I Feel Too Good to Die Today

Having been nearly run off the Interstate four times in the two months I’ve lived in Minneapolis, I have been giving a lot of thought to why people behave the way they do behind the wheel. I’ve decided you can get a good feel for the psyche of a community by how they drive. For instance, in Utah, traffic moved at ridiculously high speeds with little care, and drivers often joked about how their guardian angels would save them from any significant accidents. In Portland, people are so laidback they almost resent accelerating, particularly when merging is required. They lollygag along as if they had all the time in the world, and one can’t help but wonder if all the yoga and gortex has gone to their heads. Portland’s intersections are heavily equipped with red light and speed cameras, and heavy fines are doled out for those who drive aggressively. Government regulation is at its most obvious on the roads of Portland, but people comply and are generally nice about letting each other into lanes.

Minneapolis on the other hand blows my mind. I have seen and experienced repeated and unwarranted aggression from drivers at all stages of my commute. It’s not just Interstate specific. Passing on the right in intersections is legal and done regularly, yet somehow people wonder at that auto-pedestrian and -bicycle accidents are commonplace. Speed limits are not enforced, and red light running is rampant. There are no cameras at intersections, and police seem not to care about speeding or overtly aggressive driving. I have found people here to be more on the passive aggressive side when dealing in face-to-face transactions, but I firmly believe they would be nastier to my face if they thought I wouldn’t know what they looked like.

The truth is, when people are in their cars they feel a certain amount of anonymity. Sadly, Minnesotans use that anonymity to take out their frustrations on each other in a life-threatening and infuriating way. A surprising number of cars on the road have significant body damage, and Interstate accidents typically involve multiple rollovers. Also, a strikingly large portion of my new co-workers and clients complain of long-lasting soft tissue injuries resulting from accidents where they were run off the road or broadsided. I wonder how bad it will get before people get a clue, but I’m determined not to be here to find out!

This unfortunately upsetting experience has caused me to reflect on my own actions behind the wheel and what they might say about me as a person. I am making a bigger effort to be polite when driving, even if I get the middle finger and road rage in response. My hope is that people will begin to get the point and pay it forward.

Sports vs Politics...

As I was watching the Olympics, there were various political ads that got me thinking there isn't much of a difference between politics and major sports. Let's walk through this.



#1 You need a forum for the event. Just as in the olden days when the Romans built the Colosseum for sporting events, we have our modern buildings such as the Rose Garden, Yankee Stadium, the high school gym, etc... The politicians have also built themselves structures for the great game. In the past there was the Roman Senate House, but we have made bigger and better places for the event. We have the House of Representatives, the White house, the UN and in the minor leagues we have state capitols and town halls. All great places great for the epic battles of "life and death" to take place.


#2 You need big sponsors. Who else would pay for t-shirts, parties, travel, TV spots. For this we have big names like Nike, Speedo, and so on. All of whom pay millions to have their name associated to big name individuals. For example Micheal Phelps just received 1 million dollars for breaking world records in the Olympics. In the political arena we have Pfizer, Big Oil, GMC, etc. Barack Obama has raised $401,311,983 as of last month for his run at the gold. Which far out paces Mr. Phelps' estimated $100,000,000 earning potential.


#3 You need fans/groupies. Let's face it what would we do without the fans? We need the tailgaters, and people to paint their faces and bellies. Who else would get piss-drunk and try to run onto the field during the middle of the game? They fly flags of their team at their homes and on their cars on game day. But even greater than the fans are the groupies. Those who travel so they don't miss a game. Sleeping on curbsides to get the best tickets, eating condiments as meals to keep up their strength and save their money so they can make it to the next event. Cheering for the same team for years even if every player has been traded and the team has moved to a new city. So it is in politics. We have the casual observer; those who click on interesting links on the Yahoo home page or keep up with the moves of their favorite candidate or politician. This is one-upped by the volunteer who gives up their precious time to "fight for the cause". They hold signs of support at curbsides: "Honk for peace," even in falling rain or freezing snow. They go to pep rallies. They always vote "Mark all Republican or Democrat" when they vote. And they always have their favorite candidate on a bumper sticker. Above the volunteers are the staffers. These are the cogs of the great players. They live on donuts and coffee. They don't sleep for days, and if they do sleep it is on their desk so they have their spiral notebook imprinted on their face.



#4 You need TV/Internet coverage. There is Monday night football, ESPN, pop-ups, the late shows. In politics it's CSPAN, you tube, Saturday Night Live. Along with the coverage of the paparazzi.


#5 You need scandals. Let me just list a few: 6 d/q from the Olympics dozens before by the home countries, steroids in baseball, Black Sox Scandal. As in politics: Sen. Ted Stevens- R- Alaska, indicted on bribery charges, Watergate, Deep throat, Bill Clinton and Monica do I need to say more?


#6 Lastly, You need players. The bigger the name the better. Derrick Jeder, Babe Ruth, Serge Bubkais are all household names. Inn politics we have George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Colin Powell. There are those who love them and those who love to hate them.



They say that baseball is the national pastime in the US, but I would dare to say that the sport of politics is by far more interesting.


Don't forget to vote on November 4th 2008.

Thinking of Vets....

I am currently at the VA medical center on a cardiology rotation. I am always amazed by the people I meet there. For those who don't know, the VA system was set up by President Lincoln "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." The VA's of the country perform research, and have medical education training (e.g. med students and residents). Currently as I understand it (which could be flawed) there are those who receive active duty related benefits (e.g. took a bullet and had lasting medical problems) and those who are destitute and have no where else to turn. For the most part I believe that the system is full of the later rather than the former. Most of the patients are men. The majority are quiet people who have seen things that many would consider to be a nightmare, and they live with these challenges each day. They smoke a lot, eat way too much, and many have or have had drug and alcohol problems. As a result they suffer from the physical results of living this way. However, they still have a little hero in them. I have seen on more than one occasion someone fall and a swarm of people rush in (oxygen tanks and all) to help that person up and take them to the nearest bench. In another way they are continuing to be heroes as they are one of the primary educators of past and current medical practitioners. Yes, we see an abnormal amount of COPD and prostate cancer, but they teach us with quiet reverence. Next time you are at the doctor, ask him or her if they trained at a VA, and I'm willing to bet they had at one point or another. Please consider this the next time you see a flag, and take a moment to consider the blessed state that we are in because of them. Thank you gentlemen. One more reason why you have made this country great.