God's Heart Beat

July 5^th 2012

Yesterday in Presiding Bishop Katharine Jeffert's Schori's opening statement she described General Convention as “this Church’s regular opportunity to strengthen that incarnate heart for its work in the coming years. We’re here for a tune-up – to breathe deep, clear our vision, focus the muscles, and synchronize our heartbeat with God’s.”

The heartbeat of God is beating for justice. I am here because I see justice as the central call of the Gospel. The idea that justice as part of God's heartbeat is a new-fangled, non-bibilical view is plainly and simply wrong. God has been calling people into just relationship with each other and creation since the creation of the people. Over and over again we get distracted by other objectives by the importance of our own lives. The presiding spoke to this today in her opening sermon during worship: “We have opportunities here in abundance to forswear those evils, to lay down our various weapons of division, and to work together for the commonwealth of God’s created world. Is our faith lively enough to do works toward that kind of abundant life? In everything we do here, remember those whom we serve, that we may do unto them as we would have done to us – for this is the law and the prophets, and indeed, this is the good news of the reign of God.”

Is our faith strong enough and flexible enough for us to determine what course of action needs to be taken both during this sacred time during Convention and in the following triennium? I testified today on two resolutions that are at the very heart of our Church's commitment to do justice. The first resolution I spoke to will commit the Church to nine more years of anti-racism training around the country. (A125) The second resolution I spoke to will allow the Church to advocate for just economic and development policies (A012). There appeared to be general support for passage for both of these resolutions within the committee. However, this was only the first step to becoming a funded resolution.

In 2006 the Episcopal Church resolved that all future General Conventions would be held in hotels that were Unionized, or barring that, paid a living wage to their employees. This year we are in Indianapolis where no hotels are unionized and the hotels that we are staying at do not pay their employees a living wage. In fact, many of them are undergoing a class action law suit claiming that they pay their employees less than minimum wage.

When we are gathered here at General Convention we pass pretty resolutions and talk about the need for justice for all. Yet we do not act on these principles when we are given the clear choice. We chose to come to a city with no union hotels. We could have chosen a different location. The resolution that was passed at the 75^th General Convention has become meaningless. What will happen to the resolutions that get through the 77^th General Convention. We are failing to take collective responsibility for our Church. We are instead passing resolutions with no way to enforce them if there is no will within the Church politics.

Part of this failure is because we are failing, in some ways, to understand the true nature of the Gospel and of God. In her sermon this morning the Presiding Bishop spoke about a new Saint, Walter Rauschenbusch. He believed that: “a historical tendency to substitute personal salvation for the kingdom of God meant that people “seek to save their own souls and are selfishly indifferent to the evangelization of the world.” The good news to the world, in his eyes, was about the reign of God on this earth.

The Episcopal Church has the opportunity and the will to bring about God's reign, but the only question is will we, as a collective whole, overcome our fears of failure and irrelevance in order to align our hearts with the heart beat of God.

-Maryann Philbrook

A day of contrasts

July 4^th 2012

I've been spending a lot of my time recently with Occupy Austin. I've become enmeshed in that culture of direct democracy. General Convention is the largest representative democracy in the world. My recent experience with Occupy has changed the way I think about democracy and representation.

The first resolution I heard this morning was A073, which is intended to create a mulitmedia resource for evangelism, specifically focusing on issues of multicultural and multilingual inclusion. This resolution was given $30,000 over a three year period. The resolution itself seems rather innocuous. Evangelism is a good thing. We should be approaching it in culturally sensitive way. Good idea. No brainer, right? The issue is for what purpose and to whom will this $30,000 go? The committee that created this resolution (all resolutions that start with A were created by committees) did not have a clear answer. My first response was that clearly the committee that created this resolution would be carrying out the proposal. The idea that you can propose something that you, yourself, are not carrying out has been driven out of my realm of possibility during my time Occupying. You are utterly responsible for what you propose. This works in a small community. I am starting to believe that this would work in a larger community but it would require more humility and the ability to work together. If all proposals had to be carried out by the person proposing them we would have many fewer proposals.

I saw two more proposals that had budgetary items of $1,000,000 and $100,000 that were also planning on some other body carrying them out. The Episcopal Church has money. (Not as much as it used to, but still....). We are using this money instead of using people to make things happen. Don't get me wrong, money helps, but money is not the solution to what ails the Church. We need more people to see that we are relevant to their lives. We need to have the relationships that form over time that influence people, one day at a time, towards choosing the path of Life. These items are intangible and do not have a price tag. I've learned through Occupying that people who have no money can make a lot happen.

The Presiding Bishop released a budget that shifted the way the Episcopal Church organizes its money. This budget prioritizes actions over money. This framework was adopted by the Program, Budget and Finance Committee today. I think this is an important shift. In the opening remarks by Presiding Bishop Schori, she reminded us that our Church is in the midst of a transition. We are in the midst of a new breath of the Holy Spirit coming through. This breath might feel like a dying gasp to some of us and to others it might feel like the first breath after almost drowning.

Overall today was complicated day. I spent a lot of time thinking about the actions taking place back in Austin, TX where Occupiers were holding a day of teach ins and music and speeches at the State Capitol. I was distracted by these thoughts.  I also spent a lot of time thinking about how we are always waiting for someone else to do the work. Yet we can wait no longer. We must start to do the work we want to see done.  I am glad that we have the leadership in the Church right now that recognizes how important it is that our mission influence our financial decisions rather that vice verse.

Prisons in this country need some serious change.

July 3^rd 2012.

I wrote this while I was on a plane from Dallas to Indianapolis to participate in the 77^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

On the front page of the New York Times today there is an article entitled, “Poor Land in Jail as Companies add Huge Fees for Probation.” The article goes on to outline the stores of states, like Alabama, which give their probation control over to for profit companies. This article gives on woman's story. She received a speeding ticket for $179. Now, three years later she is in debt for over $3,000 and has spent more than 40 days in jail. These companies make money on the backs of the poor. This country has handed over it's criminal justice system, like probation and prisons, over to private companies. These corporations seek only to increase their bottom line.

We incarcerate more people than any other country on Earth. Jesus began his ministry by quoting the prophet Isaiah. “The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring good new to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19 The New Jerusalem Bible) The current system in this country is a punitive, profit driven system. Jesus tells us that he is beginning a different system. Yet, 2,000 years later we aer still just starting to see glimpses of that community that God is building through Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Church.

We need to stand up and fight the injustices before us. We need to look around us at all the “criminals” and see that they too, just like you and me, are created in the image of God. When we start to do that it is only natural to clamor loudly for justice for all. God's most precious gift, our brothers and sisters, are being mistreated in the name of a false god: Profit. We are called to carry out Jesus' mission. We too will set the captives free.

#GC77

I'm attending the General Convention of the Episcopal Church as a member of the Young Adult Initiative. 

I'll be posting a series of blogs about my trip. 

Here is the introduction that I posted about myself a few days ago. 

My name is Maryann Philbrook. I currently live in Austin, TX where I attend the Episcopal Mission of St. Julian's of Norwich. I am very busy here in Austin. I work full time as a Customer Service representative. Answering phone calls, technical support, that sort of thing. It pays the bills. I also work part time (very part time) as the Children's Minister at my Church. I was running the Children's Chapel program during the past school year. I also work part time (also very part time) as an attendant for a friend of mine who has a disability. When I'm not doing one of these three paid jobs, I organize with Occupy Austin, which is where I see my faith most vibrantly come alive. One of my passions is travel. I have lived and travelled in over 15 countries on 4 different continents.

I have been an Episcopalian all my life and I'm drawn to the practical side of my faith. I believe that when Jesus said he came to preach Good News to the poor, he meant it. Literally. In trying to explore this understanding of my faith and my calling, I have worked with Ecumenical groups, like the World Council of Churches and the World Student Christian Federation. I have also worked with Episcopal groups like the Episcopal Service Corps. This year, I am excited to be joining the Episcopal Peace Fellowship as part of their Young Adult Initiative at General Convention. I understand that the issues facing our country, and the world, are bigger than our individual lives. Each individual is affected by the systemic and structural organization of our government and our global society. I am coming to General Convention because I want to be a part of the work the EPF is doing in moving the Church towards its prophetic role.

I have found numerous resolutions that I am looking forward to learning more about and, hopefully, influencing the outcome of during General Convention. The one I am most passionate about is Resolution A040, “Establish the Church as the Moral Voice on Health Care.”

When I finished my year as Intern with the Episcopal Service Corps I was ineligible to be insured through my parents insurance so I bought a Major Medical Insurance policy. While living with my parents, I was stung by a bug in the middle of the night. We went to local ER where they gave me a shot of cortizone and sent me home. This treatment cost over $1,000. My deductible was $5,000, so the insurance I was buying did not cover a dime. My parents are still paying off this trip to the ER. We need healthcare reform that offers everyone equal access to health care, not just a mandate to have insurance.

In 1991 General Convention recognized that we need change: Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 70th General Convention decries the inequitable health care delivery system of the United States of America and calls upon the President, the Congress, Governors and other leaders to devise a system of universal access for the people of our country. (A009)

Currently there is a resolution on the table to (A040) to establish the Episcopal Church as the moral voice on health care. This resolution would resolve:

Every member of The Episcopal Church make a moral commitment to health care for all of citizens and legal residents by actively supporting the full implementation and funding of the health care reform law in the United States.

This is not a “Moral” stance. This law still leaves 26 million people uninsured. This law does not ensure all Americans have equal access to health care. Requiring that the government fund a law it has already passed is asking the government to do what it has promised to do. A moral stance does more than ask the bare minimum of our government.

The recent ruling by the Supreme Court seriously undermines the enforceability of the ACA. Without the ability ensure that states expand medicaid coverage many people will not be able to afford the new, mandated, insurance. The personal mandate was ruled to be constitutional, but without the expansion of medicaid millions of people who cannot afford insurance will still be without insurance and will owe the government money because of this 'penalty'. Endorsing this piece of legislation, as a moral stance, is immoral because this legislation, although it improves the health care situation in our country, is a far cry from the reforms that are needed to actually enure that everyone in the US receives the health care they need when they need it.

In 2009 the General Convention resolved that: The Episcopal Church urge passage of federal legislation establishing a “single payer” universal health care program which would provide health care coverage for all of the people of the United States (2009 D 048). Stating that this Affordable Care Act is a moral bill is going back on our commitment to supporting a truly universal health care system.

The Episcopal Church does need to become the moral voice on health care. However, this will take prophetic witness to what is possible, not a simple endorsement of a compromised bill that does little address the real causes of problems in our health care system.

There are many more resolutions that we will be considering during Convention. I hope to be able to address resolution A012, “Advocate for a Just Global Economy for International Trade.” Having travelled abroad and seen the disparity among nations I know, first hand, that we need to make ensure that our economic policies are just. I also hope to speak to resolution A017, “Monitor the use and Ethics of Drone Warfare.” As we become a society with instant communication we also become a society with the ability to cause instant destruction. The Church needs to make a statement on the morality of the use of the drone warfare in which the US is currently engaged.

I am hoping and praying that General Convention will be a time of growth and learning and fruitful work for all who attend. I am looking forward to being a part of that with the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

Government has a role in Society

There is this pledge that almost all Republicans have taken in the House and Senate.  It was initiated by Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform.  This pledge basically says that they will refuse all tax increases or reductions in tax credits.  (Which would essentially be an increase in taxes). 

There is an inherent problem with this pledge. it based on the assumption that government spending is always bad.  The pledge makes it so that taxes can never be increased.  Therefore taxes can only be decreased.  The problem is that you cannot decrease taxes forever.  Eventually you would have no tax revenue at all.  It is fantasy to believe we could live in a world with no government spending. 

Government does have a role to play and these roles cost money.  The government is supposed to protect the people it governs.  Government is supposed to provide a protection for the people.  If our food suppliers are providing food that is unsafe the government needs to regulate them.  If our manufacturers are building factories that are unsafe for the workers, our government needs to regulate them.  If our employers are not paying enough so that people can buy food to eat and are therefore starving or cannot afford safe housing our government needs to regulate employers.  If insurance companies are making obscene profits while people are dying because they do not have access to affordable health care our government needs to provide health care.  If our builders build housing that collapses on people, our government needs to regulate building codes.  These are very real protections that the government is supposed to provide to the people it governs. 

Although only the Republicans have signed Norquist's tax pledge, the Democrats have not been fighting to make sure that the revenue is coming in so that our government can protect the people. 

Volunteering vs. Relationships

I was driving down the street a few weeks ago and I saw a guy on the street corner asking for money.  This is nothing new.  It seems like people are at almost all major freeway intersections asking for money these days here in Austin. 

What was strange was the fact that I knew this guy.  I pointed out to my friend in the car, oh that's "James" (Changing the name for privacy).  This was a person that I had met through my Occupy involvement and that I consider a friend (we're friends on Facebook so that means we're real friends, right).   Since my involvement in Occupy I have become friends with those that are homeless.  I have been able to really build relationships with people that have nowhere to go at night.  I don't feel guilty that I have a  bed to sleep in and they don't.  (Okay, sometimes I do).  I am getting to know these people that are in situations very different to mine.  I am beginning to actually understand some of life choices and struggles that lead people to be homeless.  I am beginning to understand some of the structural causes that lead to people be homeless and keep them homeless.  Last night a different friend of mine was explaining that every time he seemed to get back on his feet - i.e. find a job, get housing and begin to be stable, he'd lose his job, then lose his housing and then be back in the same situation. 

I have been volunteering with two different organizations here in Austin for over 2 years.  I spent every Tuesday morning for a good two years serving breakfast and helping some homeless women here get help with ID's at one of these places.  I don't think I ever became friends with any of the women I served.  I think I did good work by serving them, but I never became friends with any of them.  As a 20 something, college educated woman I had more opportunities than many of these women who are twice my age.  I had more access to more resources than them.  I was in a position of privilege as a volunteer.  I recognized this, but I think I did not fully process it until I began to meet homeless people as peers.

This cannot be done through volunteering.  As soon as we are the ones that helping.  Or the ones that hold the keys to resources we are not peers. In Occupy we are all peers.  (There is a hierarchy in Occupy, but it is not based on whether or not you are housed). 

I guess my thought process and my relationship to homeless people generally, and the ones I've begun to be friends with specifically, has changed more during my time with Occupy than it did in my time volunteering.  But Occupy is a rare opportunity.  I cannot think of another place the brings those that are housed and those that are not together as equals.  The only time we are ever given the chance to interact with the homeless, unless we ourselves are homeless, is in a volunteer setting.  (Don't get me wrong - I think volunteering is very important that the services being provided are vital). 

I guess I think it's not enough.  We need to build relationships.  We need to find a way to be equals. 

Health Care Rants

I need to rant about health care now.

Here is my personal story:

Back in September of last year I finally decided that you know, I should have health care. My parents were telling me, it's not safe to not have health care. You need to have this coverage. I buy it. I go online and buy personal health care coverage for myself. I have to pay $120 every month. Considering that I am a healthy, young female, this seems a bit outrageous. Everyone tells me - it's the only way to be safe, in case of a catastrophe. In my coverage it says that "preventative visits" are 100% covered. Not even a deductible! I decided to go and test that out. I made an appointment to see an OB/GYN. (I haven't had an annual exam in years because I didn't have insurance).

I go in, a bit apprehensive. But, I have a wonderful experience with my doctor and his assistant. I think - oh this is great. I'm paying all this money to my insurance company for this. It is paying off!

Then, I receive a Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from them. It says they will cover a procedure that my doctor billed them for. Good, this all seems right. The next day I receive three more EOB's. These state that they will not cover four different items billed to me by "Medical Diagno" and they will not cover two other items that my doctor's office billed them for. If I am charged the full price, which I could be, I would owe almost $700 for this visit, which was supposed to be completely covered by my insurance.

A few days later I received a bill from my doctor's office stating that I owe them $146. I have still not received a bill from this mysterious "medical diagno"

I must first state how terrible these documents are. They do not explain what my insurance is not covering. They are just items from "Medical Diagno" for $130. The column the title is printed in cuts off the full word. (The insurance repriced this mystery item at $19 - which basically means that if the insurance pays for it they would pay $19 but if I have to pay for it, I could pay $130). They also sent me a letter explaining that I have a right to appeal these. On the bottom of the page they list a number for the Texas Health and Consumer Protection Bureau. It states that they can help me with the appeal process. This letter looks like it could have been typed on a type writer from the 1950's.

Yesterday, I finally had time to follow up on all of this. I started with the Texas Health and Consumer Protection Bureau. They asked if I had already filed an appeal. I said no. They said I needed to talk to my insurance company first.

I called the insurance company. After being on hold for nearly 10 minutes, I spoke with a real, live person. I asked her about the denial of coverage. She said that they do not cover the visits. I said that my policy should have covered the visit, as it was preventative. (Now here's the real kicker, if I had gone to the doctor because I was actually sick - that is clearly NOT covered under my insurance). She said that my doctor's office had coded this visit as a visit related to an illness.

I then called my doctor's office. They're closed on Fridays. I have to call back on Monday to follow up on this.

Even if my doctor's office did make a mistake, this does not address the other four mysterious charges from "medical diagno". I asked the woman that I spoke with what they were for and she said that I would have to ask my doctor about that. She could not tell me.

I guess I'm still in the middle of figuring this out. I did cancel this insurance coverage shortly after my visit (before I got any EOB's) because I was picked up on employer's insurance coverage.

I've now given you the basics of my situation. I think insurance companies are some of the worst ideas ever sold to the American People.

Basically we are paying them lots of money so that they can pay for our health care if we ever get sick. However the plan that I was paying into specifically excluded paying for any doctor's visit because I was sick. Why am I buying something that I cannot use? I am buying it for the emergency scenario. God forbid, I get in a car accident or fall and break my leg or something else. They would cover a portion of that after I've met my $5,000 deductible. If I just have a cold or Bronchitis (which I actually did have recently but thankfully my new insurance actually covers me going to the doctor for a minor illness and all I had to pay was $25 plus a portion of my prescription). I was paying them every month, but if I ever had a minor illness I would have to pay for that on my own.

Medical providers are inflating the costs of their services. As shown in my EOB that I received from my insurance company the "cost" of the item was $130. My insurance company had negotiated a lower rate of $19. I have no idea of what the actual cost of this procedure is (I still don't even know what "it" is). Let's look at this from a purely financial standpoint. All companies have to make a profit. Let's imagine that they are charging the insurance companies at cost. Let's say they are not losing any money by charging my insurance company $19, but they are also not making a profit. Where does the profit for this company come from? It comes from all the people who either are denied coverage by their insurance companies and so have to pay the full value or they do not have coverage at all and so have the pay the full value. The "costs" are highly inflated, 684% by my basic estimation. If the real cost was charged to all customers would insurance even be necessary? The uninsured and those that the insurance refuses to cover are the ones that pay this price.

I'm very concerned that when the Supreme Court Rules on the Affordable Care Act this summer that they will side with the Government. I know that I'm progressive, but I don't believe that these corporations need the force of law to make us buy a product that should be a basic right. Access to affordable health care (and possibly free?) is something that the Government should provide. The government needs to provide the things that people cannot provide for themselves. Among these is affordable health care. We have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If people die because of a lack of health care (which happens every day in this country) than the Government is not holding up it's part of the bargain to ensure that we have these rights.

It is time for the American people to stand up and demand a single payer system for health care that removes the profit motive.