It’s Spring!

by Donna Schoenkopf

Ice and snow is crashing off my roof onto the deck and ground around my house. The ice and snow are there because of a crazy blizzard that hit Oklahoma this past week. It is March 21st, the first day of Spring.

It is the first day of Spring in many respects.

Everything feels alive. The ice and snow scream and howl as they crash downward. The wind is growling and whirling, shaking snow from bare branches. It whistles as it rounds the corners of my house. My animals are cozy inside, glad to be out of the wind and cold.

Rosie the Cat is home. Has been for over a week. She has complete freedom and comes and goes at will. I let her out when she wants and she returns when she wants. She is hugely happy to be home. Purrs, follows me around, cuddles with me, stands by her food bowl, meowing for yet another treat. She stays inside most of the day and night. I guess she knows what side of the bread the butter is on.

And Che the Cat happily licks Rosie all over, her face, inside her ears, her chest and back, until she’s had enough and bats him away and runs to safety.

Diego loves the snow and runs and slides across the frozen deck, burrowing his nose under the snow for who knows what. He chomps on the ice that covers the water bowl outside. He grins with happiness, then runs inside for warmth and comfort.

(I worry, though. He seems to have something stuck in his throat ... an armadillo bone? A piece of plastic pen? I can’t tell, but his breath smells of fish (??!??), his appetite is not quite so ravenous, he sleeps more than usual, and I find remnants of things that seem as though he’s eaten half of them. He yawns and coughs and his bark is weird. More money, another visit to the vet ...)

But it IS Spring. In every sense of the word.

Spring bloomed in my heart as I listened to Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson, coauthors of The Spirit Level, talk about their book on economic equality.

In this land of Capitalism it is rare to hear a point of view that differs from the philosophy of consumerism and competition, no handouts, and fear of socialism and communism, so, as I listened, my heart filled with recognition of the Truth. (Capital “T”.)

They say that economic equality is the best measure of whether or not a country has health problems like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease and social problems, like drug use and high percentages of citizens being jailed.

“YES!” I exclaim.

They continue.

It doesn’t matter how a country achieves economic equality among its people. Equality can come about through a vigorous welfare program or by its own cultural morality.

They gave examples of Japan and Sweden achieving economic equality in different ways:

Japan has a cultural sense of justice which frowns upon CEOs receiving 300 to 400 times their workers’ wages. Japanese executives actually pride themselves on NOT getting huge compensation and bonuses. So, because of social taboos, disparity between classes is much less than that of the United States.

Sweden has a different history. It had a tumultuous labor movement, with union members in the timber industry fighting long and hard for economic justice. Eventually the Labor Party took control of the government and, just as we think of our country as the land of the free and the home of the brave, Sweden thinks of itself as “The Classless Society” and “The People’s Home”.

Vermont and New Hampshire are two examples of states with high standards of living AND economic equality.

For New Hampshire, like Japan, disparities in wealth are regarded as unsavory and unethical.

For Vermont, like Sweden, economic equality was achieved through vigorous welfare programs.

Our authors continue:

Democrats and Republicans overlap more and cross party lines more during times of economic equality, and political parties are more partisan during economic inequality.

More warlike nations have more inequality and consequently have more health and social problems.

Countries with more equality are more environmentally conscious and have more public spirit.

Violence rises in periods of growing economic inequality and children of violent parents are, themselves, more violent.

Spring!

But then the gray, morose mouthings of Steve Forbes (remember him?), like a freak winter storm, came on and spoiled the mood. His droning voice and defense of consumerism/capitalism set my teeth on edge.

But not to worry!

The sun came out again when C-SPAN, through its teleportation magic, brought our eyes and ears right into the legislative action of Health Reform.

Cameras in the House. Cameras on the lawns and streets outside the House. Cameras in studios with pundits talking about it all.

Energy stirred. You could feel it, see it, hear it.

Here are some of the sights and sounds of this momentous day:

Bart Stupak stands in front of cameras and, in his own Midwestern way, simply and rather awkwardly, he says that yes, President Obama has written an executive order that forbids federal funding of abortion, and that yes, he is really happy that he and his folks can now happily, PROUDLY, vote for the health bill. He’s wanted to vote for it all along.

Pelosi and Hoyer and Cliburn and I forget who else link arms and walk through the cursing, spitting Tea Bagger crowd, across Independence Avenue, to the Capitol Building to begin the vote. Pelosi has a HUGE gavel in her hand.

Inside the House, and during the speeches of the members, catcalls and hollering come from the gallery. Sergeants at Arms have a tough job taming the crowd.

Chairwoman of the Rules Committee Louise Slaughter faces off David Dreier as he tries for an end run around the facts. She will not be denied.

Minority Leader Boehner, his voice at an unusually high pitch, almost cries as he castigates the Democrats for producing a Bill that will destroy the United States of America.

Speaker of the House Pelosi says that all politics is personal.

Bart Stupak stands on the floor to reiterate that this Bill will protect the unborn and the elderly. He makes a sweet and sincere speech and then a large, male, Republican voice with a Southern accent shouts “Baby killer!” at him.

But Spring continues her dance. Nothing can stop her.

Three hard-fought votes fall one by one to the Democrats.

Nancy Pelosi gavels the good news.

And then President Barack Obama strides to the camera, Joe Biden by his side, and says that our government of the people and by the people can still work FOR the people.

Things move and shake and excitement abounds.

Tides turn.

A breath of fresh air blows mightily through the land.

I feel so happy that I must, MUST, quote e. e. cummings:

when faces called flowers float out of the ground

and breathing is wishing and wishing is having—

but keeping is downward and doubting and never

—it’s april (yes,april; my darling) it’s spring!

yes the pretty birds frolic as spry as can fly

yes the little fish gambol as glad as can be

(yes the mountains are dancing together)

 

when every leaf opens without any sound

and wishing is having and having is giving—

but keeping is doting and nothing and nonsense

—alive; we’re alive,dear: it’s (kiss me now) spring!

now the pretty birds hover so she and so he

now the little fish quiver so you and so I

(now the mountains are dancing, the mountains)

 

when more than was lost has been found has been found

and having is giving and giving is living—

but keeping is darkness and winter and cringing

—it’s spring (all our night becomes day) o, it’s spring!

all the pretty birds dive to the heart of the sky

all the little fish climb through the mind of the sea

(all the mountains are dancing; are dancing)

Comments

Comments closed.