As you know, today is Tax Day and generally that means some kind of protest. DC is all about the "taxation without representation" protests which I totally support. While I'm sure those protests are still going on, they are overshadowed today by the only real Amurrican tax day protest--The Tea Party Protest.
Thankfully, I no longer live on the Hill (and OMG, I really dreaded the anniversary of Roe v. Wade because of the swarms of teeny boppers telling me what do with my body). Since I work in a non-touristy part of town, I will probably get to avoid them all together (unless they are on the Metro, in which case I may be tempted to punch educate a tea bagger).
I don't know about you but I'm pretty happy about my taxes this year. Don't get me wrong. I've never really begrudged Uncle Sam. I will gladly pay for public schools, road maintenance, and law enforcement (among other things). However, this year I am actually getting a nice return...for the first time in a long time. And for that, I am very grateful to our president.
I can't believe they totally figured us out. You all know who 'they' is. 'They' are the brave citizens showing up at the town hall meetings, screaming about how their America is being flushed down the toilet with the feces of socialism. I guess they're just too smart for the President and the rest of the Dems (Not those Blue Dogs though. They know what's up).
First off, these death panels. I mean, how did they figure those out from the text of the 1000+ page plan which I'm sure they read? Yes, Obama totally wants to knock off all of those who are a complete strain on our economy. It's all part of the stimulus, you see. Come on! Old people? Who wants 'em? Their eating up my (future) social security and they're increasing the cost of Medicare with all of those illnesses they keep getting! Sure, Medicare only makes up about 2% of the federal budget (far less than our defense spending or those wars we've been fighting), but that's 2% that can be going to something else. Like the cost of these death squads. They're going to be meeting on a regular basis, I hope. That way we can eliminate the old people as quickly as possible.
And you know what? Even Sarah Palin gets it right every once in a while. Trig better watch out! Children with disabilities are totally on that list. Nevermind that the Democrats are the ones responsible for getting them a special education and all back in the day. Well, we're taking it back! No cushy life for you, disabled kids!
One of my favorite parts of the plan is the mandate for free sex-change surgeries. I heart transgender people. In fact, more people should change their sex. Personally, I've always wanted to know what it was like to be a man (particularly, what it is like to earn a man's wage and using the world as a giant toilet). With Obamacare, you now have that chance!
Another one of my favorites is the mandate for school based clinics. What I like about this is that now we can force abortions upon pregnant teens. Come on! How convenient is that? The clinics can totally replace those day cares that some high schools have. Find yourself inconveniently pregnant at 16? Well, then ditch homeroom and head over to the school clinic. In about an hour, you'll be totally de-pregnified. I wish I had that at my conservative, Catholic high school. I totally would've had promiscuous sex back then!
Speaking of abortions, under Obamacare, they are totally free, paid for by tax payer dollars! Isn't that awesome? Despite never having been pregnant, I've always wanted to have one so I plan to take advantage of this benefit. Nevermind the countless federal laws that prohibit public funding from being used to fund abortions. Obamacare is totally going to take care of that. He is, after all, the most pro-abortion president ever.
My favorite part of Obamacare is that you will no longer have to think about what medical procedures you need. The Obama-approved Health Choices commissioner is going to do that for you. Granted, we already have that now. They are commonly known as Kaiser and United and Blue Cross. You know them. They're the same people who denied you that mammogram because of your pre-existing condition (pre-existing condition = being female), remember? Under Obama's plan, only one person will be making those decisions for everyone. Which is great for me because I can be so indecisive sometimes.
And you all know how the economy is crap right now. Well, there's a cost savings measure in the plan too. Basically, any medical procedure costing more than $22000 will not be covered by Obamacare. That's simply too much money for one person. It doesn't matter if that $25000 surgery will save your life. It's still too much money for government rationed health care. What? You think the government is made of money?
Personally, I'm all for this plan. There will be far less annoying old people in the world and abortions for everyone! What a perfect world.
*SIGH* I guess I can take my tongue out of my cheek now. How ridiculous does this post sound? Well, that's what conservatives think about Obama's plan for health care reform. The hilarious thing is that people are eating the lies that the insurance industry is feeding them and screaming it back to their representatives at these town halls.
So, you can be a sheep for the insurance industry and fight for the status quo which leaves 1/3 of the US population without health insurance, OR you can make up your own mind by doing the research. In fact, I've started the search for you. Here are some non-partisan sites that are dissecting the many health care reform plans that are out there:
I know where I come from and I'm proud of my family and our history. But every once in a while, I wonder if I'm Latina enough.
It began when I was little at my Catholic elementary school. The first language I ever knew was Spanish. When I started Kindergarten, I was told that I wasn't allowed to speak Spanish any more (despite the fact that 90% of the class was Latino and spoke Spanish). Over the years, I lost my ability to speak Spanish. I could understand it well, but speaking, grammar, and writing became an issue.
Then I went to high school and took Spanish and it all came back to me--like riding a bike. Honestly, it all came back but one thing. My accent.
Some of you have probably heard me speak Spanish and have thought that I speak with the right accent, but I don't. I listen to Honduran, Mexican, Argentinian, Salvadorean, Columbian, Venezuelan accents all day long and my Spanish doesn't sound like that. Mine sounds different.
My accent isn't the only thing.. My appearance apparently makes me less Latina too. I'm pale skinned with green eyes and (dyed) red hair. A few weeks ago, I was doing a first interview with a potential client when he told me (in Spanish), "Your grammar is very good but you don't look Latina." When I asked him why he thought that, he replied, "Your coloring is off." What does that even mean?
Pondering this question over the weekend, I googled this topic and, time and time again, I came across the list. If anything made me feel even less like a Latina it was this:
1. If you can't fight the urge to clap on a plane that has just landed!
2. If your boyfriend plucks, waxes or in any other way grooms his eyebrows even more than you do, then you are most likely a Latina...dating a Latino!
3. If even though you're fluent in English, you still refer to going grocery shopping as a compra.
4. If you have ever committed the cardinal sin and fashion faux pas of wearing socks with sandals!
5. If something immensely sad or something immensely adorable both elicit the exact same response of "Hay Bendito!".
6. If your grandmother's chancletas seemed to have some mystical boomerang powers, you know, she threw it at you and somehow it was magically back in her hand before you could even look up from your hiding place, then you are definitely Latina!
7. If Vick's VaporRub was pronounced Bibaporú and used by everyone in your family to cure anything from burns to acne to La Gripa to infertility.
8. If you have ever sat down on a couch and then immediately fallen off because of the slippery smooth surface created by the plastic covering the entire living room set...Latina all the way baby!
9. If you grew up with a mother and/or grandmother who made you eat a ton of their food to prove how much you loved them, and then called you gordita five minutes later while pinching your chichos!
10. If you are completely fed up with being called, fiery, spicy, caliente or any other adjective that could also describe a chili pepper, you are absolutely, positively, undeniably Latina.
In my whole life, I've only experienced #9 (and that's embarrassing to admit).
The fact is that Latinas come in all different colors, accents, sizes and experiences. Think of all the famous Latinas in Hollywood. Did you know that the following people are Latina?
Alexis Bledel (Rory of Gilmore Girls)
Jordana Brewster (love interest in the Fast and the Furious movies)
Camilla Belle (recently broke the heart of a Jonas Brother)
Cameron Diaz
Zoe Saldana (recently in the new Star Trek movie)
Kelis (hip hop artist of "Milkshake" fame)
Fergie (of the Black Eyed Peas)
LaLa (former MTV VJ)
And that's not counting the Latinos, like NFL QB Tony Romo and NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
There is no one single definition of being Latina. Within our own community there is so much diversity that homogeneity is impossible. And it's not just us. After all, what is Black? What is White? What does it all mean and why does it matter? It's as if society forces us to fit into these boxes that probably makes sense to the government (ie. US Census), but doesn't make any sense at all in the grand scheme of things.
So why tear each other down within the community? During the elections, I was surprised to hear people in the Black community claiming that Barack Obama just isn't Black enough. He was making history and this is what people were saying about him? What does 'being Black' mean? How is Obama not Black enough? As minorities, knowing what it is like to thought of as 'other', it's a shame that people within the same community chastise others for not being "(blank)" enough. As if being "(blank)" was some kind of universally accepted standard.
While I don't think the potential client I mentioned above was intentionally trying to make me feel like 'the other' within my own community, that was the end result of his comments. I may have assimilated very well into this country, but I should not give anyone the power to make feel less like a part of my community.
The next time someone makes me feel like I'm not Latina enough, I know exactly how to respond. I may not be Latina enough for them, but I am certainly Latina enough for me.
We are approaching the mark of Obama's first 100 days in office and. Pretty soon, the media will be weighing in with report cards to grade not only Obama but Congress on what they've been doing since the new president was sworn in. Some news agencies are taking it straigh to the people in the court of public opinion. In a recent WaPo/ABC News poll, 69% of respondants approve of Obama as president. Almost 70% of people approve of what Obama is doing internationally, particularly with the war in Iraq. Nearly 60% of people polled approved of what Obama is doing for the economy. Congress as usual got low approval ratings, but the ratings were much lower for Republicans (45% for Dems vs 30% for GOP).
What I thought was particularly interesting was that the poll revealed that fewer people (than ever in the history of this particular poll) consider themselves Republican. Only 21% of respondants identified as such (vs. 39% for Dems).
I usually take polls with a grain of salt unless they tell me what I want to hear. Granted, the hardcore liberal in me is doing a little happy dance over this poll. Given the context of current events, I am completely not surprised by the results.
[Total aside, but I'm completely surprised that Obama got such high marks, especially in light of those tea parties (aka Obama hate fests) two weeks ago. This only goes to show what I've suspected all along--the crazies on both sides make the loudest noise.]
So, let's talk about how the GOP got here. Well, first off, there was 8 years of Bush 2. Then there was that whole 2008 election debacle, resulting in Democrat majorites in both chambers of Congress. And then there was the race for RNC chair (Michael Steele vs. the guy behind the 'Barack the Magic Negro song' and the guy who had been in an All-White country club but quit before running). And then there were Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh complaining up a storm, spreading their hate, and NOT OFFERING ANY SOLUTIONS. And then there were the Republicans in Congress, refusing to vote for anything Obama supported. And then the GOP governors started refusing stimulus dollars despite their states' rising unemployment rate. And then there was/is the use of those Karl Rovian scare tactics which most Americans seem to be immune to now.
And then there's this poll. Americans just said no to the Party of No.
I'm not going to put that much weight on this poll, but the truth cannot be denied--the GOP is on a decline. They are the Party of No, the party against change (and not just Obama's Change™ but any change). The party is led by a bunch of old white men (Michael Steele will not lead until he grows a pair) that refuse to change or adapt to the changing political landscape. The party is split in two: there's the Old Guard (led by Rush Limbaugh) and the New Guard (led by--dare I say it--Meghan McCain). And the Old Guard is currently in charge of the Party and refuses to listen to those young whippersnappers in the New Guard.
So how will the GOP change? The New Guard needs to find some strength (in numbers) and be heard.
If the GOP doesn't change? Well, then, the GOP presidential ticket in 2012 will be Palin/Limbaugh.
And, being the proud Dem that I am, I totally won't have a problem with that.
Last night, I was delighted to read that a federal judge ruled that the Bush administration was wrong and determined that Plan B (emergency contraception) should be available without a prescription to girls as young as 17. Ok, so the previous age was 18, but still! This is a big step in the right direction. Now, if we can just get Plan B to be truly available over the counter, as opposed to behind the counter and under the judgmental eyes of a pharmacy tech, everything would be awesome!
If you recall, Plan B was held up for OTC approval in the FDA by many Bush cronies who did not want this pill to be available to teens because of the potential for the creation of teen sex cults!!! No, seriously. That was one of the reasons. Their line of reasoning was that, with increased availability to Plan B, teens would not be able to control their raging hormones any longer and engage in wanton (unprotected) group sex and then pop Plan B pills like candy afterwards. This wasn't based on actual facts (naturally, this was the Bush Administration after all) or anything. In fact, studies showed that teens didn't engage necessarily in careless sex if Plan B was available to them. In fact, their sexual habits showed no change.
But we all know that the Bush administration was averse to science and research and facts (global warming is another great example).
After 8 years of anti-science crap, we now have a president who does not place politics over science. Last month, the new administration worked to remove one of Bush's last acts known as the Provider Refusal Rule. Essentially, the Provider Refusal Rule or "Conscience Clause" (was written to be incredibly ambiguous and open to interpretation on purpose) allowed for religious ideology in the clinical setting. Under the rule, workers in health-care settings -- from doctors to janitors -- can refuse to provide services, information or advice to patients on subjects such as contraception, family planning, blood transfusions and even vaccine counseling if they are morally against it.
For example, if a clinician felt uncomfortable providing birth control or a Plan B prescription or the HPV vaccine, it was within his/her right to refuse to provide it to their patients. The thing is that judgment has NO place in health care, especially religious judgment. If you have a problem dispensing birth control (but not Viagra), then don't be a pharmacist. Don't want to perform an abortion if the mother's life is in danger? Well, then maybe you shouldn't be an OBGYN.
It's the same thing outside of health care. Do you hate Latinos and think gays should burn in hell? Then you wouldn't want my job. So why was the health care field specifically targeted in the Conscience Clause? Because of abortion, of course!
As a public health geek, it is so refreshing to have a president who thinks sound science should be the basis for policy as opposed to religious ideology. The NY Times piece above quoted Dr. Susan Wood, former director of the Office of Women's Health at the FDA who resigned because she didn't want to be part of Bush's morality militia. She commented, "There is a new chance to restore the scientific integrity of the F.D.A.”
Oh God I hope so.
*the title should be read as: new president plus change equals science over politics.
I'm sure you've all heard by now about Obama's really bad slip up during his Jay Leno appearance last week (something along the lines of insinuating his awful bowling scores would qualify him for the Special Olympics). *Heavy Sigh* Seriously, Obama knows better than that. Understandably, a public uproar ensued, with Conservative and Liberal pundits alike taking Obama to task for the offense.
Naturally, Sarah Palin had to put in her two cents. On Friday, a day after Obama's comment was heard, Palin commented,
“I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics, This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world.”
I believe that actions speak louder than words. Let's take a look at what Palin's done for the "world's most precious and unique people."
In 2008, Ms. Palin vetoed $275,000 in Special Olympics Alaska funds. Source (from the AK gov't)
Palin has decided to join the other GOP governors in rejected some of the stimulus money. Among the funding she has decided her state doesn't need: $170 million for education, including money that would go for programs to help economically disadvantaged and special needs students. Source
While there is certainly a national dearth of special education teachers, Alaska is particularly hard hit. They are having a difficult time keeping their special education teachers and enrollment in training programs in special education has fallen over the last few years. Source (from the Alaska DOE)
(what is going on with the space here? damn you, blogger!)
Ms. Palin belongs to the party that brought us No Child Left Behind. In regards to NCLB and special education, students with learning disabilities are expected to read, do math, and understand science at the same grade-level proficiency as non-learning disabled students no later than 2014. That's because the NCLB's expectations of special ed students is the same as those without learning disabilities. And that makes sense because...? Source (from Washington State study)
As a huge supporter of creationism, Palin knows the Bible well, right? Isn't it in John 8:7 where we find this passage--"let he who is without sin, cast the first stone"?
Ms. Palin, you are in NO position to be casting stones.
It's not often that I admire a Republican for...well...anything really. So, I'm actually quite shocked to find myself liking Meghan McCain more and more.
I love a good political debate with the other side. However, I can't get into a good debate with most of the Republicans I know (note that I mention the ones I know; I'm aware that not all Republicans are like this) because they simply repeat the party talking points or they repeat often-misleading garbage that comes out of the pundits' mouths or they repeat whatever they hear on Faux News (you know, that bastion of honesty and balance on cable TV). I want to debate a Republican that can think for him/herself and believes in what he/she says with passion. I don't want to hear that Obama sucks because he shouldn't even be president due to the fact that he wasn't born here (I'm curious. Is Faux still pushing that BS? If not, why am I still hearing this crap?)
So then I start reading Meghan's postings on the Daily Beast (I read her personal blog once and found that all of the comments in the one post I read were complimentary to Meghan and her dad, which led me to believe that comments were moderated and only the ones that agree with Meghan were allowed on the blog). Holy crap, she sure is smart and articulate. At once, I think Dude, I would love to pick her brain. After reading more of her stuff, I realize that I can't debate Meghan because I already agree with most of what she says.
Which is strange for me. I mean, how often do I find myself agreeing with a Republican?
Personally, I think Meghan is more of an Independent than she realizes. I get that she wanted to support her father in the campaign, but she supports stem cell research and gay marriage. She's most certainly a little left on the social side. To be honest, I don't know about her stance on fiscal issues. Yeah, she obviously supports the military, but I don't think the GOP has a monopoly on this.
Regardless of her true political affiliations, she has made some great points as far as what the GOP needs to do to stay relevant. Look, I get that they are the party without a unifying message or leader (ummm...Rush is anything but unifying) at the moment. But honestly, now is the time for a makeover.
Meghan wrote a thoughtful piece on how the GOP needs to jump on the internet bandwagon. I mean, no sh*t. This is how you reach young people with your message. The Obama campaign used and abused the internet. His message was everywhere. The campaign even had its own personal 'myspace' type of thing, where volunteers could connect with other volunteers to organize grassroots efforts. As a frequent user, I found it awesome to connect with people who believe what I believe in and had the passion to act on behalf of those beliefs.
Recently Meghan wrote the now controversial piece on how Ann Coulter sucks (no, that's not the title, but the gist of the piece). She writes about how dangerous it is that Ann Coulter is the face of the GOP (personally, I think Rush is more detrimental). Because of her extreme views and the GOP-ers that sing her praises, she is alienating potential Republicans. With Ann, it is such an 'us vs. them' mentality at a time when the GOP needs to be more inclusive.
So here is Meghan, a young woman who can eloquently describe the issues within her own party and what must be done to gain prominence once again. And what does the GOP do? Well, conservative blow hard Laura Ingraham calls her fat. Rather than get into a thoughtful debate with Meghan, she labels her as a hater whose fat (and Laura's not the only one; go to her Daily Beast postings and read the comments about how Meghan is stupid and fat). Really? That is the extent of intelligent discourse in the GOP these days? See? It's an 'us vs. them' mentality (and sexist too, seeing as that intelligent women are being told to shut up).
And therein lies the problem. And as a proud Dem, I'm pretty happy to see the infighting in the GOP. But I can definitely appreciate what Meghan is trying to do.
Look...I get that Obama's trying to reach across the aisle and all that jazz, but are Dems going to cave in every time the GOP gets their briefs in a twist?
The stimulus package proposed in the House wasn't going to pay for contraception!
State Option to Cover Family Planning Services. Under current law, the Secretary has the authority under section 1115 of the Social Security Act to grant waivers to states to allow them to cover family planning services and supplies to low-income women who are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid. The bill would give states the option to provide such coverage without obtaining a waiver. States could continue to use the existing waiver authority if they preferred.
So, if states want to participate in this option, they will not have to be subject to loads of red tape (the current waiver process is lengthy apparently) and administrative costs. Yeah, OMG...cutting costs and reducing wasteful spending is such a bad thing.
It's literally a small part of the bigger health care package included in the stimulus, but the GOP was up in arms over this?
Someone please explain to me why Obama and Pelosi caved in on this. Don't the Dems have a majority in both chambers? Why are we taking the GOP's criticism to heart when they didn't give a damn about Dems' interests over the last 8 years? Did we cave in because provisions regarding women's health are going to be part of some larger health care reform package that is TBA? If the answer to that is yes, then that's the only way I can be ok with this.
After debating for many days whether or not I would be willing to brave the cold and crowds on inauguration day, I decided to let the following pros from this list win me over:
Want to experience Obama euphoria again (Obama euphoria def.--the feeling of extreme happiness when surrounded by Obama supporters/volunteers while volunteering for the campaign)
Because seriously, when am I going to be this excited over an inauguration again?
So, as expected, Metro effed up big time. Using their special inauguration guide, we decided that it would be best to avoid Metro Rail and take the special Metro bus (16B) down Columbia Pike into the mall. According to the guide, this was the special bus line to take. We boarded said bus (which even had a sign outside the bus proclaiming "take this bus to the inauguration!") and when it arrived at Pentagon Metro Station, we were instructed to get off the bus because it was not going to the mall. Ummm...that's not what the Metro guide said. I thought we were doing the right thing by avoiding Metro rail, but instead we were forced to take it. A sternly worded email to Metro is forthcoming.
Metro rail was such a mess that we had to take the Blue line in the opposite direction, all the way to Franconia (that's the last stop of the line for you Cali peeps) just to insure that we could get on the train in the right direction (towards Largo). Over two hours after our journey began, we found ourselves walking to the mall from Foggy Bottom station and found a nice spot between the Washington Monument and the White House to watch the festivities on the jumbotron.
After I booed at the many times Bush came into view and after I cheered at every Billary sighting and after I cried during the swearing in of both Joe Biden and Barack Obama AND after I cheered and cried during the inaugural address, we headed home via the Memorial Bridge. But not before we saw the Shrub one last time.
In giant effigy form.
Reminiscent of this statue:
image via news.bbc.co.uk
That would be Saddam Hussein if you recall.
And this would be the toppling of the Hussein statue.
image via news.bbc.co.uk
And in true regime toppling fashion, the Bush statue had to come down too.
It's the end of an error! Ding, dong, the Bush era--and its constitution-snubbing, human-rights-violating, world-enraging policies--is dead!
And these Obama supporters couldn't be more grateful!
Honestly, I have tried so hard to resist doing a countdown to the end of the Bush Era and I think I've done a pretty decent job so far. And then I got inspired to write this post after my Just How Crappy was Bush as President post. I swear, my posts this week are not a countdown!
Anyhoo...are you finding it hard to accept the change in command on Jan. 20th? Are you dreading the traffic clusterf*ck and Metro Hot Mess (TM) that is inevitable this weekend? Do you find the uptake in tourist numbers scary?
Come on, now! Obama is going to be our new president. And Bush will be gone. Forever (please, God, please!), I hope. And speaking of hope, that's what Obama is all about, remember (well, that and change)?
So how about an inaugural soundtrack to get your mind off of how the inauguration might suck (you know, logistically) and how awesome it is to have a new president not named Bush...
No tribute to the end of the Bush era would be complete without Ms. Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools
And speaking of silliness, how about the Obama variety show song, Solid as Barack (courtesy of SNL)?
Finally, at least 80% of us are happy he's finally leaving office and for us, there's this song, which is the perfect Bush kiss off. I present to you, GWB (F* You Very Much) by Lily Allen (it's a happy song, I promise...however, the chorus is NSFW)
