Health Care vs. Wealth Care: The Great American Conflict of 2010

Many Americans are facing various with problems in 2010. For clarity we define problems as something that causes pain, suffering and/or hardship And with so many variations of problems that we face, it is often difficult to decide upon which one to address first. This appears to be the case with our political representatives. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I prefer thinking that they care about all of the problems, but are trying to establish a primary focus.

The conflicting arguments regarding Health Care Reform from the primary political parties appear to remain caught in two areas of concern. One side is concerned about the human capital regarding Health Care and the other is concerned about the financial capital regarding Wealth Care. Both are quite legitimate concerns. However only one can get enough resources to produce a successful resolve at a time. Therefore I wish to help by sharing a method that we teach in our workshops for solution driven charitable organizations.

Once they have listed the problems that they believe are crucial to meeting their own goals and objectives, we guide them through the task of focusing on a single problem to address first. We instruct them to imagine that there are two people standing in front of you. One person is suffers from problem "A" and the other is suffering from problem "B". Now realizing that you only have the resources to address one problem at a time, you must choose which problem you are most compelled to fix first. Keep in mind that you can plan to address the other one at another time. In our workshops, people tend to chose the problem with which they have personally suffered or have personally shared in someone else having suffered in that area.

Choosing between the issue of Health Care vs. Wealth Care appears to be quite similar. People that passionately express concern about the financial strain that could result in health care reform are truly concerned with the suffering caused by what they believe could lead to economic ruin. At the same time, those who are just as passionate about health care reform are just as concerned about the critical lack of affordable medical attention and adequate treatment that could lead to permanent ailments and loss of lives. It would be interesting to poll Americans given the scenarios and questions above to uncover which problem America should address first- Health Care or Wealth Care?

Leadership in America-Choosing the Best

During this election period, there are avalanches of media promotions seeking to entice the favor of voters. Many potential voters are confused, many are already decided and a large number are just frustrated with what they see as a lack of good options. Still, a growing number of potential voters understand that to refrain from voting is to have to deal with the hand you’re given. The big question remains, “Who are the best choices to lead us through our struggles into great achievements?”

There is a grant announcement that is offering up to $118,952,000 to up to 120 recipients with the charge to raise student achievement by improving teachers’ knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of traditional American history. It occurred to me that given the variations with which our representatives interpret American events the ability to offer objective and credible information will be quite a challenge. And after reading the criteria for selection, I was even more concerned. Among the selection criteria applicants must explain how they will address the following : How specific traditional American history content (including the significant issues, episodes, and turning points in the history of the United States; how the words and deeds of individual Americans have determined the course of our Nation; and how the principles of freedom and democracy articulated in the founding documents of this Nation have shaped America’s struggles and achievements and its social, political, and legal institutions and relations).

The use of terms such as “traditional” and “significant” are already subject to biases of both the applicants as well as the reviewers. At the same time, I am hopeful that in the years to come, we will be able to read in some text books how Americans of vast diversity have impacted and shaped America’s struggles and achievements. For more information about this grant opportunity use this link: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-1083.pdf