The university life can be daunting at times, but this year the challenge begins at the parking deck. I have heard so many of my classmates complaining this week ab0ut a difficulty parking. This is the number one reason for students walking in late to class. I confess, it is a bit crowded out there, but I don't see this as a hindrance. I look at this as a possibility that the recession is forcing more people, young and old, back into the academic world to prepare a better position for themselves when this economic slump has recovered. There are those who finished a bachelor's degree last year only to realize that there is nothing in the job market for them now. For these, it seems reasonable to head back to graduate school this fall so that when openings are available again, they will be more qualified. There are also those who just finished high school with no entry level positions available. I think the Arkansas lottery scholarship is helping many of those out financially with an opportunity to find an academic niche.
As I parked my car on the seventh floor (that's the top for those of you who have never made it up there) of the parking deck and took a glance at my bustling university campus down below, I felt a sense of pride in Arkansas and what the future might hold for our state with a more educated population. Let's embrace this moment and leave the house earlier to arrive to class on time, checking the complaints about parking at the door.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Where Do We Go From Here
A little over a year into this administration, President Obama is finally delivering on his campaign promises to provide healthcare for all Americans and he is warning his naysayers that comprehensive immigration reform is next on his short list. There's no question that this will provide for an equally divisive debate in America if not a harsher one. Since signing the new healthcare legislation into law, America's Tea Partiers, "Palinites", and just plain sore losers in the Republican Party have shown their true colors. From impulsive cursing on primetime television by the "moral party" to death threats, emotions have run rampant this month among both parties.
Television news shows are praising the President for what he has accomplished. As I listen to those opposing what seems to be every issue that President Obama attempts to address, I find it difficult to trace the real theme that the "party of no" is clinging to. Is it big government that they are so afraid of? I think there is more. After all, when big government was working for them for the past eight years they didn't seem to have a problem with it. I listened to one interview in which two Republicans on the panel claimed that given the choice, they would do away with social security and find their own ways to invest that money. Are comments like this really going to win them votes in November and in 2012?
I fully believe that President Bush would have signed any legislation brought before him by his party regarding healthcare, but they didn't ask. They instead sat on the sidelines while an astronomical amount of taxpayers' money was spent on a war that a majority of Americans didn't believe in. Was President Bush listening to the people? It was said on Larry King Live this week that a President who refuses to listen to the people is sure to be a one termer, and yet Americans allowed a second term for President Bush.
It's true that our nation came under attack in 2001, and we did the right thing to address that. Since then, however, we have fought a War on Terror that has stripped us of our own liberties. Our government has behaved shamefully in its treatment of prisoners. Cititzens in our own country have died becuase of the lack of access to quality healthcare, while we have spent an obscene amount of money to provide for democracy abroad. Still Sarah Palin has a huge following of Americans following her across the nation ranting about big government and what it does with their tax dollars.
I think it is time for Americans to get behind this President who is in fact getting things done for this country. It is refreshing to many of us to see what has happened this past week at our nation's Capitol. I hope that as the President tackles big issues in the future like immigration reform, repealing "Don't ask, Don't tell", marriage equality, and many other issues that in fact do matter to many of us, that we will stand behind this President who has shown that he wants to provide for a government that works for all of us. All we see on television now are the opponents of the President, but huge amounts of us voted for this change and I think it's time that we own it. Let's support President Obama in providing America with "change we can believe in" and let us not forget what it felt like to take our country back from the oppressiveness that has shadowed over us for the past eight years. The fact is that it is patriotic to defend our President and we need to join together as he tries to build a new framework for a successful nation. Repair of the old system has proven to be not good enough and will be an utter waste of time that will be better spent on getting things done for the common good of our nation's people. Peace!
Television news shows are praising the President for what he has accomplished. As I listen to those opposing what seems to be every issue that President Obama attempts to address, I find it difficult to trace the real theme that the "party of no" is clinging to. Is it big government that they are so afraid of? I think there is more. After all, when big government was working for them for the past eight years they didn't seem to have a problem with it. I listened to one interview in which two Republicans on the panel claimed that given the choice, they would do away with social security and find their own ways to invest that money. Are comments like this really going to win them votes in November and in 2012?
I fully believe that President Bush would have signed any legislation brought before him by his party regarding healthcare, but they didn't ask. They instead sat on the sidelines while an astronomical amount of taxpayers' money was spent on a war that a majority of Americans didn't believe in. Was President Bush listening to the people? It was said on Larry King Live this week that a President who refuses to listen to the people is sure to be a one termer, and yet Americans allowed a second term for President Bush.
It's true that our nation came under attack in 2001, and we did the right thing to address that. Since then, however, we have fought a War on Terror that has stripped us of our own liberties. Our government has behaved shamefully in its treatment of prisoners. Cititzens in our own country have died becuase of the lack of access to quality healthcare, while we have spent an obscene amount of money to provide for democracy abroad. Still Sarah Palin has a huge following of Americans following her across the nation ranting about big government and what it does with their tax dollars.
I think it is time for Americans to get behind this President who is in fact getting things done for this country. It is refreshing to many of us to see what has happened this past week at our nation's Capitol. I hope that as the President tackles big issues in the future like immigration reform, repealing "Don't ask, Don't tell", marriage equality, and many other issues that in fact do matter to many of us, that we will stand behind this President who has shown that he wants to provide for a government that works for all of us. All we see on television now are the opponents of the President, but huge amounts of us voted for this change and I think it's time that we own it. Let's support President Obama in providing America with "change we can believe in" and let us not forget what it felt like to take our country back from the oppressiveness that has shadowed over us for the past eight years. The fact is that it is patriotic to defend our President and we need to join together as he tries to build a new framework for a successful nation. Repair of the old system has proven to be not good enough and will be an utter waste of time that will be better spent on getting things done for the common good of our nation's people. Peace!
Monday, January 4, 2010
A Perfect Humanity
God's creation is good. I'm serious on this one. No matter what your classmate, the best friend of your mother, or your father's secretary tells you, you should muster up the courage to look that person in the eye and say, "Shame on you. God didn't create trash or anything undesirable for that matter."
Moby's song In This World begs our Lord to "not leave me all by myself." We know he won't. God is with us always and forever, in good times, hard times, and bad times.
In Genesis, we are told that God looked at his creation and it was good. It still is good. We humans share an inherent goodness, always with possibility of betterment of humanity. Sure, we sometimes have the capacity to hurt people profoundly, yet we also have the capacity to help people by showing love, kindness, charity, and good will. This is our commandment: to love our neighbors as ourselves.
If we simply live this commandment in our daily lives, then God's creation was, is, and always will be good. This is a promise God made and God doesn't break promises!
Moby's song In This World begs our Lord to "not leave me all by myself." We know he won't. God is with us always and forever, in good times, hard times, and bad times.
In Genesis, we are told that God looked at his creation and it was good. It still is good. We humans share an inherent goodness, always with possibility of betterment of humanity. Sure, we sometimes have the capacity to hurt people profoundly, yet we also have the capacity to help people by showing love, kindness, charity, and good will. This is our commandment: to love our neighbors as ourselves.
If we simply live this commandment in our daily lives, then God's creation was, is, and always will be good. This is a promise God made and God doesn't break promises!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Nonprofit Organizations Have Many Needs for 2010
I woke up on New Year’s Day refreshed and enlivened with enthusiasm for what 2010 might have in store for Arkansas. The Pilsbury cinnamon rolls and Coca Cola that I had for a late breakfast with a friend had already, by noon, defeated one of my New Year’s resolutions. The mid afternoon popping of the cork of a bottle of Chateau Ste Michelle only weakened my resolve. My friend tells me this is acceptable as New Year’s Day is the holiday and not yet counted in the practice of attainment of one’s New Year’s resolutions, so better luck tomorrow. I think he just made that rule up, but I’ll adopt his way of thinking for 2010 anyway.
I have to say 2009 was a tough year for many here in Arkansas. The Recession took its toll on entities that I never would have imagined being affected. Layoffs in the Arkansas workforce have led many to lose their homes. It’s caused families and single people alike to reevaluate their standard of living and readjust accordingly. The current economic climate has fostered a humbling in most if not all of us.
Not exempt from the damning effects of the economy are the many nonprofit organizations in the area. These organizations rely not only on fundraising or private donations, but also on some government funding. When Governor Beebe was forced to slash the state budget in October, primarily to the Department of Health and the Department of Corrections, I never would have expected the consequences to the Arkansas Aids Foundation, an already struggling nonprofit that provides much needed services to the people affected by HIV and AIDS here in central Arkansas, myself included.
To make the public aware of the extremity of the situation, I’ll share a very personal example, yet one that I hope will raise awareness about the issue in the area. I had been receiving assistance from the Arkansas Aids Foundation to pay for my own medications which were in the thousands of dollars monthly range. I do carry some health insurance, but it required a fifty percent co-pay for my prescriptions. The monthly pharmacy bill for these types of prescriptions would be unattainable for even many of the wealthiest Arkansans. Therefore, I relied for years on this support from the Aids Foundation.
In November, I learned that because the Health Department lost so much funding in the state budget, they would not be able to assist the Aids Foundation financially as they had been doing in years past. This left the Aids Foundation with the hard task of figuring out how to maintain an effective organization while paring back there services, thus keeping their doors open until times get better. Clients were told that where the Aids Foundation had been able to pay for their drugs in the past, they were now being forced to place a monthly cap of fifty dollars per month for medication for their clients. This was a drastic decline from the nearly 1000 dollars per month that they had been helping me with.
I was in a strange category of clients. I wasn’t uninsured as most clients were, but I was certainly underinsured. I didn’t qualify for Medicaid or any other type of government assistance. When I applied with the drug companies for patient assistance programs, I was turned down because I was not uninsured. Therefore, I just stopped taking my medications. Only recently did I find assistance that I needed elsewhere at Jefferson Comprehensive Care, another organization in the area that helps with medical needs of those affected by HIV or AIDS. They helped me get approved for a 100% patient assistance program with Bristol- Myers Squibb, thus allowing me to start the New Year back on my medication.
I’ve allowed the public this glimpse into the window of a very personal part of my life, in hopes of raising awareness for our communities. If there are philanthropists, community organizers, or activists in the community with the means to help with fundraising for any of these organizations, it is so desperately needed. There is a growing need in Arkansas for assistance for people of all backgrounds with issues concerning their healthcare.
As we head into 2010 and make New Year’s resolutions, I hope we will plan to help these nonprofits in any way that our resources allow. I can’t help them financially now, as I am a struggling college student myself. What I can do, though, is honestly express my own personal experiences to the public to show that real people here in Arkansas, not just many children in Africa, are struggling to have their healthcare needs met. I feel that the nation is beginning to take a closer look at the needs of the marginalized here at home. I hope that Arkansas will not fall behind in joining the nation in what I believe will be a pivotal point in American history where all people are afforded appropriate healthcare as well as civil liberties.
I have to say 2009 was a tough year for many here in Arkansas. The Recession took its toll on entities that I never would have imagined being affected. Layoffs in the Arkansas workforce have led many to lose their homes. It’s caused families and single people alike to reevaluate their standard of living and readjust accordingly. The current economic climate has fostered a humbling in most if not all of us.
Not exempt from the damning effects of the economy are the many nonprofit organizations in the area. These organizations rely not only on fundraising or private donations, but also on some government funding. When Governor Beebe was forced to slash the state budget in October, primarily to the Department of Health and the Department of Corrections, I never would have expected the consequences to the Arkansas Aids Foundation, an already struggling nonprofit that provides much needed services to the people affected by HIV and AIDS here in central Arkansas, myself included.
To make the public aware of the extremity of the situation, I’ll share a very personal example, yet one that I hope will raise awareness about the issue in the area. I had been receiving assistance from the Arkansas Aids Foundation to pay for my own medications which were in the thousands of dollars monthly range. I do carry some health insurance, but it required a fifty percent co-pay for my prescriptions. The monthly pharmacy bill for these types of prescriptions would be unattainable for even many of the wealthiest Arkansans. Therefore, I relied for years on this support from the Aids Foundation.
In November, I learned that because the Health Department lost so much funding in the state budget, they would not be able to assist the Aids Foundation financially as they had been doing in years past. This left the Aids Foundation with the hard task of figuring out how to maintain an effective organization while paring back there services, thus keeping their doors open until times get better. Clients were told that where the Aids Foundation had been able to pay for their drugs in the past, they were now being forced to place a monthly cap of fifty dollars per month for medication for their clients. This was a drastic decline from the nearly 1000 dollars per month that they had been helping me with.
I was in a strange category of clients. I wasn’t uninsured as most clients were, but I was certainly underinsured. I didn’t qualify for Medicaid or any other type of government assistance. When I applied with the drug companies for patient assistance programs, I was turned down because I was not uninsured. Therefore, I just stopped taking my medications. Only recently did I find assistance that I needed elsewhere at Jefferson Comprehensive Care, another organization in the area that helps with medical needs of those affected by HIV or AIDS. They helped me get approved for a 100% patient assistance program with Bristol- Myers Squibb, thus allowing me to start the New Year back on my medication.
I’ve allowed the public this glimpse into the window of a very personal part of my life, in hopes of raising awareness for our communities. If there are philanthropists, community organizers, or activists in the community with the means to help with fundraising for any of these organizations, it is so desperately needed. There is a growing need in Arkansas for assistance for people of all backgrounds with issues concerning their healthcare.
As we head into 2010 and make New Year’s resolutions, I hope we will plan to help these nonprofits in any way that our resources allow. I can’t help them financially now, as I am a struggling college student myself. What I can do, though, is honestly express my own personal experiences to the public to show that real people here in Arkansas, not just many children in Africa, are struggling to have their healthcare needs met. I feel that the nation is beginning to take a closer look at the needs of the marginalized here at home. I hope that Arkansas will not fall behind in joining the nation in what I believe will be a pivotal point in American history where all people are afforded appropriate healthcare as well as civil liberties.
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