Christmas and 2009

I had the best Christmas ever this year. Really. And I don't have a single photo to show for it. Really. We would be in the middle of shopping, or laughing, or baking, or decorating and I'd think "Huh. This is a good photo op," and then we'd continue the fun because unlike the embarrassing photographer at our wedding dance who knelt about 3 inches from the 4 yr. old girl who was doing a tau'olunga for us, I did not want to ruin a memory by clicking away like an observer when I was actually a participant during this, my favorite Christmas of all time.

Here are some highlights though:

We baked. A Lot. I tried a new recipe and it was the best! Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies. If you don't like candy canes, you can always dip them in coconut, crushed walnuts, sprinkles or butterscotch candies. They were so so yummy and would be fun for kids to make too!

We had a beautiful Christmas tree. Still do actually. We don't take our tree down until the day after Epiphany (Jan. 7th). Not familiar with Epiphany? It's the day that the Magi visited the newborn King.

We got fun, meaningful, and inexpensive gifts for our friends and relatives. While the recession hasn't affected us the way it has others (if you don't have money, you can't lose money), we have always been aware of the value of gift giving and the potential it has to offer meaning rather than material consumption. I loved that part.

We relaxed. We napped. We talked. We looked at our tree. We gave thanks for all the blessings the Lord has given us. And then we thanked Him again. And then we relaxed some more.

During this time, I had also taken many opportunities to contemplate the various desires of my heart and what kind of life I wanted to create for myself and my family this next year. As I began to solidify in my mind some goals that I thought were "doable", I decided to write them on another blog! A really great blog actually. One that I recently came across. It's written by an artist who I met while we lived in Seattle. Her name is Crystal and her blog is: Mammajam's Rainy Day Recess. She's a great and talented gal, married to a great and talented guy. Thanks Crystal, for giving me that space in your comment box to write the plan for 2009!

Not that anyone asked, but here they are:

Resolutions for 2009:

1. Meditate Daily. (I'm all about the Ohm)
2. Take a photo of something beautiful each day. (There are just some memories worth ruining the moment for!)
3. Make running a part of my daily routine. (Current blister on tip of middle toe notwithstanding)
4. Write at least one sentence in my daily journal. (Because some days really are that concise!)

And that's it. Four is enough, don't ya think?

All that said, I would love to hear some goals YOU may have for this year. And for those of you who are in your thirties like me, can you believe it's 2009 and that Vans are back in??? YES, WE ARE NOW OFFICIALLY RETRO.

Happy New Year one and all!!

And The Tears Keep Coming

On the day after the election, there was a shift. You all know what I mean. It was palatable. I went to a church activity that night and while I was making my famous pumpkin curry cream soup, I found myself holding confessional in the kitchen. Mormon-style. You see, my husband is a Bishop of the best LDS congregation (ward) in the world. The fact that I'm a Bishop's wife means nothing except that I get to hear the women's voices, their thoughts, their opinions on certain matters in our ward. It's no secret that in general, women have a way of knowing. And because we know what we know, we then know who to trust, who to lobby, who to confide in about any myriad of issues pertaining to our families, our communities, ourselves. And here's the real secret: Although total men of sound judgment and integrity, when we've got something to say, it's not always the Bishop we seek out first in a church setting. It's each other. And in this case, it was his wife.

So as I was stirring the cream into the curry into the pumpkin (try that recipe, Ian Lind), one after the other, I found myself hearing the same confession over and over and over again. And I never got tired of it. In fact, each time I heard it, I wanted to stop the centerpiece making class, jump on the scrap booking table, and fist bump every woman in attendance that night. The confession?

"I voted for Barack Obama."

I am a devout Democrat. I'm an even more devout Mormon. These two identities don't always gel in some people's mind, and yes at times it's been a difficult process to combine the two in my own mind. But Barack Obama changed people. He made it possible for us to openly practice what Maxine Hong Kingston wrote, "make our minds large even as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes." The Democratic Party has done this for me and BHO did this for many like me . . . and many unlike me.

That night, with a contagious audacity I had never felt before, I went home and constructed a letter to my Congresswoman, Mazie Hirono. I wrote it right on her website so I didn't keep a copy of it. But I told her a little bit about myself. I told her that I was LDS, that I live in Laie, that among a primarily Republican population, I was the VP of my precinct, Secretary of my district, and Secretary of my Region for the Democratic Party of Hawaii. I told her that in the larger scheme of the political world, I really had no position of influence or social status. I told her of my love for this country, my desire for change, and my willingness to help make that change possible within myself, my family, and my community. Then I ended the letter by "pulling an Obama" . . . I asked for the unaskable.

Wednesday, December 17th at 8:38 a.m., I woke up to this email:

Aloha,

Thank you for contacting my office requesting tickets to the Presidential Inauguration on January 20th, 2009. I am pleased to be able to offer you 1 ticket. Please confirm by Monday, Dec. 29, 2008, that you still want the ticket. Email your confirmation to one of the addresses below. If we do not hear from you by Monday, Dec. 29, the tickets will be given to other people on the waiting list. As you may know, the requests for tickets have been overwhelming, and I want to offer the opportunity to attend the ceremony to as many people from Hawaii as possible. Please let us know at your earliest convenience and no later than Dec. 29, 2008, whether you will use the tickets or not. If you confirm that you want the tickets, a more detailed email will be sent to you in early January with information on how and when to pick up the tickets. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,

M

Mazie K. Hirono MEMBER OF CONGRESS

So I'm off to be a part of history. Aside from the response I wrote to her, there is no possible way I can think of to show her just how grateful I am this amazing opportunity. I doubt she'll ever read this post, but just in case she does:

Mazie,
From one woman to another, thank you for knowing.

Favorite Christmas Party Moment . .

Nellie the MC: How many kids do you guys have?
father (new in the ward): Five.
Nellie: Oka!

This song gets played over and over again in our home during the Christmas Season. It makes me cry every.single.time I play it.

Happy Thanksgiving

Yummiest Thanksgiving Lunch Ever.

I Like To Hear Some Funky Dixie Land

Funky white dudes make my day. Seriously, my old friend Matt from the U and wiretapmag. Total funk di funk. G Love and Special Sauce. Special, all right. But I loved his tunes. And I saw him with Salt Lake City's finest funky white dude, LeGrand. LeGrand now plays retro funk on KRCL in Utah. His show is the creme de la funky funk funk.

But this group are the kings of the funky white dudes, the gatekeepers of all things FWD, and they are my favorite. I love listening to them all day, every day. They've even helped me feel the funk when I was actually in a funk. They're so funky that every high quality you-tube video of them does not allow embedding by me and others that are children of a lessor funk.

Before I die, I want to see them LIVE and until I'm funky enough to embed a decent video of them, I'm posting this song. A trick by this tricky tricky half-white gal: turn it up REALLY loud while cleaning your house. You'll feel the funk even as you wipe the funk.

UFO Sighting

An ad for a free copy of the Book of Mormon on The Huffington Post

Not Quite As Meaningful As His PhD . . . But Close.

Please kick some tail.

Post-Election Blues

In an effort to wean myself from my addiction to politics, I did the following exercise. It's a form of art therapy. My name is Liz. And I'm a poli-rage-roll my eyes at sarah palin and at twilight . . . aholic.


Concept:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
http://www.flickr.com/search/
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php
(choose four columns and three rows, also choose individual URL's)

Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your nickname.

Thanks, Half Breed Outlaw, for providing tonight's zen activity here in Provo of the Pacific.

I've Been Tagged!

Ok, this is actually the first tag I've followed through with in a long long time! Forgive me for not doing the tags sooner, it was Election year! And you know what that means. It means that I'm busy obsessing day to day and minute by minute, about the bowling score of Barack Obama and the cost of Sara Palin's wardrobe. Where was the time for fun and friends during this, the year of the insane and inane politicking throughout the country? It was spent screaming my lungs out every time BHO was up a point in the polls.

So here we go!
1. Link this post to the person who tagged you: Siana
2. Post the rules on your blog (done)
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Random Things:

1. I roll my eyes a lot when I'm sitting in church. I think that politics has no place in Sacrament meeting, Sunday School, or Relief Society. I also believe that God loves gay people and while I personally do not support gay marriage (I'm very supportive of civil unions), I do believe that gay bashing on Sundays (and every other day) should be punishable by law. And that law should be the force feeding of rainbow jello salad.

2. MDs annoy me. 4 out of 5 of them are crazy. Certifiable even. Many of them do have a "God complex" which wouldn't be so annoying except that then people actually believe that Dr. Yellow Teeth can make their 90 year old father with Parkinson's disease run the next Honolulu Marathon. It's not a pretty picture yet MD's lap it up.

3. Bras. They're a mixed bag. I spent years refusing to wear one and then years wearing only one. I once had a water bra that I loved so much I wore it even when the straps dug so hard in my skin from my 60 pound weight gain that I yelled "uncle" at random intervals during the day.

4. I love Debbie Doxey's house. It's huge, it's on right on the beach, and it's just beautiful. I'm not sure how I'll ever afford a home like that but I'm tempted to actually take The Secret's advice and make a materialistic vision board that I feel so guilty about already.

5. I love to bake. I LOVE to bake. Really, I LOVE TO BAKE!!! I'm avoiding it as of late because of my addiction to sugar and carbs and lovely looking pastries. But the holiday season is near and I don't think I can hold out any longer. I feel a banana cream cake with cream cheese frosting comin' on. Help!

6. I'm obsessed with the most self aggrandising blog called "blurbomat" (www.blurbomat.com). I check it like 100 times a day. The guy who writes it is Dooce's husband. The blog cracks me up because it attempts to discuss controversial topics and some of the commenters are so lame. They have such strong opinions on topics they haven't read much about. I love it because it's certain that I'm the smartest one in that blog room and that brings some sort of legitimacy to my stay-at-home wife status. Sad, but oh oh so true.

So there it is. Now:

I tag Lisa (come on, just one more. It won't hurt, I promise!), Patria (of course, did you really think you could hide?), Don (dude, you know you wanna!), Leslie (girlfriend, don't be all mainland snobby now!), Jenny (who hasn't posted in over a month), and Dooce (wouldn't that be hilarious if she actually responded to this?).

Sounding Off and So Much More

I'm still recovering from the Elections. I was a poll watcher. Which meant that I traveled within a 20 mile radius to 5 different polling locations making sure that everything was OK. And everything was . . . sort of. One poll worker was telling me jokingly that he was directing all Democratic voters to come back the following day and vote. HAR HAR. I asked him if he was serious and the guy sitting next to him told me that NO, no voter was asked to come back the next day. I also got a lame hate email about the same thing: "Republicans vote on the 4th, Democrats on the 5th". I replied asking the sender to remove me from her mailing list. This person is also a local real estate broker. She totally just lost the business of me and anyone within earshot of me. I don't have time for stupidity, especially within local business owners. Are they serious about sending that stuff? And that podunk video store with no air conditioning and no customers, are they serious when they put up campaign signs endorsing a Republican drug user during the primaries? I think that candidate lost because of their "endorsement". Or maybe it was because of the drugs. Who knows. I don't get Republican voters anyway.

So while all this hoo hah was going on, I missed posting on some other stuff that went on.

I went to Italy for a couple of weeks this summer. Boring. And yes, I've been before, and yes, I had tons and tons of family there. But I don't look at Italy as some awesome vacation spot. It's one of the homelands for me so I don't have the tourist gaze. I wish I did sometimes though. But I was there to take my Dad to my real home (where my heart is) after his stroke so any attempts to move into the subjective experience of the tourist was futile.
I did, however, reacquaint myself with the virtues of Arugula. It was everywhere and I loved it. While eating the pizza above, I kept forgetting to eat with a fork and knife. It just didn't seem right to me. It wasn't comfortable. But I eventually gave in. Then I began to realize that it is quite disgusting to eat pizza with bare hands. ew! Why did we start doing that anyway?

So in August, while I was still recovering from Italy, Tevita participated in a church/community service project. Even with the quality of photo, can you guess the politician he's standing next to?
That's right, Hawaii Senator, Clayton Hee. They and about a hundred others came to clean the nets from Kahuku Beach. Nets that were tangled amongst the reef. There goes those Pasifik men taking care of our islands, one piece of aina at a time.

Cute Tidbit

The new code names for the Obama family have been issued from the Secret Service.

Renegade
Renaissance
Radiance
and Rosebud
I love this country!

Some Sadness . . . Still

As I bask in the glow of President-elect Obama, I'm also aware of the layers of mess he's inheriting. And I'm trying to be 100% hopeful, really I am. But I can't help myself. Because our middle class are now becoming homeless, our soldiers and their families are hurting both emotionally and financially, and mother earth is all but giving out. Even though we've elected the modern day Joshua, I can't help but wonder how different the state of our country would have been had America not missed the opportunity to vote overwhelmingly for one of the greatest politicians of our generation.

A Whole New World

This new first family makes me happy and proud to be American.






All photos courtesy of The Black Snob.

Yes We Did!!!

Today's Email from my Mom . . .

My mom has never been very political so I was a little surprised to find two emails from her this morning regarding this election. It's interesting to see how she likes Ralph Nader, may come around to voting for Obama,. . . and that she also loved Ronald Regan! Voters are complex, they decide based on a myriad of reasons and experiences. I told her that I do hope she votes Obama but if not, I suppose we can still be family. :)

Hi Liz:

I have been very undecisive and unhappy that the people that I would have voted for are not on the ticket. Now, I would like to have voted for Ralph Nader, but I know my vote would not affect the presidency. So it's McCain and Obama.

Obama, I feel does not have enough experience, don't know anything about Biden. McCain is too old in the tooth and spent too much time in bashing Obama's credentials, Sarah Palin makes me shiver to think she could be next President if McCain demises during his Presidency.

I usually read your Blog every 3 months or so and decided to look it up today. I know you have always been an Obama fan. As I read through your Blog and at the last part of it regarding what Obama & Bidens future plans for America are, I could not help but reminesce on Ronald Regan.

In my opinion and during all my voting years, Regan was the one who kept to most of his promises, getting people off the welfare system, etc. Also working at Clark County Legal Services gave me direct access to Ronald Reagan's doings and I was so impressed with what he did during his presidency.

So I have to say, because of you itemizing Obama & Biden's plans during their presidency, my inclination is to vote for Obama. We'll see.

I had previously thought I would just abstain, but that would be irresponsible. So your mother will be at the voting polls today.

Love to you both and l am really looking forward to seeing you at Thanksgiving.

Mother

Excerpt from email #2:

Also, you need to know I stand my ground regarding my last email to you. However, my decision, if Obama I vote for, is purely based on Michelle Obama. Have followed her interviews, her speaking at conventions, Larry King Live show. I think she's very intellectual, very grounded in her comments, very positive, and very much a mother and family person.

If Obama Wins Tonight . . .

I'm having this to celebrate

If he doesn't, I'll eat two.

10 Minutes of Race Relations by Archie Bunker

It gets going at about 2:00.

Be Afraid . . . Be VERY Afraid . . .

I've just been asked to be a "poll watcher" on Election Day. Which means I get to spend the entire day cruising polling locations in my district. From Hau'ula to Kaneohe, I'm cruising. Making sure there are no problems. 

Even though there is no history of voter fraud or suppression in our district (besides 1959), it's still nice to be part of this historic process. 

A Great Reminder for My Fellow Mormons

LDS Official Calls for More Political Diversity

An interview with Elder Marlin K. Jensen, First Quorum of the Seventy

My Heart Is Sad For . .

The great singer and actress Jennifer Hudson and her family.

Collin Powell Endorses Barack Obama!

Barack Obama for President

Sigh.

Got so busy with the Oahu Campaign Committee, I haven't had time to post. I'm the VP of our precinct, Secretary of our District, and Secretary of our Region for the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

Have I not mentioned that before?

I'm sure you are all surprised.

More 30 Days. 30 Issues soon. I promise.

Meanwhile, I know this photo is all over the blogs. But I still can't help myself.

That right there sums up this whole election. McCain is behind Obama, grasping for anything to bring him down, and looking crazy while doing it.

Oh, and there goes Barack Obama, being focused on more important things.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day. A day each year that is set aside to encourage bloggers to write about a particular topic or issue. The issue for 2008 is Poverty. I realize the points made in this 30 Days. 30 Issues series have been a bit long, so I've condensed Barack Obama's plan as much as possible. Having been raised in Hawaii and then lived his adult years in Chicago, he has quite a range of understanding and experience in his plan.

The Problem

Poverty Rising: There are over 37 million poor Americans. Most Americans living in poverty work, but still cannot afford to make ends meet.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

Expand Access to Jobs

Create a Green Jobs Corps: Obama and Biden will create a program to directly engage disadvantaged youth in energy efficiency opportunities to strengthen their communities, while also providing them with practical skills in this important high-growth career field.

Improve Transportation Access to Jobs: As president, Obama will work to ensure that low-income Americans have transportation access to jobs. Obama will double funding for the federal Jobs Access and Reverse Commute program to ensure that additional federal public transportation dollars flow to the highest-need communities and that urban planning initiatives take this aspect of transportation policy into account.

Strengthen Families

Promote Responsible Fatherhood: Obama will sign into law his Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, and ensure that payments go to families instead of state bureaucracies.

Support Parents with Young Children: Obama and Biden will expand the highly-successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all 570,000 low-income, first-time mothers each year. The Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families.

Expand Paid Sick Days: Today, three-out-of-four low-wage workers have no paid sick days. Obama and Biden support guaranteeing workers seven paid sick days per year.

Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing

Supports Affordable Housing Trust Fund: Obama has supported efforts to create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing in mixed-income neighborhoods.

Fully Fund the Community Development Block Grant: Obama and Biden will fully fund the Community Development Block Grant program and engage with urban leaders across the country to increase resources to the highest-need Americans.

Tackle Concentrated Poverty

Establish 20 Promise Neighborhoods: Obama and Biden will create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in areas that have high levels of poverty and crime and low levels of student academic achievement in cities across the nation. The Promise Neighborhoods will be modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone, which provides a full network of services, including early childhood education, youth violence prevention efforts and after-school activities, to an entire neighborhood from birth to college.

Ensure Community-Based Investment Resources in Every Urban Community: Obama and Biden will work with community and business leaders to identify and address the unique economic development barriers of every major metropolitan area. Obama and Biden will provide additional resources to the federal Community Development Financial Institution Fund, the Small Business Administration and other federal agencies, especially to their local branch offices, to address community needs.

Invest in Rural Areas: Obama and Biden will invest in rural small businesses and fight to expand high-speed Internet access. They will improve rural schools and attract more doctors to rural areas. And they will implement a bold climate change and energy independence plan that will revitalize rural America through new investments in renewable energy production, including wind, solar and biofuel investments.

As I was surfing the net, looking for an image for today's post, I came across some ugly lies and images of Barack Obama. It's disappointing that Americans can be so hateful and scary. But I do have faith that the majority of the people in this great country are gifted with discernment and will focus on the issues this country is facing because of a failed Bush administration.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

The Problem

Increasing Debt: Under President Bush, the federal debt has increased from $5.7 trillion to $8.8 trillion, an increase of more than 50 percent.

Irresponsible Tax Cuts: President Bush's policies of giving tax breaks for the wealthy will cost the nation over $2.3 trillion by the time they expire in 2009.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

Restore Fiscal Discipline to Washington

Reinstate PAYGO Rules: Obama and Biden believe that a critical step in restoring fiscal discipline is enforcing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require new spending commitments or tax changes to be paid for by cuts to other programs or new revenue.

Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Obama and Biden will protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, but they will reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.

Cut Pork Barrel Spending: Obama introduced and passed bipartisan legislation that would require more disclosure and transparency for special-interest earmarks. Obama and Biden believe that spending that cannot withstand public scrutiny cannot be justified. Obama and Biden will slash earmarks to no greater than year 1994 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.

Make Government Spending More Accountable and Efficient: Obama and Biden will ensure that federal contracts over $25,000 are competitively bid. Obama and Biden will also increase the efficiency of government programs through better use of technology, stronger management that demands accountability and by leveraging the government's high-volume purchasing power to get lower prices.

End Wasteful Government Spending: Obama and Biden will stop funding wasteful, obsolete federal government programs that make no financial sense. Obama and Biden have called for an end to subsidies for oil and gas companies that are enjoying record profits, as well as the elimination of subsidies to the private student loan industry which has repeatedly used unethical business practices. Obama and Biden will also tackle wasteful spending in the Medicare program.

Make the Tax System More Fair and Efficient:

End Tax Haven Abuse: Building on his bipartisan work in the Senate, Obama will give the Treasury Department the tools it needs to stop the abuse of tax shelters and offshore tax havens and help close the $350 billion tax gap between taxes owed and taxes paid.

Close Special Interest Corporate Loopholes: Obama and Biden will level the playing field for all businesses by eliminating special-interest loopholes and deductions, such as those for the oil and gas industry.

Barack Obama for President

Barack Obama for President

Every single commentator on this video is a staunch Republican expressing concern about McCain.



More 30 Days. 30 Issues. later on today.

Barack Obama for President

P.S. Watch the video. It's a good one.

30 Days. 30 Issues: Rural America

The Problem

Family farmers are being squeezed: Farm consolidation has made it harder for mid-size family farmers to get fair prices for their products and compete on the open market.

Rural communities are often left behind: Rural communities often struggle to attract capital because of lack of infrastructure and remote distances. There is less access to quality doctors, and schools have trouble recruiting teachers.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

Ensure Economic Opportunity For Family Farmers

• Strong Safety Net for Family Farmers: Obama and Biden will fight for farm programs that provide family farmers with stability and predictability. They will implement a $250,000 payment limitation so that we help family farmers — not large corporate agribusiness. They will close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around the limits by subdividing their operations into multiple paper corporations.

• Prevent Anticompetitive Behavior Against Family Farms: Obama is a strong supporter of a packer ban. When meatpackers own livestock they can manipulate prices and discriminate against independent farmers. Obama and Biden will strengthen anti-monopoly laws and strengthen producer protections to ensure independent farmers have fair access to markets, control over their production decisions, and transparency in prices.
• Regulate CAFOs: Obama's Environmental Protection Agency will strictly regulate pollution from large CAFOs, with fines for those that violate tough standards. Obama also supports meaningful local control.
• Establish Country of Origin Labeling: Obama supports immediate implementation of the Country of Origin Labeling law so that American producers can distinguish their products from imported ones.
• Encourage Organic and Local Agriculture: Obama and Biden will help organic farmers afford to certify their crops and reform crop insurance to not penalize organic farmers. He also will promote regional food systems.
• Encourage Young People to Become Farmers: Obama and Biden will establish a new program to identify and train the next generation of farmers. They will also provide tax incentives to make it easier for new farmers to afford their first farm.
• Partner with Landowners to Conserve Private Lands: Obama and Biden will increase incentives for farmers and private landowners to conduct sustainable agriculture and protect wetlands, grasslands, and forests.

Support Rural Economic Development

• Support Small Business Development: Obama and Biden will provide capital for farmers to create value-added enterprises, like cooperative marketing initiatives and farmer-owned processing plants. They also will establish a small business and micro-enterprise initiative for rural America.
• Connect Rural America: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will ensure that rural Americans have access to a modern communications infrastructure. They will modernize an FCC program that supports rural phone service so that it promotes affordable broadband coverage across rural America as well.
• Promote Leadership in Renewable Energy: Obama and Biden will ensure that our rural areas continue their leadership in the renewable fuels movement. This will transform the economy, especially in rural America, which is poised to produce and refine more American biofuels and provide more wind power than ever before, and create millions of new jobs across the country.

Improve Rural Quality Of Life

• Combat Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine use has increased 156 percent nationwide since 1996. Obama has a long record of fighting the meth epidemic. As President, he and Joe Biden will continue the fight to rid our communities of meth and offer support to help addicts heal.
• Improve Health Care: Rural health care providers often get less money from Medicare and Medicaid for the very same procedure performed in urban areas. Obama and Biden will work to ensure a more equitable Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement structure. They will attract providers to rural America by creating a loan forgiveness program for doctors and nurses who work in underserved rural areas. They support increasing rural access to care by promoting health information technologies like telemedicine.
• Improve Rural Education: Obama and Biden will provide incentives for talented individuals to enter the teaching profession, including increased pay for teachers who work in rural areas. Obama and Biden will create a Rural Revitalization Program to attract and retain young people to rural America. Obama and Biden will increase research and educational funding for Land Grant colleges.
• Upgrade Rural Infrastructure: Obama and Biden will invest in the core infrastructure, roads, bridges, locks, dams, water systems and essential air service that rural communities need.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: Iraq

The Problem

Inadequate Security and Political Progress in Iraq: Since the surge began, more than 1,000 American troops have died, and despite the improved security situation, the Iraqi government has not stepped forward to lead the Iraqi people and to reach the genuine political accommodation that was the stated purpose of the surge. Our troops have heroically helped reduce civilian casualties in Iraq to early 2006 levels. This is a testament to our military’s hard work, improved counterinsurgency tactics, and enormous sacrifice by our troops and military families. It is also a consequence of the decision of many Sunnis to turn against al Qaeda in Iraq, and a lull in Shia militia activity. But the absence of genuine political accommodation in Iraq is a direct result of President Bush’s failure to hold the Iraqi government accountable.

Strains on the Military: More than 1.75 million servicemen and women have served in Iraq or Afghanistan; more than 620,000 troops have completed multiple deployments. Military members have endured multiple deployments taxing both them and their families. Additionally, military equipment is wearing out at nine times the normal rate after years of constant use in Iraq’s harsh environment. As Army Chief of Staff General George Casey said in March, “Today’s Army is out of balance. The current demand for our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan exceeds the sustainable supply and limits our ability to provide ready forces for other contingencies.”

Resurgent Al Qaeda in Afghanistan:  The decision to invade Iraq diverted resources from the war in Afghanistan, making it harder for us to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden and others involved in the 9/11 attacks. Nearly seven years later, the Taliban has reemerged in southern Afghanistan while Al Qaeda has used the space provided by the Iraq war to regroup, train and plan for another attack on the United States. 2007 was the most violent year in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. The scale of our deployments in Iraq continues to set back our ability to finish the fight in Afghanistan, producing unacceptable strategic risks.

A New Strategy Needed:  The Iraq war has lasted longer than World War I, World War II, and the Civil War. More than 4,000 Americans have died. More than 60,000 have been injured and wounded. The United States may spend $2.7 trillion on this war and its aftermath, yet we are less safe around the globe and more divided at home. With determined ingenuity and at great personal cost, American troops have found the right tactics to contain the violence in Iraq, but we still have the wrong strategy to press Iraqis to take responsibility at home, and restore America’s security and standing in the world.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan

Judgment You Can Trust: In 2002, as the conventional thinking in Washington lined up with President Bush for war, Obama had the judgment and courage to speak out against going to war, and to warn of “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.” He and Joe Biden are fully committed to ending the war in Iraq as president.

A Responsible, Phased Withdrawal: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq: ending the war. The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 – more than 7 years after the war began.

Under the Obama-Biden plan, a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel. They will not build permanent bases in Iraq, but will continue efforts to train and support the Iraqi security forces as long as Iraqi leaders move toward political reconciliation and away from sectarianism.

Encouraging Political Accommodation: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that the U.S. must apply pressure on the Iraqi government to work toward real political accommodation. There is no military solution to Iraq’s political differences, but the Bush Administration’s blank check approach has failed to press Iraq’s leaders to take responsibility for their future or to substantially spend their oil revenues on their own reconstruction.

Obama and Biden's plan offers the best prospect for lasting stability in Iraq. A phased withdrawal will encourage Iraqis to take the lead in securing their own country and making political compromises, while the responsible pace of redeployment called for by the Obama-Biden plan offers more than enough time for Iraqi leaders to get their own house in order. As our forces redeploy, Obama and Biden will make sure we engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society—in and out of government—to forge compromises on oil revenue sharing, the equitable provision of services, federalism, the status of disputed territories, new elections, aid to displaced Iraqis, and the reform of Iraqi security forces.

Surging Diplomacy: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to reach a comprehensive compact on the stability of Iraq and the region. This effort will include all of Iraq’s neighbors—including Iran and Syria, as suggested by the bi-partisan The Iraq Study Group Report. This compact will aim to secure Iraq’s borders; keep neighboring countries from meddling inside Iraq; isolate al Qaeda; support reconciliation among Iraq’s sectarian groups; and provide financial support for Iraq’s reconstruction and development.

Preventing Humanitarian Crisis: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that America has both a moral obligation and a responsibility for security that demands we confront Iraq’s humanitarian crisis—more than five million Iraqis are refugees or are displaced inside their own country. Obama and Biden will form an international working group to address this crisis. He will provide at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure that Iraqis inside their own country can find sanctuary. Obama and Biden will also work with Iraqi authorities and the international community to hold the perpetrators of potential war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide accountable. They will reserve the right to intervene militarily, with our international partners, to suppress potential genocidal violence within Iraq.

The Status-of-Forces-Agreement: Obama and Biden believe any Status of Forces Agreement, or any strategic framework agreement, should be negotiated in the context of a broader commitment by the U.S. to begin withdrawing its troops and forswearing permanent bases. Obama and Biden also believe that any security accord must be subject to Congressional approval. It is unacceptable that the Iraqi government will present the agreement to the Iraqi parliament for approval—yet the Bush administration will not do the same with the U.S. Congress. The Bush administration must submit the agreement to Congress or allow the next administration to negotiate an agreement that has bipartisan support here at home and makes absolutely clear that the U.S. will not maintain permanent bases in Iraq.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: Immigration

A bit of a sensitive subject for our home. A topic we would probably be judged as being "left leaning". I believe this country needs immigrants. I believe that immigrants, legal or illegal, do work that many Americans would not do. I believe this country is built on the back of our working class and our immigrant population. But most of all, I believe that these things are clear cut and that were it not for our xenophobic view of the world, this issue of immigration would not even be discussed beyond organizing rights for migrant workers.

That said, I do not agree with Barack Obama on this issue. I believe his view is too conservative and rooted in his urban experience. This is the one issue that made me love John McCain during the Republican primaries. John McCain is from a border state and when it comes to immigration, he understood the complexities and advocated for a more even keel, fair minded approach. That is until he became the nominee. Such a shame.

Below is a photo of my husband, Tevita (on the right) when he was 6 yrs. old (so cute). He's with his grandfather, his older sister, and his younger brother. All immigrated to Utah from Tonga some 30 years ago. Tevita is the oldest boy of nine but it was these three along with a younger sister that came to Utah to be raised by Grandpa Tonga. Tevita now has a PhD from the University of Washington, is a professor, and the really wonderful Bishop of our ward. His older sister is a very happy homemaker with 3 children. His brother is a successful computer geek and he and his wife just had children 5 and 6 (twins) this year. They are all successful and ethical and happy contributors to the America economy now, raising little successful future tax payers, as their grandparents did when raising them. And they're just good people to know. They were here legally, but does that matter? They still had to deal with (and overcome) the class, xenophobic, and race/ethnicity issues that has plagued this country for centuries.


My own parents are immigrants to America. They came here illegally and have the craziest story of how they became legal. Another story for another day. Suffice it say, it had to do with my Mom having a temp job, the CIA approaching her, her collecting forms instead of shredding them, and then getting green cards from a thankful US government. Scarecrow and Mrs. King-Brooklyn style.

So below is Barack Obama's plan. Like I said, I'm not entirely in agreeance with the premise of even having a "plan" to deal with the "problem". I don't see hard working people as a problem. But this plan is the best one extended so far.
Here it is:

The Problem:

Undocumented population is exploding: The number of undocumented immigrants in the country has increased more than 40 percent since 2000. Every year, more than a half-million people come illegally or illegally overstay their visas.

Immigration bureaucracy is broken: The immigration bureaucracy is broken and overwhelmed, forcing legal immigrants to wait years for applications.

Immigration raids are ineffective: Despite a sevenfold increase in recent years, immigration raids only netted 3,600 arrests in 2006 and have placed all the burdens of a broken system onto immigrant families.

Obama/Biden Plan:

Create Secure Borders Obama and Biden want to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Improve Our Immigration System Obama and Biden believe we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally Obama and Biden will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Bring People Out of the Shadows Obama and Biden support a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

Work with Mexico Obama and Biden believe we need to do more to promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.

Barack Obama for President

We Interrupt This Series . . .

The "30 Issues. 30 Days." series will continue later on today (scroll down to catch up)! In the meantime, I thought I'd follow through on a "tag". A fun distraction for me.

My blog buddy Don Carey passed along this award. Awwww. So he's quite a witty chap. Father, husband, computer geek, and he's a writer.

This award also comes with great responsibility! Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others!

1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Where is your significant other? snoring
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? nice
5. Your father? nice
6. Your favorite thing? music
7. Your dream last night? forgetable
8. Your dream/goal? yikes!
9. The room you're in? guest
10. Your hobby? blogging
11. Your fear? harm
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Laie
13. Where were you last night? here
14. What you're not? silent
15. One of your wish-list items? bike
16. Where you grew up? Vegas
17. The last thing you did? kiss
18. What are you wearing? pajamas
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pet? none
21. Your computer? Mac
22. Your mood? wondering
23. Missing someone? nope
24. Your car? white
25. Something you're not wearing? chopsticks
26. Favorite store? Nordstrom
27. Your summer? heinous
28.Love someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? white
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? 9/28/08

I pass this tag on to anyone who feels like distracting themselves from the climate of the current presidential campaign!

So as not to distract too much:
Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: ENERGY!!!

I started to read and summarize Barack Obama's plan to address this hideous economy. But girlfriends/dudes, it is LONG. And since I just woke up from an allergy induced coma, I thought I'd write about Barack Obama's energy plan while I work on writing about the economy.
The Energy Plan is pretty long as well. But it was easier for me to read since I, (like John McCain) know nothing about the economy.

The Obama‐Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

• Provide short‐term relief to American families facing pain at the pump

• Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.

• Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela
combined

• Put 1 million Plug‐In Hybrid cars – cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon – on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built in America.

• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes renewable source by 2012, 25 percent by 2025.

• Implement an economy‐wide cap‐and‐trade program to reduce greenhous gas emissions 80 percent by 2050

and then my favorite:

• Create a “Green Vet Initiative”.
The renewable energy economy is exploding in the United States. In terms of venture capital alone, private investment in the sector topped $2.6 billion dollars in 2007. At the same time, more than 837,000 troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are now veterans. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will ensure that more of our veterans can enter the new energy economy. They will create a new “Green Vet Initiative” that will have two missions: first, it will offer counseling and job placement to help veterans gain the skills to enter this rapidly growing field; second, it will work with industry partners to create career pathways and educational programs.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: Taxes

Oh what a wonderful subject! Barack Obama is consistently accused in this, the campaign where NYT has said, "McCain is running one of the most appalling campaigns we can remember," as being a socialist. Um, what with McCain being part of the party who is responsible for our current financial crisis and now our current bailout, no, Barack Obama is not the socialist here. Which is why he belongs to the Democratic Party.

Ahem. Sorry just a little frustration outburst there. Tired of the smears is all! Back to the issue:

Under Barack Obama's Tax Plan:

• Middle class families will see their taxes cut – and no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase. The typical middle class family will receive well over $1,000 in tax relief under the Obama plan, and will pay tax rates that are 20% lower than they faced under President Reagan. According to the Tax Policy Center, the Obama plan provides three times as much tax relief for middle class families as the McCain plan.
• Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates than they paid in the 1990s. Obama will ask the wealthiest 2% of families to give back a portion of the tax cuts they have received over the past eight years to ensure we are restoring fairness and returning to fiscal responsibility. But no family will pay higher tax rates than they would have paid in the 1990s. In fact, dividend rates would be 39 percent lower than what President Bush proposed in his 2001 tax cut.
• Obama’s plan will cut taxes overall, reducing revenues to below the levels that prevailed under Ronald Reagan (less than 18.2 percent of GDP). The Obama tax plan is a net tax cut – his tax relief for middle class families is larger than the revenue raised by his tax changes for families over $250,000. Coupled with his commitment to cut unnecessary spending, Obama will pay for this tax relief while bringing down the budget deficit.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: Veterans

Did you know that the Center for Responsive Politics reported that members of the military donated far more to Barack Obama's campaign then to McCain's?

"The report tracked donations of $200 or more. It found that 859 members of the military donated a total of $335,536 to Obama. McCain received $280,513 from 558 military donors.

Among soldiers serving overseas at the time of their donations, 134 gave a total of $60,642 to Obama while 26 gave a total of $10,665 to McCain. That was less than the amount received by Republican Ron Paul, who collected $45,512 from 99 soldiers serving abroad, the report said."

Just sayin'!

The Problem:

Wounded Troops Suffer: The Walter Reed scandal showed that we don't always provide returning service members with the care they deserve.

Veterans Budget Shortfalls: In 2005, a multi-billion dollar VA funding shortfall required Congress to step in and bail out the system.

Benefits Bureaucracy is Broken: There are currently more than 400,000 claims pending with the Veterans Benefits Administration. VA error rates have grown to more than 100,000 cases a year.

There is Shortage of Care for PTSD: Veterans are coming home with record levels of combat stress, but we are not adequately providing for them.

Obama/Biden Plan

Allow All Veterans Back into the VA: One of Obama's first acts will be reversing the 2003 ban on enrolling modest-income veterans, which has denied care to a million veterans.

Strengthen VA Care: Obama and Biden will make the VA a leader of national health care reform so that veterans get the best care possible. They will improve care for polytrauma vision impairment, prosthetics, spinal cord injury, aging, and women's health.

Combat Homelessness among Our Nation's Veterans: Obama and Biden will establish a national "zero tolerance" policy for veterans falling into homelessness by expanding proven programs and launching innovative services to prevent veterans from falling into homelessness.

Fight Veterans Employment Discrimination: Obama and Biden will crack down on employers who commit job discrimination against guardsmen and reservists.

Improve Mental Health Treatment: Obama and Biden will improve mental health care at every stage of military service. They will recruit more health professionals, improve screening, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer.

Improve Care for Traumatic Brain Injury: Obama and Biden will establish standards of care for Traumatic Brain Injury, the signature injury of the Iraq war.

Expand Vet Centers: Obama and Biden will expand and strengthen Vet Centers to provide more counseling for vets and their families.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: Health Care

I am going to "countdown" the next 30 days until Election Day by attempting to summarize a specific issue per day that is part of Barack Obama's platform for President. I was just watching a C-SPAN program this afternoon and found out that in Australia, 90% of the citizens vote. 90%! To me, that's amazing! I know with work, school, raising kids, and just trying to get by, we don't always have time to study the candidates and therefore, we don't always vote. So I want to encourage people to vote.

Oh, and I also want to encourage people to vote for Barack Obama!

With regards to Health Care, he has an awesome plan. I've read the whole thing and hope you will too. His plan is comprehensive. From prevention, to lowering malpractice insurance, to eliminating pre-existing conditions standards, to giving residents of this country a choice, he doesn't miss a beat. He really does get it. He is also encouraging healthy competition with medications so pharmaceutical companies will not have the lobbying power they do now. ie. prevent drug companies from blocking generic drugs from consumers.

I wish I could give easy bullet points but there are so many that I don't know where to begin. Easiest way for you to learn about how much this plan will help your family is to read it.

Oh, and by the way, unlike what the dumb smear emails I get from time to time say, he DOES NOT advocate socialized medicine. Not even close.

Please read his plan. Or at least the summary. A vote Barack Obama is a vote for this plan. A vote for this plan will be one of the greatest gifts we can give to our elderly, children, special needs folks, and every hard working American in this great country.

Barack Obama for President

30 Days. 30 Issues: Civil Rights

The Problem:

For every dollar a man earns, the average woman receives only 77 cents, while African American women only get 67 cents and Latinas receive only 57 cents.

The number of hate crimes increased nearly 8 percent to 7,700 incidents in 2006.

A recent study discovered numerous organized efforts to intimidate, mislead and suppress minority voters.

African Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely as whites to be searched, arrested, or subdued with force when stopped by police.

Obama/Biden Plan:

They will pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Obama and Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.

Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.

Obama and Biden will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

Barack Obama for President