Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Aloha First Family

ALOHA

Freezing Friends
Welcome to
WARM WAIKIKI

Click on photos for a warm feeling.
Photos courtesy of blog, Talking Points Memo


"Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you,
and in the end you are sure to succeed."
- Abraham Lincoln



"The fiery trials through which we pass
will light us down in honour or dishonour to the latest generation."
- Abraham Lincoln


"He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help."
- Abraham Lincoln




><>


Well,
the President and his family boarded Air Force One on Sunday evening,
leaving his childhood home (and birthplace) to those of us lucky enough to remain here.


Watching him walk up the steps with Michelle (on the local news)
my eyes filled with tears.
So much for one man to do! So many challenges!
And so many unthinking folks whose hatred trumps their duty to the future. But don't worry; millionaire Rush says that his first class medical care here in Honolulu proves that our best of all systems WORKS.
Can he really be that insulated or insincere?


My 84 year-old father (a WWII) veteran was on Medicare,
but after his death last May, the hospital (Queens Hospital - where Rush stayed) held my mother up by her ankles and shook the last few thousand dollars out of her bank account for the laborious over-treatment
that Dad was subjected to
in the last weeks of his life.


We wanted him to receive palliative care at home (saving him untold struggle and suffering - and the system tens of thousands of dollars) but his doctor told him that he HAD to continue to get chemo.
"Had to!"
To people of my father's generation the doctor knows best
so Dad fought a hopeless battle, and suffered longer,
instead of making peace.
(Even if he was treated beautifully by the patient care-team.)




Resources were wasted, and my mom still gets calls from creditors.
But hey, isn't it great that the system works!




On his last weekend on-island,
Barack played basketball with his old High School teammates
(they won the State championship together in 1979),
strolled the zoo with his kids, and stopped to pay his respects to his paternal (WWII veteran) grandfather who raised him,
and the other honored dead,
at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.
The children were with him for that too.




The United States
is seeing the largest transfer of wealth
(all upward)
in the history of our country.





The Middle Class,
and the "American Dream"
are passing from the scene.




Elites are reckoned to be "worth"
millions, even billions,
even as we close Hawaii's schools on Fridays
for lack of funds.





Too bad that the kids and their parents
don't all work on Wall Street.





The sun is shining today here in Waikiki,
the air is balmy,
and I am grateful
for the treasure of today.





But I also e-mailed my Congressional Representative,
urging him to support Health Care Reform.


So please join me if you can, Fellow Americans:
Don't despair!
Celebrate YOUR life
by making the world better!


To my international friends
who I value so very much:
I wish YOU all of the prosperity & security
of a life well lived,
a life that you work so hard to create.




May all of our children
have a better life than we have had.


And Thanks to each of YOU for listening;

Don't forget the magic that surrounds you!


Warm Aloha, cloudia

30 comments:

Kay said...

This is such an excellent post, Cloudia. I love the photos of President Obama and his family. You really do get such a warm feeling looking at them.

I agree with you 100% about health care reform. I just don't understand why there are so many people who are against it.

BALLET NEWS said...

Aloha Cloudia ! Love this post of yours. Brilliant pictures - really natural and relaxed looking. Happy New Year too.

Anonymous said...

How refreshing to come across a supporter of our President!!

Amanda said...

I found you on "Jerusalem hills daily photo". My in-laws live on Kauai and we just came back friday. We didn't want to leave at all. Lending from Lihue, we saw Air Force I. You live on an amazing place. After years of visiting I only realized few days ago that I would actually wouldn't mind living in Hawaii.

the walking man said...

Sorry to hear about your mother's woe after her grievous loss. Does she know the ..."Go to hell, I am not paying anything more?" If not I will be glad to teach her them.

Rush makes $33,000,000, per year. I find it hard to believe he got no better care than your father did.

Two Words Twin of mine.

ADVANCED DIRECTIVE...mine is filled and filed and no doctor can change it. They have 1/2 hour to save my life and then they HAVE to let me die. The paper work for cadaver disposal is filed with the medical school and the rest of the system...can go to hell. My old lady already knows if they send a bill for anything to not pay it. Health care is a human right not a privilege for Rushkins only.

The president has only the first half of this year to show his cards then he loses me as a defender of his policy regarding health care.

Dulçe ♥ said...

Oh my! Great post dear Cloudia.
I am sorry your dad had to go through all that unnecessay pain and waist ...
A better world yes... That's not only an American Dream...
Dulce

Dulçe ♥ said...

I meant WASTE... of course... and Aloha!

Anonymous said...

The quote about success - fantastic. And I wish & pray no more worries for Mom.

claude said...

I sincerely hope your President OBAMA will be successful in heath care.
In France we have had this human right for a very long time.
ALOHA CLOUDIA !

The Weaver of Grass said...

Wonderful uplifting post Cloudia.

G-Man said...

Thanks for your well wishes Cloudia. Sorry to hear about your Mom's woes. Can she still raise her middle finger?

Hilary said...

It's such a shame that your parents were treated as they were. I do hope for your sake that changes will come about in your health care system. It's unfathomable to me that the U.S. is so resistant to such a positive change. Lovely post, Cloudia.

Bubblewench said...

Aloha! Sorry I have been lame on comments, but I have been keeping up! What a great post. The magic of YOU surrounds us when we visit here. Thank you.

Akelamalu said...

That is so awful what happened to your father and mother! It's like they're just out to make money rather than help people. I'm sure Obama's healthcare reforms would put a stop to that.

Rosaria Williams said...

Clodia, this is beautiful and wise. Yes, we should all write our representatives, at every level, and show up to as many meetings as we can. If we want democracy to work, we need to be present in mind, in words, in person.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures.

Aloha, new friend.

Daryl said...

Ah Rush .. I would wish him a long painful illness but I wished that on Dick Cheney

Charles Gramlich said...

What a sad state of affairs. I didn't know they were closing schools in Hawaii on fridays because of lack of funds. That's outrageous.

Sumandebray said...

It was such a touchy post. We understand Mr Obama has made the Health care reform bill the mission of his life for now. I do not want to be judgemental but I wish whatever is good for the majority of your people happens!
I was sad to read about the ordeal that your mom had to undergo. Hope no one has to go through such experience this year onwards
cheers!

Anonymous said...

Sorry your Mom's had to go through the wringer. Asking the hospital for help or forgivenes for some of the bill through Catholic Charities or similar organizations can actually help.
There is a ray of hope. Instead of overzealous oncologists, there are now Board-certified docs in hospice and palliative care med! It will take another 40 years for docs to realize they shouldn't try to "fix" everything.

Reform didn't come soon enough, as my 22 year-old is kicked off of my health insurance. The college student policy has too many gaps. 2014 won't be in time for us, but I still support Obama's changes.

Glad the Obamas had a break from DC. DrumMajor

Anonymous said...

Having a heaven-high corruption over here in Athens, you might imagine how much I'd like to see a change in that system, which does also lag to be able to pay pension every year more and more.
Wishing you all the best for a success and together with my respect for your grandfather's effort, I'd like to wish you a wonderful Wednesday.

Teresa said...

Great post, Cloudia. I heartily agree! Sorry your parents had to go through so much suffering.

Anonymous said...

We are very lucky here in Australia, we have health care available to all, sometimes the waiting lists are a little longer for non emergency surgeries etc but really, if you need it done, it is done and quickly at no cost. The public health system here is wonderful compared to the states. I really dont know how the government can allow it to happen.
I hope the reform passes and care is installed at the level it should be applied to all.
A post from the heart of someone with a big heart <3
Best wishes Cloudia
xxsm

SandyCarlson said...

President Obama is a beautiful human being. His family is also beautiful. I support his efforts.

God bless, my friend.

இ Baŋäŋaz இ said...

Almost can't confirm its Obama from the first picture, looked so stressed-out. Very well said will not forget the magic around us. Thanks

Jason said...

This is a great site you have here. I have a travel blog myself which I hope to be a top resource for vacation destination information.

I'd like to exchange links with you to help spread some traffic around between each other.

Please let me know if this is possible.

Jason
ThatVACATIONfeeling.com

Fireblossom said...

....What a great post, my friend, and how exciting about the visit! I'm excited that our first family is one we can be so proud of.

Unknown said...

Great post, Cloudia. Living here in Canada, I confess I am so unable to understand all the fuss about health care reform. Hmmm. I guess it's difficult for the rich to understand that healthcare is the birthright of ALL Americans, not just the ones who can afford it.

I am now stepping off my soapbox.

Marguerite said...

Fabulous post, cher! Great pics and quotes! I especially love the success quote. Right on about health care!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much Cloudia for the wonderful posts you do on President Obama. Aloha

Anonymous said...

Great stuff
When reading could it be the same of related storys in
[url=www.avg-free-download.org]avg free download[/url]