Sharing the Misery

Recently, a friend of mine...one of the moms from the park...shared her family's wrenching story of trying to make ends meet...."Hard Times Mean Leaner Thanksgiving."

In this online article, my friend Bridget, a mother of four young children, describes the economic toll on her family since her husband lost his job. She told of selling furnishings...including her dining room table...to meet monthly expenses.

Some of the comments on the article have not been kind and she relayed to me her surprise. It seems there are a lot of people who want to judge and throw stones. However, I told her to rest assured...she speaks for many who are in similar financial binds but will not voice it publicly.

This recession (or depression) is hitting the middle class and upper middle class hard. Our area in Riverside County has unemployment around 10% and many empty houses. Some say we are ground zero for the mortgage mess. Our small businesses are suffering and our upscale shopping center is near default. Many in our communities are shell-shocked.

I applaud Bridget for expressing the frustration so many families are feeling, and describing the extreme measures some must undertake to pay the bills.

Someone has to speak the truth.

Abandoned Kids

The state of Nebraska recently amended their law offering safe havens for abandoned kids. It seems the original law, although intended for infants, didn't have age restrictions and parents were leaving older kids and teens.

I say they should have left the law in tact. If a parent is desperate enough to abandon their kid, that child should not be in the home with the parent. I know economically times are tough, and any parent of a teen occasionally thinks of taking them on a long, long ride and dropping them off...however, the majority of parents will not do this. For most parents, if finances leave them eating pet food...their kids are going to be right there with them.

So why would a parent abandon a child...emotional or financial or discipline reasons probably. This signals the parent and the child needs help.

The law should have stayed as it was to identify these children. Now they are lost and at the mercy of parents at the end of their rope.

This Is It....

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible to you!" Matthew 17:20

After all the phone calls...donations...knocking on doors...trying to convince friends, family, and co-workers....wondering if people saw what we saw.....pulling our hair out over dirty tricks and naysayers....

This is it..... the day we vote to put America back on track! The day we vote for one of the greatest candidates America has been blessed with....

This is it...it's been a long road...but also a worthy road!

This is it....

People I HAD to Thank at the DNC -- Dolores Huerta

Continuing my series on people I felt compelled to thank at the recent Democratic National Convention, let’s add activist Dolores Huerta to the list.

At a time when Community Organizers are lambasted by the Republican VP
Nominee, Sarah Palin, Dolores Huerta provides an example of a woman who has paid dues and continues to advocate for the rights of women, children, and the disenfranchised of the country.

Huerta is the co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union, along with
Cesar Chavez. Through-out the years this working mother has made significant impact in the areas of education, immigrant rights, women’s issues and politics. She has worked on behalf of many candidates including: President Clinton, Congressman Ron Dellums, Governor Jerry Brown, Congresswoman Hilda Solis and most recently Hillary Clinton.

It was Huerta, who introduced Senator Hillary Clinton’s name into nomination at the recent convention. After Senator Clinton halted the process, Huerta united with all Democrats in supporting the party’s nominee Barack Obama.

Later that night, I had the honor of dancing the Salsa with the 78-year-old Huerta and some of her children. If you look at the picture, which was taken after the dance, I look tired—she doesn’t!

There is still much work to be done and Dolores Huerta gracefully continues the charge.

Thank you, ‘Community Organizer’ Dolores Huerta

American Healthcare - Up Close & Personal

There are those life changing moments ..seconds really …that remind us of our mortality and lack of control over our environment. I won’t even pretend that my recent knee injury is comparable to the pain and suffering experienced by millions around the world on a daily basis. However, it did ‘knock me off my game’ and put me front and center in a world many navigate on a daily basis – The American Healthcare System.

First of all, let me say…..I have health insurance and for that I am grateful. With my husband and I being self-employed, and two kids, we pay
A LOT each month for our coverage…however, it is there when we need it, and I needed it last week when I fell and broke my patella.

As soon as you enter the emergency room door you are asked about insurance. Prior to surgery, I was informed my deductible would have to be paid in full. (We paid it, however I was erroneously asked two more times during my hospital stay to pay the deductible!)

Hospital recordkeeping is in the stone ages and doesn’t seem to take advantage of existing technology. I could twitter thousands of people my medical stats at any given time and they would have them instantly….however, in a hospital it can take a whole day to collect the info and get it to a patient’s doctor!

I am certain that my knee injury will generate many, many pages of documentation and cost us thousands of dollars….and again…I HAVE insurance. I am reasonably educated, however I don’t understand medical billing—one event generates bills from various doctors, labs, and medical offices! I have gone through this with family members and know it’s a headache…. I am still getting new medical bills for my late father who died three years ago!!

This is ridiculous!

Before I end this blog….I must comment on all the outstanding people who work in healthcare! The medical personnel I interfaced with (other than the billing department) were absolutely wonderful! Many went above and beyond in making sure I was comfortable and understood what was happening around me. I hope these people are appreciated within their industry and paid well—and I’m not just talking about the doctors and nurses—I mean the aides, the people that clean the rooms, the people that bring the food, etc.

So I’ll stop the ranting….I know that most of you can relate to this.

I’ll end by saying: The American Healthcare System is Sick!

People I HAD to Thank at the DNC -- Roland Martin

This is the second in my series of people I HAD to personally say thank-you to at the Democratic National Convention. Today I spotlight CNN's Roland Martin...commentator extraordinaire!

Roland S. Martin is an award winning writer, speaker, producer, radio show host, blogger, and commentator! This brother does it all -- with class, and grace, and a dose of that 'Old Time Religion' that has carried our people through many challenges in America.

Thankfully, CNN had the foresight to see what this brother could offer. He brings to the table wisdom and fairness and a needed perspective as an African-American male. Never has this been more needed that during this election process. Martin carried the torch and represented 'our' point of view against partisan heavyweights such as Begalia and Carville.

Roland Martin does not let up and he tells it like it is! Here is an excerpt from one of his recent blogs concerning McCains running mate:

With Palin, McCain now supports affirmative action/quotas
August 30th, 2008

"I’ll have more to say on this later, but please, give me a break? Does Sen. John McCain actually think he chose the most qualified - or even the second, third or fourth - person to be his vice president? Sarah Palin may be the governor of Alaska, but prior to that, she was the mayor of a 10,000-person town. This was all about being a woman. McCain knows it and we know it."

THANK YOU ROLAND MARTIN! Your voice is needed....keep up the great work!

People I HAD to Thank at the DNC

There were so many 'movers and shakers' I spotted at the Democratic National Convention a couple of weeks ago! Journalists, Politicians, Celebrities, and COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS (the hard working people who keep our country going.)

Among this distinguished group there were several people I HAD to personally say thank-you to. People who have served our country well.

The next five blogs will recognize these people I thanked at the DNC. They include: Representative John Lewis, CNN Correspondent Roland Martin, Latina Activist Dolores Huerta, Actress Angela Bassett, and Community Organizers 'Sweet Alice' Harris and Temo Fiqueroa.

Let's start with Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.

1. John Lewis.....the Congressman from Georgia paid the price for our American rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Considered one of the 'big six' of the Civil Rights movement, Lewis has been a staunch advocate of voting and civil rights. Called one of the most courageous leaders in the movement, it was only fitting that Lewis addressed the thousands gathered at Invesco. Here is an excerpt of his comments:

"As a participant in the Civil Rights Movement, I can tell you, the road to victory will not be easy. Some of us were beaten, arrested, taken to jail; and some of us were even killed trying to register and vote.

But with the nomination of Sen. Barack Obama tonight, the man who will lead the Democratic Party in its march toward the White House, we are making a major downpayment on the fulfillment of that dream. We prove that a dream still burns in the hearts of every American. That this dream was too right, too necessary, too noble to ever die.

But this night is not an ending. It is not even a beginning. It is the continuation of a struggle that began centuries ago—in Lexington and Concord, in Gettysburg and Appomattox, in Farmville, Virginia and Topeka, Kansas, in Philadelphia, Mississippi, Selma, Alabama. and

Democracy is not a state. It is an act. It is a series of actions we must take to build what Martin Luther King Jr. called the Beloved Community, a society based on simple justice that values the dignity and the worth of every human being.

We’ve come a long way, but we still have a distance to go. We’ve come a long way, but we must march again. On November 4th we must march in every state, in every city, in every village, in every hamlet, we must march to the ballot box.

We must march like we have never marched before to elect the next President of the United States, Sen. Barack Obama. For those of us who stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, or who in the years that followed may have lost hope, this moment is a testament to the power and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. It is a testament to the ability of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. It is a testament to the promise of America.

Tonight we have put together a tribute to the man and his message. Let us take a moment to reflect on the legacy and the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. on this 45th anniversary of the historic March on Washington."

I saw Lewis twice during convention week and I prefaced each time with a heartfelt THANK YOU!"



Click Here for Video of Speech