The Award is in those I am privileged to work along side (click for link)

It is an honor to serve the Arizona Supreme Court through working at the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education. And, a privilege to work with the people I do - our board, staff, the courts, the State Bar, our volunteers, our grantees - each and all, strive for equal access to justice for Arizonans. Thank you so much for opportunity to work along side of you.

The Price of our three day weekend - July 4th

My husband just forwarded this email to me, and it is worth sharing... many men, women, and children paid a great price for this coming holiday...

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men
who signed the Declaration of Independence ?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated,
but they signed the Declaration of Independence
knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.
Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!
(author unknown)

Mothers' Day thoughts - The Greatest Gift

I have been blessed with enjoying life with ten children. Seven I gave birth to and three were the precious gift of my marriage. I love them each dearly. They are all just really good people with tremendous minds, hearts, and sense of humor. They are without a doubt the greatest gifts, my husband and I, could ever give or receive from this world. To the two kids that I lost before they were born, I lift my love and I am grateful to have had you with me, even for the short while you were here. To my mom, thank you for life and all the love you have given. To all mothers, I hope this day is just one which celebrates the gift you have given (and received) all the other days throughout the year! Happy Mothers' Day!

My son, Will, was musing this morning about women and shared,

"Girls love the Tin Man and the Scarecrow but never the Cowardly Lion."

Unintended Consequences

The government gave the banks large amounts of money to encourage lending and spur the economy. The large influx of funds, though, decreased the banks' need for deposits and thus, lowered the interest rates offered to the general public normally used to encourage increased deposits. Now, with the lower interest rates, the general public's funds are no longer generating interest - their money is not making them money. So, with this loss of income, people are being more careful about spending money. . . It makes me wonder how this was intended to work and where it went wrong.

Health Insurance Coverage

A news report recently stated that a great majority of uninsured adults are under 30 years of age. Wouldn't a large segment of this issue be resolved if the allowance for children to stay under their parents' health plan was expanded beyond the time in school? It seems that if we allowed children to be included under the parents' plan until they were able to secure their own health insurance, the solution would be simple. Why is health insurance eligibility tied to the IRS definition of dependent? Where is the correlation? Couldn't it be easily changed to have eligibility defined as (for example) -
in the last twelve years has been claimed as a dependent in at least two years consecutively - or, a natural, adopted, or stepchild covered under your health plan prior to reaching the age 18 and has not married, reached the age 30, and/or is not eligible under another group plan.

Or perhaps, we could encourage greater scope of school health insurance with an affiliate relationship offered to alumni.

I just wonder why it seems that national programs need to be developed without first just considering a simple solution within the system.