Brown Senate Victory: A Rash Backlash?

Scott Brown's Mass. Senate victory marks a stark change in the political climate since Obama was sworn in exactly one year ago today. It's clear now, as Ted Kennedy's Senate seat turns Republican for the first time since 1962, that an inevitable liberal backlash is well underway while the Senate midterm elections in November rapidly approach.
Truth be told, the Obama administration certainly deserves the criticism thrown at them in recent months. The failed Christmas bombing attempt revealed an overwhelming lack of competency for a post 9/11 government. The massive health care bill is being pushed through the legislative process, without the promised transparency Obama campaigned on. National debt is at an all-time high. Not to mention, job creation seems to have disappeared from a loaded list of top priorities while unemployment hovers around 10%.
And yet, that same criticism displays a lack of true patriotic constructiveness from a party whose defining characteristic is "country first." Republicans have time and time again proven themselves to be obstructionists more than anything, defined simply by what they are opposed to without proposing helpful alternative solutions themselves.

Worse, an angered Tea Party is rallying against what they call socialism—the bailing out of Wall Street, major banks and the auto industry in an imploding economy—without specifically mentioning the even grimmer alternative: bankruptcy and crashes on a similar scale with the Great Depression in the 1930's. If that happened, wouldn't everyone be pointing fingers wondering why the government didn't step in?

Misdirection and fear-mongering is rampant. And that is really the sad story being played out—that even while the Obama administration has paved new roads to reach Americans to dispel myths born of fear through its website, blog, newsletters, social networking, weekly addresses, town hall meetings...you name it, not a single Republican Senator will vote for what this country desperately needs: health care reform.

Surely, a populist backlash can be healthy for the country as a whole. It's precisely what got Democrats in power to begin with. Short memories aren't reminded that the economic crisis brewed and erupted on Bush's watch.

But this has tipped the scales of power in the Senate, enough to block the nearing passage of the health care bill (59-41). President Obama has already stated in a CBS interview that the implications of last night's G.O.P. victory will most likely force a revised, bipartisan Senate bill.

Which begs a serious concern: Will the backlash prove rash enough that we realize, five years down the road, health care reform, among other legislation, should have been much stronger?

Cellphone Texting Aids Haiti Earthquake Victims

Within just three days following the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, The American Red Cross has raised $8 million in aid through text donations via cellphones. Simply texting "Haiti" to 90999 will send a donation of $10 to the relief effort that is billed to your cellphone bill.

By far, this is the most convenient way to send a small donation that can go a long way. Simple math reveals that already, 800,000 individual donations have been collected this way.

There is no charge for text messages sent and received, and according to redcross.org, every penny of the donated $10 goes to The American Red Cross to help those in need.

It's just another example of successfully reaching a wider audience through the use of technology (Apple's iPhone and Twitter are notable examples).

Phone donations are limited to $20-$30 per phone. To donate more, visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

Full-time Status in 2010

This past Wednesday, I gave a two weeks notice to Borders, my part-time position. For the first time, I will be working exclusively in my field as a full-time employee starting Jan. 13th at Image Marketing Group. Doing so will end about a year and a half of working two jobs in order to receive health insurance. Thanks to COBRA, I'm allowed to retain my existing part-time coverage for 18 months after quitting Borders for the same rate.

Even though I've mostly worked 32 hours a week in my field in the past year and a half, part-time status was holding me back. Going full-time allows me to earn more per hour at a job that means exponentially more in terms of resume experience and self-fulfillment. Instead of splitting 50+ hours a week between two jobs, I'll be working 40 while earning roughly the same amount of money.

Commuting to Borders meant driving an hour each way twice a week (4 hours total), whereas Image Marketing is less than a mile away. That means less wear on my car and less frequent gas/oil change expenses.

I also get Sundays back, which enables me the time to post again.

While Borders was mostly a positive experience, imparting solid communication and customer service skills, I think it's high time to finally say  "good riddance" as I move on to the next stage of my career as a Copywriter / Web Consultant.

I look forward to it, as well as contributing more to The Cultivator in the new year.