SPICEblog

"Life at the Top Isn't Just Better, It's Longer"

The New York Times is doing a series on class in America. It's most recent article follows the progression of three people who had a heart attack--an architect, a Con Edison worker, and a maid. Looking at a variety of factors, the article concludes that how much you make, how educated you are, where you live, and what you do for a living will not only affect the quality of your life but how long you live.

"Life at the Top Isn't Just Better, It's Longer"

Story

Health care stories, anyone?

The topic is politicians and integrity. I'm not sure I'm ready to hold politicians to my personal Quaker standards. I'm not even sure I know exactly what my personal Quaker standards are. I was challenged by a trip to the NC Legislature to advocate against a gay marriage amendment a month ago. The Democratic majority, for political reasons, wanted nothing more than to keep this issue from leaving committee, and they had the political wherewithal to achieve that goal. One Democratic legislator said the best thing we could do to keep this amendment from happening would be to "go get a cup of cappuchino." His reasoning was that publicity around this issue in a conservative state like North Carolina could only hurt. It might force the amendment out of committee, force a vote on the floor, which would almost surely pass, leading to an issue on the state ballot that would bring the religious right to the polls and possibly create a Republican majority in state government.

So, was he right? Or is it my job, if I have integrity, to "Speak Truth to Power" even if the short-term consequences seem counter-productive?