Truth of the Day

"Among the echelons of the upper middle class, there is a smug pride often taken in the edgy address, as if poor people existed to lend the better off a veneer of adventurous chic."
- Ginia Bellafante

Full article.

Jobs Part 2: Perseverance, Hope, Second Chances

Now this is the kind of story that provokes sympathy from me.  Frederick Deare was laid off from his factory job and it took months of searching to secure a new - lower-paying - job.  Deare experiences the entire jobless range of emotions from fear to hope, and though he definitely had his down days, he seems to have been extremely proactive in his search.  He eventually finds a job, but still:

There was only one downside: The work paid $10 an hour, 40 percent less than he had made at Old London. After taxes, his paycheck was even less than the unemployment benefits he had been collecting. But he tried not to dwell on this. “I don’t let it bother me that I’m getting less, because of the simple fact I have something, and a lot of people have nothing,” he said. “You have to crawl before you can walk.” Four and a half months later, he is still on the job.

Some letters in today's Times criticize him, saying that he doesn't deserve a job as an ex-con, or how dare he have a smartphone with bills so tight (I didn't gather from his phone's description that it was a smartphone, but I see the point).  As much as I like to get all hard-hearted about job searches and especially sense of entitlement (see previous post), I did not get that from this article at all.  And I really, really can't see how a reformed, now hard-working man is a problem in our society.

Jobs Part 1: Apparently Ms. Morales Missed the Memo

You know, the one about how everyone in the arts waits tables at the beginning of their career?

“We did everything we were supposed to,” said Stephanie Morales, 23, who graduated from Dartmouth College in 2009 with hopes of working in the arts. Instead she ended up waiting tables at a Chart House restaurant in Weehawken, N.J., earning $2.17 an hour plus tips, to pay off her student loans. “What was the point of working so hard for 22 years if there was nothing out there?” said Ms. Morales, who is now a paralegal and plans on attending law school.

It's really not about Morales* specifically - (I suspect she'll be getting plenty of criticism in the comments & other blogs - keep your head up my dear!) - this whole article reeks of entitlement.  Kind of like the whole Millennial generation - I count myself on the cusp, so this is self-critical as well.

Bubble Disclaimer**, but these days, isn't having a job at 22/23 a win in itself?  Forget four years, what about those out of grad school or with work experience that don't have prospects?  And if the job applications I've reviewed this year are any indication, most four-year degrees don't even include basics on how to write a cover letter or construct a resume, so it's difficult to be enthusiastic about getting these people into the workforce.

Suck it up.  Usually, on the path to your perfect career, you take many detours.  And what you envision yourself doing at 22 is likely not what you'll be doing - or want to be doing - 10 years later.  If you have to take an unpaid internship to learn your industry's skill set and build a network, or bartend/barista to make cash while you land an entry-level job, this is not the Universe shitting on you or even a sign that you did the wrong thing.  Building a career, like all noble pursuits in life, requires patience, realism, perseverance, and a sense of humor.  And above all, awesome friends for the in-between time.

*Side note to Morales and others considering similar options: law school is not a panacea.  There is a major problem lately with a glut of talent in law, lack of jobs, etc... sound like any other industry?  Be sure you're going for the right reasons and that the price tag is worth it - and not just the financial one.

**My environment is not indicative of mainstream America - like Irene, NYC avoided a lot of the economic turmoil of the last few years, and my circle in particular has been overwhelmingly gainfully employed, and even moving up in their careers.  Luck of the draw?  Right place right time?  We shall see...

I'd Like to Make a Return...

This post from Daniel Pink's blog is so good I had to repost it verbatim.  Too bad the government's return/exchange policy isn't modeled after Nordstrom.

Every once in awhile, you hear of an idea so blindingly obvious and inarguably wise that you wonder why in God’s name it’s still a notion and not a reality.


That happened to me this morning when I heard about the Taxpayer Receipt, the brainchild of the folks at Third Way.


In a brief and readable policy paper, David Kendall and Jim Kessler propose “providing each taxpayer with a receipt that shows them exactly how their money is spent to the penny.” That’s it.


Here’s what the receipt would look like:

One More Thing: The Truth About Un- & Under-employment

Last one in today's multi-post rant, I promise.

Every time I hear a story on the "official" unemployment numbers, usually on WNYC, I want to throw my radio at the wall.  It's so rarely mentioned that the monthly percentage hardly reflects the reality of joblessness, declining income, and underemployment.

Consider those whose unemployment ran out.

Consider those whose new jobs pay a fraction of what they were previously making.

Or those who stopped filing because they were contracted for sufficient work... but were never paid for it.

Paul Krugman's editorial today brings up a related point: I can't tell you how many of my still-employed friends are now doing twice or three times the work they were previously doing before their colleagues were laid off and never replaced.  Here's where "structural unemployment" is factual: the two full-time jobs I have been courted for in the past several months were not individual jobs at all, but two or three distinct roles packed into one.  It was both insulting and deflating that these companies (small businesses where hours and duties are typically already demanding) sought mid- to high-level director and higher positions with expertise in two to three distinct areas.  One of the two companies had been looking to fill the role for over a year - no surprise that someone who has senior level experience in sales, publicity, and marketing either doesn't exist or isn't willing to work for small-company-salary.  Oh, and they clearly wanted someone under 35.  It's as ridiculous as the idea of a woman looking for a husband with a 100-point checklist of perfection.  Unless you're Angelina Jolie, or in this case, Google or Goldman, time for a reality check.

In Which The Mayoress Considers What Really Matters

I was so happy to stumble on this article in yesterday's Times, ironically, as I was having a stoop sale getting rid of my surplus stuff:

On the bright side, the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could — as a raft of new research suggests — make them happier. New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.


This has certainly been hitting me lately, during my year of figuring out what matters to me versus what everyone else is doing with their lives.  

God Bless Anthony Weiner

Mayoral election do-over!  How could we have not elected previous candidate, current Congressman Anthony Weiner?!  At least there's someone with some degree of sincere passion in the House.  Check out his editorial in today's Times.



Seriously.  I am so frustrated with the Republicans who are blocking every piece of legislation just to be difficult, under the paper-thin excuse of a given health care, energy, finance bill not being perfect/sufficient/etc.  I don't see any of them trying to do anything to solve the real problems the vast majority of Americans face, only securing their big-corporation campaign contributions, creating Fox News soundbites, and making sure the rich stay rich.  No, it really is that simple.  We have to start somewhere, and the GOP and their brilliant subsidiary tea party is the epitome of every reason things aren't getting better.  Or as Weiner puts it:

Instead of engaging in a real debate about how to address the challenges we face, Republicans have turned to obstruction, no matter the issue, and then cry foul after the fact. They claim to want an open legislative process with more consultation and debate, but the truth is they simply don’t want to pass anything.  Meanwhile, conservative television and talk radio programs are full of false anger, intended to scare Americans. I think some genuine frustration at this misleading tactic is overdue.

Shuttered.

Key economic indicator of the week: is it just me or are a lot of places closing?  Not just places that probably shouldn't have existed in the first place (call me a Republican, but "if you build it they will come" is the worst business plan ever), but beloved neighborhood standards that you never imagined would disappear.

I was walking up Elizabeth Street last week and Cafe Colonial - site of my first-ever NYC brunch in 1999, was down, making way for a Rag & Bone.  Perfect new tenant and all, but this being just a couple blocks from the CBGB-turned-Varvatos, you can't help but wonder who's next.

Artepasta, the West Village standard for decent cheap Italian, was suddenly gone when I walked past two weeks ago.  I even had my birthday there in '03 or '04 (not to rival Dana, whose bday has been there I believe every single year except last, when we moved around the corner for Drag Queen Brunch - solid).

And now I just read that the Ohio Theater in Soho is closing after 29 years - it was such a great space housing some really solid work.

So what is it - these businesses can't keep up with their original operating costs, or are landlords being unreasonably greedy in this economy?  I just fear that all of Manhattan (and beyond) will be major chains and nothing else - who else can afford these retail rents?

If you've noticed any surprising closures I'd love to hear about it - comment below...

In Which the Mayoress Reveals Her Platform

I woke up at 6:30am today, a Sunday, and found myself mentally summarizing my stance on every issue.  I know, what?

So, in the tradition of Sunday morning punditry, Meet the Pressler:

In Which the Mayoress Uses a Metaphor

Seriously, guys - I don't think anyone knows how to fix Wall Street.  Further, if anyone did know, the system of our elected officials needing to raise a trillion dollars for every election sort of precludes them from reigning in the industry that supplies a huge proportion of that funding, right?  More on that here.

It just occurred to me that my last encounter with a finance guy more or less sums up the past two years in the American economy: after a drunken evening we returned to Goldman Partner's ostentatiously large Tribeca penthouse where he started off promisingly then fell asleep at the wheel.  Next day: dismissive text not acknowledging the fail. 

Indicative, right?

That's a Pretty New Arts Degree You Have

It may be too late for the class of '10 and those of us who chose this insane career path out of love for the arts, but maybe those high schoolers out there whose parents haven't blocked access to my blog can be forewarned (thanks to Thomas Cott for the tip):

Arts majors have three of the Top 10 lowest-earning college degrees

Posted on Yahoo.com's HotJobs website

There's no denying the value of a college education: According to recent U.S. Census surveys, the median salary for college grads is more than $20,000 higher than that of people with only a high school diploma. And the unemployment rate for people with bachelor's degrees is almost half the rate for people without. But some degrees are worth more than others, as PayScale.com shows in its 2010 report on the earning power of bachelor's degrees. No surprise, engineering degrees continue to be top earners -- and (also no big shocker) you have to go pretty far down the list before you see the liberal arts well represented. But there's more to choosing a major than comparing dollar amounts. We salute and congratulate the graduates whose interests (and hard work) have led them to the following degrees -- the lowest-earning degrees on PayScale's list:

#10. Drama (starting annual salary: $35,600; mid-career annual salary: $56,600)
# 9. Fine arts (starting annual salary: $35,800; mid-career annual salary: $56,300)
# 8. Hospitality and tourism

# 7. Education

# 6. Horticulture

# 5. Spanish

# 4. Music (starting annual salary: $34,000; mid-career annual salary: $52,000)
# 3. Theology

# 2. Elementary education

# 1. Social work

Wall Street: We Are All Fucked

Yesterday Obama gave a speech urging Wall Street to behave better. Right. Good luck getting people to make less money, have a harder time making the same amount of money, or any other such strategy. This is not a time for kumbaya, it's time to make some tough laws and Wall Street can deal with it.

Of course, since finance pretty much runs the show in capitalist America, it's pretty unlikely that anything significant will happen, or at least with significant support. Take New York, for instance. Every reader of this blog knows where our dear mayor gets his billions, and it ain't taxpayer money. There is zero incentive for local or even state support for finance regulation. Word is that Senator Schumer is being pretty cool about it, but definitely not Paterson.

Obama: this isn't health care where it makes sense to try to get everyone to agree. Lay it down and make the banks get it together. (For now, until they figure out the next way to defraud us.)

Stop Plagiarizing Me Frank Rich

It seems Frank Rich has been reading Meet the Pressler, because today's editorial is a perfect follow up to my Fela rant. Check it out.

In Which Obama Acts Like a President

Is everyone listening to Obama's speech right now? He is kicking all the ass we've been needing him to! This is so so exciting!!

He's shutting down TARP, criticizing the people (ahem, Republicans) that cut taxes when they couldn't pay for it, cutting the deficit, creating jobs in the biggest way since the Depression, investing in infrastructure, directing money toward new business, repeating his vow to get us health care without raising the deficit, and reminding the critics that he inherited all these problems, not created them.

Full transcript.

What a beautiful close, too - you can't help but feel he's on the common American's side, and believes in this country more than the majority of us do:

Everywhere I've gone, every stop I've made, there are people like this, men and women who have faced misfortune, but who stand ready to build a better future. There are students ready to learn. Workers eager to work. Scientists on the brink of discovery. There are entrepreneurs seeking the chance to open a small business. And once-shuttered factories just waiting to whir back to life in burgeoning industries. There is a nation ready to meet the challenges of this new age and to lead the world in this new century. And as we look back on the progress of the past year, and look forward to the work ahead, I have every confidence that we will do exactly that.

These have been a tough two years. And there will no doubt be difficult months ahead. But the storms of the past are receding. The skies are brightening. And the horizon is beckoning once more.

I literally have goosebumps. Seriously guys. Yes we can.

In Which the Mayoress Criticizes Obama for the First Time

I still just love Obama. The hope that brought us all together last year got under my skin in a profound way, and I'm glad that optimism is still part of my outlook over a year after that historic election.

That said, I understand why people are frustrated. The economy, the war, health care, terrorism, environment, and our perceptions of whether

One thing I do give our high-up leaders credit for is that they know far more about what's really going on that we do in areas like international relations and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's why I don't comment a lot on those topics here. I hate that the wars are still going on, and I'm not crazy about this surge news; but I also don't have any understanding of war strategy or how to effectively end one.

Where I do criticize is on matters where I have first-hand knowledge or experience, or where my day-to-day life is directly affected. (Again, why I'm also active in local politics.) So, health care, economy, taxes, and equal rights are the issues I care about most.

My biggest complaint with the Obama Administration so far is lack of oversight in the financial industry. It's criminal what the banks have gotten away with.

And second, but much less, other economic stimuli. But he's addressing that now, and has done some pretty great immediate things, like helping me pay my COBRA and extending unemployment. And I think it's very long-term visionary of him to work so hard on health care and will ultimately make this a better country in many ways.

But when it comes to most everything else, let us not forget that he's not even been on the job for a year, and he was left with a despicable mess by a disgusting administration.

So I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. I have faith; I still think he's up to a whole lot of good.

I Am Annoyed at the Dept of Labor and Media

Excuse me. The US lost "only" 11,000 jobs in November, according to the NY Times headline. I'm so tired of hearing these crap statistics out of the US Dept of Labor. We all know the real story behind what they call a 10% unemployment rate. It's so misleading. Do you really think only one of out ten people are hurting from the recession? How about:

• People who are employed but were forced to take paycuts
• People who can't get a job in their chosen field
• People who can't even get a survival job
• People whose unemployment money has run out
• People who are going back to school because the job market sucks
• People who got severance so they maybe aren't claiming yet
• People who kept their jobs but now have to do two more people's jobs on top of theirs because the rest of their department was laid off
• People who don't get their raise this year
• People who won't get their bonus this year
• People who can only get part-time work
• Families whose overall income has gone down
• People whose benefits were cut in lieu of a layoff
• People who can't afford COBRA
• Service people who don't get tipped appropriately because people are cutting the wrong corners
• Businesses making less money
• Businesses closing altogether
• Less taxes the government is collecting because we aren't making any money to tax
• Retirement funds no longer getting contributions, making these problems reach on for decades
• And there goes your inheritance too
  
• Girls who no longer get bought drinks because guys aren't making money anymore or are too scared to spend it
  

And in the other category:

• People who work at Goldman Sachs

My first guess is that in my own circle, at least half of us have been screwed by the financial mess. And my demographic is the young, upwardly mobile, college educated, mostly white set. Not representative of our nation as a whole.

So, the media: stop repeating these hollow numbers without telling the rest of the story.

What it Means to Do God's Work

By now you've heard the utterly preposterous assertion by Goldmine Sach's CEO Lloyd Blankfein that he and the banking industry are "doing God's work." Oh yes, it's true.

Read about it on Huffington Post

Or in Maureen Dowd's column

That's funny. Mostly based on my Christian upbringing and the fact that I've read most of the Bible multiple times, I was under the impression that doing God's work includes:

• Loving one another (John 13)
  
• Taking care of the poor (Luke 4; James 1)
• Healing the sick (Luke 4)
  
• Paying taxes fairly (Matthew 22)
• Sharing with one's community (Acts 2)
  

None of which I see the banks doing in the spirit Jesus (incidentally, pretty much the gold standard of what it means to do God's work here on earth) taught, which was to give according to your means. This, one of my favorite Bible teachings, comes to mind:

Mark 12:41-43 (New Living Translation)

⁴¹ Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴² Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

⁴³ Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. ⁴⁴ For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on."

But then, what do I know? I'm just one of the taxpayers who helped bail out the financial industry.

On Despair

I'm not going to lie, it's been a tough month. The mental, emotional, and physical energy it's taken to train for the marathon, work on my business, evaluate some relationships, go back to Oregon for a week, and get rid of all my vices for the pre-marathon taper (read: my most loony week of the year) kicked my ass, and it's taken a daily diet of writing, meditation, affirmation, and inspired action to maintain some semblance of sanity.

And I'm not the only one. It seems everyone in my circle is a little off, from colds that won't go away to continued unemployment to just feeling out of it. So I'm not surprised that this article hit #1 on the Times most-emailed list. Give it a read.

“A human being is a synthesis of the infinite and the finite, of the temporal and the eternal, of freedom and necessity.” Despair occurs when there is an imbalance in this synthesis. From there Kierkegaard goes on to present a veritable portrait gallery of the forms that despair can take. Too much of the expansive factor, of infinitude, and you have the dreamer who cannot make anything concrete. Too much of the limiting element, and you have the narrow minded individual who cannot imagine anything more serious in life than bottom lines and spread sheets.

Though it will make the Bill Mahers of the world wince, despair according to Kierkegaard is a lack of awareness of being a self or spirit. A Freud with religious categories up his sleeves, the lyrical philosopher emphasized that the self is a slice of eternity. While depression involves heavy burdensome feelings, despair is not correlated with any particular set of emotions but is instead marked by a desire to get rid of the self, or put another way, by an unwillingness to become who you fundamentally are...

He goes on to discuss the American Dream, or in my interpretation, the way our national ambition can be a source of anxiety as much as accomplishment. If all the Kiyosaki-ans weren't so determined to BUY HOUSES NOW!, would the mortgage crisis have been so bad? Why do we all deserve whatever we can dream up? Have the American Idols and Biggest Losers made uber-success closer, or just dangled it in front of people who might be better off being content with what they've already got?

I like that the Times has the Happy Times blog to discuss the cultural climate and offer some wisdom.

Sense of Entitlement, Gen-Y Edition

This article about 24-year-old twins Kristy and Katie Barry really got under my skin. Inaccurately titled, "Jobs Wanted, Any Jobs at All," it's all about how they haven't been able to find jobs as journalists. Hello, they're entry level. Hello, there are plenty of experienced journalists who need a job right now, ones with families to support and 401Ks to fund. And hello, they DO have jobs, as bartenders. As someone who subsidized her dream career with restaurant work well after I landed in the city, it's really, really hard to feel sorry for these girls. And I love how their career objectives include "have our own TV show." Honestly? Yes, just out of college, this is a completely viable plan. I suggest these girls move back to Ohio and apply for The Real World. They can even use their college skills and write about the experience. Problem solved!

BTW, what are they doing in that top left picture? Maybe they can get a weekend gig posing for figure drawing classes. In what world do large-breasted twentysomething blondes have a legitimately difficult time with, well, anything? Hmm, maybe Flora knows...

LiveBlogging the President's Health Care Speech

Tune in now!

Gasp! CNN has been replaced on channel 10 with FX! Actually, I support that decision - on to MSNBC.

Michelle looking FABULOUS in vintage-y salmon-colored retro suit. Que Kennedy!

Crap! I suck - I missed the Mayoral Debate on ABC at 7pm - did anyone catch it? (Don't worry, my appearance isn't until 2028.)

Am I wrong to assume that the procession of lawmakers coming into the room would be FAR less diverse were we still under the Republican regime? So nice to see representation that actually looks like America today.

I still get chills when they announce "The President of the United States" and Barack Obama walks out!

And the speech...

Good opener prioritizing economic concerns, positing that his administration has "pulled this economy back from the brink."

"I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last." HO!!

Nancy Pelosi just looks so happy. Maybe because she and Hil are matching in their adorable red power suits? Yikes, I hope they don't stand next to Michelle, clashorama.

Thank you, Barack, for explaining that those of us who are self-employed often can't afford to purchase health care on our own.

There are over 30 million citizens who cannot get coverage. 14,000+ lose their insurance every day. "It can happen to anyone."

WHAT. A woman couldn't get her double mastectomy because she didn't claim a case of acne when signing up for her insurance! Disgusting.

Prez now spelling out for the town hall idiots that the insured are already paying for the uninsured, and just how much - $1,000 per year for emergency & charitable care.

"These are the facts, and nobody disputes them. We know we must reform the system, the question is how."

Health care represents one-sixth of our economy!

Prez is recommending fixing/reforming what we have now vs building over from scratch.

"The time for games has past. Now is the time for action."

Summary of the features of Obama's proposed plan, paraphrased from speech text:

• If you already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.
• It will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
• it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most.
• They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime.
  
• We will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they get sick.
• insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies – because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse.
• if you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who don't currently have health insurance, the second part of this plan will finally offer you quality, affordable choices... This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we've given ourselves.
• If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage.
  
• If you strike out on your own and start a small business, you will be able to get coverage.
• For those individuals and small businesses who still cannot afford the lower-priced insurance available in the exchange, we will provide tax credits, the size of which will be based on your need... This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right.
• individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance – just as most states require you to carry auto insurance.
  
• Likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers. There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still cannot afford coverage, and 95% of all small businesses, because of their size and narrow profit margin, would be exempt from these requirements.

Obama just gave props to McCain and McCain is smiling like crazy and everyone gave him a standing ovation - it's a total lovefest in there!

"Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple."

I've never heard such disrespect from the floor during a President's speech. I have my theories. You?

Great analogy likening private insurers + public options to private/public college system.

What is the paper the people in the back row are holding up?

"I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice. And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need."

This one's for my mom: "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits, now or in the future. Period. ...Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan. Much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers."

MAJOR DISS! "Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for – from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy." True that, Obama, let's overturn those crap decisions while we're at this!

Seniors: "Not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will go to pay for this plan."

Creating a panel of experts to identify waste. Love it!

Bipartisan leap! Re-assessing medical malpractice laws, a big Republican push.

"Add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years – less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration."

"I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now." Don't mess with the O!

WHOA - powerhouse closer: letter to Obama from Ted Kennedy, requested to be delivered upon his death, calling health care "that great unfinished business of our society... it concerns more than material things.... What we face is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."

Obama is saying that caring for others is not partisan. I disagree based on evidence, but it's big of him to say so.

"When facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter – that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves."

Yep, Obama's a bigger man than I am. Still working on a bipartisan solution. Still believing that most of us care about others who are sick or in need. This is one of those rare times when I hope I'm wrong.

Complete transcript.