People Pusher Beliefs

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - Martin Luther King

Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. - John F. Kennedy

Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake. - Henry David Thoreau

The Mission of the People Pusher

It's about the people, stupid.

That's a campaign slogan I wish someone had adopted. In our world today, so much is focused on "platforms" and ideology that is not about the people. The People Pusher wants you to think about that.

At the end of everyone's life, what are they thinking about? Some are seeking redemption for the things they know they did that were "bad." Others are thinking "did I leave my mark on the world?" Still others haven't figured out yet that you can't take the bank account, high profile career, McMansion, or any of that with you.

In the end, the hope is that we are all thinking about who was loved, who we helped, and how we behaved in the community of humanity.

This blog is focused on people issues. And the mission of the People Pusher is that you will think about the people, too.

Monday, March 23, 2009

5 Things President Obama Can Do to Make up for the Special Olympics Gaffe

As most people know by now, President Obama made an off-handed comment about Special Olympics that has many people talking. He apologized immediately, but there are many people who are still quite unhappy about it. Here are 5 things he could do to make up for his gaffe:

1. Meet with the Arc of the United States as they have requested in a press release today.
2. Fully fund Medicaid waivers to end waiting lists for services people with disabilities.
3. Give a speech to the nation like his famous speech on race that calls all Americans to stop using the "R" word and stop treating people with disabilities and their families like second-class citizens. Help the public to understand why his comment and the use of the R word hurts.
4. Take that Special Olympics bowler up on his offer to teach him how to bowl better.
5. Get the entire Democratic party involved in addressing the problems of people with developmental disabilities.

All you have to do is search "Special Olympics" and "Retarded" in Twitter, and read the hateful comments by people responding to news articles about his gaffe to know that it is time for everyone to learn from the President's truly terrible mistake.