This is not a political blog, but these are interesting times in the world of politics, and since I work in a field which can be included under the ‘health-care’ umbrella, I think I should offer my take on the months-long health-care fight in Washington, since it now looks like the bill might (might!) pass this coming Sunday.

In short, I am a big supporter of this bill. Here’s a good, short rundown of what the bill offers the American people. This is taken from the blog of Ezra Klein, a journalist, blogger, and pundit who (at the believe-it-or-not tender age of 25!!) has been one of the best voices of reason and analysis during the last year of back-and-forth on health-care reform.

It’s not just important that this bill passes for political reasons–you know, because President Obama needs a big win heading into the midterms, and Democrats don’t want to lose the House or the Senate. If the bill passes, not only will it be more likely that the Democrats will retain most of their seats, but in my view, it will be more justifiable, too. I’ve thought for a long time that if they lose this fight, they deserve to lose control of the Federal government.

But the politics of this issue can’t compare in importance to the urgent need to cover 32 million people, outlaw denials for pre-existing conditions, make health-care coverage more affordable for everyone, and secure, once and for all, the right of all Americans to health insurance. The bill is far, far from perfect. I would have loved a public option, and I think the amendments about abortion are a travesty, and endanger human life. I hear the complaints of many of my women friends who are appalled at the concessions Democrats made. And I am appalled, too, that they made all those concessions and received nothing in return from the obstructionist Republicans.

But this is an essential, monumental first step. It won’t be too hard to add a public option, perhaps even next year (give or take the midterms). And other fixes can be made to expand coverage and level the playing field so that middle-class and poor citizens receive more coverage, better health care, and more financial security.

I was surprised that so little was said about mental health throughout this fight, and I intend to follow that issue in the coming months. But for now, I’m rooting for passage, and will celebrate on Sunday if it happens. If you haven’t been following this story, tune in. We could be approaching a history-making moment.

And for more on the issue from another great blogger, go here.

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I admit it: I make fair-weather fans look like die-hards. I just don’t get excited about football. To be brutally honest, I don’t really know how to play it. (What’s a down? What’s a turnover? Sorry, but I am a football nonentity.) But for ten minutes every other year or so, I get excited. And I just had a fun ten minutes. Who dat?!

I think I am glad the Saints won mostly because I went to New Orleans last year and hold the city in a special place in my heart. And of course I love it whenever underdogs win. I’m not completely okay with this, though, since I’m from Minnesota and the Saints beat the Vikes the other week. But…this is good. Congratulations, New Orleans! You aren’t the Ain’ts anymore.

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The devastation in Haiti just keeps coming. As late as yesterday afternoon, I didn’t appreciate the magnitude of the catastrophe. Now I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. It’s hard to remember what I was thinking about as recently as a day ago. Health care reform? Stopping by the post office? What to have for lunch? Who cares?

I was thinking this morning that if I were in a different place in my life, I would seriously consider going down there to help. But that wouldn’t be the best thing to do. Here’s what I recommend you (and I) do to respond to this tragedy:

1. If you can do only one thing, do this: contribute cash to an organization that is already on the ground. Go here or here to get started. Sometimes I hear people criticizing others for “just writing checks” to respond to human crises, but that criticism is misplaced. Checks help. A lot.

2. Redouble your efforts here at home. The human suffering in Haiti is heart-wrenching to see, and it’s easy to forget how much human suffering is occurring within your own community. It would be a very human (or, humane) response to this disaster to use it as a motivator for your own local contributions of time, energy, and treasure. I do volunteer work at a day-labor agency in Seattle, and today, one of the reasons I do that is Haiti.

3. If you are a medical professional, you might be able to go to Haiti now and make a difference. Click here for more information. If you’re not a medical professional, go to New Orleans. (That’s not a typo!) If you’re in a place in your life that allows for a more radical response, a drop-everything-and-go response, I recommend you go to a disaster site that is better prepared to receive you and get you to work right away. Haiti is in chaos; they’ve only recently secured their airport (with your government’s help), so if non-medical helpers aren’t already on site, they may not be able to make a difference in this early stage of response. But If you flew to New Orleans and found a place to stay, they’d have you hanging sheetrock in the Lower Ninth in just a couple of days!

4. Finally, whatever you do, hold the people of Haiti—and all the people on earth who suffer—in your mind and heart today, and in the coming weeks and months (okay, years). If you’re so inclined, hold them in your prayers. The person who most benefits from this activity might be you yourself, but that’s okay—you’re human, too. You’re able to suffer, and you have suffered. Your openness to the suffering of others makes you more human, and can transform your life. You can be a part of the recovery just by being emotionally present to the people of Haiti.

Photo was found here.

This post was edited with updated information about how medical professionals can go to Haiti now.

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