It has always amazed me that people of faith sometimes use their religion to explain why they can discriminate against others, kill others, and exclude others. Religion is now being used by some to determine who you can vote for and some religions define specific issues that determine whether you can continue to practice as an active member of a faith community.

In my opinion, faith and religion should be something that causes inclusion not exclusion. We will never all agree with each other but we surely should be open and respectful to the opinions of others.

When I was in college I was fortunate enough to meet Tom Butterfield who had started a residential home for troubled boys in Marshall, Mo. Tom’s vision for helping youth grow to be responsible adults captured my heart. In many ways, meeting Tom changed my life. I worked for Tom while in graduate school and I now serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Butterfield Youth Services.

Political campaigns and policy discussions are having a tough time co-existing in today’s world. I am old enough to remember a time when what a candidate said during his campaign is what the candidate believed. I am not sure anymore.

Last week Richard Nadeau, a former respected founding board member of HCF, passed away at his home. Richard led a full life even though he was partially blind. He was an avid art collector and mental health advocate and practitioner. In the early days of the foundation he fought hard to have mental health as a major funding priority of this foundation. I can remember him stating that HCF should provide services to the chronically and persistent mental ill including those who are incarcerated. He was a strong advocate for those of us some others may find expendable or non productive.

Proposition C is on the Missouri Ballot on August 3. Most legal scholars, political pundits and even proponents agree that the vote on this referendum is mostly symbolic. Even if the bill passes with a majority of YES votes, it is anticipated that the courts will rule that state law cannot precede federal law. The only winner that will likely benefit from a YES vote are the attorneys who will be involved in the legal battle that will surely take place at the expense of Missouri taxpayers.

With the new health reform bill recently passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, over 32 million currently uninsured folks are estimated to be insured by 2014. While that is great news – the obvious question is who will be providing health services to these newly insured Americans.

The federal health reform bill was signed into law in March of this year after months of difficult and very messy negotiations and partisan political activity. It was not a pretty sight to watch even if you liked the final outcome. It certainly did not inspire confidence in our elected officials.