Marion's Blog

I'm in Favor of Health Care Reform!

I'm going to do something today that I haven't done in the almost five years that I have been blogging. I am going to take a political stand. Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By asked that elder bloggers stand up and be counted about where they stand on health care.  I am for health care reform for the following reasons

• It bothers me tremendously that 15% of Americans have NO health care coverage (cit. census.gov). We spend more on health care than 191 other countries studied and are ranked 72nd by overall level of health (cit. WHO). These numbers are all related. We can do better. I hate that as a country we are so second class, actually 72nd class in this department. I hate that the French, The English, The Canadians etc can all look down their nose at us when it comes to health care.
• It bothers me that we ration health care today by how much money you make or we just let the insurance companies ration it. That just seems wrong to me. I unfortunately listen to Hannity and Limbaugh when I am in the car with my Dad. Both men rail against health care rationing as though the rationing we have today does not exist.
• It upsets me that my daughter who has diabetes probably would have a very hard time if her company went belly up. When my second daughter's company went out of business cobra coverage wasn't even available. How could either of my daughters possibly afford health insurance as an entreporeneur. They both have pre existing conditions.
• As my Dad has spent so much time in the hospital lately I have seen how wasteful our current system is and how it rewards the wrong things. For example Dad's doctor said he could be released from the hospital but they kept him and charged Medicare for another night because they couldn't arrange transportation to the rehab facility. I am convinced that the shortage of transportation was no accident.
• On the whole people with Medicare like it. My Dad who is a Rush Limbaugh Republican and who has Medicare and great cheap secondary insurance through his former employer has no complaints about Medicare. A lot of people think government can't possibly run an insurance program well but it seems to me that Medicare is proof that a public insurance program can work.
• People say we can't afford health care reform. Given how much health care costs today I don't see how we can afford not to change the current system.
• When Duke and I left California we had to give up Kaiser where your medical records were computerized. When you had a test at Kaiser it was in the system, when you had a prescription it was in the system. The system I deal with for my Dad where the only one who knows what meds he is on or what is medical history is or his history of tests is him is stupid.

My friend Myrna forwarded to me this email from David Axelrod. I think it makes the case much better than I have. I urge you to read it.

Ronni Bennett who launched today as elders for health care reform is collecting and listing on her site blogs from elders on this subject. I Like what she says about why we need to stand up and be counted. (I'm an over 50 elder even if I am too young for Medicare)

" It has already become a kneejerk reaction for reporters on television, the internet and in print to preface their reports on town hall meetings and other reform events by noting that participants are mostly old people. Their references are sometimes snide and dismissive as they point out the ignorance on display and the raucous nature of the gatherings.

I want to believe those elders are a tiny minority. Let's show the internet world tomorrow why we believe all citizens should have coverage at least as good as the Medicare we enjoy."

I have always believed that the private sector is more efficient and better at getting things done than the government but I now believe that in the case of health care other countries are right and we are wrong. We need to give the government responsibility for continuous improvement in the quality and cost of health care. Every American should have basic health insurance coverage. Our medical system can and should lead the world.

Voting - John Marshall by John Edward Smith

I love voting. It is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. It makes me feel good. I just walked up to the Aspen Lodge and cast my vote. There was no line so I didn't even need to use the book I brought along to read if I had to wait in line.

I am reading John Marshall by Jean Edward Smith  and I am really enjoying it. I just read about the congressional election of 1799. Marshall was running against John Clopton in a very close race. I love Smith's description of the voting process

" Election day, April 24,1799, had a festive air about it. There were no written or printed ballots at that time in Virginia, and the voter merely announced his choice to the election judges seated behind a long table placed on the courthouse green. Suffrage was limited to male freeholders twenty-one or older, and it was customary for the candidates to sit alongside the judges, where they acted as scrutineers. When a voter announced his choice, the candidate for whom he voted rose, shook the voter's hand. and thanked him for his support. All of this took place before a partisan crowd that grew in size as the day wore on. Each party provided a barrel of whiskey, and voters often tested both barrels before making their choice. The liquor warmed the spirits of the crowd, who greeted each vote with the appropriate cheers and catcalls.The contest between Clopton and Marshall was tight, and throughout the day the lead shifted back and forth between the two men. Each party worked hard to get absent voters to the courthouse"

In the end Marshall won by 114 votes.

Irrational Optimism

I read both conservative and liberal blogs.

I like Digital Rules by Rich Karlgaard on the right and Robert Reisch's Blog on the left, to name just two.
In all cases I enjoy thoughtful discussion and am always depressed by extremism.

I was especially depressed recently when one of my Dad's doctors in all seriousness told us that he believes that Obama is a sleeper cell agent of terrorists. And then even more depressing the next day a blackjack dealer openly displayed her racism when she told us she was appalled that we might actually elect a black man. Both of these people are in professions that usually keeps their political opinions to themselves which makes you wonder  if they are just the tip of the iceberg. Depressing!!

For me the bottom line is in a comment I recently made on another Blog.

In either case you have to hope.
If I vote for McCain I am hoping he will be more like he used to be before he ran for president and will not be like he is now.... pandering to the far right.

If I vote for Obama I am hoping that in spite of his liberal voting record he will govern from the center.

It probably comes down to irrational optimism in both cases. I'm inclined to believe in Obama more than McCain.

Which delegates were seated?

If you have been following my posts about the feud within the Nevada Republican party you know that two different groups selected delegate to the Republican National convention. It was left up to the national party credentials committee to decide which delegates to seat.

One group of delegates was selected by the party insiders. After the insiders lost control of the state convention they ended the convention and later had the central committee name the delegates privately.

The other group of delegates was elected at a second convention that was primarily made up of Ron Paul supporters. When the insiders blocked their efforts to elect Ron Paul delegates at the original state convention they held their own convention and elected their own set of delegates.

So the decision of which delegates to seat was left to be decided by the credentials committee which met in private last Saturday.

According to the Reno Gazette Journal:

"Ultimately, a national contest committee rejected both delegations and named a compromise slate that included four Paul supporters and 27 delegates originally appointed by the party.
In its report, the contest committee slammed the state party’s “ineptness” in mishandling the delegate election that left out the “grass-roots”.
“The committee finds the state party’s delegate selection process flawed, inadequate and unacceptable,” the report said."

"Nevada Chairwoman Sue Lowden defended the state party............

But she challenged the idea that "nine people on a committee" had the standing to judge the party "inept."

"It's unfortunate they would use that particular word, and I've been assured they will make it up to us," she said."

It will be interesting how this soap opera impacts the way Nevada Republicans vote in November. I used to think it would make them stay home but I have come to the conclusion that it will be old news by then and they will come out and vote for the McCain- Palin ticket.

In any case it has been entertaining to watch. I certainly have found my first introduction to party politics educational.

Chihuly, DeYoung Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Duke, and McCain's Hand

Life has been hectic around here lately. Right after we got back from Iowa I made a trip to San Francisco for a girls weekend with a couple of friends. Among other things we saw the Dale Chihuly exhibit at the DeYoung Museum.

I enjoyed the Chihuly show and also really enjoyed going up in the new observation tour at the DeYoung. Here is a picture of the view from the tour. The building in the front is the new California Academy of Sciences which opens in a little over a month. Their website is cool. I can't wait to visit the new academy when it opens.

The day after I got back from San Francisco  McCain was in Sparks (right next to Reno) for a Town Hall meeting. Duke and I went to see him. I continue to be impressed by his honesty and competence but he sure doesn't create enthusiasm. One guy McCain called on said "When I vote for you I won't be voting for you I will be voting against Obama because I don't believe you are a conservative. Tell me why you think you are a conservative." I thought McCain gave a pretty good answer but I don't think he convinced the guy who asked the question. After the meeting was over Duke went down front and got to shake McCain's hand. He got stopped on the way down and was told by a secret service agent to take his hands out of his pockets.

 

The day after the McCain visit my sister came to spend a few days with us and visit Dad. My Daughter and her family came for one night and my niece also stayed with us for a few days. It was all a lot of fun and and My Birthday was in there too.

Nevada Republican Executive Committee will Pick Delegates to National Convention

If you have been reading my posts about the Nevada Republican state convention or if you have been following the story in the news you know that the original Republican State Convention was adjourned after the Ron Paul delegates staged a coup. The party elite said that they would schedule a reconvened convention soon. The original convention was April 27. They finally got around to scheduling a part 2 convention for this Saturday July 26. The Reno Gazette Journal ran a story Friday saying the new convention has been canceled and the party central committee will pick state delegates to the national convention. I think this was what the party elite wanted all along after the Ron Paul supporters took over the first convention and it was clear that if the convention elected delegates they would be Ron Paul delegates not John McCain delegates. I'm a John McCain supporter but his back room politics makes me question whether I want to be a loyal Republican in the Fall!

The next chapter of this cliff hanger drama will be when the national Republican party credentials committee meets to decide whether they should seat the delegates picked by the central committee or the delegates picked by the Ron Paul supporters at the alternate part 2 convention they staged on June 28. I wonder if the meeting is open to the public. It would be very entertaining to listen to the arguments.

Update 8/8/08: I emailed the party and asked them whenthe Credentials committee meets and whether it is open to the public. Here is the answer:
Hello and thank you for your interest in the 2008 Republican National Convention.
The Convention Committees that meet the week prior to the convention are not open to the pubic.
Thank you for your questions.

Nevada Republican State Convention Alternate Group Tries to Reconvene

Last April the Nevada Republican party held the state convention to elect delegates to the national convention. The convention didn't go as scripted by the party bosses and the Ron Paul faction of the party was able to pass a rules change that said all nominated delegate candidates should be voted on. Soon after that the convention chairman abruptly recessed the convention, saying it would be reconvened at a later date.

I am a  state Republican delegate and since the April convention I have received announcements about two different attempts to reconvene the convention. The official party date to reconvene the convention is Saturday July 26.

Yesterday a splinter group of Republicans who feel that the state party is trying to disenfranchise them reconvened the convention on their own. Most, if not all, of them are Ron Raul supporters who feel that the Nevada Republican bosses are trying every trick in the book to make sure that the Nevada delegates to the national convention are McCain supporters.

I received the announcements about the alternate convention. I didn't want to contribute to their numbers and to their ability to get a quorum but I was curious about  the convention so yesterday I went to it, got a visitor badge and listened for a while.

It certainly wasn't a diverse cross section of Republicans. There was unanimous support to nominate and elect Mike Weber as chairman. I called Weber a jerk in an earlier post. I'm sorry about that. You have to admire someone who cares so passionately about politics and who is wiling to work so hard for what he believes in.

It was very clear that Weber and his friends had scripted this convention to take the steps that they believe will allow them to make a case for their delegates being recognized by the national Republican Party. Weber said that to make the case for yesterday's convention being official they have "a small hole to get through".

They made a big deal of the fact that a list of the delegates to the April convention was never released. They announced that delegates not present at yesterday's continuation of the April convention are in dereliction of their duty and therefore the 352 delegates present yesterday constituted a quorum. I left before they elected delegates but Local So-and-So another Republican blogger who attended yesterday wrote a good post about the convention .

While I was there I did get interviewed by the Associated Press reporter, Martin Griffith and I got quoted in this mornings paper.  As I said to Griffith it doesn't bode well for McCain's chances in Nevada that 352 Nevada Republicans were willing to go through all that was necessary to make this alternate convention happen.

On the other hand, there were 1,347 delegates at the April convention. If the 352 delegates present yesterday were enough to reconvene then wouldn't 5 also have been enough to reconvene. It doesn't seem to me that the delegates elected yesterday should be seated at the national convention. I wonder how many people  will attend the 'official ' state convention at the end of July. This saga will be continued.

Mike Weber being interviewed by AP reporter Martin Griffith.

The rest of my pictures from the convention are on Flickr  here.

The Navada Republican Party Delegate Selection Soap Opera

There is a fight going on in the Nevada Republican Party. It is certainly entertaining to watch although it seems rather a tempest in a teapot that doesn't really matter in the scheme of things. 

As I described in my posting about the Nevada Republican Party Convention the April 26 state convention which was abruptly adjourned without selecting delegates to the National Republican Convention. Since the convention was adjourned, two different groups have announced different dates and places for the convention to reconvene. Both groups are claiming to have no agenda other than fairness and both groups are being disingenuous and are insulting our intelligence.

The official call to reconvene the convention comes from Sue Lowden, Chairman of the Nevada Republican Party. The convention scheduled by Lowden, representing the party elected officials, is scheduled for July 26. Nowhere in the letter announcing the new date does she acknowledge that others are also trying to reconvene the convention. I assume that the party insiders are figuring that there will will not be quorum on July 26 and that as a result the insiders i.e. the central committee will have to appoint the delegates. How else can you explain the delay from April to just a month before the convention to reconvene. To give the insiders credit, they do ask in their letter for us (the delegates) to indicate if we would prefer a mail in ballot instead of reconvening.

The other call to reconvene the convention is from a group of people who have sent an email to delegates asking us to attend a reconvened convention this Saturday June 28. They claim that  "This is not about one candidate vs. another; this is about our rights as state delegates to have our voices heard, and finish the process we started on April 26th."  Give me a break. These people are Ron Paul supporters who are angry at the Republican establishment.  Who can blame them. George Bush represents the party establishment and I am angry at him. If I am representative of Republicans then many of us are angry at the establishment. But I certainly don't support Ron Paul. Others just don't feel represented by McCain and want to make a statement. By claiming to not have an agenda the rogue group  insult my intelligence just as much as the party establishment.

It seems to me that the party insiders have the rules on their side. Sue Lowden (chairman of the Nevada Republican Party) makes her case on her pseudo blog here. I call it a pseudo blog because she clearly doesn't seem to understand that a blog is supposed to be about conversation. Reading the comments on her blog makes it clear that polite dissenting opinions voiced in comments have been deleted. Lowden's argument for the alternative convention being illegal is well stated but she should have just posted it clearly on the web site. Don't start a blog if you want to dictate. Blogs are for discussion not laying  down the law. Lots of companies and groups don't get this. Allowing people to be heard is how you build support for a position. I can get behind a position I don't agree with but first I need to feel that my opinion and dissenting position has been heard. That is basic leadership. Sun Microsystems where I started blogging understood this in spades but my last employer certainly didn't get it and I don't think the Nevada Republican Party understands it at all. Apparently they only understand  laying down the law. I would love to blog for the party and apply the principals of change management that I learned in my corporate life.

Ah well..... the fight is entertaining to watch.  I'm sure there will be a fight in the credentials committee at the national convention but who cares... really what does it matter?? McCain is the candidate.

I haven't decided if I will attend the Ron Paul convention on Saturday. It might be entertaining to watch but I don't want to help them reach a quorum. Unfortunately I will be out of town when the official convention meets at the end of July so I won't be helping them reach a quorum either.

I applied to be a delegate to the national convention but assume that I will not be elected. It is interesting to see how the National Republican Party is handling bloggers. I wish I had applied to be an independent blogger to the national convention but the applications closed May 15 long before I knew whether I would be a delegate. To be honest I never thought I would be a delegate I just didn't get my application in in time. I guess if I accuse others of being disingenuous I'd better be crystal clear myself about my motives.

This soap opera will be continued in a future blog!

Will Obama build a team of Rivals?

Not too long ago I heard Obama talk about the Doris Kearns Goodwin book Team of Rivals. Recently I read Team of Rivals and loved it. I bet Obama will follow Lincoln's example and bring his rival Clinton into his cabinet. As I was preparing to write this post I Googled Obama and "Team of Rivals" and discovered that my prediction is not an original one. Among others Andrew Sullivan, who publishes The Daily Dish wrote about the same idea.

I Shook John McCain's Hand

 Last week I found out that John McCain was going to be in Reno on Wednesday and was doing a town hall meeting. I went and thoroughly enjoyed it. I even got to shake his hand.

I had to wait about 30 minutes to get into the Boy's and Girl's club where the town hall meeting was being held but I think pretty much everyone who wanted to did get in. There were about 600 people there. Before he came out they had all the Republican elected officials and candidates go behind the curtain, I assume to have their pictures taken with McCain. McCain was introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina. I wonder if he might be the vice presidential candidate.

McCain spoke for a few minutes before he started taking questions. It was interesting that the two subjects he chose to speak about were pork barrel spending and the war. He had a list of things from the farm bill and the latest emergency appropriations bill that  he used as examples of waste. He said he would veto bills containing wasteful spending. The list included things like 215 million for asparagus growers, 93 million for race horses, and 75 million for commercial fisheries. He said that Republicans allowed spending to get completely out of control and that Obama wants to continue more of the same.

On the war he said that  Obama has only been to Iraq once and won't sit down and talk to General Petraeus. He said that Obama wants to sit down and talk to the leader of Iran but not to General Petraeus. It has always seemed to me that a Presidential candidate going to Iraq is a lot of work for the military with questionable return on investment. But I suppose that hearing form the troops that are on the ground in Iraq is worthwhile. McCain gave an example. He said he knew that we were in trouble in Iraq right after the invasion when he visited Iraq. He said many soldiers came up to him and stressed the need for more troops.

After his brief speech McCain took questions. It is easy to see why he likes the town hall format. He is very good at engaging with people and answering their questions. When asked about increasing the use of nuclear power he pointed out hat he is a straight talker. He said that in Iowa he told the farmers that he is against Ethanol subsidies and although it may be unpopular in Nevada, he is in favor of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. John McCain does a very good job of building trust. I think that the fact that people believe they can trust him to be honest with the American people will be one of the main reasons that people vote for him.

There were a wide variety of questions. About health care for the working poor McCain emphasized his belief that the government should stay out of people's choices about health care. He said he favors giving people a $5000 annual tax credit for health insurance.

McCain was full of humorous quips. At one point he pointed out that France currently has a pro American president. McCain said it just shows that if you live long enough anything can happen.

Since the event I have been trying to synthesize my take aways from seeing McCain in person. I do trust him. I do believe that he would make a strong president and would not take us to war capriciously. I do worry a bit that Obama might be a weak president like Jimmy Carter.

McCain is quite low key which means he doesn't really build up excitement and enthusiasm in a crowd. But maybe that can work to his advantage. He has a realness that is appealing.

I do worry that McCain would be bad for the country economically. He certainly did nothing  in the town hall meeting to demonstrate his economic credentials.

All in all I am really glad I went. I still haven't decided who I am going to vote for in November but I feel better informed and I had a lot of fun. Oh, and now I can say I shook John McCain's hand. All I had to do was walk over to the ropes by where he was going to walk out and when he walked by I just stuck out my hand.