZINE - ISSUE 3 OUT
********************
FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO ORDER A COPY PLEASE CALL : STEVEN HALL ON +44 (0)7709794960 or e-mail: admin@ukzambians.co.uk
********************
what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about St. Louis;
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from October through May, you might live in St. Louis.
If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you might live in St. Louis.
If someone mentions "The Landing" and it has nothing to do with the space shuttle, you might live in St. Louis.
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you might live in St. Louis.
If you've seen a tornado touch down and ONLY thought "Damn it, I just waxed the car", you might live in St. Louis.
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in St. Louis.
If you measure distance in hours instead of miles, you might live in St. Louis.
If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you might live in St. Louis.
If you drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard for some White Castles, you might live in St. Louis.
If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you might live in St. Louis.
If you take I-Farty-Far to Six Flags, you might live in St. Louis.
If you know what/where the Piasa Bird is, you might live in St. Louis.
If someone says concrete and you think of Ted Drewes instead of pavement, you might live in St. Louis.
If you know what a TRAM is, you might live in St. Louis.
If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you might live in St. Louis.
If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you might live in St. Louis.
If you've ever skipped school, work, or even a court-date because you had tickets to an afternoon Cards, Blues or Rams game, you might live in St. Louis.
If you can say the words "Cahokia Mounds" and not think of a candy bar or boobies, you might live in St. Louis.
If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you might live in St. Louis.
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you might live in St. Louis.
If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you might live in St. Louis.
If you find 10 degrees a little 'chilly', you might live in St. Louis. If you actually understand these jokes, you live or have lived in St. Louis.
********************
Remember to be good always!
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go where there is no path and leave a trail. The secret of a successful life is to understand what one’s destiny to do and do it is. What is inside is expressed by actions in the outside world. There is a time for shock and disbelief. There is a time for reflection, for remembrance and there is a time to let go and move on. We let go knowing that we will miss them forever, and knowing that our lives will never be the same without the realness and sweetness of their physical presence in our daily lives.
But we let go knowing that we will honor their memory by becoming a better person, by cherishing life even more, by striving to be happy, and by always promoting goodness over evil.
Ollie
********************
Hey Konectists! Konect is looking for writers!
We’ve got a number of blogs/content site space/etc, that are all starting to pick up traffic (or haven’t even been built yet!) and in all cases, we looking for smart, talented, individuals, willing to contribute and provide or manage content for the websites we’ve built (and we building!) in a bunch of different niches or areas.
If you’ve had experience in writing or even NO experience but a willingness to put your very best into a project, thoughts, ideas on social, political, science, education, or humor we’d love to hear from you! Our projects range from small single site blogs to multiple site space. "Diversity" and going "Global" is the key here.
Interested? Send us an email: k@krystodrym.com! If you’ve got any samples of your writing, send them on over. Give us as much information as you can, keep it to the point and let us know that you’re serious. If you’ve got a particular topic you know a lot about or would just like to write about, let us know! We may already have a site space in that niche or may just build one! : )
Be warned that not all the topics we have are ‘fun’ to write about; ). It’ll be a challenge!
And that’s just about that. Serious inquiries only ;). Send your emails on over and we look forward to hearing from each of you!
Konectist
Ollie
Site designed by Krystodrym Web Design