A Moral Imperative

The debate over health care reform is really quite simple. The talking heads would like you to believe it's complicated, but really - it's not.

It's a simple matter of answering the following questions:

• Do you believe that access to health care is a basic human right in an industrialized country?
• If you don't, then you've condemned thousands to die because they don't have enough money, or because they lost their job (and their health insurance), or because they're used up all their benefits and have no more assets to sell. While I find such a position morally repugnant, those who are honest about it at least have the courage not to weasel out of their self-serving narcissism by obfuscating.
  
• If you do, and you're intellectually honest, then you realize that such a position comes at a cost. That cost is...wait for it...HIGHER TAXES.

You don't get to say that you want universal health care (and a public option) out of one side of your mouth and then claim that such services won't result in higher costs. That's Bread and Circuses democracy, and that ways lies ruin. Somebody is going to pay. You can bet on it.

So it's simple - you either believe that basic health care is a moral imperative, and you're willing to pay for it, or you believe that the "fuck you, I've got mine" system is perfectly acceptable, and you don't want to give up any of your assets to assist those who need help.

I'm a self-described liberal. And I'm a fiscal conservative. The two are not mutually exclusive, and I believe the label used for people such as myself is "tax and spend liberal." I'm a proponent of social services that result in a higher quality of life for everyone, and I'm willing to be taxed at a higher rate to achieve that goal. What I'm not a proponent of is offering additional social services and then failing to provide sufficient funds to pay for them. A balanced budget is a thing of beauty, political hacks - learn it, love it, live by it.

Inspired by Jim Wright over at Stonekettle Station, this morning I've been thinking about how both sides of the health care debate are giving me high blood pressure with their partisan bickering. The basic issue is not rocket science, you weasels. Either you believe in universal health care, and you're willing to pay for it, or you don't give a good goddamn about it, and you're not.  Simple.

Now, execution? That's a different matter, and one of infinite complexity. Single payer, private insurance, public insurance, insurance exchanges, public options...it's mind boggling, and people of good conscience can disagree about the means we use to achieve health care reform.

But the partisan obfuscation, the grandstanding (*cough*Joe Lieberman*cough*), the sea of red herrings that are being thrown out in an effort to feather their own nests, or advance their own agendas, or save their campaign contributors? Transparent, buckos. Really transparent. And you're insulting my intelligence by attempting to make the issue into something it's not. I know health care reform is going to cost - I'm not stupid. And I'm willing to pay. For me, it's a moral imperative

Of course, not everyone feels that way. But can we at least be honest in the way we frame the debate?

Chicken and Dumplings, Where Have You Been All My Life?

I have a new cookbook. It's a Weight Watchers publication, and it's called Comfort Classics: 150 Favorite Home-Style Dishes. After perusing the contents together, the Smart Man asked me to try and make a recipe called "Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings." Evidently his Hot Mom used to make it periodically for him and my Smart BIL, so it really is comfort food for him.

Believe it not, I have never had Chicken and Dumplings. My own Hot Mom never made it, and in spite of being exposed to southern cooking on a pretty regular basis for the years I was in the Navy*, it simply never came up. So I girded my loins, and prepared the recipe (with extra coarse ground pepper).

ZOMG, YOU GUYS. CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS ARE SO GOOD. AND THE WEIGHT WATCHERS RECIPE ONLY HAS 5 POINTS FOR A BIG BOWL.

Ahem. Sorry about that. I'm still swooning with joy over the quasi-religious experience that is guilt free chicken and dumplings.

And if this cookbook was a boy, I would be totally marrying it and having its babies. For tonight's dinner, we're having "Home-Style Salisbury Steaks with Mushroom Gravy," and tomorrow it'll be "Spicy Shrimp and Rice." Who knew that healthy, low-fat, low-cal eating could be so yummy?


*The American south has a strong tradition of military service. Because of this, military culture is strongly influenced by southern culture, and so aspects of the south have crept into military life. Many military people I know use the phrase "fixing to" and "y'all," and Yanks like myself are also exposed to southern cooking. For which I am grateful.

The Cheerful Hats of Venus Vaughn*

Occasional commenter and aspiring romance writer Venus Vaughn ponied up the scratch for some yarn for the Excelsior House hat project. The only request she had was that the yarn I selected for her contribution be "cheerful," so I chose this fun, bright, patterned yarn.

The Excelsior House hat count is now at 122.

*The title of this post reminds me of a children's book, which makes me inappropriately happy. "The Cheerful Hats of Venus Vaughn, an inspiring tale of happy-making hats and their generous owner!"  Shut up. I know what you're thinking. The truth is that I'm now starting to dream of knitting hats, and my inappropriate giggling is better than the alternative, which would involve an automatic weapon of some sort with a knitted cozy.

Weight Watchers Update

The last several weeks I've been a bit lackadaisical about my Weight Watchers program, and (of course) that lack of discipline was being reflected in my results. So this week I recommitted to the program, and lost 3.8 pounds, bringing my total weight loss to 31 pounds. My short term goal is to reach 35 pounds by the end of the year, a goal I think I can easily achieve, in spite of the holiday season. For those of you keeping track at home, I only have 1.5 pounds to go before I reach the 50% mark. 

So I'm back on track, and realized for the first time today how much I'd actually lost. I've had to start wearing smaller size jeans and such, but it's so hard for me to be objective about my own body, I just don't see it.  Which is, of course, how I got into so much trouble in the first place.

But inspired by Megan, I went looking for a "before" picture, intending to post it with my not-yet-taken svelte photo once I reach my goal.  I found one, and YIKES. I really have lost quite a lot of weight, which is something to be proud of. Now the trick is to keep my eyes on the prize, and continue with my plan and my final goal - 65 pounds in one year, followed by a lifetime membership in Weight Watchers*. Almost half-way there, and without depriving myself of Michelle's homemade Oreo cookies and the occasional high-fat meal.

Go, me.


*For those of you unfamiliar with the program, you achieve lifetime status in Weight Watchers when you maintain your goal weight for six weeks. Once you achieve that goal, you no longer have to pay for the program...provided you continue to maintain.

Boogie Blogging Friday

The Incomparable Boogie™, smelling the smells in the back yard.

As you can see, he still isn't wearing his collar, as the scar on his neck still feels a bit rough to the touch. We're giving it a week or two more to heal before reintroducing his collar in the hopes of reducing any chafing. He's completely accustomed to his spiffy harness now, so daily walkies are no problem at all.

As you can also see, he's a bit scruffy (and smelly) and he's ready to visit his groomer tomorrow for a bath and a haircut. The fabulous Miss Gigi* takes good care of him, and soon he'll be back to his handsome, handsome self.

*For some reason it just cracks me up that his groomer is named "Gigi."

Vince's Reality-Based Hats

Fellow UCFer and Reality is Frequently Inaccurate blogger Vince donated the money for these reality-based hats for the girls at Excelsior House. Thanks, Vince! You're a peach.

The Excelsior House Hat Count is now at 115.

On Professional Fear and Schadenfreude

We all know that hiring trends are cyclical. In bad times (like now), people are fearful, and tend to put up with an enormous amount of crap simply to stay employed. I don't know how many times I've heard in the last year "at least I have a job!" when people discuss their professional lives.

And they're right - being employed in kind of a sucky position sure beats the alternative when professionals are remaining unemployed for months (and years) if they lose their jobs. Mortgages, college tuition and basic sustenance won't wait, and responsible men and women do what they have to do in order to ensure they can support their families.

The pundits are calling this a "jobless" recovery. I take that to mean that if you have a job, you'd better damn well keep it, since there won't be many replacement positions out there. That's scary, and these are valid fears. Hell, my new position was a lateral move, and an attempt on my part to secure a position that had more long-term security than my old, beloved, much-missed job. I have to make professional decisions based on what will allow me the best chance of accomplishing my professional and financial goals, and recognize that others have to do the same.

But that doesn't mean they have to like it. Nobody likes having to make decisions based on fear - fear of losing their income, fear of losing their health insurance, fear of not being able to secure another position because you're too old, too well-paid, too committed to your family to agree to travel 75% of the time. That feeling totally blows.

Which brings me to the schadenfreude part of the discussion. You just know that all those people who are holding on to their jobs for dear life can't WAIT until the economy improves so they can have this conversation with their boss/company:

Employee:  Guess what?

Pointy Haired Boss:  You've figured out a way to increase your weekly output so the company can make more money off your labor? You've decided to get a divorce so you can spend more time here at the office instead of having your spouse and children act as a time-suck? You've decided you no longer need your lunch break for exercise, and will instead use it to work on my special projects?

E: No, none of those things. Hee, hee.

PHB: Well, what it is? I haven't got all day - I have to meet with H.R. to determine how best to cut your benefits in an effort to increase executive bonuses.

E:  I got another job. I'm putting in my notice.

PHB: What do you mean, "you got another job?" There aren't any other jobs out there.

E: That may have been true a year ago, but now? I've gotten three offers just this week. And I've decided to take one of them. I'm giving you two weeks notice, effective today.

PHB: You can't do that! You're the lead on too many important projects! I'll have to hire two people to do the work you do now! It will negatively impact my department's profits!

E: Yeah, make that one week's notice.

PHB: You ungrateful wretch! I let you work here when the economy was in the tank! You OWE me!

E: Not so much. I provided an agreed upon service for an agreed upon compensation package. Now another company is offering me a better compensation package. Since this wasn't indentured servitude the last time I looked, I'm leaving.

PHB: THIS IS SO UNFAIR!

E: Bite me, dickwad.

I know for a fact that there are hundreds and hundreds of employees who can't wait to have that conversation with their bosses. People are tired of being afraid, of feeling trapped, of not having control over their professional futures. And they're looking forward to the sweet, sweet feeling of schadenfreude that will come when they finally get to tell their bosses to fuck off.

What comes around, goes around. It might behoove all of us to remember that.