BUILDING STRONGER FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

The law says that it is the quality of time at work that counts and the quantity of time at home that matters. By improving the quality of your work time, concentrating single-mindedly on your highest-value tasks and getting them done quickly and well, you can reduce the time you spend at work and increase the time available for your personal life.
At home, you need long, unbroken periods of time to build and maintain high-quality relationships. Love, affection, and trust building cannot be rushed. The more time you invest in relationships with the important people in your life, the higher quality of life you will have in all areas.
Remember that watching television, reading the newspaper, or working on your computer does not constitute spending time with your loved ones. Interacting, not just spending time in the same place, is what builds relationships.
Deliberately create chunks of time with your loved ones. Create thirty-, sixty-, and ninety-minute blocks of time where you can interact one-on-one and face-to-face. Go shopping and go for walks with your family. Take long drives to a distant restaurant or to a resort with your spouse. And when you drive, leave the radio off. A car with no music playing is one of the greatest mobile communication chambers imaginable. You will be amazed at the wonderful conversations you can have in a quiet car.
Plan vacations in advance. Schedule them completely. Pay for them in full. Make the payments nonrefundable if possible. Then discipline yourself to take the time away, no matter what happens. The times you spend away and on vacation with your loved ones will include the happiest and most important memories of your lives together. Your job is to create as many opportunities for these happy experiences to take place, and for these memories to develop, as you possibly can.
Remember that to do more of one thing, you must do less of another. To spend more time with your loved ones, you must do less of something else.
Before you commit to or engage in any behavior, ask yourself, "What will I have to not do in order to do this?" Compare the value of one activity with the other. Your ability to make good choices about how you spend your time largely determines the quality of your life.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THE PAST

Sometimes people will say to us when we are grieving, “You must not keep thinking about the past. The past is gone. You have got to focus now on the future.” As well meaning as this advice might be, the advice can be wrong. For reminiscing — recalling events, conversations, occurrences from the past — is one of the important ways that we mourn. In fact, the word mourning in Sanskrit means “to remember.”What is the value of reminiscing?When you reminisce, these memories remind you of the person who were before the loss and can unite that person with the person you are now. In memory we can recognize and recall a self we were earlier in our life. And perhaps some of the qualities of who you were in the past can be very useful to who you are now.Think about a mother who has lost a son. Perhaps when she reminisces she recalls how she helped her son with his science fair projects in middle school. Perhaps she remembers making papier-mâché to create a big globe; perhaps it was a string of Christmas lights she and her son stapled to a piece of poster board to create a system of signals needed in a project explaining how a power plant works. This reminiscing reminds this mother of a person she was in the past, and she might imagine bringing that person into the present. Perhaps she asks, “Could I volunteer in a school in the neighborhood as a way to honor the memory of my son?” Or she might decide to work as a volunteer at a children’s Discovery Museum nearby. By reminiscing she finds a role from her past that she can bring into the present as a way of honoring her son.Professor Pietro Castelnuovo-Tedesco has studied reminiscence at Vanderbilt University. He reminds us that this form of thinking about the past is “one of the principal means by which a person continues to have a relationship with old parts of the self.” Through reminiscing, he says, we are able to maintain an “inventory” of the key images of ourselves from the past and are therefore able to keep “a thread of continuity among them.” (p. 138, Seven Choices)Reminiscing about the past can be serviceable. “Serviceable?” someone might ask. “How can a past we can never return to be serviceable?” Because through reviewing our past accomplishments as well as our failures, we can better set goals for the future. Reminiscing works a bit like trial action. When we remember the values and ideals and dreams we held in the past, these memories can point the way as we think about the future.

DAD SERVED HIS COUNTRY WELL IN WWII

I am from the World War II generation. My youth was in the Great Depression, which tempered all who lived it.The discipline of military service--indeed, the service itself in World War II--had a marked effect on some 14 million Americans who served. . . .Some of our generation had to participate in the Korean War. . . .We sent our sons to Vietnam if our sons wanted to serve. . . .The Vietnam War was the beginning of the sharp divisions in our country between those who served and those who did not or who did not support the war effort. It was during this era that we began to question values that had served us well for generations. Patriotism, to some, meant protest. . . .Our own children, known by some as the Yuppie Generation, were badly split over Vietnam and social mores. . . .Our World War II generation had a large role in the civil rights revolution of the ’60s. Many of the Yuppie Generation participated as well--thus, a joint effort which reached across the two generations. The revolution was momentous in the history of our country. It stands as one of the nation’s highest achievements--a revolution engaged in under law and contained within the law. . . .Our country is passing now into your hands. We call you Generation X, and we wonder what your values will be and what your aspirations will be for our country and for your fellow citizens.Based on my observations of my own grandchildren, I believe that Generation X will be one of our greatest. Your values will increasingly be in the public interest. You will accept the challenge of doing something about the poor public schools and about the 15 percent of our population who live below the poverty level. You are our hope--our highest hope. . . .You have received a good education and are in a better position to serve others than many Americans. I hope that you will adopt the standard of noblesse oblige: To those to whom much is given, of them is much expected. . . .The great Russian writer, Tolstoy, . . . when asked by Russian tribesmen to tell them about President Lincoln, responded, “The reason he was great was his values. Everything that he did was rooted in four great values: humanity and justice, truth and pity.”Truth is important. It is the bedrock of our legal system, and the legal system is the bedrock of our country. . . .Justice is that which is rendered in the legal system. It is the redeeming virtue of our country that no person is above the law and no person is below the law; we are all equal before the law. . . .Humanity and pity are the two other values mentioned by Tolstoy. A strong feeling of humanity would make us ever more attentive to the problems of poverty and education, and to seeing that every American is treated fairly and has a fair chance. Pity is more for the individual basis, but is a mark of decency. . . .Even with its blemishes, ours is a great country--the greatest. I have always said that I am proud to be a Puerto Rican but am proudest of all to be an American.

OBAMA GOES ONLINE: MODERN FIRESIDE CHATS

In an appeal to the tech-savvy public, the White House's Web site opened itself to questions for President Obama's online town hall meeting Thursday.

Obama began taking your questions in an online town hall meeting at 11:30 a.m. ET.

The virtual meeting, a new take on President Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chats, was another sign that Obama is reaching out to online followers as he tries to rally an anxious country in support of his solutions to the economic crisis.
Obama began his address by trying to draw a clear line between what he sees as the political games of Washington and the actual needs of the American people.
"What matters to you and your families and what people here in Washington are focused on are not always" the same, he said, criticizing the winner-loser mindset of the politicians in the nation's capitol.
"This isn't about me, it's about you," he said. "It's about the families whose letters I read every single day, and, for the American people, what's going on is not a game."
After the call for questions closed at 9:30 a.m., more than 90,000 people had submitted more than 104,000 questions for the president. The questions largely focused on the economy but spread across several categories. Online users ranked the questions more than 3.6 million times, according to WhiteHouse.gov.
Obama had promised to answer popular questions from the site.
The idea that a president would want to talk directly to the American people has been around since the days of FDR, but what was new about Obama's online town hall is that it encouraged members of the public to interact with each other, said Julie Moos, director of Poynter Online, a nonprofit journalism site.
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"By allowing [Internet users] not just to submit questions but to see the other questions ... and to rank the questions continues to connect them in the same way that the [Obama] campaign did," Moos said. "And I think that's one of the most innovative things that they're doing."
Flanked by a flat-screen TV and backed by a 100-person audience in the White House's East Room, the president answered text questions and those submitted in video format. Read a CNN blog on the event
Obama answered seven of the most popular online questions, according to a CNN tally. That included a paraphrase of a question asked by several people online: would legalizing marijuana help jumpstart the economy.
The president grinned through his answer: "I don't' know what this says about the online audience," he said, adding: "The answer is, 'No,' I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy." iReport.com: Is it time to legalize marijuana?
Other questions -- some of which came from the live audience -- focused primarily on health care, job loss, mortgage payments and energy.
A video question from three bubbly college students was well received by the audience. In it, the young women asked how Obama will make college more affordable and when a national program may start.
Obama said too many college students finish school while drowning in debt. He said a public service program will begin in a matter of weeks.
"If you come out of college with $50,000 worth of debt it's then hard for you to start making a decision about wanting to be a teacher or wanting to go into social work," he said.
In one video question, a woman asked the president if manufacturing jobs that have gone overseas will come back.
No, Obama answered.
America needs to create new jobs "that can't be outsourced," he said. Many of those will be in the renewable energy sector, he said.
During the address, the online community commented on Obama's answers and the format of the town hall. Users could watch streaming video of the question-answer session online at WhiteHouse.gov as well as on CNN.com.
On the social media site Twitter, a user named kfoggy1 wrote: "[I] didn't vote for Obama, but I really like what he is doing with technology. Good for democracy."
A user called BeaconOfLight was less impressed.
"Another chance for Obama to get TV time. Get your glass the 'kool aid' will flow," the user wrote.
A quick survey of the more than 90,000 questions submitted at WhiteHouse.gov revealed an America troubled by the state of the economy and struggling to make ends meet.
The White House asked the public to submit questions only about the economy, but the site divided them into several subcategories.
In education, several popular questions came from people who criticized the state of the nation's educational system, or were having trouble paying off college debt.
"The Founding Fathers believed that there is no difference between a free society and an educated society. Our educational system, however, is woefully inadequate. How do you plan to restore education as a right and core cultural value in America?" asked Takeok, from Boston, Massachusetts.
In the "home ownership" category, several users wrote that they feel they've been making all the right financial moves and still find themselves in turmoil.
"Why aren't you helping the people who want to PREVENT foreclosure?" asked MistyLee, from Providence, Rhode Island.
Some health care submissions questioned why more Americans aren't covered.
Richard from California asked why this nation can't have universal health care like countries in Europe, "where people are treated based on needs, rather than financial resources."
Questions filed under green jobs and energy prodded the president to reconsider ethanol subsidies and asked him to explain how the stimulus plan will affect green jobs and home weatherization.
Larkin, a user from Gaithersburg, Maryland, was one of several people to raise the issue of public transit.
"Will we ever see high-speed passenger rail service in the U.S.?" the user asked.
In the finance category, Web users wanted to know more about why the government couldn't break up large financial institutions into smaller entities.
Adrian, of Collinsville, Illinois, worried about businesses that have survived the economic collapse.
"What rewards are there for those people and businesses that chose to live and operate within their means?" the user asked.
The site began taking questions on Tuesday and stopped on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET. The Web service was hosted by Google, but the White House said it will protect user information in accordance with its own privacy guidelines.
Questions asked on the site were made public immediately, the White House said. Users could flag questions they deemed inappropriate.
Moos, of Poynter, said one of the biggest take-aways from the event is that it connected these audiences to the president and a sense that they're part of a valued online community -- an engaged citizenry

GIVING OF YOUR TIME TO A WORTHY CAUSE

Volunteer opportunities are built around what you do and what you need. Whether you are an individual who is looking for a volunteer opportunity, a school or youth group that would like to work together, or a business that is looking to build or add to an already existing employee volunteer program, local Senior Meals locations need your help.
Meals-On-Wheels and other senior meal delivery or non-profit congregate meal programs provide meals to millions of seniors throughout the United States. Through such programs, seniors who could not or would not otherwise eat properly are provided with services that help them live a healthy and enjoyable life.
Volunteers are necessary to any local non-profit senior meal program and you don't have to be a good cook or have a lot of time in order to volunteer. Program volunteers do more than drive from door to door. Volunteers are needed to help prepare and package dinners to be delivered, organize schedules, make phone calls, load delivery vehicles, and deliver meals.
Congregate meal sites need volunteers to plan, cook, drive vans, help serve seniors, clean up, and more.
Perhaps as important as getting meals to seniors is your smiling face and some words of kindness and friendship. Many seniors are lonely and those that assist in meal programs are their only daily contact with other people. Many delivery volunteers take a little time with each senior to visit and provide much needed conversation.
Whether you have only a few hours one day per week, can volunteer every day, or can only work a few hours on a weekend, your assistance is needed.

HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER

By Noel Serrano

Honoring your father and your mother is a most important commandment. It has been said that the fifth commandment is pivotal, for it is between the commandments teaching us to love our Creator, and those admonishing us to love our fellow man.

A Commandment With a Promise

"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days
may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee," Exodus 20:12.
"Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that
thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which
the LORD thy God giveth thee," Deuteronomy 5:16. "Ye shall fear every man his
mother, and his father . . . ," Leviticus 19:3.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and thy mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," Ephesians 6:1-4. "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged," Colossians 3:20-21.
"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother," Proverbs 1:8. "A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother," Proverbs 15:20. "Children�s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers," and, "A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him," Proverbs 17:6, 25. "A foolish son is the calamity of his father," and, "He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach," Proverbs 19:13, 26. "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old," Proverbs 23:22. "Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul," Proverbs 29:17. "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth," Hebrews 12:6.

Not a Light Thing to Disobey Parents
"Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen," Deuteronomy 27:16. "And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death, . . . And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death," Exodus 21:15, 17. "For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him," Leviticus 20:9. "If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold of him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear," Deuteronomy 21:18-21.
"The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it," Proverbs 30:17. "Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness," Proverbs 20:20.

Without Family Affection
"Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD," Leviticus 19:32. "There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother," Proverbs 30:11. "And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable . . . . As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them," Isaiah 3:4-5, 12. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection," II Timothy 3:1-5.
"For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition," Matthew 15:4-6 (see also Mark 7:10-13). " . . . what shall I do to inherit eternal life? . . . Thou knowest the commandments, . . . Honor thy father and thy mother," Luke 18:18-20.
" . . . There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God�s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting," Luke 18:29-30. "If any man come to me, and hate not [love less by comparison] his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple," Luke 14:26.

TIMES CHANGE, EVEN FOR PRESIDENTIAL CARS

President Barack Obama's new presidential limousine grabbed some headlines this year - especially in Detroit -- when General Motors announced in January that Obama was getting a brand-new 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine, the first presidential limo that did not carry a specific model name.

The Obama limo has high-tech security features that Kennedy's limo lacked.
That got me to thinking about another famous (or, perhaps more accurately, infamous) presidential limo -- one that for many years has been sitting on display, for all the world to see, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, right in the heart of Ford country -- and just five minutes from my home.
I'm referring to the 1961 Lincoln Continental 4-door convertible sedan that President John F. Kennedy was riding in on that historic / tragic day in November of 1963 when he was assassinated.
Why would Obama's new limo prompt thoughts of the Kennedy limo? Well, perhaps in part because political commentators and historians have compared Obama to Kennedy, in terms of his charisma, his popularity and his call to service. See the first armored presidential limo »
But it's also because the Kennedy limo represents a more innocent and less anxiety-ridden time in our nation's history. At the time of his assassination, Kennedy's limo had none of the high-tech features that protect Obama today -- nor was it even equipped with any of those features that have protected every other president since Kennedy.
Indeed, it wasn't until after Kennedy's assassination that the Secret Service and the limo manufacturers thought to add all of the protective armor, bulletproof glass and other safety systems that have been considered pro-forma for more than 40 years. AOL Autos: Most affordable luxury cars
Direct comparisons between the JFK limo and Obama's new ride are difficult, because General Motors and the Secret Service, citing security concerns, have been tight-lipped about the Obama limo, not offering any details -- not even about the size or type of engine that powers it.
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In January, Nicholas Trotta, the assistant director for the office of protective operations, was quoted as saying that "although many of the vehicles' security enhancements cannot be discussed, it is safe to say that this car's security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world." AOL Autos: The latest car technology
The Detroit News also reported in January that the Obama limo has five-inch- thick heavy armor, run-flat tires, bulletproof glass and a completely sealed interior designed to thwart a chemical attack. GM declined to confirm that report, although those types of protective features/systems are not uncommon for modern-day presidential limousines. AOL Autos: 10 best cars of 2009
Gazing at history
Once inside the Henry Ford Museum, in order to see the JFK limo, you walk past the 1952 Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, past the museum's displays of historic furniture and agricultural equipment, past its vintage pewter and silver collection.
And, finally, there it is -- across the aisle from a yellow-orange 1927 Bluebird school bus and a neon-lit display that pays homage to the vintage roadside drive-ins and burger joints that are part of American-highway lore (McDonald's, A&W, White Castle, etc.). AOL Autos: Best car names of all-time
The JFK limo is parked right behind the 1972 Lincoln Continental limousine that Ronald Reagan was stepping into when he was shot in 1981. (The museum's collection of presidential limos also includes Dwight Eisenhower's 1950 Lincoln "Bubbletop" convertible sedan and Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1939 Lincoln "Sunshine Special.") AOL Autos: Lincoln Continental
Many of us recall, from repeated viewings of the Zapruder-film footage of the assassination, that Kennedy's limo was midnight blue. But it's now black. In fact, it's been black since Lyndon Johnson ordered that new paint job in 1964, thinking that the midnight-blue color was too closely associated in the public mind with Kennedy's assassination.
The JFK limo actually remained part of the White House fleet until 1978 -- meaning it was in use as late as the Carter administration, although not as the primary parade vehicle. After it was retired that year, Lincoln retained possession and then donated it to the museum.
Viewing it today, as it sits surrounded by a waist-high, heavy-duty black iron fence, it definitely looks like a car that has seen some wear -- there are chips in the paint on the doors and fenders, and multiple scuffs on the bumpers. The rear passenger-side window - the one nearest to where Kennedy was sitting -- is about 80 percent lowered, allowing visitors to peer into the back seat and mentally re-visit that momentous day. "Do Not Touch," reads a small black-and-white sign affixed to the top edge of the lowered window.
Again, the JFK limo's complete lack of protective features at the time reminds us that 1963 was indeed a very different time in America.
"It didn't even have a permanent roof," says Bob Casey, the museum's curator of transportation. "It was a convertible that only had removable steel and transparent-plastic roof panels, and they were not bullet-proof. The doors weren't bullet-proof, either, and it didn't have a special protective steel plate attached to the undercarriage."
What it did have was a 430-cubic-inch V8 engine that originally delivered 300 horsepower (after JFK's assassination, it was beefed up to 350 horses) -- plus small "step-ups" and grab handles for secret service agents. It also had a heavy-duty suspension, brakes, axle and tires to accommodate extra weight.
"At the time, Lincoln had an arrangement with the government," says Casey, "where the company would provide these vehicles to the White House for a nominal lease fee, to be used as parade vehicles, and then the Secret Service would have them customized."
The JFK limo was assembled at the Lincoln plant in Wixom, Michigan, in January of 1961. Then, an Ohio customizing house, Hess and Eisenhardt, modified it by literally cutting it in half, extending it by three-and-a-half feet, re-assembling it, and reinforcing the middle section where that extra sheet metal had been added. The Ohio company made the other modifications, as well.
"That's really it?"
If that Continental would have gone to a dealership after it rolled off the line, it would have retailed for $7,347, according to the museum. The customization cost almost $200,000 on top of that.
"People will come in, look at it, do a double-take, and ask, 'That's really it? The car Kennedy was shot in?' Then they'll remark that "it doesn't look like it did that day in Dallas,'" Casey notes. "And that's true -- it doesn't. After Kennedy was assassinated, it suddenly became much more important to protect the president than to see the president.
That's when they added the permanent, armored steel top, the bulletproof glass and the armored plates on the sides. (And the black paint job.)
"And some visitors, the ones who are old enough to remember that day, do get emotional when they see that vehicle."
But despite the Secret Service's best efforts to protect the commander-in-chief, subsequent presidents still succumbed to the desire to be seen by the people. The trunk lid of the ''61 JFK limo was armored after Lyndon Johnson dented it when he clambered up onto it while campaigning, and Richard Nixon had a hole cut in the roof so he could stand up and wave to crowds, notes Casey.
As for the protective features in Obama's presidential limo - and the Secret Service being so mum on the particulars -- Casey remarks: "I can understand that. They don't want anyone who might want to harm the president to know exactly what its protective capacities are. But you can safely assume it's very heavily armored, and can withstand bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, and has filtering systems to protect the occupants from poison gasses."
And here's another sober reminder that it's not 1963 any more - or even the early '90s: "The Reagan limo we have on display, when it was retired from the White House fleet in 1992 -- that was the last presidential limousine that ever went back to the manufacturer after being retired," says Casey. "Ever since, the government has retained ownership of the presidential limousines -- because they don't want anyone else to know what kind of armor or other safety technology they've added to them

FEARS OF ANOTHER GREAT DEPRESSION FOR THE NATION!

WASHINGTON (F.T.) -- The number of Americans who think another Great Depression will occur within the next year is on the rise, a poll released Tuesday shows.
Forty-five percent of people questioned in a FT/Opinion Research Corporation survey said another depression is likely.
"Will the Great Recession turn into another Great Depression? A growing number of Americans think it might," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Last December, 38% said a depression like the one the U.S. experienced in the 1930s was likely in the next year. Now that number is up 7 points."

But Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke doesn't share that sentiment. Asked during an interview with CBS on Sunday whether the country is headed into a new depression, Bernanke said, "I think we've averted that risk. I think we've gotten past that."
The poll described the 1930s' Great Depression as a time in which roughly one out of four workers was unemployed, banks failed across the country and millions of ordinary Americans were temporarily homeless or unable to feed their families.
Nearly nine out of ten people questioned in the survey said economic conditions in the country are poor today, with only 11% suggesting that conditions are good.
And the poll indicates that Americans think it will take time to rebound from the recession, which began at the end of 2007.
"Only one in ten say recovery is likely within a year; one in five predict it will take longer than four years for the country to get back on its feet," Holland said.

AMERICANS ARE TIRED OF IRAQ WAR

With Americans confronting an economic crisis, public interest in the nearly 6-year-old war in Iraq has dropped off over the past few years as conditions on the ground there have improved and the relevance to the average American family's pocketbook wears thin.

U.S. soldiers patrol parts of Iraq in armored tanks, years after the start of the war in Iraq.

"This is already one of the longest wars in American history. There's nothing new in Iraq," said Steven Roberts, a professor of media studies at George Washington University. "We've read the stories of instability in the government a hundred times. Every single possible story has been told, and so there is enormous fatigue about Iraq."
But while daily operations in Iraq may not pique the attention of Americans, the costs do.
About $700 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, has been appropriated from the 2003-09 fiscal years. Taking into account operations for fiscal year 2010, the price tag is about $800 billion.
And although the rate of U.S. deaths has slowed since a spike in 2007, it has added up over six years.
According to CNN's count, as of March 12, 4,259 Americans have been killed in the war since it started on March 19, 2003, when President George W. Bush announced to the world in a televised address that the United States was taking action to "disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."
But based on recent polling and exit results from the November presidential elections, the war isn't a big concern for Americans.
The economy was the top issue in the election for 62 percent of voters questioned in exit polls November 4. The war was a distant second, with only 10 percent saying it was their top concern.
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Those who picked the Iraq war as their top issue mostly voted for President Obama in all but two states, according to the exit polling results. But those who picked terrorism as their top concern overwhelmingly chose Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, according to exit polling.
McCain, a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq and the "surge" of troops in 2007, was forced, in essence, to focus his attention on the economy, an issue he conceded early in the campaign that he wasn't well-versed in.
Iraq, terrorism and national security were seen as McCain's strong suits as a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a revered Vietnam POW and strong advocate of military personnel rights.
Obama touted his opposition to the Iraq war during the presidential campaign. But as the economy started to dip, so did attention on Iraq.
"When John McCain started his campaign, about 36 or 38 percent of Americans thought Iraq and the war on terror were the most important issue facing the country," Roberts said. "If you look at the exit polls on election day, it was [nearly] in the single digits.
"No matter how overwhelming the war was in terms of public opinion and priorities, it never directly affected most Americans [as the economy has]. ... The economy affects every single family directly every day," Roberts added.
Marc Dixon, a professor of sociology at Dartmouth College, said social activists protesting the war such as Code Pink -- although a strong force during the election -- have "seen a dropoff."
"The improving conditions in Iraq may be taking the sting out of activist claims," he said.
The U.S. military recently announced that the number of troops in Iraq will drop by 12,000 over the next six months. The reduction of coalition forces, according to the military, is a result of "an increased level of security and stability" that the country has achieved over the past year.
As conditions improve in Iraq, news coverage has decreased, in large part because of economic realities plaguing media organizations around the world.
"There have been enormous cutbacks in every news organization. ... Foreign coverage is always the first to go ... but the economic pressures on news organizations, which of course were there long before the latest economic crisis, is a long running story now," Roberts said.
Michael O'Hanlon, a national security expert at the Brookings Institution, added that the Iraq story is "less interesting because there are smaller news bureaus and the stories are more limited in their scope and there's not much on Iraq's evolution; they are more about a suicide bombing on Sunday or that sort of thing."
"And obviously after six years, Americans are going to be a little sick of it," he said.
And while it seemed for a while that the situation in Iraq would be the front-and-center issue in the 2008 campaign, the economic downturn and other pressing issues took hold. That showed with McCain's popularity in the general election polls.
"The candidates dropped Iraq from being paramount to the economy, sensing that big changes were under way," Dixon said.
Currently, there are 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. During his presidential campaign, Obama pledged to withdraw those troops within 16 months of taking office.
Last month, Obama adjusted his timetable to 19 months after taking office -- August 2010 -- and said that between 35,000 and 50,000 troops will remain to help execute a drawdown plan. All U.S. forces are set to be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011.
"I think Obama's decision to keep most of the forces in this year and then go down to a residual force -- which still keeps about 50,000 troops after the August 2010 timeline -- is very prudent," O'Hanlon said. "It doesn't guarantee success, but it certainly improves our prospects of being able to execute sort of a gradual, careful drawdown."
O'Hanlon pointed out that there are still big problems facing Iraq, including terrorism and Arab-Kurd issues, which center around land and oil.
"When you have that issue unresolved and have all these elections unfolding in 2009, it's good to go slowly through that year and then to transition down to a force that retains some capability after executing the major drawdown," he said.
But that residual force was criticized by top Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. They called into question why such a large force was needed for noncombat operations.
"As President Obama's Iraq policy is implemented, the remaining missions given to our remaining forces must be clearly defined and narrowly focused so that the number of troops needed to perform them is as small as possible," Pelosi said in a news release February 27.
O'Hanlon said that he'd be "extremely surprised" if Pelosi and Reid want to "run the risk of undercutting their own president and being seen as people who had disrupted an otherwise carefully devised plan and thereby put the entire progress we've seen in Iraq at risk."

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF LAST-STAGE ALZEIMER'S?

In the late stage of Alzheimer's disease, unfortunately that person has probably now had a severe problem with their memory. They might forget or not recognise who a family member is or might not even recognise themselves when they look in their mirror. As a consequence of that, they become belligerent or maybe combative and agitated, and may even have some striking out behaviour. That same individual might now be wetting the bed or become, aside from being incontinent of say, just urine, might also become incontinent of faeces as well. By the way, combativeness and incontinence are the main reasons for which people oftentimes end up in a long-term care setting. So, in other words, a skilled nursing facility oftentimes is a requisite for somebody that is now having some of these really bad behaviours that most caregivers would not be able to help out with. Now, remember, prior to this point, the caregiver might have become involved in a minute way. In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, a caregiver might spend maybe one hour or two hours out of their day with that individual and helping them out. In the middle stages, that might now become a longer job, because it really does become, say four hours or eight hours. In the late stages it's now becoming a full-time job where that individual requires full supervision. They can't really fend for themselves. They can't feed themselves, they can't toilet, they can't, again, get dressed and groom themselves in an appropriate fashion. So, now someone has to oversee all of those things. Memory has probably has become so severe where oftentimes an individual is in a state in which they're aware of who they are sometimes, but wouldn't be aware of say, the date, the place, where they're at, and so on. Oftentimes now the biggest challenge, clinically, is the behavioural manifestations that pop up in the late stages. An individual might now lose their ability to communicate fully; they might just groan, might not be able to ambulate anymore, or walk, get up, or otherwise. Literally, in the late stage of this illness, the body becomes so weakened that often times lower respiratory infections, say pneumonia, will often times do in the individual and they will die. So literally, this is an illness that kills people, and again, pushes them back into infancy and then lays them bare until their body all of a sudden becomes so weak and frail that they do die.

//

WEANING FROM A VENTILATOR:MAJOR CHALLENGE

The purpose of this article is to assist loved ones, caregivers and ventilator patients themselves to understand the complexities of trying to wean off a ventilator. In order to accomplish this understanding we must first understand a few basic ideas.First let's start with the word ventilator. Many people refer to a ventilator as a respirator. In medicine we understand when people refer to the ventilator as a respirator. The difference is simply in the technical definition. A ventilator moves air from one place to another a respirator exchanges gases; such as the oxygen and carbon dioxide we exhale.People find themselves on ventilators for various reasons, but many utilize this intervention because of lung disease. In certain lung diseases the ability to exchange these gases is significantly altered. Because of this alteration the ventilator can assist the patients breathing but not reverse the lung disease process. Therefore gas exchange cannot be guaranteed; hence a ventilator and not a respirator.It is sometimes difficult to understand why when it seemed so easy to initiate the ventilator can it be so difficult to remove it. There are many components to returning a patient to their own spontaneous breathing and each individual is just that “an individual”, so weaning programs should be tailored for the individual need.We must understand in the recovery and rehabilitation of a ventilator dependent patient removal of the ventilator is often the last phase of the process. So lets start at the beginning and work through the understanding of this process.A ventilator patient is deemed ready to wean. This determination is usually made when the primary reason for the initiation of the ventilator has been reversed or stabilized. It is important to remember there are as many ways to wean a patient, as there are reasons to place them on the ventilator. This concept works in favor of the weaning patient because it allows for the individualization of each patients program.A key component that is often overlooked in a weaning program is the patient’s nutritional status. The patient may have been supported for days on intravenous fluids that provide hydration but little nutrition. Often when a patient is deemed ready to wean their serum albumin and total protein levels in the blood reveal malnutrition. It is this writer’s belief that until significant gain in correcting this malnutrition has been achieved no weaning should be initiated. It is like asking a marathon runner to not eat for a weak and then run a 26-mile race. I am sure they wouldn’t get very far or finish.A dietician will work closely with the physician to provide the caloric intake and nutritional values that the patient needs to support the weaning process. The dietician has many factors to consider when determining the correct nutritional recipe for the patient.Patients often have many diagnoses that have to be considered in the nutritional formula. A patient with kidney disease will have difficulty with protein, a diabetic with glucose, and the lung disease patient may have significant issues with volume, an obese patient needs nutrition in a reduced number of calories.Another factor that must be considered, especially for those patients who eat by mouth is food simply has little or no taste. The reason for this is the tracheostomy tube. When a patient has a tracheostomy tube breathing through the nose and mouth no longer occurs. It is the nose that helps us smell and taste food. The tracheostomy patient no longer or has little ability to smell and taste like most people. This may cause decreased appetite. Encouragement and utilization of devices referred to as speaking valves often help with this issue.Once the recipe or nutritional formula has been determined and the patient is tolerating it and nutrition is improving its time to look at the next area that can and often does complicate the weaning process.Medications are like a double-edged sword; they have significant benefit in treating disease and their symptoms but never without consequence. In medicine the physician weighs the “risk-benefit” of medications carefully. The need for certain medications such as pain and anti-anxiety medications can complicate the weaning process as well as enhance it.Lets start with pain medications. If a patient has pain they are unable to participate in their rehabilitation process to the maximum potential. Many pain medications such as those in the opiods family (morphine) can suppress a patients breathing. Many of the anti-anxiety medications can cause the patient to be sleepy again reducing the ability to participate. Some medications can even cause confusion making it even harder for the patient to participate. The physician must look to relieve the pain and anxiety without over sedating the patient. If the level of medication required to relieve these symptoms cause the undesired side effects it may be necessary to postpone weaning attempts until these issues have been resolved.Now that the patient has improved nutritional status and has pain and anxiety well controlled we can proceed to the active rehabilitation of the ventilator dependent patient.Occupational, Physical and Speech therapists may begin to work with the patient one by one or as a team. It is imperative to remember a patient must be able to follow simple commands and participate in order for active therapy to occur.The therapists are an integral part of the weaning process. The major component of breathing requires muscle use, the diaphragm as well as muscles in the neck and chest.Just like the marathon runner it takes time and training to reach the goal. No one decides to run a marathon and succeeds the same day. Daily participation in therapies is essential to achieving the ultimate goal of weaning off the ventilator.During the rehabilitation phase the Respiratory therapists will work closely with the physician to determine a weaning program that will best suit the individual patient. Remember no matter how much we want someone to wean it takes all or most of the components to be successful as well as time.It is sometimes difficult to understand why patients are hesitant to come off the ventilator but if we look carefully we can comprehend the fear and anxiety that is associated with this process for the patient. Imagine if you will that you couldn’t breath and now you have a machine that helped you, makes your work of breathing easier. Now suddenly everyone wants to take that away from you. Patients wonder, what if I get short of breath, what if I get tired, what if I go to sleep and these are just a few of the “what ifs” that weigh heavily on their mind.Together the medical team and families can help allay the patients fear. Families can give the medical team insight to the personality and coping skills the patient had prior to their illness. These valuable insights can help the medical team develop a successful plan towards weaning. As family members your support in the process is essential. If you are fearful of the process so will the patient.Asking questions of the medical team will help you understand the plan. Trust is the essential ingredient for the patient. They must have the trust and confidence in their medical team to keep them safe and breathing easy.Very often the medical team will see the patients and their families focusing on “numbers”. They hear questions such as what is my pulse oximetry? Yesterday the number on the machine was 10 now its 12, why? This phenomenon is very understandable; people want to make sense out of all this technical information. The numbers are familiar, they flash on the ventilator screen and across the pulse oximeter routinely. Yet the question begs to be asked, what do the numbers mean?The numbers are used by the medical team to assess and trend information and monitor the patient’s progress. People often forget to look at the patient. Is the patient comfortable, not sweating; has good pink color, able to perform their required therapies?These are all good indicators that the patient is doing well. The medical team will evaluate all the “numbers” and adjust the plan of care accordingly.It is important to remember that just like in the laws of physics the patient is the sum of all its parts. Many factors and chronic conditions must be considered when initiating a plan of care for weaning. Age, chronic conditions, anxiety, depression, previous level of function as well as setting realistic goals are part of the planning process. It is very important that every member of the team; which includes the patient and their family, agrees with and understands the plan. Together, as a team with dedication and hard work the reward of being free from mechanical ventilation awaits you.

BILLY GRAHAM AND HIS MISSION

Billy Graham preaching sermon at Madison Square Garden in New York
Billy GrahamTranscending doctrine and denomination, he served as the nation's spiritual counselor and made America safe for public testimonies of faithBy HAROLD BLOOM Dubious Influences: Century's Villains and Antiheroes Five Captivating Romances: When Love Was the Adventure
Monday, June 14, 1999William Franklin Graham Jr., known to all the world as Billy, is now 80 years old, and has been our leading religious revivalist for almost exactly 50 years, ever since his eight-week triumph in Los Angeles in the autumn of 1949. Indeed, for at least 40 years, Graham has been the Pope of Protestant America (if Protestant is still the right word). Graham's finest moment may have been when he appeared at President Bush's side, Bible in hand, as we commenced our war against Iraq in 1991. The great revivalist's presence symbolized that the Gulf crusade was, if not Christian, at least biblical. Bush was not unique among our Presidents in displaying Graham. Eisenhower and Kennedy began the tradition of consulting the evangelist, but Johnson, Nixon and Ford intensified the fashion that concluded with Bush's naming him "America's pastor." President Clinton has increasingly preferred the Rev. Jesse Jackson, but the aura of apostle still hovers around Billy Graham. Harry Truman unkindly proclaimed Graham a "counterfeit," a mere publicity monger, but while I still remain a Truman Democrat, I think our last really good President oversimplified the Graham phenomenon.

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No one has accused Graham of intellectualism, profound spirituality or social compassion, but he is free of any association with the Christian right of Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed and all the other advocates of a God whose prime concerns are abolishing the graduated income tax and a woman's right to choose abortion (which Graham also opposes). And there have been no scandals, financial or sexual, to darken Graham's mission. His sincerity, transparent and convincing, cannot be denied. He is an icon essential to a country in which, for two centuries now, religion has been not the opiate but the poetry of the people. In the U.S., 96 percent of us believe in God, 90 percent pray, and 90 percent believe God loves them, according to Gallup polls. Graham is totally representative of American religious universalism. You don't run for office among us by proclaiming your skepticism or by deprecating Billy Graham.

DEMS WANT OBAMA TO HURRY UP AND FIX THE ECONOMY

WASHINGTON Some Democrats are increasingly concerned about President Obama's $787 billion financial fix for the ailing economy, and are demanding greater transparency on further spending.

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-North Dakota, says there are big concerns over talk about a second stimulus package.

With the White House seemingly comparing the nation's economy to a house on fire, some congressional Democrats are asking, where's the fire truck?
One New Hampshire congresswoman said as much to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Capitol Hill recently.
"I said, hurry, please hurry, because people are waiting and they are hurting, and they need the help now," Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-New Hampshire, said.
She's one of a growing number of nervous Democrats on edge or at odds with some of the Obama's administration's plans on the economy. Some are taking aim at the president's budget proposals that would curb popular tax deductions for wealthier Americans. Watch more on why some Democrats are nervous »
"I don't think ultimately the criticism is surprising. That certainly happens and is all part of the process," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
As a nod to moderate concerns, Obama took steps to make his budget more transparent. He included items former President George W. Bush passed separately in recent years to obscure the true operating cost of the government, such as the money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an annual multibillion-dollar fix of the fees Medicare pays physicians and Alternative Minimum Tax relief for the middle class.
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Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana, who along with Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson and Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman is one of the so-called Gang of 15 -- a coalition of moderate Democratic senators -- says it's all about the messaging.
"Like getting health care costs under control is important to the economy and getting the deficit down," he said. "Sustainable sources of energy at reasonable prices is also important to the economy. Dealing with the financial crisis is obviously important to the economy."
Bayh added: "So what needs to be done is, Obama's got to move on all these fronts but also integrate them back to the same theme of always strengthening the economy, getting people to work, growing businesses, improving our standard of living." Watch more of Obama's solutions for the economy »
Rep. John Tanner, D-Tennessee, is a member of the "Blue Dog" group of 47 fiscally conservative Democrats in the House -- six of whom voted against Obama's stimulus plan. He said Obama at least is being honest about the dire condition of the economy.
"At least the budget that the Obama administration presented, even though it's huge and it's a huge deficit -- and that enables the other team to beat up on it -- the truth is that it's honest and truthful," he said.
Democratic media consultant Steve Murphy, who represents several moderate Democrats, said that Blue Dogs are all "deficit hawks," so they're "nervous about spending."
"They're against giving more money to the banks without any accountability, they want to zero in on wasteful spending and they strongly believe the shrinking deficit and eventual balanced budget was the underpinning of our economic success in the '90's," he said.
Murphy added that these Democrats do, however, realize that more money is going to be needed.
"So I expect them to be about greater accountability and fairness for the taxpayer. They won't join [GOP House Minority Whip Eric] Cantor's 'Hell No' chorus."
And that is something resonating with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who said top economists told her a second stimulus package may be necessary.
"You have to keep the door open to see how this goes," she said.
House Democrats, CNN has learned, heard that message in a meeting with top economists, who predicted the president's stimulus plan will fall short of saving or creating three to four million jobs, as he promised.
"Over the first two years about 2 1/2 million jobs saved and created," said economist Allen Sinai. "A little less than the administration and perhaps Speaker Pelosi has said ... the jobs created may be a little disappointing."
Sinai said that over time, the economy may produce the jobs president Obama promised, but that people should try to be patient.
But budget hawks in the party don't like the sound of that.
"I mean, if we were to take a vote this afternoon, the stimulus package would probably fail," said Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-North Dakota. "If they want substantial, more public funds committed, they're going to have to go out there and explain precisely how this is going to work."
Shea-Porter said she's simply on the message she's getting at town meetings back home, a message that's also aimed at some in the media.
"It's terrifying people. Before, people were very optimistic and the leaders were optimistic. Then we hit a spell here where we're hearing a lot of media ... people who are frightening without necessarily giving both sides," she added.
For now, the White House says it has no plans for another stimulus, arguing its plan needs time to work.

'Power of Pitt' Drains Congressional Offices of Female Employees

WASHINGTON — First of all, no, Brad Pitt is not short. Yes, he's handsome enough to stand out in any crowd. And, sorry, Angie wasn't with him.
From the moment he stepped into the Capitol on Thursday, sunglassed and goateed, Pitt's star power transformed congressional business-as-usual in a way any lawmaker or new president might envy.
Pitt's superpowers are such that he and President Obama pulled off an improbably secret meeting on the same topic earlier in the day, White House spokesman Thomas F. Vietor confirmed.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was not immune to his charms. Praising Pitt for his work to rebuild New Orleans' hurricane-ravaged 9th Ward, she even allowed that meeting him affords her "bragging rights to my children and my grandchildren — a real treat for me as well."
And during a closed meeting earlier, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confided to Pitt that he was envious that his lieutenant, Majority Whip Dick Durbin, got to meet soccer star Mia Hamm a day earlier, according to one person who was present and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Well, Pitt replied, he'll bring along co-parent Angelina Jolie next time to help Reid make Durbin jealous, this person said.
Later, a Durbin aide sniffed: "Durbin's already met Angelina Jolie."
These officials demanded anonymity because the meeting was private and they did not want to be caught gossiping about a movie star.
The Power of Pitt drained entire congressional offices of their female employees and quite a few male aides as well, all of whom could be picked out by the way they suddenly appeared in the Senate's doorways and halls, nonchalantly cupping cell phones and cameras at their sides and hanging around waiting news crews.
Finally, around 1:30 p.m., Pitt, four aides and assorted security guards climbed out of a darkened SUV at the Capitol's north gate and strolled across the sun-dappled plaza.
As he approached the building, all nonchalance inside disappeared. Was he coming in the carriage entrance? No! He was coming through the North Door.
And so he did, entering through the famous Brumidi corridor, whose ornate and historic paintings he probably couldn't see through his sunglasses. Reporters, photographers and giggling staffers shuffled after him, up a flight of stairs and around a corner toward Reid's office. As Pitt entered the parlor, he took off his shades. An aide closed the door behind him.
Inside with Reid, Pitt made an earnest case for nationalizing his "Make It Right" campaign, in partnership with Congress, according to a second knowledgeable aide who spoke on condition that he not be named because the meeting was private.
Afterward, this official said, Reid and Pitt posed for pictures, the senator cracking, "How will people tell us apart?"
Outside the door, grinning Capitol Police officers put up ropes to keep the hordes out of the path Pitt was expected to take toward his next meeting, with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in a building across the street.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee chairman who has appeared as himself in several "Batman" movies and even had a speaking line in "The Dark Knight," stumbled across the crowd gathered outside Reid's door.
Told who was inside, Leahy issued a giddy, "Gosh!" and kept walking.
In the end, Pitt and his entourage slipped out a side door and took an elevator to the basement subway.

LEGENDARY NEWS PIONEER PAUL HARVEY DIES

CHICAGO – Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation's most familiar voices, died Saturday in Arizona, according to ABC Radio Networks. He was 90.
Harvey died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix, where he had a winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks, where Harvey worked for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately available.
Harvey had been forced off the air for several months in 2001 because of a virus that weakened a vocal cord. But he returned to work in Chicago and was still active as he passed his 90th birthday. His death comes less than a year after that of his wife and longtime producer, Lynne.
"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement. "So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend."
Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.
He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor. "Stand by for news!" he told his listeners. He was credited with inventing or popularizing terms such as "skyjacker," "Reaganomics" and "guesstimate."
"Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation's history," ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a statement. "We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him."
In 2005, Harvey was one of 14 notables chosen as recipients of the presidential Medal of Freedom. He also was an inductee in the Radio Hall of Fame, as was Lynne.
Former President George W. Bush remembered Harvey as a "friendly and familiar voice in the lives of millions of Americans."
"His commentary entertained, enlightened, and informed," Bush said in a statement. "Laura and I are pleased to have known this fine man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Harvey composed his twice-daily news commentaries from a downtown Chicago office near Lake Michigan.
Rising at 3:30 each morning, he ate a bowl of oatmeal, then combed the news wires and spoke with editors across the country in search of succinct tales of American life for his program.
At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. His syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.
His fans identified with his plainspoken political commentary, but critics called him an out-of-touch conservative. He was an early supporter of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and a longtime backer of the Vietnam War.
Perhaps Harvey's most famous broadcast came in 1970, when he abandoned that stance, announcing his opposition to President Nixon's expansion of the war and urging him to get out completely.
"Mr. President, I love you ... but you're wrong," Harvey said, shocking his faithful listeners and drawing a barrage of letters and phone calls, including one from the White House.
In 1976, Harvey began broadcasting his anecdotal descriptions of the lives of famous people. "The Rest of the Story" started chronologically, with the person's identity revealed at the end. The stories were an attempt to capture "the heartbeats behind the headlines." Much of the research and writing was done by his son, Paul Jr.
Harvey also blended news with advertising, a line he said he crossed only for products he trusted.
In 2000, at age 82, he signed a new 10-year contract with ABC Radio Networks.
Harvey was born Paul Harvey Aurandt in Tulsa, Okla. His father, a police officer, was killed when he was a toddler. A high school teacher took note of his distinctive voice and launched him on a broadcast career.
While working at St. Louis radio station KXOK, he met Washington University graduate student Lynne Cooper. He proposed on their first date (she said "no") and always called her "Angel." They were married in 1940 and had a son, Paul Jr.
They worked closely together on his shows, and he often credited his success to her influence. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997, seven years after her husband was. She died in May 2008.

OBAMA'S TAX PLAN WORRIES SOME DEMOCRATS

One of the most controversial provisions in President Obama's proposed budget might have a short shelf life on Capitol Hill.
To pay for half of his $634 billion health reform fund, Obama has proposed limiting deductions for high-income taxpayers starting in 2011.
Instead of using their top income tax rate to calculate the value of a deduction, single filers making more than $200,000 and joint filers making more than $250,000 wouldn't be allowed to reduce their bill by any more than 28% of a given deduction. That's below what the top two tax rates would be in 2011.
That means the value of some of the most popular deductions -- such as mortgage interest and charitable contributions -- would be reduced for high-income filers.
But the provision, which is likely to be debated at a health care summit the president has set for Thursday, has already met resistance from some leading Senate Democrats including Finance Chairman Max Baucus and committee member Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
At a hearing Wednesday, Baucus told Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner that he questioned the "viability" of the itemized deduction proposal and suggested the administration find another way to help pay for its health reform fund.
"There are other tax provisions that have a lot to do with health care, but that one does not. I'd just urge the administration to dig down deeper to try to find viable savings and concentrate on savings within health care reform," Baucus said.
One main criticism of Obama's proposal is that it would harm charitable giving.
In response, Geithner said the provision would only affect 1.2% of taxpayers and have only "modest effects" on how much people donate.
"The most important thing you can do for overall charitable giving is to get the economy strong," Geithner said.
One expert agrees that giving is closely tied to the fate of the economy.
"If GDP is down, there's going to be a decline in giving," said Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy.
Len Burman, director of the Tax Policy Center, estimates that the provision would reduce annual giving by roughly 2%, or $9 billion, in 2011.
Congressional push-back on the plan to curb deductions could force the administration to find another way to generate the billions it needs to fund its signature health care plan.
Senator offers another approach
Baucus pointed to one possible alternative. He asked Geithner whether the administration would consider generating new revenue by curbing or eliminating the tax break offered to employees when they buy health insurance policies through their companies.
Currently, the portion of their premiums paid by the employer is treated as tax free income to employees, meaning they pay no income tax on that subsidy, nor do they pay Social Security or Medicare tax on it.
The health insurance exclusion is the federal government's single biggest tax expenditure, worth $246 billion in forgone revenue in 2007, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Calls to change the tax exclusion have been made before both because the subsidy does not discourage workers from being more cost-conscious in their health care decisions and because it favors only those who get insurance through an employer, not those who buy policies on their own.
During last year's campaign, Obama said that while he wanted to reform health care, he would not seek to overturn the tax-free subsidy for those who get their insurance from their jobs.
Without committing to Baucus' suggestion in particular, Geithner seemed to indicate that the administration might be willing to reconsider its deduction proposal.
"We recognize there [are] more paths to [paying for health reform] than what we laid out in the budget," he told the Finance Committee. "But we wanted to put it on the table to prove the credibility of our commitment to do this, concrete proposals that would achieve that."
First Published: March 4, 2009: 6:27 PM ET

THE ECONOMY AND THE JOB MARKET

It's no secret that the job market is bad.
The Labor Department will release its latest jobs report Friday. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that the unemployment rate rose to 7.9% in February and that 650,000 jobs were lost.
Still, as bad as those numbers are, some have argued that this jobs downturn is not as bad as the early 1980s. The unemployment rate peaked at 10.8% in late 1982.
But several experts say it would be a mistake to come to that conclusion. They argue that unemployment rate only hints at why this jobs downturn is worse than any since the Great Depression.
Steep decline
If the job loss forecasts for February turn out to be accurate, it would be the worst monthly drop since 1949.
It would also bring total job losses over the last six months to 3.1 million, the largest six-month job loss since the end of World War II.
Even adjusting for the large growth in the nation's job base in recent decades, this would be the biggest six-month job loss since 1975.
Economists say the steepness of this decline will make it tougher for the job market to improve any time soon. The increasing job losses create a downward spiral in which businesses, faced with lower demand because people can't afford to buy their products, lay off even more people.
0:00 /1:59Surviving an economic downturn

"The dramatic hemorrhaging of jobs means we're in this for the long-haul," said Heidi Shierholz, economist with Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank supported by foundations and labor unions.
Another reason why this downturn is more painful is because the layoffs have come from companies in virtually all parts of the economy.
"There's no place to hide in terms of job losses," said Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of Economic Cycle Research Institute. "And when measuring the impact of job losses, it's very important how pervasive the losses are. That's what makes this the worst since the Great Depression."
Achuthan points to something called the diffusion index of employment change, which showed that three out of four business sectors cut jobs in January.