You MUST Watch These Clips- Go Hil Go! (You'll enjoy the Tina Fey one even if you don't really support Clinton)
This is Tina Fey on SNL pointing out the flaws in some of the criticisms of Clinton and proclaiming bitch as the new black. If it has magically disappeared from You Tube you can watch the full Weekend Update clip at NBC.com.
For all the nay-sayers here is a clip of the energy Clinton drums up at her rallies: I've been to one, I know, she is amazing!
More information I've learned: Read independent political fact checker's report on the facts of Clinton's and Obama's health care plans
Great On Point segment on Gender and the Clinton Campaign
Proof of Obama's "secret" negative campaigning.
Attention Superdelegates (a note from my mother)
I believe it is the responsibility of the super delegates to vote for the person they believe will be able to best lead our nation in this very difficult time. The record shows that person is Hillary Clinton - she may not be the passionate speaker that Obama is - but when the dust settles she is the one I trust to roll up her sleeves and do the HARD work that needs to be done. I think people are so tired of the current administration that the person who is speaking most eloquently about change is winning unchecked support - but as Senator Clinton reminds those of us who are listening with an open mind -talk is not going to get the job done. Please save us from another president who is elected by the people who are swayed by words (Bush used scary words and Obama uses hopeful ones - in the end they are the same thing - rhetoric without substance) we are trusting that at least you, who are charged with this awesome responsibility, will vote with your head and not with the excitement of the moment which soon vanishes. Michelle Obama has never been really proud of her country until now - I have never felt more disheartened by my fellow Democratic Americans - How can they be so easily maneuvered? Please show me that at least you can be counted on to see beyond election day.
Click here to send a note to local automatic delegates telling them why you support Hillary, and why you think she will be the best leader for our party and our nation. Labels: Politics
On the Road to Universal Health Care (and how Clinton is the only one who can get us there!)
I know there are those out there who have thrown in the towel, and I have foolishly been sitting on this post while I had "other things to do", but I'm not ready, and despite Obama's lead I think this Op-Ed is still pertinent: Clinton, Obama, Insurance. By: Paul Krugman
To summarize, for those of you that don't click, a report was put out by an MIT health care economist that showed that in order for heath care to truly be universal mandates are going to be necessary. As is stands Obama's health care plan will cost 80% as much as Clinton's plan but will only cover half as many people. And the unfortunate fact is that Obama has chosen to attack Clinton's proposed mandates with ads that will come back to get him when he finally concedes that mandates are necessary.
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Another Obama fact that doesn't sit well with me:
"Obama says he is practicing a new kind of politics, but why has his PAC sloshed $698,000 to the campaigns of the superdelegates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics? Is giving Robert Byrd’s campaign $10,000 the kind of change we can believe in?" (Op-Ed by David Brooks)
I'm glad someone is calling Obama out for constantly touting change and then turning his head while his campaign continues to play the same old dirty games.
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I'm going to go see Clinton speak in Boston on Sunday, if you're in the area you should come too. But either way you should donate at: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/joinme. I'm tired of the Obama campaign getting all the attention for their grassroots small donations!
An addition from my friend Amy:
Health Care:Clinton: Mandates individual health insurance coverage for all Americans. Offers federal subsidies for those who cannot afford it. Allows individuals to choose from among several private plans also offered to members of Congress, as well as a new public insurance plan modeled after Medicare. Requires insurance companies to offer coverage to anyone who applies, and bars insurance companies from charging higher premiums to those with pre-existing conditions. Requires large businesses to provide or help pay for employee coverage. Expands Medicaid and federal children's health care programs. Offers tax credits to limit health care premiums to a certain percentage a family's income. Cost estimated at $110 billion annually, to be paid for by eliminating the Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000, as well as by reducing waste and inefficiencies in the current system. Also limits the amount employers can exclude from taxes for health care benefits for those making over $250,000. Obama: Would create a national health insurance program for individuals who do not have employer-provided health care and who do not qualify for other existing federal programs. Allows individuals to choose between the new public insurance program or from among private insurance plans that meet certain coverage standards. Requires employers who do not provide health coverage for employees to pay into the national health insurance program. Does not mandate individual coverage for all Americans, but requires coverage for all children. Allows individuals below age 25 to be covered through their parents' plans. Cost estimated between $50 billion and $65 billion, to be paid for by eliminating Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000.Analysis: The main difference here is coverage, Hillary supports universal while Barack does not. Most Western countries already provide universal healthcare. Being able to be treated when you are sick is a right, and not a priviledge! Under Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including... medical care..."War in IraqClinton: Voted for use of military force in Iraq, but now says she would have voted differently "if we knew then what we know now." Supports de-authorizing the war. Voted for war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March 2008. Opposed Bush plan to increase the number of American troops in Iraq.Obama- Opposed use of military force in Iraq. Voted for war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March 2008. Supports phased redeployment of U.S. troops. Opposed Bush's plan to send additional troops to Iraq. Had once called for troop withdrawal to begin by the end of 2006.Analysis- I think it's easy for Barack to have opposed the war from the beginning since he never was in the position to make a decision. He wasn't in the Senate and didn't have the intelligence that was coming through. Colin Powell was one of those who advised Hillary on that decision. (if you are looking for more details on the candidate's plan to get out of war.. go to http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/issues/index.html#/context=index/issue=iraqEconomyClinton- Would establish a $30 billion emergency housing fund to assist states and cities mitigate the effects of mounting foreclosures. Would also include a 90-day moratorium on subprime foreclosures and an automatic rate freeze on subprime mortgages of at least five years. Would provide $25 billion in emergency energy assistance for families facing skyrocketing heating bills. Would invest $10 billion in extending and broadening unemployment insurance for those who are struggling to find work. Would accelerate $5 billion in energy efficiency and alternative energy investments to jump-start green-collar job growth.Obama- Would pump $75 billion into the economy via tax cuts and direct spending targeted to working families, seniors, homeowners and the unemployed. The plan also includes $45 billion in reserves that can be injected into the economy quickly in the future if the economy continues to deteriorate. Would provide an immediate $250 tax cut for workers and their families and an immediate, temporary $250 bonus to seniors in their Social Security checks. Would provide an additional $250 tax cut to workers and an additional $250 to seniors if the economy continues to worsen. Would extend and expand unemployment insurance.Analysis- I understand the logic of giving people back money in the form of tax cut/rebate. Of course people want their money back! But the point of giving money to people is that they'll spend it and stimulate the economy. According to the survey on the current rebate, 2/3 of the people are not planning to spend it. There I think Hillary's plan is better in terms of address the issues such as the mortage crisis, and not being able to pay for heating cost more directly addresses the needs of those suffering in this current economy. (note she also talks about Green jobs) http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aGrPsDghX75k&refer=homeEducationClinton- Would end No Child Left Behind. Promote early childhood education, including nurse home visitation programs for new parents, quality child care and Head Start and pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-olds. Improve K-12 system by meeting funding promises of IDEA. Recruit outstanding teachers and principals, especially in urban and rural areas. Cut minority dropout rate in half. Expand early-intervention mentoring programs. Identify at-risk youth early and provide $1 billion in intensive interventions. Create a new $3,500 college tax credit and increase the maximum Pell Grant.Obama- Would reform No Child Left Behind, ensuring access to high-quality early childhood education programs and child care opportunities, recruit well-qualified and reward expert, accomplished teachers. Make science and math education a national priority. Reduce the high school dropout rate and empower parents to raise healthy and successful children by taking a greater role in their child's education at home and at school.Analysis- It seems obvious to me that Hillary has the better proposal here. She is also endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers (the teacher's union).
Why I'm Voting for Clinton (and not Obama)
Bare with me....it's late and I'm waiting for my laundry to dry so I can pack..........Here are the two quotes that started turning me off to Obama (these are from a positive article in the New Yorker):Valerie, you're not a guy but let me explain it to you in sport terms. It's like we're in a basketball game, and I'm gonna fumble the ball, and someone's gonna steal the ball, and I'm gonna miss a free throw, but we're gonna win the game.(YEAH, just because she's "not a guy" the sports analogy isn't appropriate!)"I did what every black man does when confronted with a major decision like that: I prayed on it, and I asked my wife." "And so I did what every wise man does when confronted with such a decision: I prayed on it, and I asked my wife.(these sort of blanket statements leave me less than "inspired")Then there is this:I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.I remain open to the possibility that my unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided...I must admit that I may have been infected with society's prejudices and predilections and attributed them to God.Newsday caught Obama as he was leaving the firefighters convention and asked him three times if he thought homosexuality is immoral.Answer 1: "I think traditionally the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman has restricted his public comments to military matters. That's probably a good tradition to follow."Answer 2: "I think the question here is whether somebody is willing to sacrifice for their country, should they be able to if they're doing all the things that should be done."Answer 3: Signed autograph, posed for snapshot, jumped athletically into town car.(Now, I do appreciate his honesty in admitting that maybe his unwillingness to support is misguided, but I also believe that it is genuine. I know that Clinton has made mis-steps in this area as well, but from her it always seems that it is politically motivated- the knowledge that no one who supports gay marriage will actually get elected at this time. From Obama the unwillingness to support gay marriage seems to be a much more genuine, personal, religiously motivated conviction.)Then there's all the big claims that he can't back up (the kid running for class president who promises an end to detention). Like the comment he made about putting universal health care discussions on c-span, or making sure to visit controversial world leaders in his first year as President.There is also his voting record and the amount of times that he has only voted as "present" instead of actually voting on issues.Then there is Health Care reform, where Obama stumbles around trying to find some point to make himself sound better than Hillary (he can't) so he falls back on saying she's planning on forcing people to pay for health care they can't afford (that's not true and that is the type of argument that keeps us where we are with health care). Clinton has been fighting for health care and children (our future) for decades and I trust her.I also find the argument that Barack will fare better against McCain because of their opposing stances on the war in Iraq absurd. The Republican party is going to blast Obama for being soft on terror and they are going to have a harder time saying that about Clinton.He is a wonderful orator, and he is inspiring, but that is not all we need from a President. It's that sort of emotional "gut" voting that puts actors in the white house (or other governmental positions).I think he will make a great Vice President and hopefully Clinton will swallow her pride and pick him up after she wins. I'll vote for him as president in 8 years!
“Lot’s of free time”…
…hahaha, what a bad way to leave my blog. “Yeah, I have lot’s of free time, I’m just choosing not to use it updating you.”
I’m back, maybe. I’m not going to really announce that I am updating this again, although I did just change my f-book status to “a blogger”, because I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up about regular posts. I can’t really promise anything.
BUT, I am no longer a nanny, which I quickly learned did not allow me much free time, and I believe that I may now be able to semi-regularly update my previously defunct blog.
Currently, I am searching around for money by temping here and there and babysitting (if you know of any temporary work in the Boston area, let me know), until I return to California for a couple months in December. I am also trying to clean up my car and sell it before I leave (again, if you know of anyone in the Boston area that's looking for a used car- 3.5k obo, let me know). And my final shameless plug, if you know of anyone looking for a place to live in Boston for December and January (600/ mo obo) let me know.
Okay, time for a quick bulleted update:
- I was a nanny from January until October for a 7 year old female only child. Her dad just co-authored a book.
- I was rejected my UCLA, I decided it was not meant to be.
- My cousin got married in May and I went home for a quick weekend and had my first bridesmaid experience
- I went to Pakistan for 2 weeks to celebrate the wedding of my good friend Sadaf- I landed myself in the hospital for 2.5 days while I was there.
- I saw Regina Spektor in concert
- I donated 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love
- I attended my first peer baby shower
- My football team just made it into the semi-finals!
Well, that's everything in a nutshell. All of the above topics work as blog posts, so if any of you actually read this, let me know what you're interested in reading about and I'll give a more detailed report. If I don't hear from anyone I'll just work my way through the list anyway.
Handcrafted holiday gifts....they're fair tade!
Last week I volunteered ("interned") for the Cultural Survival Winter Bazaar. Cultural Survival is a non-profit organization that works to promote the rights, voices and visions of indigenous peoples around the world. They have many bazaars throughout the year two of which are held in Boston and Cambridge around the holiday season. I found out about these bazaars two years ago from Bekka Lee and have done a lot of my holiday shopping there since then. It is a really awesome way to get original holiday gifts while supporting a very worthy cause and you get to chat with very interesting people. The only problem is that since they are fair trade the prices are usually out of my reach, and I end up spending way more than I can afford to be spending. This year my roommate let me know that Cultural Survival recruits interns to volunteer at the bazaars and offers them 40% off the merchandise. So on Sunday December 10th I boarded a bus at 10:30 am and headed to Hynes Convention center to work from 10:45 to 7 pm and earn my 40% discount. Unfortunately I decided it was a good idea to get drunk the night before...oops. I woke up at 5 am asleep on my friend's couch in my clothes. I took off my bra and belt and fell back asleep. I woke up again at a normal hour and after being poked fun at and ingesting pain killers and water I took off....Wait, where are my keys? We searched in vain for a while and I was forced to accept that I had left them at the party (why had I even brought them to the party when I wasn't driving?). So my friend Amy drove me to the hosts house (I don't actually know her), I got my keys, and she drove me back to Natalie's apartment. I had not allowed enough time for this excursion, so I raced to my apartment, threw together a bag of stuff and ran to the bus stop. I got to the Bazaar just in time.... Hmmm....I probably needed to shower, my hair is kinda dirty, I hope it's not smelly....Wait, did I brush my teeth?...oops. Did I put on deodorant?...Oh shit! Oh my God, I totally forgot, Paco peed on my jeans last night!!! Yup, that's right, I worked for over eight hours with dirty hair, unbrushed teeth, no deodorant, and jeans with Chihuahua pee on them! It's a good thing I was mainly surrounded by hippies. I performed a few different tasks for the Bazaar. I handed out fliers and kept track of the number of patrons, I assisted people in raffle entry, I held people's shopping bags when they went to the restroom, I checked peoples receipts and tallied how they heard about the Bazaar, but surprisingly enough the most enjoyable job was fliering outside. The flier
When the beautiful woman with the dreadlocks asked me if I would go outside and hand out fliers to the pedestrians I was a little nervous and wanted to explain to her that based on past experiences I knew this would not be the best job for me. But I said okay, and another girl and I headed out to work the streets together.* At first I was just really there to keep Emily company, we chatted about school and work and Boston and she made her pitch to passers by and we both held our hands out. She told me it was okay that I wasn't saying anything and that it would get easier once I "found my line"- I highly doubted this. But then, something amazing happened, I found my line: "Handcrafted holiday gifts....they're fair trade!"
I did a good job if I say so myself. I was very upbeat and cheery and got a lot of people to take the little flier and I'd like to believe I convinced at least a handful of people to go to the Bazaar. Emily even commented about how I was doing better than her by the end. When Emily suggested we head back I was kind of sad because I was enjoying the work and the company (she was very interesting, really into consignment clothing and a Second Time Around employee).
Overall it was a great day. I bought over a hundred dollars in merchandise with a seventy dollar discount. I got to see "Traditional Indian dancing by Hersheta" and I caught some "Traditional Lakota singing and drumming by Tim Swallow, known as Brave Elk- a member of the Teton Lakota band of Crazy Horse". I did good work, I met and talked with interesting and kind people and I even lead around a seeing impaired woman and helped her to a cab.
I sent Cultural Survival my resume; I'm hoping they will take me on as a spring intern. If not I'm going to try to find Emily at Second Time around, I feel we should probably be friends.
*I know what you're thinking. Didn't your smelliness scare potential patrons away? No, I had a coat on, I'm thinking in the outdoors you couldn't really tell....I hope.... Labels: Cultural Survival, smelanie, volunteering
Welcome to New England. Don't like the weather? Wait 15 minutes.
I encountered this phrase pretty much the day I moved to New England over six years ago (six years? really? wow? I'm only twenty-four, that’s a fourth of my life!). New Englanders love this saying, AND for good reason- it's totally frickin' true!
On Monday I rode my bike into work (by the way, I LOVE commuting via bike!) and it was the coldest day I have encountered thus far- 24 degrees. Since this is my first time bike commuting I am still trying to figure out what conditions are acceptable for riding and what gear I need to wear for what weather. On Monday I discovered that in sub 30 degree weather I need two layers of warm gear on top and on bottom, neck gear that can cover my whole neck and up to my nose, and my snow mittens. I wore my snow gloves and they just didn't cut it, I was a little too cold. I may also need a full-on face mask, but that might only be necessary for sub 20 degree weather- I haven't decided yet.
Then yesterday morning I woke up and looked up weather.com, forty-six degrees! What? For some reason I still wore my winter gloves while riding, but half way through my hands got too warm and I took them off and rode with bare hands the rest of the way- and I was fine!
My beautiful friend Bekka, who lives really close to my work, had invited me to sleep over. So I rode in with a backpack full of work clothes for two days. I planned to leave my bike in the indoor racks at work (nice and secure) and walk to and from Bekka's. On my walk to Bekka's last night at 7:45 it was a balmy 50 degrees out (a note to all you southern Californians: 50 degrees at night in Boston in December is waaaaaarrrrmmmm), so I left my hat at work and just wore gloves (I wanted my hair to look nice for Bekka).
Foolish Melanie did not keep the old saying in mind, and this morning when I began my short walk to work I was in for a rude awakening. It was somewhere in the lower 20s (note that it was not really early in the morning or anything, it was after 8:30, the sun had been up for a while) and snowing and windy!!! My poor ears were so cold and painful that it took a good half hour in my warm, warm office for them to defrost and stop hurting me.
Then I made foolish decision number two. I asked my friend Mike (hi Mike, he is a blog regular) if he wanted to do lunch near his work (he works less than two miles away). See, Mike always comes over here when we do lunch; because for some reason it is always on days when I don't have my bike and would thus have to pay $1.25 each way to reach him via the T (he has a monthly pass so it does not cost him any money). It wasn't until after he accepted my invite (I had expected him to decline) that I decided to check the weather. The prediction was grim but doable, windy and snowy until 11 am, but the noon forecast showed no more snowing and didn't mention the wind.
A little after 11:30 (this time was chosen purposefully as it is closer to noon than eleven) I put on all my biking gear and headed downstairs. Things started off a little rough, I left the office and was immediately hit by the bitter cold- weather.com had informed me that it was 22 degrees but that it would feel like 5 degrees (keep in mind, since I rode in the day before I am missing some key sub thirty degree elements such as the neck gear). But I said to myself, "it's not too far, I can do this." Then I turned a corner, more wind, and more snow. Then I turned another corner, even more wind and snow. THEN I hit that stretch of Tremont St. that runs a long the Common. Have you ever walked through a part of the common with very few trees on a cold and windy day? It becomes a barren wasteland of high speed wind. I was freezing cold and the wind was making every effort to push little 128 lb me and my light weight rode bike in directions that no bike rider wants their bike to move! So after seeing a mental image of the wind pushing me and my bike over and considering what would happen if I ended up with my bike on top of me in the middle of a downtown street, I got off of the street and hopped off of my bike.
The resulting walk back to work was bitter cold and miserable. I let Mike know that I would not be making it for lunch, and he told me to stay warm.
Suffice to say I am making a HUGE sacrifice and leaving work early today so I can take my bike on the T (you are not allowed to bring bikes on the T during "high commuter hours" which start at 4 pm).Labels: bike, weather
