Links for 1/7

Legislatures back in session. How bout some new laws, guys? (Pueblo Chieftan/iStock Analyst)
Dr. Sanjay Gupta examined for Surgeon General position. Can he also be Newscaster General? (ABC)
Obama vs. Burris: royal rumble (Chicago Tribune)
Alternatives to attending the inauguration (USA Today)
Massachusetts libraries plan to hold inauguration parties, librarians vow not to shush attendees (Boston Globe)

Asking For Change: Intensive Repair

Asking For Change: an occasional series on what should change in the U.S. under a new president, why it should change, and how we all can make it happen.

Obamathon Man's relatives happen to have many contacts in the Denver metro area, and yesterday we all went to lunch with one of them. While I'm not at liberty to divulge much more about this individual as it may produce unintended consequences, he is employed by an organization involved with the health care system. I figured he might be able to help clue me in on the state of health care in the US. When I asked him about it, the first thing he told me was, "Everyone knows the system is messed up."

A quick search online reveals some scary stats about US health care. For instance, health care spending in the US is 4.3 times what the government spends on defense. Worse, the US has 46 million people without insurance. That's 13 million more than the population of Canada, which ironically is rated higher than the US in health care. As this individual explained to me, the problem is basically that there is a wide range of people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but don't have insurance or are underinsured.

I asked him if he had any news about what Obama and his pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, were planning to do. He assured me that he was no political insider, but said his best guess was that they would try to streamline costs in general. Obama's official website does include an outline of his health plan, the bulk of which is focused on "[making] health insurance work for people and businesses, not just insurance and drug companies"; however there are other proposals like reducing costs for foreign medicine imports. Also, WebMD has done their own write-up on Obama's health plan - it's a bit more level-headed.

I asked him about his own take on what should be done to improve health care. While he had many sophisticated and nuanced ideas that I wasn't able to fully understand, he said one thing that really resonated with me: "The structure of for-profit insurance companies is contradictory to a system which would promote general health and well being. It could even be called morally questionable." I couldn't help but agree. Theoretically, insurance companies are motivated to collect as much money from their patrons while providing the least coverage in order to maximize profit. But shouldn't the motive be to provide as much coverage as possible? Should we be willing to accept deaths for dollars?

I had been crafting a comparison which I submitted to this individual. Afterward, he said, "That's an interesting analogy", which I took to mean he approved of it officially. Suppose someone breaks into your house and steals a number of your possessions. If you are wealthy, you can hire a private detective to find the thief. But no matter who you are, you are entitled to call the police and have them investigate the case. Municipal security is a service provided by the government and funded by taxpayers, and yet all but the furthest on the Right suggest that it be privatized. Justice is one of the fundamental principles of our society, and we view it as a right, not a privilege. Likewise, we need to make health care a right, not a privilege.

The rich will always have a larger number of health care options. As in the scenario above, wealthier citizens have a larger number of security options as well, the same applies to education, and even fire prevention. This is not a bad thing, and people rarely object to this. But expanded options for wealthier individuals should not come at the expense of the basic rights of everyone. Admittedly, I lack the experience or research time to make more specific recommendations about health care - although some of the websites I've linked to are excellent resources if you would like to do research yourself. But this much I know: America needs to stop looking at health care as a commodity or a privilege, and start looking at it as a right. Only then will our first aid cease to be second rate.

Hi there! From the Daily Reeder

Hey Everyone,

This is the Daily Reeder. I am pleased to announce that I can now post on the Obamathon man's blog. I hear he's gained quite a following on his quest. I hope to forge a new bond with my affiliate blog and will give him any and all assistance that I can if he should decide to continue his blogging career. I also hope you will join me on my own blog, The Daily Reeder. I bring up big and small events there, give the perspective of a true outsider, and then invite you to give your perspective. I will sometimes post on this blog as a guest, and look forward to doing so.

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.

Checking in with LA's Blogging Elite

Over the past few days, Obamathon Man has gotten a bit homesick, and thus has been contacting some of the more established bloggers back in the LA area. First, in hopes of finding advice about going green for the inauguration, I sent an email to Green LA Girl. I asked if she had any info about cold-weather clothes that were environmentally friendly, and unfortunately she didn't. But she said she'd give some thought to other green inaugural tips - look for another post along these lines (fingers crossed!). Those interested in going eco-inagural might find plenty of good general advice on her site, or you could try contacting her directly at greenlagirl@gmail.com.

Obamathon Man has been notoriously bike friendly in earlier posts. Looking for a little expertise to add gravitas to my bike posting, I contacted Damien Newton of Streetsblog LA, a group which advocates for bike friendly development, cyclist's rights, and livable streets. He was friendly and supportive of the trip my associate and I are taking, and even offered to meet up after we get back. Damien is something of a policy guru and will have plenty to say on what effect Obama and his transportation secretary Ray LaHood will have on bike policy nationwide. Unfortunately, LaHood looks to be one of Obama's more questionable appointees. But at least my hometown has approved Measure R, a sales tax which funds more buses and new subways in LA. Ironically, some bike enthusiasts have opposed measure R because it doesn't allocate enough money to bikes; I disagree because I think bikes and transit have a symbiotic relationship. The subway is going to be finished when I get back, right guys?

Poor Richardson

So Richardson's out, which is a shame for me since I've always been a fan of his - I would have seriously considered voting for him in the primaries had he made it that far. Apparently the governor was about to be subjected to a financial probe (though his home state is a center for other types of probes as well) regarding his dealings with a California organization and decided to get out of the cabinet before things got too hot. In the wake of the Blagojevich scandal/soap opera, one can't help but assume the worst, which could very well be the case. But at this point, it's still possible that he's more worried about tarnishing Obama's administration than actually being found to be in violation of any law. As far as I'm concerned, since Richardson has always been a strong advocate for renewable energy, a crucial part of the country's future, he should do whatever will advance that cause furthest.

While no one knows who's likely to replace Richardson, we know who isn't: Kansas's Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who denied that she was at all interested in a cabinet position. However, some columnists are hoping that the position will be filled with a woman of some kind. And while there's speculation that Obama's brilliant promise for change has been tarnished by Richardson and Blago, Obama does have the advantage of following a presidency that is arguably the most corrupt in the history of this country. Also, Obama's ties to both Blago and Richardson are peripheral, and he can easily create the perception that they are in no way influential to his policy. Which is good, because they aren't. Here's hoping the bugs will all be worked out before the 20th.

THE OBAMATHON GUIDE.™ Part 4: Phone Frenzy

From planes to porta-potties, everything is going to be impacted in DC during the inauguration. That includes cell phone service. So many people will be trying to make phone calls that even the nerdy dude and his army of guys with hard hats won't be able to help. But with a little forethought - or a large investment in new equipment - you can stay in touch with friends and keep from getting lost.

Cell phone companies are preparing for the influx of calls by implementing units known as Cell-on-Wheels, which are humorous because they rhyme with "hell on wheels", and their acronym is COW. But COWs alone won't pick up all cell phone calls - no matter how large the herd, your calls won't be heard. The main problem with inaugural service is that there is likely to be a gaggle of people sending pictures during the swearing-in. Cell phone companies advise that you should text instead of talk, and not send any kind of transmission during key moments of the swearing-in process. The texting part shouldn't be hard to do, since no one really does anything but text these days anyway. But I'd bet my right kidney that there will still be plenty of folks trying to send pics right after Obama says "So help me God" and then get confused when the photo wont send. As a side note, Obamathon Man plans to send photo updates by phone, but will wait 15 minutes after the swear-in to do so, to spare the precious bandwith of the American people. America, you owe me a beer.

There are various high-tech solutions to bad phone service. First, there are satellite phones, which are usually reserved for less excruciating environments like the Amazon Jungle or the Alaskan Tundra (you betcha!). Satellite phones connect to satellites far out in space where it is less crowded than the Washington Mall, so they are less prone to drop calls. You don't want to actually buy these things unless you like wasting money, but a minimum four day rental will set you back $36, plus $1.09/min to talk. Thing is, this is kind of pointless unless you talk all of your companions into renting one themselves, otherwise you'll be stuck trying to get through to their cell phone on the regular network.

Another option is using walkie talkies. A Google search reveals that inaugural attendees don't seem to know that walkie talkies exist, so you may not have difficulty finding an open frequency. Or you might, there's no way to tell. But don't forget that if you plan on carrying any strange-looking technology, be careful around the arrestocrats, who might mistake it for a bomb trigger and beat you to a bloody pulp.

Also, certain cell phones allow for GPS tracking, a good option if you are just looking to keep track of where your friends are. I've never tried this myself, so you may want to test it out before you get there. Also, cell phone GPS can be off by as much as 100 meters (330 feet) which could be problematic in large crowds.

In all likelihood, calls and texting will be impossible during key moments and doable at other times. But to keep from getting separated from your friends, it's best to have a very specific meeting place, preferably somewhere (relatively) less crowded. Might I suggest your home state's pillar on the WWII Memorial? Or, if you're from outside the US, try the the Phillipines's pillar. Also, have meetup places for all stages of your trip, in case you get separated on the Metro or while walking to the Mall or parade route. Be creative, but more importantly, be specific. Stay in touch, stay together, and know what to do if you're separated. See you in DC.

THE OBAMATHON GUIDE.™
Introduction (history, crowd density)
Part 1: Is It Safe? (safety, prohibited items, law enforcement, crime)
Part 2: Crush Hour(Transportation, Getting to DC, Getting to the Mall, the Metro)
Part 3: When Nature Calls (restrooms, sanitation)
Part 4: Phone Frenzy
Part 5: Food for Thought (Food, sack lunches, vendors, restaurants)
Part 6: Got Balls? (Inaugural balls, dress codes, bars)

New E-Feed

I just added an email feed feature, for those of you who would like to receive official Obamathon email updates. It's through a company called Feed Blitz, so unfortunately they will probably be tacking their propaganda to the bottom of each email. While this is unfortunate, the only alternative would be me learning javascript in the next couple days, which isn't happening. The box is at the bottom of the page, just type in your email to sign up.

Links for 1/5

Mr. Obama goes to Washington (Chicago Tribune)
Getting to the inauguration: "Pack your patience." Is that one of the prohibited items? (AP)
DC to tourists: Don't leave Jan. 21! (Detroit Free Press)
Santa Cruzers leave early for inauguration. (SJ Mercury)
Dallas looking forward to new ex-president resident; article references Boulder, CO (Dallas Morning News)