my two cents

I can't hold it in any longer. I have to be heard. most of you that know me know how passionate I am about health care reform. and when I'm this passionate, I can't hold it in. so... here are my two cents.

my parents both worked while I was growing up. they both still do. but I never had insurance until I got my first full time job on the Gephardt for President campaign in 2003. going to the doctor was a very rare occurrence. even when my sister had Pneumonia she wasn't taken to see a doctor until she looked and felt like she actually might die. they just couldn't afford it even though they worked harder than most Americans and paid just as much in taxes. there is nothing right about that.

when I was 19 my dad has his first heart attack. because we lived hours from the nearest hospital he had to be life flighted to Grand Junction, CO, had surgery and stayed for a week. over the next seven years he had four more heart attacks with the same result. life flights, surgery, extended stays in hospitals. with no insurance the bills added up to over half a million dollars. my dad lost his house, his truck, his job, and ended up having to go bankrupt - twice. all of this because of a health issue.

right now, my sister and her husband don't work. they are living on unemployment and food stamps. they get free doctor visits, dentist visits, and eye doctor visits. my other sister and her husband both work full time and have no health care. they pay taxes and get nothing while my other sister pays no taxes and gets everything.

these are just my own personal examples of what is wrong with our country's health care system. there are a million other reasons. check out this amazing article titled The Brutal Truth About America's Healthcare. it's been 97 years since the health care debate began in congress, and it's absolutely ridiculous that it still hasn't been fixed. the fact that anyone out there likes the status quo and sees no reason to improve the system just completely boggles my mind. they have to be sitting on a very pretty policy of their own. probably military health care. the best in the country. and oh yeah, who runs that? that's right - the government does! we know the government can do it, and do it well, and there are no reasons besides selfishness and ignorance to be against Obama's plan. your precious private health care will still be available to you, and the competition will still be alive between companies. the difference is that all those people out there struggling to make ends meet who need medication and care will finally be able to get it. their load will be lightened, their pain will be eased, their lives will be saved, and all with tax money they are already giving to their government. they deserve it. they work for it and sacrifice in their own way for our country every day.

Obama will not approve a plan that raises our taxes, and the quality of our system will not be effected. the plan is an improvement. plain and simple. so, please, read all the facts and think it through with an open mind before you go storm trooping against Obama and his plan. right now our helath care system is 37th in the world. yes, it's that bad. yes, millions of our citizens cross the borders to get more affordable health care. it isn't working here. our people are suffering. this country deserves better and has the capacity to do better for it's people.

history

In 1992 during the general election my dad scared the living crap out of me. I was 11 years old and knew absolutely nothing about politics or government. But, as most little girls, I sincerely believed every word that came out of my dad’s mouth. It was obvious that my dad wasn’t a fan of Bill Clinton. He would say things like, “The day that son of a bitch is elected will be the last day of our lives as we know it.” And, “If that piece of shit makes it into office, Hanksville will disappear. We won’t be able to survive here and it will become the next ghost town in Utah.” Hanksville is my hometown. When I lived there the populations was about 250, but it’s now closer to 175. It’s in the middle of nowhere in southeastern Utah, but surrounded by some of the most beautiful parks Utah has to offer. Goblin Valley, Lake Powell, Capitol Reef National Park, The Arches, the Henry Mountains, etc. The odd thing about the people there though, is that they aren’t fans of the BLM or SUWA or environmentalists. They believe they can take care of all that land themselves and don’t need any authorities telling them how it’s done. And by the way my dad was talking, I was sure Bill Clinton was going to turn our entire town and the 100 mile radius around it into protected wilderness area and we would be driven out like the pioneers.

On election day, I stayed up with my dad to find out who won. When the word came that William Jefferson Clinton would be our next president, I slowly walked back to my room, laid down on my bed, and cried for a good 30 minutes until I fell asleep. At school the next day, I kept asking all of my friends if they knew what was going on and if they were scared. Nobody else seemed to have a clue what I was talking about, so I just told them to wait it out and they would see. Years later, it was obvious that my dad’s predictions had been ridiculous, even though he claimed the Grand Staircase National Monument was exactly what he was talking about. Even though Hanksville never changed, and life as I knew it continued to improve, something inside of me never liked President Clinton until I got to college and learned the truth about his presidency, of course.

Last night, we witnessed American history, and most of us were a part of it. We elected our country’s first black president. I’m still in shock, but happier and more proud than I’ve been in a really long time. For a while I was unsure that we were capable of doing something so momentous in my lifetime, which, I’m sure, is why I am still in awe. I can’t wait to see what the next four years bring us. I am almost certain things will only go up from here. But, despite my elation last night, my dad reminded me of the feelings I felt last time a Democrat took over the white house. He had to call me and say, “I’m wearing all black tomorrow to mourn the death of our country.” And, “you won’t be celebrating when gas is $15 a gallon and you have to wait in line for a bowl of soup.” No wonder I cried myself to sleep 16 y ears ago! My dad is such a drama queen! Thank goodness I broke the mold and went to college, otherwise I might still believe him. And for all of you out there who do believe him, or have similar thoughts, calm down and try reading more than just the Enquirer! The best is yet to come.

better than Christmas!!

ok, I know, I've neglected my blog the past month. but, hey, give me a break, I've been really busy! and tomorrow is ELECTION DAY! how exciting! I couldn't not post something. everyone get out and vote. I don't care how ridiculous the electoral college is, we all need to be a part of this historic day. and just in case you haven't been following all of this, check out these sites first.

Barack Obama

John McCain

Now, VOTE OR DIE! that's right, I quoted P Diddy! I'm that dorky... let's all pray my spirits are this high late tomorrow night. that's right - GO OBAMA! happy election day! see you all in a couple days.

one more rant

ok, just one more. for now, anyway. :) Keith Olbermann is amazing, and his "special comment" last night left me speechless. It's something that has needed to be said for years, as it is a situation that has been getting worse and worse every year. Thank you Keith Olbermann for pointing this out, and doing it so well. his right to do this without fear of losing his life or his job is one of the reasons I love America. enjoy!

enough!

did you listen to Obama's speech at the DNC? if not, here's your chance! despite how crazy my life is right now, I am doing the best I can to follow the general election, and every time I get a chance to listen to a speech or read into the headlines, I am consumed by some pretty powerful emotion. I usually have to keep this bottled up in respect to almost everyone around me, so when I read this post on dooce.com, it made my day. granted, I would put things a little differently than she does, and use different language, but I felt a lot of pride reading this and I am in awe of her ability to put the exact things I feel into words. if you're interested at all in why I have absolutely no interest in McCain and Palin, please read her post called And... boom.

PS - I am really far behind on my blog, sorry about that. hopefully I will find time on Sunday to post about Australia and the last minute trip to Seattle I took last weekend.

shout out to b-rad!

I have to give a shout out to a post that my friend Brad wrote. I pretty much fully agree with every word and want you all to have a read. it's called My Bleeding Heart.....bleeds for everyone .

after reading it, let me know if can you honestly blame me for being a liberal. ;) thanks, Brad, for finding the words that I couldn't seem to.

i heart obama

so, i seriously heart barack obama. i have been supporting him for about four years now. that's right. i supported him when nobody else thought he had a chance. he is close, he really is! nothing makes me happier right now. i have never donated to a campaign before. i have donated to the party, but not a campaign. yesterday i donated to the obama for america campaign. obama gives me hope. i don't think i have ever had hope for this country. i have always wished i had been alive during the kennedy years. people were inspired and involved then. people cared. but, most importantly, people had hope. i want someone i can believe in. obama is that man. i hope the remaining primary states see what i do...

the ballots are counted

I love election days. one of my goals is to take election day off as often as I can and spend the day helping with get out the vote efforts. I would have loved to be able to do that yesterday. I love the excitement and electricity in the air, and watching people march to the polls to exercise their rights. they are always smiling, which is a relief to see. it's the day that everyone finally puts aside the differences that have been hashed and rehashed for months and just all come together as Americans doing something that we are very lucky to do. oh, gosh, I sound way cheesy patriotic. forgive me... unfortunately my day was packed and I didn't even get to vote until half an hour before the polls closed. but, I did vote, and watch the news to make sure Ralph Becker won, and he did! I've been supporting him for SLC mayor for about a year, I have volunteered, and one of my best friends in the whole world, Steve Borg, is his finance director. I'm mostly just happy for Steve, who better have a job in the mayor's office come January. I also wanted to make sure Referendum 1 didn't pass, and it sure didn't. I am still surprised at how much it lost by. I guess I shouldn't lose my faith in Utah voters just yet... anyway, I hope you all got out and voted yesterday, and if you didn't, come November 2008, no matter who you are voting for, I will be dragging you to the polls!

the PURSUIT of happiness

one of my friends recently asked me who wrote the phrase "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." it was Thomas Jefferson, although he basically just altered an original quote by John Locke. anyway, it got me thinking. yes, this is going to be another one of my "deep thought" posts... bear with me. in the movie, the pursuit of happyness with Will Smith, he says, "it was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. and I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? that maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. no matter what. how did he know that?" I remember having a pretty heated conversation with some friends and Professor Roberds in college about whether or not we can ever really achieve true happiness in this life, and I still don't know whether or not I believe we can. but, that isn't what I want to focus on. it's the pursuit. whether we believe we can achieve it or not, the important thing is that we keep trying. our pursuit for happiness may be a life-long adventure, it may seem never-ending, but we really shouldn't ever give up. can you imagine if we all did? ...maybe the pursuit is what makes us happiest. maybe its the work. I know that I am happiest when I am busy, and when I am working on my goals. ...anyway, just some thoughts.

almost famous

one of my friends that I used to work with out in DC now writes for the Washington Times. and because he is awesome, and knows how awesome I am, he quoted me in an article he wrote yesterday! so, if you want to know a little about how I feel about Bush and the war, check it out here:

No one is neutral on Bush war veto

you have got to be kidding me

first of all - YAY! WE WON!!! I have been meaning to post my excitement since it happened, so sorry it is so late. anyway, election night was the best. I went to Orem to Bethanie Newby's party and then hung out with my best friends, steve and marti, watching the results come in until about 3 AM. I couldn't have chosen a better way to celebrate. Bethanie didn't win, but that was expected. somehow, Utah is always an exception. I have no idea what it will take to give the Ds more power in Utah. I mean, democrats won all over the country, most of them in pretty shocking races, but Utah didn't change one bit... anyway, I'm super stoked about the national results and cannot wait until January when the 110th Congress takes power!

okay, remember when I said that the universe works against me? well, this past week was no exception. I got the flu. I was really sick, but work was too crazy and there was no way I could take a whole day off. so, on Thursday I slept in, took a hot bath, and then headed to work. It started snowing on the way and at the intersection of state and 4th South I was stopped at a red light when I got rear ended! I was the third car in the line, so it wasn't horribly bad, but my bumper got cracked. I had to wait for the police, and the paramedics wouldn't let me turn my car on so I sat there in the freezing snow filling out paper work and waiting... the good thing was that the paramedic was cute and asked for my number! the bad thing was that I was involved in another accident. this is my third bumper in the past 6 months! I am definitely tired of this. anyway, the guy's insurace got my car in the shop and me into a rental the very next morning, which is good. but, they put me in a HUGE TRUCK! haha! Its a 2007 Dodge Ram. It is nice, and only had 160 miles on it, but it is so huge! I hate driving it. and I know people see me driving it and laugh or stare. I had to call my brother so he could tell me whether to put gas or diesel in it... my friends and I drove it around Friday night though, and that was a lot of fun. the other trick the universe played on me this weekend was pretty painful. I have to be to church early so that I can print off the programs and hand them out. I was wearing my black heels and I had to park on the street because I was afraid to take the monstrosity I have been driving into the parking lot among all the other tiny cars. so, as I was walking downhill on the pavement around the side of the building, the bottom of my heel broke off and I slipped. I landed on my left knee and it slid across the asphalt. I felt the skin being ripped off! it was VERY painful. and I couldn't leave so I spent all of sacrament meeting wiping the stream of blood and clear goo off my leg. I spent all day cleaning it with peroxide and smothering it with pain relief neosporin. and today it actually hurts worse. I would post a pic, but I refuse to litter my blog. ;)

we had a girls night on Friday and went to an SUU Alumni event. we went to the hardrock and had appetizers, and then we went to the U and watched the T-Birds kick the Ute's @$$! :D It was great fun. PLUS - I got another catering job out of it! I will be catering the alumni scholarship fundraiser at Hale Theater in a couple months! I really hope this helps me get more catering gigs. I love it! plus, the money is nice... okay, so maybe things are looking good.

my america

my ideal America probably wouldn't have political parties. my America would consist of a population that voted for a candidate based on what they stood for and how they were going to better their lives and the general state of the union. negative campaigning wouldn't exist, and more than 70% of the eligible population would vote. I know that is seriously stretching it, but we're talking about my dream situation, right? ...I have been thinking a TON about this lately. Alex's comment got me started so I thought I would make a full blog about it...

I hate that you have to play dirty to win, and that it is all about scheming and manipulating and strategy instead of the issues and the worthiness of the candidate. I have spent numerous hours, even months of my life, trying to figure out what needs to be done in order to change the way the system works. but, the only way I can see this happening, is for the American people to change the way they react to it all. Americans thrive on it. they vote based on fear, not hope. what I wouldn't give for them to vote for the person that they believe in - the person that is going to make things better for them. instead, they vote against people. they are scared of change, they are scared of candidates that are open-minded enough to go against the system. and they are unimpressed by those that are honest and sincere. I have seen it time and time again because I have been fortunate enough to work for candidates that are great people. they were actually honest and sincere, and they had America's best interests at heart. they would have made a very positive impact on our government. but, they always lose...

I will admit that voters have probably been negatively tainted by the way politicians have acted, and that they have lost faith, and for good reason. but, that isn't what matters. we could go back and forth all day about how we got where we are, but, what we really need to talk about is what we can do to change things...

now, that aside, and I know I might get blasted for this, and I will also admit that I am a bit ashamed of it, but - I LOVE campaigns, elections, and politics. I thrive on it. and - I am good at it. I know how the system works and I have learned how to manipulate it. I do want to be a political consultant. now, I either want this because I am a bad person that somehow thrives on all of this nonsense and see this as a legit way to deceive, strategize and manipulate, or I want it because I am smart and I know the only way I can make a difference is from the top. my hope is to climb my way up and become the democratic Karl Rove, and then do what I can with my power and influence to make the changes that both of us want to see. I hope I can do it. we'll see how it goes if I ever get there.

as far as the two-party system goes, I actually like it. I do know that because of it, there will never be a party that anyone completely agrees with, BUT - hear me out. there are usually two sides to an argument. at least there are two sides that the average person can understand. I know there can be more, but the majority of people only understand or care about the two major ones. so, having two parties makes it less complicated and easier on the American people. also, I love that power goes back and forth between the two parties. both parties have strenths, and the strengths of one overcome the weaknesses of the other. so, the republicans have had power for 12 years and have done the good that they can, and now the democrats are going to come in and do the good that they can, recovering where the republicans were weak, or messed up. it sort of balances out. it takes a lot of time, and costs a lot of money, but it sort of works out in the end... that is a VERY brief and shallow explanation of how I feel about it. these are the thoughts running around in my head during this election cycle. that, and pure bliss and excitement for the results tomorrow!

boo!

it's Halloween. everyone around me is getting lost in corn mazes, dressing up, peeing their pants at haunted houses and living it up at parties. but I'm just not feeling it this year. I would rather spend my time consulting with Steve on a state senate race we have been working on for Bethanie Newby, an amazing candidate, or watching MSNBC and CNN, reading the paper, or browsing these websites: The New York Times Maps, articles by my former boss The Famous Chuck Todd, and the blog at my past employer, the only one I miss and regret leaving, The Hotline. I sill hold on to the hope that I will work there again one day...

call me a nerd, but this election is monumental! at least for me. my party is fianlly going to take control again! it will be the first time since I made my debut in the political world. for the past 6 years, 4 of which I was working on numerous campaigns and democratic platforms, we have had to wallow in the Republican shadow, looking like a bunch of powerless, weak fools. so, to say the least, this election day is going to give me plenty of reason to celebrate, but until then, sometimes I feel like I can't breathe - I'm so excited! but, I am so used to losing and being disappointed that I'm not allowing myself to get my hopes up too high. on november 7th, the results will be in, and I will finally exhale and celebrate! but, not for too long because it will then be time to get to work on getting a dem in the door of the white house in 2 years.

cabin fever

I spent the weekend with one of my best friends at his family's cabin at Strawberry Reservoir. this was my third trip up there this year. it was a great time. I always love spending time with Steve, and this weekend I realized we have been friends for 6 years. wow! time sure flies... when you're having fun that is! and seriously, the location of their cabin is amazing. it is sooooooo beautiful up there. it was refreshing, and if it wasn't for the fact that we were having too much fun to sleep, I would feel completely refreshed today. here are some pics of how beautiful it is:




anyway, Steve and I are political buddies. well, our friendship is obviously deeper than that, but we share political beliefs, we both worked on the Gephardt for President campaign (I was in Iowa, he was in New Mexico), we lived in DC together, and we were both involved in all things democratic politics at SUU. so, naturally, when we are together we talk politics. Its actually great to have someone to talk to that thinks and reads the same things I do. :) we are both fascinated by elections and have worked on numerous campaigns, so our main topic of discussion was how the elections are going to turn out next month. we are both dying for Ds to regain power (and no, not just to win the bet I made with my Grandpa). I will be the first to admit that both parties are corrupt, but damn! look at all the scandal the Republican party has surrounded itself with over the past couple years. Jack Abramoff, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay, THE IRAQ WAR, and now Mark Foley. if they don't lose control of at least the House this election, I will have lost all faith in American voters (and that is something that has been hard to bring back after I lost it at the 2004 Iowa Caucus). if all of this doesn't cut it, I don't know what would. for a party that seems to claim stake on all things moral, they sure do come with a lot of "sin". ...these seem to be dark days for the Republican party, I just hope November proves that it actually is. I guess that is one great thing about America - no one party can stay in complete power for too long. at least I hope so anyway.

anyway, that is my political rant for now. I better get back to the corporate advertising drudgery...