NEWSBYNYC WEBOY

In the wake of Ted Kennedy's death, healthcare reform is getting another look. That look may or may not mean a renewed sense of progress come September, when Congress resumes what is sure to be a contentious debate. But it's clear that the kind of government role Kennedy believed in, on healthcare and other issues, will not be forgotten soon.

Acting on that vision, and getting meaningful reform for the consitencies Kennedy advocated for most, will not be easy, and in some ways got much harder with Kennedy's deterioration and death.

After Congress failed to meet self-imposed deadlines to put together a comprehensive plan before the August recess, it's clear healthcare reform has run into some major issues. Some of them - like the wailings of a wacky former Governor about "death panels" (sounds like bad siding) are easily dismissed. Others are issues that are not likely to go away, and may well affect what happens to healthcare reform when Congress resumes in September.

The press and many progressive advocates have latched onto the "public plan", shorthand for some sort of government run insurance plan which would serve as a backstop for households when no other insurance option was available. The "public plan" has come to symbolize, for the right, the threat of a "government takeover" of healthcare... and for the left it has become a rallying cry of necessity if reform is to be done right.

Neither is entirely the case. First, I agree with other progressive advocates urging you to call your members of Congress about healthcare reform.  But rather than emphasizing the public plan, if you're concerned about healthcare and poverty... ask them how they plan to defend and strengthen Medicaid.

I've been on a little vacation the past week or so, the kind of vacation my family excels at: a little relaxation, a lot of political discussion.

As the trip got underway, Mom and I shared a moment of dismay and horror over this story in the New York Times, illustrating the problems many states are having financially (in this case, Alabama):

It is hardly unusual these days for a government building to forgo a fresh paint job or regular lawn care to cut costs. But last week, the director of the Jefferson County public nursing home was told that the county could no longer afford to bury indigent patients.

Across town at the juvenile detention center, the man in charge was trying to figure out how to feed the 28 children in his custody when the entire cafeteria staff is let go. The tax collector warned local school districts to expect a six-month delay to get their share of property taxes. In family court, administrators plan to delay child support, custody and child abuse cases, leaving some children in the hands of the state indefinitely....

“Outside of the city of Detroit,” said Robert A. Kurrter, a managing director with Moody’s Investors Service, “it’s fair to say we haven’t seen any place in America with the severity of problems that they’re experiencing in Jefferson County.” Moody’s rates Jefferson County’s credit lower than any other municipality in the country.

Unless and until we have politicians who can speak, frankly and directly, about the need to help people in poverty, it's unlikely we will see progress on poverty issues.

Why does this point - a common sense one I think regular readers here can agree with - need restating?

Because if you want a clearer insight into why healthcare reform is flailing, consider this common sense point: no one is talking about the fact that the most substantial changes to health insurance being proposed are the changes to Medicaid, which would (finally) make that program actually useful and effective in providing good, basic healthcare to the poor.

I've immersed myself in healthcare issues for a long time; and up until this week, I've focused as many have, on other key, if troubling, aspects of the healthcare plan making its way through Congress: the enormous cost, the complicated political landscape, and the maze of vague promises and complicated details surrounding much of the work. I have been - and I remain - very skeptical that at this point we are on a path to seeing an actual bill pass, one that the President can sign, with the reforms we desperately need.

Those last views, of course, are fighting words to some; it can sound as if I'm opposed to reform, or in favor if failure. I'm not... but I have advocated, all along, for a more direct conversation with the public, one that makes clear just what we're dealing with in healthcare issues, and engages a broad conversation where many voices can be heard. And I don't think, until some time in the past two weeks, that we've come anywhere near to having it... which may well be too late to make meaningful progress this year.

So... what changed?

When we found out the unemployment was 9.4% for May, we were told that things were looking up, that there were "green shoots" of signs of possible recovery, that some time soon, maybe before the end of the year, the economy would turn around and things would get better...

And then June's unemployment rate turned out to be 9.5%... and everything went back to being awful.

What changed?

Not much, really - how else to explain only a one-tenth of one percent increase in the unemployment rate - but perhaps what had seemed like a leveling off in some graphs of the economic downturn continued on downward progressions instead. Turns out we have a housing crisis, a foreclosure crisis, a banking crisis, a credit crisis, and a consumer crisis... and none of them appear to be going away.

And so, as I try to put the furniture back where it was, and wake up a couple of sleeping party guests, we can return this site to Leigh pretty much as we found it (along with a note promising to replace the broken lamp). Since Greg and Diane and I couldn't apparently solve the poverty problem in a week, there will still be plenty for Red to write about.

Just to get Leigh started, I'll hand it back to her with a pressing issue Diane touched on yesterday - the growing sense that our economic crisis has become a state-level problem, bankrupting state budgets, and causing them to cut services... often to the neediest populations, at just the worst moment.

"Taking action" on the issues we talk about can seem daunting. In the abstract, the problems of poverty and issues surrounding it can seem (and really are) very big, national concerns that require the action of government and other organizations.

But that kind of feeling of helplessness can stall us from doing the things that are actually possible. Volunteering locally, working in our communities, helping out those around us... these are actions that don't need a decision to fix the world, just a decision to act.

Believing in change, working for change, is a combination of the caring we have and the passion for the issues we care about... and following through with doing. Today, I'd like to offer some thoughts on how to get started with taking action... because I think, sometimes, we leap past the part about where to begin. And in order to get somewhere... we have to start, some time. So here are some suggestions:

• Make the time. If you live by a set schedule, or try to keep track of your time extewnsively... budget some time for volunteer work, community work, something beyond where you normally put your time. If you don't like the ridgity of set schedules... well, I hear ya, free spirit, but you may want to ask yourself if there are ways to balance the things you do now with the things you'd like to do.
• Show up. Once you find the time, make the effort. If you know a soup kitchen or food bank in your area that could use volunteers... go there. Even if they can't use you (and lots of times, they can), someone will probably be able to take your information, gauge your interest, and try to point you in the right direction.  When I decided to get involved in a political campaign, I called my local Congresswoman and found out where her campaign was... and I went there.  By election day, I was helping to plan literature drops, and I had a plan to work all day at a polling place (where I met the former Mayor, David Dinkins, among others).
• Talk to People. You don't have to commit to any particular activity - if you want to see what out's there, talk to some people who volunteer at things that interest you. While I was in grad school, I thought I should look at what it took to get involved with Planned Parenthood. So I went and talked to people who volunteered there. And ultimately, I did some volunteer work... but what made a difference in my life, was the connections I made and conversations I started as a result of going there. Our internet and web-connected culture has broken down, to no small degree, our ability to make real connections with people in person.  Getting out there, helping to reestablish those bonds, is a great way to get something started. You never know where it might lead.
• Start something. You don't have to... but if you see a need and you have the passion for it, start small and find others who share your concern. Realize you may have to figure out how to make a difference with a lot of good will and not a lot of money (especially in these times), at least in the beginning. If you keep your goals attainable, and your expectations in line... you can start to see a difference early on, and build from there.

As I mentioned, one of the most rewarding projects for community involvement I found came from working on a political campaign; in some states - like New Jersey and Virginia - campaigns are already under way for elections this fall. In many places, the early organizing for races in 2010 is already underway.  Most campaigns are thrilled to have volunteers... but some don't need them, so if you can't find a way to volunteer for one, keep looking. The web has made campaign organizing easy to search and easy to find. Take advantage of the tools.

Finally, don't forget about Jobs For Change, the new clearinghouse of employment opportunities here at Change.org. They have even more advice, and ideas, and real opportunities to get involved. And of course, I'd love to hear any ideas you have in the comments.

(Photo of Volunteers on a Sierra Club project in Texas by The Sierra Club, used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr)

Of all the assignments, this week, I've worried most about this one: Leigh asked me to fill in for her usual Wednesday post about developments along the Gulf Coast related to Katrina and other natural disasters.

This is especially challenging because... well, I usually get my information from her.

One of the reason I admire my friend most is because she's done the work:  Leigh has helped with relief and rebuilding efforts in New Orleans for years, shaping her perspective on issues of inequality and activism, and she is a passionate advocate... oh the arguments...er, discussions... we've had where, usually, she will triumph through her thorough command of the facts and her faith in having used the facts to reach the right conclusion.  I'm a big fan... I just had to throw that in; and she has taught me a lot.

In any case, here we are. My own focus on the Gulf Coast is on disaster relief and preparedness; I am fascinated by storm chasers (perhaps later we can discuss my crush on the Weather Channel's field staff), and by hurricanes generally, and I was horrified by the failures to respond to Katrina thanks to the poor oversight of the Bush Administration. Leigh has been a passionate advocate for better efforts at rebuilding, and how to find good answers in the aftermath.

Below the fold, a few stories that caught my eye, covering a range of Gulf Coast preparedness and recovery issues. I'm hoping some regular readers, who deal more closely with these issues, will weigh in with their observations and insights.

Part of the challenge of a blog like this - and of working for change - is that the problems we face can seem so immense. There's so many things to do, so much that needs... well, change... that one can get very caught up in looking at problems, and not thinking about solutions, or, indeed, doing anything at all.

Yet, we still need the "big picture" - realizing that problems are interconnected, and complex, helps to understand, fully, why solving things that seem simple may not be, ultimately. Knowing the big pictures, the connected problems should give us pause... it just shouldn't stop us completely.

So before talking, in future posts, about taking action, I thought it might be worthwhile to look at some of the big picture - issues we face where poverty issues play a part, but not the whole, of problems we have (here in America, which is my focus, and elsewhere). As always, I hope you'll join in with comments about issues you see, and how you deal with the complexities of the problems we face. And yes, these are issues I care about deeply; I know there's so much more out there.

Hello, I am weboy.

The last time I did a guest blog for my pal Red, it was Christmastime and she went on a trip, and left me her car.  This time, no car, but more prominence, and a few bucks. I can't say, really, which was the better offer.

(The pic, BTW, is a followup to the one I posted with my last intro. As you can see, I've aged, but nicely.)

I felt the need for an introduction, if only because we've never been properly introduced. I've known Leigh a long time, and guest blogging for her was kind of a natural fit, but it just happened, and here I was... and well, I've never entirely explained myself... or why I care about the issue at hand.

Which brings me to the point of this post... and a question below the fold.