Professionals are educated in their field: CPA’s Engineers, nurses, pharmacist, physicians, among hundreds of others. So why aren’t politicians, who have such incredible power over our collective and individual lives, required to undergo training too? We must insist each politician attend and pass courses in subjects like The Constitution (because they’re essentially bitch slapping it now), The American Revolution (to remind them what America is all about), Ethics (need I say more), and Economics (the remedial course first because they’re obviously clueless about this whole subject). They must pass these courses either before they take office or within the first six months of their term or their out! Invite all of your friends to join before America becomes a destitute third world nation! Invite your senators and representatives too! Join my Facebook group and get your friends to join too! Click on this link.

You can also buy a bumper sticker promoting the cause for around 5 bucks by clicking on this link.

Basically it reads: POLITICIAN ACADEMY: Doctors and lawyers have to do it. Why not our nation’s leaders? Let this grassroots movement take root and spread like wildfire…for our children and their future!

Take the poll on this subject!

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Sorry I haven’t blogged for a while. One of my five children, my eldest son, Erik, passed away in October and frankly, even getting out of bed is a chore. Getting the mail, putting on makeup, eating…it all seems trivial, meaningless and pointless. But because I have such wonderful kids and a loving husband, all of whom need me, I march on, one foot in front of the other, trying to find and pass along strength. I am getting better as are the other family members. However, we don’t make a habit of turning down thoughts and prayers from well-wishers.

Now for today’s rant. After some mental rumination, I’ve come to the conclusion that Darwin was full of crap. Sure, he may have been right about that whole “survival of the fittest” thing, but announcing his theories to the world has done great harm. Although his publication preceded the Industrial Revolution by a number of decades, it wasn’t until the Industrial Age that society, particularly the West, began to use Darwinism as blatant justification for greed. In the name of this new “bible,” companies began to exploit the world, shaping a contentious landscape of dog-eat-dog commercialism and a new world view of competitive commerce. Industrialists have since created industrial environments as proof that Darwin was right, that hostile competition paves the way to a better society for everyone. And these industrialists have us convinced, because we all seek the best…the “new and improved.” Furthermore, we insist that companies provide us with those or lose to the competition. Although there may be benefits to this in terms of “progress,” has Industrial Darwinism defined our conception of such progress? What about spiritual progress? What about evolving in attributes such as compassion and understanding? What about striving to be a “new and improved” human being? What about working together in harmony to create a better world rather than fight one another in the mistaken belief that this will improve the lot of everyone? That said, I believe Darwin’s theory rationalized our need to compete, creating two divisions in our society: winners and losers. This, in turn, rationalized the human greed responsible for fueling the Industrial Revolution. Comments, even spirited and dissenting ones, are welcome.

News flash: I’m an inherently timid person. In fact, I’m the antithesis of my husband, Rune, although 99.999% of the planet is too. Over the decades, he has laughed in the face of death; going so far as to taunt Death by giving him wedgies and sticking “kick me” signs on his back. He skis downhill like a errant bullet, he gallops atop a horse like the Lone Ranger, he tears up the race track on his Ducati like a pro, all without the slightest hint of fear. Palms dry. Mouth moist. Underwear pristine.

I, on the other hand, even feel apprehensive when I’m at a party among people I don’t know. Even people I know a little. But I do have a track record of facing those fears by pushing myself off the cliff toward them. For instance, I have always detested flying. Most of that is due to the horrid motion sickness I inherited from my father. I pride myself on fact that I alone know exactly what happens on a plane after all the other passengers have left. I feel an intimate relationship with the cleaning crew who dig gum out of the seats, collect snot infested tissues from the ash trays, and reluctantly remove my bloated sick sack after I slowly nod my pale green countenance in affirmation. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been unloaded into the care of my parents via wheelchair. Nevertheless, while I was in my Internal Medicine residency, I felt compelled to get my private pilot’s license. I was a bundle of nerves before every lesson, making several trips to the bathroom prior to each one. On one of my solo cross country flights, I encountered some bumpy air and got sick enough to have to throw up in my flight computer case. But I did manage to land the plane in one piece. Facing fear nearly always has its advantages though. Pursuing flying lead me to my husband. He was my flight instructor. Now, I’m satisfied to fly Southwest and munch on peanuts with a motion sickness patch attached stealthily under my blouse.

Since then, I’ve sparred with other monsters like wakeboarding, motorcycling, skiing, scuba diving, and yep, even raising five (gulp) kids. Most recently, in an attempt to find an activity that I can enjoy with my husband, I’ve started horseback riding. This is no safe pastime, as Christopher Reeves could have testified. In fact, the first time I got on one since childhood was one of the most death defying feats of my life. The woman who tacked up the horse failed to cinch the saddle properly so that when I was loping up a steep embankment, it began to slip off. At the crest of the cliff, I grabbed futilely for a nearby tree, but momentum had already signed my dance card. I slipped off the horse and toppled, head over heels, looking none too graceful. At the bottom, my head slammed hard against the ground creating a sizable crater in helmet and causing me to see lots of pretty little stars. The wind was knocked out of me. I felt dazed. Stunned. As I was slowly performing inventory on various body parts, I heard my husband’s panic-stricken voice from above shouting “Elisa, MOOOVE!!!!!” Within seconds, I was aware of what sounded like a large herd of buffalo hurtling down upon me. I thought I was a goner when, shortly after, the horse’s entire 900 pound body, hooves up, landed on my back. When he struggled to right himself, I could feel ass and hooves pummeling me into a slab of ground chuck. Holy crap, it hurt. Eventually, Rune helped me up and I limped up the cliff observing in amazement the concerned, “deer in the headlights” look on his face. Fear of losing someone he loves is perhaps the only fear he knows. Once we reached the top, I dusted myself off and against my better judgment, got back on my horse, figuratively and literally. The real pain set in later that night. When I lost consciousness, Rune and my son, Erik, took me to a nearby emergency room because a week or so before, the whole Natasha Richardson thing had happened. In the end, I suffered several broken ribs, a lung contusion and a concussion. Now, when I ride horses, I do so with trepidation and respect, but I adore them and enjoy their companionship.

That said, fear will make you a stronger person if you survive. It helps you learn what limits you have mentally, emotionally and physically. If you encourage yourself to push against those limits, they begin to expand, and fear, that big black monster, becomes a shrinking violet. You can have power over your fears. All you have to do is nudge yourself into the darkness.

Here are some simple measures to reform healthcare and other issues: First, require an affidavit from a second physician in order to proceed with a malpractice suit. This may help prevent frivolous claims. A “loser pays” option is another possibility, although more radical. Second, link physician reimbursement to health outcomes for their patients. Along with tort reform, this might help prevent the excessive use of procedures, etc. Third, give medical care to citizens and legal immigrants only! Close the damn borders to illegal immigrants while still opening them to those who are willing to come to our country through legal avenues. We need to educate the ever-growing hispanic voting populace that immigration reform is in their best interests and is not an attack against their race and their culture so that politicians won’t shy away from passing legislation for fair immigration reform. Fourth, fund campaigns for political candidates with federal monies only and make it illegal for them to accept payment of any form (which is essentially a bribe, really) from corporations, individuals, lobbyist, etc. Sure it’ll come from taxpayer pockets, but in the long term, it’ll cost us far less. Only then will politicians fell free to create and pass legislation based on the best interests of the nation rather than their motive to be elected into or stay in power. Furthermore, since each candidate would receive the same amount of money, the playing field will be leveled. Campaign outcomes will be based on issues rather than media exposure. The same can be applied to the funding of their annual operating budget. Fifth, hire a private concern to root out and eliminate fraud, waste and corruption in government programs, including medicare, welfare, etc. Look how well credit card companies manage fraud! We must stop letting the fox guard the hen house! Fifth, require complete transparency in the government. We should have complete open access to every bill, how our legislators voted, what their attendance records are, etc. Sixth, if you want to raise our country to the next level and ensure we maintain a competitive edge in the global arena, educating the masses is key. Why not create free online courses for every citizen? GED courses, college courses, and even the class component of vocational training can easily be created and administered. Volunteer teachers and professionals can help supply the content and create the online exams and homework assignments, all of which can be graded automatically. Those citizens without computer access can use the computer at their public library. Last, require members of members to live by the same rules and in the same manner as their constituents. Elitism is out! No more perks, private jets, etc. I have more ideas. What are yours?

I find it amazing how cocooned we are from each other. We hide behind iPods, iPhones, and blank scares. Ever run across those mall kiosks with those neo-terrorist sales people who shout “excuse me, ma’am, then try to shove soap slivers or hand creams in your face against your will? Those guys can be as aggressive as a love-starved bull in a corral of cows in heat. My response is to slap my iPhone to my ear and feign an important conversation. Or sometimes I quicken my pace and, with a focused expression of urgent purpose, I glance repeatedly at my watch. This gives the would-be assaulters the impression that I have no time to dilly dally. Third world countries await my grabbing them from the jaws of poverty and starvation. Of course this doesn’t come off too well when I forget to wear a watch. And what about those street beggars who forlornly stare at you through the window with those pathetic cardboard signs pleading for help? You and I both know they make more money than a lot of blue collar workers, tax free. Plus they have a job, which, nowadays, is a rare bonus for many. And they do it all while maintaining a nice bronzed tan. But I try not to look them in the eye. Instead, I stare intently at the traffic light as if I’m at the starting gate for the Indianapolis 500. I feel a little guilty but I know by the nicotine stains on their hands that the money will go to Philip Morris, not a square meal. What I’m saying here is that we’ve stopped connecting with each other. We come home from work and ignore our neighbors rather than hang out in the street or pop in for a visit. Even when we make eye contact, it isn’t really true contact. Sure our eyes are pointed in the general direction of the other person’s eyes, but our minds are turned inward. We’re mired in our own thoughts: what to cook for dinner, whether to trim our toenails today or tomorrow, or which kid’s turn is it to change the kitty litter. So I tried an experiment recently. When I went through the McDonald’s for my usual biscuit and Diet Dr. Pepper, as I grabbed my goodies, I truly looked at the person’s eyes–at their soul, really. It was a strangely nice feeling. Their gaze locked onto mine for a millisecond or two longer. I felt their spirits change, emanating an element of surprise and appreciation. Now I try to make connections whenever possible. I greet strangers as we cross paths in the parking lot, I try to make family and friends feel loved and appreciated. I try to connect. It’s powerful stuff and I’m all the better for it. I draw the line on the mall terrorists, though. After all, I’m only human.