Election 2012

I've begun looking at the polls to see which candidates are rising to the top for the 2012 Presidential Election. Tonight I spent a little while scouring potential candidates' campaign sites and reading up on their stances on issues that are important to me. I find myself looking at both the traditional issues that hold sway for Catholic voters - abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and gay marriage, as well as those which traditionally are considered more progressive, but which feature prominently in Catholic Social Doctrine - immigration, economic justice, healthcare, education, poverty, peace.

As I go through this process of discerning the best candidate, I find myself agreeing with some candidates on some things, and disagreeing with them vehemently on others. This derives from the fact that I have conservative leanings on some issues, progressive leanings on others.

On the one hand, the pro-life issues are very important; but so is our foreign policy. Being involved in an unjustifiable armed conflict in which civilians are killed during raids is a concern for me, even if it is not as large in scope as say, the number of abortions performed in the US each year. I am also concerned about welcoming the immigrant  and providing for those who do not have the resources necessary for a dignified human existence. Also, as we hear about the "Occupy Wall Street" and other similar movements, it's becoming more and more apparent that we need to re-examine the economic structures of our nation and see whether they are truly just.

While trying to weed through all this information, I find several questions rising to the forefront of my mind:

* If Catholic Social Doctrine supports the idea of subsidiarity (that social issues should be addressed on as local a level as possible and that a larger governing body should only step in when absolutely necessary to achieve the desired end) - is it right to support a candidate who wants the federal government to produce the programs necessary to address social issues?

* Would supporting such a candidate only lead to individual persons shirking their personal responsibility to care for the poor in their local community?

* In this case, is it that in America we want the government to do what we ourselves should be doing?

* Is taxing individuals at a higher rate to meet the financial responsibilities of federal government programs which provide social services harmful to the economic situation of our nation?

* Do the wealthy have a greater responsibility to shoulder a greater percentage of the  burden? (Here I would say yes... I can think of passages in the social documents of the Church which talk about that those who have more have a greater responsibility to contribute to the support of those in poverty / who are marginalized / etc.)  But is the answer having them contribute more in taxes to fund the social programs of the Federal Government?

* Is the "Occupy Wall Street" movement turning into a class war? (The 99% vs. the 1%...).

* Do we place too much emphasis on government fixing problems - rather than rolling up our sleeves and getting our  hands dirty, taking personal responsibility for solving our own problems and working for the common good?

* and other questions...

101 Things in 1001 Days Update

As of October 8th, 2011, Here's what I've accomplished so far:

2. Finish reading all the Harry Potter books

32. Read the Desert Fathers & Mothers of the Church (selections)

33. Read the Fathers of the Church (selections).

37. Go through all my belongings and donate 35 items.- ONLY 10 MORE TO GO!

42. Read or watch the news daily for a month. I LISTEN TO NPR NEWS ON MY DAILY COMMUTE...

50. Clean my bathroom at least once every two weeks (don't judge!)

67. Bring Communion to the homebound.

72. Write a Parent Newsletter for the CCD program each month. October, check! November- almost done!

77. Get my bike fixed.

80. Switch my driver's license to Illinois.

81. Register to vote in Illinois.

95. Write to my nun friends.

96. Discern what to do about current ‘relationship’ – move forward or move on; and do it.

Not too bad, considering I have until May of 2014 to finish up!  :)

My Favorite Vegetable...

Chocolate. It comes from a bean, and therefore, in my book, counts as a vegetable.

So I bought some really dark chocolate the other day. I was excited to take it home and enjoy it! I pulled back the wrapper from this super fancy, super dark goodness, and using the sharpest kitchen knife I have, sliced myself a corner off the block, and hoisted the rich, smooth, creamy chunk toward my already salivating mouth.....

BLAH!

Apparently, I don't read labels. This WAS Chocolate, and really GOOD chocolate - but it was 100% UNSWEETENED Cocao. Now, I enjoy 70% dark chocolate - but I usually take mine with at least a little bit of sugar to take the edge off of the natural bitterness.

So now I had a hunk of chocolate that for all intents and purposes, was to me entirely inedible! What a waste!

Until I looked online and found this recipe.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hot-Chocolate

All I'm going to say is that you HAVE to try this! This is the REAL DEAL.

5 A Day The Easy (or Easier) Way!

So I've known since I was little that you're supposed to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Growing up in a rural area, and in a family that owned a family farm for some time, I'm used to having a plethora of fresh produce all summer long, making it easier to eat the recommended amount.

Granted, although there were so many options available to me, I always preferred fruit. I'll blame it on genetics, since it seems everyone in my family has a sweet tooth.

That being said, as an adult, whenever I go to the grocery store, you can bet that I spend at least $25-$35 a week on fruit alone. Comparably, I probably only spend about $10 on vegetables.

I recently learned that the "5 a day" slogan doesn't mean that if you eat five servings of fruit ONLY, that you're covered for the day. In actuality, you're supposed to eat 3-4 servings of vegetables, and only 1-2 of fruit. My vegetable to fruit ratio is often more like 1:5 rather than the recommended 4:1.

Needless to say, I've been experimenting with different strategies to up my vegetable intake. Here are some creative strategies I've found recently:

* Add Vegetables to Breakfast. Put onions, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, etc. in your eggs for a sweet omelet or gourmet scrambled eggs!

* Put Carrots, Walnuts, and raisins in your pancakes for a sweet breakfast treat - and gain 1 serving of veggies toward your daily total!

* Vegetable juice. My grandfather LOVED tomato juice, and I remember convincing my grandmother that I liked it too - even as a 3 year old.  This is  a simple way to get one more serving.

* Buy Mini carrots or celery and cut the celery into snack sized sticks. Pack a mix of two in your lunch every day.

* Have a salad with lunch or dinner. It's just another way to get in a serving of veggies!

Any other ideas?