Livingston, I Presume

Terrible discrimination

I've been pretty mum on the subject of our legislative session. It's not necessarily by design, more out of lack of time. Today, however, I saw what has to be the best logic ever on the subject of student loans. You may have heard that an Augusta legislator has proposed a bill offering student loan forgiveness for grads who choose to work in certain shortage areas such as rural teaching or health care. Solid enough idea, certainly nothing revolutionary. And at $3,000 a year, it's not going to make most students' loans disappear without their also making a contribution. According to the coverage I read about the bill this morning in the Chronicle, no one spoke out against the bill directly, but there were voices of dissent among the Rs. Bozeman's own Joe Balyeat is paraphrased in the article thusly:

There were no opponents, but committee member Sen. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, questioned whether the bill was discriminatory because it wouldn’t assist students who managed to get through college without debt, whether through scholarships or by working their way through school.

I have never heard anything so stupid in my whole life. Honestly. The Gazette concluded its paraphrase with the even more disgusting direct quotation from Roy Brown:

No one spoke in opposition to the bill, but several committee members questioned its effectiveness and suggested that it discriminates against Montana's "best and brightest" students who got through school with scholarships or by working several jobs.

"It seems like the person who just went out and got student loans and added those up over the years and didn't work and ended up with debt at the end gets the benefit, while the person who's more responsible that works hard and gets the job done gets no benefit," said Sen. Roy Brown, R-Billings.

When I'm done sputtering incoherently about this, I'll sit down to write a real reply. Suffice it to say for now that even Montana's "best and brightest" who both worked several jobs AND got plenty of scholarships are still often forced to take out loans. The only people I know who got out of college debt-free did so because they were bankrolled by the Mom and Dad Savings and Loan. And let me tell you, my worries about discriminating against Trustafarians--and I mean that in the nicest way, really--are comparatively small.

Be careful what you wish for

There are days that I would love to be a Famous Blogger, to have my words catch fire on the Interwebs and compel thousands of people daily to check in on my life. And then there are days like today, when I read stories from Famous Bloggers and am exceedingly glad that I toil in relative obscurity. Really, Heather is much nicer than I am. I so would have published the email address along with the text.

The problem is what?

I'll admit it. I'm pre-blogging here. If I were any kind of a semi-political blogger I'd have my laptop downstairs in front of the TV, all ready for tonight's Big Show, also known as W's seventh (*weeps piteously*) SotU address. I just can't face it. I would scream and throw things. My blood pressure would rise. And our son sleeps next to the room where we watch TV, so he wouldn't get any sleep. It's just not worth it.

But I also can't ignore it completely, especially when he hands me silver-plattery fodder like the "gold-plated health care plan." It is the perfect example of how our Dear Leader is so far out of touch with the plight of the average American as to be in another plane of existence. First, let me give him some props. He's realized that there is a problem with health care in this country. Granted, this is like applauding wildly for someone having the presence of mind to call the fire department when the flames are licking at his toes, but still. I'll bite. I'll even say, "Way to go, George! I appreciate that you recognize that there is a problem, and I look forward to hearing your ideas."

Then I heard the ideas. I know that I'm only hearing the leaks of the advance draft, but frankly, I don't see how it's going to get much better given the premise as I understand it. He lays the solution to the health care crisis at the feet of those scads of Americans--hundreds of...ummm...hundreds, I'm sure--who choose their employers' "gold-plated health care plans" just so that they can get that big, fat tax write-off.

Ignoring the fact that there can't be more than a handful of companies--we'll just leave Congress out of this, shall we?--who still offer gold-plated health coverage, one wonders how many average Joes are really picking their health care plans based on the tax write-off. If we get to choose our health care coverage--and make no mistake, that's a very big if--I would guess most of us make that decision based on what we're going to pay when our toddler gets croup, not we might be able to lop off our bill to Uncle Sam. The rest of us lucky scamps with health coverage just take what is given to us and thank our deity of choice that we at least have *some* coverage in the case of catastrophe.

The whole idea of taxing the best-covered Americans dovetails very well with another mythical beast, the Gluttonous U.S. Health Care Consumer. You know the ones who go to the doctor for a hangnail and take little Junior to the ER after a big sneeze? The ones who keep driving up our health care costs by seeing their doctors recreationally? I know that when I'm staring down a lonely night at home, the one thing that cheers me up is the thought of heading over to the hospital to put on a backless gown and answer uncomfortable questions about the size of my butt. That can only be topped by a trip to the gynecologist, really. Those stirrups are really comfy once you get used to the drafts, and my frequent exam discount makes it really affordable to go back again and again.

Who does this, really? Who--leaving aside the professional hypochondriac--goes to see a doctor if they don't have to? I'll admit that in the first few months after Connery was born I kind of looked forward to doctor's appointments--his and mine--but that was more out of a lack of adult conversation than a desire for the actual experience. I think it's safe to say that I didn't make any appointments that weren't absolutely medically necessary, because, let's face it, even if your doctor is the best conversationalist in the world, sooner or later you're going to have to drop your pants and/or hold down your screaming infant for a vaccination. And then that great fun? Pretty much over.

What we need is national health care, i.e. the kind that guarantees that a major medical crisis--or hell, even a mid-level car accident--is not going to result in a family losing their house. The kind that encourages people to see their doctors when they need to, not when they can't put it off any longer. The kind that recognizes that kids who get regular checkups are probably going to be healthier adults, and the women who get regular pap smears and/or mammograms are going to be less likely to stare down late-stage cancer. The Mythical Glutton doesn't exist. Let's accept that and move on.  And taxing the few Americans who get amazing coverage, while a step in the right direction, is not going to make up for the gazillions that corporations get by off-shoring and outsourcing.

It's feeble. But then, who would be surprised to get feeble from this guy?

Why I'm pro-choice

Today, as I did last year, I am participating in Blog for Choice day. This year's topic? Why I'm Pro-Choice.

Here are my reasons:

10. Because if a woman can't decide when and if she has a child, she can't decide anything else.
9. Because it pisses off people like George W. Bush and this guy.
8. Because someone in my family died as a result of an illegal abortion before the Roe vs. Wade decision. Probably someone in your family, too, though you may not know it.
7. Because I believe in fighting for the rights of children who are already here.
6. Because I've read The Handmaid's Tale.
5. Because today it's abortion, but tomorrow it's birth control.
4. Because most any woman between the ages of 13 and 55 can experience an unplanned pregnancy. Even if they use birth control.
3. Because I am more than just my uterus.
2. Because I'm not going back, and neither should the country.
1. Because a child should be a blessing, not a punishment for the imaginary sin of having sex.

Any questions?

TV torture

I have to admit that I was almost ridiculously happy that "24" premiered last night. I have a long and storied history with "24", dating back to our discovery of the show while we were living overseas. Some British friends of ours bought the first season in the UK and let us borrow it. Ahhh...who doesn't remember the first season of "24"? The evil Drazens. Jack's tender last phone call when he was sure he was going to die. Nina's betrayal! Oh, the betrayal! Plus, I'm pretty sure I've mentioned in this space that I was watching an episode of "24" when I went into labor with Connery. I'll never know if it was the relentless action or the chipotle chili. Still, in all, television shows should not make a person happy. Should not make a person want to go "wheeeeeee!" and put a person's child to bed early, especially when a person has a Tivo.

But there it was, and there I was on the couch with enough recorded time to avoid any silly and annoying commercials. There were cookies. And cocoa. And torture. Yeeeesh, "24" people! Could you have fit in any more torture? Who let Mel Gibson into the writers' room? Jack's been out of the Chinese prison for less than two hours and he's already jabbing knives into people--and, indeed, being stabbed by knives. I know that part of the allure of "24" is that it forces us to examine just how far we should go for "security", and certainly there was already talk of that in the new season. But I'm just not sure all-torture, all-the-time "24" is really promoting any examination.

Plus, I'm still waiting for the big shocker. Last season they killed off several major characters within minutes of the first episode (got rid of at least one real whiner, too!), but this year, only Chloe's stylish new hairdo is surprising. I'll tune in tonight, but so far, I'm disappointed, and that's just sad.

Notes from deadline week

I swear that I did blog earlier this week--a charming little post, lost to the hellbeasts of Typepad, about how Connery is now demanding that we "build" a baby sister for him so that he can name her Susie. Don't ask. Also not worth asking about is how I managed to short-circuit a full-blown tantrum by invoking not imaginary poultry but our mutual hatred of Anthony Newley and his love for Ethel Merman.

Seth Rudetsky, you are corrupting my child!

In other news, it's freakin' cold here, but I can't be too upset about it. It's Montana in the winter! It's supposed to be cold! I just wish it would give us some serious snow, because this cold and icy without any snow is no fun at all.

On Sunday, we took Connery ice skating for the first time. It was, coincidentally, the first time Chip or I had been on ice skates in close to a decade. Can I just say here that I used to be a pretty good skater? I don't want to brag, but I was in an ice show or two in my day. (As a munchkin, but who's keeping track?) To say that I am no longer a good skater would be vastly overstating my abilities. Frankly, it's amazing that I didn't break something. Still, after about 45 minutes, I got to the point of being able to skate both forwards and backwards (wobbly-ly) enough to teach Connery the fundamentals. I had a good time. Chip was almost immediately stricken by foot pain intense enough to require lightning-fast skate removal. Perhaps this is not the whole-family activity we're looking for.

I'll try to do another update later.

Not an easy read

If your New Year's resolution was to weep more while reading online articles, I've got just the one for you:

From Father to Son, Last Words to Live by

Yeah, that wasn't on my list, either. But you know, you go to the New York Times page with the tear ducts you've got, not the ones you might want.

In 2007, I hereby resolve...

...to spend more time playing with my son on his newly cleaned-n-steamed playroom floor.

...to vigorously defend our kitchen island from becoming the repository of crap, aka the counter of death.

...to include a wider variety of discrete fruits and vegetables in my meal planning, i.e. not always just count the onions, peppers, and tomatoes already in the dish as our vegetable servings.

...to take my vitamins. All 26 of them.

...to enjoy the Montana outdoors. Why live in a place like this if you're not going to go hiking, skiing, skating, etc.?

...to continue flossing, building on my new habit of several exciting months.

...to stop thinking about my American Express card.

...to appreciate what I have every day.

...to maintain a tidy email inbox.

...to finish watching the second season of Grey's Anatomy so that we can watch the third season we've been Tivoing since September. (I'm pleased to report excellent progress on this goal already.)

...Ditto for Deadwood.

...to reacquaint myself with the inner structures of the Firehall Fitness and Health Center, despite my apparent interest only in the facade of said Fitness Center.

...to play more Scrabble.

...to blog more.

Happy New Year, everyone! What are your resolutions?