The Aerie
A British acquaintance wrote to complain that Britain's public health service was being libelled by U. S. media, such as the Investors Business Daily article claiming that if Stephen Hawking had to depend on the British Health Service he would have died long ago. (Apparently unknown to the journalistic stawlarts at IBD is that Hawking is a British citizen, and has survived all these years on that exact care.) Here's my reply:
Economic nationalism and bigotry are being used by American corporate media in their all-out propaganda offensive to prevent any reform to health insurance in the United States. In such an environment, complaints that the British Health Service is being slandered will never be aired, much less elicit any empathy.
While more than two-thirds of Americans desire such reform, much more than two thirds of our Congress has been bribed, I'm sorry, "lobbied" by the health care industry to ensure no such thing occurs. The population knows it. We know that the supposedly brilliant Obama has somehow managed to repeat the first term gaffes of the Clinton administration by recklessly and naively attempting to tackle the health care industry without laying sufficient Congressional groundwork. In other words, we're quite aware that we are being lied to and that our representatives have been bought, so your average American is rather more concerned about how to pay their medical bills (and, incidentally, the destruction of our representative democracy) than about the hurt feelings of our British and Canadian neighbors.
In February of this year my daughter cut her thumb, requiring five stitches - the cost to us was $1100, or £672. My mother waited too long to go to the hospital because she had no health insurance (and of course wouldn't burden her children with her problems). She finally went in the hospital on a Friday in March, and died on Sunday night: I got the call at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning.
The health care industry has billions of dollars with which to bribe Congress, broadcast lies on U.S. public airways, and organize fake "grassroots movements" against health care reform, all of which they've done. Half the Democrats are already bought, to say nothing of the Republicans who offer bulk discounts. Most of the major media is heavily sponsored by health care marketing, which tortures viewers with schmaltzy commercials describing novel diseases and then tells us to ask our doctors for the cure (then followed by a lengthy, graphic description of the horrid side effects). Terry Gilliam could not dream up a more dystopian and denial-laced nightmare for representative democracy.
What we need in America more than health care reform is public financing of electoral campaigns. It is by bribing politicians with electoral funding that American corporations have managed to undermine democracy, ensuring the perpetuation not only of the wildly profitable health care industry, but the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the continuing fraud that is our banking and investment system. Unfortunately what little organization there is among American populists is presently focused on the unlikely goal of health care reform, so I don't expect anything in America to improve any time soon. Without campaign finance reform, corporations will continue to control, and fleece, America.
As far as Britain or Canada goes, I wouldn't suggest holding your breath for a U.S. apology. You might pass out and end up in the hospital, which at least you could afford. I fractured several ribs in a bike accident in May, but refused an ambulance and sought no treatment. Because I have twins starting at public Universities in a couple of weeks and, like health care, a college education is extremely expensive over here too.
Drove down to visit my sister Heidi in Davenport over the weekend. I've wanted to make one of these spontaneous trips for a while, to see what such a trip would be like and for the visit's sake itself. I'd wanted to go visit Karen this way last holiday season, but unfortunately I didn't make it. So that just increased my determination to do this now.
I drove down off the freeways - I heard a rumor that I35W was a mess of road construction down by Faribault, so I decided to take smaller roads starting with highway 52 out of St. Paul. It was a good choice. The weather was magnificent, and eventually I even figured out how to set the vents in the car so I didn't need the air conditioning (despite the southerly sun pouring in on my lap).
I left late at about 11:00 a.m. and reached Davenport after about six hours of driving. Heidi and I grabbed some Mexican food at a nice place, and went to see "District 9," which turned out to be excellent. After the movie we went through some of Karen's hooked artwork, and she let me bring a few home that she didn't have room to display. Theresa was thrilled to see them when I got them home.
We had a great visit, catching up and reminiscing about Karen. The next morning we grabbed breakfast, then I headed back. I noticed that Highway 61 ran through the center of Davenport, and I remembered that it's the same Highway 61 that runs through St. Paul, so I decided to come home on 61 alone. It was a very scenic drive and once again the weather was gorgeous, turning just a little gray as I reached St. Paul.
I slept well on Saturday night, more tired by 11 hours behind the wheel than I would have suspected.
Over the weekend I received word from a consulting firm that they wanted to line up a Monday morning interview, so if I'm lucky I'll pick up another job, albeit at a much lower rate, without a complete gap in earnings. Maintaining cashflow is the important point right now, I can keep looking for an appropriate rate once I make sure I've got any money coming in at all.
So off to bed, to get ready for my interview in the morning!
Feeling a little bit better today. The first day after a contract goes south is always toughest.
Sat down with Theresa tonight, figured out our budget. Playing it safe, we should have enough to get through October itself, so that's not too bad. In a normal year I wouldn't worry at all, but this year it would be reckless to start feeling cocky about any employment situation.
Still, I also made some calls and sent some e-mails today, and got enough of a response to be mildly encouraged. The real test will be a month from now: September is a big month for contract hiring. Everybody's back from summer vacation, and there's all of autumn stretched out ahead for being productive. If I'm unemployed without a full calendar of interviews a month from now, I'm going to be in a world of serious pain. Not like I'm going to sit on my hands between then and now, either.
Managed to get to the gym today. Hopefully again tomorrow, and really indefinitely, particularly when I'm underemployed. I realize I'm 47 and mortal, but I'm not happy being overweight. I'd LOVE to be able to get off the god-damned blood pressure pills, but for now I'd settle for not looking like I'm 20 weeks pregnant.
Wow, what a day.
I turned 47 today, and lost my job. I came back from two weeks of vacation ready to hit the ground running, refreshed and renewed, and halfway through the day I was told that I'd been removed from my primary project, and placed on half-time on my secondary project. And that the secondary project would only carry me for three weeks.
Really, what it comes down to is that the project management group that hired me never did figure out what the hell they were doing with me. I TOLD them when I started that I wasn't a project manager, they said they didn't want me to be a project manager, and then they proceeded to expect me to be a project manager. And when I didn't and couldn't behave as a project manager, they got frustrated with me, and so now I'm out. Sigh. And the twins start college in three weeks.
So my birthday has been a mixed bag. We had a nice gift exchange. Since the twins' birthday was a week ago while we were on vacation, so we had gifts to give them back at home. Leo got a TI-83 calculator, Gennie got a nice big digital drawing tablet. The most expensive item of the the two cost $25. I've been trying to save money this summer.
A lot has changed this summer. On our vacation we held a little ceremony to mark my birthmother's passing, and that was hard and sad and wonderful. My friend Rachel is moving to New York, meaning I lose my exercise buddy - yeah, now my exercise is all my own personal responsiblity. Great. I guess I'll be about a zillion pounds by next summer. And my twins are going off to college in three weeks. And I guess I'm changing jobs, or, embracing unemployment.
A lot of stuff is changing.
I guess it's a little ironic that I lost my job on mybirthday, and on the first day back from a two week vacation. But on the other hand I guess it's just as well, because the vacation was priceless and if I'd known I was losing myu job I wouldn't have been able to take the vacation. So better to learn after the vacation than before.
And while I'm good at finding work, the current job environment certainly makes it a challenge. I'm tempted to not even BOTHER looking, there are no jobs in August usually, and THIS August it's completely ridiculous. But I have three weeks at half pay and I've got to take advantage of them - if I could start a job September 1st then my financial world may not collapse and my kids might even be able to go to college.
So I think you're seeing the result here - I'm supposed to be having a nice birthday, but instead I'm fretting over unemployment in one of the worst economic periods in a century.
Anyway, this being my birthday,one of my resolutions is to return to writing, and certainly now I'll have the time. My other resolution is exercise. We'll see how that goes...
Ah well, time for bed. A great time to lie awake and stare at the ceiling, fretting.