I have not always been in agreement with the ones who have occupied the White House in DC, but I have respected them for being the President.  I vote and I vote in every election.  Since I was 18 years old and first registered to vote, the only elections I have not voted in were when I was ill and could not get to the polls or the time I moved and didn’t make it to register in time.  I can count on one hand the number of elections I have not voted in.  What gets me is the most noise and lam blasting comes form those who do not vote.  I don’t think anyone should have the right to voice their opinions if they are not willing to get out there and vote.   Another thing about me when I voice my opinion, is that I do my research first.

I don’t just come in here and start spouting off (except this time) unless I have first researched what I am about to say in order to get my facts straight.  When I wrote my initial posts regarding the health care reform bill, I read all that I could find in print of what Mr. Obama said about it.  Then before I wrote my next post, I actually took the time to read the bill (most of the politicians voting on it never read it.  They just read the Cliff-notes).  I am still re-reading the bill in order to write my follow-up post since the bill was signed in.

Right now there is a lot of protesting going on in Arizona claiming that the Governor signed a law legalizing racial profiling.  Of course she didn’t do this, but some  feel this law which is getting tougher on illegal immigrants will cause undo racial profiling.  I have had a fascination with history since I was old enough to hear about it and retain what I was hearing.  There has been racial profiling since before there was a United States and a US government.  There has been profiling against Native Americans, Black Americans, Asian Americans, German Americans, Jewish Americans, Arab Americans, Mexican Americans and the list goes on.  Racial profiling is a fact of life all over the world.

Back to the reason for this post.  One thing that caught my eye was the last line of this spammers post and how they post on internet forums regarding how “SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right.”  This is the line which struck a nerve with me.  While no government is perfect, you can’t say that the government can’t do anything right.  If any government failed at doing anything right, then the country would cease to exist.  I may dislike many things about the United States government, but it does have many good qualities.  We have come so very far in many respects from our humble beginnings.  However, I also believe that there are some areas where we have not improved at all and in fact have digressed and even regressed.  If you are so very unhappy you have many options.  You can move to another country for starters.  Or you can shut your mouth and run for office to make changes in the laws.  At the very least you can shut your mouth and get off your bum to vote.

Having now been in office for 13 months it appears Mr. Obama’s approval ratings have been waning.  I have not conducted any scientific polls, nor have I spent an exuberant amount of time researching polls that have been conducted.  However, I can speculate as to the reasons.  All I really know is my own thoughts and feelings regarding the Commander-In-Chief.

I saw some of the interview that was done on CBS This Morning with Mrs. Obama.  If she was in earnest with her answers to the personal questions posed, then it would seen that Mr. Obama is trying to keep his personal family life real and intact.  This is admirable and should be applauded instead of  disparaged.  I send many kudos to anyone who can work in a public office and maintain as close to normal a family life as is possible for the situation.  Well done.

Personally, I watched eagerly from the first moment during the election as Mr. Obama began to push forth his on-going plea for health care reform (this started for him long before he began his run for the presidency).   Having a chronic illness, I know the cost of health insurance and how rates go up because you have to visit the doctor more than you used to.  Then I lost my job in October 2008 and learned the hard way the feeling of being turned down for insurance due to a chronic illness and finding prices so outrageous I couldn’t have afforded them with a good income, much less unemployment income.  As time went on I continued to watch.  I did not give in to the hype being lodged against the president by members of congress and senate.  I listened to Mr. Obama’s words.  It was his own words while addressing the Senate in September that turned my thoughts against the health care reform.  You can read my thoughts about that in a previous post.

Another issue that I believe has gone against Mr. Obama is his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2009.  Less then one year in office and he won the Nobel Peace Prize.  I wondered what he did to EARN it other than the fact that he has black skin and was elected as President of the US.  In his speech he acknowledged the fact that he had not fully earned the honor (indicating he feels he has begun to earn it) but in the same respect he did nothing to turn it down and have it given to someone who has truly earned it.

So what kind of a Commander-In-Chief is President Obama?  He can make speeches that are pretty and well written (credit goes to his speech writers).   He accepted a Nobel Peace prize he did not earn.  He has given indication he wants to bring our troops home (can’t do this completely as we have too many military facilities around the world in countries we have no business being in).  He wants to close Guantanamo Bay installations.  It seems however, he has one main focus for his time in office ~  health care reform bill.  He wants it the way he wants it and doesn’t care about how it will have an ill effect on the the majority of the United States.  This makes me wonder what his real agenda is.  Who will really benefit from this bill as he wants it passed?  My money is on the rich healthy people.  The Commander-In-Chief should have more on his mind for this country than one bill which is not a benefit to the country as a whole.  Perhaps if he broadens his vision his approval rating will rise again and not just because of the color of his skin, but because he is really making a difference.

Ms. Carlson wants to see the entire bill go through so she will not be denied health care.  I sent her a note via her website.  I spelled out how she is wrong.  This is a selfish act on her part.  I believe that she is aware of this.  She keeps stating this is all fer HER to be able to get benefits.  She does not have other people in mind as she sets out on her talk show arena.  I have blogged in the past about this health care reform bill.  I have read more of it than the politicians we are relying on to vote on our behalf.  The only good thing in the bill as it is written is the section that will make it illegal for insurance companies to deny someone benefits due to a pre-existing condition.  However, Ms. Carlson does not take into consideration that this bill will force everyone to buy insurance even if they cannot afford it.  Yes, there will be some allowance, but they are not very good ones.

In order for this to work, the government needs to revamp many areas, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.  President Obama has had one goal since running for office ~ Health Care Reform.  I watched him and listened to him as I was in favor of this myself.  I did not give into the belief that his reform would bring about euthanasia.  I did not listen to anyone but Mr. Obama.  Unfortunately, it was his words during his address to the Senate in September that turned me against his bill.  He is in a hurry to get this through in order to help a few people he has been trying to help since he first went into politics.  However, he too has missed the big picture, the helping of ALL Americans.  Until all Americans, or at least the largest population of Americans can benefit, this bill needs to be rewritten.  Doctors can increase their costs for people without insurance while charging insurance companies the minimal.  Alcoholics can get disability when alcoholism is their only disability, but people with heart disease and Meniere’s Disease cannot.  This is not a perfect country and the government only wants to put a coat of paint on a decaying wall.

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale struck the country of Haiti leaving devastation in its wake.  This is the first earthquake of this magnitude to hit the country in a century.  I have, watched passively the news casts containing graphic photos of the pain and destruction.  I spent a week in Haiti back in 1989.  During this week I celebrated my 24^th birthday.  While I did not go to Haiti to celebrate my birthday, it was an added bonus while I was there.  One of the shots shown on the news was the, now flattened, National Palace.  I looked away fast as tears began to well up in my eyes.  I remembered the day I took this photograph of that same National Palace.  Now it is rubble.

There have been so many thoughts going through my mind the past week since the story first broke of the earthquake.  I think about other natural disasters in recent history around the world.  I think about the loss.  And yes, I think about the time I spent there all those years ago.  I fortify my thoughts by looking through my scrapbook and remembering as if it were last week I was there.  As I look, listen and remember I find myself experiencing a wide range of emotions as well.  Sadness and heartbreak for all those who are there or have loved ones there.  I also feel relief as I know it could have been much worse.

The other emotion that seems to have taken over is anger.  Not because this happened, but anger over the reactions of some Americans.  I can understand they are grieving as their loved ones were there when the earthquake struck and have still not been found.  My issue is with them thinking and crying out as if American lives are of more value than other lives around the world.  There are still many Canadians, Europeans and especially Haitians unaccounted for.  There are over 100 UN staffers missing as well.  I hear the pleas of Americans begging the President of the United States to do everything possible to find the missing Americans.  Why are their lives more valuable?  From what I have seen in news reports the world around is sending aid in some form or fashion to try to find the missing and bring comfort and relief to the rest of the country.  There is nothing more that can be done than is already being done.

Human life is human life.  One life is not of more value than any other.  Narrow mindedness breeds resentment.  It is okay to grieve and want your loved ones back safely, but when you believe they are more important than another persons loved one, you make way for resentment.  I hope they find all those who are missing no matter their skin color, religion or nationality.  Hold good thoughts for all those who are missing, those who are injured, those who died and all their loved ones around the world.  Remember Haiti in all her beauty and splendor.  Like the grandeur found in this, the oldest church in Haiti.

I have loved jazz for a long time.  Jazz and blues are very closely related so I am a fan of each.  Seems everyone knows my favorite is Louis Armstrong.  It is often said that jazz is the black man’s music and white men have tried to take it for their own.  I have also heard it called African Music.  I honestly do not believe any of this.  Jazz is the music of peace.  It transcends race, gender and age to bring everyone together for a meeting of the heart, mind and soul.  President and Mrs. Obama were seated in the balcony with the honorees.  Secret Service were there as well.  The agents assigned to protect the president are to be alert and always focused on what is around them.  I usually think of Royal guards who aren’t allow to move at all while they are standing guard when I think of the Secret Service agents.  While the cameras were capturing the faces of those in attendance during the performances I watched.  During Dave Brubeck’s presentation I noted the faces and posture of those the cameras caught.  When they were focused on the First Couple I noticed the Agent seated behind them.  His eyes were focused and watching everything around them, but his head was moving to the beat of the music.

Wide shots throughout caught everyone with heads bopping, feet tapping and fingers drumming to the fine jazz music being played.  Black, white, Hispanic, male, female, actor, musician, president.  It didn’t matter who they were, they felt the heartbeat of the music that is jazz.  If it moves your body, even your toe to tap, then it has reached your soul.  And that is JAZZ.

Older than his run for the White House is Mr. Obama’s push for health care reform. In fact, this has been his passion from his days in the Senate. It seems that he has had a strong desire to improve a basic need of the citizens in this country. Looking back over Mr. Obama’s past speeches I found that he has mentioned America’s need for health care for at least the past three years.

As president of the United States, Mr. Obama found firmer footing to build his health care reform platform. He met with much opposition and rumors as to the actual truth about his proposal. One of the more prominent rumors was that the proposal was designed to euthanize the elderly. I am not given to follow idle rumors and chose to listen to the words of the one laying the plans.

My hopes continued to grow each time I listened to the president’s speeches addressing healthcare reform. All my adult life I have had health insurance through the jobs I have held. Mostly I would use this insurance for regular check-ups and examinations on the occasion I would become ill. In November 2004, I first presented with the chronic illness of Meneire’s Disease. For the first time I needed full use of my purchased health insurance. Instead of my insurance being a useful tool, it became a source of stress.

Working for a company with less than 20 employees each year our medical co-pay increased drastically. Only a handful subscribed to the insurance and only one of those had a chronic illness. I became downcast upon reading the memo from the insurance company that the reason for the increase was over use to the medical insurance in our company. I and the others knew who was to blame. My response was that it just doesn’t pay to get sick in this country.

October 2008, I lost my job due to the recession. I was given the papers to apply for the standard COBRA insurance that is offered to all insured employees who lose or leave their jobs for whatever reason thereby losing their medical insurance as well. This insurance is generally much more expensive than what one has been paying especially if the company has been paying part or all of the insurance coverage. On top of the added expense a person is expected to pay the fees minus the income they have been accustomed to receiving.

Unable to afford the cost of this insurance I began shopping around for insurance I could afford. My biggest obstacle is my pre-existing condition. All of the insurances are pretty much the same ~ buy the insurance for a year without them covering the pre-existing condition and at the end of the year they will let you know IF they will cover said condition. Chances are if you see a doctor or purchase medications regularly (which you do with chronic illnesses) you will NOT be covered after that year. Then you have wasted a year and all the money used to purchase the insurance.

Thanks to the wonderful world of the internet I have friends all over the world. Over the past eleven months I have chatted with them and on occasion mentioned that I had to cancel doctor appointments because I couldn’t’ afford to go. Those who live in countries with national insurance coverage couldn’t understand why I couldn’t afford to see the doctor. I would explain that our country doesn’t care enough to provide decent medical care for its citizens.

Several years ago I was classified as indigent and treated at the Health Department. We do have one clinic in town for those without insurance which charges on a sliding scale. However, they have a three month wait to see a doctor. At the Health Department the doctor refused to provide medication for my asthma, told me I had an upper respiratory infection and gave me a flu shot. No antibiotics or anything else to treat the infection. I got sicker until I passed out in congregation. A nurse and doctor in the congregation came to my aid. They were both appalled that the doctor would give me a flu shot while I was ill and not provide medications to get better. While I applied for TennCare at the time, I was denied the insurance. Since I was ill, I let the matter drop. Months later I was told by an employee at the Health Department that everyone is denied when they first apply. It is only in appealing that TennCare is granted.

Incidents like this are why I have been in favor of Mr. Obama’s health care reform. However, I changed my opinion when he addressed the Senate on September 9th. I originally planned to write this the day after, but came down with the flu and was in bed for several days. However, while I watched the speech I became doubtful and yes, even angry.

Mr. Obama and the others putting this together, in my opinion, are looking at it from the point of view of those who do not have a chronic illness and have never had to make a choice between purchasing their needed medications or groceries. The way I am reading this healthcare reform, it has way too many holes in it to be of good use to those who could truly benefit and need coverage.

It is my understanding that Mr. Obama wants to make medical insurance mandatory for all citizens the way auto insurance is mandatory for all drivers. To me, this is one more way the government is trying to control the citizens. If you can’t afford the insurance, you can get a waiver so you don’t have to have it. How does this help when many of those who can’t afford the insurance are the ones who really need it?

One big issue for me that Mr. Obama talked about was the coverage for pre-existing conditions. Again, Mr. Obama and his people don’t have a clue what they are doing or saying. Yes, he may make it illegal for an insurance company to deny coverage due to a pre-existing condition, but that doesn’t mean that have to cover the condition. I have been on this road for almost a year now and I am not buying what he is selling.

The United States is one of the richest countries in the world and yet she can’t take care of her own people. There are government employees, at all levels, making at and below poverty level. Wealthy celebrities go to other countries to adopt poor babies to give them a “good” home instead of adopting poor children in this country. I would love to see things come together to show that the United States government really does care about ALL its legal citizens. Right now, from where I stand, I only see the rich getting richer; the poor getting poorer; the healthy remaining healthy and the sick dying.