Andrea Wilson Woods' Blog

According to President Obama, “I’m confident it [the healthcare bill] will pass because it’s the right thing to do.” I agree with him; reforming America’s healthcare system is necessary. But when our president has not read the bill in its entirety, when congressmen are bribed with special deals for their states (or just a ride on Air Force One), and when the vote is one of the closest ones in American history, you have to ask: isn’t there a better way to change our system?

Of course there are philosophical differences among people. I believe, however, if the bill contained substantive content written in a straightforward manner, that a much higher percentage of the Congress, the Senate, and Americans would be in favor of it. Rasmussen polls show that 53% of Americans oppose the health care plan proposed by President Obama and the Congressional Democrats, and 57% of voters believe it will hurt the economy. These numbers are consistent with a recent Fox News poll that finds 55% oppose the current bill, 35% support it, and 10% don’t know. I have to give Obama, Pelosi, and Reid some credit; they certainly don’t govern by the polls, but in this case, they should.

Although I am fortunate enough to have medical insurance, I have been an uninsured American. In fact, I spent my twenties without health insurance despite having a serious thyroid condition that required one hospitalization, a radiation treatment, quarterly checkups, and daily medication. I didn’t qualify for Medi-Cal, but I received significant discounts by going to a Los Angeles County clinic in downtown LA. I usually spent half a day there between my doctor’s appointment and waiting for my prescription to be filled. I’m not even counting the time I spent two weeks prior to my appointment when I would give blood for my thyroid tests. I typically had to take the day off work—unpaid of course—just to go to the doctor. So I’ve been there, and yeah, it sucks.

However, every time I hear about this current healthcare bill, my stomach twists in knots. Think about it this way: imagine if a candidate didn’t have quite enough votes to get elected so he decided to use some dirty tactics (e.g., closing the polls early, turning voters away) that were technically legal, albeit unethical, to ensure he became president. Oh wait … that already happened. This healthcare bill is no different from Bush’s 2000 election. Even if you are one of the ten people who has read the bill and you agree with everything in it, the process matters.

Just last month, Pres. Obama commented that the healthcare debate was “an ugly process” but now he embraces it because “it’s the right thing to do.” This week, he assured Bret Baier that, “By the time the vote has taken place, not only will I know what’s in it [fixed bill] you’ll know what’s in it.” Wow, I feel better now. Obama makes it clear that the proposed healthcare legislation does not solve current structural problems such as Medicare’s $36.3 trillion (current and future) debt—a number the president agrees is accurate. Despite that staggering figure, Obama smiles and says he has proposed a fiscal commission to fix that problem. He uses terms such as “deficit-neutral” when he describes the healthcare bill even though Richard Foster, chief actuary of Medicare, disagrees with the president’s accounting methods. The president doesn’t like to talk about the estimated 17 million Americans who would not be covered by this sweeping healthcare legislation or how expensive it will be for the uninsured to buy coverage. Obama has one goal: pass this bill, no matter what the consequences are.

Mr. President, you promised to work across party lines, and you vowed not to sign a bill that adds “one dime” to our deficit. Don’t put our country deeper in debt because you are determined to do the “right thing” the wrong way. When you say that a yes vote is for health care reform and that a no vote indicates support for the status quo, you not only sound like a high school bully pushing the weaker kids around, you are also completely inaccurate. Just to be clear … a message to our elected representatives:

• Voting no means you cannot be cajoled, bribed, or pushed around by anybody, not even the president of the United States.
• Voting no means you realize that this bill is not the right one for Americans and that this process does not represent the will of the people.
• Voting no means you listened to the voters who elected you and even the ones who did not.

According to Rasmussen, a majority of voters want the president and Congress to scrap this bill and start over. We differ about the specifics, but we all want healthcare reform. Next time, Mr. President, when you decide to do “the right thing” do it the right way.

AWW — XoXo

Posted under Health & Politics | 3 Comments »

I am not someone who normally makes Christmas wishes, but this year … well … the world is bugging me. So Santa, if you’re listening, here is my Christmas list. It’s a tall order, but if anyone can do it, you can!

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS …

5. The return of common courtesy, good manners, and etiquette
As an experiment, I googled “common courtesy”; it garnered 512,000 hits. Then I tried “Britney Spears” for comparison—63.2 million hits. Those numbers accurately depict today’s society. I can remember a time when what Emily Post said mattered; now I’m sure most people under the age of 30 don’t even know who she is. I recall my mother telling me that a woman was allowed to check her makeup in public (i.e., open her compact and tap on some powder), but applying makeup in public was a no-no. When I was a child, I got in trouble for calling the “young” grownups next door by their first names even though they told me to. My mother made me march over to their house and apologize for my bad manners. Most children today, however, don’t know how to behave properly in public let alone the definition of the word etiquette.
Yesterday, I discovered that rudeness is not limited to younger generations. I was at our local liquor store buying a lottery ticket. A man, easily 30 years my senior, appeared to be in line ahead of me. Not wanting to cut, I moved back to allow him his spot. He snarled, “I’m not in that line. I’m in this line,” as he pointed to an area where there was no line. Grumpy bastard. So much for trying to be courteous! I used to dislike it when my students called me “Ma’am” because it made me feel old; now I am just grateful that someone taught them some manners.

4. For politicians to stop being politicians
I believe our forefathers would be disgusted by our two-party, partisan political system; it is an utter disaster. At what point did politicians forget that they worked for the people who elected them? They spent taxpayers’ dollars—our money—as if we had an endless supply. Oh wait … we do … as long as China keeps lending it to us. (Guess greenbacks grow on trees over there.) I love the movie Bulworth starring Warren Beatty because he plays a politician who decides to start telling the raw truth about both political parties. He raps …
“I’m a Senator.
I gotta raise $10,000 a day every day I’m in Washington.
I ain’t getting it in South Central.
I’m gettin’ it in Beverly Hills.
So I’m votin’ from them in the Senate the way they want me too …
and-and-and I’m sending them my bills.”

Of course, Bulworth is assassinated because no one likes a politician who tells the people the way things really are. Once upon a time, I entertained the idea of running for Burbank City Council, but then I realized I am the female Bulworth. I couldn’t lie to the people who placed their trust in me to make their community a better place. Here’s my truth:
“You want better schools and you want higher scores,
Well guess what parents, you need to get involved more.
Our Burbank teachers can only do so much—
Stop spoiling your kids, pay attention, get in touch.
They don’t need cell phones or tons of clothes,
School isn’t childcare as you should know—
Help our teachers, your children, and yourselves, too
Stop blaming the schools for the mistakes that you do!”

3. An empty email inbox.
Make that four empty inboxes since I currently use and check four email accounts daily. (That’s down from six so I have made some progress.) I still have three other “active” accounts: USC, AOL, and Gmail; they are forwarded, ignored, and used for research purposes respectively. In order to reduce the amount of email that I receive, I finally unsubscribed to daily emails such as Word-a-Day, weekly emails such as Early to Rise, and monthly emails from all retailers. Some people don’t understand why I haven’t signed up for Twitter or established a LinkedIn account yet. There’s an easy explanation—I cannot handle another thing to do or to check every day.
I remember when I didn’t even own a computer. I recall having only one email account for years. When did life become so electronically busy? Sometimes, I just want to become an ostrich, stick my head in the sand, and disappear from the planet for a while. I definitely see a day when I will withdraw from society because I can’t imagine spending my twilight years with my eyes glued to the glow of my laptop in an effort to keep up with my online identity. Forget the fact that hours on the computer is the one of the major causes of my migraines (hence the reading glasses—oh joy); I need the touch, smell, sound, and sight of real people. But I digress. For now, less email will do.

2. A president who doesn’t suffer from ADD and a desperate need to please everyone. (Or for Barack Obama to stop trying to be a hero who believes he must simultaneously solve all of the world’s problems.)
Recent studies have shown that people who are heavy multi-taskers, like our president, cannot give items their full attention; therefore, their brains suffer as a result. Communication professor Clifford I. Nass stated, “They’re suckers for irrelevancy. Everything distracts them.” One could argue that if their mental function is impaired then their job performance suffers as well. According to recent polls from a variety of sources, President Obama’s approval rating has slipped to 47 – 49 percent. Considering he entered office less than a year ago with a 68 percent job approval (only one president out of the last eight—Eisenhower—had numbers that high), the drop is significant.

So here is my unsolicited, non-partisan advice, Mr. President. Try focusing on one thing at a time. You cannot fix everything all at once, and anyone who expects you to spent too much time listening to your campaign speeches last year. I have nothing against “Hope” and “Change” but you are one man, and your first name isn’t Super. You must learn to prioritize like the rest of us. Now if you consulted me, my top three concerns are the economy, the war, and the healthcare debacle. Americans need jobs and we need to know that our troops and our country are safe before you convince us to go into another trillion dollars in debt. I may not agree with all of your decisions (okay, most of your decisions), but one thing is certain—the results of your “multi-tasking” politics are showing. The Tea Party movement is increasing in numbers, Sarah Palin already sold a million copies of her book, and Fox News is not only finishing this year as the top-rated cable news network (no surprise since it has enjoyed this rank for the past eight years), but it is also experiencing its best ratings ever in the network’s 13-year history. F-O-C-U-S = Focus, Mr. President.

And the #1 thing I want for Christmas is …
the perfect job!
If you can make this one happen Santa, I promise to tell everyone that you are real—including my younger brother. I told him the “truth” about you when he was five years old, and it made him cry. It turned out okay; our mother made me go back and lie to him. I consider that moment one of my first as well as one of my finest acting performances. Anyway, here’s the criterion for my perfect job:

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could all list everything we wanted in a perfect job and on Christmas morning there would be an offer in our stocking? I recently found a position that meets most of the above requirements but since it is in academia, I probably won’t hear anything for months. I do have to thank A.B. for allowing me to use him as a reference. As Santa knows, personal relationships are everything.

AWW — XoXo

P.S. I apologize for not posting a blog for so long. My normal goal is one post per week. I’ve been ill with pneumonia ever since I participated in Thrill the World on October 24. Being sick for this long has kicked my ass!

Posted under General & Politics | No Comments »

I have been in limbo ever since Anderson Cooper announced that Senator Barack Obama is now President-elect Obama. I couldn’t bring myself to watch Obama’s speech or even McCain’s concession speech. I have slowly tapered myself off my nonstop-CNN-Fox News-MSNBC obsessive television viewing because even the best pundits are running out of things to say.

I find myself yearning for magazines and books and realize just how much I had stopped reading because I was too focused on the election. What was one of the most historic elections of our time may also become one of the most historic elections of my marriage. My husband and I weren’t happy with either ticket so we separately decided to write in a candidate—different people of course. (The day we vote for the same person in a presidential election, our animals will start speaking perfect English.)

Election night was quiet at our house. We knew our candidates couldn’t possibly win. We knew by 8pm that Obama had won. We discussed the local propositions, which we mostly agreed on, but the results were still being counted when we went to bed. We were surprised to discover that Prop. 8 passed while we slumbered even as Obama celebrations continued in West Hollywood.

Elections are supposed to be invigorating, but last Tuesday, I felt as though I was walking through a fog. I could see clearly; however, the fog pervaded my senses and made the world around me seem dull. Luckily, I had mailed my ballot weeks before. As the election results appeared on the TV screen, I watched without any care as to who was leading. Not caring—being that indifferent—is worse than hating someone (under certain circumstances).

I don’t remember ever feeling so dispassionate during any other presidential election. I guess I didn’t drink the Obama Kool-Aid.

AWW — XoXo

Posted under Politics | 1 Comment »

Remember when the Academy Awards used to say “And the winner is …” before handing over that sacred gold statuette? Now they instruct all of the presenters to say “And the Oscar goes to” so the losers don’t get their feelings hurt. At some point during my lifetime, “winner” became a bad word because—to continue with the film industry analogy—all of the nominees are winners. Bullshit. If that were true, every one of them would receive an Oscar, but they don’t. Only one person in each category does (unless there is a tie, a rare occurrence), which brings me to my point—the last presidential debate.

The winner last night was clearly Sen. Barack Obama. With every debate, he has become more articulate and more specific about his ideas while still espousing his message of change and hope. I’m now ready to concede that on Wednesday, November 5, we will wake up and hear the news, “And the presidency goes to …” What? That phrase sounds noble, but who actually speaks that way? We are not the Academy. In the real world, people lose. Let’s say what we mean. “And the winner is Sen. Barack Obama.” I’m sure Sen. John McCain will get it over it.

AWW — XoXo

P.S. I don’t trust the polls though. My prediction as of today is that Obama will win by no more than 30 electoral votes.

Posted under Entertainment & Politics | No Comments »

It took me several days to figure out why I thought Obama performed better than McCain at the presidential debate on Friday night. Before I even listened to what the pundits had to say (I’m addicted to CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC—in that order), I knew Obama had the slight edge and his poll numbers would rise by Monday. The key to Obama’s success was his words and his delivery, which in the past I always found slightly wooden. Unlike McCain, who referred to Obama as “my opponent” and stared at the moderator causing his eyes to be downward when the camera was focused straight on him, Obama spoke directly to Sen. McCain and directly into the camera. These two choices—the much more personal use of “you” instead of a generic noun and facing the audience (i.e. the millions of Americans watching the debates on TV)—gave Obama’s words more depth as well as a harder punch when necessary. He remained personable and friendly even as he pointed out McCain’s flaws, while the older senator teetered between condescending and stubborn. (Did we really need a recap of his opinion about pork-barrel spending?)

Anyway, in my opinion, Obama had his best debate ever. Maybe he should give Hillary a call and thank her for teaching him the ropes. As for Sen. McCain, he needs to work on looking into the camera and addressing his opponent—not the moderator.

AWW — XoXo

Posted under Politics & Writing | No Comments »