Response to: Government Invading Our Privacy

I believe that my classmate Allen has some good points in his article Government Invading Our Privacy, as uncomfortable as it might be for some people, this is a process that is required if we want to fly.   The Transportation Security Administration is doing their best to keep passengers safe.  Fortunately, we do have other options such as driving or buying a bus ticket.  Its a tough choice, one way or the other, we will be inconvenienced and there are no guarantees that we will be any safer.  If we choose to fly then we need to do our best to arrive early, wear comfortable clothing and know that we may be required to have a pat down search.  Hopefully, the people that are tempted to bring bombs on airplanes will be deterred knowing that they too can be subjected to these types of searches. 

WikiLeaks Disclosures

I am very disturbed with recent media leaks regarding highly classified information that has been released to the general public by the website WikiLeaks. On November 28, 2010, Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks released U.S Diplomatic Cables and U.S. State Department Documents, which disclose highly, classified information about our government infrastructure including confidential interactions and discussions about and with foreign leaders.  I don’t understand what benefits the founder of WikiLinks expects to accomplish by releasing this information.  It certainly will be detrimental to the relationships with foreign governments in that they may not be willing to share information and conduct candid conversations about foreign policy. 

The question that I cannot seem to answer is… If a person releases this type of information while knowing the potential harm it can cause to many people, why does he still release it?  Can this premeditation be considered a threat to national security?  I believe it is.  I also believe that it should be considered an attack on the United States and he should be considered in the same category as a terrorist. 

Another very concerning subject is that WikiLeaks would not have this information had the United States maintained the proper security measures required of such highly classified information.  Army Private Bradley Manning is the one who easily transferred this information without raising suspicion.  I think that he should be charged with the highest penalties allowed for taking the information in the first place.   I certainly feel that Julian Assange is ultimately to blame because when he was approached with this information he made the decision to disclose this information to the public without regard to the harm it could bring others.   

It’s frightening to imagine that after 911, we are still a very vulnerable country. 

I agree

Jeffrey, I agree with your blog titled Politics vs Politicing.    I think you make a great point and I especially agree that if politicians spent as much time, effort and passion while in office, we would have a better government.  I think of all the missed opportunities that these politicians had, to really listen to their voters.  Now that the elections are over, I wonder if the politicians remember all of the promises they gave, in order to secure their vote.  I'm not against all politicians and I do believe that a few really intend to make a difference.  It just seems that something happens to those good intentions when the politician is elected and actually enters office.

Demystifying "The Affordable Care Act"

Lately, I have heard several people talking about how bad the “The Affordable Care Act” is.  So I decided to look it up and decide for myself.  There are many changes occurring for the next several years but these are a few of the changes that could impact my family.

I learned that effective September 23, 2010, my current insurance company:

1.      Cannot cancel my coverage if it is discovered that I accidently made a mistake, when I initially filled out my insurance paperwork.

2.     Cannot deny my child insurance coverage for pre-exiting illnesses.

3.     Will still cover my adult children up to age 26.

4.     Cannot drop my health insurance coverage on certain treatments because my treatment costs have reached previously set lifetime limits, and

5.     Will eventually phase out, over the next 3 years, what it will pay for health care. 

Any new health insurance plans purchased after September 23, 2010, will be able to have preventative services without having to pay a deductible or co-payments, appeal denials for health coverage, choose their own doctor and have access to out of network emergency care and not have to pay the out of network co-pay. 

So far so good for me. 

But.

It’s easy to see how some might feel a little disturbed by this plan, at least in the long run.  A couple of changes that sound disturbing to me, are that people who do not have health coverage will be required to pay a tax and that employers will have to pay a fine if they have 50 or more workers and do not offer a healthcare coverage.

Basically, it’s sad that we are being forced to have health insurance coverage.  We are being forced to have routine health checkups that will hopefully reduce healthcare cost in the long run. 

Do I think “The Affordable Care Act”, is the answer to all our health care problems, well no, but it’s a start.  Right?   

It was just a mistake...

In searching for a topic for this blog, I came across a commentary from Rayne on Fire Dog Lake.  Rayne is a parent who was very upset about a comment made by Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama, in an interview with Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post, on September 14, 2010.  Ms. Rayne targets the phrase "lifestyle choice" which was said by Valerie Jarrett, when talking about the recent suicides involving gay youths.  Ms. Rayne compares her own "nearly thirteen year old child" with the teenager that Valerie Jarrett was talking about in her interview.  Rayne goes on to talk about the changes and challenges that youths of all ages face while growing up.  Basically, Rayne implies that Ms. Jarrett was insensitive and disrespectful to Justin Aarberg, his family and everyone that might be going through this tragedy.  

I admit that I was pretty riled up myself after reading her commentary. 

However, after watching the video interview, it is clear to see and hear that Valerie  Jarrett was showing sincere compassion, prior to making the comment, for the families and children that are affected by the reality of gay youths and suicide. 

I do agree with Rayne that being gay is not a “life style choice” and that we should be more vocal when it comes to protecting our youths to prevent these types of results.  Finally, I can understand how offensive it may sound, but I do not agree that Valerie Jarrett was being malicious or intended to sound disrespectful.  In my opinion it was just a mistake. 

Whose problem is it anyway?

There is a new documentary called, "Waiting for Superman", which is putting a face to the chaos we call our educational system.  This film follows the stories of 5 children at different schools and cities.  It shares the struggles that they face each day and their desire to get a better education. 

Todd Robberson is a Dallas Morning News editorial writer, who recently wrote a commentary called "Waiting for Superman offers lessons," in this review, he basically compares the Dallas Independent School System to this documentary.   I believe Robberson is trying to reach out to everyone in the community and not just teachers, parents and administrators.  Roberson states he spoke with Guggenheim recently when he came to visit Dallas.  Roberson states he is reminded about a boy in the Dallas area that wrote a "speech to 16,0000 DISD teachers and staffers on the crucial role teachers play in shaping children’s futures."  He argues that DISD, is facing similar challenges that the majority of the schools across the United States are facing.  Some obvious “challenges are lack of parental involvement, substandard performance statistics, low student motivation, sagging faculty morale, and budgetary and administrative headaches.”   Robberson believes, "this movie is not about Charter Schools, but its about the obstacles to reform in public school.  I have to agree with his interpretation of this movie.  I can’t say that this movie will change things overnight for the school systems but I do believe that it has raised some serious questions and accountability for the children of our future. 

Social Networks and Healthcare

I have always believed that the company we keep, as well as our surroundings can influence mental and physical health. A Los Angeles Times article states, U.S. healthcare costs projected to continue to climb. Imagine if we as individuals could find ways to reduce the cost of our own healthcare in the future. Another article written in the LA Times, The contagion of social networks, discusses several scientific studies conducted to identify if our social networks tend to normalize certain behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use and depression. It also found that our social networks, gender, as well as the communities that we live in could influence obesity. These studies are not conclusive yet, and I know that there are certain unavoidable factors that play a part in our medical history but if we as Americans, can start changing our lifestyles it could really save us in the long run when it comes to prescription medications and other healthcare expenses.