The Only Sure Way for America to Become "Unbroke"

Big corporations hire the best tax lawyers & lobbyists, they pay little to no taxes, and some, like General Electric, work the system so well they pay no taxes and get billions back from the government in tax "benefits." They sit on trillions of money, employ cheap labor overseas, & their CEOs make more in one day than what the average worker makes in a year. 

So who's to blame for America being "broke"? 

"Broke" implies that the money is gone, but it's not gone.

It's being held by these big corporations that are refusing to let it trickle down to the regular American people. Money's not supposed to disappear; it's supposed to circulate, but instead of using their large profits to invest in something that would create jobs, corporations are holding on to it tightly.

Many people out there hate the phrase "spread the wealth" or "wealth distribution." The very words make their skin crawl. But please understand that unless you're one of the top CEOs of these big corporations, you're not the problem. Even if you own a successful small business, you're hardly the problem. The point here is not that you need to share your wealth. I think we can all agree for the most part that if you work hard for your money and pay your taxes, then yes, you deserve the money you earn. 

What we're talking about here are BIG corporations, the few that make up the corporate elite. We're talking about companies that make profits into the billions each year (even many millionaire companies don't make it into the corporate elite club).

It's these corporations (like Microsoft, Pfizer, Morgan Stanley/JPMorgan, Time Warner, and others) that are the culprit of America being "broke." Unlike you and me, they did not get to where they are by applying the principles of hard work. Their tax evasions are an example of this. Another example can be taken from Wachovia (or now Wells-Fargo), who laundered billions in drug money and got away with it. Not a single banker went to prison for it. Even worse, their bank was bailed out in 2008 by taxpayers' money.

Why are these corporations not being asked to make sacrifices? Why are they getting even more tax breaks? Of all things, it's these big corporations that should sacrifice more, not our schools, our health, our programs for the needy, our Medicare, our Social Security, or any of the other things the government is looking to cut. I don't care if you're a Republican, Democrat, or if you claim another political standing. We all want the same things in life, and that is happiness, real opportunities for success, and a sense of financial stability. We're being denied these things, because of the greed of big corporations.

So how did these big corporations get so powerful? It's been in the making for decades, of course. Our government and many of our politicians, who side with or have been bought by corporations, contribute to the problem. And it also did not get to this magnitude without the help of regular working class citizens. Yes, we ourselves had a hand in pushing it to this point, albeit not knowingly. 

It comes down to propaganda, the manipulation of public opinion in order for these big corporations to gain a political advantage. Historically, propaganda has been used successfully. Remember Hitler, Nazi Germany, and the question of "How did they get that many people to believe in their ideologies and to actually participate?" We're currently dealing with our own heavy propaganda in America, and yes, we (the working class) are contributing to our own economic genocide.

If you're interested in propaganda and the role it has played in the problem of America being broke, there's a documentary by Australian filmmaker, Taki Oldham, called The Billionaires' Tea Party. It shows just one example of how big corporations have used propaganda to manipulate us. And yes, it happens to be about the Tea Party, but it could very well be about any of the other political groups as well. I tend to think that no political group is free of being part of the problem.

So what can we do about this? Everybody seems to have their own opinion about what is the right solution. As for me, I don't know if or when the right political candidate will ever come along to do what's right for the common person. But I do know that the only sure way we can start overcoming it is if we in the working class cease fighting one another and come together. Perhaps this is too much wishful thinking. But whether you're a conservative or a liberal or whatever, none of it really matters. We're all going to end up in the same boat. We're all going to lose. If we can't come together for a common cause and have power in numbers against corporations and their money,...well, then the only winners are the big corporations. And that's exactly how they planned it to be.
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"Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness - and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones we're being brainwashed to believe. The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling - their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability. Remember this: We be many and they be few. They need us more than we need them. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."

          ~ Arundhati Roy ~ 

My Lasik Eye Surgery Experience

I had Lasik eye surgery done about 1.5 years ago. This is an old blog post about what it was like (originally posted to my Myspace blog).

My surgery was scheduled for 1:30pm, so I woke up and had the morning to try to relax. My husband left for a dentist appointment, and while the kids were still asleep, I went online and started reading about other people's Lasik experience---STUPID thing to do. Why? Because there are so many horror stories on the internet. It made me nervous. My husband came back from the dentist, and when I told him I had been reading bad stories, he said, "Don't do that! Get off the internet." He was right, of course. Perhaps there are so many horror stories, because those are the people who have something to complain about, and the internet is a quick, convenient way to do that. Also, I noticed that a lot of those complaints came from people who went to Lasik places that offered cheap prices. So cost should definitely not be a factor when choosing your Lasik place.

We ate lunch, and throughout the morning, we talked to the kids about mommy having eye surgery in a bit. My oldest girl was curious and asked about what they were going to do (the flap, the lasers, etc). My middle child was concerned that she wouldn't see me for a long time. I told her I'd be back home soon, but that I'd have to sleep all day after the surgery to rest my eyes. My youngest was too little to understand much.

Around 12:30, I took 1 Valium to settle the nerves. We then dropped the kids off at my mom's and went to the Lasik clinic. They took me into the "prep" room and sat me down in a recliner. There were 2 guys in recliners also, and they had already been prepped. The nurse gave me Benadryl. Why? I don't know, but I was just going to trust that they would take good care of me. She also gave me other pills to take. Later, I found out that the pills were 2 more Valiums and some amnesiac pills that would make me lose my short term memory.

The nurse then put a bunch of drops in my eyes and washed my eyelids with betadine. She also slathered on some weird stuff over my eyes that felt sticky. She said it'd keep my eyes closed for awhile. I sat like that and started feeling all the meds kick in, but I could hear the other 2 guys in the room being called one by one to go for surgery.

After awhile, the nurse came and escorted me to surgery. The room was cold to keep bacteria away. They laid me down on the operation table and positioned a machine over my head. I was very out of it, so I don't remember anything specific about what happened here. I did, however, feel one eye being taped shut and the other being opened wide with a speculum. It didn't hurt. I don't recall the laser creating the flap in the opened eye--all I knew was that the next thing happening was that my other eye was then being opened up for the laser to make the flap also.

The nurse and the doc then moved me five feet away to another operation table. I was put under the 2nd laser machine, the one that would reshape my cornea and give me good eyesight. I don't remember the doc lifting up the flaps in my eyes, but I do remember him telling me to look at an orange light. I kept trying to find it, but all I saw was this big red light. Finally, I saw this tiny, faint orange light in the distance. That must have been when the laser started its work, because it smelled like burnt squirrel.

Back when my dad used to go squirrel hunting, he'd bring them home, gut them, and use a torch to burn off the hair on the squirrel's body. (Yes, we were poor and broke as heck! Despite being poor, I hated eating squirrel and never ate it, but the rest of my family had many decent meals out of them.) But anyway, at the moment my eyes were being lasered, I remember it smelled distinctly like burnt squirrel. What a memory to have while in the middle of surgery!

The whole time this was happening, the nurse was holding my hand and gently rubbing it--such a minor thing but it was calming, and out of everything happening, I remember it most clearly. It didn't seem long before they told me I was done and helped me to sit up. The doc said, "Look straight ahead. Who do you see?" I looked, and there was my husband in this small room with a window looking into the surgery room. I could see him clearly. Very cool! I smiled and waved at him. He was able to watch my whole surgery from that room, where there was a TV monitor that showed up close everything being done to my eyes (the laser machines have a camera inside).

The nurse walked me back into the prep room and sat me down on a recliner. She put more drops in my eyes and told me to keep them closed for a few minutes. After awhile, she walked me out to the waiting room, where my husband was. And then from there on out, my mind became a total blank. I don't recall leaving the clinic or getting in the car and coming home. My husband says I walked on my own, climbed into the car, and seat-belted myself. I even talked the whole way home, but I have no recollection of doing any of those things whatsoever. Since I have no memory of this car ride home, my husband claims I made all kinds of promises to him. Right. :D

The next thing I remember was waking up suddenly and everything was utterly dark. I panicked and reached up to feel my eyes, and then I realized I had my eye covers on (I usually wear those to block out light when I have migraines). Underneath that, I had eye shields taped on, which the doc had given me to wear so I wouldn't rub my eyes in my sleep. I took those off and could see pretty clearly, except the edges were very hazy. My eyes also felt like they had contacts put in that were inside out (those of you who wear contacts know what that's like!). I put in some eye drops and went back to sleep.

When I woke up next, it was 8:30pm. I went into the bathroom and looked at my eyes. There were red bruisings on the white part of my eyes. It looked like my eyeballs had gone through some serious punching. But otherwise, everything else looked fine. The sensation of having contacts in that were inside out had diminished a little. Other than that, I felt no pain at all and no discomfort.

The day after surgery, I woke up, took off the eye shields, and looked around to test my vision. I could see clearer and the edges were no longer hazy. The red bruisings in my eyes were still there though. I was scheduled for a post-op appointment that morning, and I decided my vision was good enough that I could drive myself. When I stepped outside onto my porch, I immediately thought, "Oh my god! Everything is so crisp and the colors are so beautiful!" Inside the house, I couldn't really tell the difference. My vision was clear, but everything looked the same as if I still had contacts or glasses on. It must be the lighting, because outside in the sun, everything looked so crisp. It was like high definition TV. Literally.

At the post-op appointment, I told the doc about feeling like I had contacts in that were inside out. He checked my eyes and said it wasn't the flaps; those were healing perfectly. It was most likely due to my eyes being dry, which is common after Lasik surgery. I'd have to use lubricant eye drops regularly. Along with that, I'd have to use anti-inflammatory drops, drops that fight infection, and drops that relieve pain and discomfort. Sounds like a lot of drops, but the only one I'd have to use for awhile were the lubricant ones. The other ones I could stop after a few days. Also, no swimming for a week. Other than that, I could return to my normal routine--work, exercise, etc.

After the doc left, the nurse gave me a vision test. One day after surgery and I could see 20/20. I was in disbelief. I had been so nearsighted for 15+ years (I was around -5.5 prescription), and I just couldn't believe I was done with glasses and contacts---completely DONE!

My eyes remained dry for about 3 months after, but that problem slowly disappeared and I now no longer need to use lubricant eye drops. I experienced no other problems at all. At my last eye check-up, my vision was still 20/20. Since having Lasik, the number of migraines I normally get have drastically decreased as well (I am not sure if this has anything to do with Lasik but they certainly correlate to me).

I used to forget and think that I still had contacts or glasses on, but then I'd remember that I didn't need them ever again, and this big smile would creep across my face. Getting Lasik eye surgery was truly amazing and is, without a doubt, the best thing I've ever done for myself. Money well spent.

Privatizing Education: Good or Bad?

From The Daily Page

Can we afford to let education become corporate, even in spirit?

An educational system largely privatized and run by companies will create fierce competition between schools. Will that be a driving force leading to improved quality of education? Sure. For some schools.

Will it lead to improved quality of education for all kids?

Or will it create a deeper segregation of our society and favor only some people rather than the common good (as the above comic suggests)?

Will there be an even bigger increase in economic disparity?

Do all children deserve an equal chance to excel in life through a good education?

Those are questions I feel deserve careful consideration before we can attempt to privatize schools and establish them as mainstream education, as is the current aim in Wisconsin.

We also need to look at the nations with the best ranking schools in the world. Finland, for example, has students who consistently outscore American children and others. I think it's interesting that Finland's educational system is not based on competition at all. They have public schools, and all students attend for free, even up into the college level. In Finland, you could go to school to become a lawyer or a doctor and spend years in college without worrying about having enough money to pay for tuition or incurring debt. And get this: you even get a government allowance to help pay for rent, food, etc, while you're a college student. Finland's teachers must hold no less than a master's degree in order to teach, and it seems that the teaching profession in Finland is among one of the most highly respected fields. They don't just say it; they actually mean it. The best and brightest people in Finland are drawn to the teaching profession because of the high level of respect associated with that career.

Could it be that they value education more, or perhaps in a different way than we do in America?

Just some things to think about when it comes to what is best for our children--not my children, or your children, but ALL of our children.