Fall Festival at the Santa Fe Racetrack

Our community held its first annual fall festival with mariachi music, fokloria ballet, face painting, pumpkins, bird aviary, costume parade and flea market. The kids costumes were terrific and some of them were photographed for local newspapers. There was a little Batman and a fireman complete with firetruck. Very colorful and fun. The event was held at the Pojoaque Pueblo race track which is no longer used for horse racing.

Public Option Still Alive and Well

Remarkable what the progressive push-back has managed to accomplish in the health reform arena. Looks like we might actually get a decent bill passed after all.

Kudos to Obama for Winning the Nobel Peace Prize

Ok, I have recently been grousing about the incrementalism of the Obama administration and worried about the continuing wars, but this is clearly a positive thing for both Obama himself and the country. Right-wing pundits who are saying this is embarassing or undeserved are misguided as usual. This is about the Nobel Committee encouraging peace overtures and saying that the war and fear mongering of the Bush administration will no longer be held against the USA. Obama does seem overly cautious at times, but he is so far from Dubya and his horrible thugs like Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al it is no surprise the world is celebrating this. Good for our President, and here's hoping this will encourage him to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and pursue genuine peace in the Middle East and all over the world. That would really be change we can believe in!

Fall Blahs and Swine Flu

My household and some of those with whom I share children have suffered bouts of swine flu already. It seems to me the CDC is sometwhat behind the eight ball on this epidemic. My son still has not received his promised vaccinations through his school. Nobody in Santa Fe appears to even have the vaccine which is supposed to protect against swine flu available as of this week. Younger people are documented to be at greater risk of serious complications and even death from this strain of the flu. Why wasn't the US more prepared to deal with this in a timely fashion?

Harvest Festival in La Cineguilla

My neighbors and I got together this weekend for a lovely feast from our community garden. The green tomato pie was divine! There was lively discussion of the continuing need to "act locally" when it comes to food, water, and energy. There are a number of initiatives in our beautiful little rural area near Santa Fe which aim to accomplish that so we can become truly sustainable. Relying on the government in these perilous times is probably not too smart. I still hope for the best with regard to universal health care, but if they are just going to charge us money to put in the pockets of insurance companies, I would prefer to opt out. Taking care of each other in our local areas is the wave of the future. No doubt about it.

Get Out of Afghanistan and Iraq Now!

It has become increasingly clear that the "missions" in both these disasterous war zones are muddled and unclear. There is no genuine defense being mounted in either arena. Instead we are now told that "nation building" is the new goal. (Before it was regime change, WMD and a dozen other murky excuses.) Billions of our tax dollars continue to be spent for what now appears to simply be a political purpose, i.e. that we cannot afford to "lose" these pointless wars (reference Vietnam where we stayed a decade after it was clear there was no way to "win" there.) Our young soldiers continue to die for no reason that has anything to do with defense of the nation. Healthcare could be funded many times over with the money we are wasting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wake up and smell the coffee, Obama. Don't become another Lyndon Johnson with the albatross of these failed wars tainting the legacy of your presidency. There is still time to change course before it is too late.

Justice Sotomayor Questions Corporate Personhood

In a brave move for a new Justice, Sonya Sotomayer pointed out that the legal precedent for the "Corporations are people too" doctrine, which was added by a court reporter to the opinion in the 1886 case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad based on an off the record comment made by the Chief Justice in the case, should possibly be examined more closely. The Roberts Court is all set to expand the power of corporations even further by allowing them to pour money into political campaigns in the name of their supposed First Amendment right to "free speech." If the court goes the wrong way on this, there is no hope that the voices of ordinary citizens can be heard over the clank of cash being dumped into the political process. At issue in the current case is the "documentary film" which was a whole- sale trashing of Hillary Clinton funded by a corporate group opposed to her candidacy for President. It was not widely aired in the last election due to the Feingold FCC regulation prohibiting corporate money from being directly funneled into campaign troughs. If the conservatives on the Court prevail, our political system will be overwhelmed even further by corporate money than it is now. It is some comfort that Sotomayor looks as though she will exercise some independent judgment and perhaps earn the respect of progressives who were worried she might prove to be a reliable centrist or even conservative jurist.

The Baucus Bill is a Slap in the Face to Citizens

With its Max Tax and large scale giveaway to the insurance industry, the Baucus bill coming out of Senate Finance is the worst bill on the table of all the others out there (four others which include a public option). If passed it would force Americans to mainline their paychecks directly to the insurance companies. Call your Senators and demand that they use the reconcilation process in the Senate which only requires 51 votes. We need to completely cut these Republicans and Democrats-in-name-only OUT of the equation entirely.

Incivility

Joe Wilson, a protege of the late segregationist Strom Thurmond, disrupts an address by the President to a joint session of Congress by yelling "you lie" and then becomes a hero to the crazed Republican base, taking back his initial apology and raising big bucks for his campaign from like-minded disgruntled supporters. 170+ of Wilson's fellow Representatives refused to vote to censor the guy. Kanye West jumps on stage in the middle of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the Grammy awards to denounce her win. The President calls West a jackass (although it was supposed to be off the record). Mercy! Am I just old-fashioned or has this uncontrolled public behavior gotten completely out of hand? I am even more worried about the undisguised racism exhibited at the tea bag party in DC where there were signs suggesting that "next time" the participants would come armed and dangerous to "take back our country." What does that mean? It can't be good. Are we at the brink of another civil war here? Certainly there is already a war against civility.

Teabaggers in DC

Why weren't the huge protests against the Iraq war covered as well as these corporate-organized birthers, deathers, and all-arounde Obama haters? There were far greater numbers of people in the streets trying to stop the Bush war machine, but they might as well have been invisible to major news outlets. At least we have Ed Shultz, Keith Olberman, and Rachel Maddow attempting to counter some of this coverage of faux astro-turf nonsense. I am sure there are frightened people out there, but it is the politicians and corporate interests who are making hay out of that fear who should really be highlighted. Let's hope Obama can stick to his guns in spite of all this noise. All those who realize we must quickly get "health care for everybody" need to make our own voices heard above it.

All Right, Obama!

Ok, so he's my guy again after he came out punching in his speech to Congress, FINALLY seeming to really get behind a public option, although it is still a little confusing exactly how it is going to work. Congressman Wilson who yelled out "you lie" just delighted me because it exposed the Repubs for the extremists they have become. It just might be the gift that keeps on giving for the Dems efforts at health care reform.

Cast in Emmy Award Winning Series Breaking Bad

I am back in the acting business again. I will be seen this fall as one of the bingo ladies in an early episode. I guess the bad guys do some bad things, but don't know if I will be one of the "victims" or not. It has been over a decade since I even auditioned for anything. Hadn't planned to dive back in, but they took a photo when I went in with my son to an open casting call. Yet another possibility for staying active in retirement: audition for a TV show!

Happy Labor Day!

American workers are in peril due to unemployment, the high cost of health insurance, disappearing jobs. Fear pervades the country right now. Trust in government is minimal because here in the USA, corporate interests always dominate over those of the needs of the people. Under the constitution, we are supposed to pass laws to benefit the common good, but that so seldom happens these days, it is very easy to manipulate these fears. If Obama gets a good health plan through, in spite of his missteps so far, and we can all be treated just like seniors and veterans are now without complaint from rational people, particularly those who benefit from those programs, health care for all will become an accepted reality. This would benefit the country enormously; it is long overdue. If he just tinkers around with the current system, the entire economy is in danger of falling apart. It's hard to be optimistic this Labor Day, 2009 but I am trying to visualize the best possible outcome. Obama should say like Roosevelt did in the 1930's: We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and lay out a bold plan for our recovery.

LOL: Facebook Post from a Friend In Texas

An old pal of mine from our Methodist Sunday school days took exception to my calling the secessionists on the steps of his capitol city "crazy," and chose to remind me that some "nice" people still live in Texas, including him. So I started listing some of my favorite Texans (Molly Ivens--may she rest in peace, Jim Hightower, Kinky Friedman.) He then asked on my Facebook page, "So you don't like the "crazy" Texans but you are fine with the "kinky" ones?"

Obama Should Not Take Progressives for Granted

I will be one of those listening to Obama's speech on health care. If he fails to lead on the most important issue of our time (which has been on the table since the TRUMAN administration, for heaven's sake), I will feel I have no choice but to support a genuinely progressive candidate in the next election. There are numerous Labor Day rallies and another national one on September 13th. We all have to join in and make our voices heard. This may be our last chance to get this done.

Consciousness in the Age of Aquarius

Participating in the conference at Southwestern College in Santa Fe. Fascinating courses on iridology (studying the eye to diagnose emotional issues), "brainspotting (a very new science, less than five years old, which locates areas of trauma in the brain and relates these directly to emotional states held in the body in order to release them), and astrology. Course-taking is always a good way to keep a brain functioning, whether senior citizen or kindergartner.

The Importance of Keeping up with Friends

Isolation might be the single biggest potential problem new retirees face. My suggestion would be to make the effort to meet friends for lunch, or perhaps coffee or movie dates. Whatever you do, staying by yourself in front of the TV or computer for hours on end is a bad idea. Get out and mingle. Do what you once had no time for, i.e. take advantage of your new freedom to do things you always wished you could. Retirement is about doing it your way, but not necessarily about "leisure" or idleness.

The Family by Jeff Sharlet

This is a scary book, because it traces the origin of all these right-wing power-hungry, Jesus-plus-nothing politicians (Domenici, Sanford, Ensign, Ashcroft, Inhofe, and the list goes on) right back to their source at the founding of the country. Sharlet does not believe they are really a "fringe" element, but a major force in American government, even though many of them operate largely behind the scenes. They really believe they have been chosen by God to reign over the the rest of us. They use the true-believers who are always uneducated and very fearful as pawns to consolidate their power. (See shouting mobs, townhall meetings). Also check out The Authoritarians by a Canadian psychologist and professor, whose research and book are available online without charge.

Barney Frank Calls Out Right Wing Cuckoo Woman

At a town hall meeting this week, when some uninformed woman compared Obama to Hitler because he supports health care reform, Congressman Frank said he was reverting to "my ethnic heritage by answering a question with a question. What planet have you been living on?" Hooray for telling it like it is and not being afraid to confront racism and stupidity.

Julia and Julia: Story of A Cook and a Blogger

Just returned from seeing the new Meryl Streep/Amy Adams movie about Julia Child and the young woman (also named Julia) in Queens who started a blog about working her way through The Art of French Cooking and in the process became something of a star. I could totally relate to her early attempts to find an audience. She said when she first began it was something akin to "doing sit-ups" every day or maybe "like AA," which I assume means she took it one day at a time. Although I can barely boil water these days (I did once actually make the boef bourginon described in the movie a few times in the far distant past), I found the movie oddly touching and inspiring. It is really about finding your passion and doing that with gusto no matter what your detractors may say. The original Julia, who was not a cook at all in the beginning, eventually became a major TV star, and the young Julia in the movie ends up with a book contract and on the big screen (i.e. this movie!) So bon appetite, everybody, and keep on keeping on until you find your passion.

Let's March on Washington on September 13th

Robert Reich, a proponent of health care for all, is suggesting a march on Washington. It will be on 9-13-2009, Grandparents Day, a Sunday. We should all show up in force. We need to make our numbers and our determination clear! Obama just backed off his statement that a public option is only a "sliver" of his entire plan; actually he has NO PLAN. He is just waiting to see what Congress will do, which is "not much" if the Gang of Six, including my senator Jeff Bingaman, get their way in the Senate Finance Committee. Bingaman is spouting the Conrad nonsense about co-ops being a type of public option, which they clearly are not. We need to stand up for health care for all, a basic human right, and stop letting these Republicans and shouting mobs control everything. Kudos to my young Rep. Ben Lujan for signing onto HR676, Rep. Weiner's single payer bill in the House. And hooray for the progressive caucus in the House standing up to Obama and refusing to accept a bill without a public option. Courage All! We can still get this done. Don't let people tell you the public option is "dead." It's the old way of doing things which only kills people and enriches corporate fat cats that has to die out.

Rachel Maddow Goes Toe to Toe with Dick Armey

On Meet the Press this morning, Rachel bravely contradicted insurance company lobbyist Dick Armey (who helped kill health reform during the Clinton era) and did a good job of presenting the case for a public option. Tom Daschle was also pretty good. The other guy, some doctor-turned-Senator was just shilling for the industry. I was somewhat cheered to see this issue aired on a network news program. It is beginning to be covered quite well by Ed Schultz, Olberman, and Maddow on MSNBC, but it has to go mainstream before it can really get any traction.

Is Obama Really Abandoning the Public Option?

AOL is reporting that the administration is caving on the public option. There can be NO REAL REFORM without it. Co-ops are going to be too small and powerless to really compete with the huge insurance companies. Therefore the status quo is pretty much maintained, the corporations win, and real people lose. If you want to see what the real situation in this country with regard to health care looks like, check out Truthout.org's report on what happened in Inglewood when a British doctor offered free health care. Thousands of people came to wait in line for hours just to get basic care such as dental work and mammograms. The same thing happened in other states when this was offered. People are desperate for help, yet the lies being perpetuated by the special interests who have everything to lose if real reform is passed, are all that is getting press coverage. Those showing up at these rallies are in most cases acting against their own interests. As for those who have Medicare, don't they understand THAT is a public option which works well for seniors. The same is true of the VA. We need MEDICARE FOR ALL NOW.

Where Are the Public Option Supporters?

Where is Obama's much- touted organization on behalf of a public option? He needs to stand up and LEAD on this issue. Stop the absurd "bi-partisan" pandering. Even Grassley, who Obama praised last week as "sincere," in his efforts to actually get a decent health care bill passed, is bragging about killing the innocuous provision regarding living wills due to all the nonsense about the government threatening to euthanize old people. That is a lie made up to frighten those who haven't really been paying close attention to this debate. The only people getting any press coverage are the Freedom Works and Tea Party disrupters of town hall meetings who are being paid by the right wing and insurance/drug companies to advocate against their own interests.

Right wing groups behind the health care "protestors"

Check out the coverage of health care on MSNBC by Ed Shultz, Keith Olberman, and Rachel Maddow for the real scoop on this issue. If we let these fascist mobs kill health care, we will have only our own inertia to blame. Contact your representatives and senators while they are on recess.

Mobs at Town Hall Meetings

If we want a public option for health care in this country, we need to take back our democracy. These screamers do not have any ideas except to shut down discussion and kill the chance for true reform.

Single Payer health care a no brainer

What on earth can our congresspeople be thinking not to just pass a Medicare for All type health care bill so all citizens can be covered. Right now it is all about the insurance and drug companies literally spending millions of dollars per DAY lobbying against any type of public option which would cut into their grotesque profits.

This issue has had particular resonance with me since I retired and had to accept a far more expensive plan than I had before and one with significantly reduced coverage. Medicare and the VA and Pentagon health care for soldiers and veterans are all single payer plans which work just fine. The ONLY reason this isn't being proposed is due to the unbelievable influence these profit-driven companies like Cigna and Blue Cross have in the Congress of the United States.

Check out NY Congressman Weiner's proposal for a single payer plan. It is getting precious little coverage in the mainstream media, but it is the only reasonable way to go. We need to support this bill by calling our congressional representatives and senators.

Contingency Planning Important

Hello again. I just wanted to remind anybody thinking of taking "early" retirement and living on a pension or Social Security that planning for the unexpected is a very important part of budgeting.



In my very first month of retirement, I ended up having to hire a contractor to repair my vigas (wooden beams which extend out of my adobe house, a common architectural feature of many southwestern homes). I was shocked by the pricetag of $6400.



I also needed new tires, a brake job and an alignment in the first weeks following my retirement.



I should probably have anticipated all of these expenses and perhaps taken care of them much sooner before I actually left my job. I did get a lot of medical tests under the "good" insurance plan I had at work, but I just didn't think about the roof or vehicle issues. The heat in NM this summer has been intense, and I also had to get a new airconditioner.



So I'm just saying, make a list of stuff that may go wrong and take care of as much as possible while you still have a paycheck coming in. That seems like a complete no-brainer, but perhaps someone can benefit from my story of lack of good planning for emergencies.



Don't let this discourage anyone out there from taking the plunge. Just think ahead, and you should be fine.

Retiring Lady Makes Her Blogging Debut

Hello, there new fellow retirees!

I started working when I was 11 years old; I created a little backyard Saturday morning daycare center in my hometown out on the Eastern plains of New Mexico . I charged 25 cents per kid for two hours of storytelling, drawing, singing etc. which allowed the neighborhood moms a chance to have some coffee and do a few chores in peace. I was an entrepreneur then, but in my later career, I mostly worked for others. My next job was as a waitress in my aunt's truck stop cafe. I have to say that one was the most difficult of all the others which came later, including 33 years as a practicing lawyer. Anyway, my point is I worked for 50 years before deciding I was ready to make a change. I took Social Security the second it became available, even though you can get more if you keep working longer. With the government always threatening to do away with or seriously curtail these benefits, I thought the risk of waiting outweighed disadvantages of a smaller check. I also have a state pension, which is much smaller than it would have been had I waited another NINE years for full benefits. For me, it was just clearly time to do something different. My daughter and her boyfriend as well as several other friends of mine who know I enjoy writing and talking to people suggested this blog, so here I am!

I intend this site to support all those suddenly cast adrift into the scary world of FREEDOM. If you have previously been showing up at your appointed place to take orders from someone else according to their agenda, even if you were really looking forward to a brand new life based on your very own desires, you might not be completely prepared for the possibility that you don't exactly know what you're supposed to do with yourself now that you can theoretically do anything you want to do.

I got some great help from my EAP plan at work. They provided four free sessions of "transition counseling" and my kind and insightful therapist alleviated some fears I had about the huge changes inevitably involved in retiring from the regular work force.

I have also consulted several books and websites as well as friends who have already made the leap into retirement. I offer my top five suggestions based on that research:

#1: Don't immediately try to go back to formal work just because it's what you are used to and it feels weird to be completely at your own beck and call and no one else's.

#2: Make "self-care" a priority. Take your vitamins, exercise, do not neglect any medical or psychological problems--get the professional help you need.

#3: Take a trip by yourself, preferably for several weeks, so you can figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. Ideally take no phones, computers, TV's or any other technological distractions with you. It's best if the place is quiet and in a natural setting--perhaps a beach or wooded area rather than a big city or tourist attraction.

#4: Do daily meditation; just quiet your mind and see what comes up for you. At a minimum, it will help you relax.

#5: Do NOT stay at home watching TV and traveling back and forth between it and your refrigerator. Isolation is a killer. You'll also probably gain weight, and that will affect your overall well being.

Ok, so that's my first post and it feels exhilarating. I look forward to receiving comments and suggestions from readers who wish to share their own experiences with retirement. THE BEST IS YET TO COME, fellow travelers on the Retirement Road!

Retiring Lady