TriangleNC's blog

Just to share this 4 1/2 minute video following middle schoolers from Carolina Friends School sharing their views about amendment one.

From the intro of the video:

In a small school a little north and a little west of downtown Durham, N.C., a group of eleven-, twelve- and thirteen-year-olds has been busy organizing a field-trip.

Watch as a middle school's gay-straight alliance, GLOW, for Gay Lesbian or Whatever, embarks on an adventure in civic engagement with real consequences for many of the club's members.

"They don’t really see kids as having an idea of how they want their future to be like," said Sarah, a GLOW member, "but when we actually voice our opinion it really does make a difference."

Bob Geary of Indyweek.com reports that we should expect to hear from Brad Miller soon about wheter or not he will enter the race for NC Governor. You can read about it here.

The article quotes Miller:

"I've gotten a lot of encouragement that I haven't solicited," he says. "I'm thinking very hard about it. I know I need to make a decision very quickly."

Here's the Draft Brad Miller for NC Governor Facebook Page and related diary post over at Daily Kos

Let's show Brad Miller some love by joining the Facebook Group - today!

"Was it all a Dream?" of course is the opening line of Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 911. I love that quote because it reminds me to put things in perspective.

Putting things in perspective as Election Day 2010 approaches is a good thing (lol).

Organizing For America is inviting us to revisit and reignite the temper of the times of Election Day 2008.

North Carolina was and is "in play" as a Red State that turned Blue in 2008.

And we have not forgotten and we are not going back.

Cross posted at Daily Kos (w/ poll)

Stardate September 1, 1997.

The Kaiser Foundation releases Publication 1318: "Retiree Health Trends And Implications Of Possible Medicare Reforms" with an analysis of a legislative proposal to change the age eligibility of Medicare and include a "Buy-in" provision.

A legislative proposal to change medicare eligibility offered through Budget Reconciliation.

Be forewarned that your diarist is not an expert on legislation or healthcare or insurance matters; Just a citizen wondering why we can't have a crappy HCR Bill AND Medicare Buy-in (through subsequent legislation).

Stardate January, 2010 State of the Union Address.

Cross posted at Daily Kos:

It was eleven o’clock just yesterday morning in the board room of the North Carolina Association of Educators’ offices in Raleigh. Twenty or so community leaders were gathered for a press conference calling for meaningful healthcare reform on a day that would include a vigil by supporters outside of NC Senator Kay Hagan’s office.

Just as the press conference was about to begin, Rhonda’s right hand began to shake.

“I’m going to have a seizure. Call 911.”

This can’t be happening. Not here. Not now.

Seeing that my chair had wheels, I helped Rhonda onto it and pushed it past the twenty or so community leaders gathered to promote meaningful healthcare reform and past the media representatives with their cameras and notepads out of the NCAE Boardroom and into the lobby.

“Call 911!”

Click on the "You Tube" logo to view this 7+ minute video on a larger screen.

Amidst the rancor and the tumult and the seemingly endless (and mindless) riveting punditry presented by mainstream media, somehow the narrative of meaningful healthcare reform in America has been reduced to covering tracking polls and the latest whopper or outrageous behavior of nutjobs living in their “miniverse.”

In the meantime, a neighbor just found out that not only will her insurance company not cover a biopsy for the lump in her breast, the hospital is requiring payment - up front and in cash. Cash that she does not have.

And Rhonda pays more for medication than she does for rent. She can’t get health insurance because of her pre-existing condition and struggles just to get by having to ration her life saving medication in order to make ends meet.

It’s time to put “faces and voices” back into the healthcare debate. And that’s what we are doing in North Carolina.

Hello?