Anyone seen the light switch?

So here it is again
Rape and pillage proves
To win the public vote

Someone tell me who will take the prize
And who takes the fall

So confused when you're lost in the groove
So confused when you're lost in the groove

- "The Groove" by Muse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIqzqg1MoMc


I've been thinking about this song all day. It's a B-side from Muse that I happened to stumble upon a couple of weeks ago while cruising through YouTube videos of these British rock gods. This particular song lacks all of the usual showmanship and flare that define the majority of Muse's music. In fact, "The Groove" is simply a straight-forward rocker directly out of the Jimi Hendrix vein. A powerful and catchy opening riff channeling a "Purple Haze" vibe in all it's glory, followed by lead singer Matt Bellamy pouring out his heart in a haunting chorus.

"So confused (oooohhh) when you're lost in the the groove."

The emotion in Bellamy's voice is unmistakable. Listening to this song you can feel every ounce of his confusion, his anger, his outrage. You get the sense he is royally pissed off about something that he doesn't quite understand. Something violating his very sense of right and wrong.

Boy can I relate to this song.

I ask you to bear with me here for a few minutes. I'm about to enter uncharted waters. I want to make a statement, and I figure I should just come out and say it. So here goes:

I really don't like where our society is headed and I have serious concerns regarding our future.

There, I've said it. I feel better. At least somewhat.

When I began this blog about three years ago, I made the conscious choice to avoid the pitfalls of politics. I figured the internet, and the entire mass media universe, is filled with negative portrayals of doom and gloom. Everywhere you look somebody is shouting at the top of their lungs about something. Usually something they believe will spell the end to the human race and make us all hide in fear with our blankies and our bottles.

I really want to get away from that. My main goal has always been to use this space as an escape. A chance for me to goof off a little bit, making jokes about my silly life and my wonderful family. Revel in the everyday magic of doctor's visits, trips to the grocery store and hanging preschool masterpieces on the fridge. I hope to bring a chuckle and a nod of recognition from anybody who happens to come across this blog.

I'm not ignorant of the world around me. I don't have my head buried in the sand. I just prefer to leave serious issues such as the disaster in Haiti and our country's devastating recession to the experts. Me, I'll tackle the "issues" regarding my Yorkie running away and my son's freaky ability to remember everything I've ever said, thank you very much.

But a funny thing happened the other day prompting this posting. April and I discovered our insurance plan changed with the new year. It's still the same company, but the insurance plan is dramatically different. We've discovered all of our doctors (including our family physician, Michael's wonderful allergist and April's OBGYN) are no longer covered on our new plan. I would understand if a couple of these doctors were no longer covered, but all of them? Really?

Michael has been seeing Dr. McMullin since he was 2-years-old. She was the doctor who finally diagnosed his food allergies, transforming a screaming and sick baby into a healthy and happy child. She's been with us every step of the way, always getting him in for appointments when his allergies flared up badly and always following up with a personal phone call.

Now we can no longer afford to see her.

It's a similar story with April's OBGYN. April simply loves Dr. Self. We are currently trying to have another child, so we were counting on Dr. Self playing an integral role in our lives during the coming year.

Now that is also up in the air.

I'm not trying to sound like a spoiled and whiny American. I realize April and I are extremely lucky to have health insurance at all in this recession. It just grates on me. The fact that insurance companies can do whatever they want, dropping people at will for "preexisting conditions," and dramatically altering coverage so that a family with young children suddenly lose coverage for ALL of their doctors. There are no restrictions on these companies. They can simply make the rules up as they see fit.

And I for one just don't understand why people support this.

I would never pretend to be an "expert" regarding our government policies. I speak only as a typical layman citizen who is probably too ignorant and misinformed. My ignorant self cannot understand, however, why people are adamantly opposed to fixing a system that is spinning out of control. Rising costs, plummeting coverage and zero regulations make for a very scary system in my opinion.

My concerns extend well beyond our current health care "debate." I have noticed a prevailing attitude among our general population that scares me. There seems to be a belief that greed is good, selfishness is commendable, and compassion is grounds for treason.

The very lessons of sacrifice and lending a helping hand that we all instill in our children are ignored by the "grownups" among us. In Idaho our government has responded to a deficit crisis by slashing education funding to the bone and eliminating most, if not all, state funding to crucial programs such as the Idaho Human Rights Commision and Idaho Public Television.

Programs giving a voice to minorities, educating our children and insuring a diverse and prosperous future. All of these programs are in a serious fight for survival. Our government argues that times are tough and these programs must find ways to fund themselves. They conveniently ignore the fact that these very same programs simply cannot "fund themselves." They need help that the government is designed to provide.

My main outrage is not the government's proposals to slash funding for these programs. This is a predictable move. Especially in Idaho. My main outrage is that there is no outrage. That people seem to accept this without question. They shrug their shoulders, scan the fine print to make sure there are no new taxes, and move on.

What happened to compassion? What happened to taking care of each other? What happened to the concepts of community and human decency?

Terms like "socialist" and "government handout" run rampant within the media and everyday conversation. It is accepted thought that we must not sacrifice anything to help anyone in need. People in need are below us. They don't deserve our help. A line I hear often is, "Why should I have to pay for (schools, libraries, roads, the homeless, healthcare for others, etc.)?" People are not horrified by this question. They don't scream out, "Because you're a decent human being and helping others is the right thing to do!!!" People actually nod in agreement, content in their "me-first" outlook.

Let me remind you, I am no expert on anything. I'm just "Joe Citizen" here rambling incoherently on his blog. But I do see a vast shift in our society.

If you've made it this far, I thank you. I'll close here by asking one simple favor - Take a moment to look around and really ask yourself if you like what you see. If you don't, please spend a few minutes each day bringing light into your little corner of the world. Be kind to your neighbors. Extend a helping hand to a friend or relative in need. Read to your kids. Give to a charity. Get the word out that greed is not good and compassion is not un-American. If you can make your little spot in the unverse brighter, then at least you've accomplished something. And who knows? If enough of us offer a little light, then we just might illuminate others along the way.

It's worth a shot, right?

Let's end with a happy song, shall we? Sing along with me kiddies: "This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!!!"

- Dave