Abstinence will work with some, but obviously it hasn’t done much for the majority.  There are the brave ones that say that the issue of teaching birth control and safe sex are extremely important.  I don’t want to encourage any young person to have sex.  I think it is pushed on our kids by media images far far too early, but I don’t control the media.  I work hard from my little corner of the world to teach my kids and I hope they pass some of that common sense on to others, but people do whatever they want to do, or whatever they think is going to fulfill their lives in some way. 

I certainly wouldn’t encourage young people to have sexual relations mostly because this generation seems so emotionally immature.  They have lots of smarts, access and availability to just about anything, but they get screwed up by thinking a relationship with a guy or a man or woman will prove to them that they are worthy, or that they are real.  Then if they don’t use birth control, it is easy to dispose of the mistake because of access to abortions.  I don’t have the right to tell anyone what to do with their body, and I don’t want the government doing it either, but it is such a contentious issue in our society, I wish we could put it to bed.  

Problem is, the abortion procedure scrapes away slowly at the lining of the uterus, weakening it.  There are some, I had a friend, who used abortion as birth control.  Why not just use birth control or the morning after pill?  Sometimes I think we women make some poor choices. 

Of course now there is a bigger issue.  It has become evident that the water system is becoming polluted with hormones.  Excess hormones are released when going to the bathroom into the water system.  These hormones are predominantly from women on birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy.  There has been a phenomenon in the past decade of young girls getting their period and developing breast etc at a markedly early age - 8, 9 , 10, because of water consumption.  That is a little scary to me.  Having survived the big c  I often wonder what we are doing to the next generation.  I heard a discussion on the radio the other day that "other" forms of birth control besides the pill are more green.  I wonder what will happen in the future regarding this issue. 

C Jay

Don’t you think older women are smart enough or have been around long enough to know that birth control easily attainable? 

Sara

I forgot about McCain’s claims.  Could be because there is certainly no love lost between Bush and McCain.  Yes, one of the worst of Bush’s ideas was to invade Iraq.  Trust me, as a mother of a soldier at the time (Veteran now), I just couldn’t believe that he was going to do that, and I never felt comfortable with the reasons.  

My parents were friends of good friends of the Reagans, and Goldie told us a story once about Reagan - this was before he became president.  She said that at dinner once, Reagan was talking about world politics and the Soviets and said something to the effect of  - "I would like the chance to just sit across the table with them and deal with that issue.  Their economy is going down the tubes and it would be easy to change the direction of Eastern Europe."  The Bushes were privy to this thinking on this issue, and it came out more later as friends related conversations with the Reagans.  

I bring this up because I think that GW Bush saw himself as another Reagan.  Many said he wanted to finish the job his father wasn’t able to and get Sadam Hussein, but I think he thought he could deal with Sadam like Reagan dealt with the Soviets and he was so totally mistaken.  I am glad Sadam and his sons are gone, but I don’t believe the cost was worth it.  But, oddly I don’t believe that those young men and women wasted their lives, because Iraq was and is a total game changer in the Middle East.  I just think it could have happened in other ways. 

As to Bush and McCain, maybe it was an idea - but the surge was Bush’s decision, and we were talking about presidents and their decisions.  To invade Iraq was hugely consequential for our nation, but the surge was the right decision at that time.

I don’t like Haliburton or Blackwater, but there is no other company like Haliburton.  They are kind of a soup to nuts kind of organization.  For several war years, they lost money - I don’t know at this point how much they have made.  KBR is a subsidiary of theirs and they have caused many problems and deaths of Americans in Iraq.  

It is too early to know what will become of the administrations favors to friends, but it certainly is driving legislation.  The media is only starting to come awake now, but more will come out.

I loved that story about your grandmother.  Like we thought Johnson might end the war after Kennedy increased  our involvement in Viet Nam?  Better vote for Johnson.   Nixon slowed it some, but couldn’t see a way out.  Congress had to vote to stop funding the war - (just after my brother came back) unfortunately, more than a million Cambodians died because our lack of presence emboldened dictators.  

Human nature is a sick and mixed bag. 

Deniseann

God bless you for carrying your son to full term.  I had a friend whose mother had cancer when she was pregnant with him and she made it and so did he.  Sometimes it is just what we have got to do.

A woman has a right to choose whatever she wants to do with her body and you made a courageous and worthy decision.  Isn’t it funny how some women would stand up for abortion as being the better choice for someone than delivering the child.  How can they make that decision for anyone else’s body.  Odd that they think they know the better choice for you, but then preach a woman has the right to choose.  You chose life. 

Maggie

When looking at the statistics regarding teen pregnancy there were steep declines at different times at the end of the 80’s and in the 90’s and that was the time safe sex was being taught due to the AIDS epidemic.  Living in the LA area it was on the billboards, there were public service announcements - all the talk shows talked about it and on and on and the rate of teen pregnancy went down along with HIV because of the threat of contracting AIDS.  New AIDS cases are on the rise again because there has not been that much emphasis on safe sex.  

I remind my oldest son all the time.  He tells me don’t worry mom, the army stresses that point every time we go on leave. (He just got out of the Army and I am really happy, by the way).  I haven’t started with the youngest yet - he is too young and is kind of shy.

C jay

You are right.  I looked up the statistics and they said that sex was rare for girls that age - they sited 12, 13, 14 and said that if they had sex, it was unwanted.  I found this quote from "Family First Aid" interesting:

"The teen birth rate has declined slowly but steadily from 1991 to 2002 with an overall decline of 30 percent for those aged 15 to 19.  These recent declines reverse the 23-percent rise in teenage birth rate from 1986 to 1991.  [Was it due to teaching safe sex?]   The largest decline since 1991 by race was for black women.  The birth rate for black teens aged 15 to 19 fell 42% between 1991 and 2002.  Hispanic teen birth rates declined 20% between 1991 and 2002.  THe rates of both Hispanics and blacks, however, remain higher than for other groups." 

It is hard to find really thorough studies of current statistics except that older women receive a high number of abortions. 

Mr. Wow 

"Abortion coverage will not be outlawed it will simply be tiered, reserved for those rich enough to afford insurance themselves or lucky enouht to receive it from their employees."

I don’t know if that will be the result of this action on the part of the democrats, but I find it interesting that we have gotten to this point in this debate on healthcare.  I would have never imagined this happening - fascinating.

My first impression regarding the restrictions of no federal funds to pay for abortions, or no one paying into one of the government "exchanges" being able to receive an abortion was that it would just make abortions cheaper, and more doctors might start doing them.  Reference back to the tired argument about eye laser surgery - which is not covered by insurance.  When it was first introduced it cost about $5000 for the surgery.  It is about a 10 minute or so procedure with low probability of complications, so doctors caught on and learned how to do it and the market got flooded with competition resulting in prices going down.  You an now get it for about $200 per eye.  Big difference.  Same with plastic surgery.  I know many women who don’t have a lot of money that get those implants.  They find a way.  I think it would open up competition for abortionists and drive the prices down.  Kind of an odd and macabre thought.

On an earlier discussion about abortion I was curious and looked up the statistics of who was getting abortions.  Much to my surprise it was women in their late 30’s and early 40’s that were in the highest number of those obtaining abortions, not young teenage girls.  It would seem to me that women in their 30’s and 40’s know about birth control and safe sex - why would they want an abortion instead of using birth control? Crazy.  Social-economically they were predominantly was middle-class, so go figure.

Also, after all the fuss about teen pregnancies, seems they are down the first time in a long time.   Doess the practice of safe-sex have anything to do with it?  I don’t know.  My youngest son tells me they don’t teach safe-sex anymore, and I don’t see the ads on TV about it - I wonder why not?  Safe sex and birth control would cut down on abortions and maybe we can put this argument to bed.

Sara

According to Bob Woodward, The Surge was Bush’s idea and no one else wanted to go along with it, not even most of the generals, except Patreus.  Bush was the one that decided to give the most comprehensive aid package to Africa to fight AIDS. Bono knew that once the president of the US did something other nations would follow, but Bono always says that if it wasn’t for Bush’s decision there would be thousands and thousands more dead and more children orphaned.  Those were his decisions.  I was not a fan of Bush, but I also believe in giving credit where credit is due.

Pres Obama’s friends are profiting greatly from his presidency. He has created jobs for most of them and the lobbyist firms that work for the administration - friends, profit more than any others.  It is business as usual in Washington.  I don’t see that much difference. 

deber

I don’t believe his inability to make quick decisions is totally political.  I think it is who he is and how he does stuff.  Clinton had the ability to change and that is what saved him.  GW Bush always wanted to leave the opponent with the impression that not matter what he was going to stand steady and push the war.  Pres Obama has a lot of ideas and many activists and political action groups that want to influence how he governs - and I think he hopes that if he waits long enough something will work out in the direction he wants it to go so then he doesn’t have to make the decision.  \

Ever since about May you would hear pundits say things like "President Obama - is he caught between an rock and a hard spot?"  I believe that he will always have that challenge because he has a hard time making decisions.  He can get elected and he did get two major pieces of legislation through  - The Stimulus Bill and the Healthcare Bill but those were issues he decided on as he came in, when it comes to real hard decisions it seems like it immobilizes him.  Much is on his shoulders and he doesn’t want to make the wrong decision.  Problem is, no decision is a wrong decision. 

Thanks Kathy Lee

There has to be healthcare reform, and no matter what we want - it will be far reaching because everyone wants a piece of the pie.  I think this bill is so unfair and will not solve much but create more bureaucracy.   But as I said, something has to be done so I am torn because I don’t want the protesting to stop healthcare reform.  I see this debacle from both sides, Bush had the house and congress as prices were soaring and they didn’t do anything - we went from paying $400 per month for health insurance and now we are at $1300 per month.  If they take us higher I don’t know what we will do.  It takes a serious bite out of our ability to save and invest for retirement.  If the repubs hadn’t ignored the issue we may not be in this problem.  Where was the visionary thinking of - hey maybe we should do something because if the dems do it we will end up with a massive expensive bureaucracy that will cost the nation tons.  Where were they?

Okay, so here we are and it just seems that this bill is too much too early.  Where are the jobs?  They say unemployment numbers aren’t so bad- but they are creating "volunteer" jobs with stimulus funds.  Better they have a job than not, but how long will those jobs last if the country goes belly up due to bankruptcy because we don’t export and manufacture?  Thousands of young men and women are turning to the military - I know that 15,000 joined in July.  I was speaking to someone from Force Command last week and he says that now they come to join and the catch phrase is "take a number".  They send them home and they come back the next day.  Their parents are taking the part time jobs they used to work.  We need as much effort as they are focusing healthcare put on job creation.  I don’t get it.  

Maizie,

You are right and I agree. 

Helen,

I do write them and call them all the time.  Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein never seem to have time for me and all I get back is a mass emailing - Ahh well.  

It doesn’t matter, I write to whomever is important and I don’t stop. 

Maizie

Great discussion and great posts.  I agree with so much.  Where did we get lost?  Power and money and the combination of the two of those is lethal.

I remember my 7th grade American History teacher Mrs. Keck.  She was older - rather prim, I remember walking by her house in wonder and awe at her garden.  Anyway, one of the lessons that she taught that has always struck me about the nature of our system was the creation by the founders of "checks and balances."  It was amazing to me how clever the system was devised to keep the different departments of government honest.  The founders understood human nature and what could happen, and I believe they were trying to set forth a system that would hold together, and be able to face the extremities caused by man’s drive for individual self-survival and dominance, as well as greed and imperialism.  They were also opposed to big government - as is evidenced by the fact that they were rebelling against one of the biggest governments on the planet - the British Empire.

Your illustration of the mansion is very telling.  It seems to me that it is more than just the corruption of time, and more than divisiveness, which at times is so petty and belittles the fact that the US was the first democracy ever established.  Many thinkers, dreamers and philosophers were moving toward that idea of freedom, limited only by the current belief systems at that time.  But the US was the only nation to actively embody those ideals with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  

The paradox, if you will,  or hypocrisy of it was that slave holders had participated in writing the declaration and the constitution.  So, even at that time, when the clearly wrong and divisive issue of slavery was there, this nation emerged. Man’s thought had evolved to the point that somewhere they could dream that there would be a realization that "all men were created equal."  So even with one of the most backward practices in existence -slavery - this experiment of democracy was engaged.  

Where did the experiment go wrong?  I remember reading a book - wow - over 15 years ago - The Lobbyists, and it described the practices in Washington at that time.  I can only think it has gotten worse with time and more laws and "ifs ands and buts" that erode the original idea - that this country is supposed to be by the people and for the people. Now it is by the special interests and for the special interests.

Owning a business that has worked in some beautiful historic homes the lesson is always go back to the original concept of the designer and the builder.  Systems get overburdened with new lights and fixtures so the old system has to be redone, but it is always with keeping within the integrity of the original idea.  Has our government gotten too convoluted in the programs it has created?  Why don’t they clean out the attic and old wiring before they just put more of it all around the old.  I don’t think they have the ability to and what is the old saying?  "Once a program is initiated there is no getting rid of it - whether it has outlived it’s relevancy or whether or not we need it.

I have said a million times that something has to be done about healthcare, but Washington can’t seem to do anything with efficiency anymore.   

Both or your posts hit to the core of some of the biggest questions of our time.  I don’t know if they are capable of answering them in Washington, but everything that is happening is waking up the populace and that is a good thing.  I think there will be turmoil for a while, but hopefully something of benefit will emerge.

Helen,

Boy, you said it - "… the best government money can buy.."  LOL  I just wish the rest were true about them earning it.  LOL