Why Haiti, Why Now?

I've been pondering an economic question posed by a dear friend of mine lately. She wondered with all the major economic troubles the US is facing right now that have the propensity to affect the lives of future generations of Americans, should we really be spending so many Federal dollars on Haiti relief right now--in a nutshell can we afford it.

I think it is important to mention that this friend ranks among one of the most compassionate loving people I know. For her this is a sincere question, not a political parlor game. And I share her concern about the structural deficit this country faces right now.

[For a great non-partisan and recent discussion about the deficit, see this NPR interview with former GAO chief David Walker about his new book Comeback America: Turning the Deficit Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility]

At first pass I could only speak from my heart: Haiti is suffering. Jesus said to care for the poor but also that the poor would be with us always. I know that I am called to help not to cure--for there is no human cure to all material suffering. But there is a spiritual realm that can be served on both sides with charitable works. To paraphrase Xavier's godfather, I am my most liberal when I am being a mother.

But the intellectual in me knows that this is an argument for an idividual or at most a corporation or community. It calls me to action. Despite the many voices otherwise, this is NOT a Christian country. It is influenced culturally and intellectually by Christian tradition but at its core it is a secular nation. I cannot honestly say that the national government is always called to the same level of virtue that a Christian individual is. But at the same time I'm too blinded by my own emotion to be comfortable with the ramifications of this.

In mulling over this conundrum with my husband over dinner he (ever the pragmatist) pointed out some very sound practical considerations to justify a large government expenditure on Haiti relief efforts.

1. Haiti is our close geographic neighbor. If they fall into complete chaos we will have a huge influx of folks floating over on innertubes and whatnot clogging our social services, prisons, tying up our Coast Guard, etc. It is in our interest to keep Haiti livable.
   
2. The amount we will spend in Haiti is miniscule compared to the deficit issue.
   
3. We would be publicly shamed on the world stage to ignore Haiti--China and Israel in particular have made huge and swift physical and monetary contributions to relief. This would hamper our future negotiating position with many countries on other issues particularly given our proximity and relative wealth.
   
4. Should Haiti fall in the hands of chaos it will become a safe haven a la Afghanistan for terrorists--only this one would be withing boating distance of our ports.
   
5. When we give aid to Haiti, we don't just write a check. It boosts commerce here at home. They need to buy tractors, communications equipment, food, etc. There is a financial kickback effect to our aid.
   
6. Finally, part of our greatness in the world community IS our historical committment to humanitarian efforts, for fighting for just causes. To lose that now would be pennywise and pound foolish.
   

Now, I don't claim that these arguments are irrefutable (I'm sure Rush Limbaugh would have some choice words for me) but they do seem a bit more palatable than my "because Jesus said so" to the general American public. Of course in all of this it is worth recognizing the huge amount of personal and corporate donations that have been flowing into Haiti relief as well.

In the end, I think I am back where I started. I still feel too emotionally bound up to make a purely intellectual case for federal aid. Today are the days that I'm happy to be just a mother and homemaker and not a politician.

My Brother's Keeper

I've had a few folks ask me lately about where I stand on the current healthcare debate and the prospect of blogging about it has really forced me to nail down my thoughts on the issue.

First I think I need to state that I have access to the best available healthcare today. We have comprehensive insurance through my husband's workplace and are avid users of our Flexible Spending Account. Growing up in a medical family I rarely went to the doctor--a habit I've carried into my adulthood. I was well into my 20s when I realized that most people went to the clinic when they had the flu that was creeping into pneumonia--I just had a relative or doctor friend call in a prescription. While I don't ask for medicines anymore, I still often go to family members for informal second opinions or medical advice. These informal medical consults were invaluable when I was paying for my own health insurance when I was a sole PR practicioner. All of this is to say that any form of healthcare reform probably won't affect my access to healthcare on a day to day basis. Although we are a healthy family, I estimate that about $15,000 a year goes towards our healthcare expenses--that includes the portion our employer pays for our insurance but excludes all but separate insurance costs for my stepdaughter. I can only imagine how much families who aren't in perfect health would spend.

I've also worked in my mother's clinic, as a PR consultant for medical companies and medical associations, and in a medical school and hospital. The maze of insurance reimbursements, Medicare rates, and referral systems is dizzying. My OBGYN's malpractice insurance is likely the equivalent of four years of our income. When Jack was in Texas Children's Hospital, day after day we saw the crowds of uninsured families crowding the first floor waiting room for the ER--for curable things like strep throat and migraines that had exaccerbated to emergency conditions. I have no doubt that the current system is disfunctional and costs are in rising loop that defies common sense. Access to decent basic healthcare is shrinking and there are powerful interests that can mimic and thwart true American interests.

When I form opinions I rely on my two guideposts: my moral grounding as a Christian and my civic values as an American. Now I'm not going to proclaim what Jesus would do with healthcare because I don't know. I'm sure I could find bible quotes that support any political position. But my faith tells me that there is inherent value in human life--even when a particular human may be less than perfect. I am particularly called to care for those who are set apart from typical society: the poor, the widowed, the sick. These are the people that Jesus cared about. I cannot say, well my family is fine so I can ignore these other folks.

There was a time that most hospitals were intertwined with faith communities--they still retain the vestigial titles of Hotel Dieu, Christus, Baptist, St. Mary's, etc. although they have long since been purchased by larger hospital companies. Even most community hospitals (founded by the local taxpayers acting collectively) have sold themselves to larger companies. We have all but divorced the collective or missionary purpose of healthcare from the practicalities of it.

On the flip side are my American values. I favor capitalism. While there is certainly a principle of free enterprise, I would argue that there is also a strong foundation of community collaborative effort in this country. While the Declaration of Independence promotes the "pursuit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" they followed it up with the Constituion with,

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,
promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America."

The problem with a blind devotion to free enterprise and letting the markets working out the details is that markets treat people as consumers--things. Healthcare is about profit now, not mission. As an American I am called to see people as my brothers and sisters, as fellow citizens. As a Christian I am called to see people as children of God. So I want to regard people as inherently sacred and not objects. But if we make capitalism a straw man, we fall prey to the communist trap which holds up the collective good in the form of the government as superior to the inherent value of the individual.

That's the push pull that I approach healthcare with. I don't want to destroy business altogether (even the immorally run ones) or ignore the struggling sick people (even the despicable ones who will take advantage of any system). Here's what I want:

• affordable access to health insurance
• reduced liability to doctors with tort reform
• uniform and streamlined billing and reimbursement processes
• incentives for improved personal health practices

With my taxes I currently pay for healthcare for those 65 and older, poor children, the disabled, the military, the native americans and veterans. I'm not asking for equivalent comprehensive, government-run healthcare for the rest of Americans...just access to decent basic care without risking financial ruin.

This week I took about 15 minutes to call my senators and representative to see where they stood on healthcare. Ted Poe and Kay Bailey Hutchison's offices simply stated that they were "against a public option" but didn't have further ideas. Senator Cornyn at least had a few positive bullet points and a website to give me. I let all of them know that I supported healthcare reform and that I am their consitutent. I encouraged my friends on facebook to do the same.

Now I know that at least 50% of my facebook friends hold different political views from me and may even oppose healthcare reform in its entirety. But I still hope they make a few phone calls even if they counteract the effect of mine. That's where my collective American values trump my personal interests.

I'm willing to be flexible with the ultimate policy changes but what I'm unwilling to do is accept NOTHING. I'm unwilling to accept a pseudo-policy engineered by monied, profit-driven interests or extremists. I've worked for grassroots projects and engineered "astroturf" projects as well. Astroturf works only if individuals let it. Astroturf folks pass out black and white hats, they namecall, they separate people. In short they turn us away from seeing people as children of God and see them as objects/obstacles. I find that immoral, unChristian, and unAmerican.

I believe in our country. I believe in democracy. I believe in the decency of the American public. I believe in the pursuit of greatness as a nation. I pray for God's guidance in our continued growth.

The Good Life

A few things have had me thinking about the Good Life these days. First of all, my friend Angie lent me her copy of Crunchy Conservatives, a book written by a fellow alum of LSMSA, conservative journalist, and lover of many things crunchy (organic foods, less suburban sprawl, natural living, etc.) I found myself agreeing with many of the author's personal convictions and came to the conclusion that I didn't really know what a political conservative WAS anymore. I grew up in the Regan era. Conservatism IS Regan, right? No regulation. Low taxes. Trickle-down-economics. Anti-communist. What I'm beginning to realize is that what I thought was conservatism was actually mostly partisan Republican sentiment. So I've started reading up on Russell Kirk and other "fathers of modern conservatism" to get a better understanding more of the theory that informs conservative thought.

With thoughts of what makes up the Good Life swirled in my head, I heard a broadcast on Oprah and Friends XM radio about the Law of Attraction. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, it is a loose synthesis of various philosophies and religious traditions boiled down to a single principle: What happens to you is the direct result of what kind of energy you put out in the universe. On the surface that doesn't seem too controversial -- sort of a New Age karma. But in practice a lot of LoAs (as its followers call themselves) apply this principle to tangible things like building a business clientelle, making more money, having better relationships. That's where it makes me a bit uncomfortable. Its a little too much like the Gospel of Prosperity theology for my tastes. Utilitarianism and spirituality are a touchy combination.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and I can find some inspiration in listening to a radio show about LoA. Specifically, the host mentioned that when we talk about what we want in life, we tend to frame it negatively or in terms of what we don't want. For example we tend to say things like "I don't want to be so stressed out all the time." instead of "I want my life to be carefree and peaceful." So as an exercise the host suggested focusing on one area in your life that is important to you and try to describe what you want in positive terms. Try it, it is a little tricky at first.

So I started thinking about my position as a homemaker. What do I want our home life to be like? I came up with five things:

• Welcoming. I want guests to feel like they belong the minute they walk in the door. I want to be able to offer a cup of tea of plate of sliced fruit to unexpected visitors.
  
• Calm. Some people love boisterous, noisy fun. So do I. Just outside. I've been moving toward creating more calm by limiting television and playing soft music.
  
• Orderly. A simple, clean environment makes me feel at peace. I work hard at making sure there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. It frees up the mind to focus on enjoying life.
  
• Enriching. Thoughtful books, nutritious and delicious food, good conversation. These are the things that truely bring color into life.
  
• Haven. Most of all, I want those in our home to feel as if they can drop their worries and insecurities at the door and find a place to rest in the here and now. If everything is working right, this is our little bit of paradise here on earth.

If I can make progress toward those goals, I will indeed be living the Good Life.

Thanks, Nancy!

Each Sunday, Tim and I enjoy eating brunch and watching This Week on ABC. It is a Sunday morning ritual that I have been doing since I was 11-years-old and the title of the program was This Week With David Brinkley.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi was interviewed about her views on the economy. If you click on the link and go about 45 seconds into the clip, you'll hear her say something to the effect of, "President Bush is finally coming around to recognize what any homemaker in this country could have told you several months ago."

Setting aside the debate of the state of the economy and what can or should be done about it, I want to point out how refreshing it was to hear the term "homemaker" being used in a positive and respectful tone--by one of the most powerful working women in the U.S. no less. We homemakers are typically a quiet bunch, tending to the cares and needs of our families and immediate communities. We don't practice microeconomics...we practice nanoeconomics.

For example, I can tell you without referring to reciepts or my price book that milk has increased from $3 to $4.25 per gallon in the past year. Bananas have gone from .29 to .49 per pound. Bread has gone up apporximately 25% as have eggs. These increases mean a few extra dollars go out of our grocery envelope each trip to the store. While that may not seem like a huge difference, just think about how loudly folks wail when gas prices go up .20 a gallon. Little increases on products that you use every day make a big dent in the family budget. If we are feeling the pinch, I can only imagine how tight things are getting for poor and working class families who have even less wiggle room in their finances.

So when politicians and lawmakers are debating about what to do (if anything) about the economy, I just simply ask that they take a step away from the big numbers (GDP, price of a barrel of oil, etc.) for a moment and tap into our country's nanoeconomic barometer: homemakers.

Babies for Obama

Xavier and I attended a precinct captain training session and local grassroots rally for Barack Obama.

The night before I created two t-shirts for us to wear. They were a big hit. Xavier enjoyed getting to meet so many new people. At first he cried a little whenever the crowd began to chant "Yes, We Can." I think he was a little scared. But by the end of the event he was smiling and waving along with the crowds.

It was so inspiring to be in a room of such a diverse crowd of people who were all coming together for a common cause. At one point during the training, we paired off to share personal stories of why we were supporting Obama's campaign. No two stories were alike but what seemed to be a throughline was that he was a face of a movement to cut through partisanship and devisive politics to bring a new era to American government.

Between the training session and the rally, Xavier and I left to go grab a bite to eat. When we came back, about half the folks in the room cooed and said, "Xavier's back!" It was as if he were Norm entering the Cheers bar. I have a feeling for the next three weeks, I'm going to be known as "Xavier's Mom" at campaign headquarters.

Even the local news crews weren't immune to Xavier's inherent charm. Check him out at the end of this clip: http://setxhomepage.com/media_player.php?media_id=5794 .