Blowout Prevention?

Post #66

With the hopeful news that the BP oil leak off the Gulf Coast has finally been contained, we need to take a moment to evaluate its causes and impact.  This is yet another disaster in that region that will affect its economy and people for untold years to come.  Unlike after Hurricane Katrina, when we could send contributions to the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, or other charities of our choice, most of us were fairly helpless in responding to this catastrophe.  But we’re far from helpless in preventing the next one from happening.

During the crisis, the media carried several stories about people trying to assist.  They collected pantyhose or got haircuts in order to donate their locks that might create organic “sponges” to absorb the gushing oil.  Many women (and men) rushed out to cut inches off their tresses in order to provide some support for the Gulf region. 

Mostly though, we continue to have to do our part at home.  And that means reducing our demand for oil that forces exploration into ever deeper and more dangerous waters. There are the basics of using less energy: turn off and unplug your appliances (I love the name “Wall Warts” to describe the modest but constant use of energy by anything plugged in at home or work).  Carpool and combine errands to minimize your trips.  Don't fill your gas tank in the heat of the day (I understand that it also costs you approximately 5% more because of expansion of the gas in the stations’ tanks.) 

Put your PC or laptop on the energy-conserving “standby” setting if you're going to be away from it for a couple of hours.  Wash your clothes in cold water whenever possible, thereby saving the energy of heating the water.  Run the dishwasher only when it's totally full.  And power your home and/or business with wind or solar energy.  (Our home uses 100% wind power from Clean Currents.  You can learn more at www.CleanCurrents.com.)

Whether or not you got a haircut to help BP in its clean-up efforts, I hope you'll be conscious of selecting at least one additional conservation activity to reduce the demand for oil-- because that’s ultimately the most effective “blow-out preventer” of all.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Do you have any ideas you've put into practice that might help alleviate the environmental damage done by this latest oil spill-- or to prevent the next one by reducing demand for oil? Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#66) you're addressing. 

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Marriage Inequality

Post #65

For those of us who are white, heterosexual, and economically comfortable (whatever that means!), some public policy issues can be more theoretical than real.  The issue of civil marriage equality may fall into that category.  In theory, most Americans probably believe that everyone should be treated equally.  But what does it mean in practical terms… and why should we care?

I have a friend who is beautiful, upbeat, generous in spirit, talented, thoughtful and so much more.  She’s also a lesbian and has been in a committed relationship for 16 years.  As in any marriage, she and her partner support each other in challenging times and enjoy the many blessings that they have.  Her partner has served our country in the military and now serves her community as a teacher.  Part of her remuneration is health insurance. 

Because they cannot legally wed in their state, my friend is not covered by the teacher’s insurance policy.  Instead, she must purchase her own policy… at a cost of $905 each month.  This whopping expense each month is far more than their household budget can reasonably afford.  Still, she wisely persists in obtaining coverage, though it is causing her to go into debt.  If she ultimately gave up her policy, we could all be subsidizing some future trip to the emergency room or unexpected medical costs.

It seems to me that there are only two ‘winners’ in this arrangement: her partner’s employer and the insurance company.  Rather than pay for a family plan, the school system gets away with just covering an individual.  My friend’s insurance provider gets an extra customer (undoubtedly one of many!) and her monthly premium.

How much of this story is a reflection of our broken health care system?  How much of it reflects our society’s biases?  How much of this bias might be eliminated if Americans heard real-life stories about devoted couples like this one?  I hope that my posting this snapshot of one couple’s travails might cause others to reconsider their hesitancy about supporting marriage equality.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Do you support the right of all loving couples to marry in Maryland?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#65) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Librarians’ Rights Are Overdue

Post #64

Everyone likes librarians, and for good reason.  They are smart, thoughtful, helpful people who manage and facilitate the use of essential repositories of stored knowledge.   If you think about it, libraries are like a physical Internet, with vast amounts of data and entertainment all available in one place-- and of course, they help keep the actual Internet democratic by providing free online access to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Given all the practical reasons to admire librarians (not to mention the fond memories many of us have of a children’s librarian who sponsored story times and helped us get our first library card), you’d think they’d be treated well by society-- as least as well as other public servants.  In most of Maryand, though, they’re not.   Unlike firefighters, teachers, police officers, and other state and county employees, non-school-based librarians lack the right to organize themselves to improve their salaries, benefits and working conditions.   Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties-- where librarians have traditional labor rights-- are welcome exceptions to this unfair arrangement.

Two state legislators--Tom Hucker and Nancy King-- are trying to bring the same rights to librarians in the rest of the state through legislation they introduced last session.  It’s a moderate bill that recognizes the distinctive nature of public employment by, for example, barring strikes.  Our County Executive, Ike Leggett, supports the change; he was quoted in a March article in the blog Maryland Politics Watch as saying: “… I want to reiterate that in the 23 years Montgomery County Government has had collective bargaining it has served the interests of labor, management and the residents of the county.”  I posted a comment on the article, congratulating Hucker and King on their initiative.

The quality of a society can often be judged by how it values its professions.  Librarians are currently undervalued in most of Maryland.  It doesn’t take the assistance of a research librarian to know that’s wrong and should be corrected soon.   

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Do you have a favorite librarian? Or is there another profession you think doesn’t receive the recognition and respect it deserves?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#64) you're addressing. 

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

District 17's Diversity, Part Two

Post #63

In my last posting, I wrote about the wonderful opportunities for cross-cultural growth and understanding offered by District 17‘s ethnic and linguistic diversity.  But just as Montgomery County has grown more culturally diverse since I grew up here, it has also grown more economically diverse.

From lovely single-family homes to contemporary town houses to garden apartment complexes, there are housing choices for all income levels here.  That means we attend community events, shop in stores, join in worship, and our kids go to school with people from different economic backgrounds.  That diversity gives us all a broader, more realistic view of society and deepens our understanding of how the actions of consumers, business, and government affect our collective well-being. 

But among the diversity, there is one consistent phenomenon throughout the District: the effect of the Great Recession.  As I campaign door-to-door, what I have heard-- from residents of both impressive single-family homes and modest one-bedroom apartments-- is the pain and uncertainty caused by the nation’s biggest economic slump since the 1930s.  It's not just the hourly wage workers who are having their shifts shortened or eliminated.  Paralegals and employees of public relations firms have been let go as business has slackened.  People are tightening their belts in fear that they could be next.  Employees are staying at jobs that cause them stress and unhappiness, grateful for the work that enables them to pay their bills and support their family.

Traditional family vacations and camp experiences for the kids are being abbreviated or eliminated.  Instead, parents are looking for community service opportunities (including volunteering at our new Rockville campaign headquarters!) as a way of keeping their school-aged kids busy and learning. 

We need bold action at the federal and state level to reverse this Recession.  I have endorsed targeted tax credits, eased credit for small businesses, and Smart Growth as part of the solution.  But even in the midst of a crisis, we should look for opportunity.  One of the many long-term impacts of this lengthy economic downtown will be on the young people who live through it.  They will be taught different more lessons about career planning, hard work, and thrift than their parents may have learned.  Along with the education of living in an economically diverse Montgomery County, let’s hope that what they learn from today’s recession will help prevent the next one.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  How have your family and your neighbors been affected by the Great Recession?  Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#63) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

District 17's Diversity, Part One

Post #62

Of Montgomery County's eight legislative districts, I feel very lucky to live in the 17^th. Its diversity offers special opportunities to communicate and learn as I campaign from neighborhood to neighborhood.

When I was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1994, the district was 70% white, with African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics each representing roughly 10% of the population. As Rockville and Gaithersburg have grown, the population has become ever more diverse. The Latino population has grown to nearly 16%; Asians are approaching 15%, and the African-American presence is over 12%. More than 10% identified themselves in the most recent census as either “some other race” or as “two or more races.”

Think of the richness of languages, cultures, religious observances, social customs and points of view represented by such a diverse array of residents! Whether your family has lived in Rockville for generations, like many African-American residents of Lincoln Park, or you just moved into an apartment in Gaithersburg from the West Coast or from Korea, you provide a unique perspective on the District’s strengths and on what needs improvement.

Before I got hooked on politics in college, I was planning on a career that would put my foreign language skills to use. I have a facility with language that serves me well when traveling abroad. It's a source of pride to me that I don't fit the stereotype of the American who demands that the rest of the world speak English.

I don't need to pull out my passport to practice my linguistic skills, though. Just recently, while campaigning in Gaithersburg, I had a conversation in French with a woman originally from Chad. A few days later, I was invited in to speak with an 84-year old King Farm resident who wasn't very confident of his English language proficiency. I assured him that we could have our conversation in Spanish. Although I needed coaching on some words like “deficit” that I never learned in my high school Spanish classes, he apparently understand me-- and liked what he heard-- well enough to pledge his support for my campaign. (In fact, he even sent me a donation a few days later!)

Communities only thrive when we communicate with one another. My being able to speak well enough in other languages to share thoughts and ideas-- if only at a basic level-- with the district’s most recent residents allows me to hear experiences and opinions that might not otherwise be shared. And that’s worth celebrating in any language-- si?

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader! Is English your first language? If so, how do you communicate with neighbors who are less fluent in the language? Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views. Please be sure to indicate which post (#62) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading. I will post again soon.