Senator Keith Ellison of Minnesota Speaks Truth

Senator Keith Ellison of Minnesota has become one of my favorite representatives this morning after seeing him on CNN with John King. He was talking about health care reform and he's the first person I've seen, on either side of the issue, who just spoke the truth. Not the politically appropriate truth, just the truth. Hallelujah. Finally, someone who will just speak the truth.

I won't try to summarize all he said, but I encourage you to find it online and watch it. It's a brief interview and Senator Ellison speaks truth.

The truth is that insurance companies have a monopoly in many places, particularly in large cities and small states. For example, in Vermont, about 98% of people are insured by Blue Cross. What possible motivation would they have to price themselves competitively? It's ridiculous to believe they would.

We need options so insurance companies have to compete. What that looks like is up for debate, but we need options and the "free" market has not offered that. The free market has organized itself into discrete monopolies.

Two things Sen. Ellison mentioned, that I'm paraphrasing, that I liked were:
Government is good. I got here on a government funded road. I went to a university supported by the government.
Why must liberals always cave? Everyone needs to compromise some so we get to a workable solution.

I know nothing about Sen. Ellison, but as of a few minutes ago I am dubbing him an "up and comer" to be watched. If he can survive in the political climate actually speaking truth, he could do some wonderful things.
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Where Everybody Knows Your Name

When I go to my favorite burger spot here - Skaets - I always order a moon burger. It's really a bacon-cheeseburger, but they starting calling it the moon burger in 1969 and it has stuck. As with most things, there's a certain way I like it prepared and they're so good to me.

Lisa, who's section we always try to sit in, told me she just wrote "Patsy" on the ticket if it was the normal crew, because they all know I want it extra well done, with no red left in the meat, grilled onions, extra pickles, and extra crispy fries. The other night I took a photo of the ticket to share..

There's something comforting in being a regular. Cheers made a whole TV series off the concept. While that was fictional, the idea is a solid one we can all relate to. Of course, smart people in any service industry make it a point to learn about their customers. It's part human nature and part business.

There's a reason we're attracted to the idea of being known. We want to feel connected and going into a restaurant where people know what you want gives that sense. Are we really connected? Probably not in a deep, meaningful way. We're connected on this one thread and by and large that exists in a vacuum.

But it gives us that feeling of "everybody knows your name" and it's warm and comfortable. Who doesn't want more of that in your life?
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Of Football and Taxes

The big news in our little burg tonight is that the local high school football team won their first game 55-27 against their big rival that beat them last year. The local team has won five straight state championships and are hoping for a sixth this year.

You might wonder if I have suddenly begun following high school sports. No, rest assured, that is not the case. I do think it's cool they've won five years in a row, and a I appreciate the difficulty of that, and I love it that many people came to town today for the game and some of them will stay all night, buy gas, eat in our restaurants, etc., but that is about all the energy I can muster for it

Frankly, I didn't even know they were on a winning streak with the state championships until they were three years in. I'm not a big sports fan, what can I say?

But, tonight they played in the newly redone Gowan's stadium, which reminded me that I played a role in tonight's game because I supported that. Recently we have the opportunity to vote to upgrade the stadium. I'd never been in it in all the years I've lived here. I haven't been in it since, although I saw some TV footage of the before and after and it looked impressive.

But, when I was in the voting booth, I voted "yes" on spending tax money to upgrade it. Yes, that's right, I willingly voted to raise my taxes in order to have money for something that I don't use. And I did it without hesitation. You might ask why a person would do such a thing.

Well, because I saw it as a valuable thing for the community as a whole and because I want people who love sports to be able to indulge their passions, just as I want to indulge mine at the arts center or the library or whatever - not that those are mutually exclusive, I'm just using them as examples. Just because I don't use something personally doesn't mean it's not a valuable resource. I don't drive on every road or read every book in the library, but those are things I support too - happily so.

This is what living in a "community" is all about to me - we pool our resources so everyone can have what they want/need. Obviously, building a football stadium is out of the financial reach of most people - even if every game is a sell out and everyone contributes a few bucks,  it's not going to build a stadium, or even upgrade one.

But, when everyone in a community chips in we can have a beautiful stadium and a well-stocked library and good roads and the water park and public golf courses. I use two of those five things. I support the others happily and willingly. I want everyone to have access to the things that thrill them. That's not football for me, although I did turn on the radio at one point to see how it was going and was happy to hear the local team was doing well.

Recently our city council had to consider ways to cut the budget 10%. I just wanted them to raise my taxes whatever amount was necessary to keep things going, and maintain the services we had. One of the things we lost was someone who taught people to play golf. I don't play golf. I don't want to learn to play golf. I don't even want to watch people play golf. But, I want people who do want to learn to be able to do so at a price they can afford.

The time spent by the city in preparing budgets and redoing things and going over them, and by organizations and agencies doing the same trying to prevent being cut, and by the community members and board members that were summoned to speak on behalf of one viewpoint or anothe,r cost way more in lost productivity than the money we "saved."

I'm not saying we shouldn't ever question things. I firmly believe in questioning authority and everything else. My number two rule for living is "question everything." But at some point, when it's this sort of an increase, someone needs to exercise some common sense and do the most expedient thing, which was to raise taxes to address the short fall. We could have all paid an extra 27 cents and saved the weeks and weeks of fighting. I would have gladly paid the 27 cents for everyone on my block just to avoid ever hearing the phrase, "on the chopping block."

I'm not sure when we began to see all taxes as evil, instead of as a way to fund things we all benefit from. I'm not directly benefiting from the few dollars I have spent on the football stadium, but indirectly it is affecting me because it's having an impact on the community in which I live. Part of living in a community is pooling our resources so we can have the benefit of many people working together to achieve something.

It's kinda like a football team, really.
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Making an Impact

I'm in a really introspective mood lately. Actually, I've been this way for quite some time now, and it doesn't show any signs of stopping. It doesn't seem a bad thing, really, but I can't say I've come to any earth-shattering conclusions about - well - anything. It's all an internal churning of thoughts.

I've lost interest in the "business of the world," for lack of a better term. The flu, the latest kidnap story, Michael Jackson's funeral - I just can't muster any interest in any of them - not that I would have ever said I had a lot.

Much of this is due, I believe, to the fact that I feel I cannot, in any way, affect these things. I barely give a passing glance to politics these days. Yes, I want a health care plan that is available regardless of your employer or pre-existing conditions or whatever. But can I affect that beyond the most basic of ways? I don't think so. I can vote. I can be vocal. But beyond that there's not much I can do. And, frankly, I can't be bothered to waste my time on things I can't impact.

So, the logical question would be, what can I impact? I suppose that is the million dollar question. And maybe that's what I'm trying to figure out with these mental gymnastics.

I can impact the people in my immediate world. I can be pleasant to people I'm crossing paths with, wherever I am. I can offer a little help here and there. Does it impact someone when I donate to kiva? Yes. But would it not happen if I weren't doing it? No. It would be happening anyway because someone else would be doing it. So, what can I really impact?

Looking at my history is one way to find some answers. What have I really had an impact on in life? What is different because I interacted with it in some way? Those are heady questions and worthy of some examination.
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Writing

I had a lovely note this afternoon from my friend, Martha. She directed me to this article by Scott Ginsberg, otherwise known as the "Hello My Name is Scott" guy.

Martha mentioned that she thought the fact that I was a prolific writer influenced how I think about the world. It's always interesting to see yourself through other people's eyes. I have never thought of myself as a "prolific" writer. However, the logic in me (sparse though it may be!) understands why someone who writes every day would be considered "prolific."

I'm flattered by his references to saying, "I've written about that..." because I find myself saying that often. Matthew remarked once when I was so excited to find a note pad in a hotel room that I couldn't think without writing. To some degree he was correct about that.

Whenever I have something I need to think through I get out the pen and paper. If I have something that needs some creative thought I reach for paper. It is integral to the way I think. I'm fond of the "clustering" technique and use it regularly. As a matter of fact, I was using it today - perhaps as Martha was writing her note to me. Of course, anyone who has read here for any amount of time knows I often think "aloud" on the blog.

Martha's note today has caused me to consider how writing impacts my world view. I guess I've never thought of it as an option. Since I could write, it has been the way I experience the world around me. It's interesting how these things develop.

Obviously, there's much more to think about on this topic.
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Summer Passing Into Fall

It feels very fall-like here and I'm not ready. Of course, I whine about the heat when it's hot. But I feel like the summer has just evaporated while I was busy with other things. As my friend, Kyle, said the other day on facebook, "August, I hardly knew ye." I could say the same about June and July, not to mention April and May. Here we are with only hours left in August and it's just a blur.



With fall knocking I feel I haven't had a chance to enjoy the flowers and the tomatoes and the eggplant and the herbs. And soon they'll be gone, as mornings bring frost instead of the only part of the day that's cool enough to be outside and enjoy. Already the mornings are heavy with dew. I haven't had time to smell the roses, or pick the roses. Where or where do I find an extra 5-6 hours a day?



I think part of the reason summer seems to have gone so quickly is that we haven't had those hot, hot days this year. While I don't love those days, they do mark the summer like nothing else. This has been a very mild summer, which makes me fear January.

There are so many decisions I need to make that I've been putting off. So many things are piled up I'm immobilized and I'm just going to have to suck it up and get about things, one at a time. That's the only way things get done.

The passing seasons always remind me that life is short. This year has reminded me of that in numerous ways. I think it wise to heed that message.
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Pettiness

I have always had difficulty dealing with people's pettiness. Now, of course, we're all this way occasionally because something that's important to one person isn't to another.

What is most curious about this is why it affects me so much. I've always heard that the things that bug you most in other people are the things you dislike about yourself. So, I've been mulling this over today - just turning it over in the back of my mind - how petty am I about various things? If I were brave enough I'd ask friends, but so far I haven't zapped that email off into the ether.

Today I was on the sidelines of an exchange where one person was being very petty, or so it seemed to me. I watched the other person skillfully manage the situation by not getting upset or dragged into the mire.

There are lessons here to be learned. Not the least of which is that I need to be cautious of my own reactions to things. The irony is not lost on me of how petty it is that I'm upset by other people's pettiness. Life is strange, isn't it?
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All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.