R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Now, before I plow into this blog entry, let me clearly state that I am a casual gal. I love jeans. I like to wear sandals. You can find me in a peasant blouse much more often than a business suit...

HOWEVER...

I am not the President of the United States.

I was bemused and befuddled by the coverage regarding Ted Kennedy's passing, as the news media repeatedly referenced the close relationship between Senator Kennedy and President Obama, mentioning their friendship, their professional respect for one another, the pivotal role the Senator played in this past election when he endorsed Obama for President. On and on about respect...leading us to the President's OFFICIAL statement about the death of his respected friend....

And there he was, our nation's leader, the President of the United States, supposedly paying tribute to a dear friend, political mentor and respected colleague....in shirt sleeves and without a tie. And to be honest, also without emotion or conviction in his voice as he read his official statement.

Respect? I think not. Respect doesn't require a tie, but it certainly deserves one.

(and Michelle may be very proud of her legs, but it seems to me that when uniformed officers stand at attention upon your arrival, you should at least take the time to slide those legs into a pair of slacks and not exit Air Force One in shorts. It shows respect for those men and women who are guarding you and honoring you with their posture, their stance, their uniform, their salute, the reality of every day of their lives. Shorts? Really?)

It's all about respect, and it runs both ways. Title doesn't earn respect, it simply demands it. They both need to remember that.

2nd Annual Think Tank MBA Round-up

2nd Annual Think Tank MBA Round-up

International support for DC School Choice

In a surprise demonstration, representatives from the four corners of the world distributed pamphlets to passers-by in the China Town area of Washington DC.

With the principles of human rights and individual liberty as their foundation, five volunteers from Turkey, Mexico, Afghanistan, Argentina, and Maine and New Mexico, USA met in the early morning with Virginia Walden Ford, Executive Director of DC Parents for School Choice, a grassroots organization working to prevent the end of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Speaking with community members, as well as visitors from other states, the team of five international volunteers offered critical information about the threatened program to a surprising number of uninformed parents and concerned citizens who claimed they were not only not aware of the program, but also not aware that it was in jeopardy.

With very few exceptions, all persons who were engaged in a conversation supported a parent's right to choose where their child will be educated, along with every child's right to a safe and quality education.

The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program allowed parents to submit applications for scholarships to private schools participating in the program. On average, 4 applications are received annually for every open spot in the program, and to date over 1600 children have benefited from the program.

Currently 216 students are waiting to begin school this week, each having received a scholarship to a private school, only to recently receive a letter stating that the program will not be continued.

President Obama has indicated that he would like the program to continue only long enough to allow those currently accepted and enrolled the opportunity to graduate from high school, but to not allow any new students beginning with the 2009/10 academic year.

We find it interesting that the President feels it important to choose where his daughter's will be educated - which happens to be OUTside of the DC school system's boundaries, and INside a private school in Maryland - but does not believe that opportunity should be afforded to other parents in the DC area.

The international group of volunteers is part of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation's Think Tank MBA training. This group of 27 freedom fighters from throughout the world has taken on 5 campaigns of education and activism while participating in the intensive two week training program.

The Atlas TTMBAers have one message: Liberty and Opportunity, through a Free Market Economy and Limited Government, and Prosperity and Peace throughout the world.

Education is critical. Children deserve the right to learn in a safe environment. Parents have the right to choose where their children go to school.

PUT KIDS FIRST, President Obama. And LET PARENTS CHOOSE.

After all, you put your children first and you chose. Why should you be the only parent in DC with that option?

Freedom Fighters

...speaking of cheering. Let's hear it for the freedom fighters!

I have just spent a week with young men and women from all over the world, freedom fighters between the ages of 21 and 42, each with a personal commitment to fighting for liberty in their respective country.

I am in awe. I am jazzed. I am blessed to have this opportunity.

We live in the Land of the Free, and we are fighting for liberties that are critical to the survival of democracy in our country, and as important as our fight is, the battles going on every day in countries throughout the world - led by these young, dedicated and selfless freedom fighters -seem almost more compelling. But reality is, any honorable fight for freedom and liberty is a noble and worthy cause.

We are here at the Atlas Think Tank MBA Training, and we have gathered from all corners of the world: Poland, United States, Ghana, El Salvador, Georgia, Spain, Argentina, Belgium, Slovakia, Canada, Turkey, Tanzania, Kyrgyztan, Brazil, Mexico, Nepal, Belarus, Mongolia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cyrgistan and Ecuador.

I love freedom. And I love freedom fighters. They are my friends, my colleagues, my comrades.

May we all endure to the end and continue to fight the good fight.

Cheers (or Beer - the new White Out!)

I am offended. I am wondering why our Commander in Chief appears impatient when his opinions are not immediately embraced by others, but feels that all it will take is a clicking of beer mugs to smooth over the comments he made about racial profiling.

A beer? Really, is that all it takes? Maybe the Republicans need to invite him over for a beer fest and we can sew up this health reform issue quickly.

Racial profiling is serious business and something I have no tolerance for, but profiling doesn't stop at race. People are "profiled" based on religion, hair color, skin color, hygiene, income, heritage, neighborhood, clothing and more.

Differences make us look twice, whether it's because of race or piercings or a bad hair day. So we often do take that second look, but we need to withhold judgment.

The toughest looking biker may be a hardworking, devoted husband and father who just happens to have tattoos and ride a Harley.

The young guy with tattoos just might be a savvy conservative candidate for public office.

The African-American in dark clothing just might be returning from the opera.

The Latino with a shaved head and tattoos from head to toe might be a cop.

The moody lady behind the cash register might have experienced a recent tragedy.

The girl with the hat who is sitting off to the side in the shade and away from everyone just might be a redhead.

We need to be sensitive and remember that all of us have a history and a reality that is often hidden from the world. We have bad days. We say things out of context. We make errors and feel bad later. We separate ourselves for reasons unknown to others.

The President of the United States is no different, EXCEPT that he is the President of the United States, the Commander in Chief, possibly the most influential world leader today. What he says matters and we do listen, even when we don't agree.

And we know he is human and makes mistakes, but words are what elected him; they were his platform, he ran his campaign based on his practiced ability to use words, to communicate effectively, to speak in a way that would captivate Main Street USA.

Our President continues to emphasize the importance of words every time he 'edits' something the Vice President has said, often changing a single word or maybe two in the original quote. This one word, or two, changes the intent, the timing, and the message that was originally delivered. President Obama knows the importance of words.

During the campaign we repeatedly heard his credentials, his resume of journalistic experience; we witnessed over and over his carefully crafted speeches where each word had a purpose and a place. Everything we know about President Obama began with, was sustained by and continues through words.

The President's words matter; his words in speeches, his words when speaking to the media, his words without a teleprompter, his words in anger and frustration, and his words in accusation and judgment. And his words, like all words, are like feathers, they are difficult to gather after they are tossed into the air.

The next time the President makes a statement that he regrets, or would like to edit his own words in the same way he edits the Vice President, it seems to me that it should take more than a beer to make that happen. It should take a sincere apology, an admittance of error, a serious retraction or restatement. Obama is not perfect, but he is the President and we need to remember that, but more importantly, so does he.

I am still offended. I am insulted that he believes that the American people should cling to his every word, unless he chooses to edit them and then all it should take is a beer to straighten things out. Does he really think that a beer is all it takes to win over the American people? I really hope not.

So the man who has been urging us to listen, now wishes that we hadn't listened quite so intently, and the same man wants to use beer as white out.

I guess we can expect closure on the health care issue in early October - right around Oktoberfest, and so I propose the following, adapted from a traditional beer toast:

For every wound, a balm.
For every sorrow, cheer.
For every storm, a calm.
For every outburst, a beer.

Cheers.

Lights of Liberty

"Let your light shine"...most of us are familiar with this biblical phrase, but do we live it? Some do.

This past week the Rio Grande Foundation held the first annual "Lights of Liberty" luncheon in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The guest speaker was David Boaz, Executive Vice President of the CATO Institute. Let me simply say that David's light is shining.

The sell-out crowd of 170 liberty-minded attendees listened intently through David's 30 minute "Liberty in Crisis" presentation.

The speech was inspiring, thought provoking and real. David doesn't mince words or dance around critical topics. Although politically correct in the appropriate use of the term, his casual lack of concern for unnecessary political correctness - that which goes against the grain of today's liberal-fueled quasi-conventional wisdom - makes him the perfect example of it - of political correctness. He speaks the truth, he says what needs to be said and he says it well.

One of my favorite pieces so far (I am still reading) by David Boaz appeared in the Wall Street Journal in May 2009 and is titled "Our Collectivist Candidates". His message is timely and timeless; he ends with a statement loosely related to my area of expertise - philanthropy. I will share the final two paragraphs in this blog, but please click on the link to read his entire article.

"But hypocrisy is not the biggest issue. The real issue is that Messrs. Obama and McCain are telling us Americans that our normal lives are not good enough, that pursuing our own happiness is "self-indulgence," that building a business is "chasing after our money culture," that working to provide a better life for our families is a "narrow concern."

They're wrong. Every human life counts. Your life counts. You have a right to live it as you choose, to follow your bliss. You have a right to seek satisfaction in accomplishment. And if you chase after the almighty dollar, you just might find that you are led, as if by an invisible hand, to do things that improve the lives of others."

And he is right; in my experience as a fundraiser, people who have achieved success want (maybe even need) to share with others, and in an interesting example of "what goes around comes around", they are often rewarded for their philanthropic generosity with continued and increased success. It's one of those eternal principles, and yet some would deny that right to personal success and accomplishment. Shame on them; maybe they should be hiding under a bushel.

Keep on shining, David. And may the light of liberty shine on too.

If You Want To Soar With Eagles

Long ago my Dad told me that if I wanted to soar with the eagles, I couldn't hang around with turkeys.

I enjoy working and socializing with smart people. I call my boss the brainiac (in a very respectful way). He blows me away sometimes. The articles below (two earlier blog posts) were written by two very smart policy guys, my boss and our investigative journalist, a couple of educated brainiacs who think at a different level than most of us, well, at least at a different level than I do.

It's not that I am not bright, I have often been told that I am too bright, but I am a big picture person. I see what needs to be done overall, I can see future ramifications before something even happens, I am a visionary with a bit of realism mixed in; the nuts and bolts, the policy details, the checklists, the mini-items - no, they are not on my easy list. I sweat when I have to actually do the little things, and that is simply not attractive on a woman. But put me in a room of people, or give me a long term goal and I will know in short order who should be sitting with whom (and who should not) and what needs to be done to achievethe goal.

So, yes, I enjoy working with smart people, detailed people, policy brainiacs, economic analysts and investigative journalists. They make me feel smarter after I hear what they have to say, whether it's in conversation or because I have read their articles. And they do the detailed research, they do what I don't enjoy doing, so associating with them allows me the opportunity to experience things in an oddly vicarious way through their work.

In today's economic reality, I need these folks to do the detailed research and analysis work and then share it with me (and you). I want to understand details and they help me. I read. I learn. I ponder. And as a result of their work, I am empowered. And then watch out (have I mentioned that I am a redhead?).

I am so glad I didn't choose to hang with turkeys. Thank you Dad!

And I am so grateful that I hitched a ride with some pretty amazing eagles. I guess it's a good thing I didn't go into politics after all.

ABQJOURNAL OPINION/GUEST_COLUMNS: 'Medicare for All' Will Bankrupt the United States

ABQJOURNAL OPINION/GUEST_COLUMNS: 'Medicare for All' Will Bankrupt the United States

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ABQJOURNAL OPINION/GUEST_COLUMNS: Dems' Plan Is Hidden Tax

ABQJOURNAL OPINION/GUEST_COLUMNS: Dems' Plan Is Hidden Tax

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15 Minutes

For years I avoided the news. I didn't even give it 15 minutes a day. I was raising my kids and the news made me fearful. I wondered if they would have a future, if they would be safe on their way to and from school, or AT school, for that matter. After watching horrifying news stories, I worried that my neighbor might be a child molester and that my children's teenage friends were terrible drivers with poor judgment and hidden addictions. So I didn't watch.

I avoided and I worried and I tried to protect my children. We lived in good neighborhoods. I knew their friends and the parents of their friends. I made certain they called to tell me where they were. I went to parent conferences. I tried to keep the communication open, but in spite of all my efforts, I missed some things. I overlooked some things. I ignored some things. I am human, I didn't do it perfectly.

Now I watch the news every morning and every night. I read the paper from front to back. I even have news updates delivered to my email and news flashes that greet me in the morning on my Google Homepage, to say nothing of all the Tweets that come my way. It definitely takes more than 15 minutes a day now, but I am much more aware and informed today than in the past. And again in spite of all my efforts, I miss some things, I overlook some things, I ignore some things. I am still human and I am still not perfect.

Life is a flurry of news and information in the 21st century. It's no longer (and maybe never was) only 15 minutes a day. Today's world is whirling with nonstop progress and communication. We are on overload, even if we don't want to admit it. We sometimes know too much, even if we don't want to recognize it. We are force-fed news in every format possible and we rarely choose to turn it off. It's on the TV, the radio, the computer, the paper, the magazines - all of which are easy to obtain, entertaining, and relatively inexpensive.

Some news is better than other news. Let's face it - all news isn't really news - it's gossip or conjecture or opinion, but it's not always news. It's not always accurate or timely or real either. Look at the magazine racks where the majority of publications are sensational or repetitive (how many meal plans can you create for a 1000-calorie diet?). But even worse, listen to the graphic news stories of child abuse and violent crimes - the stories that make us triple lock our doors at night and never sleep with the windows open. An entire generation will not know the bliss of falling asleep with a warm breeze caressing your cheek as it flows in through the window.

If I had been exposed to the reality of the world as I know it today, through what I like to call "newsmania", I wonder if I would have allowed my children to leave my house - ever.

Kudos to responsible parents today for their courage, and prayers for the children who wander innocently into life's experiences. There is a big world with 15 minutes of fame waiting for each of them. Let's hope that fame comes through a positive action and not a tragedy. We all want our name in the headlines, but let's be careful which headline it ends up in. We have to make the best of our 15 minutes of fame because tomorrow's daily edition is about to go to print with an entirely new headline and yesterday's headlines (our headline) will be moved from the front page and buried in the scores on the sports page or moved into the archives of headline fame.

I wish our politicians cared which headline their name was in, but that isn't always the case. Fame is fame to them and they also want more than their allotted 15 minutes. Bad publicity is considered better than no publicity to a politician in the headlines. It's all about name recognition, sustainable public exposure and widespread identity.

News is news, and I read it and watch it, but I also know how to turn it off. If only some of our politicians knew how to do the same.

Reduced Fat

I need to lighten up, this blog was supposed to be the lighter side of politics and there I go talking about things that aren't all that light.

In this day and age it's hard to not get a little heavy with the commentary when discussing economic policy that costs taxpayers billions of dollars, transparency in government, inequitable legislation and other timely and critical issues in the world of politics.

However, I will do my best to do better, to be lighter, to not chew the fat on every issue that comes to mind.

So, here goes, let me start with this bumper sticker, found on the back of a Toyota Tundra in Albuquerque, NM earlier today: I'll keep my guns, freedom and money, you can keep "The Change".

Light, but to the point.

They're Covered!

The question always seems to boil down to entitlement - who deserves what. The interesting conundrum when entitlement is reviewed in relation to elected officials is the disparity between what they think they deserve and what they think the rest of us deserve.

Take national health care reform, for instance. It's a huge issue; everyone's talking about it. We wonder what the proposed changes will do for (or to) us - the average taxpayer. Our legislators don't have to wonder what it will do for (or to) them; they have a very nice benefits package that includes very good health coverage.

How can our elected representatives decide what's best for whom when the decision won't affect them because they already have the best and believe they deserve it?

And how about those NM public employees' pension plans? How can our state legislature vote to require public employees to contribute a higher annual amount to their pension plans and not include themselves? Aren't they public employees? (Yes, they are.) Granted, the additional amount collected would be minimal if our legislators had included themselves in the legislation, but that isn't the issue and they should have known that.

This is a lost opportunity, where a little integrity could have made up for lost ground; our legislators not only missed the mark but they added another layer of mistrust to the already multilayered film that shrouds New Mexico's state leadership.

Who deserves what? A very good question and one we should be answering, not them.

Monopoly anyone?

I love board games. Evidently so do the Dem's.

Check this out: House Democrat's Org Chart for Health Plan (at least it's colorful!)

From the looks of the game board, I guess we're in for another game of monopoly.

Roll the dice...

Fidelity

What a novel concept in this day and age...fidelity.

Fidelity in marriage. Fidelity between trusted business and trusting customer. Fidelity between voters and their elected officials.

And fidelity to the law. Again, what a concept. And one that more legislators, attorneys and judges should pay more attention to, as should all of us on Main Street USA.

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor said in her testimony on Capitol Hill that "fidelity to the law" is at the heart of her judicial philosophy. And she brought her family to the hearings, the first ever to do so. Maybe it was staged, maybe it was unnecessary, or maybe it was because she really wanted them there.

I may not always agree with Ms. Sotomayor's political views or legal judgements, but these two fundamental characteristics are admirable and I am not going to ignore that.

Family and Fidelity. Kudos to Sonia.

Incompetent Competition

I find it interesting the way words can suddenly jump from a page and make you see them as if for the first time. It's almost the exact opposite of the 1st day back at school after summer vacation when you are supposed to write the traditional "What I did during summer vacation" essay. I remember writing words and looking at the paper and wondering what I had written. Was that really the way "route" was spelled?

Words are fascinating. Words can elevate or destroy people, articles, conversations.

Today's two words to consider are: incompetent and compete.

Incompetent: inability to function properly, lack of physical or intellectual ability or qualifications, not qualified or suited for a purpose.

Compete: engage in a contest, measure oneself against others, to seek or strive for the same thing another is seeking or striving for

It's interesting that we consider many of our elected leaders incompetent, but when you think about it for a minute, it actually makes sense.

Competition comes from the base word - compete.

People who compete well and fairly would typically embody the values of self-confidence and sportsmanship and humility. They want to win, but they also know how to lose and can cheer and congratulate the winner. They are worthy competitors.

Incompetent people would typically embody the opposite values, or a lack of same. Ego instead of a healthy self-confidence, dishonesty, cheating and smear campaigns in place of sportsmanship; braggery and cockiness over humility. They will do anything to win and if they lose they have nothing nice to say to the winner, including a heartfelt "congratulations". They place blame. They pout. They say things they shouldn't. They are not able to compete.

How do competitors compare to the incompetent? It's actually quite simple. It boils down to integrity and honor.

I would like to cast my vote for those who know how to compete honorably and lose gracefully. Where are they?