Abundance, Poverty, and Thanksgiving

What really is gratitude? And what, in contrast, is the desire to improve one's life and manifest one's dreams? What do we call abundance, and what do we call poverty? And where do we draw the line? When does poverty become a threat to survival, and when does abundance become an undue obsession and attachment to material goods? These questions ever fascinate me, and I myself struggle with the answers. Maybe writing about it will help me clarify things for myself. Since this is Thanksgiving Day in America, it seems fitting to contemplate on these questions.

The divide of rich and poor is ever widening in America, creating more and more imbalance. If this divide would become too great, it could threaten to tear up the whole fabric of society itself.

Last Sunday's "Star Tribune" featured several stories and ads that illustrate the extreme divide between levels of wealth and poverty on this planet. For example, one story featured the incredible and horrifying story of several young men in Haiti who, for $112 per month, dive into the fetid muck of cholera and garbage infested waters, in a futile attempt to clean the canalization by hand.

"The job pays $112 a month, and the men are thankful for it, even though they say they can go weeks without getting paid. Unemployment is so crushing that for some, it is the first steady work they have ever had. (...) Garbage and filth overflow here, spilling from trash bins left unemptied for months and littering tent camps for earthquake refugees. When the rains come, as they did after Hurricane Tomas on November 5, the backed-up waterways spread over any vacant patch, creating an ideal home for cholera. Children splash and defecate in the water, people use it to rinse dishes and wash clothes, and some even consume it. (...) In a matter of weeks, the disease has killed more than 1,100 people and hospitalized around 17,000 with cholera-like symptoms. (...) There is no sewage plant in Haiti; some hotels and private homes have their own septic systems, and entrepeneurs scour the city cleaning latrines, often dumping the waste in the most convenient canal or drainage ditch. Even the work of cleaning the canals is a testament to teh extreme difficulties of preventing cholera in a country where infrastructure was minimal long before the earthquake and where sanitation crews descend into the muck with hardly any tools, much less gloves or suits to protect them." (Quoted from article by Randal Archibold, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sunday November 21)

On the same page, in what could be called a stunning display of insensitivity, is a huge ad for a new Cadillac lease: "Open up a Cadillac this Holiday Season" - only $349 per month for qualifying customers.

Wow. Talk about contrasts. Now, who is grateful for what this holiday season?

Another article headlined "From American Dream to Down to Nothing" tells the story of a former Nursing Home Executive making $100,000 a year, then losing her job, and living with her daughter now on $11,000 in unemployment benefits. After 20 months of not being able to find a job, her savings are gone and she makes ends meet with unemployment benefits and selling home cooked dinners for $10 a piece.

"Her American Dream has taken a punch to the gut. 'I never thought I'd be in a situation like this. My friends say to me: Listen to the Lord, Chris. I say, No, I have to have a paycheck. '(...)(Her) wishes were clear and direct. 'To have grace and mercy. To have finances in order. To have a job."

(Quoted from an article by Wil Haygood, Star Tribune, Sunday November 21, 2010)

The official line of poverty is set at $21,756 for a family of four in America. From my own experience living here, I would say that even one single person cannot "make" it at $21,000. Statistics say that in 2009, income dropped 4.4 % among black households, and about 1.5 % for whites. (In reality, I would say incomes have been stagnant or dropping for the last 20 years at least!) Still, there are unemployment benefits - and all of this is still a far cry from the experience of those men in Haiti.

Another story, headlined "Flair Rankles Chile's Elite", features Mining executive Leonardo Farkas Klein, who lives the extremes of luxury to the same degree as the men in Haiti are experiencing the extremes of poverty:

"With his custom-designed Zegna suits, pink tie with matching Brioni handkerchief and colored diamond cufflinks (...) Farkas is an original in this conservative South American country. He made millions of dollars as an entertainer in Las Vegas and on cruise ships, married well and then returned to his native Chile five years ago to try his hand in the profession his late father loved: mining. Since then, the former piano bar singer has become a national sensation in Chile, but less so for his mines than for his eccentric personality, wild parties and seeming heart of gold. He has become Chile's most prominent philantropist, contributing millions of dollars to help needy Chileans. (...) Farkas boast of having five Hummers, a private jet, a Caribbean island getaway, a wristwatch designed for him by Cartier at the request of Prince Albert of Monaco, even a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead he paid $2.2 million for (...). He paid more than $400,000 to be the first South American to travel into space as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic tour next May. (...)

'My father always said, money comes and goes', Farkas said. 'That's why he said, Always enjoy life. Eat in the best restaurants, have the best clothes.' A passionate music fan, Farkas' father started his son on the piano at 2 years old. At 15, Leonardo put together a group of 15 musicians who played weddings and toured in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. Just before he turned 21, he moved to the United States, where he performed in the Catskills and Miami, playing in small clubs, and then on cruise ships. He was frugal back then, depositing much of his earnings in his mother's Miami account so he could not spend it. By 24, he had made his first million dollars, he said. (...)

(Quoted from an article by Alexei Barrionuevo, Star Tribune, Sunday November 21, 2010)

Wow! What a story. And this guy is not just "living it", apparently he is also known for his generosity: "He now supports 16 orphanages for young girls. He makes donations out of pocket without seeking a tax break (...) and is known for handing out 5,000 peso bills (about $10) to strangers on the street and for tipping exorbitant amounts in restaurants. (He) gained international fame by helping the (trapped) miners families with donations of $10,000 each - even before rescuers pulled the men to the surface more than two months after the cave-in."

The men in Haiti are grateful for an erratic pay of $112 a month, the former Nursing Home Executive is surviving on $11,000 a year in unemployment benefits, and this gentleman of the Chilean Elite gives away the same amount 'just like that' to a mining family in need. Where do all these extreme differences come from? What creates our experience and station in life? What part does destiny (or "karma") play and what part does ingenuity, determination, and creativity play? The very idea of the American Dream is that with the right attitude, hard work and determination, anyone can make it from the proverbial dishwasher to a millionaire. Needless to say, we all know that the times for this 'dream' in America are long over. But has it ever been true? Are there particular areas in the world, where, at times, the societal structure allows this dream to be achieved more easily than elsewhere in the world? What can the workers in Haiti hope for? By all likelihood of their circumstances, they will be dead before they are able to create anything further out of their lifetime. For now, they are grateful to have any job at all.
And what, in contrast, are we grateful for? Most anyone reading this, would be, like myself, somewhere in the middle of all these examples, and probably still making far more than the $11,000 the lady who is on unemployment. Would we still be grateful if thrown into a situation like the Haitian workers? And what would we be grateful for if in a position of the wealthy Elite, like Leonardo Farkas?

My own gratitude always mingles with an uneasy mix of determination, inspiration, and fear. The above stories illustrate nicely that is NOT just one's discipline and creativity that determines survival or even thriving. I have many dreams and goals I go about achieving, and yet stories of extreme poverty like the ones experienced in Haiti, leave me wondering how I ever even deserved all the riches I do have in my life. How come I grew up without knowing hunger or war, received an excellent education, the gift of health, the luxury of being a professional in Ballet, and making my living working constantly on the sheer refinement of mind and body? How come I have the luxury, time, and ability, to even write this article? Compared to the glaring poverty, disease, and illiteracy billions of people are mired in on this planet, I myself can count myself among the so-called "Elite". And what exactly do I do to pass on the gifts I do have, so as to make a difference in this world?

I don't really have answers to these questions. I hope I can one day make more of a difference. For the time being, I have to admit I focus on the other end of the equation: on improving my own life, on "getting ahead", so I can afford things such as retirement savings, health insurance, travel to Europe once a year, continuing education, and yes, some shopping too! Does that make me ungrateful? I don't know. But I do believe one has to take care that the 'bases' are covered in one's own life, so we are as independent and self-sufficient as possible. After all, only when we truly can help ourselves (and our families), can we really reach out to help others.

How Many People Does It Take...

... to make a difference?

This is the question a new book by Dan Zadra and Kobi Yamada asks. I came across it by chance at a local Starbucks and parts of it moved me to tears. What a timely and inspiring reminder of the beauty of life, and how to be grateful for the little things!

In Spirit of the season, I thought it would be appropriate to share this excerpt with you:

You Are Royalty

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of the world's population.

If you have a little money in the bank or spare change in a dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you can drink from your kitchen faucet whenever you want... you are more fortunate by far than 1.5 billion people who have no access to clean water at all.

If you can attend a church or a political rally without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death... you have the kind of freedom denied to more than three billion people in the world.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than two billion people who cannot read at all.

If your everyday problems are weighting you down, there are millions of people on Earth who would gladly trade places with you right now - problems and all - and feel they have been royally blessed.

Remember: "From those to whom much is given, much is expected."

For the rest of the stories, you'll have to get the book (but you might want to wait, because I am giving it to some of you for Christmas! :-))

Gratitude is the key to opening one's heart to joy and love. And how easy it is to say, and how difficult to do at times! We all get weighted down by the problems of daily life, by worry and anxiety or by the sheer pace of living: too many people to please, and too many things to do. Even time set aside for Meditation or "Spiritual Exercises" sometimes becomes just another hurried thing on a never ending "to-do-list" (which, of course, defies the purpose of a spiritual practice!). One antidote for this is to consciously slow down, to make time for "unstructured time". Time to dream, to be creative, to spend with loved ones, to journal, to read poetry, to look at the stars. If we can't slow down enough to open ourselves to the magic of the moment, we are not only missing out on something essential, we are missing life itself.

This is what happened to me this particular day when I came across the above mentioned book at a Starbucks cafe. I had been to a Yoga class in the morning where the instructor asked us to set an intention for the class. I couldn't think of anything at first (and for me as a former dancer I tend to approach any movement class in a no-nonsense kind of way, super alert and ready to "perform". Only that in Yoga, this is not the purpose...), but then I came up with the intention to open my heart.

Somehow, this simple little thought made my whole day special. It made me notice things I may not have noticed ordinarily, small little events or "waking dreams" that appeared throughout the day like an invisible chain of pearls, ever guiding me to keep my heart open, ensuring me of spiritual guidance and the wonder of life.

In that sense, I think gratitude is not only the key to open our hearts to the beauty around us, it is also the key to make a difference in somebody else's life. It is gratitude that makes us wish to serve, to give something back to life, and as such gratitude becomes the force behind inspiration, hope, and upliftment, in ways both big and small. You never know what power could lie in just one person opening her heart to love - it could just be the cause that sends a ripple of inspiration around the planet!

American Conditions?

Yesterday I talked with my Dad on the phone and he told me how people in Germany now have to pay a 20 Euro co-pay when they go to see a doctor. It used to be free, then it was 10 Euro, now it is 20 Euro. I said, "Dad, if I could see a doctor and pay only $20 I'd be happy. I have a physical exam scheduled next week and it will cost me about $200, if not more." To which he replied, "Well, yes, but we don't have American conditions here yet."

He said "American conditions" with an air as if he was talking about some really poor, left-behind, third world country. And rightly so - when it comes to Health Care, America is truly 'left behind'. Sure, you can get cutting edge care - but only if you have the cash to pay for it. My mom, living in Accra, Ghana, has more affordable and accesible Health Care there than I do here in the United States. And that's a third world country!!

Sadly, things seem to be changing for the worse in Germany too. Private Insurers there also are gaining on both power and greed. I can only hope for the benefit of the German people that they will never succumb to "American conditions" as far as Health Care is concerned.

As Florida Congressman Alan Grayson so boldly stated two months ago - the current status quo comes down to:

1. don't get sick

2. and if you do get sick, die quickly.

That's it - short and simple, and unfortunately true. That's how things are here in America! As Rep. Grayson was asked to deliver an apology to the Republicans, he instead delivered an apology to the 44,789 Americans who - according to a Havard Study on "Health Insurance and Mortality in Adults" - die every year because they don't have Health Insurance and cannot afford medical treatment. I have to say, cudos to this man! Finally a politician with courage. We definitely need more of those.

Here is the videolink if you want to watch it:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/30/788209/-Rep.-Alan-Grayson-apologizes-(just-not-to-the-Republicans)

In the meanwhile, I am extremely pleased to see that Health Care Reform did make it past the first round of voting in Congress - including a public option! Now it remains to be seen where this is taken in the Senate. While I keep my fingers crossed (and I would be one of the first to join a public option if it comes to be), it almost seems too good to be true. It would be truly revolutionary for America, and would indicate a fundamental shift in values, to indeed implement a form of government-run Health Care. I really hope for it, yet I remain cautious. There is an enormous amount of fear and resistance in many parts of society, even though statistics suggest that the great majority of Americans would prefer a single payer system. As difficult to understand this resistance is for a European, it seems to have to do with a fundamental American image of being independent, self-sufficient, and free of a government "intruding" on individual lives, a deeply ingrained self-understanding that goes back to the days of the pioneers. To many in the right wing end of the political spectrum, having the government 'dictate' a form of universal health care is equivalent with the end of the "American Way of Life". It is strange though to see how there is such paranoia about something as simple as a government implemented public option, and how little protest there was about dubious things such as the Iraq war or the Patriot Act.

Here's an excerpt of an excellent article by Brad Reed that sheds some light on this social paradox:

"Nearly a century of relentless propaganda has convinced Americans that our health care system is actually the best system in the world (it isn't) and that all national health care systems are bankrupting their countries (they pay less for health care than we do). Part of this is also embedded into our cultural DNA: Americans wrongly believe that we have the world's best health care system because we like thinking of ourselves as the best at everything.
And to be fair, we Americans have a lot to be proud of: in addition to prevailing in two world wars and the Cold War, America has brought the world the cotton gin, the electric telegraph, the electric light bulb, the airplane, the moon landing, the Internet, jazz, rock 'n' roll, hip hop and all the world's biggest blockbuster films.
But our health care system is not Miles Davis, Raiders of the Lost Ark or the Chevy Corvette C3. Our health care system is Kevin Federline, Waterworld and the AMC Gremlin. Our ability to spend 16 percent of our gross domestic product on health care and still leave tens of millions of people uncovered is not something the rest of the world looks upon with a mix of envy and awe. Rather, it's something that makes them crinkle their eyebrows and say, "Dude. For real?"
But if reformers ever hope to change our basket-case health care system, they will have to repeat these simple truths over and over again to our fellow Americans until they realize that they're getting ripped off.
For, unless we collectively realize the breadth and depth of our current health care disaster, we will never be able to fundamentally change it for the better. It's going to be a long haul."

See the whole article at: http://www.truthout.org/100109F?n.

This is in many ways a fascinating time to live in America. If Health Care Reform is implemented, no matter how many shortcomings the initial bill might have, it would be a huge step into the right direction and it would indicate a fundamental shift in American values.

Three Weeks in Europe (Part Two)

Here comes my promised second part of my experiences in Europe!

My flight took me from Minneapolis via Chicago to Duesseldorf where I arrived at what would have been the perfect bedtime for me - if, alas, we wouldn't have skipped seven time zones and instead of a cozy bed at midnight I'd find a bright and happy 7am morning sun. Tired and yawning, I dragged my suitcase to the railroad connecting the airport with several of the surrounding cities (talk about public transportation!!), to get to the station where my dad would pick me up. Looking out of the train window at the country that should have been so familiar to me, that in fact should be home to me, I did not quite know what to think. I felt - and have already felt so on past trips, but much more so this time - like a foreigner in my own country. And who could say I was not - my German clearly had an American tinge to it. Also, I hardly was up to date with just about anything that is happening, politically or economically, in Germany (international news don't really make it across the Atlantic!). It had been more than four years since I last was in Germany. In all of the 11 years in the United States, I had never visited Germany for more than 10 days, and that only every couple of years. So what did I really know of life in Germany? And how could I relate and share some of my very American experiences here?

From talking with both friends and family members, my impression is that while the Germans have their own take, and their own woes, about the economic crisis - and yes it does affect Germany too - the social "safety net" is still such that if we were able to recreate it here in the US, as it now in Germany, it would be a great achievement, particularly regarding Health Care and Education.

I found that the uncertainties I face in my particular situation here - being a freelance worker, having no health insurance, no sick days, no paid vacation, no retirement of any kind, and a fluctuating income on top of that - and as such being the first to fall through the social net if something was to happen - are not quite comprehensible to many of those who are close to me. And perhaps that is a good thing. I am not sure if I would recommend this adventurous lifestyle to anyone - at least now it is becoming also decidedly too adventurous for me. (I'd go for some of the good old German 'security' in a heartbeat right now).

After spending about 10 days in Germany, with my father, stepfather, and a dear friend from school, I took the train from Soest (Westfalen) to Lugano (Ticino, Switzerland). I had planned to take the train rather than fly, despite it being a 10 hour trip, because I wanted so much to look out the window and see the Alps which, I thought, I must undoubtedly be passing through. Well, pass through them I did - literally - in a gazillion tunnels of sometimes stunning length. Seeing them I did not, because they were unfortunately shrouded in clouds and fog the entire time. Only when the train arrived on the other side of the mountains did we see clear weather, stars and moon, but then the really high Alps were already out of sight. (I did finally catch a glimpse of snow covered mountains on my flight back from Milan to Duesseldorf. Well, I guess for someone living in Minnesota both ocean and mountains are really special, and I was blessed enough to get both of them on this journey! :-))

Meeting up with my boyfriend in Lugano, and taking a two day intense tour of all the family members he introduced me to, I struggled to take in all the new impressions, the sheer beauty of the place, as well as overcome the language barrier. "Non parlo Italiano... parlo Tedesco, Inglese e Frenchese " became a really helpful sentence to say, in a still sometimes futile search for some other language to converse in.

The beauty of the Lugano area is certainly breathtaking. The colors, the mountains, and most of all, Lake Lugano! Naturally turquoise waters, bathtub water temperatures, and even Palm trees. (I could not help but wonder: where do these trees go in the winter? Apparently they thrive there year round. People told me that they do have winters there and even will have snow - but, please, how bad can it be when there are year round Palm trees? After all, you are talking to a Minnesotan: you don't know what a real winter is if you haven't lived in Minnesota or somewhere above the Arctic circle! How about minus 40 degrees, anyone?)

I found Ticino to be a beautiful and charming mixture of Italian happiness and Swiss sophistication. And yes, a high standard of living, certainly, and decidedly more so than in Italy. I did not have much of a chance to talk directly with anyone living in Italy, so I can only make an educated guess here. From what I have heard, the Italians are struggling economically very much, especially since the introduction of the Euro. Despite that, somehow they manage to still have style. Real style - we are talking about designer cloth, 200 Euro shoes and all kinds of high - end boutiques. How can people afford this, how can all these little chique boutiques survive, I couldn't figure it out. But, if one has the needed cash, it is a shopping paradise!

From Lugano we drove to Frassinello (a little charming village where Gio's sister owns a vacation home), and after a three day stay on to Lucca and then to Florence. All in all I got some impression of the magic of the Tuscan landscape as well as the art, history and culture of the larger cities of Tuscany. We only had one day in Florence when really one would need a week just to go through the museums alone. The one museum we did visit was the "Firenze Musei" where Michelangelo's famous "David" statue is housed (impossible to not see that when you are in Florence!). In what little time we had to see Florence there was almost more art and information than I could properly process in such a short time. From the majestic Duomo to the Piazza della Signoria to the famous Ponte Vecchio, art and history and religion intertwine with restaurants and cafes and the latest Chanel Store. Certainly, a fascinating mix of the ancient and contemporary.

From Florence it was about a five hour drive back to Lugano, and then it would go back via Milan - Duesseldorf to Chicago - Minneapolis. Arriving back in the United States, I felt almost like I was dreaming. It seemed strange that such entirely different realities have room to exist on the same planet. It was an effort to readjust to the pace of life as it is lived here: I was literally and metaphorically speaking on "European Time", and that is decidedly more leisurely than American time.

Despite it all, I still love this country - although you may not want to ask me for any rational explanation for this. Would I go back to live in Europe? I don't know. It depends, how things develop here. If I find it impossible to make a living here due to economic circumstances, I may go back. On the other hand, a part of me belongs here too: just as much as I am irrevocably European, a part of me will also remain American. And yet another part of me, ever idealistic, can't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, Obama's America will follow Europe's example and actually implement something so necessary as decent Health Care Reform (and affordable education, and a green energy economy, and public transportation, and so on!). It would indeed transform the face of America, but it would be one of many very needed steps to bring stability and prosperity back to the American people.

"Capitalism: A Love Story" - A Review

Before I get to the promised second part of my experiences in Europe, a quick note about Michael Moore's new movie "Capitalism: A Love Story". I just went to see it yesterday and as expected, it was great - as all of Mr. Moore's documentaries, it was informative, entertaining, funny, and most important of all, it makes you want to do something - stand up for what is right, for what could make America a better, more compassionate country. I highly recommend seeing it.

A shocking piece of information from the movie was how low the salary of major airline pilots is. $17,000 a year?? It is quite impossible to make a living on this salary, especially as things stand currently economically. To hear that pilots have to have a second job to survive makes me wonder about my own survival when I am travelling on a plane. Just as Michael Moore says, when I am 30,000 feet up in the air, I like to know that my pilot is awake, healthy, happy, and well paid !!!

The figure of this salary speaks volumes about what has happened to this country, the crazy reversal of priorities in a takeover of corporations that disregard anything other than profit. By all means, a pilot bears a responsibility for the lives of the people on his plane, he may have to navigate difficult weather situations, and last but not least, it is a somewhat dangerous job. His own life could be on the line. Of all people, airline pilots should be well paid by the nature of their profession, considering that they are also taking a risk on their own lives. It should be a pilot's responsibility to not have a second job and to be well rested! Alas, the United States is becoming a country where a pilot cannot afford to be well rested lest he has to resort to receiving food stamps.

It was also interesting to hear the opinion of the priests and one Bishop about capitalism. Very clearly, it was an evil to them. While I may not necessary would use such a strong word, their reasoning made sense to me: Capitalism the way it is practiced today, disregards the sacredness of all life, is responsible for the environmental crisis, and certainly knows nothing of compassion.


I think if one hadn't realized that it is really a powerful oligarchy that is running this country (and the world), this movie will probably bring home that message. But not to forget, "we the people" are far from powerless: we are the 99% versus the 1% Elite. Just as Michael Moore says in his documentary, while the 1% may own more wealth than the rest of the 99% percent combined, WE have 99% of the votes! We have a lot of power, not only in a socio-politcal way, but also (and this is more important) in spiritual way. Not only can we stand up for what is right, we can also remember that we all are spiritual beings, inherently unique, important, and far more than "peasants" or victims of a heartless, greedy "Elite". We can choose to be victimized, or we can choose to become expressions of courage, compassion, and love. And the more we cultivate these qualities within ourselves, the less chance a small number of people has to steel away our power and our choices.

Three Weeks In Europe (Part One)

I am back from a three week trip to Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The possibility to take this journey came about quite unexpectedly and was a wonderful gift as well as an eye opener. It had been a long time for me, more than four years, since I last was able to travel to Germany. And I had never been to Switzerland or Italy before! So I spent 10 days in Germany with my father, stepfather, and friends, and then another 10 days with my boyfriend in the Italian part of Switzerland, and northern Italy.

I was extremely curious about Switzerland and Italy. Needless to say, it was also a place where I didn't speak the language (at the end of the week I managed to say that I don't speak Italian, and that one may talk with me in English, German, or French). I realized that since childhood I had never traveled to a place where I didn't speak the language at all - I'd always get along with one of the other languages I had learned. Now that was a new challenge, but an enjoyable one. In between of some French, distant memories of Latin, and lots of "inner tuning in", I found that I could understand more than I expected, and Italian is certainly a most charming and "happy" language.

The one thing that struck me most during this entire trip, and in all three countries, is the difference in quality of life between the average Middle Class American and the average Middle Class European. The standard of living in Europe is very high compared to the United States, and certainly somewhat taken for granted. Houses and apartments are of a quality, both inside and out, that you just don't find here in the US (or maybe you do, but you'd have to pay A LOT for it). What about stone houses, fully tiled bathrooms and floors, hardwood floors, etc ? To give a concrete example, the apartment my dad lives in with his girlfriend costs less than 500 Euro rent per month. It is not very large, but comfortable and the quality of everything is top notch. Here, you could reasonably expect to pay somewhere between $2000 or $3000 per month to live in such quality. Amazing! Had I not seen that before, or did it take almost 12 years of living in the US to realize that? Or did it indeed change? Did life become more expensive and more difficult for Americans over the past decade, while it stayed comfortable for the Europeans? I don't really know the answer; it would require some more research. But it was obvious that life there is far less stressful than it is here. To make another extreme example; a person on welfare in Germany would have about the same standard of living (or more, because everyone has decent health insurance there no matter what their situation in life) as many people here who I know are working two jobs!! How can that be! A person working an average full time job can expect to have a comfortable and secure life (and full time, by the way, is not 40 hours but the standard week consists of 35 hours. Plus a minimum of four weeks paid vacation, plus GOOD health insurance, and so on). Of course, the perspective of a German or Swiss person on this matter may be much different because they are used to a much different standard and system as it is in America.

Another interesting and remarkable things is the by now extensive use of wind energy in Germany. In the rural area where I grew up, there are hundreds of windfarms today. When I was 18, there were only three! I heard that up to 14% of the entire energy needs of Germany are currently created by wind energy. That is a remarkable figure. Also, I saw a surprising number of solar panels installed on the German roofs. If misty Germany can do this, why not America with it's sunfilled deserts? Why still the debate and bickering about oil and other fossil fuels?

There is also a fascinating solar power project I heard about while in Germany. It is called the "Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII)" ). This is an ambitious idea of 12 German companies who intend to build a huge solar power plant in the North African Sahara desert. These solar plants are to supply about 15% of the entire energy need in all of Europe by 2050, and also produce a substantial amount of energy (and revenue) in the participating North African countries. The project is still in the planning stages and in need of clarifying it's financing, but I am impressed that there even is a real effort being made to produce clean energy large scale. It is time for this - and apparently, Europe leads the way. Why not America? It seems Americans don't even hear about it - I doubt that this project even made it in the news anywhere. The United States would have an enormous geographical potential to create efficient wind and solar plants. I know this is part of President Obama's plans, but what resistance there is from the lobbyists of the oil and coal industries! While all this bickering goes on here, good old Europe quietly makes it's own plans, and if Americans don't pay attention, Europe will soon surpass the US in just about everything, from health care to education to clean energy to quality of life to life expectancy!

If I seem passionate about this, then because I can't understand why such a great country like the US - great in every way, geographically, in population, in potential - lets itself slip away from the world stage in all areas. President Obama's efforts are absolutely recommendable, but why is there such resistance from, generally speaking, the right wing? Sure there are powerful interests of several industries at stake, from the oil & coal industries to the insurance industries, but should it not also be obvious to them that things are changing? Things are changing in the world, and I am not sure how much America is paying attention. Like the proverbial frog being slowly cooked and not realizing it, most Americans don't quite realize just how much they are taken advantage of by a powerful oligarchy in this country, and how much they are falling behind in comparison to the rest of the industrialized world.

Sources (Desertec Project):
http://www.stern.de/wissen/natur/desertec-projekt-so-soll-der-sahara-strom-fliessen-706128.html#rss=wissenschaft

http://www.munichre.com/en/press/press_releases/2009/2009_07_13_press_release.aspx

The Numbers Say It All

I just came across some shocking statistics: apparently, every day 14,000 Americans loose their health insurance coverage, and also every day, 17,000 Americans file for bankruptcy because they can't pay their medical bills.

With the debate about health care reform in full speed (or not? The Senate is likely to go on a month long vacation before they actually vote on the reform bill), I fail to understand why there even is a need for debate. When people loose their homes because they can't pay their medical bills, when insurance companies are dropping people just because they were unlucky enough to get sick, and worst of all, when people are dying because they can't afford the treatment they need - I think we are beyond debate! Who would have the audacity to say that the "status quo" is acceptable? Certainly, we each bear responsibility for our own health, and we each should retain the freedom to choose the treatment of our choice - conventional medicine or not - the fact remains that none of us is invincible. Things happen. A person who has become sick or injured should be able to focus on one thing: healing. Without the added stress of worrying how he can afford to heal. I do believe that society as a whole has the responsibility to take care of it's citizens to a certain degree. Right now, the system as it exists in America is broken, and brutal. Survival of the fittest? I rather think it is survival of the richest.

It is a cruel irony that one the one hand, stories abound of insurance companies trying everything in their power to find legal fault with a member who has been diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, so they do not need to pay for an expensive course of chemotherapy and radiation, and on the other hand, there are plenty of stories such as the abeforementioned Daniel Hauser case, where the patient is court ordered to continue with chemotherapy against his wishes! So, in other words, the government forces people to have chemotherapy, but the insurance companies are refusing to pay for the treatment. In the end, the patient is broke and possibly dead. Who wins? Of course, the insurance companies and big Pharma. The average person, if he indeed survived treatments such as chemo at all, is left with unsurmountable bills and faces financial difficulties on top of the challenge of trying to heal. It's a no-win scenario indeed.

If you haven't seen Michael Moore's 2007 documentary "Sicko", where he takes on the US health care system and compares it with the systems in place in Canada, France, and Great Britain, I highly recommend to see it. As a European living in the United States, I can attest that what he presents about the health care systems in those countries is true. His film is the same time informative, funny, and upsetting, pointing out the grave injustices as they exist in the current system in the US.

I really don't know what amount of arrogance and hypocrisy can still make anyone bring up those redundant arguments about the evils of "socialized medicine". But, while listening to parts of the debate on C-Span, I not only heard those arguments again and again from the Republicans, I even heard one member of Congress argue that the Health Care Reform Bill would amount to "tax payer founded abortion". Oh boy. (I was about to bang my head against the wall). I pity those who actually listen to this. Well, it becomes really hard not to believe conspiracy theorists about the "Elite" secretly trying to reduce world population. If that was true, well, this would be one way to go about it, at least in America. Keeping as many people as possible, if not dead, then at least sick and broke, and with that, powerless.


But, enough of being cynical. I sincerely hope the health care reform will pass with a sufficiently strong public health plan. I for one part, would be one of the first to join, as I am one of the 50 million Americans who has no health insurance. I cannot emphasize enough what a relief it would be to know that should I get sick despite my best efforts to keep myself healthy, that I would not bankrupt myself trying to get care.

Here is the link to an excellent petition you can sign that covers a lot of ground relating to both health care coverage and health freedom. It was sponsored by http://www.naturalnews.com/. It covers areas such as restoring health freedom (the rights of people to choose their treatment of choice even if it is alternative medicine), ending FDA censorship, protecting the food supply (opposing irradiation of foods and GMOs), protecting the environment from flushing pharmaceuticals into the water supply, protecting children from products and advertising that compromise their health, and much more. About 25,000 people have signed so far, with the goal being to have 100,000 signatures to make an impact in Washington.

http://www.HealthRevolutionPetition.org/index.html?ID=10267

Sources:

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2009/02/health_in_crisis.html


http://blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/07/17/three-weeks/