Because of my role as an educator and a writer of entertainment-based fiction, I’ve long tried to avoid airing my political views in public for fear of alienating both students and potential readers.  However, with the current extreme partisanship over healthcare reform and the subsequent right-wing misinformation campaign, I cannot hold back right now.  Let me say to begin, I’m neither a Democrat nor a Republican, neither conservative nor liberal.  I have always been a free-thinker, someone who looks at each issue as objectively as I can and follow my morals and intelligence when arriving at conclusions.  In most respects, I’m part Civil Libertarian, part Moderate Conservative, part Progressive Reformist.  In short, I’m pretty complex.

I keep hearing people say they don’t want government run healthcare, but what they fail to realize is that we already have that.  On the Federal level, it’s called Medicare; on the state level here in Tennessee, it’s known as Tenncare.  They are both systems of healthcare operated by the government to assist needy people with health coverage, and for the most part, both systems function fairly well, not perfectly, but well enough for those they serve.  The problem is that because of current guidelines, nearly 47 million Americans do not qualify for coverage under these systems because they earn too much money, but these same people cannot afford private insurance because premiums have grown by over 119% in the last decade.  Very few people have seen that kind of increase in their wages.

Personally, I’ve lived most of my adult life without health coverage for precisely this reason.  I like to think I’m a productive member of society.  Since I was 12, the longest I’ve gone without employment is about five weeks, and that was when I was coming out of my divorce and was so screwed up about not having my kids, I had to take some time off.  Much of my life I’ve held two jobs to make ends meet because education pays so little, so I feel like I contribute to society.  However, from all the greed and corruption and waste in our current system, I have been unable to get regular, basic healthcare, and now, in my mid-thirties, I’m starting to pay the price.  Fortunately, I now have pretty good coverage with the state, but you as taxpayers spend over $1,000 a month on my premium.  Thanks, by the way.

Our current system is completely broken, and our current president is trying to fix it.  When I hear someone spew venom about that, I have to wonder what in the hell they are fighting to keep.  Other than insurance and hospital executives, some doctors, and pharmaceutical companies, who is benefitting from the system?  We’re the wealthiest nation on the planet, but nearly one sixth of our population cannot afford basic coverage, and many of us have had to file bankruptcy because of medical bills.  That’s preposterous.  My challenge to the people who are up at arms against the president is to stop watching only Fox News or listening to Rush Limbaugh’s insanity and start reading a few real news articles on the crisis.  Maybe you could even try actually reading the proposed plans for yourself.  You might be surprised to find that most doctors and most legitimate economists actually think that long-term it will be a good solution.  Most people agree that it will have to be streamlined over the next few years and that this will be a long-term process, not a quick fix, but fundamentally, it’s a fairly sound plan that utilizes many of the current conventions of private insurance companies.

At Dragon*Con, I was on three panels and had one autograph session.  My first panel was Saturday afternoon at 1:00 in the Hyatt, where we discussed the roles of religion and magic in fantasy literature.  We covered everything from the ground rules authors must establish for their systems of magic to the mirroring of Catholicism in a fantasy world.  It was an informative and spirited discussion, and the audience was very attentive.

The second panel was that evening at 8:30, also in the Hyatt.  This panel discussed the uses of non-human races within a narrative to reveal elements of human nature.  We discussed why we chose the particular races we utilize, how we make them fresh and innovative, and how we develop their cultures and societies.  One author, James Maxey, uses dragons as his primary antagonists and had some excellent points about how he developed the three races of dragons in his world.  He and I had a lot in common, and I wish we could’ve sat and talked for a while, but it was late Saturday night when we finished.  The other non-human races discussed included zombies, vampires, werewolves, and of course dwarves.  We had a pretty big audience, and the discussion was awesome.

My autograph session was Sunday morning at 10:00 in the Marriott.  That’s how you know you’re one of the lower-tier guests, having your moment in the spotlight before 90% of the attendees have even awakened for the day.  I did have a handful of stragglers wander by and ask who the heck I was, but the autograph session was not one of my highlights of the weekend.  On a side note, if you’ve not been inside the Marriott Grand Marquis in Atlanta, you need to see this place.  It’s freaking amazing.

My last panel was Monday at 10:00, also in the Marriott.  It was an educational panel on incorporating science fiction/fantasy into grade school curriculum to promote literacy.  Without a doubt, this was the best panel of the weekend for me, my two biggest passions rolled together in one discussion.  The audience was entirely comprised of teachers and librarians, and the information we received from them was just as insightful as anything we could offer.  I was most impressed by Davey Beauchamp, an author and librarian from North Carolina.  He had some great stories about developing ways to get kids involved with reading by relating books to their current hobbies.

Overall, I feel like I did well on my panels, and I hope that a few of the books I gave out will be read and well-received.  Only time will tell.

www.thirdaxe.com

Just got home from Dragon*Con, and I feel like the weekend was very successful. We made some really good contacts, gave out a lot of information, and had good panel discussions. The show itself is amazing. It’s hard to conceive of the scope — four massive hotels, hundreds of conference rooms, dozens of ballrooms, and thousands of fans. Until you see it firsthand, you can’t appreciate the effort that goes into putting together such an event. I’m also impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the staff. From the moment I arrived, I was treated well, which for a first-time, lower-tier guest is always much appreciated.

The highlight for me was meeting Karen Allen Saturday morning. She was very gracious and offered to pose for a picture with me, which will be posted soon. On Sunday, I got to attend her question and answer session, and she was an absolute delight, sharing many stories about her experiences on different sets.

I’ll post more about the weekend soon. For now, I’m gonna get some rest before getting back to class tomorrow.

http://www.thirdaxe.com