The Value of Value

An Exploration of Food

I had six months of unemployment (without unemployment pay) to get very strongly acquainted with money saving techniques. One was to carry scraps of paper around, write down anything I use regularly or anticipate needing soon, and stop at every grocery store I pass. I made a rule never to drive more than 1/4 mile out of my way, so I wouldn't waste gas.

At the store, I would jot down the price of the foods I regularly consume: Kamut Puffs, tofu, flatbread, peanut butter, soy milk, coconut milk drink, canned coconut milk, bananas, and apples. I would note the store name and repeat for each different store I passed. Eventually I learned where to find the bargains: Trader Joe's has bagged avocados, store brand firm sprouted tofu (the only kind I find palatable), and store brand coconut milk drink far cheaper than other stores even when I get a coupon. Whole Foods charges less for their organic bananas than I've found anywhere else. Kamut Puffs seem to be priced the same everywhere, but I get gas points at Stop and Shop and find the cheapest pure 100% peanut butter and canned coconut milk there. If I'm way out in Northborough, I can get a fantastic flatbread at Wegmans, as well as the cheapest artichokes I've ever seen at $0.89 each, if I feel like spoiling myself.

My most bizarre find was flax oil: an extremely expensive supplement, flax oil is the only treatment I can use to control my cholesterol levels, since being vegan didn't fix this genetically determined health issue, and a liver tumor prevents use of statins like Lipitor. Unfortunately, flax oil hasn't been popularized, so lack of competition means the price is unlikely to drop to affordable levels. When I scrape together enough to pay for it, I skip right past Whole Foods and go to Especially For Pets. Yes, you heard me right: if you read the label and get the right kind, the oil from the pet store is vegan, human grade, and cheaper per ounce.

The only catch in shopping for price is in areas of quality. Price comparison can tell us which brand, ounce for ounce, costs less, but what if we have to eat more of the cheaper one to get the same nutritional value? What if there are other factors, such as hidden food allergens? I'm fortunate not to be allergic to sulfites, however, I try to avoid them in case I'm cooking for a friend. Sulfites are one of the top 10 most common food allergens, and are not required to be listed: they can be included under the generic "preservatives" name. Many of these foods may be sulfite-free simply by default, but since they don't bother to record it accurately, people with the allergy have to pay two to three times as much to get organic or items labeled "sulfite free."

Other intangibles become obvious after you buy the food. I'm not even going to go into details on ethical shopping, since there are so very many articles out on why you shouldn't get your groceries at WalMart, but I will talk a bit about quality issues.

My most recent experience was with coconut milk.

I picked up a can of Native Forest organic coconut milk from the natural foods section in Stop and Shop. Strangely, it cost a little less than the one in the main section of the store. I stashed it in my fridge for the next time I had company for dessert, so I could make Whipped Coconut Cream. Later, I wandered the isles of Wegmans and found several different brands of coconut milk in different sections. I checked each to make sure it was not the "light" variety, made sure nothing was added to it in ingredients, and brought home the one with the lowest per-ounce price. This turned out to be the Grace brand.

How come whenever I try to open a coconut
it ends up in dozens of pieces all over the floor
instead of  as an elegant bowl shape?

After a few days, I removed both cans from my fridge and scooped out the cream to make my recipe. To my surprise, I discovered the Native Forest can was much thicker, with the cream leaving behind less than 1/4 can of water after separation, while the Grace brand left behind a can more than half filled with water! I suppose there are no industry set standards for coconut milk heaviness, but if I were to name the Grace brand, I would call it "light" or at least "medium light."

At least it wasn't a waste. I made nummy coconut-water rice.

In most recipes this probably would not be an issue. If I were to make chowder, a curry, or fudge, the Grace coconut milk would be adequate and would save me a bit of money. But it was enough of a wake up call to inspire me to start listing comparative prices and quality issues of my favorite items in my blog, so look out for product exposés.

Obama Accomplishments pt25: Artist Corps

Obama Administration Accomplishments List

Previous

• Accomplishment:  Created an artist corps for schools.


• What does it mean?
  As part of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which President Obama signed on April 21, 2009, the Education Corps was required to provide "skilled musicians and artists to promote greater community unity through the use of music and arts education and engagement through work in low-income communities, and education, health care, and therapeutic settings, and other work in the public domain with citizens of all ages" (Pleva).

• Why does it matter?
  As I discuss in my National Endowments for the Arts post, art and music skills help with memorization, mathematical ability, and careers such as architecture. Additionally, the arts can help children work through trauma, according to Cora Dunham, by allowing them to release anger through music (Center for American Progress). Music can be a fantastic outlet, and children living in poverty, who may deal with far more challenges and frustrations, usually
  
  With an artist corps, children in poor areas will have greater access to skilled musicians and artists in order to experience and learn the arts. 

References

Center for American Progress. Artist Corps Informance. Center for American Progress. Web. 22 Apr. 2009.
Pleva, Lukas. Artist program included in Kennedy Serve America Act. Politifact. Web. 01 Dec. 2009.

Maths

It's no secret that my math skills are somewhat lackluster.

I could make the claim that I had crummy teachers during my early education, or that I'm very right-brained, and I'm sure both are some part of why I have so little math ability. But to be honest, the majority of the gap in my knowledge is simply because I dislike the subject. True, much of that dislike has to do with a fourth grade teacher who openly mocked me in front of the class when I struggled during a quiz, but if I had made the effort, I probably could have overcome my aversion. I simply decided it was easier to ignore the halfhearted efforts of my math teachers and concentrate my efforts on more interesting subjects.

I like to inflate my self-esteem by shifting the focus to my creative skills. My vindication for my pathetic inability to perform more than the most basic math skills was my amazing, award-winning novels. Okay, so my novels haven't won any awards yet. Okay again, so I haven't actually completed even my first novel. Regardless, I take pride in writing and proofing, as well as my rudimentary music and artistic skills, and I research continually to improve my grammar and word choice.

Still, there are moments I feel a pang of embarrassment about my preteen level math skills. Usually this happens when lack of sleep or distraction serves to emphasize my deficit in a noticeable way, such as by causing me to pause for an unreasonable span of time while making change for a customer. (During my good moments I usually can do simple addition and subtraction in my head, as well as a small amount of multiplication and division.) Usually, however, I succeed in camouflaging these pauses so no one realizes I'm secretly attempting to subtract $3.70 from $20.00, while pretending I'm really pausing to express interest in how their day went.

There are moments, still, when my ignorance is about as subtle as the giant Citgo sign glowering over Fenway. Today was a prime example of one of these moments. I surprised my dad with a hug, congratulating him on his five-year anniversary of remission. Later, my mom found me and, kindly, pointed out that 2012 - 2008 = four. Um. Oops.

My only consolation was that my father, the literal genius, with a bachelor of mathematics and habit of performing equations for entertainment, made the same mistake.

I decided the kind action was not to point out his mistake to him. After all, a math major messing up on simple subtraction is as embarrassing as an English major mixing up who and whom.

Oh wait: I do that all the time.

Flu

I've been fighting the flu for a couple days, so unfortunately lack both the concentration and ability to sit up for long periods of time required to research and write my posts.

I apologize for the delay. When I'm feeling better I'll do a few extra to make up for the missed ones.

More funding for... what?

Last night, I ran to my car, threw my purse in my passenger seat, and started the engine, fumbling with the dials to find WBZ newsradio. I had left work a few minutes late and was concerned I might have missed the introduction to the President Obama's State of the Union address.

Fortunately, there was a slight delay, and I was able to hear the entire speech from start to finish. Unfortunately, about a third into the speech, I reacted so viscerally to one statement that I was unable to absorb any of the following words until the second time I listened. What did our President say, you may ask, that I got so upset about? Did he announce a huge increase in unemployment rates? No. Did he decide it was time for our country to get involved in another war? No, again.

"I am proposing that every state -- every state -- requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18." That was the statement that I heard. That was the moment my stomach plunged through the floor of my car. While the audience and most other listeners were cheering, I was numbly driving home, vaguely wondering if I should turn around and retrieve my innards from between the potholes on route 126.

It probably seems like a very, very unusual reaction to a statement advocating more education, especially coming from someone who has petitioned, volunteered, and advocated better funding for our schools, and certainly it warrants explanation.

At age thirty, I have spent close to the same amount of years out of school as in. And most of the time I spent in school, I experienced ostracization, verbal abuse, and physical abuse from my peers. We now call this bullying, but while I was in school most people called it "being picked on."

I don't remember clearly how old I was when it began, but I know by age thirteen the emotional trauma had accumulated enough that barely a day passed without me wondering if I could find the courage to just end everything. If I hadn't realized my atheism at a fairly young age, I probably would have. Even so, there were a number of times when I wondered how I could possibly make it to sixteen. If I had been forced to endure the torture for two more years, I might not have been here to write this at all.

So naturally, the thought of removing the one last avenue of safe escape, after all attempts failed to make school work out, was abhorrent to me. How could our President think this was fair?

Of course, after I stopped and took a couple deep breaths, I remembered the dire need for quality education in the United States. Despite a more urgent drive than ever for America to be have a highly skilled marketplace, only roughly thirty percent of Americans have an undergraduate degree (Saenz). Unfortunately, most children who drop out of school are not fortunate enough to have the resources and drive to self-educate and continue on to college, as I did. For me, college was education's saving grace: the example that demonstrated that school really could be a healthy environment, if properly funded and staffed with quality teachers (while sprinkling in a bit of freedom of choice in educational focus). If I hadn't gone, I probably would have lived the rest of my life under the perception that school existed only as a feeding ground for little two-legged piranhas, seeking out any difference and rending you limb from limb when they find it, with little-to-no redeeming educational value to compensate for the emotional and physical torture.

I've heard stories from friends who faced similar agony, and from friends who endured bullying on a level so terrible I could barely comprehend, even with my personal experience on the subject. I hear about different methods used now, such as: children posting mean photos on or hacking into Facebook, sending messages to large groups of kids instantly, or tweeting disparaging comments. Bullying, or picking on someone, has changed in so many ways, yet still is so much the same. Is it worse? Better? "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" (Stein 187).

Giving schools "the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones" (Obama) is more important than I can properly express, but we absolutely must remember when we send our children to school, this is not a situation wherein blinders are placed on their heads and educational materials are absorbed with no other factors. In fact, in many schools the teachers are the ones wearing the metaphorical blinders, and almost all schools engage in activities which actively encourage antagonistic, group bullying behavior.

In 2004, a few schools finally recognized what is probably the worst sanctioned bully mechanism, dodgeball, as an inappropriate activity, and banned it (Gormley). This wise and kind step in the right direction was heralded as a huge triumph by bruised kids and compassionate people everywhere -- except for a few callous pundits, who portrayed the game in a soft light haze of innocent, clean fun, relative to playing a videogame (Broder). Broder conveniently neglects to mention that, in videogames, children don't form a group and collectively wail on the "weak" kids until they're sitting in a corner, clutching a bloody nose (at least, not yet) while the gym teacher pretends not to notice.

More attention needs to be paid to making school a healthy, nurturing atmosphere. Yes, we need better funding for materials and to attract quality teachers with higher pay. However, one of the measurements for quality teachers and administration needs to be evaluating their ability to discourage and discover bullying behavior, as well as emphasize cooperative athletics and friendly competition. In second grade, when I told the teacher on recess duty that a boy had just slammed my head back into a brick wall, this teacher told me, "you shouldn't tattle: two wrongs don't make a right." I would hope by the new millennium teachers who prefer to use self-imposed blinders rather than intervene against bullying would be screened out, but the news stories of 2010 and 2011 did not trend that direction.

Today was "No Name Calling Day" (Thompson) in Massachusetts. Schools featured programs focused on kindness and children wore black. It's good to see the occasional moment when the public is reminded bullying still is an issue, but one day a year is not enough when children spend the other 364 flinching at shadows. The Facebook group "Massachusetts: Black Out Bullying" encouraged users to change their icons to all black on January 25. A related group, "Stop Bullying," shares news, videos, and photos against bullying on a year round basis. I've observed small organizations cropping up, theme days in larger groups, and discussions in Girl Scout meetings (I talked about this in my post, Broken, which I posted in December), with the focus of educating children against bullying, and teaching compassion and empathy. These smaller, private ventures into an evolved human psyche must be added to our public education philosophy. Otherwise, throw as much money as you want at the school system, but don't expect much improvement.

Works Cited

Broder, David. Dodging back to the playground. Toledo Blade. Web. 15 Jul. 2004.
Gormley, Michael. New York lawsuit kicks dodgeball into court. Cape Code Times. Web. 28 Nov. 2004.
Obama, Barack. State of the Union. The White House. Web. 24 Dec. 2012.
Saenz, Arlette. More Working Women Hold College Degrees than Men. ABC News. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.
Stein, Gertrude. Sacred Emily. Geography and Plays. Boston: The Four Seas Press, 1922. Digitized by Google.
Thompson, Elaine. No name-calling today, or any day. Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.

Obama Accomplishments pt24: Pension Relief Act

Obama Administration Accomplishments List

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• Accomplishment:  Pension Relief Act, also known as the "Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010."


• What does it mean?
  Allows employers employers with underfunded DB plans may elect to amortize funding shortfalls for any two plan years between 2008 and 2011 either over a 15-year period or by making interest-only payments for two years followed by seven years of amortization"(BusinessWire). The changes are in Notice 2010-55 and Notice 2010-56, which apply, respectively, to single-employer pension plans and "multiemployer defined benefit plans"(Staff Writer).
  
  Basically, the changes made by the bill mean if businesses are in danger of losing their plan, they now can choose to pay it off slowly.
• Why does it matter?
  The new rules allow benefit both employees, companies, and the economy: companies that were in danger of losing their pension plans may be able to keep them. This makes the companies more attractive to skilled employees.
  
  A lot of employers were hit hard by the economic downturn. However, "by temporarily easing the effects of new rules plan sponsors were supposed to be using to calculate plan funding levels and contribution requirements"(Bell), the bill helped many employers keep their pension plans.
  
  Marty Schwenner, chief financial officer of Renewable Energy company Magnetek, summed up what this act means to his company: "We are very pleased with this development in pension relief. [...] We expect either funding relief option would provide us with improved near term cash flow due to expected lower pension contributions"(BusinessWire).
  
  One last benefit I would like to mention is goodwill. Think about this: if you hear a company is cutting benefits for their employees, and you know of another company that presents a similar option for the same, or close to the same, price, would you choose the company you know to provide their employees with better benefits? Many consumers receive information from email lists, or simply by word of mouth, and opt-in to companies that make special effort to treat their employees well (I've personally witnessed a large shift of consumers to Wegman's rather than other grocery stores, even if it adds an extra 30 minutes to the drive, for this very reason) or will blacklist certain chains known to mistreat their workers (we all remember the WalMart scandal after news reports were released on the women's wage gap and making workers work off the clock). By giving these companies a chance to keep their pensions while striving to recover from the economic dip, this new act also provides them with more opportunity to retain favor in the eyes of the public consumer.

References

Bell, Allison. IRS Answers Pension Relief Questions. LifeHealthPRO. Web. 20 Dec. 2010.
Business Wire. Magnetek Expects Improved Pension Outlook With Passage Of Pension Funding Relief. Business Wire. Web. 1 Jul. 2010.
Business Wire. Pension Funding Relief Could Provide Between $19 Billion And $63 Billion Reduction In Required Contributions Over Five Years, Towers Watson Analysis Finds. Business Wire. Web. 2 Aug. 2010.
Staff Writer. IRS Starts Implementing Pension Relief Rules. LifeHealthPRO. Web. 2 Aug. 2010.

Obama Accomplishments pt23: Women's Reproductive Rights

Obama Administration Accomplishments List

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• Accomplishment:  Stood up for women's reproductive rights.


• What does it mean?
  On Sunday, President Obama spoke on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, reminding the American public of the importance of women's reproductive rights, and pointing out "that government should not intrude on private family matters"(Diamond, Marie).  Much of President Obama's speech mirrored his earlier statement on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (Obama), with one notable difference: since 2009, Obama has allowed his actions to reflect his statements.
  
  The Affordable Healthcare Act, which I discuss more completely in my Affordable Care Act post, includes requirements for health insurers to provide free access to birth control, a point Obama reaffirmed on Friday, to assuage fears that he may cave in to pressure and change his mind on this August 2011 mandate(Margolis).
  
  Most importantly, Obama made a point of all the methods of preventing abortion that do not impede women's reproductive rights, including to "encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption"(Herb). According to the CDC, "The removal of cost as one barrier to correct and consistent contraceptive use might contribute to a reduction in the number of unintended pregnancies and consequently the number of abortions that are performed in the United States"(Margolis).


• Why does it matter?
  39 years after the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, women's right to reproductive health still is under attack. 92 abortion restrictions were enacted through 24 states in 2011(Volsky) and the "Republican-led House passed bills in 2011 that would restrict federal subsidies for abortion"(Herb).
  
  As restrictions on contraception coverage grow, unintended pregnancies increase. Financial restrictions disproportionately affect women already struggling to support themselves. If an unintended pregnancy results from a woman's inability to afford contraception, she is far more likely to be unable to afford the basic healthcare to cover her pregnancy, not to speak of supporting a child.
  
  Having to get an abortion is nothing any woman looks forward to. The procedure is traumatic both emotionally and physically. Unfortunately, in addition to lack of coverage and availability of contraception, other unforeseeable circumstances can lead to the need.
  
  On Sunday, at the Worcester, MA Jane Fund Annual Meeting, featured speaker and Jane Fund President, Andrea Miller, told about a woman in crisis the Jane Fund had helped.  This woman of 40 years had a medical emergency necessitating a hysterectomy. There was, however, one tragic complication: she was pregnant. With an abortion, her life-saving procedure could be performed; without it, both she and the fetus would die. Her insurance approved her hysterectomy but, under current laws, her insurance was not required to pay for the abortion. They chose to deny coverage, leaving her with a sudden and urgent need to come up with $3,000, which she did not have, or die. Fortunately, Jane Fund volunteers were able to make emergency donor calls and quickly generate donations to fund the abortion(Miller).
  
  Sadly, there are many women who lack the ability to get contraception or abortions specifically due to lack of financial assistance. One of the important features of the Affordable Care Act was to require insurances to provide coverage. However, it is important for us to realize individual measures can chip away at this coverage, and pretty quickly at that. We must remember that our voices are a huge component of whether the measures enacted by the Obama administration remain to work to our benefit, or are crippled or even overturned by opponents.

References

Diamond, Marie. On 39th Anniversary Of Roe v. Wade, Obama Pledges To Defend ‘Women’s Health And Reproductive Freedom.’ Think Progress. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.

Herb, Jeremy. Obama defends Roe v. Wade on anniversary of Supreme Court ruling. The Hill. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.

Margolis, Dan. On Roe v. Wade anniversary, a big win for women from Obama administration. People's World. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.

Miller, Andrea. 22 Jan. 2012. Untitled Speech. Speech presented at Maxwell Silverman's, 25 Union St, Worcester, MA.

Obama, Barack. Statement of President Obama on the 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Office of the Press Secretary. Web. 22 Jan. 2009.

Volsky, Igor. Report: 24 States Enacted 92 Abortion Restrictions In 2011. Think Progress. Web. 6 Jan. 2012.

Obama Accomplishments pt22: Offshore Taxes

Obama Administration Accomplishments List

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• Accomplishment:  Unveiled plan to remove tax incentives that were encouraging U.S. companies to base jobs overseas(ref).


• What does it mean?
  Loopholes allowed companies to avoid billions of dollars in taxes through overseas tax shelters. This new plan would remove the loopholes as well as create incentives for companies to create jobs at home, which would return over one hundred billion dollars to the United States (ref).
Read the press release for full text.


• Why does it matter?
  One of the reasons that jobs crises have a tendency of deteriorating is large companies start to see fewer profits when the economy worsens, and seek to save money and maximize profits any way they can. With tax loopholes, some companies will fire their employees and move overseas. The increase in unemployment causes the economy to dip again, reduces consumer spending, and triggers more companies to mirror the action of the former.
  
  To encourage our companies to stay in or return to the United States, the tax haven changes would, in addition to closing loopholes, add a Research and Experimentation Tax Credit, which would provide tax benefits to businesses choosing to invest in long-term research and innovation in the United States (ref). This change will benefit Americans not only because it will encourage businesses to return jobs to the United States, but also because they will be quality, long-term jobs: encouraging Wal-Mart to build another location so we can add 20 more below-subsistence, interchangeable jobs is far less useful than encouraging businesses working to develop new medicines, or energy efficient electronics, or other projects that will need employees to stay with their project for at least several years.

Obama Accomplishments pt6: ARRA

Obama Administration Accomplishments List

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• Accomplishment:  $789 billion to fund the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus plan) (ref).
• What is it?
  Unemployment assistance, job creation including investment in jobs in science, green jobs, and long-term growth, and government spending transparency. (ref1, ref2).
• Why does it matter?
  The "Great Recession" that was inherited by the Obama administration in 2009 could easily have spiraled into another depression.  The ARRA provided much needed assistance for immediate needs, while considering what needed to be done to prevent another repeat occurrence.  Two mistakes that lead to economic crises are when immediate needs are served at the expense of long-term planning, and when those in power are permitted to make decisions in secret.  By including long-term growth and transparency in the ARRA, the Obama administration took steps to create healthy, sustainable growth, instead of a very brief spike -- or "bubble" -- that would crash after a few years.

Obama Accomplishments pt5: Public Land Management

Obama Administration Accomplishments List

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• Accomplishment: Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (ref).

• What is it?
  To protect "millions of acres of Federal land as wilderness, protect more than 1,000 miles of rivers through the National Wild and Scenic River System, and designate thousands of miles of trails for the National Trails System. It also will authorize the 26 million-acre National Landscape Conservation System within the Department of the Interior." (ref)

"We'll put the highway over there, a couple fast food joints so... what?
This is a wolf habitat? Great! We can get even more money selling them to a zoo."

• Why does it matter?
  Protects land for medical research, reduction of global climate change, beauty and other ecological benefits.  Hiking is a great way to get exercise, clear your mind, and connect with nature.  One of the best experiences I've had in my life was going to the Grand Canyon.  I can barely stand to think what might have happened if Harrison and Roosevelt hadn't considered it worth preserving.  Imagine this wonder owned by private enterprises and paying $100 entrance fees just to see it, or, worse, being used as a landfill.



"Maaaaan.. imagine how many old AOL disks we could dump in there."

Obama Accomplishments pt4: Internet Freedom

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• Accomplishment: "Promoted internet freedom as part of U.S. foreign policy." (ref)


• What is it?
  Covers issues including cyber security, Net Neutrality, Internet freedom, and the increased coverage (ref1, ref2).


• Why does it matter?
  Lack of broadband access disproportionately affects minority communities. This isn't just a lack of access to MMORPGs or bidding on expensive shoes. We also use the internet for job hunting, keeping in touch with family in other countries without paying immense international phone rates, researching medical information, finding out whether that toy your child wants is safe or not, and so on.
  
  

  

  "Okay, Mom: I've got the cups and some string.
  How much string do I need to call you in Guatemala?"

  
  
  Follow-up on 01/14:  Obama continued to fight for internet freedom by telling Congress that, if they pass SOPA as it currently is written, he would veto it (ref). Since he previously focused on a campaign to educate consumers about piracy, including how it costs American jobs (ref), instead of broad spectrum restrictions, it is not too surprising that President Obama is going to push for a different method of discouraging piracy instead of accepting NOLA.

Obama Accomplishments pt3: Dodd-Frank

Obama Administration Accomplishments List

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• Accomplishment:  Dodd-Frank (DF) Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

• What is it?
  The biggest financial reform law since the Great Depression.  Top highlights of the act are that it protects consumers from "hidden fees, abusive terms, and deceptive practices", prevents bailouts, ensures transparency, and increases enforcement of existing regulations, including conflict of interest and manipulation of the system (from banking.senate.gov).

• Why does it matter?
  One of the many reasons, and the one that directly affects the most people, is the reform preventing hidden fees and abusive terms. 
  

  

  "I'll use this Visa to pay the MasterCard, then the MasterCard to pay the AmEx..."

  
  Before DF, credit card companies could entice consumers into making large purchases at low interest rates and then change the terms.  Imagine your car suffered severe failure and you charged $3,000 for repairs.  Your credit card was at a promotional rate of 10%.  You figured out that, paying as much as you could manage, you would be able to pay off the $3,000 in 6 months, and only lose $88 to interest.  Then your credit card increased it's rate to 18%, so all future purchases would be a vastly higher interest rate.  Before realizing your rate had increased, you stocked up on groceries, charging $110 to the card.
  
  In pre-DF era, credit cards could apply all payments to the lowest balance, refusing to remove the $150 high interest balance until after the $3,000 is paid.  So in addition to the original $88 interest on $3,000 over 6 months, you would have $150 stuck accumulating 18% interest that you were not allowed to pay down until after you entirely paid the lower rate balance.  Post DF, these are reversed: payments are applied to the highest rate first and then used to pay off any balances that were acquired at a lower rate (note that if you miss a payment this actual can still change your rate on the low-rate balance, since that would be an action on your part and not on the part of the credit card). 

Obama Accomplishments pt21: Drug Policy

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• Accomplishment: Shifted focus of United States drug policy toward prevention and treatment (ref).

• What does it mean?
  
  The new drug policy addressed the following issues:
  
  • Rising deaths due to prescription overdoses(ref);
  • The need for increased spending on prevention(ref);
  • Increased focus on early prevention(ref);
  • Basing success on decrease in death, hard drug use, and childhood use, rather than just teenage marijuana use(ref);
  • Providing training and assistance to tribal authorities on the United States and Canadian border(ref).

• Why does it matter?
  
  With deaths from illegal and prescription drug overdoses rising(ref), the Obama administration made the decision to put a heavier emphasis on early discovery of substance abuse and preventing overprescription of pain killers, instead of measuring success by how many teenagers used marijuana(ref).
  
  Early education is a key focus, as brain development research shows a decreased likelihood of forming an addition if one has not already been established by age 21(ref). Another method aimed at prevention is the increased cooperation between the United States, Canadian, and tribal authorities(ref), which should reduce the supply of drugs crossing the borders.
  
  No method of prevention can work without funding, and under the new drug policy, the drug control office budget received a "13 percent increase in spending on alcohol and drug prevention programs, along with a 3.7 percent increase for addiction treatment"(ref). While I hope to see these numbers continue to grow, they show a new step in the right direction.
  
  In addition to improving methods and funding for prevention and treatment of drug abuse, the new policy takes steps toward removing some of the defunct, ineffective former policies, such as the ban on federal funds for HIV preventing needle-sharing programs (see my blog post, Combating HIV and AIDS), arresting medicinal marijuana users under federal law even though their states approved use(ref), and reducing the disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentencing(ref). Through the Fair Sentencing Act, Obama addressed the racism behind the harder sentencing for crack cocaine than powder cocaine, and called for Congress to "eliminate the disparity in sentencing"(ref1)(ref2).
  
  "It changes the whole discussion about ending the war on drugs and recognizes that we have a responsibility to reduce our own drug use in this country."- Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy(ref).Obama's drug policy displays a thought process centered around cooperation -- from cooperating with our own citizens by focusing on wellness instead of punishment, to using ideas demonstrated to have improved the situation in Mexico, and sharing with our neighbors programs which have shown success here(ref).

Obama Accomplishments pt20: POWER Initiative

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• Accomplishment:  Implemented the Protecting Our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment (POWER) Initiative.

• What does it mean?
  The POWER Initiative, which covers fiscal years 2011 through 2014, "sets forth minimum targets for improvement," in the following seven areas:
  
  1. reducing total injury and illness case rates;
  2. reducing lost time injury and illness case rates;
  3. analyzing lost time injury and illness data;
  4. increasing the timely filing of workers' compensation claims;
  5. increasing the timely filing of wage-loss claims;
  6. reducing lost production day rates; and
  7. speeding employees' return to work in cases of serious injury or illness.  (ref)
  
  POWER is "tasked with increasing the percentage of injured workers that return to employment within 2 years" (ref). Also, POWER requires agencies to reduce lost production day rates by 1% per year, each year. (ref)

• Why does it matter?
  Although federal employee injuries have decreased over the past several years, the number of injuries reported in 2009 were still more than 79,000, which cost taxpayers nearly $1.6 billion in lost wages and medical benefits. With "early intervention by trained disability personnel," injured workers are more likely to return to regular employment more quickly (ref).
  
  It can be a very difficult process to find new employment after suffering an injury. If you've done the same type of work for a long time and the injury affects your ability to perform that type of work, finding a new job can take so long that some people give up entirely. By providing education, resources (including the Return-to-Work Resources website), and professional personnel, the POWER Initiative will help injured employees through this difficult time.
  
  The POWER Initiative requires agencies to authorize medical care and advise injured employees of any alternative positions, if applicable. If injury prevents employee from returning to original agency, goal is to return them to suitable employment with a company in the private sector. Additionally, requires employer to "advise the injured worker of any accommodations the agency can make" (ref)
  
  
  Additional resources: the July 19, 2010 Presidential Memorandum

Where Piracy and Free Internet Speech Differ, Overlap

I've been reading about the MegaUpload arrests, the "Anonymous" hackers, and opinions since yesterday, and find that I take neither side, or both sides, on this issue.

Yes, MegaUpload is incredibly useful for starting artists, but they attract the majority of users by offering a platform to upload illegal copies of software, music, and video (ref). At the same time, if a file sharing site exists to allow users to share their own material and public domain material, and some users abuse the platform, it is ridiculous to blame the host for those who slip by unnoticed (this is part of why SOPA was so intensely opposed -- sites such as Facebook and YouTube could be shut down due to user content, and Google would be rendered almost useless as a search engine, since it would have to constantly sort through sites and check to see if there was any copyright restricted material). This grey area makes restrictions difficult, because many file sharing companies would claim to be the latter category when they really are in the former category. Exactly where do we draw the line?

Existing copyright laws prohibit selling or sharing material owned by another person. It now would seem violating copyright law and having any presence at all in the US is enough already (even without SOPA) for extradition to the US (ref).

My personal defaults are set, as always, "better to let ten guilty go free than to punish one innocent." There are far too many grey areas and going after people in other countries over licensing issues is not the best way to keep up our global approval rating. A much better method is to invest in educating Americans on how piracy negatively affects them, such as loss of American jobs, and creating a culture of shame around the act of illegal downloading (remember how well "Don't Mess With Texas" (ref) worked against littering?). The Obama administration caught on to this notion in late November 2011, and started a series of ads to this exact point (ref). Unfortunately, the SOPA took the other route and created a polarized public. Now, if Obama tries the advertising tactic again, it will take much more to convince the public to give serious thought in our role of perpetuating this illegal enterprise.

My main concern is that the destructive actions of hacker group, Anonymous (ref), may push us more into an Us vs Them mentality. After Blackout Day created a tidal wave recognition and concern not only across the United States, but around the world (ref), a number of policians were swayed in their stances (ref). This was an opportunity to open dialog and convince legislators it is indeed necessary to consult professionals in the indestry before attempting to completely redefine how it functions. Hopefully, backlash against Anonymous hacks won't undo this progress.

Obama Accomplishments pt19: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program Funding

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• Accomplishment:  $3.2 billion to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (ref).
• What does it mean?
  The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG.) was created in 2007, but was left completely unfunded until the Obama administration made funding of the EECBG part of the ARRA stimulus bill in 2009 (ref).
  
  The EECBG promotes energy efficiency through building codes, inspections, energy audits, and energy efficient retrofits (ref).

• Why does it matter?
  Increasing energy efficiency in old buildings reduces fossil fuel emissions, creates green jobs, and saves money in the long run (ref). Additionally, with a lower demand on power supplies, those nasty brown-outs and black-outs we get during heat waves will be fewer and farther between.
  
  Sometimes it doesn't seem like much needs to be changed, but all I need to do to remind myself how much energy is lost in most buildings is to lean against my front door in the winter and feel my body heat seep out. My family has put a lot of time, brute effort, and money into attempting to make our home more energy efficient, and that's just for one small house! Imagine that multiplied by all the rooms in buildings and all the old buildings waiting to be updated. A grant program without funding is like an iPhone app in a no-reception area. What's the point?
  
  A stipulation of the funding require funds to be obligated within 18 months at the latest of the award date (ref). A side note before I continue: legalese is annoying. For normal people like me, funds being obligated roughly translates to "legally bound to be used for a specific purpose." At least, that's the best I can make out of it. The reason the stipulation was in place is to have the funds used to create green jobs as soon as possible, instead of allowing the funds to sit in waiting. This hasn't gone off without a hitch -- Energy.gov has found some of the funds were not allocated and inaccuracies appear to exist in some of the monitoring data, and department management is addressing the issues (ref).

SOPA

In honor of Blackout Day, my posts today will contain only information relating to SOPA, the Blackout Day movement, or internet freedom today.

Don't worry: for those following my daily Obama Administration Accomplishments posts, I posted an extra accomplishment yesterday so I wouldn't run one short: this one was on the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.  We also can be grateful that President Obama told Congress that, if they pass SOPA as it currently is written, he would veto it (ref).  Since he previously focused  on a campaign to educate consumers about piracy, including how it costs American jobs (ref), instead of broad spectrum restrictions, it is not too surprising that President Obama is going to push for a different method of discouraging piracy instead of accepting SOPA.


For more information about SOPA and it's companion legislation, PIPA, check out Stop The Wall. In addition to information about the bill, this site contains assistance on contacting legislators to voice your request for them to oppose SOPA and PIPA.

Obama Accomplishments pt18: Repeal of DADT

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• Accomplishment:  Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) (ref).

• What does it mean?
  Repealed the ban on gays and lesbians openly serving in the military (ref).

• Why does it matter?
  "Out of Many, We Are One." This is the English translation of the Latin "E Pluribus Unum," the motto in the Seal of the United States (ref). Oft quoted by President Obama, this phrase has never seemed more appropriate than in his speech on the day of the DADT repeal (ref).
  
  Gay and lesbian men and women risking their lives in combat finally can serve without having to hide who they are, or worry about the possibility of being discovered and discharged from service, as were 10,500 brave soldiers between 1997 and 2008 who were discovered to be gay or lesbian (ref). As Air Force Lt. Josh Seefried recounts an experience of being blackmailed by an instructor who discovered Seefried was gay (ref), it is quickly apparent that Seefried's experience was highly unlikely to have been unique.
  
  It's so strange to think of the few who persist in the belief that openly gay men and women serving would somehow damage the group dynamic. Will some soldiers be uncomfortable with it? Sure. Some soldiers were and still are uncomfortable serving with soldiers of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than that of the majority. I've always believed we as a society exist to learn from our past mistakes and constantly better ourselves. The military represents a group of people who train to overcome the most severe of obstacles. Accepting the value of a person with a different sexual orientation should be easy compared to everything else they experience and, from what I've read, the majority of soldiers agree.
  
  It's impossible for me to distance myself from this issue. To see someone suffer because of who they are, especially when they are sacrificing so much already, is unbearable. On the day of the DADT repeal, I watched YouTube videos by soldiers who finally were able to come out, and I cried. If you haven't seen them, I highly recommend watching Marcus Prince's video, Happy Repeal Day, or this soldier telling his dad, which was featured on the Daily Show celebration on 09/20/2011. These videos highlight everything we hoped to accomplish.
  
  ***ALERT: Legislation has been presented in Oklahoma that would bar gay, lesbian, and bisexuals from serving in the Oklahoma National Guard! This goes beyond the DADT discrimination that caring Americans, human rights organizations, and the Obama Administration worked so hard to repeal, as it would allow government officials to directly question sexual orientation. Please don't let all our accomplishments be in vain for the service members and their families who live in Oklahoma. Please go to HRC to learn about how you can help. Thank you!***

Obama Accomplishments pt17: Housing Plan

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• Accomplishment:  $275 billion dollar housing plan (ref).

• What does it mean?
  $275 billion dollars allocated to help prevent foreclosures and, in consequence, increase credit availability as our housing market recovers (ref).

• Why does it matter?
  A lot of Americans lost jobs or had their hours cut during the recession (ref). With no or severely reduced income, many responsible, hardworking Americans found themselves suddenly unable to make mortgage payments.
  
  Speaking from personal experience, I can attest that moving out of a place you've made your home can be difficult to handle. I was fortunate: my parents lived close to me and were happy to welcome me back into their home while I got back on my feet. Many people would find this more difficult: even if someone were able and willing to offer them a place to stay, they may have to relocate away from the lives they have established and the core of potential jobs in their industries. The change in lifestyle is even more difficult with children.
  
  Additionally, some homeowners found themselves in the Catch-22 situation of having homes with un-affordable mortgage payments but with no ability to sell their homes due to negative equity (ref). This aid will give them a chance to make payments and restore equity on their homes.
  
  With more people hanging onto their homes, house values will begin to rise again. There's nothing like a boarded-up, bank-owned house next to yours to send your property values plummeting! (ref)

Obama Accomplishments pt16: Affordable Care Act

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• Accomplishment: In March 2010, passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act / Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (ref).

• What does it mean?
  "Universal" Health Care was the largest and most publicized campaign promise made by President Obama. The general understanding is that "Universal Health Care" translates to "everyone gets covered by health insurance." More specifically, however, the idea is to ensure that everyone, regardless of income, can receive health coverage and that pre-existing conditions do not disqualify us (ref). More details can be found at the U.S. Department of Labor's website, under the Health Reform section, as well as the Supreme Court's website, under PPAACA (if you can tolerate the legalese), and on Wikipedia (which I hesitate even to mention, since members may at any moment mess with the information and it could be wrong for days before someone reports it).

• Why does it matter?
  The majority of Americans will, at some point in their lives, get sick or injured. In fact, most people need to see a doctor at least once a year, aside from an annual check up, even if only to get a flu shot.
  
  Many who are uninsured cannot afford to pay out of pocket for an office visit, even when seriously ill or severely injured. They are left with two choices: either ignore the problem and risk loss of limb or life, or go to the Emergency Room, knowing they will be unable to pay the bill. Neither option is desirable.
  
  Guaranteeing health coverage provides both humanitarian and economic benefit. The reasons we benefit economically are people who are healthier are able to perform higher quality and quantity work, which benefits our economy, and, when hospital bills are left unpaid, often the government foots the bill (ref). There are many people who will go to the Emergency Room for extremely expensive treatment when they could have received the same treatment at a doctor's office: the reason is an office requires, at minimum, partial payment at the time of visit, whereas Emergency Rooms are required by law to treat people, even people who cannot pay and refuse to give their last names. By covering the smaller fees required by office visits, the tax payers save a lot of money in Emergency Room fees.
  
  Another way in which Universal Health Care helps increase productivity and reduce costs to the public is in preventative care. A man who couldn't afford to go to the doctor when he hurt his back by lifting too much certainly wouldn't be able to pay for routine check-ups. If a woman couldn't afford to see a doctor for a knee injury, she certainly wouldn't be able to pay for routine breast exams. Since approximately 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at least once in their lives (ref), and in 2009 16.7 percent of Americans (30.4 percent of Americans between ages 18-24) were uninsured (pages 4, 5, and 38 of the Annual Report by the President's Cancer Panel), this leaves upward of 51 million uninsured Americans (ref) with the likelihood that they will get cancer. Without annual physicals, likelihood of catching and treating cancer early is reduced as are chances of survival (ref).

Obama Accomplishments pt15: Combating HIV and AIDS

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• Accomplishment: Created a National HIV/AIDS Strategy (ref1) (ref2).

• What does it mean?
  Building on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), created by the Clinton Administration (ref), and the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR/Emergency Plan), created by the George W. Bush Administration, which allocated $15 billion to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic (ref), the National HIV/AIDS Strategy created the "nation's first-ever comprehensive coordinated HIV/AIDS roadmap with clear and measurable targets to be achieved by 2015" (ref).
  
  The 3 goals of this plan are to:
  
  • Reduce new HIV infections
  • Increase access to care and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV
  • Reduce HIV-related health disparities (ref)
  
  President Obama's drug policy also demonstrates his awareness of the intricacies involved in comprehensively battling the spread of HIV. Previously, needle-exchange programs, designed to reduce the spread of HIV, were banned from receiving federal money; President Obama signed a measure lifting that ban (ref).
  
  One aspect of the strategy I specifically want to point out, because it often is overlooked, is the memorandum to address "employment-related discrimination against people living with HIV" (ref).

• Why does it matter?
  In the United States alone, about a million people are living with AIDS, and an estimated 33 million globally are living with HIV/AIDS (ref). Thanks to medical research and outreach, since the AIDS was diagnosed as an official epidemic in the 1980's (ref), with proper treatment and care, life expectancy has significantly increased, sometimes upwards of 35 years after contraction of the virus (ref).  Yet, we still have no cure, and the anathema continues to spread among people of the United States and the world.
  
  Too often, the roots of a problem are ignored, and people suffering from AIDS have been (and sadly, still are) treated as though they deserve the illness as punishment (ref1), (ref2), (ref3). Even if HIV were contracted only through drug use (which it is not), refusing addicts clean needles in hopes that the possibility of contracting HIV would prevent drug abuse is the modern equivalent chopping off hands to deter thieves. Drug withdrawal feels to those under its control as powerful as starving to death -- if you felt like you were dying, wouldn't you steal an apple, even if you risked a chance of having your hands cut off? The only way to prevent drug abuse is to held with treatment and prevention, and while fighting that battle, do what you can to prevent their lives getting even worse, by providing them with access to clean needles.
  
  By targeting the social and economical factors which encourage spread of the virus, such as mentioned above, as well as lack of healthcare, and abstinence-only education (ref), and by cracking down on employment discrimination, we have the ability to dramatically improve the health and happiness of a million Americans currently living with AIDS, and countless individuals who will have increased odds of living AIDS-free.

Obama Accomplishments pt14: Efficiency in the Government

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• Accomplishment: Increased efficiency in the government (ref).

• What does it mean?
  I've talked about one aspect of this already, in my Financial Aid Reform post.  On June 13, 2011, President Obama established the Campaign to Cut Government Waste (ref).  Others ways in which the Obama Administration has increased efficiency: government records management reform (ref), saved $20 billion and counting in reduction of improper payments (ref1) (ref2), transforming unused government property into job-creating hubs (ref), and much, much more (ref).

• Why does it matter?
  Have you ever worked for a company that has brought in analysts to determine where money is being wasted?  So often, they find poor records management is wasting countless work hours and, by extension, a lot of money.  Better record keeping practices save money not only in labor hours spent looking for information, but also in increasing rapid reaction time when an increasingly large amount money would be lost as time passes while waiting for a resolution of a problem. I've spent years hearing people talk about how we need to cut government waste, and wanting the same thing to happen, but never seeing a solid plan of action. Everyone has heard the jokes about government efficiency.  It's about time someone started us moving toward proper government productivity.

Obama Accomplishments pt13: Global Standing

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• Accomplishment: Steadily worked to improve USA's standing in the world.

• What does that mean?
  Global approval started a steady climb after Obama's election, and disapproval began a steady descent (ref1) (ref2).  President Obama accomplished this improvement in relations through numerous positive public relations moves, including  visiting 16 countries -- setting a record for foreign travel by a first year President (ref) -- and removing the 50-year-old (and completely ineffective) ban on allowing travel, sending money to family members, and allowing export of humanitarian items to Cuba (ref).
  
  He also directed money toward important international needs, including $20 billion to combat global hunger (ref), $120 million to a Rapid Response Fund for emerging democracies, and $400 million in aid for Gaza (ref).

• Why does it matter?  
  Aside from the ethical rational that we ought to do right by others, our economy and well-being is intimately intertwined with our ability to cooperate with other countries.  We rely on trade to receive and sell goods and services.  We also rely on other countries to help us in other circumstances.
  
  For example, when we were attacked on September 11, 2001, we began a fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan.  Armed forces from the United Kingdom and Australia, as well as the Afghan United Front, joined us in the battle (ref).  To say it was a difficult war would be an understatement, but without help of allies, it would have been an unfathomable war.
  
  Having better relations with other countries not only would give us more allies in a circumstance that requires us to engage in military action, but would also help decrease likelihood of such a trigger event, since anyone considering such an attack would have to consider not only our military power but also a military response as well as embargoes from friendly nations.

Obama Accomplishments pt12: Oil Spill Recovery Bill

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"The shattered water made a misty din.
Great waves looked over others coming in,
And thought of doing something to the shore
That water never did to land before." Robert Frost Once By The Ocean

• Accomplishment: Introduced Oil Spill Recovery Bill to remove oil company liability cap. (ref)
• What is it? 
  Changes to increase current cap on natural resource and economic damages and add new measures to assist those affected.  The previous cap (maximum that an oil company would have to pay, no matter how much damage it caused) was $75 million on economic damages and $500 million on natural resource damages.  This bill also provides additional assistance those people who lose their jobs due to an oil spill. (ref)

• Why does it matter?
  The prior caps were based on the quantity of oil that was extracted and transported 20 years ago(ref).  Even disregarding inflation, oil spills now have a much greater cost, because so much more is being extracted and transported, so when it leaks or spills, there is more to spill.  Oil spills cause tremendous ecological damage, displace people, and cause loss of employment, plus, sometimes, loss of life by workers.  Additionally, there are the costs incurred from having the EPA and the Coastguard clean up spills.
  
  The higher cap of $750 million provides more of a cushion for covering expenses connected with large spills.  You may ask, "Isn't $750 million an awful lot to pay?"  Well, yes.  $750 million is an awful lot of money.  However, it is significantly less than the amount of damage created by many oil spills.  If anything, I would think the cap should be raised even higher.
  
  
  For perspective, imagine I pulled a Tim Taylor and dropped a crane on a your car.  I would be expected to pay for the car to be repaired: whether the car was a $4,000 junker or a $40,000 Cadillac, if I caused the damage, I would be expected to pay for it. 
  
  
  If it still seems like $750 million is too much to expect to be paid, no matter how much damage is caused, consider this: In a 4-year-timespan, BP earned $82 billion in profit (after all expenses are deducted).  This means BP had an average annual profit of $20.5 billion: that's $20,500,000,000.  The cap, i.e. maximum required to pay is $750,000,000.  $75 million is 3.66%.  If you took me to court after I dropped a crane on your beautiful, new, Cadillac, you would expect me to pay the full cost of damages, and not have some judge rule that it's too much to expect someone to pay more than 3% of their income in order to clean up after their accidents.
  
  
  I used BP as an example because they were highly publicized, and their income makes for a good demonstration.  However, the cap was somewhat irrelevant to their specific circumstance, since they took responsibility and agreed to pay $20 billion into a spill fund.  Yet, this example proves to emphasize just how low an estimate $500 million was for potential damage culpability.  Whether or not the $20 billion even was enough is debatable.  Many who lost their jobs due to loss of tourism or other side-effects were denied their claims.  One of the aspects of the bill was to increase government assistance for people who experienced those circumstances.  I feel the Oil Spill Recovery Bill was a big step in the right direction: it is my hope that the Obama administration will continue to push for increased caps.