all things californian

"THE" Dream...

The greatest Californian dreams ranging from hopes for riches and fame to those who wish the impossible, these dreams are mostly put in the head of younger children and teenagers. For not being the individual that the society in California wants, for example, not being financially empowered or the unwilling of a young teenager to receive an education, the creation of a machine has been molded. These examples are just two of many more of how the California dream has been created to benefit a small handful of people. Who might those people be? It might be those men and ladies living in big fancy houses that look down on the blue collar working class. The idea that California should be represented as the greatest place has created a world where all the wrongs and bad things such as drugs sexual exploitation crime or basically anyone who is not the owner of the big fancy house. In California the idea that every individual is molded into being a college student is unrealistic, ok the world does need educational leaders but the same world does need just as bad the working class. From plumber’s landscapers and anyone who may fit in between, these where the creators of the great land of California and in a sense California has lost the backbone in which it was created on. The selfish California dream is the real reason to why many pursuit all the great things on this golden state. If you take a look around almost everyone at this time is out to get theirs in a sense, what I mean is that we all do what we do in a selfish manner and that what I do will better me in a way. A teacher might say that he is in it for students but in reality he or she might just be happy knowing that "I" did something and now "I" feel better. My California dream of survival in an injustice world :)

This is all I was able to write after having writers block so yeah. . . (P.S. not intended to be offensive either)

Do You Know in Whom You Believe?

I recently found a lump in my left breast.  Now don't worry, it has turned out to not be cancer.  But . . . it has been an interesting journey.

We had just climbed into bed when I found it.  My husband was already asleep after a very long day, so I decided that, rather than wake him, I would wait and tell him the next morning.  I'm not sure that was the wisest choice.  It caused me to lay alone in the dark with nothing but my own thoughts and fears.  Looking back, it's those thoughts and fears that I now find the most interesting.  They were my first reaction.

My first concern was for my children and my husband.  My first prayer was, "Please God, be with them no matter what.  Help them not to get angry with you.  Help them to turn to you for their comfort."  As you can see, my fears caused me to immediately think the worst.  From there my thoughts went to all of the unfinished projects I have around the house.  (That part now cracks me up! :-)  After that, I began thinking about what may lay ahead of me physically.  It may seem as though I had been laying there for hours thinking through all of this, but in actuality, only several minutes had passed.

As I lay there waffling between feeding my fears and trying to pray, I realized that I needed to reign in my thoughts.  I needed to "take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)  Rather than allowing my fears to control my thought process and my life, I needed to turn them into a prayer and direct them to the one and only person who could do something about them.  What an amazing difference that made in my heart and mind.  I will not say it was easy.  It was still a very difficult battle; but even in the midst of it, I was able to experience God's peace.  Philippians 4:6-7 words it perfectly:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And all peace of God, which transcends all understand, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  That is what I experienced!

Is it a coincidence that I had just begun a research paper on the decline in the incidence of breast cancer mortality in California?  That I live in the state where most of the cutting edge research and medical advances take place?  That if I need them, I live within driving distance to three of the best women's health facilities in the nation?  I think not!

You see, I realized after that very long night, that I know in Whom I believe.  In life, I will experience doubts and fears.  I will face illness and hardship.  Life here on earth (even in California :-) will never be perfect.  But even so, God is able and willing to keep and guard all that I have entrusted to him.  Those things that are really important: my heart, my life, and my eternity.

Do you know in whom you believe?

Medical Marijuana

In 1970, the federal government passed the Controlled Substances Act which made the use of marijuana illegal for all purposes. This included the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in any form. Despite the preexisting law, California passed Proposition 215 in 1996, which allowed doctors to prescribe marijuana to ill patients. California directly defied the federal government and lawsuits began immediately. As of today, the federal government is standing firm on Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Several other states have followed in California's footsteps and voted to allow medicinal use of marijuana. The federal government has made it clear that cultivators and distributors of marijuana for medical purposes are not immune from federal prosecution under the Controlled Substances Act. Even patients using marijuana vaporizers in their dying days are not protected by Proposition 215. As recently as March 2007, federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), arrested three marijuana cultivators in southern California.
California has  the reputation for being a place to escape oppression. People move to California every day to escape persecution from their families, small towns, and religion. Men and women come seeking freedom to live as they see fit. It is no surprise that California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana. I believe Californians are shocked by the federal government's response. The struggle between California and the federal government resembles that of a child and a parent. The parent makes the rules and the child rebels, some of the siblings (other states) take the rebellious side and others are loyal the parent. The dream of having the freedom to choose in California is challenged by the boundaries set by the federal government. The medical marijuana issue reminds Californians that we are still a part of the USA. California is not its own country free to do as it pleases.

If you wish to comment, please do not discuss whether or not you agree that marijuana should be rescheduled or legalized. Please comment on what the topic says about California dreams and realities.   

Community Medical Clinics to the Rescue

According to the US Census Bureau in 2004, the State of California had 18.4% of its population without health insurance.  The Sacramento’s Business Journal, August 29, 2005 edition, published an article that identifies California as the seventh among states with highest uninsured rates in the nation.  My first thought was, not too bad it’s only a little over 18% which is under a quarter of the population.  Then I decided to do my elementary math and to my surprise the numbers were quite astonishing.  In 2005, the population for California was 33,871,648 out of which 3,051,280 are from the County of San Diego.  About 6,232,383.23 of Californian’s are without health insurance.  To give you a better picture of how many people are without insurance we can safely say that this number is equal to two times the population of San Diego County.  What are these people doing to get medical attention; where are they getting their physicals, and immunizations and why should the size of our bank account and our financial status determine the quality of health care we deseve?  Does a child from a upper middle class deserve better health care than a child from a immigrant laborer?

In the past five years the San Diego County community clinics have been providing medical and dental services to the uninsured community.  In a recent article the San Diego Union Tribune published an article on the Governor’s plan to increase the non-profit community clinics.  This article indicates that 55% of the people they serve have Medi-Cal, 23% are uninsured and 5% are covered by private insurance.  Many clinics have programs that will service the poorest of communities that are both of legal or illegal immigration status.

College students are also part of this group of uninsured Californians.  Hopefully these students are using the resources provided by their colleges; these health services are many times paid through their tuition fees.  On the other hand these on-campus resources may not be as economical as we may think.  Recently CSUSM students have been hit with increasing rates from $6 to $50 to $100 and now a proposed $30-$40 increase to help build a bigger and new health facility.  This proposed facility is one that will be finished in 2011, but of course the students did not approve the vote since they are being asked to pay for a service they can’t even use.  Who wants to pay for a service they will not get to use?  Nobody does, unless it will benefit them in the long run and some students will leave the college and never use these facilities.

On the other hand, if you’re not a college student then you’re most likely to just tough it out or seek medical assistance through one of the local non-profits like North County Community Health Services (http://www.nchs-health.org/program/services.html, which offers both dental and medical services on a discounted sliding scale for those patients that are uninsured and qualify based on the set guidelines.  Another of the local non-profit organizations is Vista Community Clinic (http://www.vistacommunityclinic.org/services.shtml .)  For a list of community clinics in San Diego go to www.ccc-sd.org/clinics/clinic-search.aspx.  These numbers remind me of how blessed I am to work for an organization that pays well and provides full health insurance for me and my family.