It is difficult to overstate the potential of an effective calendaring solution to increase productivity. Not only are personal and business goals at stake, but lives and even nations may indeed hang in the balance! A look back through history will reveal how crucial it is to have a working calendar solution, not only for yourself but one that communicates with friends, colleagues and customers. Continue reading »
I should start by noting that theater has never much been my thing. I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Avenue Q etc. etc. and I enjoyed them to be sure, but not enough to pay the exorbitant price tag that inevitably goes with them. Here, in New York, I have discovered the masterpiece of theater for those of us whose goal is to drink and have a good time; Flanagan’s Wake. Continue reading »
I have been job searching for three months and here’s a look at the experience in today’s economy and with the current methods of applying for positions.
(I’m not at an executive or above level, I’m not at the minimum wage level, I’m near the middle somewhere, so I am only speaking to my spot on the spectrum.)
The briefest, most honest characterization of job seeking right now: Totally sucks. This is due to several reasons:
We all have heard the unemployment numbers across the nation. With the exception of North Dakota, it seems, unemployment is at the highest levels seen in decades. Therefore, there are millions of people searching for work, decreasing one’s chances of getting hired. Hiring managers can pick the cream of the crop, so if you don’t have everything they both require and prefer, you have little hope of getting an interview.
Hiring managers have a very hard job to do, because of the above: Depending on the open position, dozens, hundreds and maybe even thousands of people are applying for it, whereas in times past, perhaps only handfuls or dozens and maybe hundreds would have applied, burying HR folks with application results and/or applications to sort through. This means the process takes longer. (E.g. it takes longer not to hear back from them and not get a rejection letter. More on that later.)
Online job hunting is difficult at best for many reasons, mostly because it is such a time suck:
First, everything is now so impersonal, it’s taken the “human” out of human resources. If you try to go the old fashioned route and go to a brick and mortar location to ask if they have openings and can you speak to a manager, you’re sent back home (without getting to a manager) to fill out an app on line.
Second, back in the good old early days of online job hunting, there was Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com. Now there are hundreds and hundreds of similar sites, each one promising to deliver great positions to you daily. Because job seekers are anxious and even desperate, they spend hours and hours setting up their accounts on all of them, and end up with countless notices in their inbox for jobs that bare no resemblance to the preferences they set up. Often, when one finds one to click on, even though you just got the notice today, it comes up “job expired”. Well, at least not too much time was wasted, which is some satisfaction, though not really if you really wanted the position.
Third, perhaps the most maddening thing of all is when you have saved resumes and all your information on a job search site, ostensibly to save you time in your job search, you upload the resume, write the killer cover letter, thinking you’re done, only to be sent to the company’s site to input everything manually because it’s required. I can’t tell you how furious this makes me. It makes no sense from a design standpoint, and is certainly not user-friendly. If you’re an employer and prefer applicants use your online form, just have the applicant get right to your form and skip the job search engine’s protocol, or at least have a notice that you will have to do both, just out of courtesy. (I admit I’m not sure if these are options, but I’m pleading with anyone out there who has such a say to please make it so.) If you’re a job searcher, you’ve just lost another block of time you could have been applying or searching, and more time is lost to get back to focus because you’re so angry you had to duplicate your efforts.
Fourth, as previously mentioned, hiring managers do have a daunting task with so many people applying compared to years past. One way of screening people online includes requiring them to fill out questionnaires with items that typically would be asked in a first interview. Some of these include essay type questions asking you how you have handled x-y-z, explain your knowledge of 1-2-3, list your experience with a-b-c, and so forth. Some of these fields limit how much you can say, making it difficult to make your case for why you would be good at that and get results for them. Some ask you to list your experience with various software, or supervision duties, or situations you may have faced that you would face in this position, but there’s a very ominous tone to the statement accompanying it, in effect saying if you claim to have more experience than you actually have, if you lie or embellish or make false claims you will be immediately disqualified, your hand will be slapped, and you will have to wear a red U on your forehead for still being unemployed because WE won’t hire you and therefore no one else should. Okay, I embellish. But it’s very, very discouraging to be well-qualified for the position except for not having advanced Software A experience, which will disqualify you, because they state explicitly that not meeting every one of the qualifications is grounds for not being considered. I don’t embellish on that one. So, do you lie and take the risk, hoping that if they like you on the 99% there’s a chance you’ll get the interview despite the 1%. What would you do?
Job seekers always face ethical dilemmas with how much to tell or not tell about their backgrounds, this is nothing new, it’s now just more daunting and the stakes are higher. There’s been much discussion in the media regarding job searching about whether to list advanced degrees if you think they will count you out as being overqualified, for example, with no real answers or direction. I personally think honesty will let you sleep well at night, but this is a whole new cutthroat world of job searching.
Fifth, okay, you made it through the gauntlet of an online application, feel good about your chances after hitting that submit button, to get this: “Thank you for your application! We will contact you if we feel your qualifications meet our needs. Do not call or email to ask about the status of your application: Due to the large number of applications, we will only be calling those people we want to advance to the interview stage. Please wait for this notice, or if we don’t contact you, thank you again for applying, check in again for future opportunities, and we wish you great luck in your career search!” Meaning, if you aren’t contacted, you won’t get a rejection letter in the mail saying as much. You’re just left in limbo, wondering, waiting, or for those following the advice that has proliferated about how to job search, you go searching for a contact name, an email, anything that will allow you to follow up with your earnest interest in the position, typically to find a brick wall or a receptionist who is not about to cough up any names for you, and just gives the generic company line about hiring. I have only received one snail mail rejection letter out of dozens of applications. It’s a very dehumanizing reality of how companies manage applications now.
You hear that networking is the way to find job openings, that because of the vast numbers applying online for anything and everything, clogging the system for those that are qualifed and should be considered, your odds are better if you can get names and have someone on your side to refer to in your application. Given that networking is 180 degrees opposite of sitting at the computer alone searching and applying, you'd think job seekers would relish the chance to talk to people in the flesh. My experience: Networking events tend to be attended by solo entrepreneurs expecting that you are there to hear their pitch and hoping you will want their services, as that is what their industries tell them to do to find new clients. Networking events are rarely attended by people in hiring positions, for obvious reasons. Networking requires you to have your elevator speech polished and ready to go, which is a good thing, but no one seems to listen as they're so busy getting ready to give you theirs (and to get you as a client). Typically, the host or hostess gets to do their pitch to the group, during which you're expected to sit graciously, be attentive and actively participate as a thanks for this great networking opportunity. In fairness to many of the good people I have met at these events, there is some hope of some opportunity here and there (usually for freelance work more so that knowledge of open positions), and they truly understand the tough spot a job seeker is in, so at least the validation and talking with people face to face for a change is worth it. As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and new friendships and contacts can be developed at times. It's good to put on inteview clothes and work your best lines, prepping your interview skills for when you hopefully get one.
I have signed with a temp agency: In years past, this has always been listed as a way to meet new people, gain more experience and skills, and hopefully land a job. I signed up with one in June, have subsquently signed up with one of their partners, signed up at a different agency, and have yet to be placed into a position: The temp agencies aren't getting the work due to the economy. Or, the work they offer is, well, you decide: "We have an opening that is a long term position, 6-8 months minimum is projected, 21 hours per week, Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, and you must commit to that time frame." Oh and it pays slightly better than minimum wage (which, let's remember, is not a living wage) with ten times the responsibility for the pay. I don't regret signing up. It's been good to do the interviews to get the practice, and to take the tests and remember I do well under pressure. Remains to be seen if I get placed prior to finding a position myself.
A new reality of what work looks like is coming out at this time, related to this. Many people will take that temp job listed above, and hobble together two or three other part time positions, just to pay the bills and be working. There are thousands of people doing just this, and I think it’s a horrible trend – they have no health benefits, and companies are lowering and lowering the pay scales because they know people are desperate. Where is it going to lead? Where is the bottom? I guess that would be ‘I (employee) pay you (employer) to work for no salary’ (and thus it’s not even a volunteer position. Oh and I am volunteering, per the other conventional wisdom out there. Remains to be seen what that may lead to).
I initially thought I would not have a hard time finding a new position because so many of the job losses in the past year or so have been in manufacturing or construction, neither of which I am in, and because of a good work history and strong references (thank you, you know who you are), and of course, my, ahem, good personality (okay, I saw the eye roll, and yes, I know, that’s subjective). However, the latter doesn’t come through on most online job apps so the cover letter is your only chance, but given how heavily weighted the online forms are, it’s hard to know how much relevance the cover letter has, given the computerized nature of keywords and matching requirements compared to eyeballs on a page making determinations. If anyone doing online hiring can shed light on that, it would be greatly appreciated, but I’m guessing that info stays hidden away somewhere.
If you have done any reading about job searching, you will know it now takes five and ten times the effort, creativity and work to land a job. I had read that most job searches take 6-9 months, but this was prior to the current state of unemployment, so I know I have to pace myself and take all this into account. It’s hard to project how long this will last (the current methods of job searching and the recession), but it’s not for the feint of heart. (Remember that unemployment figures don’t count those who have lost heart and given up job searching, or are underemployed and still looking for a better position.) Even for those with a system for their search, faithfully working at it daily, it gets very disheartening and discouraging, even for those with lots of resources and stamina. It’s unnerving to think the economy won’t turn around until next year some time, based on current news reports; people’s severance pay, savings, and unemployment benefits won’t last forever (and I shudder to think of those relying on credit cards to see them through, given the whole scene there nowadays).
Whether you were laid off, fired, or voluntarily left, the reality of finding a new position is the same for everyone. It gets to your self-esteem, your confidence, your endurance. It’s a ripe ground for contemplation and values clarification, but it’s sometimes hard to justify the time when you don’t want to miss opportunities to apply for something, or network, or pound pavement looking for work not listed online. It is worth it, though (and, if you go to a networking event you are sure to find a life coach who would like you to hire them to help you with it; in all fairness, there are good ones and it can be worth it, but expect to put out a few hundred dollars or more). There’s nothing like a job search to make you take a hard look at yourself and your life, which can be rewarding if it sparks a new direction, a clarity or understanding of what you want your life to be.
All I can say is that I have to, and any job seeker has to, keep digging in and doing the work, look for opportunities everywhere, take breaks as needed, whine and vent as appropriate (just don’t get stuck there), and keep the hopes up. I do hope that something shifts in the way we apply for work, however, and that HR and software designers come up with better systems that still have some humanity and dignity to them. I know not every company and organization hires online and/or still has a sane process, but it’s a troubling trend that seems to be here to stay, and that the majority of job seekers have to deal with and find a way to make work for them.
Good luck to us all, and I’d like to hear from both job seekers and those on the hiring side, and those who have just landed a position through a process mentioned here as to their experiences and feelings about it all.
I love grilling season. It’s cooking the way it’s meant to be done, with direct heat and flames kissing succulent meats, fish and poultry, as it was thousands of years ago…minus of course the metal grill and spatula. The sounds of outdoor picnics and cooking over an open flame are music to my ears each summer. The crackling skin of just-broken-down chickens, the flare-ups of hamburger juices as they drip onto the blazing coals, and even the clinking of ice cubes against the sides of a glass.
Grilling outdoors can be great fun. In addition to grilling tips, I have listed a few safety tips that I deem important, as well as those of some prominent organizations.
So have tackle these tips, have a great barbecue season, and be safe.
Fire Safety
Keep in your general vicinity a bucket of sand and some baking soda for extinguishing small fires. It’s also a good idea to keep your garden hose just a few steps away, especially if you are cooking on a wooden deck. Always keep the cooking surface or grill at least several feet away from any objects or walls.
Food Safety
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has put together a series of safety tips for this summers grilling season that are certainly worth a quick read. The list covers techniques on safe food transportation, thawing, and even a blurb on cancer studies regarding charred foods, although they make no claims either way.
SAFE MINIMUM INTERNAL TEMPERATURES
Poultry, Whole, Ground 165 °F
Hamburger, Beef 160 °F
Beef, Veal, Lamb:
Medium Rare 145 °F
Medium 160 °F
All Pork 160 °F
Source: USDA.gov
Use Good Wood
I like to grill with a combination of coal and wood. Simply follow the same rules you would if you were burning wood in your fireplace at home. Do not use pressure treated woods, painted woods, or any manufactured woods that may have been chemically treated.
Stick to natural, dry hardwoods when possible. I try to use maple, oak if possible, or hardwoods still being sold from local homes for fireplace burning. Fortunately I live in an area where every few streets it seems have several stacks of wood for sale each winter, with some remaining through summer for camping season. I can pick up a large bundle of seasoned hardwood for about three dollars.
Keep a Clean Cooking Area
Be sure to use separate dishes for raw and cooked foods. As soon as the raw food is on the grill, bring the dishes to a cleaning area and douse with hot, soapy water. Cross-contamination is a huge risk, especially when outdoors in the heat and sun.
Lubricate the Cooking Surface
First of all, “Grease” is something you use on your car. Oil or fat is what’s used to lubricate cooking surfaces to prevent food from sticking. If your grilling surface is free from debris and any cooked on foods from the last use, then a small towel with a little oil on it should suffice to rub the grates. Try not to use paper towels when the grates are hot. Just a quick rub right before placing the meats on the grill will be enough to keep even the leanest of meats from sticking as long as the grates are hot.
Season Later
It’s best to season your meats just minutes before they are finished. Salt pulls moisture from foods early in the cooking process, so keep those juices in and salt when done. Marinades and rubs should be tapped against a bowl to remove anything that might drip when placing on the grill to avoid flare-ups. Be sure to mob, baste, or brush sauces later in the cooking process. When used early, charring can occur, and your grates can get gummed up slowing cooking time and causing foods to stick.
Additional Information
If you’re looking for additional information on barbecuing from the professionals, here are some additional sources you may want to consider.
Paul Kirk: The Undisputed Barbecue Champion
Easily the best Barbecue book I have read, this collection of Paul Kirk’s 575 Championship Recipes book is full of tips and ideas for pulling off the most successful Barbecue ever.
TheSmokeRing.com
The Smoke Ring is a list of over 1,000 member barbecue sites with all you ever need to know about barbecue. From recipes and products, to sauces, rubs, and professional barbecue instruction.
BBQ-Festivals.com
Another site of all-things-barbecue, BBQ-Festivals.com offers a calendar list of barbecue festivals around the United States.
National Barbecue Organization
I arrived down in Washington D.C the saturday before the inauguration with a few friends. We left a few days early to beat traffic and also because a few of us wanted to get some film footage of the weekends festivities. I went to the American University in Washington from 1999 and 2003 and i have to admit that the climate during those four years was much different then the climate now in 09 with President Obama coming to office. In my four years we experienced 9/11, the Iraq War, Anthrax, Sniper attacks and the beginning of what would be a failing economy. Although those memories were certainly present the optimism and hope would prevail amongst the masses this weekend in D.C.
Everyday there were more people arriving. We experienced only mild traffic congestion but every new day we had friends report that it was a bit more difficult for them to get into the Capitol. Everywhere we went people would cheer “Obama! Obama!”, it was much more reminiscent of the Beatles then an incoming President, although cheers for pop stars are generally reserved for their presence. Obama could have been in another country, people were still cheering his name. At one point i walked down Adams Morgan and cheered with the crowd of people that lined up and down the bars on the street. A young woman and i looked at one another and immediately embraced in a strong and heartfelt hug. I had never met the woman before. The energy was infectious.
The night before the inauguration we were all out till 3 am partying, dancing, drinking. Unfortunately we had to wake up at 6 am to drive further into the city so we could get close to the Mall. We all dragged our weary and mostly still drunk bodies from our slumber and got in my car. We made our way down past Howard University before Soldiers prevented us from getting any closer and asked us to park in the neighboring area. What marveled us most was that none of them had weapons on them, Obama had requested that all soldiers not carry armed guns (at least noticably to the public). We parked the car and began our trek in the bitter cold. We were not alone. The streets filled with people singing and dancing in the wee hours of the morning. The sun had yet to greet us, it was 20 degrees outside, yet everyone was in high spirits.
As we made our way closer to the Mall the crowds grew and momentum carried us. There were no real signs directing us but just a general direction we were all being pulled. We came across the highway that leads under the Capitol Mall, it was closed to automobiles but open to citizens. Thousands of people, like herds across the plains migrating to see this historical event. It was surreal and eery. You only see people walking down highways like that in movies and usually its apocalyptic imagery.
We arrived at our blue gate around 8 am only to find no signs of direction and thousands and thousands of people lined through the street. We immediately placed ourselves in line and waited. The wind was blistering and all of us were huddled together. Yet the mood was jovial. People told jokes, sang songs, hugged one another and chatted as if they were long lost friends. The hours went by though and it became quite apparent that we were not going to get through the gates in time for Obamas Speech. Basically it was general chaos and complete disorganization. Luckily our fortitude lead us to explore and we arrived through the silver gate just in time for an awful song by Aretha Franklin.
Obama came on, like most of us know by now and gave a somber and realistic speech on the state of our country and world. Although his words lacked the hope from his earlier speeches you wouldnt find its effect apparent on the faces of the millions watching live. People were crying, but with those tears were smiles.
Here are a few pix from the weekend:
I have spent the better part of the last two months volunteering for the Obama Campaign for Change in center city Philadelphia. What i saw during that time was nothing short of the most remarkable and awe inspiring movement of energy and hope in my lifetime. People of all ages, races, religions, status etc etc came together for something much bigger then themselves and as a result were rewarded with the most beautiful act of democracy many of us have ever witnessed in our lifetimes.
On November 4th i was at the Campaign headquarters at 15th and Sansom with hundreds of others watching history unfold on tv. We sat there exhausted with the final push yet exhilirated by the possibility of the extraordinary. We cheered as Obama won state after state, wondered what if and cried when it became a reality. Our voices already gone, our eyes already dry we took to the streets. First there were just thirty of us marching along Broad St. As we passed City Hall our momentum took us down Market and towards Independence Mall, the birthplace of America. By the time we reached the Liberty Bell we were over a thousand strong and an impromptu rally took place. We then headed back up Chestnut St. towards Broad St again and ran smack into another rally and all of a sudden we were 10,000 deep. Here are some pictures of the evening. I hope you enjoy.
oh.. and YES WE DID!!!
Last weekend marked the inaugural Tatanka Music and Arts Festival in Boulder, Colorado. Held at the Boulder Reservoir, a public space spanning 700 acres, Tatanka offered two days of jammin’ tunes and funky displays of both fine art and craftwork.
I arrived on Sunday morning to the sounds of the The Unknown Americans, a five-piece rockabilly group hailing from Boulder. Unfortunately, this group played for a rather thin crowd. The band did not seem to let this fact phase them and continued to rock out (and wisely promote their show at Mountain Sun later that night).
Up next, on the “Main Stage” (which positioned itself directly next to the not-so-main-stage of equal size), was the band I came to see – Jubal. Fronted by Boulder local Jubal – a member of several outfits – this seven-piece band blends ska and reggae rhythms with a rock sensibility. Just when they settle into a groove, they rouse the crowd with tempo shifts and guitar solos that scream pure rock. They called upon some talented friends, including Mohammad Alidu Bizung and Matt Wasowski from the traditional West African band The Bizung Family. The talented performers sat in with the band through the second-half of the set, providing another cultural twist to an already solid lineup with a diverse sound. Think Keller Williams melting into the Black Crowes, with a dash of Bruce Hornsby (which may have just been jogged in my memory by the sound of the organ).
Jubal croons lyrics that John Mayer wishes he’d written. The accompanying harmonies of surprisingly robust-voiced Monica Colbi (she’s a petite woman) blended smoothly with the mohawked frontman. The band played for an hour, mixing covers and originals from both Jubal and Bizung. They covered one of my favorite songs, the David Bowie/Queen collaboration “Under Pressure,” but adding their own funky twists. As for the originals, “The Time We Never Spent” ranks as my personal favorite. It’s a song that doesn’t quite commits to its reggae roots but is positively jubilant in nature.
As Jubal’s set continued, a thicker crowd filtered in. They were treated to Octopus Nebula, the bastard child of String Cheese and Rush. That’s the best way I know how to describe their music. I was pleasantly surprised by their unique style, as was the crowd (a blend of hippies, hoopers, ravers, and music buffs). Next up was Boulder favorite, Rose Hill Drive. Brothers Jacob and Daniel Sproul front this three-piece effort, with Nate Barnes kickin’ it on the drums. They definitely represented the “rock” at Tatanka, bringing the significantly fuller crowd (and this humble reviewer as well) to their feet.
At this point, I had to leave the festival, which was becoming more crowded. There was one act left before the night’s headliners, The Disco Biscuits. By then the tickets were discounted as well. In all, the acts blew up the stages – they deserved a fuller audience for the weight of their talent. If Tatanka is to be an annual event (and a profitable one at that) it needs to do two things: 1) allow overnight camping and 2) allow outside food and water, maybe not in the concert area, but at least in a designated area. The early start time (10am) proved too early for an audience forced to commute to the venue after an undoubtedly late Saturday. Despite a lackluster turnout, Tatanka booked quality acts and provided a welcomed festival in the Indian Summer of Boulder.
—–
Check out the acts I mentioned on their websites:
The Unknown Americans
Last night was the opening reception for Giancarlo De Marchi’s Love and Fear art show, which is amazing. Great turn out, good people, fun times. Enjoy the photos below. If you can’t make it to the show (up all month), and are interested in purchasing one of the few remaining pieces, please get in contact with Homebase.
Kurtz holding it down outside
Window Displays
Bubba flexing some new ink
Storefront
Uber Limited edition shirts, stop in and cop one before there are no mo’
Even the Ninja came out!
Again, thanks to LVAN and Homebase for putting this on and Giancarlo for his amazing work. Stop in and check it out this month!
Special thanks to Andrew who took more than half of these photos while I was busy being social.
Prepare to be schooled. Legitimately.
On the second Tuesday in November, history will be made. America will have elected either its first African American president, more than 140 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, or the first woman vice president, nearly 90 years following the ratification of the bill that gave U.S. women the right to vote. It’s a spectacular opening of doors for future generations in America, and a new source of untapped talent for the highest offices in the land. Regardless of the scurrilous gossip strewn about the candidates personal lives, about the disagreements over flip flopping and petty fighting between party lines, there are real issues here at stake that actually matter to our lives and the lives of our children. As Lauren stated, it’s exhausting to witness the bickering, and maybe this is only another voice in the crowd of many. I’ve painfully recognized how uneducated and seemingly uninterested Americans are on the actual FACTS of this election. We have let our reality become distorted by the most backwards and terrifying process of dehumanization out there, the agenda of the corporate American press.
In an attempt to be as bipartisan as possible, I thought that I would try to outline some of the basic issues of both candidates and what they stand for. This is in no way a purpose for me to be stumping for either party (even though you know I’m not afraid to let you know who I support), this is simply an attempt to break down the basic facts. Just because you’ve always voted Democrat, or you’ve always voted Republican, does not mean that you should blindly support whomever that party has nominated. Do you agree with their stance on foreign policy? Their answer to the war in Iraq? Their energy policies? What about education? When it comes down to it, this is a personal decision, but one that should be an informed choice. We can’t base our sources of knowledge in hearsay, propaganda or in the opinions of spouses or parents or friends. I’ve done the gruntwork for you, and here it is. Make your own choices.
In black and white, I give you the facts:
In comparison to the policies in place under our current administration, the McCain tax plan will reduce taxes by approximately 4.2 trillion. The Obama plan will cut taxes by 2.9 trillion. McCain’s tax cuts will hit across the board, with the biggest cuts going to the highest income households (top 1% of US citizens making over $1.2 mill/year), while Obama would give larger tax cuts to low and moderate income households and pay most of the cost by raising taxes on high income taxpayers (top 1% making over $1.2 mill/year). Both policies from both parties will substantially increase our national debt over the next ten years: McCain’s would increase our debt by $5 trillion, Obama’s by $3.5 trillion.
What does this mean for you? The typical American, middle class income (incomes of less than $200k yearly for individuals and $250k per year for married couples) will raise 3% with McCain’s plan. In comparison, with Obama’s plan, middle income households will see a boost of 5% back into their wallets.
Things to consider: National debt. Want to see how much we owe? Check this out. We need to pay taxes in order to dig ourselves out of debt and get this tattered economy back on it’s feet. Bigger tax breaks and higher spending pushes this debt onto our children and our children’s children.
(Please note, these are estimations based on currently proposed tax plans. Source: Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute and Brookings Institution)
McCain proposes a refundable income tax credit of $2500 individually or $5000 for married couples purchasing health insurance. He believes that competition between insurance companies will lower the cost and improve the quality of health insurance. This, among other changes that McCain proposes, would cost the US deficit $1.3 trillion over ten years. Obama’s plan is to modernize the US healthcare system and make relatively low cost insurance available to everyone, along with subsidizing premiums for low and moderate income folks. This will cost the US deficit $1.6 trillion, but would also cover virtually all children and the majority of currently uninsured adults. McCain’s proposed plan would cut the number of uninsured people by a little over 6 million in ten years. Obama’s plan would bring the numbers of uninsured people down by 34 million.
(Source: Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute and Brookings Institution)
Things to consider: One in seven Americans are uninsured, living sicker and dying younger. Uninsured Americans effect everyone’s health coverage. Even the insured pay the price with crowded emergency rooms and escalating health care costs, which in turn make health insurance less affordable. The United States spends nearly $100 billion annually to provide uninsured patients with health services, often for preventable diseases or diseases more effectively treated with an earlier diagnoses. Can you guess where this money comes from, loyal tax payer?
The basic discrepancy between candidates on this issue is whether or not to pull out from the war and withdraw our troups. McCain says fight it out, Obama says end it. McCain believes that it is our moral obligation to stay in Iraq until it is capable of governing itself and safeguarding its own people. He supports counterinsurgencies (sending additional troops) in order to control the population and violence in Iraq. McCain will promote efforts within the international community to support regional stability and to bolster Iraq’s economy. He also supports structuring the US’s military posture in order to put pressure on Iraq’s neighbors (Syria and Iran) to stop aiding Shi’ite militias.
Obama believes that we are in the midst of a war without end, and proposes a plan to finish it. He believes that our military resources are dwindling and leaving us less safe at home, and that with a responsible and phased withdrawal, both Iraq and the US will be better off. Obama’s basic plan will have brigades removed at a pace of 1 to 2 per month, to be completed in 16 months. He will also have a residual force remain in Iraq to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions as well as continue efforts to train and support Iraqi security forces with the support of the Iraqi government. Obama believes in a moral obligation to Iraq’s humanitarian crisis, providing $2 billion to support the millions of displaced Iraqi families while reserving the right to intervene militarily, with international support, to suppress potential genocidal violence within the country.
McCain highlights that the past year has shown a significant reduction in violence in Iraq, and he places the success on the shoulders of the troop surge. Obama supports redirecting our efforts towards Afghanistan where Taliban has since reemerged, pointing out that 2007 was the most violent year in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001.
Things to consider: With hundreds upon thousands of innocent lives lost, almost 5,000 American soldiers dead since the start of the war, and $3 trillion in national debt… the cost of the war continues to rise by the second.
It seems as though major authorities on the environment and energy crisis don’t think that either candidate has enough policy in regard to these topics. It also seems that both candidates bleed into one another’s solutions, there is a meshing between sides. The major differences are that McCain is touting increased fossil fuel production and nuclear energy, while Obama emphasizes alternative sources and conservation to meet our energy needs.
McCain’s emphasis on increased production of nuclear energy and oil is based in a re-commitment in these energy sources. Nuclear energy produces zero emissions, and could decrease our dependency on foreign oil, however safety can be an issue due to the high levels of radioactivity that can be emitted from the waste (newer plants have a much better safety record, but it makes some reminisce about Chernobyl). There are also concerns about the cost of researching and building nuclear power plants. McCain’s plan also will give $2 billion per year in order to advance clean coal technology.
McCain supports off-shore drilling, deep sea drilling off U.S. coastlines in search of oil in order to increase domestic supplies. Increasing domestic oil production could put a patch on the situation we’ve found ourselves at the gas pump, however ecologically speaking, oil is a non-renewable resource and not a great thing to be dependent on, not to mention the threat of what oil spills can do to our environment. McCain has the idea of providing a $300 million award for “the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.” Anyone know how to make batteries?
Obama will back limited off-shore drilling, as he believes that oil companies should first drill on the 68 million acres that they have which are so far unused. Previously against the idea, Obama has recently said that he now believes a compromise will have to be made in order to prevent gridlocking between oil companies and the government. His main objective is that we need to reduce our dependency on oil completely and move towards new fuel choices and alternative energies. Obama’s proposed policies take it a step further by investing $150 billion over ten years in order to build a clean energy future, along with creating 5 million “green collar” jobs. As for an immediate solution, he’ll give a $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families pay for rising bills, the money coming from oil company profits. Obama would mandate the auto industry in order to influence them towards making vehicles capable of running on alternative fuels, and increase federal support of mass transit. McCain is against these mandates, and once a cap and trade is implemented (keep reading…), would rely on the market to cultivate alternative energy itself.
Both candidates support tax credits to those that buy hybrid cars. Both support a cap-and-trade system that would place a cost on emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to global warming, in order to encourage a shift towards renewable energy. Both also agree that regardless of the solution to stop the immediate oil bleeding from the gas pumps in America, something needs to be done to catalyze our shift from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources.
Please see this as well as this for further info.
Things to consider: Where you’ll be in 2050 when the Arctic Ocean has completely melted, the glaciers are gone from the Alps, and over one million species of animals are extinct. I’ll be (hopefully) still kicking it at 68.
The low standards that our education system has currently in place are dismal at best. American children rank 28th out of 40 countries in mathematics and 19th out of 40 countries in science. Education should be a top priority. Bush’s No Child Left Behind plan was a complete dud, most agree the reason for this is because it was neglected in funding. We have huge issues in America with teacher quality and accountability. (Although this article is Obama based, if you are interested in the current state of our national education system, it is phenomenally written, please devour.) McCain will work to improve the No Child Left Behind Law, Obama will fundamentally extricate it.
McCain doesn’t seem to have a clear plan in regard to changing our education system, although lets hope he focuses more on this issue with the addition of his running mate and mother of 5. He does believe that public schools need to be publicly accountable for test results. McCain supports the basis of using competition in order to obtain greater quality teachers, and thinks that if parents are unhappy with the public education of their children, they should be allowed to change schools. He’ll also reward teachers with individual merit pay. Obama’s main concerns are in the US’s high school dropout rate (30%), quality of teachers, and extremely high college costs. He will work to create a voluntary national performance assessment for new teachers, as well as work with school districts to create a program for salary increases for accomplished educators that work to mentor new teachers. Obama will also enact an unprecedented American Opportunity Tax Credit of $4000 to families universally. He will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year’s tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.
Things to consider: Children are our future!
The basis of this article has grown out of Project votesmart. I believe that being informed is so important, and I am up for anyone willing to question. If we are open to it, we can all learn something here.
Signing off before my fingers fall off, as your CNN addict/political adviser chick, I bid you adieu…. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!
I don’t have enough time or energy to express how tired, to the bone tired, of this election I am, and how many weeks do we have to go? Does anyone else hate listening to these horrid ads that say nothing? And the equally predictable and maddening responses to the ads? I can barely watch/read/listen to it at this point. It makes me literally sick, listening to all the drivel put out by campaigns, and then endless opinions and “analysis” on and responses to the drivel that is somehow supposed to make us think we are informed and can vote intelligently. I could go on and on, but I just hope I’m not alone in feeling this way.
I am despondent looking at the decline in the integrity of our election process in this country. Of course, this is nothing new this election, it’s just that since this election has gone on for about 3 years (feels like 30) it just drives it home in a more sickening way. I’m equally despondent that in this nation of brilliant people we haven’t figured it out and changed it (along with a very long list of other ills that plague our country). That makes me to the molecular level tired, when I really think about it.
Just had to put voice to the fatigue and frustration (who do these strategists think we are?), and hope those who feel the same will smile a weak smile knowing they are not alone out there amid this muck of a time.
