For those of us who don't follow politics every day (I was one of those people for a long time), it may seem from the headlines that Obama's budget has passed and that we are done worrying about the budget this year. Unfortunately, we are far from that point.
What passed in early April, was the top line numbers for the budget, the upper limits for accounts that include a wide range of programs. On this blog we were concerned mostly about the International Affairs Budget, which includes funding for a lot of development programs. We were successful in lobbying for an increase of the International Affairs Budget--It was increased by over $4 Billion!
Now Obama has submitted his specific requests for each program and it is time to lobby again. As you can see from the chart above, there are some very important programs that are underfunded in this budget.
Today, December 1st, marks the 20th anniversary World AIDS Day. People all over the world have been coming together on Dec. 1st to commit to end the AIDS epidemic. Check out some of the ways that governments around the world marked the day this year. Also be sure and go to the World AIDS Campaign website where you can pledge to increase your committment to ending AIDS. I recommend figuring out what you would feel comfortable doing and then going the next step further. We all have to work harder in order to end this disease.
Almost half of Malawi's children under five are orphaned, largely due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has impacted the country severely. Traditionally, orphans have been incorporated into the families of relatives. However, the current crisis is straining this support system. As a result, rural communities are struggling to feed, clothe and educate the orphans in their midst.
May I summarize the last posts by Jeff, Stephen and Matt?
I remember reading quite awhile ago (hence no source, sorry) about media attitudes toward people in different parts of the world and it went something like this: If one American is killed, it's newsworthy. After that the journalistic worth of other people around the world looks much like this math equation: 1 American = 10 Europeans = 100 Asians =1,000 Central/South Americans = 10,000 Africans. This is now the unspoken rule when it comes to those "Breaking News" headlines. Africans just don't qualify as important unless tens of thousands are massacred or killed -- and even then, the story has a quick shelf life.
As a new hospice physician in the Washington D.C. area, I’ve begun having more exposure to patients with endstage AIDS. The other night I attended a lecture that made my mouth drop. The topic was HIV and the impact it had on citizens of D.C. The lecturing began with a sobering statistic: Five percent of adults (that’s 1 in 20 adults) in D.C. have HIV and 1 in 50 have AIDS. This is more than double the national average.
Why is the prevalence so high? The answer is complicated, but poverty plays a major role. I’m learning US Congress makes many of DC’s decisions since the city does not belong to a state. Thus the school system is in shambles, the social programs are under-funded and under-prioritized, and sexual education and the prevention of HIV is victim to political wrangling.
