Democrats put advocacy back in the hands of the people

When Sen. Obama and the DNC refused to accept money from lobbyist they put special interest lobbyist on notice. Advocacy organizations and individuals can talk directly to their congressmen. Now we have to rise up and make our voices heard!All it took is one man to stand up and now we have campaign finance reform! This was a good start.

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Tony Snow, you either loved him or not….

Not to speak ill of the deceased, ask yourself what did you think of Tony Snow when he was alive? Did you like him? If you did, then you should morn his untimely death. If you didn't like him, then you may feel sympathy for the loss of another human being.

When I look in the major broadcast media and see all these commentators throwing out all these accolades about Tony Snow it bothers me. Whatever happened to fair and unbiased reporting? Over the years these same news commentators spoke about how Tony Snow and the Bush administration deceived the American public about the war in Iraq. Tony Snow's job was to put a positive spin on the information that came out of the White House.

Ask the parents of the soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq if they think Tony Snow was honest and a man of integrity. This is how mainstream media is portraying him as now that he has died. Mainstream media is working hard to convince us that Tony Snow was a wonder person, and he really might have been. My prayers go out to his family.

We should watch the company that we keep. Sometimes we are remembered by the company that we kept. Being connected to the Bush Administration may have cause a good man's reputation to be tarnished.

Drinking Juices my be bad for you!

Please don't squeeze that orange...unless you plan to peel it and eat it...but if it's juice you have in mind, forget it. I'm no doctor, nutritionist or dietitian, but I know something about healthful eating, and I'm about to give you an important health warning that your doctor either forgot to mention...or perhaps doesn't know about it.

Simply put, don't drink juices if you value your health...no orange, grape, apple, or tomato juices...no fruit or vegetables juices at all. Unless you know something about your digestive system, you may be endangering yourself by drinking juices, even those you made yourself from scratch. Bottled juices can be even more hazardous, especially those made from citrus fruit.

By now you must be in denial or disbelief, saying to yourself, What is she talking about? I'll get right to the point. Drinking juices requires no chewing, but poursdirecty into your stomach, where it ferments because it hasn't been properly digested. All fruits and vegetables are properly digested in the mouth by the enzymes in your saliva. Once digested, the body is allowed to absorb its nutritionalproperties. As a result of improper digestion and subsequent fermentation, which may block the digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in your stomach,you develop indigestion, bloating, flatulence and even sharp gas pains.

If you doubt it, walk down the aisles of any drug store or supermarket and observerows and rows of anti-acid pillls, liquids, and other remedies for indigestion and acid-reflux symptoms and diseases. Even those expensive prescriptions doctors givetheir patients to relieve the discomfort and harm from juice drinking does notprevent continued symptoms and eventual illness.

Citrus juices are particularly harmful because most of their Vitamin C disappearsshortly after the fruit has been opened or squeezed and the resulting juices arevery acidic. Besides, fructose sugar is concentrated in most juices, which canlead to higher blood sugar and possibly the risk for diabetes.

If you must have your juices, you have to chew them before swallowing them.That is not very appetizing. I've read that diluting juices with at least half watermake them less destructive to your digestive system, but diluted juices areno more appetizing than chewed juices.

Your best bet is to eat the fruit and veggies whole. You'll be getting more nourishment, you won't be wasting the fiber and nutrients, and you won't begetting as much sugar in your bloodstream as you would from juices.

If this makes sense to you...or not...check it out with your doctor, or a nutritionist or dietition, or go online, search under digestion, juices, acid indigestion, nutritionalbenefits of particular foods, and other related categories. That should convince you.If you suffer from acute acid indigestion, and you are a juice drinker, you might want to start by eliminating all juices for awhile to see if that makes a difference. There are other bad health habits besides juice drinking that cause indigestion and acid-reflux disease, but juices are a big part of the American diet, and indigestion isa major health problem. Once a person's digestive system is harmed, many otherserious health problems can arise as a result.

We' ve been told that Food is Your Best Medicine and that You are What you Eat.I agree, but how you eat that food is an important health consideration. We've also been told, You Can Dig Your Grave with your Teeth. What you eat and how you eat it and what you know about it has a solid impact on your health, and the health of your children and family. If you didn't know about the dangers of drinking juices,I hope this is the wake-up call that will make an important difference in your life.

Non Profit Organizations Get in Their Own Way!

In my day job I'm the president of my public relations firm. I've been in meetings with clients while they discussed which organizations they should give funding to. The outcomes of these meetings are the same. Companies give sponsorships to organizations that they feel will be effective, are pleasant to work with and are professional.

Some organizations don't understand the project they are taking on. Don't laugh, there have been organization that were turned down for funding because they didn't ask for enough money, the proposal was viewed as not credible. It demonstrated a lack of vision by the organization. Think things through. Pay attention to the details. Ask for enough funding to reach your goals and objectives.

Be pleasant. You would be surprised how many people are not pleasant to the very people who they are trying to get funding from. This means to nice to everyone including the security guard down in the lobby. If you have people that I call "blockers" in your office get rid of them. Many times they are putting up barriers that frustrate potential sponsors, allies and volunteers who may want to work with you. If you are a "blocker", change the way you screen or prioritize your duties. Respond to all calls, faxes and emails that are legitimate within 24 hours. This is a great lead into my next point.

Be professional. I feel silly even having to bring this up. There is a laundry list of things that I've heard sponsors say. I'll list a few of the top reasons organization get skipped over for funding:

1. Paperwork is not up to par.
   
2. Fail to meet deadlines.
   
3. Not responsive to sponsors request.
   
4. Does not return phone calls.
   
5. Shoddy reporting.
   

If this is you, fix it today. You are shooting yourself in the foot by not being professional. I suggest that you do an honest SWOT analysis. Get lean and mean as sponsorship budgets are being cut. Increase your chances of getting funded by doing what is necessary to survive these tight economic times.

The Right Way to Use a Press Release

The National Association of Woman Business Owners (NAWBO) recently appointed Cynthia McClain-Hill Esq. President of the Virginia based organization. NAWBO mission is to propel women entrepreneurs into economic, social, and political spheres of power worldwide. This organization is well organized, politically active and highly successful.

According to Ms. McClain-Hill, there are 10.6 million woman-owned businesses in America. With that statement in the organizations press release, it's clear that they are putting the presidential candidates on notice that they must address their issues. This I a wonderful example of how to utilize a press release.

Advocacy is a powerful tool that can be used to address a organization's needs and concerns when used properly. As stated in a one of my earlier blogs, the "democrats have put the power back in the hands of the people." When the DNC refused to accept campaign money from lobbyist, savvy organizations and advocates started to flex their political muscles. They started to implement their media plans, rewrite their SWOT analysis and rally the troops. Not only is the political landscape changing in the next election, the way we interact with our elected officials is going to change. This is an exciting time to be an advocate.

We recently taught an advocacy training class in Chicago. For those of you who have attended one of my trainings, copy the linked press release and use it as an example of a great tool for advocates. As we said we will continue to help you strengthen your advocacy skills.

Act Now America

I have highlighted this video as it screams for Americans to take action. A picture can say a thousand words; this video multiplies that by over 100 billion. If we think it’s bad now what are we doing to our grandchildren? We have a responsibility to future Americans to bite the bullet and fix the financial mess we have made!

Please post your comments and pass this on to other concerned Americans. We can’t just talk among ourselves, contact your elected official and let them know your thoughts. On this site I do not endorse any candidate for president. The video I found on YouTube. If you have information about the national debt that you would like to share please do.

GOOD HEALTH AND CHANGING A MINDSET

Continuing with the series on healthcare, I will lay out a few things that advocacy and grassroots organization can do to help change unhealthy behaviors in our communities. If we avoid taking a myopic few of healthcare and educate communities about the simple changes families can make to increase their own quality of life, we could save billions of dollars in healthcare cost. Prevention of disease is more cost effective than treatment.

There is strength in numbers. People are more likely to change a behavior if they have a partner striving with them; group efforts promote lasting change. There also has to be an emphasis on individual responsibility for taking care of the things that is within your control. Parents have to be the responsible adults for their children. Love and good parenting means doing the right things for your family members even if it's not the most popular.

A good place to start is with diet and exercise. Vibrant Health
delivers its' healthy message through public education on nutritional and lifestyle choices.  Community organizations can play a critical role in creating a paradigm shift. Advocates and community organizations across different disciplines need to partner to address all the needs of people. The tools and best practices already exist for changing lifestyles from unhealthy ones to ones that promotes good health.

1. Broadly educate families about the symptoms of common diseases and encourage them to speak with their primary care providers about the disease, further encourage screenings, diagnoses and treatment.
   

   
    

2. Educate family members who already have been diagnosed with an illness about the importance of on-going education, utilization of local risk reduction resources vs. emergency room treatments.
   

   
    

3. Build local voluntary coalition partners and support groups that can assist families to take control and ownership of their care and treatment by utilizing "do-it-yourself" tools and guidelines that address risk factors such as obesity, smoking and second-hand smoke, improved housekeeping—habits and behaviors that may unknowingly increase their potential risk for disease.
   

   
    

4. Strive to provide outreach, education and services that are culturally competent, and indigenous to the community. There may be a need to provide services that are easily accessible for people rather than far away from their homes. Culturally competent services will require an emphasis on linguistic and language differences, as well as racial and ethnic issues. Provide training to move providers and healthcare professionals to a more culturally competent approach to service delivery.
   

 

We don't have to recreate the wheel. Use what we know works. Make small changes in the way we think and we will change our behavior. Behaviors are only a reflection of the way we view the world.

HEALTHCARE AND MEDICATION

With all the talk in the presidential election about heath care and the rising costs of prescription drugs, I figure it's time to talk about some common sense things that can be done to lower the cost of health care in America.

My next few posts will look at health care cost and what we can do about it as advocates and consumers.

People who are uninsured can utilize their options. Don't accept the first option that is given to you. Here is a list of things that you can do to help manage the cost of your health.

1. Talk to your doctor and explain to him/her that you don't have insurance and could he/she give you a discount on the cost of your visit.
2. Ask how much a procedure cost and ask if there somewhere you could go that might do the procedure for less?
3. Ask your doctor for samples of the medications that are being prescribed to you.
4. Call around to different pharmacies before you take in your prescription. Prices vary widely from one pharmacy to the next. NYS Dept of Health has a website that allows you to compare prices of medications. Check, other states may have similar websites.
5. Take advantage of Prescription Assistance Programs that are available.
6. I should have mentioned this one first. Eat properly and exercise. You can avoid many health problems by taking care of yourself.

Be vigilant in your fight to combat the rising cost of health care. I will share more tips in tomorrows blog. Stay tuned because we are just getting started on this series.

Advocacy Training for Individuals and Organizations

As many of you know, I teach advocacy training to organizations around the country in my day job. I was asked to share my thoughts for the best ways to engage your legislators. Here is a snapshot of my 10 best rules for engaging elected officials. I go into the 10 B's for Engaging Your Elected Officials in detail during part of my presentations.

Send any questions to me at: mrasking240@gmail.com

Things You Can Do To Engaging Your Elected Officials

1) Have Realistic Goals
Your goal is to influence your legislator's decision on a specific piece of legislation, not to make lots of dramatic (unrealistic) and sweeping changes.

2) Have A Level Of Professionalism
Always follow up on meetings or communications you have with the legislator's office.

3) Have Some Flexibility
Encourage your organization to invite officials to visit your offices and facilities. Look for positive opportunities, such as special events; open houses; annual meetings or receptions where they can attend and possibly speak and meet with the communities and individuals you serve.

4) Have All Your Ducks In A Row
Familiarize yourself with the legislator's background and voting record on your particular issue. Be sure you are well informed about your issue and have the appropriate information to back up your position.

5) Have Respect
Arrange a meeting with your elected official the same way you would arrange to visit any business or community leader.

6) Have A Practical Message
Don't overwhelm a legislator on technical details.

7) Have A Voice
Let the legislator know that you are from their district.

8) Have Confidence
Tell your legislator specifically what you want.

9) Have A Concise Message
Determine your one most important issue; get right to the point and stick to it. Don't raise a host of issues.

10) Have High Expectations
Expect everything you asked for and continue to advocate for your cause.

The Power of Advocacy

Never before have we seen such an unprecedented shift in the balance of power in lobbying federal and state government. The Democratic Party and the democratic nominee for President Sen. Barack Obama have refused to accept donations from lobbyist. This is a start that should encourage the average American to make their voices heard by becoming an activist and advancing political issues that are important to them. Now is the time for individuals to learn how to speak to their legislators with a strong voice that can be heard clearly, concisely and collectively. American citizens are recognizing the power they have to influence legislative action on issues important to the communities in which they live and work.

People have the power to affect change around their issues. Advocacy begins with a full understanding of the legislative process and your rights and responsibilities as an advocate. There are companies that teach advocacy training to organizations. Policy makers react to those who can most effectively bring their issues to the forefront of the public agenda.

To achieve positive changes in our communities, people must be active and fully informed of the needs of their communities and how legislative polices will affect the quality of life for everyone living in those communities. I'd like to hear your feedback regarding the democrats not to receive campaign donations from lobbyist?

POLITICS HAVE FLUSHED US DOWN THE TOILET

While politicians have been playing the blame game, Americans are up the creek without a paddle. We have seen them bicker about everything from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, illegal immigration and border security, trade policies and emerging economies to energy and the environment.

It's time to put America first and stop the partisan politics as usual. Senators Barak Obama and John McCain both spoke about a secure Israel, it's time they do something about a secure United States. Our ports and borders are a joke. We continue to mortgage our future by selling bonds to pay for things that don't make us more secure. The nation treasure should be used to elevate America's education system. We change our mindset and we change the world.

This would make us more competitive with the rest of the world. Companies would no longer be able to say they can't find the skilled people to do the work in the United States. International companies would flock to being closer to the talent they need to compete globally. Let's make America the Brain Bank of the word once Again! Its easier to lead the world by example than at the end a gun. America became great because it invested in it's infrastructure. Everyone want to be on the side of a winner.

Politicians, Do the right thing for America!

Now that Senator Obama looks like the Democratic candidate and we get down to the main event. Let's talk seriously about the issues that concern Americans most. National security, illegal immigration and health care are the issues that most American want answers to. We can do better with our resourses than we have.

When you think about national security, the policies of the past 8 years have not made America any safer than we were before 9-11. The extremist, foreign and domestic are just as active and dangerous as they ever were. Osama bin Ladin is still alive and training terrorist. We are at war in two countries fighting a Vietnam style war. Mexico is having drug wars on our borders.

Illegal immigration is a three headed monster that most people in politics don't want to talk about. One, people are breaking the law by crossing the border illegally and entering the United States. These people are sometimes bringing illegal drugs with them. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency most of the illegal drugs that are in this country comes through Mexico. Two, the drain on our government services such as health care, education and legal system. American tax dollars are picking up the tab for those who undermining and disregarding the laws of our land. Three, Mexico is having a drug war on our southern border and the current administration plans to withdraw the National Guard from the border and reassign them somewhere else.

We are wasting our national treasures on things to fatten rich people pockets while those same dollars could have been used to pay for health care for those don't have it or the wasted resources could have also been used to fix social security. Hopefully the next administration will approach these issues that are important to the American people