Social Progress Welcomed

The election was a surprising success story for many advocates of socially liberal issues. Gay marriage was supported in two states, recreational marijuana in two states, and woman issues were a driving force in the election of a number of females. It is incredible to believe that gay issues are essentially no longer debatable. The rights of gays are now strongly encoded in our national DNA code. Clearly, I am exaggerating since I am aware of parts of the nation that still strongly reject their rights. I am also aware that many religious leaders and their followers remain adamantly opposed to much of this progressive changes. When I think back on the struggles to achieve racial civil rights, I am amazed that the present progress has occurred without any major demonstrations, arrests for breaking local ordinances, or even the more severe results of the struggle, viz., many deaths. Demonstrations and organized protests, in general, seem to have gone out of vogue. I know how much many of us were involved in protesting the Vietnam War and yet, no one seems to protest the even worse morass associated with the former president’s decision to go into Iraq. Recalling my own experiences dealing with civil rights for blacks and Vietnam, I shared with others a perception that our personal morality was so threatened if we did not stand up for what we thought was right. From that perspective, the protests were personal even though the focus was on others. There was something inherently wrong with depriving a segment of population of the same rights of citizenship that we had. Similarly, there was something inherently wrong that young people were sent into what was perceived as an immoral war, i.e., we were fighting against no national enemy. It was civil war between North and South Vietnam that we deemed to be a risk to the entire southeast Asia. At any rate, it was a serious time with serious consequences. Today, we are achieving sensational human rights without any of demonstrations (without minimizing the personal struggles of those directly affected by discrimination). Clearly, no one wishes to return to the 60’s, but I wonder why we have seemed to accept without protests much that we strongly disagree with.

Reflecting on Our Mortality

There are so many opportunities to pause and reflect on our mortality. As we begin Veterans Day, we recall all those who have served our nation in the military, especially those who have died. Mindful also of the ambiguity of their deaths, we cannot escape thinking about the decisions involved in sending so many into combat. However, today I am especially mindful of Joan’s dear friend whose days with us are numbered due to cancer. As I write, Joan has returned to her friend to spend a few more days with her and provide some support to her son who is caring for her during this last part of her life. Joan and her friend met through Intercultural Nursing. Many volunteer nursing visits to the Dominican Republic and then often in Haiti cemented their personal relationship. When her friend went to a physician to report her initial symptoms after her last mission for Physicians Without Borders, no one expected that she would soon be faced with the horrendous diagnosis of glioblastoma. As devastating as the diagnosis was, Joan’s friend was clearly sad but proceeded forward to surgery and treatment. Furthermore, she focused on the positive aspects of her life rather than noting problems associated with the disease. Although planning for her death, she did not waste time that was available to her. She continued to visit her adult children in the West, socialized with local friends, maintained an active involvement with her bridge group, and valued the present. I reflect on Joan’s friend as a person who sets an example for myself. Would I not want to deal with my inevitable prospect of death with such a great attitude? I know that it is always easier to talk about dying than to face its reality. At the same time, the experience of knowing someone who is confronting death so well becomes a challenge to me to treasure each moment as a prelude to the time when I share the most existential moment of life, my death.

Changing the Filibuster Rule

I have written to Senator Kerry about the need to change the filibuster rule that has clearly frustrated the will of the majority in the Senate.

Since our nation is confronted by multiple problems that require negotiations and compromise, I write to advocate that you support a change in rules governing the senate filibuster. Based on historical data, the filibuster was conceived as a mechanism to prevent a bill from being voted upon through a process of debate (http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Filibuster_Cloture.htm). In 1917 Rule 22 was adopted that required two-thirds of the senate to agree to stop a filibuster. In the 1975, the rule was changed that required three-fifths or 60 votes to gain closure. Rather than a process to limit debate in order to proceed to a vote, the filibuster rule now is used to prevent any debate from occurring. The Senate Filibuster Rule has now become an enemy of the legislative process. The polarization of Congress is well documented. The misuse of the filibuster has enabled a minority in the Senate to prevent a majority from voting on important issues of confirmation of judges and other public officials and meaningful legislation. It is a tragedy. I understand that all Democratic senators returning to Congress have petitioned the Majority Leader to advocate for a reform of Rule 22. I urge you to do all in your power to pursue this reform as the first order of business in the new session of Congress.

I had to change the verbiage for the letter to Senator-Elect Warren, but the intent is the same. While I think that money-interests remains the root of so much that is distorting the democratic process, the abuse of the filibuster has been ongoing source of frustration. One may not like the outcome of a vote, but to not enable a vote to occur is ridiculous.

My Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President, Congratulations for winning another four years as President of these United States. I have written twice to you in order to share my concerns about your administration. Now, I wish to share my hope that you will adopt one major strategy during this next term. You will indeed be challenged about the need to compromise to address our national deficits that will presumably include some changes to entitlements and tax laws. What I suggest as a more aggressive approach is to take time to express openly to the American public your vision of what you would want to achieve. Then, most importantly, keep the public informed about your decision-making process that required you to accommodate your vision to the constraints of the legislative process. If we know what you want and then you explain why you accepted something different, I think that people would find it easier to support your decisions. You can talk directly to the public to explain what is happening. With appreciation for the challenges you face, Edward J. Toomey

Can You Imagine?

Would it not be unbelievable, literally, to imagine that the public went to vote today after a series of constant education on public policy by the candidates. Week in and week out, would it not be unbelievable to recall their statements about the issues and what they would want to do to make matters better. Would it not be fantastic to think that each day, the politics dealt with specific areas of interest? On Monday, each candidate would spell out what needs to be done to address Social Security; on Tuesday, Medicare; on Wednesday, Medicaid; on Thursday, health care costs in general; on Friday, education; on Saturday, infrastructure; Sundays would be days of rest. Then the following week, the agenda would continue to expand. On Monday, the military; on Tuesday, energy; on Wednesday, public finance, e.g., pensions; on Thursday, the loss of our middle class; on Friday, income inequality; on Saturday, foreign affairs; on Sunday, another day of rest. The following week would start on Monday with the role of unions; on Tuesday, how to improve our economy in the the face of globalization and improved technology; on Wednesday, costs of higher education; on Thursday, subsidization of segments of the economy, e.g., farming and energy; on Friday, role of the United States in the Middle East turmoil; on Saturday, our relations with Israel; on Sunday, another day of rest. As the fourth week starts, we still have to deal with our relationship with China, Asia in general; role of the federal government; support of veterans; tax reform; role of government regulations, specifically addressing the financial industry. Given the complexity of these topics, it is reasonable that these issues would be addressed again in the following months, so that by the time we voted, the public could vote intelligently on the issues. It would be unbelievable, wouldn't it?

Pre-election comments

I do feel guilty about my lack of active participation in the election. Our election system is designed to involve citizens. However, the system is now so burdened with all sorts of money (I have refused to participate except for two donations annually to the National Democratic Party), that I hate what is happening to our democracy. It bugs me to no end! I have written previously about my disappointments with President Obama. I know that I represent a portion of the electorate that is discounted. The Far Left (for all I know I may be considered left of the Far Left!) does not represent anywhere close to a platform that would be adopted by the majority. And, since the majority rules,I will always be a loser! Having said that, I would be far more upset to see Romney elected that President Obama being re-elected. Romney is so rudderless that it is disturbing that he could have got this far. I conclude that the majority of support he will receive will represent a negative vote for Obama. At this point, it does seem that Obama will be re-elected. He is lucky! I do not think that he ran a very principled campaign. His messages were not clear and surely, offered no specifics about addressing our major problems.He surely is happy that Romney's Campaign was a bad as it was. Since I am a fan of Michele Obama, I am glad that she will be living in the White House for four more years!