Monthly Archives: July 2009

(Community Matters) This weekend’s Out & About column stirred up some displeasure among a few friends. Among those who’ve talked with me about the column, they expressed an interpretation I wouldn’t have read into it, and frankly, one I wish they hadn’t jumped to embrace since most know Michael Barnes and all know me. Of course there was NO intention to suggest some elitist, exalted status of anyone who makes the Fortunate 500 list nor certainly to say anything about the Central Texans who don’t. No one I know on the list takes themselves or it so seriously. If they did, they probably wouldn’t make the list since – as I understand it – a big part of the qualifying criteria is how much time folks spend contributing in their communities. And, of course it’s part caricature since though the AAS invites nominations, it happens to mostly be those who bump into Michael the most and are out & about.

Michael Barnes has done as much if not more than anyone else in this city helping promote Austin arts and, especially during the last couple of years, promoting tons of good causes. Yeah, and now he writes a social column, but if you remember social columns in the past or even those in other markets, it’s gotta be the most broad, the most inclusive of any out there.

The idea of a forum (which was just brainstorming by the way) for conversations about how to get engaged stems, at least in part, from my conversation noting that I meet with at least 3 people a week, sometimes way more, who simply want to know how to better plug into Austin, how to contribute in the nonprofit & political worlds. Of course, tons and tons of others on & off the Fort 500 list have similar conversations regularly. The proposal didn’t presume they didn’t or that they don’t even better. It was simply brainstorming about how the brand MB and the AAS have built might be otherwise useful.

I’m sorry that the conversation stirred up any negative feelings among friends or strangers. I’m hoping my friends will let it pass and chalk it up to bad communication. thx

(Community Matters) I don’t spend much time thinking about the drug cartels but recent stories of violence in Mexico, threats to friends near Guadalajara and ex pats fleeing even San Miguel have prompted more thinking. As did the recent story of the candidate for mayor admitting that drug lords ran a major Mexican city and that he could not speak ill of the gangs without being killed. Today’s AP story in AAS.

(Community Matters) Continuation – build up – of the war in Afghanistan is one area which continues to trouble me.

The bad news? This is State-Building 101, and our partners, the current Afghan police and government, are so corrupt that more than a few Afghans prefer the Taliban. With infinite time, money, soldiers and aid workers, we can probably reverse that. But we have none of these. I feel a gap building between our ends and our means and our time constraints. My heart says: Mission critical — help those Afghans who want decent government. My head says: Mission impossible. Friedman in NYT

(Community Matters) Wow, I find this really ironic.

(Community Matters) Led by President Obama, the Senate courageously approved stripping $1.75 billion from the defense budget for not-needed F-22 fighter jets. This fight has been on-going for years, but administrations unable to defeat the military industrial complex. An outstanding win for Pres. Obama. Fiscal responsibility is cited even when the question is health insurance for children, women and men.

(Community Matters) I’d just like to mention that only one hit from Australia in the last couple of weeks – not that I’m counting AW or AM. 🙂

(Community Matters) In his column today, David Brooks suggests Barack Obama is leading the Democratic Party to disaster by tacking too far to the left.

Wow, wouldn’t the President’s life (and probably even more so, the White House staffs’ lives) be more manageable if only this were true. As it is, they are assailed at every turn by the left and the right. I suppose Mr. Brooks hasn’t been surfing the blogosphere where the president is accused by the left of selling out the treasury to Wall Street, healthcare to business, the war to the defense industry. . .

Poll numbers in the middle of making sausage (aka bill writing, law making) – about as transparently as this country has ever seen by the way – aren’t expected to hold up. And, doesn’t the GOP usually cite failure to abide by polls as the courageous path?

Listen . . . I get insecure too about the numbers tossed out by Republicans, Democrats, the CBO, healthcare reform opponents, proponents . . . basically everybody. Change is scary. And so are numbers we are hearing being thrown at Republicans and Democrats alike by those whose bread is buttered (wallets fattened) by the gross inefficiencies, private only pay plans and near monolpolies enjoyed by the healthcare insurance companies. They are spending tens of millions every month persuading lawmakers to protect their interests

Yeah, I’ve dealt with these guys. I still remember 1996 while CFO of a semiconductor start up. I was sick and we couldn’t figure it out (turned out to be mono). The insurance company didn’t want to pay for certain lab tests. When I finally got through to a group manager and noted my purchasing power on behalf of 200+ employees, he apologized, approved everything and told me he’d flagged my account so I wouldn’t be troubled again. He choked when I explained he better flag everyone of my employees, that I wasn’t so much calling just to complain about my labs (I could have afforded to pay for them out of pocket) as about my concern over the ridiculous formularies & protocols they were following.

And, I remember when Michael & I were at MD Anderson. He was in a room receiving chemotherapy. His doctors wanted us to obtain an antineusea drug but his insurance carrier wouldn’t aprove it. I spent 3 hours on the telephone before finally reaching a general manager for Michael’s UT student healthcare plan. After promising to blog about the problem, write a letter to the editor of the AAS and send letters to every single regent, president and CFO of the UT system, did he find the code which allowed MD Anderson’s pharmacy to qualify as provider for pharmacy (MD Anderson is a UT school/hospital – and the code was there the entire time, mind you).

So, any surprise the insurance companies have zero credibility with me? Any surprise in this sea of lies, distortions and hidden agendas that the person I choose to most believe is President Barack Obama?

(Community Matters)

Happy Birthday, Cookie
dinner club holidays celebration ’08

Also, pls forgive the day late. We missed you at dinner club last night

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) Kirk Rudy recommended I watch Defiance, then Doug Ulman tweeted about it. Yesterday, I watched the movie starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber and Jamie Bell as the three brothers who escaped and evaded the Nazis in Eastern Europe, saving themselves and hundreds of Jews. It’s based on a true story – an extraordinary film.

(Community Matters) Kirk’s weekly newsletter discusses the abysmal condition of Texas’ Workforce Commission and unemployment benefits for Texans’

last week, we learned that the workforce commission has so badly mangled the state’s benefits system that tens of thousands of Texans who need and qualify for benefits aren’t receiving them. In fact, the agency’s having a tough time even answering calls from worried Texans. full test here

(Community Matters) Dinner last night with Barbara Wohlgemuth and Carrie Stapleton, Barbara’s in from the Cape for a couple of weeks moving into their new home overlooking Butler Park, Townlake and the Austin skyline. Terrific weekend. Good gosh wish we could get out to the Cape before end of this season, alas . . . .