Until further notice. Though I HAVE found a little cafe with wireless so if the weather goes bad I may post again. In the meantime, I'll be swimming.

Cheers! 0 comments

This image of President Bush and a large group of parents holding their cute children caught my eye this week. If you aren't aware of the context, click here to learn more. Briefly, this is a shot of the President explaining the first veto of his presidency, which shot down expanded stem-cell research. The parents are folks who have used in vitro fertilization (IVF) successfully. They are holding their new babies so the White House staff can make the point that all of the embryos used in stem-cell research could someday be cute children who listen to the President give a speech.

I am not sure what I think of stem-cell research. It seems to bring big advantages to the research community, and has the potential to speed the cures to all sort of diseases, like Parkinson's or Alzheimers. On the other hand, there is something very weird about using a fertilized egg for research. It is creepy.

Now the hypocrisy of the Bush Administration is well documented. There is little need for me to point out the obvious parallels with the War in Iraq when Mr. Bush declares his love of "life" and his distaste for "murder". One need only look at Israel's actions in Lebanon over the last week to see how much action the President is willing to take to stop the killing of innocents. But what of these parents? The ones who seem more than willing to use their children as pawns in a political game.

Didn't these parents create the controversial embryos (zygotes) in the first place? The embryos that Mr. Bush is seeking to protect are created during the process of IVF. Typically, to increase the chance of a successful pregnancy, IVF clinics will place multiple zygotes in a mother's uterus. The average success rate for each IVF placement is approximately 20-30%, which means many women have five embryos placed at a time. As a result of this low success rate, it is estimated that 6 million zygotes (potential babies) have already been killed during the attempts to fertilize these women.

That's six million embryos already killed so these nice people can stand behind Mr. Bush with their new babies. Where's the outrage about that?

Is IVF wrong? I don't know. I am not sure how I would feel about this issue if we were not able to conceive naturally. I'd like to think that I would hesitate before allowing a tech in a lab to make little 20 little Pinkys, and place them in a freezer. I know I would hesitate to discard the 19 little Pinkys that didn't "make it" in our attempts to become pregnant.

But that's not the point. The point here is that these folks who are proudly standing behind the man who is standing in the way of using these unused and unwanted embryos for research are the folks who started this process in the first place. If they are so concerned about the fate of the little babies they made in a jar, who are frozen solid in some lab somewhere, perhaps they should hurry up and start some more IVF cycles? Perhaps they should have six, nine, ten children this way. After all, that is the only way the babies in the freezer are going to see the light of day.

They are either going to bring these embryos to term in their bodies, or they are going to discard them. To even pretend that they are on some sort of moral high ground here is preposterous and, frankly, repulsive.

But that's the world we live in. 4 comments

The current United States House of Representatives seems to be one of the laziest on record. By the end of the 2005-2006 term, the House is scheduled to have met 241 times. No House has served fewer days since the 1955-56 session. Even the infamous 1947-48 "Do-Nothing Congress" met for 254 days.

This is particularly strange considering the country is supposed to be in a state of war. I reckon there are plenty of soldiers serving in Iraq who would love to only work 140 days a year, as the House managed to pull off in 2005.

Our particular representative, the wiry Timothy Johnson, seems to fit right into to this culture of lethargy. Good ole Tim has only given one speech on the floor of the House since 2003. In fact, Johnson has only proposed 32 bills during his three terms as representative for the 15th district. While an average of around five bills per year may seem like a lot, Tim is in a tie for last place among all-time bill losers. He has never had a sponsored bill enacted.

To be fair, Johnson has co-sponsored some 483 bills during his three terms. Of course co-sponsoring a bill is about as hard as saying "uh-huh" when asked. This seems to be easy for Johnson, who has voted "ney" only five times this year (though I should mention that three of those votes were to protect the environment and one was against the USA Patriot Act). Tim is also Vice-Chair of the Committee on Science's Subcommittee on Research. I assume it is an honor to be Vice-Chairman of a subcommittee of a committee.

What is striking about Johnson is his seeming vulnerability on a host of issues. He votes against giving bonuses to soldiers, accepted $25K from Tom Delay's ARMPAC, and is strongly opposed to stem-cell research. Moreover, he seems genuinely disengaged from the process of governing. His personal life seems a bit checkered, to put it mildly.

But most important is his inability to bring the rewards of majority rule to the 15th District. Are republicans content with having Johnson as their rep just because he is a republican? Shouldn't we see some benefit to having a republican representative in Congress during the heyday of republicanism? In short, what has Tim Johnson done for us lately?

Like the U.S. House, the answer seems clear: not much. 4 comments

These folks have a seriously problem with AllKids. Some of them have apparently downloaded my family budget and decided that I do not need AllKids. Something about me being "part of the problem". Yay!

Perhaps it is useful to look at what the savings from using AllKids, the new State health insurance for children, can buy a family.

Let's pretend that an employer offers his employees two plans: PersonalCare and Health Alliance. Since the employee is far from rich, he goes with PersonalCare which is the cheaper plan. As an individual his monthly payment might be around $20.00. Which, is quite reasonable for basic health insurance.

If he adds a little Pinky to the equation his monthly payment becomes $320. Which is obviously an additional $300 a month, or $3600 a year. If he adds his wife and a Pinky to the plan the monthly payment works out to around $500 a month, or $6000 a year. While this seems like a lot, from what I can tell it is below average for the workers in this part of the state.

So what to do? Seems like two options. One, the employee could ship his Pinky off to daycare everyday while he and the wife work full-time to try to make ends meet. The healthcare premiums would quickly become their second largest monthly expense (daycare would now come in at #3). The would have less time with their daughter, and less time as a family. Maybe Pinky's first words would be spoken to the daycare provider. Maybe her first steps would take place in daycare. Who knows?

But this family would definitely not be a "part of the problem".

Or, the family could utilitize a government program that is designed for lower-middle class folks, having the wife stay home with their daughter, and trying to live cheap. Less eating out, less vacation time, but focus on the family values we hear so much about.

AllKids makes it easier for this very average family to live on one income. It makes it possible for a mother to stay home with her daughter instead of going to work. It makes families stronger, not weaker. This, of course, is "the problem".

Who am I to thank? 8 comments

I am always nervous when an envelope from the State of Illinois lands in my box. These letters are always one of two things: a bill or some sort of bad news.

Well last week's letter from the Governor was no exception. It was indeed a bill, for 40 (count 'em!) FORTY whole dollars. And for what service to I now owe the State? Comprehensive health insurance for my new daughter.

Suddenly I don't mind getting bills from the State anymore.

Of course the jury is still out on AllKids, Governor Blagojevich's new plan to insure, uh, all the kids in Illinois. It is possible that, as the naysayers predict, long lines will spring up in Pediatrics at Carle, or we'll have to drive to Mexico to get cancer surgery, or the sky will fall, or marshmallows will become $5.00 a bag, or ... Well, you know the routine.

There is some question about how the Governor is going to pay for this plan. I am sure my monthly $40 is not going to cover it. Here's a quote from a Tribune article which discussed the issue of funding:

The first-year budget for All Kids is estimated at $45 million; that should be covered by savings expected from Illinois' new disease management and primary-care case management programs, said Murphy, the Medicaid director. In addition, the state expects to receive $37 million in federal funding for low-income enrollees.

Well, we'll see. We know that the issue of doctors accepting AllKids is not relevant in our case since Pinky already has a physician. It is my understanding that new babies may not be accepted, just because the hospitals are wary of late State payments.

And so it goes. Nothing is perfect. This could be a stunt by the Governor to garner votes in the next election. It might be a program that we can't afford. Some kids might not be covered after all. Again, nothing is perfect.

But this is better than nothing. This is a step in the right direction. It is inexcusable that a child in this State (or this country for that matter) can go without health care due to costs. We don't seem to have any serious problem pouring billions into Iraq for nominal results. Why scream bloody murder over an attempt to provide health care for children? 0 comments

It has been far too long between posts. I have several excuses, of course, mainly the birth of our first child. She has brought more joy, laughter, and googlie baby talk to our home than I ever thought possible. God is indeed a keeper of promises.

That said, several interesting political thoughts have crossed my mind since Pinky (not her real name) was born. I'd like to blog for a while about the way government can help or hinder the family, starting with ...

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

The years 1992-1994 may give us the best glimpse of what is possible in this country when Democrats rule the roost. Clinton was elected in '92 and came to power with a Congress full of Democrats. He made several important legislative moves in those first few months including the signing of the Brady Bill, an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, strengthening of environmental regulations, the NVRA (Motor Voter Act), and the failed (but nonetheless righteous) attempt to bring universal health care to America. While all of these laws made America a better place, none has had a bigger impact on my life than the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

FMLA clearly states:

employers must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons:

• for the birth and care of the newborn child of the employee;
• for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;
• to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
• to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.

While Republicans often trumpet their concern for "family values" it was indeed the Democrats who made it possible for me to be at home with my wife for two weeks before the birth, and for four weeks after our baby was born. It was, by far, one of the best times of my life and I have no doubt that having to trudge off to work every morning to keep my job would have made it much less wonderful, if not downright depressing.

FMLA is an example of how federal legislation can change our lives for the better. Something to keep in mind this November. 3 comments