The Soccer Mom Vote

I did it!

I did something yesterday that I've never done before. I called two of my congress people to urge them to override President Bush's veto of SCHIP when they vote today. But haven't there been other issues in the past that I've felt just as strongly about and that should have led me to make calls such as these? Yes, definitely. So why was this the first time I'd made such calls? I guess I never thought that expressing my generally liberal opinions would really make a difference in the conservative state of Texas where I live. And, more importantly, I'd never been a mother before. Having a child of my own makes me want to help and protect all children, everywhere, even more than I did before becoming a mother.

In my red state of Texas, only one of my three congress people voted in favor of renewing SCHIP and that was Kay Hutchison. Both Senator John Cornyn and Representative Lamar Smith voted against it and are assumed to be voting against an override to President Bush's veto of the program. Will my calls to their offices make a difference? I'm not sure. I certainly hope so. And I think if we all took the time to make calls like these (which only took about 45 seconds apiece out of my busy day), no matter what our opinions are, then I believe we can and should make a difference on the issues.

Just placing those two, quick calls made me feel good about myself because for once, instead of complaining about the way things are, I at least attempted to make a difference on an issue about which I feel strongly. Contacting my congress people is something I will do again and maybe, eventually, even in this conservative state, my liberal opinions will one day be heard.

I, for one, appreciate her bluntness

I planned to follow up on my original post about the House passing the Children's Health Plan earlier this month (a bill that will provide insurance coverage for over four million children in our country) after reading this update in the New York Times. It details how President Bush is proposing severe limits on family income for the program that will make it nearly impossible for states to extend coverage to middle-income families. But then I ready Izzy's post today about the same topic and, as she's someone living with ridiculously high (actually, scandalous) insurance premiums herself, she summed it up better than I ever could. I urge you to take a few minutes to read her poignant post and the lively comments that follow.

Lance Armstrong is hot (to know what the '08 candidates think about cancer)*

I'm a Lance Armstrong fan not just because he's attractive (although, there is that) or because he won the Tour de France SEVEN times (which, come on, is pretty amazing) or because he seems to be a great dad to his three darling kids (awwwww). But I'm also a Lance Armstrong fan because we have something in common. We're both cancer survivors.

I was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 26, nearly 10 years ago. I was lucky. We caught my cancer at an extremely early stage and while I did have to have two surgeries to remove and then repair a lengthy section of my colon, I didn't require chemotherapy or radiation. I am a survivor.

Just two years prior to my own diagnosis, we lost my grandmother to lung cancer. One year after my diagnosis, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. And only a few years after that my aunt was diagnosed, for the second time in her life, with a type of breast cancer different from the one she survived ten years earlier. Like me and Lance, my aunt and my mom are both survivors too. Cancer's a pretty important topic in our family.

While fighting and surviving his own battle with testicular cancer, Lance Armstrong founded (LiveSTRONG) The Lance Armstrong Foundation to carry out his commitment to support and inspire cancer survivors:

"...we’re about the fight. We’re your champion on Capitol Hill. Your advocate with the healthcare system. Your sponsor in the research labs. And we know the fight never ends. Cancer may leave your body, but it never leaves your life. This is the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Founded and inspired by one of the toughest cancer survivors on the planet."

According to LiveSTRONG.org, cancer is the number one killer in this country for people under the age of 85 and this year close to 1.5 million people will be diagnosed with cancer and about 560,000 people will die from cancer in the United States - more then 1,500 per day, or one of every four deaths.

With cancer so prevalent, chances are you know someone who has it, or you will, or you may be diagnosed with it yourself. In this coming election year wouldn't you like to know how our 2008 presidential candidates plan to fund cancer research? If and how they plan to promote early detection programs? And, most importantly, if they even consider cancer a priority in this country? Lance Armstrong would like to know. So he and his Army over at LiveSTRONG.org created the LiveSTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum:

"A two-day event featuring 2008 presidential hopefuls from the Democratic and Republican parties in Cedar Rapids next month will be co-moderated by Lance Armstrong and Chris Matthews of MSNBC. The forum provides candidates with an opportunity to detail their respective policy plans for fighting cancer, a disease that kills nearly 1,500 Americans every day."

Democratic candidates confirmed to participate in the Forum thus far are: Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John Edwards and Governor Bill Richardson. Republican candidates Senator Sam Brownback and Governor Mike Huckabee are confirmed to participate as well.

The Democratic candidates will discuss issues surrounding cancer on Monday, August 27th from U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from 10 A.M. until noon CDT. Republican candidates will gather on Tuesday, August 28th (same time and location). The Forum will be broadcast on MSNBC but for those in the area, free tickets are available here. And you can participate, even if you can't attend, by submitting your questions in video format here.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to educate ourselves about our candidates' positions regarding cancer in the United States. I hope you'll mark you calendars and join me in watching the Forum on August 27 and 28.

* And he's also hot, like H-O-T hot! Just had to get that in, in case there's any question as to how I truly feel about him. ;)

"...all of our children should have health insurance.”*

Who can disagree with that? On August 1 a majority of the House certainly didn't as they passed the Children's Health Plan, a bill that will provide insurance coverage for over four million children in our country. Great news, right? Not necessarily. While our legislators made a step in the right direction, President Bush says he'll veto this bill and another expected to pass the Senate this week.

What's the President got against health care for our nation's uninsured kids? Republican concerns range from the socializing of medicine to stealing from seniors (in the form of Medicare cuts) to fund children's insurance. Their suggestion? Private plans for health care insurance. But who's going to pay for that? And, after hearing about the corrupt and appalling business practices of private insurance companies in Michael Moore's, Sicko, who'd want to?

* spoken by Democratic Congressman Albert R. Wynn of Maryland

Have you heard about MamaVote?

One of my fellow Musing Mamas recently turned me on to MamaVote. MamaVote was launched by Today's Mama, a site dedicated to providing personal and professional resources for moms. According to the site, "MamaVote is a non-partisan project designed to bring a positive, proactive voice to political life."

This new site aims to provide informative articles from all angles of the political spectrum as well as fodder for discussion, particularly in regards to how women and mothers can affect the outcome of the next presidential race. Also highlighted are interviews with influential and outspoken mama advocates such as Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner from MomsRising.org and Christine Todd Whitman, the first woman governor from New Jersey.

The site also offers a variety of political resources ranging from voter registration and where to vote to stories featuring women and mothers who inspire with their dedication to public service.

And if that's not enough to get to you check out MamaVote here's another reason: they're watching us! The Soccer Mom Vote is MamaVote's Featured Blogger. Power to the mamas. Our voices matter. So no matter your political persuasion, make some noise this election season and make a difference.

Our thanks should extend to the families too

On this Memorial Day weekend I thought it would be fitting not only to pay homage to the brave men and women who are fighting, and who have fought, for our country but also to their families who sacrifice in ways many of us may never fully appreciate or understand.

It's in that vein that I bring you three blogs about military families and the military way of life that you may not have heard of before. I recently found Army Blogger Wife via ParentDish. Since March of this year she's been writing about life with her husband and three children as she awaits her husband's third deployment to Iraq this fall.

From Army Blogger Wife I followed a link to Trying to Grok. Sarah, a young military wife, has been blogging since March 2004. She loves to knit, secretly wishes she were in the Army and her opinions definitely fall on the side of conservative. Curious about what the heck grokking is? Visit Trying to Grok to find out.

Sarah's blog led me to SpouseBuzz, a collaborative site providing a place for military spouses to meet up and support each other. Thirteen authors and numerous other contributors write about topics as diverse as deployment, civilians, reintegration and even, "The Bachelor." A recent poster talked about how neat she thinks it is that the site also has civilian readers. Check out SpouseBuzz and become one of them!

I hope that no matter what each of us thinks about the war our country is waging, we'll take a little time during our holiday weekend to appreciate our fellow Americans (and their families) who are willing to work and fight for the freedoms we all enjoy. Happy (early) Memorial Day!

And the donation goes to...

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post last week about teaching your kids to give back. Your favorite charities were added to the hat and we have a winner. Drum roll, please...

Congratulations to Joanne who in her comment said,

"...I would vote for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for breast cancer research in honor of my best friend Marjorie who lost her battle to breast cancer last year."

Her charity of choice, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, will receive my $100 donation this week.

From the Komen.org web site:

"Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we have invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world."

Thank you to everyone who commented and participated in the drawing!

How do you teach your kids to give back?

My daughter, Delaney, turned two recently and although the party we held for her was small, she received a huge number of gifts. The generosity of family and friends was well-intentioned but I wondered what her two-year-old mind made of the extravagance. Even more so, I wondered if it was something that, over the years, she would grow accustomed to if the gift train continues to chug along at this pace. As her parent I can control, somewhat, the amount of loot she takes in at celebrations like birthdays and Christmas. But it's also important for me to impart to her a sense of how fortunate we are and, as such, that it's up to us to help those who aren't as lucky.

As a family we make monetary donations to various charities throughout the year. At Christmas last year we donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. When the holiday ended and Delaney's room over flowed with new toys I packed up the old ones and donated them to our local children's shelter. We walked to support breast cancer research in March. And even before our family and friends showered Delaney with birthday gifts I'd already decided that one of our gifts to her would be to donate to another worthwhile cause in celebration of her*. I guess it's my way of trying to balance out all that we have, all that we are grateful for.

I'm not telling you this so you'll say, "Rah! Rah! Yay, you! You're such a good person!" I know I could do more. And I'm sure that most, if not all of you, do similar things. But I mention what our family does to open a discussion about what it is that you do. How do you give back? How do you teach your kids that volunteering and donating are important, even essential, facets of the human experience? What are your favorite charities?  Who do you volunteer for? And how do you open discussions such as this with your kids?   

* Delaney's been two for nearly a month and I still haven't made my intended donation (blog-reading got in the way!). List your favorite charity in the comments for this post by Wednesday, April 25. I'll put all charities from the comments in a hat and draw one to receive my $100 donation. I'll post the selected charity with details about it here at The Soccer Mom Vote on the 25th!

It could have been you. It could have been me.

I was diagnosed with colon cancer when I was 26. Not only was I lucky that it was caught early and I was cured. I was also lucky that I had health insurance to cover the majority of the costs of my treatment. Not everyone in America enjoys this privilege. According to CoverTheUninsured:

"The federal government estimates that 46 million Americans lack coverage of any kind for an entire year. Other research shows that tens of millions more Americans go without health coverage for shorter periods of time."

These less fortunate people receive little or no care, even when facing life-threatening illnesses. And, in the cases where care is made available, there are long lines and red tape blocking their way to a healthy outcome.

My friend, Nicole Foy, is an incredible journalist who recently wrote a two-part article for the San Antonio Express-News about the life and death of Bonnie Terry, a woman who was dedicated to helping others. Shortly after Bonnie was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer, her three-year contract job (which provided her with health insurance) ended. She then paid premiums on an extended 9-month plan but it maxed out after only four months while she was undergoing chemo. Nicole's vivid and emotional account of Bonnie's journey as an uninsured woman moving through the public health system helped me put a name and a face on this embarrassing and escalating problem in America—the plight of the uninsured.

I won't go into detail about Bonnie's story here because Nicole tells it with such care and intimacy (her research and writing talents are on center stage here because although she never met Bonnie, she's able to make you feel as though you have). I urge you to read Nicole's articles yourself to get the full picture of what Bonnie, her family and friends, and even some of her caregivers went through before she died.

Bob Richter, the newspaper's public editor, followed Nicole's story in a column about his thoughts on the topic and I couldn't have summed things up better myself:

"The critics — usually those with a financial stake in maintaining the status quo — argue that a single, regulated health care umbrella amounts to "socialized medicine." They said it when President Truman proposed universal health care after World War II and when LBJ hustled Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s.

But few people complain about socialized police, fire or military protection, socialized public education or interstate highways. Shouldn't all taxpayers also have access to good health care?"

Over the next year and a half, let's keep our politicians on task and ask them what they plan to do about America's uninsured. I don't know what the answer is, but you can bet my vote will go to the candidate who's got a viable plan and who convinces me that they'll make universal health care coverage a priority.

Click here for letters to the editor about Nicole's story.

What gets you hot?

When Nicole originally approached me about joining the team I was hesitant. While I lean to the left politically, I'm not a very political person. But when she told me that there would be opportunites for social, as well as political, commentary I gladly accepted her invitation. I'm more comfortable in the social realm so bearing that in mind I bring you a round-up of hot blog topics from the last week. Leave your comments about these stories below. I'm dying to know what you think.

V-Day Detente
Jeanne, one of the Musing Mamas, took on the topic this week of parents who go over the top for school Valentine's Day parties (and she might as well have been talking about birthday parties too). She's irritated with parents who feel that the sweet, little Valentines of years past aren't enough and wishes these parents wouldn't try to one-up each other by bringing extravagant goodie bags full of candy and toys for their child's classmates.

"I wish we could have a parent pact to cease and desist, but in the absence of one I'm going to do my best to teach my daughter that it's not the size of the gift but the sentiment, even if the lesson exacts a little bit of pain."

What is it about children's parties these days? Why do parents feel the need to have their party or party favors be the end-all, be-all that tops the others? Is it the parents who feel insecure and have something to prove or is it the kids who pressure their parents into giving them BiggerBetterMore so they feel confident in their parents' love? I'm not sure. What I do know is that the size and kind of parties kids are having these days seem to be out of control. My daughter isn't quite two and yet she's received several birthday invitations to other two-year-olds' birthday parties being held at places like Chuck E. Cheese and Gymboree. Isn't that going a little too far? Aren't two-year-olds a little young for expensive, flashy parties they aren't even likely to remember? Or am I just a cranky middle-aged penny-pincher spoiling everyone's fun?

Got booze (in your breastmilk)?
Blogging Baby had a post this week about "Milkscreen," a product that tests the alcohol content of breastmilk. Susan, the post's author (and writer of the popular blog, Friday Playdate), asks,

"Perhaps I'm missing the point, but wouldn't NOT having a drink ALSO provide peace of mind that your milk was alcohol-free?"

Sure. It would. But after nine + months of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy, I desired an occasional glass of wine at dinner with my husband. My daughter completely refused any and all bottles and she had a pretty rigorous nursing schedule. I was an overly cautious (perhaps even paranoid) first-time mother with nothing but my baby's best interests at heart. So I would have loved the chance to test my breastmilk prior to a feeding and after one or two glasses of wine even if I'd waited the recommended two hours per drink before nursing again. The peace of mind a product like this could have bought me would have far outweighed its $13.95 cost. Wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry? And isn't it great when science provides us with worthwhile products we can choose to use in the hopes of protecting our children?

They wouldn't have assigned that story to Jimmy Olson
Cathy, another of the wonderful Musing Mamas (Yes, I'm pimping them a bit today but you must to get to know these smart, funny women!) discussed the recent story of columnist Debra Pickett resigning from the Chicago Sun-Times after her editor proposed that she breastfeed in public and then write a column about it.

Cathy, a reporter herself, was incensed about the editor's request of the columnist and said,

"Now, I have put the girls on (very discreet) display DURING assignments (Example:...I nursed outside a wedding chapel when I took my eldest along for an interview.). Never, however, have I been asked to bare my breasts FOR an assignment. When, may I ask, has a male journalist ever been asked to haul out his boy parts for a column on...say... vasectomies? Or perhaps erectile dysfunction?

Can you feel the collective shudder in the newsroom budget meeting? I can."

Debra Pickett was not being forced to do the assignment but the audacity her (female) editor and her (male) editor-in-chief had in proposing this story, in a day and age when women still work doggedly for equality in the workplace, was a slap in the face.

I think Pickett was right to quit. Do you agree or do you think she should have taken the assignment and capitalized on the current parent-as-navel-gazer atmosphere that's all the rage these days?