I'll Take My Reparations in Tablet Form

In May, we took our son to the hospital because he’d been having a fever for about 5 days, and it was right when all the swine flu hoopla was swirling around. On top of that he had just started day care a week earlier. So just to be sure, we took him to the E.R. Big mistake. But that’s another post.

As a result of the E.R. visit my son was diagnosed with a Vitamin-D deficiency. I’m not really a biology guy, so I figured we just needed to make some changes to his diet. (I’m already a stickler for diet so any kind of vitamin deficiency is still shocking to me) We talked to his pediatrician, and he shrugged it off. Said something about most African Americans suffering from some form of mild vitamin-D deficiency simply as a result of the melanin in our skin being excellent at protecting us from the harmful rays of the sun, but hampering the conversion of sunlight to vitamin-D. But because his diagnosis worried us we got a referral to an endocrinologist. And that’s where it gets interesting.

We’re sitting in his office and he’s going over “blah, blah, sunlight, blah, blah, blah, black people, blah, blah, standards to low.” So now my interest is piqued right? Why didn’t our pediatrician recommend a Vitamin D supplement in the first place? There’s all kinds of info out there about SIDS, and flu and fevers, but nothing about Vitamin D. In his defense, how do you tell a parent that you need a certain medication because you are black. And since there really is no definitive answer, and in infants the liquid form of the vitamin D is expensive, I’m sure most parents would do a cost/benefit analysis and determine that $300 a month isn’t necessary for something with no proven and generally accepted benefit.

The other thing about this Vitamin D deficiency is that it is more prevalent in breast-fed babies. Infant formulas, milk etc., are all fortified with Vitamin D, but still for some black people that isn’t enough. So then I started thinking about the current health care debate.

So far we’ve been talking about the Health Care Debate in terms of who pays, government control, effects on insurers, the economy etc. That isn’t really the half of the health debate. Part of the reason this is on my mind is because of another post on the Insanity Report. But we don’t even have to go as far as end of life care. Let’s take something as simple as Vitamin D.

Humans get the majority of their daily vitamin D from sunlight. Melanin, found in higher amounts in blacks protected our skin from the UVA/B in those equatorial regions, however this also has the side effect of slowing the production of Vitamin D in our skin. So blacks living further from the equator need much more exposure to the sun in order to produce the Vitamin D they need. Apparently, vitamin D (like pretty much all vitamins) is a superstar in fighting high blood pressure, obesity, certain cancers, depression and diabetes. Coincidentally, these all have very high prevalence in the black community. Pause. Cholesterol. Vitamin D. Black People. Sunlight. Now, health standards require a minimum amount of vitamin d far below what some biologists recommend. And these recommendations come in diet (Vitamin D2) not Vitamin D3 which is more similar to what your bodies produces naturally. So basically it boils down to a different recommended level of vitamin D for black people than white people, because darker pigmentation causes vitamin d to be created in the body more slowly.

So, what happens in a single payer system? How would white people feel about paying (in taxes) for additional treatments for vitamin D deficiency in black people? $300 a month per black infant living above, say, Miami, for the first 3 years of life. (Assuming that after this period other forms of over-the-counter vitamins, more exposure to natural sunlight, can take its place) And this is generous (to the tax payer, some doctors recommend Vitamin D supplements (in much lower doses) to everyone. Naturally black people would still need more. And this is, admittedly a trivial example. I choose this example because, the data I’ve seen doesn’t suggest any other factors contributing to the vitamin d deficiency. It is strictly skin color. And research suggests that getting an adequate amount of vitamin D is nearly impossible by food sources alone. Unlike other diseases that affect one race over another where there may be contributing factors such as weight, diet etc.

Adding to the complexity of this issue is the reason why black people are more affected by this than others. That is inhabiting areas far from the equator, namely, the Atlantic Slave Trade. Isn’t that fantastic?

My President Is Black (Circle the Bandwagons)

Now that it's all said and done, I can say with a bit of certainty that I really didn't think I would ever see a black President. It wasn't a conscious thought like "oh no, hey, there will never be one of those", but it was there nonetheless. In truth it never really crossed my mind. It wasn't something that I thought about. And, because of that, it was never something that I would aspire to. And that's the most profound effect.

I'm not sure if that's a statement to my own ideas of self worth, or the motivation I received from my communities to become something greater. I don't think it is. That is to say, I don't recall being told I "couldn't be anything I wanted to be." In fact I distinctly remember my parents, teachers, preachers telling me explicitly that I could be whatever I wished. And I know that my own father knows that I have that potential. It's been quite obvious to me since for the majority of my life he's been pushing me, much to my....discomfort, to be much better.

Still somehow, "president" was never in my mind. And to me that is the single greatest effect of racism and "post-racism" in the post civil rights era. There are still inferred ceilings, and boundaries that direct our aspirations, our goals and our actions. And seeing these boundaries broken opens up the mind to all the possibility that this life has to offer. I grew up, never realizing, at least consciously, that I had the potential to be President of the United States. I was fortunate enough to have successful family members - engineers, doctors, lawyers, public servants, scientists; and I was fortunate enough to know some very successful men and women in my community. And even with all that positive influence, there were some things I never thought possible for myself. Imagine what it must feel like to live in this world without half of the influence I've had in my life? What does this world look like to someone who can't see themselves holding a steady a job, much less becoming becoming President?

And the obligatory, "And what can we do about it?"

Mayor Dixon

So I read the 30-some odd pages of Mayor Dixon's indictment. Now, I will admit right now that the only other indictment I have ever read was Michael Vick's and I have to say it is really quite thorough. There's been a lot of argument about the charges against Mayor Dixon, some saying that they are "trumped up" or not really important and I have to say that there is a part of me that agrees.

When I read the charges and take off my skeptic hat it is reasonable for me to say that, "she really did make a mistake in filing her ethics forms." The gift card thing is another matter, and though probably improper, I know that for some community service projects I've been a part of in the past I would often solicit gift cards from donors, and then purchase items myself with them to donate. Just to be sure that the people receiving the gifts got what was intended. So its reasonable for me to assume that Mayor Dixon did the same thing. It is a little shady that cards were left over and not returned, or immediately donated elsewhere, and that some of them did in fact turn up in the hands of some city employees. But she also ran this alleged gift card scam/"Holly Trolly" every year so it is plausible that she simply kept the cards for the next year. In either case I don't think it would be terribly difficult to prove her guilt or innocence. There should be witnesses who could testify that the items listed in the indictment were actually donated to needy families instead of supplementing Mayor Dixon's Christmas shopping and once the defense is able to put them in front of a judge- case closed.

At the end of the day, as far as the gift cards are concerned, I don't really care. Unless the charge is bribery I don't really care what the developers give Dixon. It isn't taxpayer money, and I'm sure other folks have done much worse. Everyone's got a little corruption in their past or in their future, if her's is some gift cards and fur coats to steer some business to developers to get rid of some of the blight in this city, I'll take it. I like the direction the city is taking with respect to these slots so as long she doesn't get any more fur coats from them to get rid of the proposed taxes for the gaming co's we're all good.

One thing that I thought was strange about this indictment is that the theft and perjury charges seem to imply that Mayor Dixon was given items in exchange for favorable treatment toward the developers, but they don't actually say it. That is to say, she is charged with lying about receiving gifts, but not charged with bribery because of them. That seems like a hole to me. What's the point of alleging that these developers gave her all this loot, if there isn't a bribery charge there?

Councilwoman Holton didn't get away so easily.

Blast from the Past

So my boy found this article online and sent me the link. Maybe I won't tell you which one I am referenced in the article. At the time I was sort of ho hum about it, I remember having a copy at one point.

But now, I'm thinking, it isn't every day you get your name in the paper. Now I count this as somewhat of a feather in my cap, and am just a little proud...

Parenthood

I'm the only one that can put my son in his car seat. And I relish in that. Just like I savor the moments when my mother, my mother-in-law and sometimes even my wife can't comfort him. Those times when all he needs is 'daddy.' That probably sounds hateful. Like I actually get great pleasure from that. From the moment he was born I've felt this strange, and complete sense of accomplishment. Which is funny since I know, and am the first to admit that I did nothing. The only pain I endured was the boring baby classes. Well, there was delivery day, when I lost all rights and privileges to my left hand and was forced to rub her back constantly for 4 hours. That was the extent of my "labor." And having a kid is seriously the best thing to ever happen to my self esteem and my ego. Really.

I imagine that it must feel this way. I mean, there is a lot a stake. For the next 6 months and more I'll be consumed with his development, praying that every day is more enriching than the last. Soon my thoughts will turn toward pre-school and primary school hoping that I make all the right decisions to propel my son to academic excellence. There is a lot riding on this. I'm freaking out. The point was that this kid thing is such an ego booster. Quite literally, I feel like my job here on earth is done. Sort of a dangerous thought I suppose. My thought, though, is once he's walking and talking and one step closer to walking out of my house my sense of purpose will return, for now I'm focused on his every need and not much else matters.

But then there's all these conflicting ideas. On the one hand there is this immense feeling of completion, and on the other there's an immense inadequecy. I can't feed him. In some of these pregnancy books for guys they talk about jealousy and "post-partum" for guys. I think that's wack but it's quite a blow to my manhood that there are some things that I just can't provide. Here I am, supposed to be the 'provider' (not to be confused with 'the decider') and I can't even feed him. I know this will all change as he starts to eat food actually hunted and gathered as opposed to ... secreted (eww, lol) but still I wonder what I'll feel then...