I must admit I had gone over to the side of those who were saying that the Dems should scale back on health care and just get something passed however minimal. I was mad at the president for having squandered his public mandate for change; fiddling around trying to woo the Grassley's and the Snowe's; eschewing the public option; forgetting that his party was the majority party so go full bore and dare the Republicans to filibuster.
But I guess he knew what he was doing. Just like he did in the campaign when a lot of us had given him up for dead. The guy knows how to close a deal.
What an achievement. Thousands more folks will have health care. Limits have been placed on how much gouging the insurance companies will be allowed to engage in. And I predict that the public will come to like what Congress has done, and three major social programs -- Social Security, Medicare, Health Reform -- will have been passed over strenuous Republican opposition.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Same-Sex Marriage
When we Methodist preachers retire, we are required to establish an official relationship with a local United Methodist church within the bounds of the conference where we preachers have our membership.
Although I live in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, I am a member of the Baltimore/Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, and my official relationship is with Dumbarton United Methodist Church located in the Georgetown section of the District of Columbia.
The choice of that church was deliberate. It is where my gay son and his family attend. It is also a Reconciling Congregation -- one that practices what Methodism preaches: Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors, and reaches out, specifically, to the gay/lesbian community.
The District of Columbia has now legalized same-sex unions, which means that Dumbarton Church was faced with a decision; should it obey its denomination's law barring same gender couplings or should it follow its church's teachings, not to mention Jesus', that every soul is a person of worth in God's sight, and should be the recipient of all the ministries the church has to offer.
It was a no-brainer for Dumbarton. It had come too far to turn back. An anti-war church, a sanctuary church, it would choose to follow its Lord.
The congregation adopted a policy of opening its altar to anyone -- regardless; and 13 of us retired clergy who claim that church as our official resting place, signed on the dotted line that we would be willing open to perform same gender marriages if called upon to do so.
I could do no other than sign up. When the Methodist Church was debating the practice of "blessing" same sex relationships -- back before any states had made them legal -- I told my bishop at the time, "I have married my daughter and one son, so if my other son comes and says he wan ts me to bless his same sex relationship I will do so."
So, we'll see what happens. My best guess is that this train is leaving the station, and the Methodists will get on board -- eventually -- and tag along, letting the Unitarian/Universalists and the Unikted Church of Christ lead the way.
Although I live in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, I am a member of the Baltimore/Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, and my official relationship is with Dumbarton United Methodist Church located in the Georgetown section of the District of Columbia.
The choice of that church was deliberate. It is where my gay son and his family attend. It is also a Reconciling Congregation -- one that practices what Methodism preaches: Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors, and reaches out, specifically, to the gay/lesbian community.
The District of Columbia has now legalized same-sex unions, which means that Dumbarton Church was faced with a decision; should it obey its denomination's law barring same gender couplings or should it follow its church's teachings, not to mention Jesus', that every soul is a person of worth in God's sight, and should be the recipient of all the ministries the church has to offer.
It was a no-brainer for Dumbarton. It had come too far to turn back. An anti-war church, a sanctuary church, it would choose to follow its Lord.
The congregation adopted a policy of opening its altar to anyone -- regardless; and 13 of us retired clergy who claim that church as our official resting place, signed on the dotted line that we would be willing open to perform same gender marriages if called upon to do so.
I could do no other than sign up. When the Methodist Church was debating the practice of "blessing" same sex relationships -- back before any states had made them legal -- I told my bishop at the time, "I have married my daughter and one son, so if my other son comes and says he wan ts me to bless his same sex relationship I will do so."
So, we'll see what happens. My best guess is that this train is leaving the station, and the Methodists will get on board -- eventually -- and tag along, letting the Unitarian/Universalists and the Unikted Church of Christ lead the way.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Socialized Medicine That We Do Like
For the life of me I can't figure out the outrage from those who claim that they don't want anything to do with a "government run" health care operation. What makes me see blue is that these, some of these my friends, depend on Medicare to help fund their health care. Who do these folks think are writing those checks to all their health providers?
Fear and uncertainty is at the root of some of it. Economic times are tough. Some are living on the edge, financially, and they don't want any new program to come along that might mess it all up. So, any suggestion of increased costs and a government takeover won't push the panic button in some folks, but it will come close.
It is also true that political divisions run deep. We are a country split down the middle, and politicians, intent on staying in office, know how to pluck our strings. I am sure that the proposed plan is not perfect (neither was Social Security when it was passed back in the 1930's). I am equally as sure that more than just a few of the Republicans have lined up behind Senator Demint of Soluth Carolina who pledged to make the attempt to pass health reform Obama's Waterloo.
Fear and uncertainty is at the root of some of it. Economic times are tough. Some are living on the edge, financially, and they don't want any new program to come along that might mess it all up. So, any suggestion of increased costs and a government takeover won't push the panic button in some folks, but it will come close.
It is also true that political divisions run deep. We are a country split down the middle, and politicians, intent on staying in office, know how to pluck our strings. I am sure that the proposed plan is not perfect (neither was Social Security when it was passed back in the 1930's). I am equally as sure that more than just a few of the Republicans have lined up behind Senator Demint of Soluth Carolina who pledged to make the attempt to pass health reform Obama's Waterloo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)