don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

I tuned in to the Republican convention to hear what the GOP (God's Own Party) had to offer. I wanted to learn what the candidates for president and vice-president had to offer to deal with economic issues (e.g., inflation, the housing crisis, the deficit), global heating, Iraq, Iran and the rest of the Middle East, Russia, nuclear proliferation, safeguarding (restoring?) civil liberties, environmental protections, reducing poverty, addressing terrorism, energy policies and other challenges that affect our quality of life at least as much as the personal lifestyle choices we make day after day.

What I heard instead were slogans, such as "America First." What does that mean, anyway? What's second? Family? God? That's not very Republican, is it?

What's third? Dealing with one of the above noted issue areas? Which ones? What are the Republican priorities, besides God (for), guns (for) and gays (against)? The GOP priorities seem to be opposition to abortion, gay rights, gun control, evolution, educating children about sexuality, separation of church and state and advancing the idea that America is a Christian nation.

I would not want to overstate things, but basically I think this election is about whether America is going to be a secular democracy or a semi-theocracy. Also, if McCain and Palin are elected, there could be gridlock with the Congress, and all the crises identified above will grow worse -- and we could come to a bad end. It's that serious. Of course, we will get what we (the majority that is so easily fooled) richly deserve if such a Party is entrusted with the Executive Branch for another four years.

God bless America. Yeah, right. How does that work? If a speaker forgets to say these ritual words, does America not get blessed? What happens when God blesses - or does not bless? Would things be even worse if politicians did not conclude with that phrase? If so, well, then by all means keep saying it -- things are not so good despite all the blessings. We can't allow things to go further downhill. Shoot -just to be safe, let me join the chorus: God bless America.

I'd like to believe that our president and vice-president candidates know a great deal about foreign policy and national issues. However, I did not learn much about where Sarah Palin stands on these matters. I did discover that she supports family values. As Dana Carvey might say channeling The Church Lady, "Well, isn't that special?" Is someone somewhere against family values? The issue, of course, is which values does Palin associate with family and how do those values fit with the secular common decencies, constitutional liberties and individual choices?

You know what else the Republicans did not talk about? Health system reform, science, technology or the promotion of wellness and higher quality of life for all.

Despite the fact that half of all premature deaths are caused by dreadful lifestyle habits (e.g., smoking, failure to exercise sufficiently, ghastly eating patterns, unmanaged stress levels), no support was expressed for wellness education or health promotion research.

The "Healthy People 2010 Objectives" stated that health promotion is the most effective strategy to achieve 14 of 26 major targets. Still, the Republicans did not mention the issue.

Unfortunately, wellness has too little political sex appeal, no powerful constituency and no large voter bloc contributing to political campaigns. There are no lobbyists for wellness, no powerful organizations exerting pressures on the Congress or the candidates for the White House. Maybe the Democrats would enact wellness legislation and suitable appropriations, appoint high officials who promote healthy lifestyles and otherwise make a difference. Without such political power, wellness initiatives will not be funded, research that would enable more effective interventions will not be conducted and programs offering positive incentives for lifestyle change initiatives for improved health status will not be incorporated in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal undertakings.

The Republicans have unleashed a culture war. By default, the Democrats are our best hope for continuing as a free society wherein leaders seriously address policy issues that confront us and impact our lives. We will be affected by the issues identified above, even (especially) if we ignore them. The quality of our lives hangs in the balance -- this election matters beyond our comprehension. We made serious mistakes in 2000 and 2004. Let's not blow it again.

Be well, and look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of adaptations and challenges. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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